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Chapter Text

The Gauntlet  

My prelude is bittersweet. In fact, most of my life is a bittersweet symphony of accidental notes and perfect mini cadences. The beginning is so busy and loud and bright that I can’t really remember it as a whole. I recall my mother, a kind and wonderful woman whose end came much too soon, and my father, a brutal man of wicked tempers and nightly affairs with the bottle. While I am grateful to my mother for giving me life, her choice of partner was rather pathetic. 

So forgettable was my human origin, that I often play like it never even happened, choosing to ignore the original prelude and focus on a different one from another piece of music entirely. 

My true prelude, the one that became so tantalizing and yet so very lonely began when I was granted such opulent powers I can’t even begin to explain. 

An accident in college, years wasting away in the hospital, the chords during this time were so melancholy, so silver sweet in accentuating the pain and isolation that I sometimes still hear it when I sleep. Though I do sleep much less now, my true form relies less on such weaknesses than my forgotten human half. 

There was a cacophony of drums and brass when I left the hospital and slowly started to discover my true nature. I ran, stumbling into the beauty and majesty of the Ghost Zone by accident, a swirling portal that formed between the thin veil of the human and ghost realm. A forgotten door from ancient times that none but myself had found.

As much as I wanted to stay, and despite my fear, I was spat out, not ready or worthy to reside there. But a fire had been lit and the trumpets sounded and I poured all my time and energy (and money that wasn’t mine but became so very easy to obtain) into building a portal of my own. A way to access the paradise I had seen, a way to a home that I had never existed in before. 

It took years but I did it, and once I entered back into the Ghost Zone I found myself utterly captivated by its splendor, by the peace and quiet, and, of course, by the rather lawless and chaotic nature of it. 

I never returned to the realm of my very first prelude. In this new place, I built a new me, a new life, a new home, and as the years came and went, as I made allies and built up my strength and power, I came to find I was a shoo-in for something even greater than myself. 

I became a king. 

So brilliant was the swell of the symphony, so poetic and just and beautiful that I found anything before the Ghost Zone fading, and I merged with the creatures and their existence. I defeated the ancient evil that had plagued the Zone, a monster known as Pariah Dark, and in doing so, earned the right to wear the crown, enduring all the responsibilities that came with it. 

Years continued to flow, and the symphony of my life became quiet and soothing, I found a perfect harmony had come to my music and while there were still so many unanswered questions about my past none in my old realm seemed to care or miss me. That solidified my decision and I took the throne as the most powerful being in the Ghost Zone. 

Even with all this, hidden in the undertones of my beautiful bittersweet symphony was a pang, a soft ring that warned me that while I had all the power and all the grace and all the hero worship from those in the Ghost Zone, something was still missing. 

I knew what it was, but refused to acknowledge it. My human half was suffering, not from lack of food or sunshine, not from lack of trees or grass, not even from lack of friendship...but from lack of companionship. 

It irked me that all my hard work over a thirty-year period could be spoiled by my human half once again making my true origins known. The fact that I found myself helpless to fight it. While I found comfort in sharing my ghostly core with certain ghosts I trust implicitly, none were good enough to be my true mate and none of them were willing or able to bond with me. 

My human half, buried as it was, continued to slip unwanted chords into my beautiful symphony and beg me for something I was in no hurry to acquire. 

That is until, my sweet Little Badger, I was told about you. And when I learned about your true nature, bells rang out in such a tumultuous way, sounding the call of possibility. The ironies, the coincidences, the fact that you became like me brought into my perfectly realized symphony the final cadence. 

If I could have you...then this incredibly complex piece of music that had been my life would truly be complete. However, your existence also meant, I’d have to add a coda. Something I detested greatly, for codas always take you back to the beginning, and as I’ve said before, my true beginning was something I had tried so hard to forget. 

Still, I told myself it would be worth it, that if I could bring you to me, tempt you enough if I could instill in you the same symphony that had been the guiding grace of my life, you would join me, and together we could make not a symphony, but the most incredible and breathtaking opera. 

So, after thirty years of isolation in the Ghost Zone, after becoming king and blending into the culture and habits of those I ruled over, I made the decision to place one single coda, I’d go back to the beginning and for the first time in decades, I left the Ghost Zone, all in hopes that I would find you. 

Part One 

I 

A Halfa in Sight

--No one can blame you for walking away. Too much rejection, no love injection. Life can't be easy, it's not always swell. Don't tell me truth hurts, little boy, 'cause it hurts like hell-- 

-David Bowie (Underground) 

The large white buck hid in the underbrush of the park, head down and looking at its reflection in a small stream. Red eyes glowed as it gazed upon itself for what seemed like an eternity. What the creature was thinking as it stared at itself was unknown, but its long black antlers crept towards the sky as the buck cocked its head in consternation and it continued to look at itself. Its smooth coat seemed to shine in the rays of sun that managed to make it through the thick canopy of the trees.

The silence of the woods was ended by a call from the open field nearby and the buck’s head shot up as he turned, leaving the stream behind as he peered out through the branches of leaves and spied a young man dashing across a grassy park. 

“I got it Sam!” obsidian hair and icy blue eyes turned in the light as a tan arm reached up and caught the disc that had been flying through the air, the young man having seemingly hovered a moment to procure the frisbee. The buck shuttered in excitement as his fur fluffed in response to the young man’s hubris. 

The buck had been watching the young man for two years, catching hints that he was more than what he seemed and noticing how his cocky and presumptive nature often led him towards trouble. 

Still, there was something humorous and endearing about how foolhardy the young man could be. The fact that he assumed there was no one else in the nature preserve, at least not nearby, made him feel comfortable enough to use his powers out in the open, albeit sparingly. 

The buck gave a rather harsh snort as he continued to watch the youth act impulsive. Red eyes locked onto the young man as he chuckled and spun, flinging the disc towards another young man who looked utterly defeated by the distance of the throw, “Come on man, no super strength!” 

“Sorry! Forgot!” the dark-haired man said as he laughed, “No you didn’t.” said the young woman who approached him with a large smile, “‘Course I didn’t, but you know we need to exercise him at least once a week or he gets lethargic.” 

“Yeah, but that was a bit much.” 

“Ya think?” he asked her only for the pair to look in shock when the third member of their group shouted from across the field, “HA! I GOT IT! HERE YOU GO DICKWAD!” and their companion sent the disc flying with a masterful flick of his wrist and though the buck’s red eyes were still locked on the first young man it didn’t seem to register in his mind that the youth he was admiring was running straight for him. 

When he was mere feet away from the brush the buck finally realized what was going to happen and turned and gave a mighty jump, landing him across the small stream and out of the way of the clumsy tumble the young man made as he pierced the brush in his attempt to catch the frisbee. 

He lay stunned on the ground a moment before he gave a regret-filled chuckle, “Ow.” he pushed himself up and shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair and began to search for the frisbee. 

The buck stood frozen, red eyes wide and body poised for escape, yet, his large hooves did not move. For this was the first time that the pair were both close to each other and actually somewhat alone. He couldn’t bring himself to move for at the moment he was granted an up-close look at the young man as he turned intangible and the leaves and sticks fell from his messy hair to the ground. 

He sensed the young man’s ghostly core and for just a moment his own core tried to reach out. He had to calm it as he felt the flickering and intent humming grow in anticipation with a desire to bond. It was just another sign of how well matched the pair were and while the buck had suspected as much, he was not yet ready to try and make the young man before him understand how they were meant to be together. 

It only took a second for the sun rays that were beaming off the bucks coat to catch the eye of the young man whose head slowly turned and his eyes grew wide as saucers, “Whoa...holy-” but he stopped talking as he stared at the beautiful and stunning buck before him. 

His eyes broke away only once when he realized the frisbee was at the creature's feet, and so the young man, though in complete awe, motioned with his finger, “Uhm, that’s….that’s my frisbee...can I...would you mind?” 

Icy blue eyes met glowing red and the buck cocked its head again as it slowly seemed to look down at the disc that rested before its large hooved feet. Danny watched as the buck seemed to consider his words and so he spoke softly, “My names Danny, Danny Fenton…” 

The buck looked back at him quickly, red eyes wide as large black antlers seemed to shimmer and as their eyes once again met Danny suddenly felt compelled to move closer. 

“Easy boy, I just...want...my frisbee….man, you’re beautiful-” and the buck let out an approving blast from his snout and held his head a little higher as his massive chest puffed out proudly. 

The buck made no aggressive move nor did it grunt or snort as bucks often did when their territory was encroached upon. 

“White fur...and red eyes...you’re...an albino aren’t you?” Danny questioned and he inched closer, “Albino deer are rare, but not unheard of...I just never thought I would be lucky enough to see one. You must just be passing through, there have never been any albino deer sightings in Amity Park before. Though honestly, our nature preserve is pretty nice as you can see-” and the young man continued to speak in that slow and gentle voice as he continued to creep closer. 

“Just gotta watch out for ghosts.” he offered and the buck's ears perked sharply, “Ah, you know that word, huh? Or maybe you just think I’m an idiot for getting so close to you…” 

He watched as the buck's eyes seemed to jump back and forth in thought for a moment which made him stop in surprise before the buck lowered its massive head and with its nose pushed the disc towards him. 

“Whoa...no way,” Danny said in utter surprise and he slowly stood from his hunched and near crawling position and kept a steady eye on the beast as he carefully stepped over the small stream and reached down to pick up the disc. 

He stood up straight and held the toy in both his heads as Danny looked up and realized the buck was so tall that its chest was at Danny’s eye level. 

“Dude, you're massive, way bigger than a normal deer...where did you come from-” but he stopped talking the instant he felt the soft snout of the creature press into his hair and start to gently smell and sniff. 

“Haha, oh...hi,” Danny said happily before he felt the soft snout press down past his ear and towards his neck where a tongue gave a gentle lick before the buck took a step closer and nestled his large head, being careful of its antlers, against Danny’s chest. 

Danny was unaware but the buck's heart and core were thrumming quickly as the young man’s scent was taken in and his tongue received a taste of the salty human skin. He smelled like a mix of human body spray and deodorant, but also of youth and vitality with an underlying note of death and to the buck’s surprise winter. The sharp yet subtle smell right before a heavy snowfall, static and muted all at the same time. 

The buck moved closer, wanting to memorize the young man’s scent and taste, nestling his large head into the young man’s chest so that he could make note of the freezing body temperature, his ears perking a little as he felt another hint of the youth’s ghostly core. 

“Holy cow, wait...are you someone’s pet?” Danny tossed the frisbee lazily across the stream before his hands tentatively came up, slowly rubbing up the buck's massive jaw and down his thick and muscle-bound neck, “You must be, no way a wild buck would let me this close, who do you belong to?” 

The buck pulled away suddenly, giving a stamp of its hoof and a sharp blast of air from his nose as he let out a strange yet deep grunt, a very common trait for bucks and Danny chuckled, “Oh, sorry, so you don’t belong to anyone, you’re your own master, right?” 

The buck finally looked back at him, large red eyes meeting his, and Danny’s smile faded as he saw a sadness in the eyes he was sure he was imagining. The buck’s mind was racing with how much he wanted to press his core out to meet with the smaller one hidden away inside the young man before him. The buck doubted Danny knew how badly his core was aching for attachment. And he was rather tempted to reach out, but this was not the time nor place, and doing so without actually communicating his intent could cause alarm. 

“Man, you’re so...I can’t even put it into words…” and Danny’s hands reached back out, still slow and nervous before the buck brought its head back up and allowed Danny to once again touch and caress him. 

“Man, no one is going to believe this.” 

“DANNY!? Hey Danny! Where are ya dude!” Came a call from his male companion and Danny looked back towards the way he had come, “Oh right, Sam and Tucker are waiting for me. BE RIGHT THERE GUYS! Shoot, I guess we have to cut our little meeting short. It was nice to meet you, thanks for not trampling me to death…” but as Danny turned to go the buck let out an elongated grunt, almost stressed in nature and Danny turned back. 

His eyes popped as the buck began to glow and float a few inches off the ground, a blue mist escaped from Danny’s mouth and he stumbled back before falling to the ground, “Y-You’re a ghost!” the young man said in shock and he transformed into Phantom, the buck stilling instantly, returning to the ground as the glowing dissipated and Danny stood, taking a fighting stance. 

His face had gone from filled with wonder to filled with a sharp and determined focus as a small green ecto ball formed in his palm and though he didn’t make to fire it he was ready for an attack. 

The buck's red eyes sharpened as well but instead of attacking the buck simply pressed its ears down and back as it lowered its head and bent its front knees to take a bowing position before him. 

Danny’s angry face once again changed, but instead of returning to wonder and awe it became curious and he slowly lowered his hand as the ecto ball faded away. 

“So...you don’t want to fight? You’re not hostile? I’ve only met a few ghosts who aren’t, but I’ve never met a ghostly animal that isn’t bound and trapped by its basic instincts. You...must be really old…” 

The buck raised his bowed head and met Danny’s eye and to the young man’s shock, a smooth voice seemed to ring out in his mind.

  I am a lot of things, young one, only one of which is old. 

“You...you can speak?” and Danny felt his heart leap, excitement and a weary fear fluttering in his chest. 

I can do that and more… I would be happy to show you...if...you come back tonight. 

Danny’s gaze became suspicious, “How do I know this isn’t a trap?” 

The buck studied him carefully, those red eyes seeming to think of how to prove his innocence. 

Come forward and touch my chest.

Danny raised a brow before he let out a sigh and shook his head mumbling about how stupid he was being to trust the buck but still he moved forward, pressing his hand to the soft tufts of fur on the bucks massive chest. 

Now, close your eyes, and open your ghostly core...you need only open it a little..I’ve no wish to overwhelm you…

Danny was exceptionally reluctant but did as he was told, closing his eyes and focusing on his core, trying to open it, of which he had very little practice doing. His frenemy Ember had told him about cores, so had his friend Princess Dora and Frostbite, but he’d personally never had a core experience with another ghost. 

So when feelings came to him he gasped a little in surprise. Feelings of warmth, desire, and good intentions swirled and wrapped around his core in a very gentle manner. He felt no ill intent and no ulterior motives and after a moment he pulled his hand away and tried to close his core, of which he had a very hard time. The lingering impression of another ghost's emotions and feelings was a tad overwhelming even if the buck had only shared his cores for a moment.  

Imagine simply closing a door, young one. Press it shut without thought, it's the most natural thing to close a door, isn’t it? 

Danny did as the buck suggested and his core closed itself off with ease. He opened his eyes and looked to the buck who pressed its snout gently to Danny’s cheek and nestled him in a soft manner. Come back to me tonight, I wish to know you. 

Danny felt his body relax, his core seeming to hum gently in a way that was foreign to him, his eyes fluttering as the feel of the buck’s soft snout rubbing along his jaw and neck was rather soothing. 

“A-alright...but it will have to be late. I’m supposed to have game night with my mom and dad and my sister...my folks are having their old college buddy coming for a visit and...well...I can’t get out of it...so...maybe...midnight? One?” 

Go play your games young one...I will be waiting for you in the fields...do not forget... come back to me. I’ll be waiting for you. 

The buck gave one last long inhale against Danny’s neck before its massive head pressed at his back and pushed him off towards his friends who by now could be heard moving through the undergrowth. 

Danny hopped the stream and went to look back only to find the massive white buck was gone and as his head spun and his heart pounded against his chest a sliver of longing seemed to pass through his core and he shook his head, surfacing back in reality where he didn’t feel like he had just been swept away to some other place. 

He grabbed up the frisbee and met his friends who gave him an earful but as they headed out of the preserve and towards his car Danny continued to look over his shoulder as his mind raced with thoughts and feelings he had never had before. His core seemed to hum and pulse gently and for a moment he would have given anything in the world to stay and spend eternity speaking to the ghostly creature he had just met. 

II 

--But down in the Underground, you'll find someone true. Down in the Underground

A land serene, a crystal moon. It’s only forever, not long at all, the lost and the lonely, that’s Underground--

-David Bowie (Underground) 

Danny spent the rest of the day and into the evening thinking about his encounter with the strange but beautiful buck at the nature preserve. Danny and his friends had been going to the preserve to hang out this particular summer as Amity Park’s biggest bully Dash Baxter and his merry crew of idiots was gunning to have a final showdown with Danny before all of them took off for their prospective colleges. 

Now that he had graduated High School Danny had nothing really keeping him from laying Dash out and so he thought it better to avoid the blonde-haired jerk altogether than face possible jail time. No doubt not having the consequences of being written up, given detention, and having to face his parent's disappointment meant he’d be much less likely to hold back. 

As the day dragged on and the sun faded, the pastels of the evening washing across the sky and bringing darkness with it, Danny kept his eyes on the clock as his foot bounced against the floor restlessly. 

“You okay Danny? You seem a bit anxious.” Came Jazz’s pointed tone and Danny sighed, “Yeah, fine, just want tonight to get going, the sooner it does the sooner it can end...I have...some ghost stuff I need to do.” he whispered the last half out to her softly and Jazz’s brows shot up as she sat down next to him on the couch and asked in her own soft tone, “Do you need help?” 

“Thanks, but it’s not dangerous...I mean...I don’t think it is. I...it’s...today I saw….I mean..it was so...incredible but-” for some reason, Danny did not know he could not put into words what he had experienced today, something he had found he also could not do with Sam and Tucker. 

He had tried to tell them, but found the words would not come, and while part of him thought it was just his own desire to keep the buck a secret, part of him wondered if it was the buck who had made him mute on the subject. 

He went to try and explain again only to be interrupted as his mother and father entered the room, “Everyone ready for dinner and game night!?” His father asked with excitement and Danny grumbled angrily as he looked away, frustrated he didn’t have a chance to talk to his sister about what had happened. 

“Dad, why did you invite your estranged friend again? I mean, aside from him showing up a few months ago randomly and trying to make amends with you and mom he hasn’t really been...ya know... around? I mean, the guy took off when you were all in college, why is he coming around now? And why are you letting him?” Jazz started only for her father to cut her off as he said happily, “Vladdie’s just been busy. Since college, he’s built a billion-dollar empire and been pursuing his dreams! Now that he’s rich he’s got more time to catch up! It’s just like old times!” 

Her father's boisterous nature did little to soothe her fears and her mother did her best to explain, “Now Jazz, I'll admit it is a little odd that he showed up out of the blue, but he was a good friend to your father and I in college and the few times he has come to visit he has been nothing but polite and kind.” her mother said in a rather chipper manner. 

And Jazz scoffed and crossed her arms as she slunk down on the couch and muttered out a soft, “Yeah, and totally fixated on Danny. The guy's a total creeper.” 

Danny glanced at her as their parents walked away towards the kitchen and he gave her an odd look, “what?” 

Jazz scoffed, “Oh come on Danny, every time the guy comes around he’s totally only interested in you! I mean, the guy shows up after years of zero contact with mom and dad saying he’s forgiven them for the accident in their college days, and the entire time he’s here he just... stares at you. I honestly can't believe mom and dad haven't noticed, or you for that matter.” 

“He does not!” Danny countered though his stomach twisted a little in excitement at the thought. 

The entire situation was complicated as none of it made any sense at all. Absolutely nothing was known about Vlad Masters. He had said he was a reclusive billionaire who started some multinational corporation once he had gotten out of the hospital. But Danny had never been able to find hide nor hair of said company when he had done research on the subject. In fact, there was no evidence that Vlad Masters even existed. He’d been in the hospital for several years after an accident involving a ghostly experiment he and Danny’s parents had been working on. Afterward, Vlad told them off, said he wanted nothing to do with them, that they had ruined his life and delivered unto him years of pain and suffering. 

After he got out of the hospital he seemed to simply vanish. It wasn’t until around two months ago that he had shown up in Amity, begging his parent's forgiveness and wanting to let bygones be bygones. Shortly after he had worked things out with Danny’s parents the man started to visit their home at least once a week. 

Danny’s suspicions of the man were just as intense as Jazz’s but there was a difference between Danny and his sister that caused the younger of the two siblings to give Vlad a bit of leeway. 

Danny thought Vlad was attractive. 

He never shared this fact with anyone, and he’d only “come out of the closet” as bisexual right at the end of his senior year. Only Sam, Tucker, and Jazz knew but they were really the only ones in Danny’s life that he felt he wanted to share it with. 

That being said, from the moment the eccentric and rather crazy fruitloop Vlad Masters had shown up at the Fenton’s door Danny had found the man both attractive and a tad mysterious. While his long white hair should have made him look old all it did was make him look like a sexy silver fox. He was tall and well built with a narrow waist and broad shoulders and his hands were well kept and large, feeling dry and so very warm. 

Danny knew this from when he had shaken the man's hand upon their first meeting. He'd also noticed the man's lips. Though they were thinner than Danny liked, the man's smile was captivating and his dark blue eyes were a bit hypnotic. His voice was light and playful usually but once or twice Danny had caught something a little darker and low, like a soft purr or growl that gave him goosebumps. 

He was eighteen now, and despite the man’s age being much older than his own Danny was not above flirting with the man, albeit very subtly. And on occasion, Vlad had flirted right back, though just as subtly. 

Hearing Jazz accuse the man of staring at him made Danny flush a little and though there were some serious creep vibes that Vlad gave off Danny never felt threatened by the man nor had he ever made any real advances when Danny had teased or flirted with him. 

There could be a lot of reasons Vlad was staring at him, but Danny was determined to notice this time. And as Jazz grumbled angrily about her parent's lack of awareness the doorbell rang and Danny jumped up to open it. 

 III 

--There’s such a sad love, deep in your eyes a sort of pale jewel, open and closed within your eyes, I’ll place the sky within your eyes-- 

-David Bowie (As the world falls down) 

That night, after the pleasantries between Vlad and his parents, were out of the way dinner was consumed and game night commenced. 

Danny tried to be as subtle as possible, and throughout the night he’d sneak glances at Vlad and realized that Jazz had not been lying. When Vlad wasn’t taking his turn in the game or speaking directly to one of them, his dark blue eyes would wander over to him and stare in a rather soft and distant manner. 

What the man was thinking or imagining was beyond Danny, but as the night crept on and Danny continued to catch the man’s gaze he realized perhaps the man wasn’t as benign as Danny had thought. 

The young man assumed Vlad was simply an eccentric recluse with fruitloopy tendencies, and being in any sort of isolation for so long would make anyone a little awkward and socially inept. But the way the man stared at him, as if Vlad was trying to figure him out, see beyond his exterior and deeper into him, a hungry glint always resting just on the edge of his gaze. While his eyes seemed so soft they were also intense, the man often not even blinking and while Danny felt a little creeped out, his cheeks flushed red when he finally met the man’s eyes full on. 

He hadn’t meant to, he’d just finished his turn and he’d glanced up to see if Vlad was indeed still looking at him and this time he didn’t glance away. Their eyes locked, and Danny’s cheeks flooded with red as his mouth gave a warm hint of a smile. 

An accidental come hither face wasn’t the end of the world, however, as the pair continued to stare at each other, Danny’s ghostly core seemed to shutter a little and Danny clutched at his shirt tightly as his face went crimson. 

He saw Vlad’s brows go up but he did not smile back, simply continuing to stare, his eyes lingering on Danny’s red cheeks and his lips before returning to his eyes. It was when Danny bit gently at his bottom lip to keep himself from moaning due to his core’s seemingly unstable antics that the man surprised him. 

Vlad reached into his pocket and very subtly pulled out his cell phone which he slid under the table and as the turns continued to make their rounds and Jack once again engaged Vlad in conversation, the man seemingly not needing to look at his phone, Danny felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket. 

No one had noticed the man withdrawing his phone and so Danny pulling out his phone and checking it didn’t catch anyone’s eye. 

What Danny didn’t understand was how the man had his number and while there were alarm bells going off in the back of his mind his hands shook with light anticipation as he knew in his gut this was not a coincidence and the text he just received was in fact from Vlad Masters. 

An unknown number greeted him as he opened the text and his eyes went wide as he read the message. 

I wish to speak with you, meet me tonight? VM 

Danny’s eyes jerked up from the text as his mother said his name and asked if he wanted some cake and Danny realized the game had come to an end, Vlad having won it just in that moment. 

He declined and as he glanced at Vlad who was looking at him with a much less heated expression as he helped to put the game away, Danny frowned, “Actually, I’m pretty tired. I’m just going to...ya know...hit the hay. Uhm...good seeing you Mr. Masters.”

“You as well, dear boy.” 

Danny had exited the kitchen quickly, heading up to his room as he continued to read over the message and though he was filled with both dread and excitement he managed to type something out. 

How'd you get my number? DF

The response took a moment but Danny could see the typing cloud was activated and when Vlad finally sent his response he felt relief wash through him as he read it. 

Your father gave it to me. I asked him if he knew of any good local cafes in the area. He claimed you know them all, I dare say the man has never heard of Google. I thought it odd he'd so willingly hand out his child's phone number to someone they barely know but it is Jack, he can be a tad unaware. That's being said...I'm glad he did...unless of course this makes you uncomfortable. I can erase your number. If you wish. VM

Danny actually chuckled at the message for it was so like his father to blindly trust someone he thought of as a friend, his naivety was legendary. That being said Danny's fears were far less potent now and he felt a swell of unwarranted bravery.

Sounds like my dad. When do you want to meet? DF 

He entered his room and shut his door, standing in the middle of the space and feeling both adrenaline and a sort of lightheaded dizziness. 

His phone vibrated and he opened the message quickly, nearly dropping it as he did. 

I’ll say my goodbyes to your parents. Ten minutes, in the alley behind Fenton Works. Climb out your window. I’ll be waiting. VM 

Danny sucked in some air as he realized what this might be. While he was imbued with ghost powers and could get out of most bad situations something about this felt both exhilarating and dangerous. 

You just assume I'm able to climb out my window? DF

I assume you do a lot of things your family doesn't know about...am I wrong? VM

Whether it was because of Vlad’s age or because he was friends with Danny’s parents or even it was the obvious secrecy they were both suddenly partaking in, all of this was shady as hell. 

Still, Danny was eighteen, his hormones were raging and his curiosity was pushing him to meet the older and handsome man. His texts alone were making Danny blush and smile in a rather mischievous way. He was more charming than Danny wanted to admit considering how creepy he could also be. It was a mix that should have clued Danny in, unfortunately it did not, as his male hormones were pushing him towards the window. 

As he glanced towards his bedroom window, which was dark, he spied his reflection, a bit of reality trickled back in and he spoke out loud to himself in hopes of dispelling his sudden and irrational desires. 

“Come on Fenton, you don’t know anything about him...he’s only been coming around for the last two months and he’s secretive and mysterious as hell. This entire thing rings of ulterior motive...but...your half-ghost...you can easily defend yourself even without turning into Phantom. You’re way stronger than him so if things go weird you can get out of it easily...and...it’s the first time a guy has shown any interest...I’m...curious as hell what it’s like...what he’d be like...how he kisses...who said he wants to kiss you? I mean, just because he wants to talk...maybe it’s nothing...maybe he wants help planning a surprise for your parents...yeah...that makes sense...don’t be an idiot Fenton...of course this isn’t a booty call...it’s not...what it seems. It’s just a misunderstanding-” 

His phone vibrated again and he looked at the text. 

Come down to me, you won’t regret it. Your cheeks were the loveliest of pink when you looked at me tonight, but I can make them ruby red. VM 

Danny felt arousal and excitement explode in his chest, “Okay-” he said in a breathy and high-pitched voice, “It’s exactly what it looks like. He...he wants...a booty call….from me?” Danny asked himself out loud as he turned and looked into the standing mirror in his room. 

“He can’t actually find me…. I’m eighteen and prior to this, he has never made an advance towards me. He’s always been respectful and never even hinted at...YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE GUY!” Danny nearly yelled at himself as he looked at his reflection. 

His phone vibrated again. 

Have I made you uncomfortable? We can simply talk if you prefer. VM 

Danny read all the texts the man had sent again before he took a deep breath and finally responded. 

Be right down. DF 

Danny turned off his bedroom lights, locked his door, and pushed open his window, his heart pounding and hands shaking as he turned invisible and jumped outside, slowly floating down to the ground before coming back into view and walking across the small fenced-in backyard. 

He glanced back at the house, seeing his mother pass by the kitchen window before the light turned off and the light in his parent's bedroom was turned on by his dad. He quietly unlocked the gate and entered into the alley, his eyes glancing around as the amber street light a few yards off lit up the neighbor's garage door across the way. 

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and he gasped and turned around, swinging a fist which to Danny’s shock was caught an inch from Vlad’s nose. 

He stood there breathing heavily as their eyes met and Vlad let go of his wrist and brought a finger to his lips. Danny swallowed and finally nodded and the man loosened his hold on Danny’s fist, the young man still shocked Vlad had not only caught it but stopped it from colliding with his face and breaking his nose. 

How the hell could the man stop an unrestrained punch? He’d nearly put his full force behind it...and Danny suddenly felt a sort of giddy arousal at the idea that a human like Vlad might just be strong enough to handle Danny’s dual nature. He found it strangely sexy that Vlad would most likely not be intimidated by Danny if he ever decided to tell the man about his ghost half. 

Vlad pulled him further down the alley between the rows of houses before he turned down one of the side alleys that led towards the main road out in front of Fenton works and he came to a stop in the darkness. 

“Thank you for meeting me, I apologize if I scared you.” Vlad said in a hushed voice and Danny crossed his arms and shrugged, “It’s okay...I...I was a bit jumpy...I didn’t mean to almost break your nose...I’ve never...uh...done this before and-” 

The feeling of fingers gently tracing along his jaw stopped him and he looked up through the dark with the gleam of the street lights on the main road giving a dim highlight to the side of Vlad’s face. 

The stare from earlier in the night was back, somehow both intense and gentle as Vlad chuckled softly and he asked in a mirth filled voice, “Haven’t you?” 

Danny couldn’t speak, and so simply shook his head once as he waited, his breath seeming to catch on his lips as Vlad said softly, “You precious thing.” 

He felt like he was in a trance for a moment, his ghostly core actually thrumming loudly in his chest as his heart sped up and his palms began to sweat. 

“What...What do you...want?” Danny asked faintly, unable to look away from the man’s gaze. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Vlad asked as he leaned closer. 

“Mm.” Danny managed as he faintly shook his head. 

“Ah, such a pity. Very well, let’s start small then...how about...a gift.” and Vlad raised his hand between them and held up a small crystal, round, smooth, clear and sitting roughly the same size as a baseball. 

Danny finally broke the man’s gaze and looked at it, “What...what is it?” 

“As I said, it’s a gift...a puzzle if you will. Nothing more or less. Though, I think you’ll be able to figure it out given enough time.” 

“Uh...thanks? But...I’m not so good at puzzles.” 

“All beauty and no brains? I doubt that. Only a highly intelligent person could keep as many secrets as you do without getting caught.” 

That comment got Danny’s attention and he took a step back, “What do you mean by that? I don’t have any secrets-” but he didn’t get a chance to finish because within a single second Vlad had grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him in. 

Their lips met and after a moment Danny jerked away from him, glaring at the man as he looked at him, “Whoa, slow down, I don’t even know you! You can’t just go around kissing people without-” 

“Can’t I? You did invite me.”

“I did not!” Danny bit but Vlad took several leisurely steps towards him, a hand coming to his chest and pressing Danny harshly up against the wall of the building behind, “You did, with such a sinful blush and that wickedly tempting little smile of yours. When you bit your lip I felt faint. You’d be cruel to deny me now.” and the man captured Danny’s lips again and this time, being pinned between Vlad and the wall and unwilling to expose his ghost half or possibly break the man’s ribs with a punch, his shifting attempts at escape faded as he realized he was finally able to experience kissing a man. 

While he didn’t appreciate being cut off nor how forward and assertive the man was, he took the opportunity presented to him and quickly pushed back, wrapping arms around Vlad’s neck and opening his mouth. 

The kiss was deep and rather wicked, as their tongues danced together so sinfully. Vlad seemed to grip into his hair tighter as his other hand wrapped around and pulled Danny flush to him. 

When the kiss ended Danny found his hands gripping at the man’s suit jacket, his head quickly coming to rest on the man’s chest under his chin in hopes of hiding his burning face. 

“Such a naughty thing you are,” Vlad whispered into his ear as he held Danny closer. 

“I don’t even know you. But I can already tell you’re an asshole. God, this is bad...I must be absolutely crazy...I’m insane.” Danny whispered to himself in thought as he realized his desires had led him to a dark alley where he was kissing a stranger who was old enough to be his father and was quite clearly some sort of twisted and perverse individual. 

The kiss he had wanted had come and gone, and while part of his mind was telling him it was worth it, the rest of his mind was warning him that he may have started something he was not prepared to follow through on. He felt light, so much adrenaline and uncertainty washing through him and swirling with the arousal and nerves that he thought he might as well have been drunk. 

As he pulled away Danny noticed his whole body was lightly shaking, his nervousness finally showing and so he pulled in on himself, holding the strange round crystal to his chest as he looked to the shadows and then to the sky, seeing the moon rising high as faded stars tried to shine through the light pollution of the city. 

A hand came to his shoulder while fingers threaded through his hair and his eyes fluttered closed as his brows furrowed in both worry and arousal. 

Lips pressed next to his ear as Vlad’s smooth voice whispered out, “Such a cruel thing you are. Giving me just a taste when I want so much more. Lucky for you, it’s late, I have to go. Keep my gift close, see if you can work it out. I’ll be in touch, Little Badger.” 

Lips came to his neck and delivered such a faint kiss Danny felt shivers rush over his body and then the hands were pulling away and the excessive heat of the man’s chest disappeared from his back and he was left in the alley alone. 

He continued to stand there in shock, unsure what had just happened and having no clue what he had just gotten himself into. He had a half-formed boner in his pants and his mind fluttered over the idea of sex in this alley and how he regretted not going for it. 

He’d been too scared, but he had no doubt a forbidden midnight rendezvous coupled with losing his virginity in an alley to a handsome crazy man would have been both the most amazing night of his life and something he would regret for the rest of his life as well. 

Yet, the moment his phone began to vibrate he pulled it out quickly and realized his midnight alarm was going off. 

“The buck!” and he placed the small glass crystal in his pocket before checking to make sure he was alone before he transformed and took off into the sky. 

 IV 

--I’ll spin you mornings of gold, I’ll paint you Valentine evenings though we’re strangers ‘till now, we’re choosing a path between the stars, I’ll leave my love between the stars--

- David Bowie (As the world falls down)  

Danny landed in the nature preserve just as the moon was reaching its peak. While he had never been in the preserve after nightfall he couldn’t help but feel like there was something ethereal about the area as he gazed across the open field he, Tucker, and Sam had been in earlier in the day. 

The moon’s silver light gave everything a pale glow and the shadows a deep blue hue. While his mind was still racing from the dangerous thing he had just done with Vlad only fifteen minutes earlier he tried his best to push it aside as he was very much wanting to find the buck and speak with him again. 

While his core had not really settled down since his initial run in with the ghostly creature that afternoon, it had been less active, though now, after the events of the alley Danny could feel it humming loudly, almost in anticipation of what he would find. 

Silent as the grave he crossed the open field, heading towards where he thought he had met with the buck last. As he passed out of the moon’s bright beams and into the shadows of the trees something caught his eye and he looked back out into the field. The moon’s beams seemed to almost rain down and he noticed a soft glow coming from the other side of the open space. 

From the treeline across from him, a massive buck appeared, in the moon’s light, its white fur glowed near silver and its horns seemed so glossy Danny thought perhaps they were made of polished black marble. 

“Whoa-” slowly he moved away from his shadowed spot and back out into the open, seeing how the buck noticed him and moved with such dignity and grace. 

His large ears were perked up and rotating back and forth quickly as if to listen for any dangers and its head seemed to scan subtly around the clearing as it made its way to him. As they met in the middle Danny found himself still in awe and wonder at the size and appearance of such a ghost as this. His mind questioned if perhaps this buck was more a spirit and less a ghost, given how beautiful it appeared. 

“Hello again. Sorry if I kept you waiting.” Danny said softly though there was no one around. Without hesitating, he raised his gloved hands up and once again stroked over the beast's face and neck as the buck stamped a hoof and his fur fluffed a little at his touch. 

I was not waiting long. Thank you for returning. 

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Danny asked, raising the large head in his hands and meeting those glowing red eyes. 

It doesn’t matter now, one way or another, you are here, and we have much to talk about. 

“Uh...we do?”

Oh yes, now, come with me, and do not fall behind. 

Suddenly the buck reared up and turned, rushing with massive leaps across the field and Danny was quick to jump up and follow. Despite the massive animal running headlong into the forest he didn’t make a single sound and Danny turned intangible so he could follow suit. 

They moved deeper and deeper into the forest, the shadows growing and the moon’s light fading to do thick leaves and branches above. 

Eventually, they came to a much smaller clearing, where a massive set of boulders jutted up from the ground and the buck glided up through the air and came to land on one of the boulders that protruded at an angle from the ground, creating an elevated platform on which the buck sat upon, it’s long legs folded neatly under him as his large eyes watched Danny stand across from him. Under the jutting rock was a small pool of clear shimmering water, the moon’s glow once again prominent as fireflies signaled their existence with soft pulsing lights. 

In the center of the pool was another much smaller rock, elevated out of the water by several feet and the buck motioned with his head.

Sit with me, young one, so we can talk. 

Danny swallowed nervously but flew over to the lone rock in the center of the pool, gazing up at the buck who looked down from his stone platform and waited for Danny to settle. 

“Alright, let’s talk.” Danny offered. 

Very well, we will start with you, tell me everything there is to know about you and how you were granted the powers of the ghost realm. 

V 

--As the pain sweeps through Makes no sense for you, every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down--

- David Bowie (As the world falls down)  

A month had come and gone and as Vlad sat in the arched stone window of his bed-chamber he pulled out a small crystal ball and gazed into it. 

An image of Daniel came into view, the young man holding the crystal Vlad had given him as a gift with a look of consternation as he tried to figure it out. 

Vlad smirked, the crystal ball was essentially nothing more than a way for Vlad to watch the young man while he was in the Ghost Zone. He couldn’t stray too far from his throne for too long or other ghosts might think he had abandoned it and a battle to claim his seat would begin. 

The tips of his two long black horns tapped softly against the stone behind him as he rested his head and sighed. 

He had few options left to him now, he’d played his hand and started the game but where to go from here was beyond him. He had always been good at planning things out, but at the moment, the next step eluded him. 

He’d introduced himself to Daniel as both Vlad Masters and as an animal spirit, but transfiguring his ghostly body for so long was beginning to wear on his core. He was exceptionally powerful, and as ruler of the Ghost Zone he could pull energies from both his subjects and the Zone itself as he needed or saw fit, but this was far more personal and not necessarily something that was for the good of the Zone.

This was something he wanted for himself, and so he would not pull extra energy from his ghostly minions or his domane. It was technically his right to do so, but should his subjects find out...well...rebellions were dreadfully dull and often took centuries to snuff out. He was far too focused on Daniel to want to deal with a rebellion due to misuse of energy.  

The next logical step was to reveal himself to Daniel as the Ghost King, but to do so might set them back. Daniel had been learning to trust the buck, not the Ghost King. And while at first this seemed the best way to observe and watch Daniel without being seen, once Daniel had discovered him and shown such curiosity and interest Vlad had been hard pressed to ignore the opportunity presented. 

He’d spoken to Daniel, created a bond, and though he knew he should have revealed who he was the first night they were at the spirit pool an entire month of nightly meetings had come and gone and his opportunity to reveal his true form had passed, if he did it now, he’d be a lier and all semblance of trust that they had built would be gone. 

He gazed into the crystal ball, his only way to spy upon Daniel without leaving the Zone, and he felt his core stir and hum, wanting to reach out desperately and wrap around Daniel’s core as they had been doing every night. 

Vlad had to keep their core sharing restrained, allowing his own core to barely graze against Daniel’s as the young halfa had never shared his core with another. He was so tentative and shy, but the stimulation was so overwhelming Daniel often needed long breaks in between. 

There was something so tantalizing about such a young core, how it twitched and spurted and shivered with so much excitement when Vlad’s core grew close. This was not to say that ghostly cores had a mind of their own, but that a ghost’s core was a reflection of their own desires, thus why the core was a direct link to accessing and using a ghost's powers. 

Daniel’s core heavily desired to link and bond with Vlad’s and the Ghost King was finding it very hard to resist such a wanton offer, but Daniel had no idea he was even making it, his own subconscious telling his core how to act and what to do. It was all so innocent and cute...endearing in a way...and Vlad had made the decision rather quickly that he wanted to claim Daniel as his mate and bond for all eternity. 

Their conversations had only added to his desire as they had all started simple, sharing about themselves and their lives, but as the days passed the conversations had grown more complex and in-depth, in regards to both the Ghost Zone and being a halfa. Vlad had kept his fake backstory simple, he was the spiritual protector of the Nature Preserve. He’d given Daniel little else about himself as the more lies he spun the deeper he would get and the less likely the revealing of his true self would go over smoothly. Not to mention, the more lies one tells the harder it is to keep the story straight. 

Vlad could listen to Daniel talk about his problems and daily stresses for forever, though it was quite clear to Vlad how young Daniel still was, as sometimes his complaints were rather childish. But given he had yet to face the adult world on his own, it was only natural he still held within him the naivety of an adolescent despite his age. Going to college would change a lot of that, but Vlad was of the mindset that Daniel was not going. Vlad much preferred the idea of the young man remaining in the ghost zone with him, possibly tied to his bed for the first year, so they could really get to know each other, in all possible ways. 

As Vlad mused over that thought something else inside of him shifted and it was not his core. He felt it then, emotions he wished he could forget swelled inside of him. Longing, desire, loneliness, the weakness of human existence trying to surface inside of him. He’d been ignoring or fighting it off for years now, but despite living so long as a ghost in the Zone, his human half never faded or became less prominent. It was always there in the back of his mind, whispering and pushing him to reach out and find a companion, find someone to love and care for, to find a connection that was human and solid, warm and real and true. 

The only reason he had reached out to his old friends was to get close to Daniel. He’d showed up sparingly, never wanting to be around too long in his human form as being human felt so odd after having spent so many years as a ghost in the zone. His human life didn’t exist, save for a single offshore account where he kept a rather large amount of money just in case. 

Vlad Masters always had a plan B, and should his reign in the Ghost Zone ever come to a willing or unwilling end he wanted a backup plan and a way to survive should he ever have to return to the human realm. 

As it were, humans felt things so much differently than ghosts did and after years of remaining as Plasmius, his human half sat so neglected and starved, being in his human form brought back needs he’d forgotten he had. It was not something he could just ignore now. He’d been in his human form once a week for the last three months. 

When Vlad had stolen a kiss in the alley, his human body had reacted with such strength and vitality he’d almost thought he might lose control and try to take Daniel right then and there. He’d been able to control himself in the moment but it did not stop him from going back the next week, nor was he able to stop texting the youth. 

Ghosts did not connect the same way humans did, and while Vlad had been able to make a few close “friends” in the Ghost Zone, it was not the same as a true human connection, and the more time he spent pretending to be some reborn Vlad Master the more he felt things that were pushing him to affirm his human half. 

He was in trouble now and Vlad let out a hefty sigh as he felt his body respond to the memories of the nights he’d been sharing with Daniel. The game night had been no different than any of the others he had attended over the last two months, and he had continued to stare at Daniel when he could get away with it, studying him, trying to see if he could spy the young halfa’s ghost side or sense his core. 

Things changed when Daniel had given him that look though, his simple desire to watch and study the young man had turned much darker when Daniel had so willingly met his gaze, blushing such a sweet pink and smiling so knowingly at him. His icy eyes sparkled with both desire and appreciation for the man’s gaze upon him and then he bit his bottom lip, a hand fisting at his shirt right over his core and stopping the obvious moan that wanted to escape as their proximity no doubt had an effect on Daniel’s core. 

Daniel hadn’t put two and two together to realize his core was acting up only because Vlad also had one. As it were, Vlad had acted before he had thought better. He had not wanted to form a bond between Vlad Masters and Daniel Fenton, this part of his plan had been for recon only. He’d planned to come to Danny Phantom as Vlad Plasmius. He had no intentions of revealing that he too was in fact a halfa until after he and Daniel had bonded their cores and mated permanently. 

Now his human half’s poor impulse control had led him down a road that was going to eventually cause complications. Where was he to go from here? Should he focus on relations between Masters and Fenton or go with his original plan of trying to build something between Plasmius and Phantom? 

He was unable to stay away it seemed, for now every night after game night the pair met in the alley for some feverish kissing, witty banter, and Vlad’s hands slowly exploring closer and closer to Daniel’s most intimate areas. The young man was getting more comfortable and Vlad’s own human body could hardly resist the desire of simply taking him in the dark smelly alley. 

He glanced from the crystal in his hand to a cell phone which lay abandoned on the desk not too far away, unsure if he should continue the conversations he’d been having with Daniel via text or if he should cut them off and focus on trying to broach the topic of his true identity. 

“Why do you always make things so much harder than they need to be?” Vlad turned to look at the speaker, his horns scratching the stone and leaving a mark as he did. 

“You, must you really intrude upon me at this hour? I am very busy trying to-” 

“Trying to what?” and Vlad gazed upon the ancients before him with narrow piercing eyes as he clicked his tongue and finally looked away, “Nothing. Leave here now, before I have you removed, no doubt your clock tower needs winding.” 

The ancient before him was known as Clockwork and he was a rather massive pain in the King’s ass. 

“You’re trying to devise a plan to win young Daniel Fenton to your side, yes? Or should we call him Danny Phantom?”

Vlad once again turned to look at him, sitting up and dissolving the crystal ball in his hand as he sneered, “Don’t think you know anything about my plans, you-” 

“Can see all, know all, and am well aware of your desire to bring Daniel here to be your mate. It will be no easy feat, but I will help you if you wish.” 

Vlad stood and approached the ancient as he growled out angrily, “Do not try to interfere! I’ve not done anything to warrant your scrutiny and so you’d do best to- wait, what? You...you want to help me?” Vlad asked, his angry tirade ending in a deflated tone of astonishment as Clockwork smirked and nodded once, “Yes, you and Phantom are meant to be together, it is his destiny to be your mate. This timeline has strayed from the path so many others have taken. I’ve had to keep careful watch over it. Why you are so different from your many other counterparts is beyond my view. But you are not like the others, and in choosing to pursue a life here instead of seeking revenge on the Fenton’s and remaining in the human realm, you’ve created a life that both suits you as well as suits Daniel. He can be happy here with you, and we must see that it happens.”  

Vlad stood in quiet shock, unsure what Clockwork meant by the comments he made about how different he was compared to the other Vlad’s in other timelines. He honestly did not care, if the Ghost Zone’s greatest ancient was blessing his union with Daniel then it left Vlad no room to refuse. 

He’d go at once and reveal himself, bring Daniel back to his kingdom, and the young man would share in his world and become his mate-

“Before you go racing off to impose your will on others, I do suggest you think in a clear rational manner about how you approach the situation before you.” 

Vlad was pulled from his thoughts by Clockwork’s tone of warning, “What do you mean?” 

Clockwork shifted through the three main stages of life, his red eyes glaring at the man sharply as he said, “Just because your chance at winning Daniel to your side is higher than the Vlad’s from the other timelines, does not mean you are guaranteed to win him. And stealing him away only to hope he will come to accept it and your love will not work. You cannot tame Daniel Fenton anymore than you can Danny Phantom. If you use force he will fight back and he will win, Plasmius. He always does, in every timeline that exists...if you two fight, Daniel always wins.” 

“That’s King Plasmius to you-” Vlad barked but Clockwork cut him off sharply, “Don’t be petty. King or billionaire, peasant or pauper, it means little to me. You are who you are and nothing more. Now focus, Daniel is my ward and I am his mentor. He has been coming to visit me since his first year as a halfa. I have his trust, I have earned it and proven myself to him. If I tell Daniel to come to your castle in search of you, he will. But I think it would be much better if you continue your pursuit of him on your own. Your human half has won over Daniel Fenton, but Danny Phantom will not be so easily seduced by Plasmius. Therefore, I recommend we turn your game of Chess, which has reached a stalemate, into a game of chance, one where he will have no choice but to face you, your kingdom, and his own desires.” 

Vlad stared at the ancient a moment before summoning a crystal ball into his hand, seeing Daniel had set his on the desk and was currently crawling into bed. As the youth lay down he grabbed his phone and started typing furiously and seconds later the cell phone Vlad had been using to text Danny vibrated on his large wooden desk. 

“Excellent reception.” Clockwork mocked and Vlad snarled, “I had to place fifty-seven reception devices between here and the Fenton’s portal but it works well enough, even if those two dunderheads actually remember to close the doors I’ll still receive his texts.” 

He pulled up the message and read it with wide eyes. 

I know it’s not game night but can we meet? I want to see you. DF 

“Well, Plasmius? What do you think of my offer?” Clockwork asked and Vlad read the message again before he turned and looked at the ancient with curiosity, “What exactly did you have in mind?”  

“I cannot interfere, nor can I tell you the correct course of action. However, it would be in your best interest to find a way to bring Daniel to you. He’s half-ghost, so you will have much more control over him, and you can more easily push him to his limit. But you should know, if you continue with this, you will have to admit your true self to him before he’ll concede to any of your desires.” 

Vlad’s eyes narrowed, “I hardly think such little things would really effect-” 

“It’s not little and it will. Don’t be foolish Plasmius. You know it would not do to hide the truth from him. Now, get to work. I know that brilliant brain of yours can figure out the next course to take.” and Clockwork vanished in a swirl of energy. 

Vlad debated on what to do, his resolve firming up when he once again looked at the phone in his hand and as Clockwork’s words echoed in his mind a thought came to him. 

He had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time with which to do it. He’d need to summon as much energy as he could from both the Zone and his subjects and….he needed to summon his vultures as well, they had a task to complete.

A wicked smile came to his face as gleaming red eyes looked down to the message and suddenly his fingers typed up a reply. 

VI 

--And you got me like, oh, what you want from me? And I tried to buy your pretty heart, but the price was too high. Baby, you got me like, oh, mm, you love when I fall apart, so you can put me together, and throw me against the wall--

Rhianna (Love on the Brain)

Danny looked at his phone just as the clock hit eleven, his eyes scanning over the month worth of conversation he had shared with Vlad Masters. His mind makes mental notes of both the man’s bullshit and his sincereness. 

Apparently, Vlad was full of both. Since their first kiss, it had been a whirlwind of crazy. Texting nonstop, meeting once a month after game night in the same alley and just…

He shivered as he thought about it, the man’s hands and his lips, Danny’s arousal pressing hard against his pants only to feel Vlad’s arousal pressing against his thigh. They didn’t talk much when they were together in person, only via text and it had made things a bit easier. 

Speaking to Vlad via text had given Danny the opportunity to learn more about the mysterious man who was so aloof and seemed so far out of reach. 

He continued to stand by his story of being a reclusive billionaire who hated the spotlight and so allowed others to run his companies. But the man refused to give the name of his companies nor provide evidence any of it was true. 

Danny would have thought he was being catfished if he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he was talking to Vlad himself. He knew it was Vlad and given the man always showed up in Armonie suits and a freaking limo it wasn’t too hard to believe yet something kept eating at the back of his mind that something wasn’t right. 

Still, the nights they shared in the alley however brief they were preyed on his mind daily and while he really should be preparing to go off to his first year of college and even find a boy or girl to date casually while doing so, his mind continued to fixate on Vlad and all his mysterious bullshit that Danny couldn’t seem to piece together into any form of truth. 

A soft whistle caught his attention and he looked up to see Vlad standing just on the edge of the shadows of the light that rested above the bench Danny sat on. 

They were in the large park in the center of Amity, and though Danny knew there were occasionally teenagers and young adults who came here in the dead of night he wasn’t near as worried as Vlad seemed to be. 

The older man remained in the shadows, only holding out a hand which the light-saturated in amber tones, and Danny stared at it a moment before he scoffed playfully, “I’m not a dog. I don’t respond to come hither whistles.” 

A soft chuckle escaped from the darkness as the hand dropped from sight and the soft tap of footfalls echoed back to Danny who stood in shock at the man’s apparent indifference. 

“Hey, wait up!” and Danny took off into the shadows, leaving the safety of the amber light behind as he jogged after Vlad. 

His eyes were not adjusted to the dark and his ghost eyes, which were able to see in the dark, only worked when he was in his Phantom form. So, when a hand grabbed his arm and swung him around, his back hitting up against a tree, it took a moment for his human eyes to adjust. 

The street light was not too far from them and so through the leaves splashes of amber fell upon Vlad’s face and before Danny could say anything Vlad’s mouth came to his and pulled a kiss harshly from Danny’s lips. 

“Wait-” Danny murmured out against Vlad’s mouth but the man simply deepened the kiss, silencing Danny’s rather pathetic protest and after a moment the younger man settled and a languid and easy kiss was shared between them.  

After a moment the man scooped him up, Danny let out a shocked whimper but refused to break the kiss as he wrapped arms around Vlad’s neck. 

The next thing he knew they were in the bushes, Vlad laying him down on a small hill before he straddled Danny’s ankles and ran hands up his thighs, under his shirt and up his stomach and chest. 

Danny arched a little as the man’s hands burned with heat and as he gasped into the man’s mouth Vlad swallowed his sounds effortlessly. A finger took hold of one of his nipples and pinched and Danny jerked as his fingers suddenly gripped into the man’s hair, yanking out his ponytail and pressing the man’s mouth to his throat as soft moans and gasps escaped him. 

“I’m glad you came-” Danny managed out as his body ignited with waves of pleasure and his groin burned hard with desire.

“I wanted to, do I get to have you tonight? I want to be inside-” Vlad whispered against his throat as he gave a gentle bite, “No way in hell.” Danny said as he suddenly pressed Vlad up and sat up himself as he kept his palms pressed to the man’s chest, “I know at least half of the stuff you’ve texted me over the past month is bullshit. I’ve done my research and I’ve found absolutely nothing to corroborate anything you’ve told me. I’m not going to go that far with someone I don’t even know. In fact, the only thing I do know about you is that you went to college with my mom and dad, you hated my parents forever, and only recently wanted to try to make things better. And now you have been messing around with their eighteen-year-old son. This entire thing is shady as hell, you are shady as hell-” 

“Don’t you want me?” Vlad asked in a breathless tone as he tried to lean forward again but Danny locked his elbow tight and held the man in place, “It’s one thing to lust after a stranger, it’s another thing to have sex with my parent's old college buddy.” 

“There are no issues with any of this. It’s meant to be.” Vlad said as he pressed forward again but this time the man seemed to find Danny’s strength a mere trifle for he took hold of Danny’s elbow and yanked them gently, causing Danny’s arms to give and Vlad was flush against him again, this time using his knees to press Danny’s legs apart as he took up Danny’s mouth in his and his fingers gripped into Danny’s hair while his other hand held a wrist tightly. 

“Hmm! Hmphk!” Danny tried to say but despite his anger, he was also highly aroused and his desires for more were beginning to push his concerns to the back of his mind. 

“No, wait-” Danny whispered out but his heart was definitely not in it and Vlad chuckled, “I really would stop if I knew you meant it, but you’re not putting up much of a fight.” 

“Shut up.” Danny groaned and Vlad tisked, “Cruel thing, you’re so feisty, Little Badger.” 

“God, you...ah...oh god...ah! You call me that stupid name one more time and I’ll start calling you F-Fruitloop you crazy ass Fruitloop!” 

“A moniker I can live with,” Vlad whispered out as he shifted and his hands finally abandoned their previous purchases and went straight for his own belt. Danny instantly latched on to the man’s hands and squeezed, “No way. Not in a park on the cold ass ground.” Danny bit out softly and Vlad glanced up at him, his long white hair a mess as loose stands hung down in his face, “Hm, then where would you recommend, Little Badger?” 

“Don’t call me that, and I don’t know but THAT isn’t happening here .” and Vlad smiled wickedly at him as he leaned down again, placing the palm of his hands on the ground on either side of Danny's head, “So, it’ll happen then?” 

Danny studied the man’s sparkling eyes, ablaze with lust as his teeth seemed to glint in the vague amber light that barely cut through the bushes around them, “Is that all you want?” Danny asked right back. 

“Pardon?” Vlad asked, his wicked smile turning to one of annoyance. 

“I asked if that’s all you want from me. Jazz pointed out you’ve been a bit fixated on me the last two months and at first, I didn’t believe her. But then I saw how much you stared at me whenever my folks and sister weren’t paying attention...it was constant dude. It made me feel good for a minute or two and I thought about possibly making a pass at you...but then you texted me. The thing is, Jazz said this was going on every time you came over, which means you were looking at me like that since the day you showed up….see where I’m going with this? If this entire time you’ve just wanted to have sex with me and you’ve just been waiting and hoping I’d drop a hint that I’m interested...I mean, you’re old enough to be my father, your friends with my father. Given I’m eighteen as long as I consent it’s fine but...you do realize how...unbelievably shady and pervy this is...right? If you just want to get whatever this perverse thing is out of your system you need to tell me so I don’t get the wrong idea. I can deal with a...you know...a fuck and run….but I’d prefer to know what this is before we go any further.” 

To Danny’s surprise, Vlad pulled away and stood up, straightening out his suit and picking up his hair tie from the ground before pulling it tight and putting it up again. 

“For your information, Daniel, my staring at you over the last two months had very little to do with sex and more to do with...actually... never mind. I’m not in the mood to discuss this with you presently. I think it best if I leave and give you some space.” 

Danny stood suddenly and grabbed his wrist which made Vlad turn to look at him, “All you’ve done the last month is give me space! We only meet once a week, the rest of the time its texts that half the time are blatant lies! All I am asking is that you tell me what this is! Are you just trying to get back at my folks? Are you still mad at them? Are you some creepy pervert or have I misunderstood?” 

Vlad yanked his wrist away and said in a rather harsh voice, “What you are implying is that I am a predator, a sexual predator. Which is enough to tell me I shouldn’t have wasted my time. Yes, Daniel, I know you are young but sexual relations with you didn’t even cross my mind until you gave me that look over the game table last month.” 

“W-What? Really? So...you mean...one look and you just decided to-” 

“You’re attractive Daniel, and you are an adult! So yes, one look was enough to tell me you were both interested and wanted to have some fun. I’m fifty-three years old, with years more experience than you and I am not opposed to sudden and unexpected sexual relations. You’ll learn over time they occur much more than you probably realize. This had nothing to do with your parents, no matter how much anger I still have at them. So, I won’t play these silly childish games with you. You decide what you want this to be. A fuck and run as you so eloquently put it or something that might develop into more. I’m too old for games and too lonely to wait around.” 

Vlad turned and went to leave but Danny didn’t want it to end this way and so quickly grabbed the man’s hand, stopping Vlad’s departure and locking their fingers together. 

“Please….wait-” Danny said softly, his throat clenching a little at the guilt of the situation hit him harder than he liked to admit. 

The entire situation was weird and it left Danny feeling woefully inadequate in regards to handling it. 

Vlad turned to look at him, his angry face fading to one of sad disappointment but at least he didn’t seem upset anymore and Danny moved forward, coming to wrap arms around Vlad and snuggle softly into his chest, “I’m sorry. I’m just...not...used to this. I didn’t date much in High School and I didn’t mess around much either. I guess I’m a little...inexperienced and...insecure. Can we just forget I said anything and go back to the kissing?” 

Danny glanced up sheepishly, finding Vlad’s soft gaze and warm smile, “I wish I could, Little Badger, but I unfortunately don’t have the time.” 

“You have a meeting? This late at night?” Danny asked, noticing how whenever they met Vlad was never able to stay too long. Usually citing some sort of teleconference or meeting he needed to attend. Which of course, contradicted his comment about being an eccentric recluse who let others run his businesses. 

“With China, it’s just before noon right now.” Vlad said and Danny groaned, “No fair, I had your attention first.” 

Vlad chuckled as he kissed the top of Danny’s head and finally returned the younger man’s hug, “I've got an idea. How about we meet for lunch tomorrow? Hm? One of the diners in town. Shouldn’t attract too much attention and if anyone asks I’m simply a family friend. What do you say?” Vlad asked and Danny looked up at him in surprise before a bright smile came to his face, “Hell yeah, I’d be okay with that. You said lunch, so, eleven?” 

“Noon on the dot, just text me the place. I’ll be there.” and they smiled softly at each other before kissing long and slow. Danny hummed and Vlad pulled him tighter. 

As Danny withdrew he whispered against the man’s lips, “Perhaps after we can find a quiet place….with a bed….and spend some time together?” 

Vlad’s eyes went wide before he gave a rather wicked smile, “Absolutely, Little Badger. Just you, me, and a squeaky bed.” 

“ Super squeaky.” Danny joked and Vlad chuckled too.  

After a few more long and languid kisses Vlad left, leaving Danny in the darkness of the bushes to think about what was happening right now between him and Vlad. He knew his parents would absolutely not approve, nor would his sister or friends but something about the man intrigued him. Vlad held his attention more than anyone or anything else could. Yet he was so distant, he never explained anything, he just...seemed to be here for the sake of being here and didn’t want to give Danny any more information than he had to. 

Danny had called him out on everything and the man had done so little to defend himself other than claim he wasn’t a predator and had in fact acted on a whim which Danny had spurred on by the rather suggestive glance he had given last month during game night. 

“He is a lot older...he picked up on my cues right away...got straight to business...still...I'm missing something...he gave me that gift...as if he expected to be alone with me...and he was staring at me all night...Jazz said he’d been doing it ever since he first started coming around nearly three months ago. Is he...gaslighting me right now? Is this...manipulation? Or is he really just some innocent guy who is trying to rebuild relations with his old friends?” 

Danny read the messages from the last month several times, being careful to take in everything and see if he could find a hint of manipulation or if the man was being genuine. Something was pulling him to Vlad, he could feel it in the way his excitement buzzed when he got a text from the man. His ghostly core hummed so brightly when the man was around and he couldn’t stop the feeling that Vlad had come into his life at this moment for a reason. 

Even so, he continued to present himself to Danny as shady and having some ulterior motive. What it was though Danny didn’t know. 

His phone vibrated again and he realized it was time to head to the preserve, Big Horn would be waiting for him. 

 VII 

--The way he came into the place I knew right then and there, there was something different about this man. The way he moved, his hair, his face, his lines. Divinity in motion as he stalked the room I could feel the aura of his presence. Every head turned, feeling passion and lust, the man was dangerous--

-Michael Jackson (Dangerous) 

Danny landed near the pool of clear water as clouds rolled in at a fast pace, hiding away any light the moon might give. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the darkness around him seemed to intensify. He landed on his stone seat in the middle of the water and waited. All was silent, despite the storm that was moving in the breeze was faint and the leaves of the trees barely hissed. A shiver ran up his spine when he realized he didn’t see Big Horn anywhere. 

Hello Daniel. 

He spun around quickly and found Big Horn standing juxtapoz his normal spot, “Oh, hey, I was worried you’d forgotten.” Danny said as he rubbed at the back of his head feeling a little foolish to have doubted his friend. 

I could never forget you, besides, tonight is a special night, Big Horn said in a smooth voice, and Danny’s ears twitched a little as he realized the voice sounded strangely familiar and yet completely different. 

“Tonight? What’s so special about tonight?” Danny asked curiously as he gave the large beast a sidelong stare and tried to recall if they had talked about anything being special about tonight previously. 

Tonight is special, because tonight, I plan to show you my true form.

“You’re...true form?” Danny asked, and something felt terribly wrong and Danny found his body tensing slightly as he prepared for whatever was about to happen. 

Yes. The buck is merely a means for movement through the human realm, a way to blend into these surroundings. Upon our first meeting, I intended to reveal my true self to you, but it seemed wiser at the time to get to know you first and establish whether you were a friend...or foe. You’ve proven yourself and so I shall share with you my secret. 

Danny waited and after a moment Big Horn started to glow, his massive hooves lifting off the ground and a brilliant pulse of heat surged out as the buck started to morph, the heat increasing and Danny shielded his face. 

Lightning illuminated his surroundings momentarily before thunder rumbled much closer than before. The wind began to increase and Danny lowered his arms, finding the heat had faded and the ghostly form of a man emerged from the strange shifting ectoplasm before him. 

But it wasn’t just any ghostly man, it was King Plasmius, the ruler of the Ghost Zone, and someone Danny had spent all his years as a halfa trying to avoid. 

“Holy shit,” Danny whispered, fear and anger twisting painfully in his gut as he realized he had gotten played. 

He had always worried that should he and the Ghost King cross paths the ghost might find Danny a useful tool for his wars and conquests in the Zone. Rumors ran deep and loud about both his cruelty and “just” delivery of punishment. 

Danny never wanted to be on this ghost’s bad side and he sure didn’t think he had the diplomacy needed to remain on the ghost’s good side without him trying to turn Danny into one of his many henchmen or warriors. 

Plasmius ruled the entire Ghost Zone and all the ghosts within, which meant, technically, Danny was a subject of his, even though he did not live full time in the Zone and was only half-ghost. 

The few ghosts he had decent relationships with, like Ember, Princess Dora and Frostbite had made it clear, if you're a ghost of any kind, and need the energy from the Ghost Zone, even sparingly, you were a subject under King Plasmius and the man often required his subjects to pay dearly for misbehaving. 

“You’re….you’re the Ghost King-” Danny said, spying the man’s attire and noticing it wasn’t as ancient as he expected. 

Knee-high leather boots that were slick and sturdy and thick white breeches that tied up the sides with a matching white tunic and cape created a mixture of both modern and 18th century aesthetics. It was as if Dracula had been transported to the 21st century and liked the style. Black leather gloves adorned his hands and while Danny was not surprised to see his deep blue skin and glowing red eyes, a common enough trait among ghosts, he was surprised by the man’s long black hair which was pulled into a loose ponytail and the two large black obsidian horns that rose out of the top of his head. Two long sharp fangs seemed to glint in the dark and Danny felt his skin crawl pleasantly at the sight of them. 

“I am, and I am so very sorry for my deception. But given who I am I need to be careful with who I trust.” 

Danny was pulled tight as a wire, ready to either bolt or defend himself as needed depending on what happened in the next few minutes. 

“I guess I can understand that, sure, but why reveal it to me now? You could have never told me at all, gone off back to the Ghost Zone and I never would have known that I was having a conference with a king for the last month.” 

“I suppose so, but truthfully, I didn’t want to ruin our time together. I find you fascinating Daniel...and I wished to get to know you better.” and Plasmius glided forward through the air, coming to land on the rock in the middle of the pool, Danny nearly falling off as he stumbled back. 

A hand gripped his shoulder firmly stopping his fall but given Danny could fly it was evident the touch had been unnecessary. The steadying touch was also unwanted and so Danny subtly shook it off. 

“That’s a surprise. Why would the King of the Ghost Zone want to get to know me? I’m just a half-ghost, and don’t even live in your kingdom. The human realm is my home so-” but his voice failed as the man’s hand reappeared and slid up his neck, coming to cup gently at his cheek, “You’ve been away from the Zone, living in the human realm, but not because ordered it. You’ve not been exiled. I...thought...perhaps even hoped you'd want to come back to the Ghost Zone...with me.” 

Danny met the man’s glowing red eyes and though the words set him on edge he did not see any cruelty or cunning in the man’s gaze. There was a strange vibration that filled him as the Ghost King touched him, though he had a feeling it would be much stronger if the man wasn’t wearing gloves. It was as if his ghost half wanted to bow down as if there was an intrinsic loyalty within his core that put him at ease around the man, a deep desire to serve and admire him. 

“As wonderful and humbling an offer as that is, I... respectfully decline-” Danny had to swallow and give his head a weak shake as he blinked his eyes and looked away, the feelings of loyalty and awe fading as he placed his hand over the Ghost King's and gently pulled it from his face, “T-This is my home, I am only half-ghost, and so...being here or there...I mean...it makes no difference to me. Besides...I have...ya know...family here...living family...happy family...that...I love and stuff so...again...respectfully...I decline-” and though it was surprisingly difficult Danny slowly floated back to rest over the pool, keeping his wary eyes on the man but not meeting his gaze directly. 

Despite his feisty nature, all he felt in this moment of defiance was guilt as if denying the man anything was the cruelest thing he could do. He grabbed at an arm and squeezed tightly, the sudden surge of pain seeming to cut through the haze. 

“I’d not be so hasty to decline my offer. You might be surprised what sort of life would await you in the Ghost Zone.” the Ghost King said, his voice still smooth and easy with no hint of spite or malice. 

Danny took a deep slow breath in before letting it out through his nose as he said calmly, “I can only imagine. Why the sudden interest? I’ve been half-ghost since I was fourteen, in all that time, you’ve never approached me. Don’t pretend like you haven’t heard of my existence before meeting me last month in the clearing.” 

“Actually, it was only two years ago that I learned you were a halfa. I thought nothing of you before that, it was no business of mine where you lived unless you caused issues in my kingdom which you rarely did. The few times you have it’s been to the benefit of me and my kingdom with the exception of some scuffles with my captain of the guard and a few others. But I was curious, and so I’ve been keeping an eye on you...checking in from time to time...I was doing so last month when you stumbled upon me. It seemed such a waste to reveal myself, you fascinated me and I thought my disguise might allow you to feel more comfortable.” and the Ghost King floated a little closer, Danny not moving away but continuing to keep the man in his periphery. 

“So...you’ve been spying on me? Watching me for the last two-plus years and then when I accidentally caught you, you just decided to go with it? I mean, dude, that is so….so….messed up!” 

“Daniel-” he started only for Danny to cut him off, “God, I’d heard rumors you were a bit nutso but I had no clue you were a stalker too!” 

“Nutso?” Plasmius asked as he raised a brow and his eyes narrowed, “Who called me something so ridiculous?” 

“As if I’d tell you. You’d probably have them executed-” 

“So this last month meant nothing to you?” The Ghost King asked and Danny’s sharp comments and snide smirk faded as he looked at him, “What? What do you-” but the Ghost King flew up to him and pressed his palm to Danny’s chest. 

Suddenly memories and feelings came unbidden to him and Danny jerked and shivered as he felt happiness, admiration, humor and warmth swirl around his core. The memories he saw before his eyes were of him and Plasmius in his animal form talking and spending most nights getting to know each other. Danny saw himself and realized how happy he was in those moments and he quickly pulled away from the Ghost King and put distance between them. 

His core was now tingling and throbbing in a rather ardent manner and he wrapped arms around himself because the man’s hand felt like it had left a burning mark over his core. 

“W-What...what was that...what did you just do!?” Danny asked as fear crept in and he looked back at Plasmius with angry eyes. 

“I did nothing but remind you of what we’ve shared this past month. We’ve touched cores before, I just didn’t hold back as much this time.” Plasmius explained. 

“You...held back...before? When you were the buck? I don’t...understand.” 

“This is what I’m offering you if you come back to the Zone with me where you belong. You’ve neglected your core, and there is so much you don’t know...take my offer, come back with me, share in my world, the world you belong to.” and Plasmius suddenly disappeared, Danny letting out a confused, “What?!” before he heard something behind him and spun around to see Plasmius suddenly materialize. 

“You can teleport!?” Danny asked in shock but Vlad only smirked and grabbed him, yanking Danny to his chest and landing on the ground where he sat on a fallen log and pulled Danny onto his lap. 

Danny was thrashing now, trying to form ecto-balls and shooting frost and ice from his fingertips, “Easy now, I’m not going to hurt you, Daniel-” 

“LET. ME. GO!” Danny barked out angrily only for him to suck in a deep breath and prepare to unleash his Ghostly Wail. 

Unfortunately, something happened he did not expect and in a single swift motion, Plasmius had used his sharp teeth to yank off a leather glove and then he pressed his bare hand to Danny’s forehead. 

The younger man stopped thrashing instantly, eyes going wide as his pupils were suddenly blasted open and his core seemed to enter into some strange form of stasis. His body went limp and Plasmius smirked down at him as he hummed happily, “Much better, now, why don’t you calm down and we can have a nice little chat, hm?” 

“W-what...what is t-this...what are you d-doing to...me?” Danny asked as his breathing came in soft pants and he managed to raise a shaky hand and clutch as the front of Plasmius’s tunic. 

The burning hand left his forehead, coming to gently pull Danny’s hand off his chest and guide it up to press against Plasmius’s face, “It’s just a little gift I was granted upon my rise to power as King of the Ghost Zone. It’s called the Power of Subjugation. I have power over my domain and those who reside there. It is something I have been granted by those who I rule over. It gives me dominion of all those with a ghostly core. It’s soothing...isn’t it? A reassuring and innate trust that binds you closer to me as one of my subjects. The happier the ghosts in my realm are, the stronger the power gets, and right now, we are in a very peaceful and prosperous time in the Ghost Zone. My subjects are mostly content and happy, which means their faith and loyalty in me is powerful, and so, this little gift allows me to quell the fears and mistrust of others, ending rebellions before they can even begin. It is the will of the Ghosts in the Zone that I remain in power, and so... they grant me the ability to do so...do you trust me yet?” Plasmius asked with a rather amused and affectionate tone. 

Danny felt so dizzy, the world spinning and only Plasmius’s face was in view. Adoration and affection swelled in his chest and as Plasmius guided Danny’s hand up the side of his face he leaned down and pressed their lips together. 

The kiss was gentle and slow, and Plasmius hummed with desire as they parted and Danny felt desire and arousal flare in his gut, cutting through some of the haze this strange subjugation power Plasmius had. 

“S-Stop.” Danny whispered and Plasmius chuckled in such an adoring way as he leaned in closer, “I would if you really wanted me to, but your core seems to enjoy being so close to mine.” 

Danny felt Plasmius’s core swirl around his and his arousal nearly burst at the feelings the Ghost King was sharing, “We can share thoughts as well, would you like to see what I have in mind for our first night together?” 

“W-what?” Danny asked, his mind unable to truly cut through the swirling mess that was his arousal, Vlad’s subjugation and their core’s touching. 

“We’ve spent the last month sharing our innermost thoughts, Daniel, this is no different, aside from the fact that I am no longer disguised as a spirit animal. Let me show you my dreams-” 

Images came then in swift succession, images that caused such heat and desire to swirl in his chest as Plasmius granted him a front-row seat to his thoughts on what they might do in the Ghost Zone together. 

Danny’s breathing increased, his hands fisted at Vlad’s clothes as a vision of pure ecstasy danced in his mind's eye, their bodies and cores merged in such heavy bliss as they spent hours upon hours enveloped in each other. 

It was enticing, and Danny would be lying if he said it didn’t create such burning desires in him to experience such a thing in real life. But as Plasmius continued to share such perverse delights with him Danny knew he couldn’t allow the Ghost King to sink his fangs into him, either literally or figuratively and so he tried to ignore the promises of sex and pleasure the Ghost king was showing him, tried to fight against their cores blending and stroking so lusciously against each other and he tried like mad to clear his mind. 

There was a sudden surge of power within his chest and Danny suddenly released a massive burst of energy from his core. It shot out of him and propelled him free of Plasmius’s grasp, the King flying back and smashing into a tree. 

Danny was gasping for air, his body slowly returning to him as everything suddenly faded and the ruse of it all became clear. 

“I wouldn’t assume you can tame me so readily, you have no power over me, Plasmius !” and Danny pulled his elbows in and took a massive gulp of air as he let his wail fly. 

The storm above broke and a massive blanket of rain sprayed down in torrents as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. The wail tore through the trees, knocking some over while making others bend in merciless surrender to his gale. 

While his power had only grown since he became half-ghost, his wail always drained him and so as it came to an end he lost his focus and sank to the ground, landing roughly on his knees and hands and losing his ghostly form. 

He stare at the ground as rain poured and he gasped in air and tried to calm his pounding heart. Blood rushed through his veins and his mind was caught between wanting to recall the utterly devastating pleasure Plasmius had just offered him and wanting to fight and resist until he was stone cold dead in the ground. 

The duplicity of his mind was what distracted him and so he did not see King Plasmius come floating irritably into the now open space, the rocks and pool of water the only other survivor in the fifty-yard circle of debris that now rested around them. 

“You are such a fickle thing, aren’t you?” Plasmius asked calmly as his hard eyes glared and his arms crossed his large chest. 

Danny looked up in surprise as he gasped out between deep and strained breaths, “You...you survived?” 

“Of course I did, you silly little fool. I am the KING of the Ghost Zone, not one of the lesser beings you pointlessly fight on a daily basis. Now, stop being so stubborn and accept my gift, come with me to the Ghost Zone. This is your last chance.” 

Danny managed to push himself up and stand on shaky legs as he forced his rings to appear and he took the form of Danny Phantom once again. 

His core protested as it was rather shaken and weak from both the previous activities Vlad had forced upon him and using his wail. 

"I'd recommend you don't push your core so harshly, after an attack such as that it needs to rest," Plasmius said, his sharp eyes continuing to watch him from an elevated distance. 

"Don't act like you know what is good for me or like you know my abilities. You don't know me at all!" Danny yelled back as he took to the air and stared Plasmius down. 

They hovered across from each other now, both defiant in their stares but it was Plasmius who spoke next and his words were sharp and stinging, "You forget, Daniel. It was I you just spent the last month talking to. You've told me so much about yourself, shared your core with mine...your insecurities, your fears...your dreams and desires….I know you better than you think. I know how lonely you are, how you wished there was someone who could understand what it's like to be both a human and a ghost, no longer fitting into the life you were born in...I can understand your plight and I can give you the comfort you seek...but in order to do so, you must trust me...come back to the Ghost Zone, I can give you all that you dream of and more...if you can just put your fears aside and take the opportunity I am presenting to you." 

Danny felt dread swell in his chest as he did in fact suddenly remember that it had been King Plasmius he had spent the last month confiding in. His mind had separated the two, one being Big Horn the buck and the other being the King of the Ghost Zone. 

Remembering that they are in fact one and the same clawed at his resolve for he had told Big Horn so many things that he never willingly would have told Plasmius.

Up until this point King Plasmius and Danny Phantom had not been enemies, in fact, they had not actively engaged in any sort of fights or challenges against each other the entire time. 

The smart thing to do would be to try and work out a diplomatic solution where them becoming enemies wasn't even a possibility. King Plasmius's sudden interest in him could be forgotten and Danny could go back to his normal, albeit different, half-human half-ghost life. 

But Danny was both annoyed and humiliated at his own naivety as well as Plasmius acting like they had shared anything special. 

Danny had trusted Big Horn with things he'd not even told Sam and Tucker, and the feeling of betrayal that was building inside of him made him ignore his common sense which urged for a compromise and rush headlong into a twisted and angry resentment. 

"You spent the last month lying to me, cozying up to me to gain information you could use against me to seduce me and turn my head towards what you want. Don't act like you care for me, don't act like you're innocent. I've heard how you run your kingdom-" 

Plasmius held up a finger of warning as he said in a calm but low voice, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the younger man before him, "Choose your next words very carefully, Daniel. You wouldn't want to put your foot in your mouth, considering you've not actually been living in the Ghost Zone. Words have power, and speaking ill of a situation you know nothing about can be very dangerous." 

Danny scoffed, his arms crossing his chest defiantly as he looked away, "Whatever." He murmured angrily, "Don't act like you're some gracious ruler who loves his people, you literally have a power that makes ghosts subservient to you!"

He caught the distinct sound of Plasmius once again teleporting and he looked up just in time to see Plasmius appear before him. He raised his arms up to block an attack only to feel one of Plasmius's large burning hands grab his wrists and yank Danny towards him as his other hand grabbed his face gently. 

Danny looked up in shock, meeting those glowing red eyes and he froze as the man's core gently caressed his, "Please Daniel-" and Plasmius ran a hand gently through his hair, "don't make me your villain. I'll give you one last chance, come with me. Don't throw away the opportunity you've been granted. Let me show you the possibilities...don't let your anger cloud your judgment...please, just...come with me." 

Danny closed his eyes tight, trying to shut off his core from the decadent feelings and lush warmth. His teeth grit together as he sucked in air through his nose and managed to yank himself free. 

"No way, Plasmius! I won't be your puppet and I won't fall in line just to please you! Find someone else to manipulate and lie to, 'cause I don't want what you're selling." 

Plasmius stared at him a moment, his sad expression evident. But after a moment he closed his eyes and exhaled sharply as he grumbled something Danny couldn't make out. 

"Very well, Daniel. Since you insist on making this much harder than it needs to be, I guess it's time to step into the box you've made for me. You think of me as a tyrannical ruler and a manipulative monster, well then, let's see just how monstrous I can be!" 

Plasmius suddenly ascended into the sky, lighting flashing as rain fell and he gave an ear-splitting whistle. 

Danny watched in shock as from out of nowhere a pair of ghostly vultures appeared. Danny would have thought nothing of them as he did recall fighting them before and finding them incredibly easy to beat. 

However, these ghostly vultures carried within their talons a familiar figure, unmoving and silent, "Jazz!" Danny yelled in shock as he flew directly at the birds with rage filled eyes. 

"Tut tut, Daniel, you're not playing by the rules!" And just as he was about to reach the vultures and blast the snot out of them Plasmius appeared in his view and grabbed him by the throat. 

Danny struggled to get free but Plasmius gave him a firm shake before he shot a blast of pink ecto-energy at the pool below and to Danny's shock the water began to swirl before it suddenly changed and he spied the glowing swirling light of a ghost portal, "wait a minute, that was a portal?!" 

"There are many things you don't know dear boy, and many secrets I could teach you. As it were, you chose to do things the hard way, so, let's get started with your first lesson. I've gotten a hold of your sister and I won't be giving her back any time soon. If you want her, you'll have to come get her." 

Danny's face morphed into one of anger, "Give her back to me right now! Jazz, wake up!" He called to the Vultures who seemed to be waiting for a command from Vlad.

The Ghost King turned to them, still holding Danny tight as he let out another sharp whistle and pointed down. 

The vultures suddenly dived and vanished through the portal before Danny could speak. 

"I swear to god Plasmius if you hurt her-" but the Ghost King only smirked wickedly as he suddenly shot down, dragging Danny with him as they passed through the portal and came out the other side. 

Suddenly Danny felt the ground connect with his feet and the hand on his throat disappeared. He pushed himself up and spun around, his eyes going wide as his jaw dropped and he was greeted with an image that took his breath away. 

"Holy shit-" he murmured out as his arms dropped to his side in awe. 

Before him, for what seemed to be miles and miles, stretched a black stone Labyrinth, and off in the haze distance of the Ghost Zone he spied the castle of the Ghost King. 

"So close and yet so far-" came a voice next to his ear and he spun quickly and summoned ecto-energy into his hands, "Where the hell is my sister Plasmius!" 

"She's there, in my castle, in the center of my Labyrinth. Not an easy course to travel but one you must traverse nonetheless." 

"What are you talking about, Plasmius?" Danny asked as his anger grew and the energy in his hands started to glow intensely. 

"Well now, isn't it obvious? You denied me what I wanted and forced me into the role of your enemy. I am simply delivering to you the performance you expect. If you want your sister back, you'll have to fight for her, and solve my Labyrinth before her time is up." 

"What makes you think I'll play this twisted game of yours? I can just fly straight there-" and Danny took off from the ground, flying at lightning speed towards the castle only to crash face-first into an invisible barrier. 

He fell to the ground, his face feeling like someone had smacked it with a brick. Luckily nothing felt broken and no ecto-goo or blood leaked from his nose or mouth. 

"Assumptive little brat, aren't we?" The Ghost King mused softly, a hint of humor in his tone and Danny stood and looked at him with such a salty glare. 

"You won't be flying, phasing, or cheating your way through this game Daniel. If you want your sister back, you'll have to work for it, and you only have a limited time." 

"What do you mean by that?" Danny asked as he rubbed at his face and tried to ignore the pain. 

"You'll have thirteen hours to solve my Labyrinth, or your big sister gets the lucky privilege of becoming one of my subjects...forever." 

Danny visibly paled at the implication, for the only way to be one of Vlad's subjects was to be a ghost and there was only one way you could make a ghost out of a living human being. 

"Fine! I'll play this stupid game, but I swear to God if I beat your stupid Labyrinth and you don't give me my sister-" 

"You best get moving, because as you so savagely accused, I am nothing if not a cruel tyrant. I'd hate to prove you correct." And with that the Ghost King teleported and Danny was left alone. 

A/N: End Part One 

Chapter Text

There were times in my life where the phrase, 'Why me?' came into my vocabulary more often than I want to admit. A twisted and rather self-loathing filled outlook on life that spewed from me in torrents. 

I always got myself into situations I'd normally want to avoid and as I got older the situations became more bizarre and uncomfortable. 

My run through the Ghost King's Labyrinth was a stark reminder of why I should keep my big mouth shut. It was also a time that found me spitting the selfish and self-serving phrase 'why me?' as if it was all I knew how to say. 

However, it was not in some cases, anything like my normal self-pity. The 'why me's' continually spouted in my brain were more about why the Ghost King was showing me such levels of attention I truly didn't feel like I deserved. 

Aside from refusing his advances (people really need to learn to take no for an answer and not as a request), I'd skirt around him and his merry kingdom of morbidity like the plague. 

He'd singled me out in such a way it was clear there was interest beyond using me as a weapon or mindless soldier. I think that is what scared and yet fascinated me the most. 

He had made it clear what he wanted, there were no questions, the Ghost King thought of me as a possible mate and at the time it made my skin crawl. 

But young and brash as I was I had doubts as I strode forward into a Labyrinth I had no clue how to solve with time running out. Doubts that stemmed from the realization that I was attracted to him.

I decided quickly that ignoring these desires was the best option because in my mind an attraction to him came from his ability to subjugate and manipulate other ghosts with his creepy King powers. 

Hindsight is 20/20 and of course something you develop after the fact. It didn't occur to me until much later that I'd had this attraction well before he made his powers known to me. 

I'm just a stubborn mother fucker who doesn't like being told what to do. So, denial became my best friend and I dragged it along with me the entire way. Until, of course, our showdown, one that rocked me to my core and made me realize I was no longer alone. 

Part Two

VIII

 Margin for Error 

Daddy, daddy, get me out of here, heard about a place today I, I'm underground. Nothing ever hurts again, Sister, sister, please take me down, I, I'm underground, daddy, daddy, get me out of here- 

David Bowie (Underground) 

Danny felt confident in his ability to figure this out. He wasn't a total idiot and he definitely wasn't a fool. 

He understood the situation and knew his powers had been compromised. To what degree he wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't just fly to the center and quite possibly wouldn't be able to phase through the walls. 

As the Ghost King said, he was going to have to work for it and his time was short. 

Why the bastard gave him thirteen hours when there was only twelve in a day he didn't know but he figured the extra hour was a give me. 

"Fucking Fruitloop." Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time, noting that if he didn't hurry and get this done he would miss his lunch with Vlad. 

"Perfect. Just what I needed, more pressure." Danny sighed as he tucked his phone away and approached the main gates. Withered and dead trees with black scorched bark jutted from the ground like skeletal hands and the eerie hum the Zone sent a shiver up his spine. 

"Homey." He mused softly as he continued to keep his eyes peeled for trouble. 

He came to stand before the towering doors and placed his hand on it, trying to phase through but finding he was unable and sighed angrily, "Of fucking course." 

"So, good old King Plasmius finally got your sorry ass to his castle." Danny spun, hands ready to blast only to stop when he was greeted by a familiar face. 

"Ember? What are you doing here?" 

"What does it look like, dipstick? I'm guarding the entrance. You want in, you gotta go through me." And she smiled wickedly at him as her hands tightened on her guitar. 

"Really? You're working for the Ghost King?" And he was surprised by this, as Ember's very nature tended to lean more towards anti-establishment punk rock. 

"Yeah? Obviously. Why do you look so surprised?" 

"Uh, I don't know, I thought you were more like a down-with-the-Patriarchy-anti-conformity-burn-the -system-to-the-ground kind of girl." 

Ember glared, "Sure, usually, but Plasmius is my King and I like him as the King so rocking the boat isn't exactly in my best interests. Now, you're gonna fight or what?" 

Danny sighed, a hand rubbing at his face, "Is there any chance in hell you'd just let me in without some insane battle? I've got limited time and even less patience. He took my sister and I have a date in, like, twelve hours. Please, maybe as ya know, a favor...between friends?" 

Ember stared at him a moment, her eyes narrowing as she glanced around and debated. 

"What's in it for me?" She asked curiously. 

"Well, we won't have to fight for one. Two, next time you're in the human realm I'll go easy on you." And Danny crossed his arms and jutted a hip expectantly. 

Ember looked less than pleased with the offer and so scoffed, "How about this, I'll let you in, but you owe me. And when I come to collect you better pay up." 

At this point Danny was too desperate to care, time was of the essence and he couldn't afford to waste an hour wasting Ember. 

"Deal." He said, dropping his arms and holding out a hand. Ember begrudgingly took it and shook, before turning and striking a cord that sent soundwaves that slammed the massive doors open. 

"Good luck Babypop, hope the Ghost King doesn't eat you." And Ember gave a wicked laugh as Danny rolled his eyes and passed through the gates. 

He looked left and right, spying what appeared to be a never-ending corridor running either way. 

"Oh, God damn it!" he hissed as he hung his head and rubbed at his eyes. 

He moved to the solid black wall before him and pressed his hand to it, once again unable to phase through. He looked both ways again before he debated on trying to fly and after a second figured it couldn't hurt to try, he needed to learn the rules of this game quickly. 

To his surprise, he lifted up off the ground but was only able to go as high as the walls before an invisible force appeared to stop his ascent. 

"Damn, he's got me locked down. Alright, so I have limited use of my powers. I can't phase through walls but I can hover which means I don't have to run the whole thing. That'll save time. So...I guess...just choose a way and get on it." 

Danny went right, flying slowly at first to make sure there were no boobytraps and after several minutes he shook his head, "Here goes nothing." 

He took off quickly, flying at his top speed down the path but staying low and in the middle of the walls. Nothing happened, no traps or fire or ectoplasm reigned down. 

Minutes continued to tick by until he grew frustrated as he realized he hadn't come across a single turn. 

He stopped and looked around, feeling like he was missing something but unable to figure out what. He flew faster now, eyes searching quickly as he realized it was nothing more than a never-ending corridor. 

He came to a stop and dropped to the ground yelling at nobody angrily, "I think you missed the point of this being a LABYRINTH you dumb Fruitloop! Where are the freaking turns!" And Danny launched an ectoball in anger which proceeded to ricochet off the walls and nearly singe his hair before it fizzled out.

Danny scoffed and slammed against a wall, sinking to the ground as he tried to think of the solution. 

"There's got to be a trick to this! I just got to figure out what-" 

A strange sound met his ears and he looked back the way he came, spying a small green blob floating leisurely through the air humming a happy tune. 

"Hmm hmm hmm, blob blob blob, I'm a happy blobby blob! Happy blob." And Danny stood, cocking his head as he noticed two big glossy eyes and a small smiling mouth. 

"Hey!" Danny called suddenly and the little floating blob of green ectoplasm looked at him only to gasp and shoot behind a large fallen stone that lay on the ground. 

"Hey wait, I won't hurt you!" And Danny came to kneel next to the stone, spying the blob behind which was shaking and covering its large eyes with little blob hands.

" Be the stone. He can't see you! Just a blob, a tiny blob! Nothing to see here!" And its voice was high and squeaky and Danny smiled, "Hey, my name's Danny, what's yours?" 

The little blob, no bigger than a can of soda, glanced up from behind its little hands and let out a terrified squeak, "Don't eat me!" 

"What? I'm not going to eat you. I just have a question for you. I need your help." 

The little blob looked up at him in awe, "A big ghost needs my help? I is important?" 

"Sure." Danny said with a smirk and the little blob of ecto-goo shot up into the air and spun around, "Hello! I is a Blob! How can I help you? I is important, ya know!" 

Danny stood, laughing lightly as he held out his hand and the little blob came to him, barely filling his palm as it shivered, "Wow, your core is cold! Brrr!" The little ghost's green color turned a pale blue before shifting back again, letting out a small burp which caused tiny snowflakes to erupt from its mouth. 

"Whoa, cool, what are you?" Danny asked with wonder. 

"Me? I'm a Morpho. I match my core to yours. I is important!" And the little blob put its tiny hands on its sides as if it had hips and flashed colors proudly. 

"That's wicked. Hey, do you know how to get to the center of the Labyrinth?" 

"Me? I is not that important." 

Danny sighed, "Man, rough day for help." And he sighed heavily as his head dropped back and his shoulders drooped, "Why you going to center?" 

"Hm? Oh, the Ghost King kidnapped my sister. The only way I can get her back is to reach the castle at the center of this stupid Labyrinth. And I only have thirteen hours to do it." 

"Oh no! That is sad!" 

"Tell me about it." Danny agreed, though to him it was sadder how he had allowed this to happen in the first place. 

The little blob seemed to think about this before it wrapped its tiny flabby arms around Danny's thumb as it said pensively, "Hm, I don't know the way, buuuuut, I knows a trick I can teach you!" 

Danny smiled excitedly, "Yeah? That'd be awesome, thanks!" 

"Okay, you have to look for the sparkles and go like this." And Danny watched in shock as the little blob floated away and passed through one of the walls. 

"What the hell!" And Danny followed the little blob, stepping right up to the wall and placing hands against it only to find this section of black had the faintest hint of shine to it. He tried to pass through but was unable and after a moment an idea came to him, "wait a second-"

His rings appeared and he transformed into his human form and touched the wall again only to find no resistance. 

He found himself in another corridor and the little ball of goo smiled at him happily, giving a soft sound of approval, "Chu!" 

"So that's the trick. I'm going to have to use both my human and ghostly abilities to get through this." And Danny smiled at his new friend, "Thanks...uh...what's your name?" 

The small ghost looked at him curiously before it gave a semblance of a shrug and Danny smirked, "How about I just call you Goober." 

The little blob nodded, its large eyes sparkling as it flashed colors brightly, "I is Goober! I is important!" 

"You sure are. Never would have figured that out without you. Thanks again." And Danny turned, moving up into the air and flying slowly, remaining in his human form and looking for that faint hint of shine that indicated a hidden door. 

"Goober come?" A squeaky voice asked next to his ear and Danny glanced at the blob thoughtfully, "Well, I mean...I guess...but you do realize I'm trying to get to the castle to fight your boss right?" 

"Goober don't care. Goober likes you. King no scare Goober." 

Danny chuckled, "Alright, but you gotta keep up, cool?" 

"Yes, cool, Goober come!" 

The pair flew off together, looking for the next hidden doorway. 

IX

--People stared at the makeup on his face. Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace The boy in the bright blue jeans, jumped up on the stage. Lady Stardust sang his songs of darkness and disgrace--

David Bowie (Lady Stardust)

After two hours of searching Danny and Goober had found nearly a dozen hidden doorways, each leading them deeper into the Labyrinth. 

As they went the walls and landscape changed and shifted, leaving the black stone walls and empty halls behind as dark blue vines covered in purple berries and other strange looking foliage greeted him. Bare trees, all twisted and burnt stretched high through the invisible barrier and made this area feel more like a jungle than a maze. 

Goober floated ahead of him, the halls much wider apart now and feeling more like a promenade and Danny hovered along, noting how the energy felt different here, less stagnant but more oppressive. 

"We haven't found a door in a while, I wonder if the rules have changed again." And Danny landed, pressing his hand to the ground and then to the walls as he searched for something new. 

"Whatcha doing?" Goober asked and Danny answered as he focused on the task at hand, "trying to see if I can find a doorway. We found a bunch earlier but it's been almost forty-five minutes since we found another one. I feel like we need to start looking harder for-" 

"Big Ghost, look! I found another Goober!" And Danny turned to spy Goober floating above a small pool of what looked like what. 

"Wait...was that here a second ago?" He asked as he approached and noticed the walls opened up into a mini courtyard. A medium fountain stood in the center of the pool, ghostly stone faces peering out from around the base and he leaned over, "That's just your reflection Goober." 

"Chu, reflection?" 

"Yeah, like a mirror, the blob is you, you're looking at yourself, ya goober." 

"Chu chu, Goober is handsome!" 

Danny laughed, "You sure are. Now, let's see what's going on in this courtyard. Maybe we can find a way through." 

"The way through isn't around, it's under!" And Danny's head jerked to the fountain, eyes wide as he didn't see anyone, ghost or otherwise. 

"Who that?" Goober asked nervously. 

"No clue. But we're gonna find out. Show yourself!" 

"I'm right in front of you ya idjut!" Danny looked around only to find the fountain and he frowned, "Where, I don't see you!" 

A different voice called out, sounding decidedly feminine, "Down here! Stupid halfa!" And Danny looked down to the base of the fountain, seeing the stone faces of ghosts, their eyes seeming to follow him. 

Danny got down on his hands and knees, moving right to the edge of the water as he looked closer. 

The stones looked frozen, carved faces of spooks and specters that couldn't possibly speak. 

"Boo!" One of them suddenly said as its stony face moved and Danny jerked back, "What the hell?" 

"Bwhahah! You got him, Stonley!" 

"I know! I got him good, Granita!" 

"Stonley? Granite? Well, those are dumb names." Danny mused as Goober gave a high-pitched laugh next to him. 

"Oh! He thinks our names are stupid, does he! Well, see if we help him then!" Came Stonley's rough voice and Granita humphed, "To right you are, such a rude little ghosty! How dare he!" 

"Wait, no, no no, I'm sorry! Your names are awesome! I love puns, very clever!" 

"Uh-huh, sure ya do!" Stonley scoffed. 

"Oh, suddenly we aren't so proud are we, ya wee little ghosty! Best make us happy or we won't help you at all, you or your false sincerity!" Granita barked. 

Danny groaned, "Alright, fine! What do you want? How can I help you? I mean... you're a fountain...a very beautiful fountain...but I don't see how I could-" 

"Would you hear that Stonley, he thinks we're beautiful!" And Granita seemed to preen at that and Danny nodded quickly, "Y-yes! And your spout is so full and lively! It bubbles with the best of them!" Danny said, motioning to the bubbling water at the top which rippled down over the fountain in a rather soothing manner. 

"Well, ain't he just right! We do bubble with the best of them! Here ya wee ghosty, toss some coins into the pool to find your next path!" Stonley offered. 

"Coins? Oh! Coins, right, like a wishing well!" Danny said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small handful of change. 

"Well I never, comparing us to those fancy wishing wells, such a flatterer!" Granita chirped happily. 

"Will fifty-eight cents work?" Danny asked and Stonley laughed, "Won't know till ya try ya wee ghosty! Toss 'em in and see where the pool takes you! If it's enough you're true path will be before you, if not-" 

"You're fucked!" And the two stone heads laughed happily and Danny frowned, "great...thanks." 

"Our pleasure, ghosty!" Granita said and Danny looked at Goober, “maybe we should look around first, or go back and-" 

"Can't go back, ya silly wee ghosty! No path back to take!" Granita shouted. 

"Huh? Yeah, there is, just back there the way we-" and Danny had turned to point out the path only to find the way they had come was gone and a wall was in its place. 

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Danny yelled as he stood and crossed to the wall, pressing hands against it only to find he couldn't pass through. 

"Unbelievable!" He groused angrily. 

"Believe it, ghosty! This place is like the King's mood, changeable and petty! Only way through is forward!" Stonley laughed and Granita cackled happily. 

"Damn it, Plasmius! Fine, I'll play your stupid game, even though it's obviously rigged!" 

He marched up to the fountain, tossing the coins in irritably, and waited. The water began to pop and fizz, glowing brightly before the water sank away and stairs were revealed. 

"Hmm, maybe you ain't so unlucky, ghosty, but won't know until you go!" Stonley pushed. 

"Yes, and have a lovely trip!" 

"Right. Have fun being stuck to this fountain." Danny grumbled as he made his way down the spiral stairs and into the dark. 

Goober followed, making frightened noises as he floated close to Danny's shoulder. 

X

--So what you wanna know, calamity's child, chi-chi, chi-chi. Where'd you wanna go? What can I do for you? Looks like you've been there too, ‘cause you've torn your dress, and your face is a mess, Ooh, your face is a mess--

David Bowie (rEBEL rEBEL) 

Vlad stared into the portal, his eyes narrow, “He’s in the Pocket Void.” 

Ember, Skulker, Ghost Writer and the Vultures cackled wickedly only for Vlad to snap at them, “Silence! This isn’t good! The Pocket Voids are located just outside the secondary wall. I never expected him to make it past the first wall let alone get near the second. Someone should have tried a little harder to stop him from entering , hm?” Vlad glared at Ember who scoffed, “Hey, he made me a really good deal. I got a favor out of him, you know how hard it is to get a favor out of that goody-goody. I saw an opportunity and I took it, sheesh.” 

Vlad groaned, “Of course. How rude of me to expect you to do your job ! I don’t ask any of you for much, do I? I let you go about your business and in return, I expect you to do as I say when I ask you to! I can impose full subjugation you know, just because I don’t doesn’t mean I can’t! ” 

Ember’s glare faded as she realized he was actually mad at her and she looked down with a hint of shame and nervous energy, “Sorry, boss.” she managed though it tasted like salt to apologize and her pride rolled over and screamed. 

After a second soft energy caressed her core and she glanced up to see Plasmius looking at her, “You’re forgiven as long as you listen to me from here on out. Understand?” 

Ember gave a single nod, her core energy brushing past his and sharing her loyalty with the man to prove she would do better. 

Vlad nodded before he looked at the clock hanging on a stone wall nearby and sighed, “He’s making too good of time. Skulker! Go slow him down. If you need to launch him over the outer wall fine, he might give up if he has to start all over.” and Plasmius rubbed at his eyes as he glanced at the redheaded girl nearby, floating in a suspended animation and utterly unaware of how her life hung in the balance. 

Not that Plasmius planned to actually kill her, but a trade...Daniel for his sister would be a good outcome. He just had to make sure Daniel didn’t beat the clock.

“Ember, go help Ghostwriter reinforce the inner walls, then put the next part of the plan into action. If Skulker fails Daniel doesn’t move one step closer! Understand!?” 

The small group nodded and Skulker grunted, “I won’t fail.” 

“I hope not, because I don’t want to have to pull out the big guns.” and Vlad glanced at the floating pumpkin nearby as he frowned. 

“You won’t need to. My guns are big enough.” and Skulker flew out of a window ready to slow down Daniel at all costs. 

“I don’t get it, dude. If you want the dipstick as your mate or whatever, why go to all this trouble? Why not just spend some time with the noob and ask him?” Ember asked as she looked at Plasmius curiously. 

“It is far too complicated to explain. Needless to say, I botched our first meeting and it forced my hand. My hope is that this will end sooner rather than later. I’ve already used a lot of energy for this little plan of mine and I don’t want to have to use more.” and Plasmius continued to stare at the portal watching the young halfa crawl around in the dark of the Pocket Void. 

Ember and Ghost Writer glanced at each other before they nodded, “Alright. We’ll slow him down.” Ember assured, “He won’t make it through our wall.” Ghost Writer agreed and the pair went off. 

Vlad moved closer, watching as the young man moved deeper in the Pocket Void, “Clever, Little Badger. But being clever will only get you so far.” 

XI

--I will sit right down, waiting for the gift of sound and vision. And I will sing, waiting for the gift of sound and vision. Drifting into my solitude, over my head, don't you wonder sometimes, about sound and vision--

David Bowie (Sound and Vision) 

The stairs seemed to go forever and Danny touched the slimy wall as he went, not wanting to miss a hidden doorway if one was present, "Jazz better worship the ground I walk on after this." Danny said tartly and Gobber shivered, "Who dat?" 

"My sister, and part of the reason I'm even here. Of course, if I hadn't been so stupid and naive this never would have happened. I can't believe how dumb I was." 

"King trick you?" 

"Yeah. Like the giant smelly asshole he is." And Goober snickered as he morphed into a puckered blob and let off a farting noise. 

"Yup, that's the guy." Danny confirmed, "Man, it's so dark, I can barely see-" and Danny transformed into his ghost half, hoping his ghostly eyes would better penetrate the darkness.

"Wow, it's really dark, I still can't see." And Danny summoned an ectoball into his hand only to realize there was no light cast. 

"What the actual hell!" Danny said, stomping his foot angrily on the step. 

"I know I have an ectoball in my hand, but where is the light!" 

"Let Goober try!" And Danny had a sneaking suspicion the little blob was trying to shine it's colors as it had done so many times before but he could see nothing. 

"Goober sorry." The blob said in a sulky manner and Danny sighed, "It's fine. Just another cheap trick to make it harder on us. Okay, let's keep going, just gotta be careful cause I can't see a-" the stairs suddenly ended and Danny stepped off into nothing, "Whoashit!" 

He tried to fly but found he couldn't, "Dick!" Danny yelled at Plasmius, the man obviously nowhere nearby. Fear had erupted as soon as his feet lost purchase on the ground and Danny yelled the whole way down. 

The sudden bite of icy water hit him hard, as he was submerged and started to kick towards what he hoped was the surface. He was disoriented from the fall and the dark and as his lungs burned panic set in. 

After a moment he felt a faint tug on his shirt and he hoped it was Goober. He followed the persistent tugging and eventually his head broke the surface. 

He gasped and sputtered trying to get his bearings as he coughed, "Thanks, Goob!" Danny managed and he heard the little blob sputter and whine. 

"It's okay, we're okay." And Danny kicked frantically, the darkness near suffocating until his hand collided with a slick wall, "Thank god! Okay. Let's see what we got." 

In the darkness Danny swam through the freezing water, feeling along the wall and noting the curve of the stone. 

"It's a fucking well. We are at the bottom of the well." Danny huffed anxiously. 

He continued to move only to feel relief wash through him when he ran into some stones jutting out from the wall. He climbed them carefully, feeling out into the darkness and finding two more which he clung to as he caught his breath. 

"I'm going to kill that Fruitloop the next time I see him!" Danny bit before he pulled in on himself, "my core...doesn't seem to be working...it's freaking cold down here." And his teeth started to chatter as he shivered. 

He felt Goober nestle close to his cheek and Danny raised a hand and stroked at the little blob tentatively. 

"We gotta find a way out or we are going to f-freeze to death...well...I will...don't know about you." 

"Goober cold too." And it suddenly occurred to Danny, "Wait...you can still fly!" Think you can go up and see if you can find an opening?" And his body was shaking harder now, the panic that had faded before starting to come back. 

"Goober will try." And the little blob floated away from him, the darkness and silence seeming more terribly without the little blob by his side. 

Minutes ticked by and after another few seconds he wondered how much time had passed. His brain suddenly realized he had a phone and he quickly dug through his pocket, hoping to god the water hadn't shorted it out, "Come on waterproof case-" he murmured desperately to himself. 

To his relief, the phone turned on and light flooded the chamber, "Alright technology!" Danny cheered happily, "Hey Goob! I got light! Goob? Hey Goob where are ya!?" 

Silence greeted him and Danny cursed as he turned on his flashlight and pointed it up, "Goober!?" 

He didn't see anything at first until the light seemed to catch on something and there, high above, just under where the stairs had suddenly ended he saw a small opening. 

"Hang on! I'm coming Goob!" And Danny carefully set his phone aside and tore at his shirt, yanking material from the bottom to create a long piece of fabric. 

He carefully used it to tie the phone to his forearm, making it much too tight but not willing to risk the phone dropping. 

In the Ghost Zone, humans were the ghosts and while this common law seemed to be a bit touch and go while inside the Ghost King's little hellscape of a Labyrinth he thanked his lucky stars in this instance those laws seemed to apply. His phone's flashlight was a rebellion against the rules that Danny still didn't really understand, shining light into a place that seemed to snuff out his ghostly abilities.  

Goober seemed mostly unaffected, still able to fly and move, but his display of flashing colors hadn’t been able to pierce the dark and he had been able to feel the cold, so maybe it just depended on the type of ghost. 

Danny felt the wall carefully, looking for places to grab and areas where the black slippery stone would give him a solid hold. Slowly, over several painstaking minutes, Danny maneuvered his way around the wall and up towards the small opening. 

His body was shaking and the cold was making his fingers numb but on he went, determined to get out and find Goober, "You're not going to beat me down, Plasmius, I'm not going to give up!" Danny hissed as he forced himself to climb higher still and as he reached a trembling hand for the opening he felt the panic and fear fade. 

From the dark hole, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his wrist, Danny gasping as he lost his grip and was suddenly pulled through the hole and down the dark tunnel.

Danny screamed as the darkness faded and light started to build around him. After a few more blood-rushing seconds he was tossed free and rolled across the ground. 

His eyes clenched shut as the light of the Zone greeted him. He rubbed at his eyes and sat up, being greeted by a very unwelcome sight. 

Skulker stood by the hole, leaning casually as he held Goob in his fist and squeezed at the little guy tightly, “Goober….lost…the...fight..” the blob wheezed out and Skulker squeezed harder. 

“Let him go, Skulker!” Danny yelled as he shoved up from the ground, “You going to make me runt?” 

“You bet I fucking am!” and Danny charged, his rings appearing and his transformation bright as he plowed into Skulker, the black stone behind him cracking as he yelled and dropped Goober who looked a little woozy and puddled on the ground. 

Danny scooped him up and moved back to a safe distance, depositing Goober on the branch of a tree, “Stay here.” Danny urged as he gave Goober’s head a light stroke with a finger, “Goober stay, Goober tired.” 

“Cool, take a nap, this won’t take long-” and Danny turned back only to get a fist to the face, the force shooting him back across a much larger courtyard and into a statue that crumpled under the hit. 

“Stupid little whelp! You’re in the Ghost Zone now! My powers are doubled and my core is bright! It’s time to knock you down a peg!” and Skulker charged, flying at him with a yell. 

Danny waited, trying to time it just right and at the last second, he rolled out of the caved-in statue and Skulker rammed into the base, Danny shooting up and smashing a fist down on the control panel on Skulker’s arm. 

“Boop beep boop!” Danny mocked as his fingers hit several buttons and Skulker growled, “You filthy little AAAAH!” his jets took off, Danny having given them a command to fly sporadically. Tucker had clued him in on the technology Skulker used and realized the guy needed a serious upgrade. It used DOS. While it was most likely because DOS needed specific command codes to move through the system if you knew those codes anyone could control it. 

“Time for an upgrade, dude!” Danny called after him. It had taken Danny weeks to memorize several different codes that Tucker had been able to hack from the mecha ghosts system, but seeing the fruits of his labor, Danny realized it was well worth it. 

“Thank you, Tucker.” Danny hummed as he saw Skulker flying like a bat out of hell in every which way before Danny shot up and grabbed hold of him, punching him hard and sending him straight down towards a massive dead oak tree. The crash was phenomenal and Danny laughed at the end result. 

Skulker’s suit was busted at every joint, the suit hanging from the tree via some of the glowing green nettings he used to hunt with. 

Skulker let out an angry scream, his head swinging as it was no longer connected to the suit's body. Danny landed next to him and smiled, “Hey big guy, any chance, you’d point the way to the next part of the Labyrinth?” and Danny batted his eyes mockingly as he leaned close and popped open the head, spying Skulker’s true form in the control center of the mechanism. 

“I shall never surrender!” and Skulker jumped free, latching onto the front of Danny’s suit and slashing it open with a tiny knife, “DIE WHELP SCUM!” and he crawled into Danny's suit, the young man jerking and shaking, smacking at his body angrily as he growled, “Knock it off you little bug! Get out of there! Hey! What are you even doing!? I said...ow! Did you just poke me, you little goo ball!?” 

Suddenly Danny heard a squeak and Goober charged in through the slice Skulker had left, the two small ghosts having an all-out brawl inside of his jumpsuit. 

“INSIDE MY SUIT IT NOT A PLAYGROUND! OW! HEY! STOP POKING...GET OUT OF THERE!” and seconds later Goober emerged, dragging Skulker with him, the little ghost glaring at the Goober angrily, “Traitor! TRAITOOOOR!” 

“Thanks, Goob. Now...what to do with you, eh?” Skulker looked at Danny and swallowed nervously as the halfa grabbed him by his leg and held him upside down, “I’ll never talk! I shall never betray our KING!” 

Danny sighed, “Ain’t them’s the breaks. Well, if you’re not going to help us, I guess you’ll just have to stay here and wait for a ride.” and Danny smiled at him wickedly as Skulker tried to free himself. 

Danny walked back over to the giant oak tree, finding a stray strand of green netting and leaving Skulker tied up and hanging from the trees. 

“Why don’t you just hang around.” and Danny chuckled as he and Goober walked off, leaving a screaming Skulker behind as they moved through a random doorway. 

XII

--And you, you can be mean, And I, I'll drink all the time, 'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact. Yes, we're lovers, and that is that. Though nothing will keep us together, we could steal time just for one day. We can be heroes forever and ever, What d'you say--

David Bowie (Heroes) 

They had been walking forever it felt like, and as they continued to try doorways and stumble through the continually thickening dead trees and eroded walls Danny wished he could see how close he was...or how far away. He had no sense of direction while in the thick of things and wished he could just poke his head over the walls that surrounded him. 

“Hey Goob, you’re not me, so you might be able to pass through the barrier. Would you be willing to see if you could pop through the shield and tell me how close the castle is?” and Goober nodded and floated up, Danny smiling as Goober easily flew up past the walls and looked around. 

“That way!” Goober pointed off to his left and Danny finally got a sense of which way to go, “How big is the castle!?” He called up, using his hands around his mouth to cast his voice further. 

“Uhm…” and Danny sighed, “Is it big or small?” 

Goober chirped happily, “Medium!” 

“Hell yes! I’m getting closer! Can you see which way to go from up there? Maybe point me in the right direction? And Goober looked around before letting out a whine and floating back down to him, “It’s all black, Goober can’t see the route from above!” 

“Of course. Fucking mister asshole King thought of almost everything. Typical.” and Danny rubbed at his sore neck, trying to think of how far he had gotten in relation to the time spent inside. He pulled out his phone, seeing it was near four in the morning. 

“Okay, so he pulled me into the Zone around 12:30...I entered this place at around one. It’s 4:30 a.m. now and I have until...wait...thirteen hours...1:30 p.m. I’ve been here four-ish hours...and I’m maybe...haaalf way?” and he looked at Goober who gave a tentative nod.

“Damn, this is taking too long. We need to move faster, but shit keeps getting in the way!” 

“Hey, Babypop!” and Danny turned to spy Ember sinking down from the sky, seemingly having no problem with the invisible barrier that kept Danny from leaving the Labyrinth, just like Goober. 

“Ember? What the hell are you doing here?” Danny asked, gently scooping Goober out of the air and depositing him safely in his pocket. 

“What do you think. I got hella thrashed by Plasmius for letting you get in here so easily.” and she crossed her arms and jutted her hip as she scowled at the ground. 

“And?” Danny asked as he waited to see if she planned to attack or if she had some ulterior motive, “And it was dumb and embarrassing! So I’m here to help. Jeez, just cause he’s the king doesn’t mean he can treat me like crap. So come on, I can get you to the second wall, from there you’re on your own but fuck if I’m gonna let king sassy talk to me like I’m a child.” 

Danny chuckled, “King Sassy?” and Ember smirked, “He’s a pain, and a handful, and a cocky-” 

“I get it.” Danny offered, “he’s driving me crazy with this whole labyrinth thing. It’s like everything about the Ghost King has to be such a big deal. Don’t return the feelings and suddenly I’m public enemy number one in the Ghost Zone.” 

“Naw, you’ve always been public enemy number one around here, dipstick. But that doesn’t matter, just ‘cause you don’t like him back doesn’t mean he has to throw a tantrum! I mean look at this, built a whole fuckin’ Labyrinth just to fuck with you. Waste of time and energy if you ask me.” 

Danny stopped walking, “Wait...did you just...Plasmius built all of this...just to fuck with me?” 

Ember smiled, “I’m telling you, Babypop, you sure got his attention. He must really like you, hm?” 

Danny blushed and looked away, “Yeah. I guess. I don’t know why. It isn’t like I’m something special.” 

Ember looked less than impressed with his modesty and she rolled her eyes, “Yeah, uh-huh, look...I get you’re only here ‘cause King Sassy took your sister, but seriously, this is a lot of work for a fucking crush. What the hell did you say to him?” and Danny frowned, “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is finding Jazz and getting her back home. I’ll fuck up Plasmius’s face another time.” 

Ember laughed, “As if. He’s the Ghost King-” 

“You gonna help me through or just gush about your favorite monarch all day?” and Ember scoffed, “Sheesh, touchy much? Come one.” Ember took the lead and Danny followed, the halfa quietly pulling out Goober and motioning for him to fly above and keep an eye on their progress. He might not be able to see the entire maze from above but given enough time popping up and down he could definitely tell if Ember was leading him closer or further from his target. 

He wouldn’t put it past her to be leading him away under the guise of being pissed at Plasmius for yelling at her, Ember could be incredibly petty when she wanted to be, but for now he needed to make progress, and Ember’s offer to help was his current best option. 

They mostly walked in silence, Goober keeping an eye on them from above as they traversed. “If this Labyrinth was made just for me...like...recently...how is it you know the way?” 

Ember kept walking, shifting around trees, rubble, and random clutter on the ground, “‘Cause Plasmius gave me the way through. Current evil henchmen here-” and she pointed a thumb at herself, looking thoroughly unimpressed with her lot in life.  

“Wow, you must have a good memory if he can just tell you and you remember.” 

“Don’t need to. He shared his core with me, essentially uploaded the whole thing, I know this place inside and out, just as he created it. Which is also why I can phase through the barrier, his subjects aren’t bound by the Labyrinth, we are allowed to manipulate it.” 

“Wait...aren’t I technically a subject? Shouldn’t I be able to-” 

“Fuckin’ ding-dong, helloooo, this whole place was made for you! Of course, you won’t be able to... never mind. God, you’re dumb.” 

“Damn, moody much? It isn’t my fault I don’t understand half of what is going on! I mean, I was just thrust into this bullshit situation because I wouldn’t come to the Ghost Zone and let good old King Plasmius have his way with me! I mean for fuck sake, the guy parades around as a spirit animal, spends a month gaining my trust only to reveal he’s a fucking king . And not just any king, but the king, of all fucking ghosts! I’ve spent the last four years of my half-ghost half-human life avoiding the guy! Finding out he wasn’t who I thought he was and had just been stringing me along sent a bajillion red flags off in my head!” 

“Wait...why have you been avoiding King Plasmius for the last four years?” Ember asked, looking confused as she stopped and leaned against one of the walls, arms crossed and face actually curious. 

Danny’s anger deflated a little as he looked down. Slowly he moved to the other wall, leaning against it as he shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed, “Look, ever since I got these powers and started fighting ghosts and exploring the Zone, all I’ve heard about Plasmius is that he’s some big bad tyrant who abuses his subjects and doesn’t give two fucks about anyone but himself. I also heard he likes to take the more powerful ghosts and use them as his own personal goon squad.” and he motioned to Ember who was sans her usual punk rock outfit and dressed in a rather flattering but obviously assigned uniform. Granted, it was torn up and ratty, modifications the rockstar most likely made herself, but she had the long white cape, torn up tunic and ripped breeches tucked into her black leather boots. 

“ You , Ember, the queen of rock and roll and the ghost who is constantly trying to “stick-it-to-the-man” works for him ! All I can think is what kind of fear he must create in you if he can get you to be so obedient.” 

Ember’s face turned sour, her fiery hair flaring as she stood from the wall and approached him, “Let’s get one thing straight, dipstick. Ember Mclane is her own woman! I’m not scared of my King! I’m not cowering in fear and doing what I’m told because I am scared of some bogus punishment! This-” and she motioned to her uniform, “Is an honor! King Plasmius doesn’t make any of the ghosts do anything. He mostly leaves us alone and lets us do our own thing. In return, when he wants our help we give it, and he always asks, he never demands, okay? So get those stupid ideas of tyranny and fear-mongering out of your head. He isn't like that. That’s why so many of us support him...and wear his stupid uniform when he asks us, no matter how fuckin’ nerdy it is.” 

And Ember marched past him, Danny raising from the wall and following, “I don’t understand, if he isn’t so bad, why have the few ghosts I’ve talked to about him act like he’s such an asshole!?” 

Ember stopped, hands fisting and teeth clenching as she turned around, “You’re sure they were talking about King Plasmius? ” 

Danny gave her an odd look, “I mean...yeah...what other king is there?” 

Ember growled and smacked the side of his head, “You stupid idiot! What did they call him? King Plasmius? Big Blue? The Great Buck, what?!” 

“OW!” Danny said as he rubbed at the side of his head and glared, “They call him the fucking Tyrant of the Void. A pariah in the dark. The Mad King of the Ghost Zone.” 

Ember gave a tired sigh as two fingers came up to rub at the bridge of her nose, “You fuckin’ noob. They weren’t talking about King Plasmius! They were talking about Pariah Dark! The King who ruled before Plasmius! He’s the Tyrant of the Void, the Mad King, the Guzzler of Power, and whatever other stupid name people made for him!” 

Danny froze, staring at her in shock as he asked, “There was a King before Plasmius?” 

“Duh! Plasmius is just the ghost guy who came along and wrecked his sorry ass. He dethroned Pariah and took over. Changed everything. He’s a….he’s a good King. And we like him. He...treats us fairly...protects us...doesn’t demand tributes or sacrifices. King Plasmius freed us from tyranny. Learn your fuckin’ facts before you start throwing rocks. And it wouldn’t kill you to learn the history of the Zone if you're going to be buzzing around here like you fuckin’ own the place.” 

Ember turned and continued forward, Danny slowly moving after her as they entered into a different area. 

XIII 

--Love me, love me, love me, love me Say you do. Let me fly away With you. For my love is like The wind And wild is the wind. Wild is the wind. Give me more Than one caress. Satisfy this Hungriness. Let the wind Blow through your heart For wild is the wind--

David Bowie (Wild is the Wind)  

They’d been walking for what felt like forever, Danny checking his phone every few minutes before he finally groaned, “Dude, can we fly yet? My feet are killing me.” 

“It’s too thick here, we wouldn’t move any faster. King Sassy got a little too heavy with the energy in this area. The dead shit is growing thick as hell.” and Ember was right, the trees here were monstrous, the pair having to slide carefully between tree trunks that were nearly overlapping. 

Danny sighed but stopped moving when Goober came down and whispered in his ear before sliding back into his pocket and staying quiet. Danny’s wide eyes turned narrow as he looked at Ember who kept moving, “You sure we’re heading the right way?” 

“Doy, it should be just up here that we clear these stupid trees and find the second wall,” Ember said as she kept going. 

“Uh-huh...okay.” but Danny was slowly moving backward now. Goober had told him that while he couldn’t see beyond the area Danny was walking he heard the rumbling snores of a Behemoth. A nasty giant of the Zone that was hell to fight. The last one Danny had to beat took nearly four hours to bring down and he just didn’t have that kind of time. While he wanted to believe Ember wasn’t delivering him to the beast, he couldn’t trust her at the moment and so backtracked to a doorway they had bypassed and poked his head through. 

A narrow but clear hall greeted him and he had a decision to make. Goober had been keeping an eye on things from above and had confirmed several times they were going the right way and that the castle was getting closer, but if Ember was leading him closer only to deliver him to a Behemoth he’d rather take his chances on his own and hope that there was more than one way to get to the castle at the center. 

He moved into the new hall, continuing to walk in the same direction as Ember but now on a different path. He peered carefully around corners, keeping his feet off the ground and hovering along so there was no chance of making noise. 

He gently tapped his pocket and Goober slid out, “Hello!” 

“Shhh! You did really well, thanks, Goober. You’re awesome!” 

“I is awesome!” the little blob whispered softly, “Yeah. Now, do me one more favor and I’ll love you forever.” 

“Okay! What?” the little blob asked, eyes wide and smiling hopefully, “Fly ahead...quietly...and let me know if you see a Behemoth. I bet you’re small enough your core’s energy won’t wake it. The things are like bloodhounds, they can smell a core a mile away, especially if it’s strong.” 

“Okay dokay!” and the little blob puttered off, Danny looking both behind and ahead of him and he continued to slowly creep along the wall. 

“Goober? Do you see anything?” Danny whispered out as he tried to spot the small goo ball flying up ahead. 

When there was no response Danny sighed and rolled his eyes, “Of course he went too far. Goober!” 

Danny waited and when he still didn’t hear anything he moved away from the wall and landed on the ground, unsure if he should keep going or turn back. He groaned pitfully as he turned back to stare at the empty and long hall behind him only to run face first into a chest. 

“Shit!” he hissed, Plasmius standing there and smirking at him calmly, “Lost?” he asked, a cool brow raising in amusement as Danny glared, “As if. This place is as predictable as my dad’s eating habits.” 

“Mmm, is that so? That would explain why you’re heading straight for my Behemoth without stopping, because it’s just all so predictable, right?” 

Danny’s brow furrowed, his doubts about what to do surfacing as he thought perhaps Ember had been being truthful with him. 

“Sure. That’s why.” Danny agreed, not sure what else to say as he was too busy trying to figure out the truth from the lies. 

“You know, I’d be willing to make it easy on you. We can end this right now, with a simple trade. You for your sister. She could be home in less than an hour, and you could be done with all of this.” 

Danny’s eyes went wide as he realized what Plasmius was offering and he took a step back, “You’d...you’d do that? End the game and let Jazz go?” 

“Only if you agree to stay , Little Badger. I can be just as considerate as I can be cruel. You agree to the trade and this whole Labyrinth will fall to dust . The game will end.” 

Danny eyed him suspiciously, trying to discern truthfulness and failing miserably, “Times ticking. Do we have a deal?” and Vlad held out a hand, Danny looking at it, remembering the soft texture and burning heat as it pressed to his face. 

His core suddenly swelled, surging in his stomach and he grabbed at his chest before stumbling back and into the wall, “What...the hell...is happening?” he asked himself as his core began to hum loudly and his face flushed. 

A hand grabbed up his jaw, raising his head and he met Plasmius’s glowing red eyes as the man smirked, “Are you alright?” 

Danny jerked his head away and growled, “Don’t touch me! Get away!” 

Vlade’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly yanked off a glove and grabbed harshly at Danny’s face. Danny felt it coming, the shift from aware and focused to hazy and slightly high. 

“Stand up-” Vlad ordered softly, Danny complied without any resistance, “Look at me.” their eyes met and Plasmius stepped closer, pressing his body to Danny’s as Danny’s back pressed into the wall, “Are you sure you don’t want to quit? I’d much rather take you to the castle now...we could end this game...and spend the rest of the night together.” 

Danny’s core was pulsing, humming, and swelling in a near euphoric way. His heart was hammering in his chest and he licked his lips as he pressed his face into Plasmius’s burning palm, “Mmm.” Danny whined softly and as the heat from Plasmius’s body washed over him he felt the Ghost King’s core wrap around his own, a gasp escaping past his lips as the man’s free hand reached up, a finger sliding between Danny’s neck and the collar of his jumpsuit, peeling it down and away. 

Plasmius leaned in, his lips brushing over Danny’s neck and the young halfa started to pant, arousal and want burning through his body and flooding his blood with intoxicating lust. 

Before he knew what was happening lips pressed to his and his mouth opened, their tongues meeting in a slow and savory kiss. Danny let out another whine, his brain both cheering and panicking as his body reacted accordingly. 

Vlad will kill me if he ever finds out...I got to stop this...I have to save Jasmine….have to….have...to...

“W-Wait...please…” Danny breathed softly as he broke the kiss, only to ignore his own pleas by tilting his head and willingly exposing his neck. He felt sharp canines slide across his skin, teasing a bite that Danny found he wanted much more than he would ever admit. 

However, despite the drunken haze he was in, something nagged at the back of his mind and after a moment Jazz’s face came into view and he grit his teeth and as Plasmius began to sink in his fangs Danny jerked and turned his head, biting at the Ghost King’s ear with a painful snap of his teeth. 

Plasmius let out a yell as he yanked back and Danny broke away, launching up as high as he could go before he hit the barrier and glared down at the man, his whole body vibrating with desire, arousal, and anger. 

“You goddamn cheat!” Danny yelled as he pressed his collar back up and grit his teeth. Plasmius stood there rubbing at his ear, checking for blood and then glaring up at him, “So be it, Little Badger. I tried to be nice, but I guess you’ll have to learn the hard way.” 

Plasmius teleported and Danny only had a second to spin around, it wasn’t fast enough, however, as hands grabbed him and in a split second he lost his breath as he felt himself teleport and reappear somewhere else. He gasped in air as Plamius gripped his upper arms tightly, “I really wish you weren’t so set on making me your enemy, Daniel. I’d much rather be your friend.” and the man pressed his lips harshly to Danny’s before letting him go and teleporting away. 

Danny wiped at his mouth and growled, looking around for the bastard only to feel a rush of moist air hit his back and he slowly turned to find a sleeping Behemoth right behind him, curled up on the ground. 

Instantly he scooted back, eyes wide and heart in his throat as he spied three more nearby, all curled up and sleeping, chains resting around their necks which coiled on the ground and were bolted into the stone. 

“Oh shit,” Danny whispered, his body beginning to tremble as he realized Vlad had literally delivered him into the belly of the best. The area they were in was massive, an arena of sorts that was one giant square. The walls were still high but spread far enough apart that Danny could see beyond the tops and he realized the Castle was closer than ever. 

All I have to do is sneak through. If I can get past them without making a sound and keep my core as low as possible I can-

The Behemoth in front of him seemed to stir, sniffing lazily without opening its eyes. A wince escaped Danny and he shuffled back on his butt, moving behind another large dead tree as he transformed into his human half and closed his eyes, focusing on his core and trying to calm himself down. 

Come on, mute your core, turn it down as low as possible. You’re one hundred and ten percent human right now, no core, no ghost powers...totally harmless! 

It took him a moment to get up the courage to peer around the tree and he saw the Behemoth from earlier settling back down and falling back into sleep. Danny let out a low breath, his head falling back against the trunk as he pressed a hand to his neck. 

Plasmius had kissed him...almost bit him...and Danny had liked it way too much. The subjugation power was dangerous as hell and from now on he had to make sure he stayed well out of the Ghost King’s reach or he’d just melt against him. 

His whole body felt like rubber and he was running on fumes. He hadn’t eaten and hadn’t slept since yesterday. His sanity was hanging on by a thread but he knew he had to press forward. He’d sort out his mixed feelings for the Ghost King later, right now, he had to make it out of this area alive. 

Slowly he pushed himself up, staying quiet as the grave as he slowly shifted around the tree. He couldn’t fly or hover across because that required him to use his core. Behemoths didn’t eat other ghosts but they didn’t particularly care for other ghosts either. Core energy drove them nuts and set their alpha instincts ablaze with the need to challenge and dominate. They weren’t the most intelligent creatures in the zone but they made hella good guardians. Why Plasmius felt he needed four though, seemed a bit extreme. 

Unless the entrance to his castle is right on the other side of that door….

Either way, Danny had to find a way through, he wasn’t going to quit so forward he went. His footsteps were slow and deliberate, his breaths shallow. He was so quiet a pin could drop and it would ring out like church bells. 

The beasts snored on, unaware of his presence and Danny thought he might just make it. He was halfway and debating if he should make a break for it when a high-pitched screech filled the air, “I FOUND YOU! HELLO BIG GHOST! GOOBER FOUND YOU!” 

Danny felt the color drain from his face and his stomach drop into his feet as he spun around and saw Goober flying right at him. 

“Goober was scared! Goober thought-” Danny cupped his hands around the little blob to silence him but it was too late. The Behemoths started to stir, one letting out a massive roar as it rose up into the air. Four massive arms bulged and gleaming fangs were bared. 

“Oh no-” Danny groaned as his whole body wilted, Goober popped his tiny head out between Danny’s fingers and looked around, spotting the Behemoth’s and groaning, “Oh fridge…”

“RUN FOR IT!” Danny screamed, releasing Goober and sprinting for the massive door only yards away. 

“GOOBER SORRRRYYYY!” the little blob cried as it flew next to him, “YOU’RE DEAD MEAT GOO BALL!” Danny yelled as they made it into the hollow of the door and Danny pushed with all his might. The doors wouldn’t budge and the Behemoths were snaking their way towards them. 

“OH SHIT! OH SHIT!” and Danny took a few steps back and transformed into Phantom, tucking his elbows into his sides and taking a massively deep breath. He released his wail and after a second the doors burst open and Danny stumbled through. He kicked the doors shut with his feet and grabbed a wood brace, sliding it into the metal brackets and cutting off the Behemoth’s attacks. 

He fell over instantly, curling in on himself as his core gave a really painful spasm, “Big ghost! What’s wrong!?” 

“M-My core...I...I’ve never used my wail twice in one day and it feels like it's all bruised and swollen." It was a terribly uncomfortable sensation and Danny had never felt it before. Then again, he had never used his powers this consistently before, nor had to use his wail twice in one day. The strain it was putting on his ghostly core was becoming more evident. He was jumping back and forth between Fenton and Phantom, his core being muted and unmuted, seduced by Plasmius’s own core and sent through trial by fire. 

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’ve never...had to try and control my core this much.” Danny whined, not even sure if that was the issue or if he was actually just weak. 

Goober floated closer, “Big ghost must! Look, the second wall!” and Danny managed to push himself up, turning to spy a massive gap between the wall he had just come from and the wall ahead of him. It seemed to stretch out and around the inner part of the Labyrinth and from here Danny realized the Castle might only be an hour away. 

“Holy crap...we...we made it! We’re almost there!” and he pressed himself up, his legs feeling heavy but Danny continuing to move forward. 

XIV

--It's a thousand pages, give or take a few, I'll be writing more in a week or two, I could make it longer if you like the style, I can change it 'round, And I wanna be a paperback writer Paperback writer, Paperback writer--

The Beatles (Paperback writer)

Ember flew in and landed next to Ghost Writer who was in one of the turrets that rested on the secondary well. 

"Okay, Babypop is right outside, you ready?" She asked quickly. 

Ghost Writer looked at his keyboard and frowned, "What is it?" Ember asked. 

"I'm not sure how to begin." The writer mused as he rubbed at his chin and Ember scoffed, "Dude, seriously? He's right outside the gate, we don't have time for your stupid writer's block!" 

"It's not writer's block. It's just...King Plasmius...you think this is lust or love?" 

Ember’s glare faded, "Does it matter?" 

"You think the kid feels something for him?" And their eyes met and Ember crossed her arms, "What does it matter? For either of them?" 

"I can make things happen, Rock-a-bye. I can write whatever I want and it will happen...whether the person wants it to or not-" and he looked at her, his eyes sharp and his point suddenly clear. 

"Oh...well...I mean...you don't have to take it that far right? Just...keep him busy...you don't have to...we are just trying to run out the clock." 

Ghost Writer gave a nod before he took a deep breath and cracked his fingers, "Alright, let's write a story. A love story, filled with passion and lust and-" 

"Cuddling!" Ember interjected anxiously and Ghost Writer looked at her in surprise before he cleared his throat, "Right... cuddling . Why don't you give me some mood music for inspiration, Rock-a-bye, something dark and sultry." And he gave her a wink and Ember smiled wickedly, grabbing up her guitar and plugging it into an Amp. 

"Nothin' more romantic than a little electric guitar. Get to work, here's your jam." Ember started playing as Ghost Writer began to type furiously, his mind creating on the pages before him a world of romance that young Danny Phantom would never want to escape. 

XV

Part I

-- Oh, and baby I'm fist fighting with fire, just to get close to you, can we burn something, babe? And I run for miles just to get a taste, must be love on the brain, that's got me feeling this way. It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good, and I can't get enough, must be love on the brain, and it keeps cursing my name. No matter what I do, I'm no good without you and I can't get enough, must be love on the brain--

Rhianna (Love on the Brain)

Danny moved across the massive gap between the two walls, his footsteps hesitant as he continued to glance around him, eyes watchful for traps, more ghosts or the Ghost King himself. 

He checked his phone only to see the screen flicker and glitch and Danny groaned, "Oh no, come on, come on don't die on me now! I'm so close!" 

"Phone die?" Goober asked and Danny cursed. "It's about 6:30 a.m. I have seven hours." 

"Lots of time!" Gobber cheered and Danny frowned, "Only if nothing goes wrong and I don't get distracted….any….more…..is that music?" 

He looked around, his eyes darting all over because he knew a killer rift when he heard one which meant Ember was nearby. 

"Stay close Goober-" and Danny turned to look at the little blob who nodded only to suddenly point a little arm, "Look! Goober, see something!" 

Danny followed the little blob's nub and saw in the distance next to a smaller gate what appeared to be a table. 

Cocking his head he walked over, reaching the other side of the space to find a wooden table layered with foodstuff. 

"Oh man, it all looks so good...but...this is too easy. It's gotta be a trick." And Danny reached out a hand, picking up a fuzzy fruit and looking at it, "Ghosts don't eat human food, so this has to be a trap-" Danny's stomach rumbled angrily and he stared at the fruit longingly. 

A compulsion started to edge up from his mind, his eyes glancing around still trying to find the source of the rather weepy yet romantic guitar. 

Glancing back to the fruit Danny licked his lips and while he knew he shouldn't, he raised it to his mouth and took a massive bite, the urge to do so overtaking him and he was unable to resist. 

Juice exploded into his mouth and the sweet taste flooded over his tongue, the young man humming happily as his eyes closed and his toes curled. 

"You shouldn't snack so much before dinner, Little Badger, you'll lose your appetite." Danny turned, fruit still in hand, to see he was no longer in the maze but in what looked to be a grand ballroom with Plasmius standing a few feet away. 

"What the...where am I?" And suddenly he couldn't remember, his mind going blank as a hand was presented to him. 

Danny calmly handed the fruit over and Plasmius set it aside, coming to cup his face as he whispered, "I know it's hard to get decent human food in the Ghost Zone, but stuffing yourself with fruit is hardly becoming. You do look ravishing by the way." And Danny gazed up into the man's red eyes, knowing who he was but not understanding the context of their relationship.

"Thank you?" Danny asked in confusion, unsure if it was warranted giving he was just wearing his normal- 

"Blue really is a stunning color on you, makes those neon green eyes of yours pop." 

Danny looked down, his outfit a mimic of Plasmius but in blue with a couple of medals on his left breast and a sword hanging from his hip. 

"What...I don't...where am I? What is...this?" 

Plasmius gave him a confused look before he pressed a kiss to his forehead, "You're home of course. I know it's a shade overdone but it is our wedding reception after all and it's only right to have a party." 

Danny suddenly looked away from the man, eyes taking in the throngs of ghosts before him. Everyone he'd ever fought, everyone he had ever met. And intermingled among the ghosts were his human friends and family, all looking so happy to be here and chatting amicably with the specters around them. 

"Shall we mingle?" And Danny gave a faint nod, warmth and happiness filling his chest as he felt Plasmius place a hand on his lower back and they moved into the fray. 

People spoke and laughed, there was dancing and revelry, and the music was so relaxing after a while the confusion faded and Danny started to enjoy himself. 

It didn't seem odd to him that his family and friends were here, and it didn't seem odd that his parents weren't attacking every ghost in sight. 

He danced and laughed and drank and sang and the party seemed to rage on forever. His happiness swelled, an intoxicating rush of simply existing without burden or stress making him release his inhibitions. 

The night rushed on and he found himself seeking out Plasmius multiple times to talk and kiss, to smile at him and hold his hand. 

They ended up dancing at one point, spinning around the room as faces smeared and morphed together in a joyous haze. 

When that was done and their obligation to dance and entertain had waned, Danny pulled the man quietly out to a balcony, closing the doors behind them so they could be alone. 

"You know, tonight has been incredible." Danny smiled as he hopped up onto the stone railing and sat, legs dangling and eyes sparkling from the swirling greens of the Zone.

"Mmm. I agreed, and tonight will be even better." Plasmius purred softly, his burning hands coming from behind and rubbing around Danny’s waist to grip at his stomach. 

Danny laughed lazily, "You're gonna have to wait, I'm not about to let you have your way with me on my favorite balcony." 

Plasmius kissed his throat and nestled into his hair, "Hmph, you should, it will make the balcony even more special...let's make a mess." He whispered and Danny shivered. 

He felt Plasmius slowly undoing the buttons of his tunic, a hand pulling the tie on his sword so he could remove it and set it aside. 

Fangs grazed over his throat as his blue cape was removed and a burning hand sneaked inside his shirt and rubbed at his skin. 

"Bad man-" Danny groaned as his head dropped back onto Plasmius's shoulder, the man continuing to tease his throat with fangs and tongue. 

"How about a bite? Just one to get the blood pumping and your core pulsing, hm?" Plasmius offered, his hands now pulling Danny's tunic off and letting it fall to the floor. 

"Aaah, fine, just one little bite-" and Plasmius chuckled against his neck before opening his mouth and biting into his flesh, sinking his fangs deep and sucking gently. 

Danny arched, a loud moan escaping from his mouth as arousal flared and fingers tugged at his belt. 

"Don't stop-" Danny whispered out. 

"Do you love me?" Plasmius asked, his mouth withdrawing so he could kiss at Danny's jaw. 

"God yes...don't stop…" 

"Do you love me?" And Danny's eyes opened and he turned to look over his shoulder. 

King Plasmius was no longer behind him, Vlad Masters stood there, arms behind his back and a cold glare in place.

"I thought we had something special. There was a certain air and perfection in our dynamic don't you think? Granted, I'm no King, but I do have a lot to offer."

Danny swung his legs around, jumping down onto the balcony before running to Vlad and wrapping his arms around him, "I missed you!" Danny breathed happily. 

"Hmm, even though you skipped our date?" 

Danny felt panic surge, "It wasn't my fault! Seriously, Plasmius just took me! I wanted to meet you for lunch! I tried to….to….wait...what was I doing?"

Suddenly a faint call sounded in the distance, "Big Ghost! Wake up!" 

"Did you...hear that?" Vlad got his attention by running a hand through his hair, "All I want to hear is you moaning my name, Little Badger." Vlad said and Danny met his gaze, "What did you just...call me?" 

"Why don't we take this discussion upstairs?" Vlad purred softly as that faint call sounded again from a distance. 

"Wake up big ghost, wake up!" 

XV

Part II

"What the hell is going on!?" Ember asked, her view of Danny out the window showing the young man thrashing around on the ground. She turned to see Ghost Writer's ghostly computer start to shimmer and spit.

"I don't...I don't know...I think he's...fighting the story! God damned protagonists always have to make the story more complicated than it needs to be!" 

"Well fix it, if he wakes up he's gonna toast us for fucking with him! And if he gets past the second wall our ass is grass!" And Ember turned up her Amp and continued to play. 

"How much dope did you put in the fruit?" Ghost Writer asked as he typed madly. 

"Enough, dude should still be on cloud nine!" 

"Well it doesn't look like it!" And Ghost Writer pulled his hands from the keys to see the buttons pressing themselves. 

"Fuck no! Who said you could edit my story, you uneducated hack!" And Ghost Writer went to delete it only for Ember to yell, "Double down! The kid's trying to wake up!" 

An idea popped into his head and Ghost Writer smiled evilly, "Oh, that gives me a naughty idea. Why have just two when you can have three! Let's see the kid try and rewrite this little surprise!" 

XV 

Part III 

He was in a bedroom now, for the life of him he can't remember how he got there. But Vlad was pulling him gently toward the bed on the far side of the room and Danny was trying to listen back towards the window for that faint voice that echoed towards him. 

"Why don't you come lay down, you look tired-" Vlad offered softly. 

"I...no...I need to know where that sound is coming from," Danny whispered. 

"You should listen to Vlad, he's only doing what he thinks is best for you." And Danny felt hot hands take his shoulders and push him along. 

Plasmius was there now, obsidian horns glistening in the dim light as Vlad pulled him down onto the bed. 

"Wait...both of you? How...what's going on?" Danny asked. His brain felt fried and his body felt heavy but still, he tried to look to the open window across the room, waiting for a call of that familiar squeaky voice. 

"We're both right here, Little Badger. Here to protect and love you. Just relax." Plasmius whispered, his hands rubbing down Danny's back as Vlad leaned in and kissed at his neck. 

"Wait...ah...god-" it was hot arousal that boiled in his stomach, his core pulsing like mad as two sets of burning hands groped and rubbed at him, pulling at what clothes he had left, kissing and licking along his body as he sat on his knees sandwiched between them. 

Burning palms caressed across his hips before rubbing down his upper thighs and then heading straight for his groin. Plasmius chuckled as he palmed Danny's more intimate area, Vlad's hands holding his face as he kissed him deeply.

Danny felt like he was on the edge, lips, and hands caressing and kissing and his mind started to sink away from anything but pleasure, the pair pinning him between them and he moaned loudly as some glorious oblivion rested just out of reach. 

"BIG GHOST WAKE UP! BIG GHOST MUST FIND SISTER! BIG GHOST MUST FIGHT KING! BIG GHOST MUST WAKE UP!" 

"That’s...Goober...it's Goober...THAT'S GOOBER!" 

Danny's eyes popped up, his face turning away from Vlad's hot mouth before he grabbed at Plasmius's hands and yanked them off his junk. 

He tipped sideways, rolling away and off the bed before stumbling and grabbing his pants off the floor. 

Vlad and Plasmius sat on the bed looking at him with narrow eyes and sharp frowns. 

"This isn’t real . You two don't know each other and I highly doubt you'd want to share me! I have to...have to get out of here! I have to save Jasmine!" And Danny shoved his legs into his pants as Vlad and Plasmius began to move towards him. 

"Don't go, Little Badger-" they both said at the same time and Danny froze, eyes wide as he turned to look at them. 

He scanned between the two, their faces now awash in desperation and guilt and he marveled at how similar they were. 

"Maybe some other time." Danny offered before he buttoned his pants and turned, running to the window and jumping out. 

He plummeted, a scream ripping from his throat, "GOOBER! WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP, GOOBER!" 

The ground was approaching and Danny braced for impact, only to jolt awake and find himself on the ground in the no-man's land between the two gates, the fuzzy fruit still in his hand. 

He chucked it and cursed. Goober was suddenly in his face, squeaking and chirping happily as he pressed to Danny's cheek, the young man smiling with relief, "Thanks Goob, you just saved my ass...literally." 

"Goober happy big ghost is back! The mean ghosts are up there!" And Goober pointed and Danny turned. 

A turret that sat on the wall greeted his vision and from the window Ember and Ghost Writer peered out looking utterly terrified. 

"You mother fucking assholes!" Danny yelled as he stood up and transformed, shooting up into the air and coming to float just below the window, mindful of the fact he wasn't sure where the barrier was in this area. 

"Oh shit. Whelp, I'm outta here!" Ghost Writer said as he ducked from view and Ember glared after him. 

"Oh no. You two want to fuck with me?! I'm gonna fuck with you right back!" And despite knowing he shouldn't, Danny unleashed his Ghostly Wail for a third time, the turret and the wall buckling near-instantly and crashing to the ground as he continued to scream at them with his rage and anger. 

When the wail ran out he kept screaming, tears suddenly falling from his eyes as his anger boiled. 

That dream had been too real, had felt too good. It left Danny longing for something he knew couldn't and wouldn’t ever happen. A life in which his ghost half and human half had found some semblance of harmony and safety. Humans and ghosts alike exist in a peace that could never be real. Nothing about what Ghost Writer and Ember had just created would ever happen in real life and it felt like part of his soul was in mourning now because of it. 

He floated down through the rubble, breathing heavily as he kicked stones and blocks out of the way, the dust settling as he found Ember and Ghost Writer out cold and laying bruised and dirty near the edge of the debris. 

Danny sunk down low, grabbing Ghost Writer by his scarf and yanking him up, delivering a smack to his face. The ghost's neon green eyes popped open and he tensed up but Danny gave him a shake, "I know you're just trying to do what your King told you to, but if you ever write one of your stupid stories about Vlad Masters or King Plasmius again...Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Out. Of. It. Got it?!" 

Ghost Writer nodded quickly, not saying a word as Danny let him go and wiped at his eyes, "Damn pervert." 

He went to walk away but suddenly a wave of fatigue hit him hard and his core faded. His rings appeared and he transformed back into Danny Fenton, falling to the ground and resting his head on a stone, "Great, just what I need...more problems. Fucking Plasmius." Danny whispered. 

He pushed himself up, needing to sit and rest a moment before he let out a shudder and brought a hand to his neck, feeling the area Plasmius had bitten while Danny had been trapped in Ghost Writer's pervy little story. 

His mind was suddenly reeling through the memories of it, thinking of what a night shared between him Plasmius and Vlad might actually be like. 

"Don't think about it." Danny whispered as he wrapped arms around himself. 

He liked Vlad a lot, but the man was too damn mysterious and Plasmius...well the latent attraction was obvious but his demanding and possessive nature was a red flag he couldn't ignore. 

Goober floated close to him and gave a soft meep of a sound, "I'm okay buddy, my core is just tired. And the local snobby Writer got an erotic novel stuck in my head." And Danny glared daggers at Ghost Writer who was in the process of sitting up and pulling his legs free of the rubble. 

Ghost Writer glared right back and scoffed, "Yeah know, I wouldn't have had to make it so spicy if you'd just enjoyed the fantasy. I was just gonna write you two making out on the balcony but noooooo, you had to ruin the ride. I was just getting into the flow of it too. Would have been one of my best works." 

"Yeah, whatever ya stupid perv. I've snuck into your house on pathetic-unpublished-author Island, I know you have an entire file dedicated to creepy fanfiction and erotic novels. I've also seen what you write about her-" and Danny motioned to Ember, "You know she's dating Skulker right?" 

"Shhhpshhh!" Ghost Writer urged as he looked to Ember who was still out cold. 

"Wrote some shit about Technus too...never pegged you for bisexual." Danny mocked, only because he was still really freaking mad at the Ghost for delivering such a lurid and yet cruel dream into his head. 

Ghost Writer crossed his arms and looked away as he blushed, "I'm not...just...working through some stuff. And keep out of my private shit you no talent hack! You wouldn't know Pride and Prejudice from The Grapes of Wrath!" 

"Whatever. Just keep me out of your stupid stories." Danny mused as he looked away, "How'd you even do that anyway? You can't control or influence dreams. That's Nocturen's power." 

Ghost Writer glanced at him before he looked away and said irritably, "Ember got some of his sleeping powder and doped up the food on the table. Nocturn provided the dream juice I just wrote it out. I'm good at that, writing dream sequences...it's a whole hell of a lot easier than real life anyway. A bit abstract and cliche but needs must and all that jazz." 

Danny shook his head and grunted, "Right, Jazz, I gotta keep moving. Gotta find Jazz." 

"You know-" Ghost Writers started as he pushed himself up too, wincing as no doubt he was in pain from the fall through the rubble, "If you just make the trade this would all end. It isn't like it would be forever. He just wants to spend some time with you...show you around-"

"Yeah? Says you. I give myself to him and I never see my friends or family again...never see my home again." Danny sneered. 

Ghost Writer looked confused, "What? Who told you that malarkey?" 

Danny glanced at him. "Plasmius seemed pretty intent on my coming " home to the Zone" where I belong." Danny said as he wrapped arms around himself and sighed. 

Ghost Writer grunted as he grabbed at his arm and rubbed it gently, "ow...look...if you're not into the whole eternity in the Zone thing then just tell him that. I mean, what other choice does he have but to give you what you want. I mean...you're only half ghost...if you want to spend time in the mortal realm while still seeing King Plasmius then that's the ground rules you gotta set kid." 

Danny met his eyes, thinking on that for a moment, "I don't even know if I like him that way. I mean..there's an attraction sure...I spent a month getting to know him...but that just turned out to be a lie. I mean...I tell him no and suddenly this is the result? I don't know if I want to deal with that kind of fall out...besides...I'm kind of thinking my attraction to him is purely physical. Anyway...there's this other guy I really like. And there is a lot of potential." 

"What's his name?" Ghost Writer asked as he moved a little closer and Danny smiled softly as he looked at the ground, "Vlad Masters. He's a piece of work...kind of creepy...he lies too...but nothing like Plasmius did. And the chemistry is undeniable...he's also kind of sweet….cute...in a fruitloopy kind of way-" 

Ghost Writer stared at him, eyes wide for a moment before he gave a worried swallow and stepped back, "Uh, right...well...who should come between true love, am I right? Go on, you're not that far from the castle. Just...yeah know...down that way...so...best get moving." 

Danny gave him an odd look before he shook his head and sighed, "Whatever, come on Goob!" As Danny walked off, Ghost Writer shook Ember awake. 

"Wha? What happened?" she asked in a groggy voice. 

"Come on Rock-a-bye, we gotta make ourselves scarce." Ghost Writer urged. 

"Huh? Why?" 

"Phantom doesn't know King Plamius and Vlad Masters are the same fucking person! When he finds out he's gonna fucking blow. I'm getting out of here before he decides to waste us all." 

Ember plopped back onto the ground, "Fucking shit. Plasmius, you are such a fucking idiot!" 

A/N: End of Part Two.

Chapter Text

Part Three 

XVI 

-- There's such a fooled heart, Beatin' so fast In search of new dreams, a love that will last within your heart, I'll place the moon within your heart--

David Bowie (As the World Falls Down) 

Plasmius paced quickly, glancing at the clock while Skulker sat in the corner carefully putting the rest of himself back together. 

His eyes settled on Jasmine, the girl still suspended in sleep and floating off to the side before he looked back to the clock and then beelined to the small portal nearby. He waited but the swirling green screen didn’t change. 

“Blast! What is taking them so long to check-in? Ember and Ghost Writer should have subdued him by now, they should have checked in!” he growled. 

Skulker shoved his last piece into place, “Easy. Ember and Ghost Writer can handle the pup. And if not, I’ll have another go at him. We only need to hold him at bay for two more hours. Then you can make the deal and he’ll be all yours.” 

Plasmius rubbed at his forehead, stress swirling in his chest before he sighed and walked over to his throne, collapsing into his lazily, “I suppose you’re right. Two hours will seem like minutes if we can keep him busy.” Vlad looked around the room, large and mostly empty aside from the trappings one would expect in a castle such as this. 

His mind wandered on if it would be any less lonely when Daniel became his mate, “Do you think I should install curtains? Maybe something in lace?” Plasmius pondered, thinking that a more homey touch might make Daniel feel more comfortable. 

Skulker raised a brow in confusion but didn’t manage to respond as there was a flash of light and from a new portal Clockwork floated out. 

“Hello, Plasmius. I see you’ve been busy. The Labyrinth adds such charm to an otherwise dreary landscape.” 

Plasmius sat up and scoffed, “You recommended I find a way to bring Daniel to me, so I did. I took his sister and made him run a gauntlet. He’s been engaging with some of my subjects as well as the Ghost Zone’s rather interesting energies. I think he’s received a rather hard lesson in Ghost Zone 101, don’t you?” 

Clockwork frowned, “This wasn’t what I had in mind when I recommended you bring him to you.” 

Plasmius growled, “Oh, spare us the mysticism, old man, everyone knows you see everything! Past, present, and future, pretending like you didn’t know I was going to do something so outlandish won't fool anyone here.” 

“Very well. So then, when do you plan to tell him?” Clockwork asked softly. 

“Tell him? Tell him what?” Plasmius asked and the Spirit of Time looked irritated, “About your other half...your human half.” 

Vlad eyes him nervously, “Eventually. I figure I shouldn’t overwhelm him off the cuff. Give him some time to adjust to life in the Ghost Zone as my mate and then I will-” 

“You need to tell him the truth and you need to do it quickly. No more games or hopping around the truth, Plasmius. If you truly want Daniel for your mate then he needs to know what you are and that he isn’t alone anymore. Trying to win him over as Plasmius won’t work, he needs to know-” 

“He needs to know on a need-to-know basis. And right now is not that time.” Plasmius snapped out as he crossed his arms and sagged lower in his seat. 

“Even if he is right outside the door?” Clockwork asked as he motioned with his staff to one of the large open arched doorways. Vlad’s eyes bulged and he stood, flying out onto the balcony only to see Danny standing at the top of the stairs and looking around. 

“OH! FUDGE DUDDERS!” Vlad flew back into the throne room, glancing at the clock and seeing the time, “Blast it all! That’s it, no more games! Daniel isn’t going to beat the clock, no matter how badly he wants to!” and Plasmius stormed over to the floating pumpkin. 

A sword stuck out of the top and he quickly yanked the sword free and called angrily, “My servant, hear your master's call! Come forth Fright Knight and do your King's bidding!” 

The pumpkin started to glow and after a moment energy erupted from it, Vlad’s most powerful ally coming into view. 

“My King! How may I serve you?” and Fright Knight took a knee before him and took his flaming sword from Plasmius, “Outside the castle, there is an intruder. I need you to hold him at bay for the next two hours, not a second less. And DO. NOT. KILL. HIM! Wear him down and keep him busy but he isn’t to set foot in this castle until the clock tolls one, understand?!” 

“Yes, my King! I swear it shall be done!” and Fright Knight took off, flying out the window, Clockwork glaring at Plasmius 

XVII

--So could you tell me how you're sleeping easy, how you're only thinking of yourself. Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. Listen, mark my words, one day (one day) You will pay, you will pay, karma's gonna come collect your debt--

Set It Off (A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing)

Danny looked at his phone as he walked up a set of steps, “Okay, Goober, it's 10 a.m. I have exactly two hours to storm the castle, rescue Jazz, get out of the Ghost Zone all before my date with Vlad at noon.” 

“You can! You is important!” Goober encouraged. Danny looked at him and mused softly, “Maybe you don’t actually know what that word means.” 

As they crested the top of the stairs Danny stopped in awe, a stone path leading from his current location straight to the front of the castle. Dead trees lined the entrance and there was a moat and drawbridge complete with massive torches of green fire. 

"Dude, that thing is huge! How am I going to find Jazz in that!" 

"Oh, Goober help!" The little blob offered and Danny looked at him a second before he pulled out his phone, "Okay, here, look at this picture, see the girl there?" 

Goober nodded, "That's my sister Jazz. You fly on ahead and start the search in the upper part of the castle, I will see if I can find a way in the lower half and we will meet in the middle. Cool?" 

"Okay!" Goober said with excitement, "Okay. Just make sure to keep quiet and try to avoid being seen, okay?" 

Goober nodded but nothing else could be said as from the distance the sound of hooves met Danny's ears.

"What...is…" He turned in time to duck, a sword just barely missing his head and he rolled off the path, "Are you serious right now?! Who the hell even are you!" Danny yelled as he stood and dusted the dirt off himself. 

"Petulant youth! I am Fright Knight, most loyal to King Plasmius and the one who shall hold your advance!" 

Danny gave a rather annoyed face, "Right. Of course, you are. 'Cause I haven't been fighting anyone else in this STUPID LABYRINTH!" And he yelled that last bit at the castle, knowing Plasmius couldn't hear him but really starting to lose his patience with the Ghost King. 

"Goober, head to the castle, see if you can find my sister, and get her out of there!" Danny called and the little blob nodded and shot off into the distance. 

"Try as you might, you shall not best me, child!" 

"Do you know a guy named Skulker? ‘Cause you two talk a lot alike." 

"Come peasant! Let us fight!" And Fright Knight charged at Danny, his black horse sporting wings and a green mane of fire that matched Fright Knights purple. 

"Alright dude, but you're not going to like what I do to you!" And Danny ran and jumped, transforming quickly as he took off at lightning speed to intercept the Ghost. 

The collision was head-on and Danng managed to smash his fist into Fright Knight before the ghost's sword could get him. 

He flew off his horse, taking out several trees as he shot back. Danny landed and grabbed his wrist, noticing a sting coming from his hand that was foreign. 

"What the heck?" And the glove on his hand disappeared as one of his white boots turned back into a tennis shoe. 

"What...what's happening?" He asked himself. 

A crash got his attention and he looked up to see Fright Knight standing, tossing a tree trunk aside as his eyes narrowed, "Is your core tired, little ghost? Well then, I guess I'll end this quickly." 

The Knight charged again and Danny quickly formed an ecto sword, the two weapons clashing as Danny felt his energy and strength slipping. 

Adrenaline was rushing through him but he hadn't eaten or slept in over twelve hours and he had been using his core none stop. 

He let out a growl as he shoved Fright Knight's sword away, ducking and rolling as the Ghost was quick on his turnaround time. 

"You're pretty agile for being so bulky!" Danny said, trying to get the Ghost talking to buy him some time and figure out a plan. 

"And you are stronger than you look for one so small." Fright Knight offered. 

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm 5' 8" I've grown four inches since High School!" 

The ghost's eyes looked unimpressed by that little factoid as he continued his barrage of strikes and Danny defended himself accordingly. 

"You're pretty good with a sword!" Danny said, blocking another swing as he desperately looked around for something he could use to his advantage. 

"And you need more training." Fright Knight said as he suddenly kicked Danny's legs out from under him and as Danny hit the ground Fright Knight swung. He rolled out of the way but just barely and as he shoved himself up the large ghost delivered a barrage of swings. The Knight managed to land a few slices which cut at his jumpsuit and nicked his skin, leaving him looking cut up and bloody.

Danny could do nothing but try to parry or block as his arms grew sore and his legs began to shake

I don’t have time for this, he’s wearing me down. I have to be more decisive and get my ass to the castle. I’m running out of time.

Danny fired an ectoblast as Fright Knight, the bigger ghost not expecting it and he went flying back. Danny let his sword fizzle out and he turned and jetted for the castle. At this point if he could just get inside he wouldn’t have to worry about-

Something wrapped around his ankle and Danny looked back to see a glowing green rope, “Oh….SHIIIIITT!” He was yanked back, Fright knight having mounted his horse and lassoed Danny’s ankle. 

His body was dragged across the jagged uneven ground and as Fright Knight guided his horse up he yanked the rope, slinging Danny around him before tugging on the rope hard and launching Danny back towards the ground. 

When Danny hit pain exploded along his back and he groaned as he lay in the small divot left behind from his impact. Normally a hit like that would barely wind him but his core seemed to be too weak to do its job. 

Danny had just felt a level of pain he hadn’t ever felt before when he hit the ground and he realized in that moment, he couldn’t fight anymore. When in his Phantom form, his core offered protections to his body that a normal human body didn’t have. Given how much pain he was now in while in his ghost form he couldn’t take the risk, his core was overexerted and too exhausted to protect his frail human body. 

“I gotta end this, now.” Danny whimpered as he slowly sat up and yanked the rope off his ankle. The shuffling of armor caught his attention and he saw Fright Knight move to stand between him and the castle. 

“You shall advance no further. I would recommend you allow the clock to run out.” 

Danny had to think of something and fast. The only ace he had was his wail but he’d used it too many times already and if he used it again, his core would be totally useless, not to mention he may pass out. 

But it was the only thing that might have enough juice to kick the Fright Knight far enough out of reach that Danny could make it to the castle. 

If I do that...I’ll be in my human form the rest of the time. I won’t be able to maintain Phantom...but..it will get me past this asshole...but then what do I do when I run into Plasmius? 

There were too many unknowns and Danny realized he just had to go for it and hope for the best. If he didn’t get past the Knight before the clock struck midnight Jazz would be killed. He had to take any and every chance he could, he had to play every card in his arsenal, there were no more options left. 

He pushed himself up, coming to square off against the Fright Knight and Danny grabbed at his elbow which was throbbing as he spat out a mixture of blood and ectoplasm. 

“Before I kick your ass, can I ask you something?” Danny asked through his labored breathing. 

Fright Knight’s eyes narrowed and Danny didn’t wait for him to respond, “Everyone I’ve met in this stupid place keeps telling me that they serve King Plasmius because he is a decent king and they like him or whatever. But you...you’re pretty damn powerful, and though I’ve never really had to fight Plasmius head-on, I have a pretty good idea of his power level. I honestly think you could take him...so...why don’t you? Why serve a King you’re probably more powerful then, why not stake a claim at the throne for yourself? Boot Plasmius to the curb?” 

As he waited for a replay he subtly shifted his stance, bending his elbow into his waist slowly as he waited. 

Fright Knight scoffed, “I was born from the fires of hell for one purpose and that is to serve the Ghost King. I have done this since the beginning and find no other desire within myself but to serve. That being said, of all the Kings across millennia, it is King Plasmius whom I find the most agreeable and fair. You stand against the first Just King of the Ghost Zone. My loyalty is beyond absolute, do not try and test my resolve and tempt me with treason.” 

Danny smirked, “Oh, I wasn’t, just needed a second to gather my energy-” 

“What?” the Knight asked in confusion and Danny inhaled sharply, digging deep to pour every drop of energy he had left into his final wail. He sent it flying and it hit its mark, shoving Fright Knight back, far back, nearly off the edge of the island, and as Danny sank to his knees and felt himself transformed back into his human half he fought the desire to pass out. 

That’s it, my core is tapped. I’m human for the rest of this mission. I need to stay alert and on my toes. Get up Fenton, move...push forward...go! GO NOW! 

Danny shoved up from the ground and went sprinting towards the castle and as he crossed the large wooden drawbridge glowing green skeleton ghosts appeared, decorated in the trappings of armor that spread across the centuries. 

The first one that reached him Danny punched hard, its skull went flying and he grabbed up the helmet that had fallen from its head and put it on, smirking at the two horns that poked out the top. He kicked out the headless Skeleton’s legs and the bones shattered to pieces when it hit the ground. He picked up the sword and small wooden shield and sighed, “I hope they are all as easy to destroy as you were.” Danny charged into the fray of skeleton ghosts, meleeing his way through, “Just like Dungeons and Dirks, the skeletons are always the weakest enemy-” and he laughed as he sliced his way through the mini-army, only getting nicked or sliced as he went. 

“I’m coming Jazz-” 

He made it through the onslaught of level one skeletons, trying to plow through quickly as he wasn’t sure if Fright Knight would recover quickly enough to stop him and when he punted the last Skeleton off the edge of the bridge and approached the gate he entered into what appeared to be a miniature town, empty and silent, it gave him goosebumps at how eerie it was. The castle wasn’t far beyond it and he didn’t have time to waste so he started to run, making his way up the narrow roads and alleys towards the main entrance to the castle. 

He reached the base of massive stairs leading up to the castle’s main doors and started to climb, looking all around him and waiting for Fright Knight or any other number of ghosts to appear. To his surprise none did and as he reached the large front door he closed his eyes and whispered to himself, “Please let me phase through...no barrier, just let me phase through the freakin’ doors-” 

Danny phased through the doors without any resistance and when he found himself in the main entry hall his arms shot up in excitement, “Plasmius never thought I’d make it this far so he didn’t ward any of the castle, which means unlike in the labyrinth...I should be able to-” and he pressed his hand through a nearby wall, “Finally!” 

Danny felt his confidence grow, the normal laws of the Ghost Zone seemed to apply again so that meant that in his human form he wasn’t totally screwed. Humans were the Ghosts in the Zone so searching the castle would be easier. 

He started to march down the main hall, waiting for someone to jump out and try to stop him but as his feet continued to silently move along the deep purple carpet that ran from the door all the way to and up the large stairs at the end of the room, not a single ghost jumped out. 

When he reached the top of the stairs he was greeted by another long hall, pictures hanging along the length of it and as he walked he spied portraits of the past kings of the Zone. 

Each one decked out in the trappings of wealth or war, armor or gold, blood or greed. There was little left to imagine about the Ghost Kings of the past and as he looked upon them he felt the history of cruelty and malice that had been the Zone’s past. 

Near the end of the hall, on the right was the final portrait and it was of Plasmius, the ghost not decked in armor or gold, but the same uniform Danny had seen last time they met. The white cap, tunic, and pants, black gloves and boots, obsidian horns jutting from his scalp as his black hair cascaded over his shoulder. In his right hand, he held a ring and a pocket watch, the chain dangling, and in his other hand sat a fiery crown. The same crown Danny had spied in all the other portraits, but Plasmius was the only king who was not actually wearing it, simply holding it in his hand, his face neutral and eyes calm. 

“He didn’t go crazy like the rest of them-” and Danny swung around and readied his sword and shield, seeing Ember standing behind him, leaning against a pillar. 

“I really wouldn’t mess with me right now-” Danny warned as he prepared to fight, “Easy kid, I’m not here to fight-” and she looked him up and down, “Not that it’d be much of a fight, damn Babypop, you’re thrashed.” 

“And whose fault is that! You know what I went through to make it this far! Don’t act like I should have made it here in one piece.”

“I know. But you looked like you’ve been dragged through hell-” 

“I have been. Now, what the hell do you want. I don’t have time for-” 

“You need to make time, dipstick. The only reason I’m here and not at home waiting on the fallout of this whole mess is to give you some information, so shut up and listen.” 

Danny glared at her but kept his mouth shut as he looked back to the portrait of Plasmius, his red eyes looking far less crazed and threatening than the other King’s that filled the walls around him.

“What do you mean...he didn’t go crazy?” Danny asked, only letting his guard down enough to get the information she was offering. 

“Every King of the Ghost Zone is only granted divine right to rule when they have both the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. Without those two items, they’d have no claim to the throne. When Plasmius beat Pariah Dark he did so by taking the Ring and Crown from him and locking him up in the Sarcophagus of Eternal Sleep, sending Pariah into the void-” 

“The Void?” 

“Mhm, nothing ever comes back from the void. I can tell you, the denizens of the Zone were happy and worried about this turn of events. Pariah was gone, but we had a new king and we had no clue how big his blood lust or greed would be. Because that’s the trick...once you put on the Ring and Crown, you lose sight of anything else. It’s either bloodshed or greed, but corruption comes to whoever wears the crown. They were cursed a very long time ago by the first king, and none of the other kings were able to break it.” 

Danny looked back down the hall at the many portraits, depicting Kings who had fallen ill, all of them wearing the crown and the ring and showing them off proudly. When his eyes scanned back to Plasmius, the ghost merely holding the two items to show he had them but not wearing them Danny frowned, “He never put them on.” 

Ember smirked, “Nope. Once every ten years or so he takes them out of whatever secret place he keeps them in and displays them to his subjects as proof he still has them, that he still carries the divine right to lead and remain on the throne, but he never wears them. And because of this...he never went nuts. He’s not evil Danny, he’s not bad-” 

“He threatened me, kidnapped my sister and if I don’t find her before midnight he’s gonna kill her.” Danny deadpanned as he turned his cold glare on the woman behind him. 

Ember rolled her eyes, “Yeah, he’s bluffing. His only goal is to run down the clock so you have to trade yourself for her. He won’t waste her. You just need to talk to him. I know he seems nuts or whatever, but...you two actually have a lot in common...and-” 

“I have nothing in common with that asshole! He wouldn’t know human empathy if it jumped up and bit him in the-” 

“BIG GHOST! I FOUND YOU!” And Danny turned to see Goober flying from down the hall straight for him, “GOB! Man, am I glad to see you, did you find my sister?” 

Goober nodded emphatically, “In throne room! Hurry, clock almost at top of circle!” 

Danny dropped his shield and reached into his pocket, spying the flickering screen of his phone as he saw he had twenty minutes before his time was up, “So much for my date.” and Danny looked to Ember, his eyes narrowing as he raised his sword in warning and Ember rolled her eyes, “Take this door and go left, the first hall on the right will lead to stairs, go up until you see a red door, that will lead to a side room off the main chamber. Your sister is there with King Plasmius.” 

Danny nodded but as he turned to phase through the two doors before him he stopped as her hand touched his shoulder, “I’m going home, the only reason I came here was to try and help you understand...just...when you figure out the truth...don’t get too mad at him, Plasmius is kind of a pussy when it comes to...well...human feelings...he’s gonna need your help to figure it out...to...ugh, just go find his sorry ass and talk to him. Good luck kid.” and Ember walked away, leaving Danny utterly confused as to what she had been trying to say but shaking it away as he pocketed his phone, grabbed his shield and made his way towards the throne room. 

XVIII

--How you’ve turned my world, you precious thing. You starve and near exhaust me. Everything I’ve done I’ve done for you. I move the stars for no one. You’ve run so long, you’ve run so far. Your eyes can be so cruel...just as I can be so cruel...though I do believe in you...yes I do….live without the sunlight, love without your heart beat...I can’t live within you--

David Bowie (Within You) 

There was sharp trepidation as Danny entered through the red door and found himself in a small antechamber, only a thick swath of fabric hanging over the stone archway across the space which led to the throne room, “Stay quiet Goob.” Danny whispered and the little blob nodded. 

He heard voices but couldn’t decipher what they were saying and as he moved silently closer he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head, ready to attack only to realize it was a mirror. 

Seeing himself for the first time since he got here he realized he looked like a crazy man. His clothes were shredded and there were hints of blood and ectoplasm staining his shirt and jeans. He was dirty and his face looked beyond tired. His back felt bruised and his legs shook a little from the effort of holding himself up. But he made it, all he had to do was cross through to the throne room and he will have beaten the clock. 

He looked away from his reflection, knowing that if Plasmius decided not to honor their deal he’d have no way to escape or make the man concede and give up Jasmine. But he had to try and so he moved towards the doorway, carefully pressing the fabric aside enough to spy the main chamber. 

Through columns that ran along the edge and sheer tapestries that hung lazily and in no specific manner were hung and draped between columns he saw Plasmius, sitting on his throne with a fist to his forehead, seeming to be in deep thought. 

Beyond him across the room was his sister, she was floating in the air and motionless, still asleep and unaware of the danger she was in. He tried to spy any other ghosts or guards but at first, couldn’t see anything. However, it was when Plasmius spoke that he realized the voices he had heard were indeed from two different people. 

Plasmius was speaking to someone who was out of view due to one of the columns that lined the throne room and so Danny very carefully shifted past the fabric and came to rest behind a column, “I don’t understand why you keep bringing it up, why you insist on revisiting the same thing as if I am going to change my mind! Daniel doesn’t need to know! I will tell him when we’ve spent more time together-” 

“What are you scared of Plasmius-” 

Danny’s ears began to ring, his eyes going wide as his stomach dropped into his chest, “That voice…” he whispered, “Big Ghost?” Goober asked in confusion and Danny turned, walking straight out from his hiding spot with wide glazed eyes as he came to find Clockwork talking to Plasmius, the Ancient floating before the King without trepidation. 

“You...you knew?” Danny whispered out in shock and both Plasmius and Clockwork turned to look at him, the former in utter shock while the latter’s eyes narrowed. 

“Daniel!” Plasmius gasped as he stood but Danny paid him no mind as his heart was hammering and his eyes were watering and the rage inside of him built in such volatile currents, “YOU. FUCKING. KNEW!?!” he screamed as he threw his sword and shield down and glared daggers at the Spirit of Time. 

“I did.” Clockwork offered smoothly, his ever-shifting persona continuing to study Danny calmly as the young man felt tears pour down his face as he clenched his teeth and started to heave breaths, “You knew the hell I was going through and you didn’t help me at all!? I thought you were my friend! I thought we were friends!” 

Clockwork inclined his head to glance at Plasmius who was watching Daniel carefully, eyes flicking to Jasmine and the clock as the second hand continued to tick towards one. 

“I am your friend. But Plasmius is the Ghost King-” 

“DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT! You’re an Ancient, the Ghost King has no sway over you or your actions! If anything, that BASTARD should listen to YOU! Why didn’t you help me!”  

“You know why. It is not my place to interfere...I can only observe and-” 

“More bullshit! You’ve interfered in my life plenty! Sent me back in time, forward in time, undone mistakes I’ve made, gave me second chances, Dark Phantom included! You saved me from myself! Saved me from falling into darkness! What makes this time any different!?” 

Clockwork floated closer to him, reaching out a hand, “You look tired...you are injured...let me help you, Daniel.” and he’d skipped around Daniel’s handful of questions with ease as Danny sagged and wiped at his dirty and tear-stained face, “I don’t...don’t have time to rest...I have to….I have to save Jasmine!” Danny shoved Clockwork’s hand away and grabbed up his sword and shield, moving around the Ancient and beelining for his sister, only to see Plasmius standing next to her and frowning. He picked her up, carrying her in his arms and Danny stopped feet short of her, his eyes wide as he tightened his grip on the sword.

“Sorry young one, but time is up-” and Plasmius pointed to the clock as it struck one o’clock, and Danny grit his teeth as he tossed the sword, shield and helmet aside, his anger mounting as he bit out, “NOT. YET!” 

He tried to summon his core, the thing giving a rather painful pulse but Danny only grit his teeth and forced his core to activate. He let out a scream as the rings appeared, transforming him partially, as his fists tightened, “Daniel, do not force your core to shift!” Clockwork called and the young man turned to glare at him, “You don’t have a say in anything I do anymore, traitor!” and he turned back to Plasmius whose eyes looked worried, “Daniel, please, the game is over...it’s time to-” 

“Give me my sister, Plasmius!” Danny ordered, glowing hot balls of ectoplasm coming to his palms as he prepared to attack. 

“Your time is up, Daniel. She’s mine unless you wish to make a trade. You for your sister. Simple but effective and the only thing I really want.” Plasmius offered, his tone soft yet his eyes remaining sharp.

“I’m not your goddamn toy! You don’t get to have power over me, Plasmius! I’m not going to become your puppet simply because you want me to!” Danny spat and he managed to get some air, raising up and launching several ectoballs around him, hoping to shock the Ghost King long enough so he could swoop in and grab Jazz. 

However, he flew down into the dust and smoke only to find the man gone and he looked up to see Plasmius had teleported, “That isn’t what I want at all! Daniel, listen to me, all of this, every last thing I’ve done has been for you! To bring you here, to show you the beauty and energy of the Ghost Zone and to help you understand-” 

Danny felt his core pulse again and he fell the last few feet to the floor, landing roughly as his rings appeared and tried to transform him back, “No! God damn it, stop-” Danny hissed at his core which protested via a painful clench and he fell to his hands and knees, a dizzy spell sweeping over him, “Damn...it...I’m...not gonna be able to...Goober!” he called and the little ghost appeared before him, “Distract Plasmius!” 

The little Blob spun quickly and shot straight for the ghost, volleying himself into the man’s eyes and Vlad dropped Jasmine in shock, Danny managing to lurch forwards, trying to catch her before she hit the ground. 

However a blur came from out of nowhere and Danny realized his sister had been scooped up by Skulker, the hunter emerging from some unseen location. One arm was wrapped around Jazz’s chest, the other raised up as a nasty blade shot from his wrist and pressed under her hanging head and against her neck, “NO! PLEASE! NO! SKULKER, PLEASE!” Danny screamed, running to drop before the mecha ghost as more tears fell, “Please please please please….don’t...don’t-” Danny thought he might lose his mind, so desperate was he to protect his sister that seeing the knife at her throat sent all pride or dignity far into the recesses of his mind, he’d beg for her, he’d grovel, he’d do anything to spare her from the glowing green blade at her throat. 

The hunter did not taunt him, nor did he smile, his face remained neutral and he said nothing, merely holding the blade to Jazz’s throat as he waited and after a moment both Clockwork and Plasmius came to join him, the Ghost King holding Goober in a small pink sphere. 

“Daniel...it’s over. Concede to me, make the trade and I will have Skulker deliver your sister home, not a scratch on her, she will live...and you...can finally rest.” Plasmius pressed gently and Danny swallowed, looking to Clockwork who gave him a soft nod. 

Danny hung his head, tears falling onto the stone floor as he felt fatigue sweep through him, “Clockwork takes her home.” he managed and when he was greeted by silence he looked up, “Clockwork takes my sister home. He may have betrayed me, but I know he will get her home safely.” 

He eyed the Ancient who nodded again, “I will. I promise, Daniel.” 

“Then...I will….I…” but he found it so hard to say, admitting defeat was not his style, he could always find a way around a situation, he always had a way out or a way to win. He had never needed to play the long game before, and he wasn’t sure he could manage it. 

If he gave in now and played along for a little while...he could escape on his own when Jasmine wasn’t in danger. His priority had to be to get Jasmine to safety and out of harm's way. Then, he could bide his time until the opportunity to escape presented itself. 

He could do that, it wasn’t exactly his style to play the long game, but that is where he found himself and so Danny swallowed, “Give me Goober.” and he held out a hand and Plasmius gently shattered the glass sphere and the little blob floated down to him, “Goober sorry.” the blob whined. 

“Shh, it’s fine, I’m not exactly the best at making plans. But I wanted to thank you for your help. You were an awesome little blob...thing, and really important.” 

Goober let out a small whine as Danny ran a finger gently over him, the little blob flashing his colors softly, “I need you to do something for me okay? It’s the most important thing I think I’ve ever asked you.” 

“Goober will!” The little Blob offered, “Go with Clockwork, stay with my sister. Keep her safe okay? Let her know I am okay. That I’ll see her again...someday. That she isn’t to worry. Maybe tell mom and dad...I just went on a little trip, can you do that?” 

Goober’s large glossy eyes looked sad but the blob nodded nonetheless and Danny smiled at him, “Cool, thanks, Goob. I’ll see you later.” The blob floated close, rubbing against Danny’s cheek before going to float next to Jasmine and Danny took one last look at her before he turned back to the Ghost King, “I...concede to you.” and the bitterness in his tone and the acid of his gaze spoke volumes but Plasmius simply crossed to him, removing a glove and pressing his hand to Danny’s cut up and bruised face, “Rest.” Plasmius said softly and Danny’s eyes closed, his body going slack as Skulker handed Jasmine to Clockwork. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Clockwork droned. 

“I suppose I must, you said if Daniel and I fight, he always wins, yet here I stand the victor,” Plasmius said, scooping Daniel up and holding the now asleep young man in his arms. 

“You misunderstood, it was not the battle for his sister that I said he would win. If I were you, I’d prepare yourself for the work ahead of you. Gaining any semblance of trust or understanding from him is going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. I recommend you take my advice and don’t wait too long to show Daniel the truth.” 

With that Clockwork opened a portal and disappeared through it, taking Jasmine and Goober with him and leaving Skulker and Plasmius in the throne room, “Your orders?” Skulker asked. 

Plasmius sighed, raising Daniel up so he could nestle his forehead against the young man’s and press a kiss to his temple. 

“I’ll take care of Daniel, he needs medical attention and rest. I want you to focus on setting up barriers in the castle. He won’t be able to leave for a long time, not until he accepts his place beside me.” 

“And the Labyrinth?” Skulker asked. 

“I’ve already started the process of releasing the energy back into the Ghost Zone and to its inhabitants, I will send thanks to my subjects as soon as possible. For now, their energies should be returning to them and the Labyrinth should be gone by tomorrow. Thank you for your help, I wouldn’t have won my prize without you.” 

Skulker nodded but crossed his arms, “I only hope the runt is worth all the trouble we went through.” 

“In time...I’m sure he will be everything I hoped for and more.” and Plasmius teleported away leaving Skulker to sigh and shake his head, “Good King, shitty boyfriend.” 

XIX 

--Truth is that it was always going to end. This symphony buzzing in my head took a market of filth and sold like summer. True all of the good girls act so good 'Til one of them doesn't wait their turn. Turn the memory to stone and carve your shoulder. If you wanna start a fight you better throw the first punch, make it a good one And if ya wanna make it through the night You better say my name like The good, the bad, and the dirty--

Panic! At the Disco (The Good the Bad and the Dirty) 

Plasmius watched as Daniel’s body glowed softly and floated a foot above his bed. His body was in stasis and his core was currently healing itself from the massive strain Daniel had put on it. 

You made the Labyrinth too long, too hard...you forced him to stress his core...this is your fault... Plasmius sighed as he mentally berated himself. 

None of this had ever been what he really wanted. And in truth, none of this would have happened if Daniel had simply come with him when Plasmius had revealed who he was. Then again, he couldn’t quite blame the young man for his indecision. 

All their pretense of getting to know each other the month previous had been a guise but one Plasmius wouldn’t change for the world. His fascination and desire, his love and devotion to this young halfa had only grown over that month. 

There was so much heart and passion that rested within the younger man Vlad found himself too enamored and infatuated with him to even consider letting Daniel go on as he had. And honestly, while Daniel was obviously powerful he desperately needed tutelage in his core and his powers. Granted, Plasmius was a hot-cored ghost but even so, showing Daniel how to correctly use and recycle energy within his core would keep him from getting so weak and worn out in the future. 

Though Plasmius doubted it would be any time soon that he could let his soon-to-be mate roam freely. As soon as Daniel had the option he would try to escape and go back home. And while Plasmius had no real issues with Daniel coming and going between his castle and the human realm he wanted to make sure the young man would always come back. 

It would be a hard level of trust to reach, but if Plasmius could gain enough trust and confidence in Daniel maybe he could get the youth to bond with him, and then he could summon Daniel back directly whenever he wished. 

Plasmius sighed, knowing he had to really think this through, as there was only so much he would be able to get away with, and most likely Daniel would want nothing to do with him for the first few years. Plasmius would have to be patient. 

And despite his desire to chain Daniel to his bed, he needed to be realistic and accept he truly couldn’t fuck the young man into accepting his position. He needed to think of this as a human, not as a ghost. Daniel was in tune with his human half more so than Plasmius but that also meant empathy and understanding was a must. 

Plasmius did have the power of subjugation on his side and if he used it sparingly to simply calm Daniel’s anger then perhaps eventually that anger would fade and they could truly get to know each other and have the conversations needed to help Daniel understand his place and roll and why Plasmius coveted him in the first place. 

He approached the bed, his knuckles gliding down Daniel’s cheek before a finger ran along his jaw and caressed his lips. The urges that surfaced at the feeling of such pliant lips sent a shiver up his spine. 

That’s your human half...don’t listen to it. Focus on your ghost half, on your core...not on the human need to-

“Mmm, ugh, my head...where...where am I?” and Plasmius’s hand dropped from Danny’s lips as the young man opened his eyes and turned his head, spying Plasmius standing next to the bed and he jerked away, the stasis breaking and he fell onto the mattress, standing instantly before two ectoballs blazed to life in his palms and his eyes shined with their glow. 

“Hello, Daniel.” Plasmius offered softly and Danny just glared, not speaking or saying a word as he continued to watch the man, his body tense and ready to attack. 

“How do you feel? Your wounds are healed and I’ve mended your jumpsuit. You’ve been asleep for nearly two whole days, your core was completely exhausted.” 

Danny frowned, “Whose fault is that? Maybe the crazy asshole Ghost King who had me run a gauntlet to save my sister?” 

“I realize how unfair it was of me, but when you refused my offer I saw no other option but to try and help you see that the Ghost Zone isn’t-” 

“A total deathtrap filled with ghostly psychopaths who are ruled over by a wicked King?” Danny droned out irritably and Plasmius sighed, “I suppose I deserve that.” and he rubbed at the back of his head, soft red eyes looking up at him with what appeared to be regret and Danny rolled his eyes. 

“You regret it now that you’ve won and I’m fucking mad at you but of course, at the time-” 

“It seemed like a good idea, yes.” Plasmius admitted and Danny sighed, slowly floating down to stand on the bed as the ectoballs fizzled out from his hands, his hard eyes looking around the massive bed chamber as he sighed, “This my room?” Danny asked. 

“It’s our room.” Plasmius said and Danny’s head snapped to look at him, “Fuck no it isn’t.” and he stepped off the bed, transforming into his human half as he headed right for the door and walked straight into it, not phasing through and falling back, rubbing at his face, “Are you serious right now!!? First, you take my sister, then you force me through the fucking maze of pure annoyances, then you trap me here forever in the Zone where I can never see my family again, and now you’re trapping me in your bedroom with you!? You even try to touch me and I’m going to-” 

“You’ll see your family again, Daniel. This isn’t forever. I have no problems with you existing between the Ghost Zone and the human realm. But I do want you here, with me.” and Plasmius walked to him, Danny watching him from his spot on the floor, his face aching as his eyes glared daggers and as Plasmius kneeled down Danny jerked back, slamming into the door behind him as he sneered at Plasmius and summoned a ectoball into his hand. 

“Oh, that’s impressive! You can summon powers even while in your human form. Not an easy thing to do...I...uh...would assume.” Plasmius said with a rather enchanted smirk. 

“It’s not, stop looking at me like that, you Fruitloop!” 

“Like what?” Plasmius asked as he crawled closer and Danny pressed harder against the door, his ectoball growing in intensity and turning pale blue, “Like you’re impressed or...smitten...or whatever that look is-” 

“But I am impressed, smitten and thoroughly captivated.” Plasmius nearly whispered as his hand reached up and grabbed Daniel’s wrist, staying his attack and leaning in, locking lips with the younger man and humming happily. 

Daniel let out a rather attractive whine and Plasmius swiftly escalated the kiss, sliding his tongue into Daniel’s open and shocked mouth. He felt Daniel relax, the ecto energy fizzling out and Plasmius pulled at his wrist, bringing Daniel’s hand to his cheek as pinning him more firmly between himself and the door. 

When he withdrew it wasn’t far, but he caught Daniel’s dilated eyes, flushed cheeks and swollen lips and felt his core pulse and his heart thump in his chest, “Give it some time. If you behave and give this a chance, I promise, you’ll be able to go home to the human realm as often as you wish. I’m not the tyrant you think, I don’t wish to take you away from those you love...my only wish is to be added to the list of people you care for...please Daniel...won’t you try?” 

Daniel looked up at him from under his bangs, eyes nervous and he licked at his lips slowly as he thought about the request and let out a soft scoff, “I don’t even know you.” he whispered, “How can I love someone I don’t even know?” 

“That is why you are here. We will spend some time together, get to know each other, and maybe you’ll see I’m not so bad...and you could...be happy here with me?” Plasmius mused hopefully and Danny shook his head, “Fruitloop….you don’t understand the first thing about love or what it really is.” 

Plasmius pressed their foreheads together, pressing Daniel’s hand up his cheek and into his black locks, “I suppose not. But who better to teach me than you?” and he gave another soft kiss. 

Danny turned his face away, pulling his hand free as he continued to debate, “You’ll do what I ask of you?” Danny inquired softly and Plasmius nodded. 

“Including giving me my own room?” and Plasmius frowned, “No. But I promise to give you space and not make a move on you.” 

“Keep your core to yourself?” Danny asked and Plasmius let out a scoff before he gave a begrudging nod, “And I’ll give you free reign of the castle, but you need to spend time with me learning about the Ghost Zone as well as working on your powers with me.” 

Danny looked up at him incredulously, “I don’t need-” 

“You do. You should be able to maintain your ghostly visage as long as you need without your core shutting off like it did the other day. You need help in controlling it and learning how to maintain your core properly so you won’t have to hurt it or yourself in order to maintain your ghostly form.” 

Danny swallowed as Plasmius studied him, resisting the urge to suck on Daniel’s throat and bite him gently. 

“So...a lesson in humanity for you and ghost core training for me?” 

Plasmius nodded, “Fair is fair. Show me what I need to do to make you happy here and I will show you how to master your core.” 

“You do realize I could just use the knowledge you teach me against you.” Daniel grumbled and Plasmius smiled, “I suppose you could, but depending on how the next few months go...I could do the same to you.” 

Danny scoffed again, rolling his eyes, “I doubt-” 

“Never doubt anything, Daniel-” Plasmius cooed as he stroked a finger down Danny’s cheek, tracing it down to his throat where he pulled the young man’s uniform away from his neck and pressed a gentle kiss, whispering up into Daniel’s ear, “Love can be just as damaging as knowledge...or so I’ve been told.” 

He felt Daniel stiffen, saw the goosebumps erupt across his skin and he smiled, “I’ll behave as long as you do too. Let’s see what happens, hm?” 

“Hm.” Danny agreed as he swallowed and a hand came to gently press on Plasmius’s chest, “L-Lesson one...give me space...don’t...don’t crowd me or force things on me I don’t want.” 

“Don’t you.” Plasmius mumbled against his neck only to relent and allow Daniel to press him back, “Yeah. Don’t. Just...give me space.” Daniel said as his arm shook a little. 

“Alright. Give you space. I can do that.” Plasmius said, smiling ruefully as he pressed a finger to Daniel’s chest just over his core and said, “For you, lesson one is simple, open your core fully and allow the energy of the Ghost Zone to be pulled in naturally. That way, you have a constant supply of energy.” 

Daniel stared at him with confusion before he nodded and said, “O-Okay...show me.” 

Plasmius’s smile intensified and as he stood up he held out a hand and Daniel took it, standing with him and the pair met each other’s gaze, a mutual understanding coming between them as they took the first steps towards something new. 

XX

--You're dripping like a saturated sunrise. You're spilling like an overflowing sink. You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece. And now you're tearing through the pages and the ink. Everything is blue. His pills, his hands, his jeans, and now I'm covered in the colors, pulled apart at the seams, and it's blue, and it's blue--

Halsey (Colors) 

Days passed and time ticked on, the ever permanent glow of the Zone keeping Danny from knowing how many days had passed unless he kept track of it himself based solely on when he slept and woke up. His internal chronometer was the only indication he had. And so, upon waking he would go to the desk on the far side of his room and open a small leather journal Plasmius had given him and make a single tick mark. 

He had just finished counting them and realized it had almost been two months since he came to stay in the castle. He sat down in the chair nearby and put his face in his hands. In such a short time a lot had changed. He still wasn’t allowed to leave, but the trust between him and Plasmius was slowly growing. If he could just hold out a little longer he was sure he could get the Ghost King to lower the barriers and he could get the fuck out of here. 

However, it wasn’t all an illusion to break free of his captivity as Plasmius had taught him a lot of valuable stuff about his core and Danny learned quickly that he’d been stuck at half power for a very long time. Now he could stay in his ghost form as long as he wanted and he felt twice as powerful as before. He could now use his wail multiple times in one sitting, barely feeling the drain as his core was now fully open and absorbing energy from the Ghost Zone freely, recycling and adjusting itself accordingly to Danny’s output. 

For Danny’s side of the deal he had been guiding Plasmius through how to be more realistic in his expectations of a relationship that essentially wasn’t real. He wanted Danny to love him, but Danny found while he was attracted to the Ghost King, his heart lay elsewhere. 

For the last two months as he went through the days and did what Plasmius expected of him, his mind continued to drift back to Vlad Masters and the date that never happened. His phone had died a long time ago and he had no way to charge it. So if the man had tried to reach out to him...well...Danny supposed it didn’t matter. Even if he had a charge on his phone there would be no reception here and so whatever Vlad might send he’d never receive. He could only hope that when he did escape he could somehow explain to the man it wasn’t his fault. 

He wasn’t sure how but...what he would give to kiss the man, to have the man touch him and hold him and smile at him with that creepy little smirk and wicked dark blue eyes. He really shouldn’t be so attracted to Vlad, but the chemistry was intense and his emotions and heart had latched on hard. 

Whenever Plasmius would coax a kiss out of him or try and press his luck with touches and rubs Danny tried to imagine it was Vlad, hoping someday to see the man he missed again. 

He tried to figure out if he was in love with Vlad, the pair having only spent a month together, meeting once a week for feverish kissing and groping and only talking via text and phone calls. It seemed silly to say he was, but his heart continued to ache as he thought of the man who might be off finding someone else now that Danny had essentially disappeared. 

He wondered if his parents were freaking out, if Goober had been able to make Jazz understand what was happening and if she was able to keep their parents from going off the deep end. He wondered what Sam and Tucker were up to. No doubt summer was over and while he was sure they had initially freaked out at his sudden disappearance they were most likely starting college and moving on. 

It was hard to hold out hope in a place like this and though Plasmius had been anything but cruel to him, a little more of his hope faded every day. Escape wasn’t possible due to the barriers Plasmius had put up around the castle and even if Jazz, Sam and Tucker had put their lives on hold in an attempt to come to save him they would have no way in and he dreaded them trying to fight off Fright Knight or a Behemoth without him. 

He hoped they stayed away and he hoped that an opportunity would present itself. He stood, looking over at the bed where Plasmius slept on and he found it so odd that the Ghost King would need to sleep like a human. Granted, the man could go days without it. But eventually, he would always find his way to the bed, curling up and pulling Danny in for cuddles, which he had only allowed with his expressed permission. Plasmius had to ask, and Danny had to agree, another lesson in humanity and relationships that had taken Plasmius nearly a week to concede to. 

The Ghost King was stubborn, and Danny found himself finding a sort of twisted amusement in the ghosts’ determination to win him over. He’d almost say it was endearing but since he was still a prisoner that endearing quality fell flat every time, no matter how hard Plasmius tried to please him. 

Once again his mind wandered to Vlad, his insides filling with regret and longing as he turned and walked over to the large window, sitting there and waiting for Plasmius to wake as Danny couldn’t actually leave the room until he did. 

As his eyes wandered lazily out into the Zone he wished desperately to feel a breeze and his heart clenched as he felt like he might be wasting away. Sunshine, rain, wind, anything other than the soft lifeless hum of the void and he felt his eyes water as the longing in his chest compiled. 

The human realm, his family and friends, Vlad, his future, college….all slipping away from him as raw anger came to his chest and his fists clenched. He needed to get his anger under control though. Lashing out at Plasmius would only set him back, he had to make the Ghost King think he was coming around and willing to stay. He had to play off his hatred of the situation, this was the long game, and he told himself if he really focused and tried he could do this. 

Still, there was more trepidation for despite how angry he was at Plasmius he had come to find comfort in the Ghost King’s presence. It was mostly them, aside from guards and the occasional other ghost who would wander into either request assistance from their king or show up because Plasmius had some request of them. 

The loneliness was stifling and so Danny had to allow himself some form of companionship, even if it was with his enemy. He allowed kisses now at Plasmius’s leisure and he allowed the cuddles whenever the Ghost King actually came to bed. He allowed those burning hands to touch his shoulders or rest on his lower back, and on occasion he allowed Plasmius to touch his core. 

As he continued to gaze out into the greenwashed void of the Ghost Zone he heard shifting and heat washed across his back as Plasmius came to stand right next to him, fingers running along his jaw and up the side of his face, gliding into his hair where nails scraped across his scalp softly and Danny shivered, “Good morning.” Plasmius whispered as he pressed a kiss to Danny’s bare shoulder. 

“Mm.” Was all Danny gave by way of greeting and Plasmius then ran a hand over a shoulder, sliding down to rub at his chest gently and Danny closed his eyes as he savored contact. He imagined Vlad and smiled a little, “What would you like to do today?” Plasmius asked and Danny’s smile faded, “You know the answer to that.” Danny sighed. 

“Mmm, well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re quite ready to go home yet. Perhaps in a few more months...maybe after we’ve bonded cores…” 

“I already told you, that’s never going to happen.” Danny offered lazily as he leaned back against the man’s front, head cranking so he could look up into the Ghost King’s glowing red eyes, “Well see, love.” and Plasmius leaned down and kissed his lips softly, Danny once again imagining Vlad and trying desperately to hold out hope to see the man again. 

“Now come, we have much to do today and I want you fully involved with the process.” Plasmius cooed and Danny sighed as he gave a lackluster nod and the pairs got ready for the day. 

Danny was wearing a uniform close to Plasmius but his was dark blue and without the medals or sword that Ghost Writer had written into his dream two months ago. He’d chosen the dark blue because of that memory, already knowing he looked good in it and needing something to wear other than his human clothes, which had seen better days after his run through the Labyrinth. 

When he was in his ghost form he had his Danny Phantom jumpsuit, but in his human form, he wore the uniform of the Ghost King. The cape, tunic, breeches, marching boots, and gloves, finding it comfortable but much too uptight. 

Yet he still remembered the first time he had walked out in it, seeing Plasmius’s face light up in both admiration and desire and he still blushed on occasion because of it. Plasmius had made it very clear in the two months Danny had been here. He wanted Danny to become his mate and bond with their ghostly cores; once he agreed and they did, Plasmius would allow him to go back to the human realm. 

But Danny knew why, because once his core was bonded to Plasmius they would be connected forever. No matter where he went Plasmius could find him and no matter how hard he tried to shut the man out, their minds would have a sort of twisted connection, transferring thoughts and feelings as well as images. 

It would be like handing Plasmius a leash and collar, Danny no better than a dog the Ghost King could track and keep under his thumb. He wasn’t about to surrender his autonomy to the Ghost King, as this was the very reason he had avoided the ghost for so damn long. 

They went about their day, Danny allowing Plasmius to lead him around the castle and explain duties and energy dispersal and even the void. Just another lesson in Ghost Zone 101 and as the day progressed they stopped around what Danny could only guess was lunchtime and Plasmius offered him something to eat. 

“I realize you aren’t used to going so long without food, but if you spend more time in your ghost half the pang of hunger will dissipate. You’ll only need to consume human food every few months.” 

Danny narrowed his eyes as he took a sandwich from the tray and asked, “How would you know that. I’m the only halfa in existence, it isn’t like it’s common knowledge how I work.” 

Plasmius smirked, “I realize this, but given Ghosts only need to consume raw energy from the Zone every few months it would stand to reason if you remain a ghost your human half’s need for food would also retreat as your ghost half can sustain-” 

“I prefer eating. I like food...it’s delicious…” and Danny took a bite of the sandwich, sweet bread, and turkey, with mayo and cheese, lettuce and tomato and he hummed happily only for Plasmius to stare at him a moment, his tongue darting out to lick at his lips quickly before he reached out a tentative hand and picked up the sandwich, “You realize, you don’t actually have a stomach right? Like, you can eat it...but you won’t get any satis-” but Danny stopped when he saw Plasmius take a bite and hum happily. 

Danny raised a brow as he chewed slowly and he mused on the Ghost King’s apparent sense of taste that he had. Maybe he was living vicariously through Danny but something else occurred to him and he asked softly, “Hey, uhm...Plasmius…” 

“Yes?” the ghost said as he eyed the sandwich and Danny noticed a faint tinge of pink to his blue cheeks, “You told me you have a hot core right?” 

“Yes,” Plasmius said as he took another large bite and seemed thoroughly pleased with the flavor. 

“Well...I have a cold core...which is rare. I mean...the only other ghosts who have cold cores are the Far Frozen...but...I’ve never run into another ghost beside you that has a hot core...how did that happen? I mean, what makes you so special? Were you created in a special area of the Ghost Zone or…” 

Plasmius had stopped chewing as his wide red eyes stared at Danny in surprise before he swallowed nervously and cleared his throat, “A good question to which I don’t have a good answer. Ghostly cores are a very difficult subject and there is still plenty that is unknown about them-” 

“But...you’re like the Ghost King, right? I mean, if anyone is going to know about what creates a unique core...it would be you right?” 

Plasmius looked away, a bead of sweat clinging to his temple and Danny’s eyes bulged at the sight of it, “Not...necessarily. Why don’t you go enjoy the rest of your sandwich in the courtyard. I’ll join you shortly, I have...some things that need tending that are dreadfully dull.” and Plasmius took his sandwich with him as he walked away and Danny stared after him, his mind suddenly reeling with thoughts that didn’t make sense. 

Was he...sweating? How is that possible? He’s a ghost...he knows way too much about my physiology...has he been studying me that long? Doing research on me? I wouldn’t put it past him to have stolen some hair or blood when I was sleeping or...and he blushed...I have seen other ghosts blush but their blush is usually blue or green due to their ectoplasm...his was definitely red…. That would mean either his ectoplasm is red or...well...his ectoplasm is pink...I’ve seen it...so that would make sense why his blush is red...so what is my point? I guess there isn’t one...but still...he sure knows a lot about how my halfa existence works despite the fact he apparently knows nothing about the creation of cores. Something isn’t right, something feels off about all of this...like...he’s hiding something from me…

As Danny mused on the odd behavior of Plasmius and the itching sensation in the back of his mind that something strange was going on he had walked through the castle and down to the courtyard, finding a bench under a large dead tree as he finished his sandwich. 

The sound of a portal swooshing into existence made him stop biting as his brow furrowed and he made a rather annoyed face, “What the hell you want, Clocky Mclierpants.” Danny asked as he swallowed and wiped his hands together to remove the crumbs from his fingers. 

“I don’t wear pants.” Clockwork intoned and Danny rolled his eyes, “You don’t have loyalty either but it is what it is.” Danny said as he crossed his arms and looked away. 

“You’re being petty.” Clockwork intoned and Danny smirked, “Yeah, duh. Noticed that did you?”

Clockwork’s eyes narrowed as he studied Danny calmly, the young man shrugging as he snapped out, “What!? You’ve come twice to me and I ignore you, what makes you think this time will be any-” 

“Daniel...shut up.” Clockwork said and the young halfa glared at the Ancient angrily, “Oh yeah, real mature.” 

“Almost as mature as the silent treatment.” Clockwork mused as he smirked and Danny grumbled and looked away, “Fine, just tell me what you want so you can go away and leave me alone.” 

“As I have tried to tell you before. There was a reason I sided with Plasmius and why I agree that right now, this is where you need to be. A bond of friendship between you and Plasmius will only bring good to the Ghost Zone and the human realm. It would be in your best interest to continue on here and try to-” 

“But why ? You keep telling me that but you don’t even explain why. And that’s all I want to know! If it’s so important for me to be here with Plasmius that you would betray my confidence and work in league with him, then yeah, it must be a big deal! But you won’t tell me why!” 

“You know why. You figured it out already but you don’t want to admit the truth. You’ve known since Ghost Writer trapped you in his story.” Clockwork said and Danny turned away, “I don’t know anything.” 

“I’ve tried to encourage Plasmius to confide in you, but he fears more anger and rejection on your part. I think he is foolish to let his own fear stand in his way but I suppose knowing humans as Plasmius does he knows too well what their rejection feels like.” 

Danny cocked a brow, “What does Plasmius know of humans. The guy is totally unaware of the compassion of humanity. He sees love and relationships as something you can force out of people, not something you have to earn and work for.” 

“I know...but that’s because he has only allowed you to appeal to his ghost half.” Clockwork said and Danny froze, a sort of suffocating anxiety pooling in his gut as he slowly turned and looked at Clockwork, “W-What did you just say-” 

“Keep digging Daniel, you will have all your answers if you keep digging and don’t relent.” and with that Clockwork disappeared through a portal and Danny stumbled over to sit on a bench. His heart was pounding as anxiety shot through him. 

Is it possible? Is there some way another halfa was...could Plasmius be...like me? Another halfa in the world...that would mean...I’m not alone...it would explain why he’s so obsessed with me...and how he knows so much about my biochemistry and how my core works...because he’s also-

“Terribly sorry to keep you waiting, love. I had to-” Danny was up and crossing to Plasmius as soon as he heard the man’s voice, crossing right into his space and reaching up a hand to touch his cheek. 

Plasmius had frozen, eyes wide as he remained silent, stunned by Danny’s sudden choice to touch him as it was usually Plasmius who had to initiate anything remotely physical. Danny licked his lips before he pressed his hand up and grabbed one of Plasmius’s horns, pulling the ghost down to kiss him and Plasmius hummed, his hands coming to burn trails down Danny’s back as the younger of the two opened his mouth and pressed his tongue into Plasmius’s mouth and that’s when it occurred to him he never realized….Plasmius had saliva. 

His eyes bulged, as ghosts didn’t have any bodily fluids save for ectoplasm which was what they were made of and even that was more like a goo than a liquid. Danny deepened the kiss, determined to be sure what he was experiencing was actually saliva and he realized he could taste the sandwich Plasmius had just eaten. 

He suddenly pulled away, ripping from the man’s burning hands as he walked back over to the bench and sat down. His face in his hands as he tried to keep from exploding or freaking out, “Daniel?” 

It can’t be, it can’t possibly be true...how...who...there is no fucking way someone else could…

“Yeah, Mom told me, Vlad hasn’t talked to mom and dad since college. I guess there was some kind of accident when they were doing an experiment...they wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened but big surprise it had to do with ghosts. Just another innocent person whose life was inexplicably changed thanks to our parent's weird hobbies-” 

Danny’s whole body went numb. 

You just assume I'm able to climb out my window? DF

I assume you do a lot of things your family doesn't know about...am I wrong? VM

Danny started to hyperventilate as everything seemed to sink into place and his heart twisted as he realized that the man he had been longing for this entire time could very well be right in front of him. 

“Daniel! My love are you alright? Breath easy, now, calm down...calm-” 

“Don’t! D-Don’t touch me...I need...I need to think! I can’t breathe...I have to think!” Danny ripped himself away from Plasmius as he transformed and flew off at lightning speed back into the castle and straight to the room he shared with Plasmius, slamming the door and bolting it. Ghosts can’t phase through walls in the Ghost Zone. They are the solids here...which means...the only way Plasmius will be able to get in is if he can phase through the door. 

Danny walked over to the window and sat down again, trying to calm his breathing as he made sure the man couldn’t sneak in through the window. His trap was laid and all he could do was wait. 

Tears pooled in his eyes as he continued to try and slow his breathing, the panic attack mild and the first one he’s ever really had, but thanks to Tucker he knew exactly how to handle them. 

He continued to cry softly as his mind tried to wrap around what he was going to do. If Plasmius was a halfa like him that meant he wasn’t alone anymore, and if it so happened that Plasmius happened to really be Vlad Masters that meant the man he loved would know and understand him better than anyone else in the entire world. But that also meant Vlad will have lied to him to such a degree trusting him ever again would be near impossible. 

So Plasmius disguises himself as a Spirit Animal, a giant buck, to get to know me in my ghost form, and then Plasmius becomes Vlad Masters to get to know me in my human form. But does that mean that month we spent together as humans….was a lie? 

A knock came to the door and Danny looked at it begrudgingly, “Go the hell away!” Danny yelled. 

“Daniel, I am really very confused. You kissed me and then you ran away from me...it was a delicious kiss...but you seemed rather upset... I understand if you are confused about...things...we can talk about it. There isn’t anything to be ashamed of.” Plasmius called through the door. 

So far he hadn’t phased through, but it could be that he didn't want to show his hand. But to be sure Danny uncoiled from his spot at the window and walked over, returning to his human form and phasing his hand through the door. Just like Plasmius had said, he removed the barrier whenever they were done sleeping. He didn’t want Danny running off in the middle of the night or trying to escape while he slept...but during the day when they were together anyway, there was no point in wasting energy on a barrier for their room. 

If Plasmius was a halfa, he could get through the door. Danny returned to his seat by the window, remaining in his human form as he crossed his arms, every once in a while wiping at an eye or his nose. 

“I don’t want to see you, talk to you, or hear your voice ever again, you lier!” Danny called, trying to panic Plasmius enough that he would phase through. 

“Daniel, please! What has happened! Open this door at once! I can just as easily fly around to the window but I prefer you let me in!” 

“You come near this window and I will blast the shit out of you with my wail! You are a coward and a liar and I don’t ever want to see you again!” Danny yelled angrily, keeping his eyes glued between the window and the door as he waited to see what the man would do. 

“Good lord Daniel, please tell me what I have done wrong so that I can correct it!” Plasmius pleaded and Daniel tried to think of what he could say that might further draw Plasmius out. 

“It’s been two months and you haven’t let me go home! I don’t want to be here! I want to go home! I want to see my family and friends...I want to see my boyfriend !” 

Stone cold silence greeted him and Danny eyed the door suspiciously but after a moment a soft voice was heard through the door, “You...had...a significant other?” 

“Yeah. Not that you’d bother to ask considering you’ve been spending the last two months trying to get me into bed.” Danny bit. 

“I can’t help myself...you’re...everything I want-” Plasmius stuttered out, panic rising in his voice and Danny shook his head, “Whatever.” 

Another silence rang out until Plasmius asked even softer, though the bitterness in his tone was telling of how much the question pained him, “What...what was their name?” 

Danny sighed, his eyes watering more as he realized if Plasmius was a halfa but Vlad Masters was not his human form admitting Vlad’s name could make him a target for Plasmius. 

Still, his gut urged him forward and he stood, coming to the door and pressing against it, “His name is Vlad….Vlad Masters...and...I love him. I want to see him again...so badly. I ache whenever I think about him, my heart hurts and I keep crying...you make me cry...because I can’t see him...I want to see Vlad! You’re cruel...I hate you!” and Danny kicked the door spitefully. 

“Daniel...let me in right now!” Vlad suddenly barked and Danny turned away, “Fuck you!” 

“Daniel, let me in this instant or I swear I will beat the ever-living shit out of you, you little brat!” and Danny turned in shock, eyes wide as he had never heard such a wicked-sounding threat leave the Ghost King’s lips. 

Fists started beating on the door and an eerie pink glow came from underneath as Plasmius growled and howled on the other side, “LET ME IN NOW YOU BRAT! LET. ME. IN!” 

Danny transformed into Phantom, fear suddenly sinking in as he thought perhaps his gut had been wrong and he had just made the Ghost King very angry and very jealous. 

“Shit.” Danny whispered before his resolve hardened, “The only way through that door is to phase through! Only humans can phase through solid objects in the Ghost Zone!” 

The pounding stopped and the pink light faded away, Danny stepped closer to the door to listen and he heard haggard breathing just on the other side. 

“Very well.” came a soft whisper and he stumbled back when the familiar sound of rings appearing and a transformation occurring on the other side hit his ears. 

He stumbled back, catching himself on a desk as he held his breath and hoped that the man who came through that door was who he wanted. 

A figure stepped through and Danny felt his heart skip a beat as Vlad Masters stood before him, tears streaming down his face, white hair a mess and suit ruffled as he opened his trembling mouth to speak, “I'm...so very sorry Little Badger-” he whispered and Danny launched himself forward, near tripping as he ran, his heart bursting as he wrapped arms around Vlad and breathed deep his scent. 

“Thank god, thank god it’s you...thank you god...thank you...oh god….thank you-” Danny whispered out feeling Vlad wrap arms around him tightly. 

Danny instantly went to kiss him, Vlad not hesitating and Danny spared not his hunger or his want, as it had been two months since he’d seen this man and every inch of him was fizzing and sparking with happiness. 

Anger would come later, an explanation would come later, as for right now, all he wanted more than anything was to have their date which he was two months late for. 

“Bed,” Danny whispered and Vlad nodded, the pair still kissing hungrily and Vlad hoisted him up, Danny wrapping legs around his waist as the man moved to the bed. Danny transformed back into his human half, ripping off his tunic and cape, Vlad’s hands yanking at his own suit, vest, and dress shirt. 

Danny pulled the man’s hair free from its ponytail and ran his hands through it, smelling his humanness, his natural scent and he shivered as Vlad’s hands came to Danny’s pants and undid his breeches, hands trembling as the man pressed a kiss to his neck, “Daniel...are you sure...shouldn’t we talk first?” 

“This was supposed to happen two months ago on our date I never got to go on you fucking bastard. I want it now and you’re going to deliver. We can talk after...I'll yell at you and beat the shit out of you after….after….” 

“After.” Vlad agreed and soon enough they were both bare, Vlad ducking down and pressing his mouth onto Danny’s length and the young man arching off the bed as Vlad delivered such eager and demanding sucking. His tongue licking and messaging along his shaft and Danny fisted the bedding, “Slow...slow down...Vlad...you’re gonna make me cum too soon…” 

Vlad hummed as he dragged his mouth up and off, slurping the whole way and Danny moaned loudly as he tried to ground himself and slow his climb. His heart was hammering, emotions jumping around like jackhammers in his chest as he thought of how much he wanted this. He’d spent the last two months thinking about how his date with Vlad would have ended and he was going to find out now before anything else happened to ruin it. 

Vlad raised up, spitting into his hand and rubbing his own length before he grabbed Danny’s thighs and pressed them apart. He lined up his length, hands coming to rest on either side of Danny’s head as he leaned in and they kissed, Vlad, pressing forward and into Danny slowly. 

Danny whined into Vlad’s mouth and the man shushed him softly, “Relax, Little Badger, almost done.” and Vlad pressed again, this time not stopping until he was rooted inside, Danny letting out a loud hiss and groan. 

Vlad laid down on top of him, his hips splaying Danny’s thighs further apart as his lips trailed away from Danny’s mouth and onto his neck, “Brace yourself.” Vlad whispered and Danny felt Vlad’s hand gripped into his hair, pulling his head to the side, and not even a second later the man bit into his neck, fangs sinking deep and Danny jerked and whined as pleasure shot through him and his core suddenly activated.

He didn’t transform but his core sent energy out, finding Vlad’s and swirling around it, the older man growling hungrily as his bite intensified and Danny’s hands rubbed up against his sides and around to his back, nails digging in and Vlad jerked, “Naughty thing-” he shuddered out, his fangs leaving Danny’s neck, “I missed you so much-” Danny whined and Vlad kissed and sucked at the puncture marks on his neck, “You’ve no idea how hard it was to not tell you…” 

Vlad’s hips started moving, in and out at a rather urgent pace. Pain and discomfort faded away swiftly as Vlad grabbed one of his legs and hoisted it over his shoulder. He pressed deeper now, each thrust a cloying promise of what was to come. 

While their cores were not bonded they were still temporarily connected and emotions flowed between them in a haphazard manner that added to the pulsing pleasure that emanated throughout his whole body. 

“Harder! God Vlad, MORE, HARDER, PLEASE!” Danny begged and the man growled again, his thrusts becoming vicious as his mouth once again latched on to Danny’s throat, fangs sinking deep and Danny arched hard, calling his name as he fell into oblivion, his muscles clamping tight around Vlad’s length and the man let out the most erotic groan as he picked up the pace and seconds later wrapped his arms tightly around his companion, near bruising in his grasp as he shot over into a blinding light of ecstasy. 

Danny was gasping, his body coated in sweat as he tried to catch his breath, body sore and ass aching but he felt so damn good and as Vlad collapsed onto him and wrapped around him so sweetly Danny sighed, turning his head to seek out Vlad's lips and kiss him lazily. 

“I love you.” Danny whispered, his face burning from exertion and the post-sex smell washing across his nose as he smiled contently and Vlad nestled closer, “I’m so sorry, Little Badger...there were reasons...I promise...I wasn’t trying to-” 

“Later, Fruitloop. Later...right now...we’re together again and I just want you to admit the truth...tell me you love me...and say it like you mean it.” Danny breathed out sleepily and Vlad pressed his lips to Danny’s ear, “I love you, Daniel. And I mean it, with every ounce of my being.” 

The pair settled down into the quiet of their room, the green ghostly fire burning softly as the glowing green of the zone floated by outside the window. 

XXI 

Final 

--Well, here we are again. I guess it must be fate. We've tried it on our own but deep inside we've known we'd be back to set things straight. I still remember when your kiss was so brand new. Every memory repeats, every step I take retreats, every journey always brings me back to you--

Cher and Peter Cetera (After All) 

Danny sat next to the fire, his breeches on but untied as he fiddled with one of the buttons on Vlad’s white dress shirt which he had put on when they had crawled out of bed. 

Vlad was wearing his black slacks and nothing else as he walked over to Danny and held out a goblet filled with wine and Danny took it, staring into the liquid but unsure if he wanted to drink it. 

“So...this entire time...you’ve known everything. As Vlad Masters, as Plasmius, and as the Buck. You knew all of it.” Danny asked softly. 

Vlad had retreated to the bed, a goblet in his own hand as he leaned against the bedpost and he crossed one arm and brought the goblet to his lips and took a sip, speaking softly into the goblet, “Yes.” 

His eyes did not meet Danny’s and the younger of the two gave him a curious stare, “Why?” 

Vlad looked towards the fire, his often expressive face remaining neutral as he said softly, “I wasn’t sure how receptive you would be to another halfa. The fact that I was an acquaintance of your parents might have put a damper on things as well. I wanted to feel both you and your situation out before I admitted anything. When I first started following you-” 

“Stalking me.” Danny amended though his voice wasn’t sharp so much as matter-of-fact and Vlad gave one reluctant nod before he continued, “Right. I didn’t even know if your parents were aware and I wanted to make sure I knew as much as possible before I came to you.” 

“How did you first learn about me being a halfa?” 

Vlad swirled the wine in his goblet as he ran a tongue along the inside of his cheek, “I am embarrassed to say that for the first two years of your existence as a halfa I was unaware. The reports I received from the ghosts you sent back from the human realm never specifically mentioned you being half anything. Just that you were a ghost whose obsession seemed to dictate he protect humans. I wasn’t concerned, it could simply mean you were a cop or EMT in your previous life.” and Danny nodded at that but said nothing and so Vlad continued. 

“It wasn’t until your third year when you foiled Skulker’s attempt to get into Axion labs that I truly took notice. I had a rather bad relapse of ecto-acne and I needed a very specific chemical from Axion. When he returned empty-handed and told me you had foiled his attempted burglary I went myself. You stood watch that night, you and your little friends...I...saw you transform. Needless to say, my shock put the stealing of chemicals at bay for a night so I could try to sort out what I thought I saw. I returned later to get the chemicals I needed and once the ecto-acne was gone you became my focus. And for the next two years, I kept a weathered eye on you-” 

“You stocked me.” Danny said sharply and Vlad scoffed, “Very well, yes, I stalked you. I hardly think that’s a large concern of yours considering what we just did in that bed together.” and Vlad seemed annoyed and while Danny wanted to bite at him about how it was more about the invasion of privacy he let it go and instead asked, “So...what made you decide to approach me...and why the Buck? Why Vlad?” 

The older man took another sip of his wine and gazed at him with sharp but calm eyes as he said, “Honestly, the Buck and Vlad Masters were just for recon. To learn about your life and to keep an eye on you. To figure out if you would be receptive to another halfa or if you’d find it disconcerting.” 

“But then you came on to me as Vlad and interacted with me as the buck.” Danny offered and Vlad blushed lightly as he looked away, “I was a shade enamored. I’d started to develop...feelings...desires...and when you turned eighteen...well...considering my age I had never planned to...it just sort of happened...I wasn’t sure how to...I had simply hoped to be friends...but...as it turned out...I’d neglected my human half for so long it sent me spiraling down into the mess of emotions and desires and I was unable to...there was a pull...urgent...I needed...wanted...things went sideways and I was unsure how to deal with it. One thing led to another and I’m not saying it was okay or the right thing to do but it happened and...oh Daniel I am so sorry. I never intended to put you in this position and after your dreadful reaction to me revealing my ghost half, I thought for sure revealing my human half would push you over the edge and you’d never forgive me. I suppose my hope was that if I could get you to accept Plasmius as your mate and bond with him then when I revealed my human half you might...it sounds so horrible but I was so worried you just...I’ve been rejected before...so many times...for one reason or another and I’m so lonely...and-” Vlad pressed the goblet to his mouth in order to stop his rambling and took several large gulps before he moved away from the bed, setting his cup down in the window and looking out into the Zone. 

“We are the only two Halfa’s in the entire world, in the universe...in all of existence as far as I can find. We are the only two and while that doesn’t justify my actions I thought we needed to know about each other...I should have gone about it differently but...Daniel...it’s just you and me.” 

Danny stood then, walking over to the man and joining him as he looked out into the Zone, “How did you become a halfa?” 

“In college, I was friends with your parents as you know. I was helping them to design and build something called a Proto-portal. The very first man-made portal into the Ghost Zone. There was a miscalculation and the thing blew up in my face, covering my body in burns and ecto acne. The following years in the hospital were brutal and the resentment I carried for your parents...well...I did debate on killing them-” and Danny looked at him in shock. 

“As it were, I stumbled upon a naturally occurring portal to the Ghost Zone and was able to access it for several minutes before I was pulled back into my own realm. After that, it’s all history. Getting back to the Ghost Zone became my only drive and once I accomplished that...well...eventually I became King. You’re parents faded from my mind...until you came along and suffered the same fate I did.” 

Danny looked up at him, Vlad’s hand raising to caress his cheek and Danny frowned, “So...for thirty years...you were the only Halfa in existence.” 

Vlad nodded, “When I found you...I felt something so foreign I didn’t recognize it at first and that feeling compelled me into action.” Vlad said softly. 

“What was the feeling?” 

“I couldn’t be sure at first, but eventually I realized it was happiness. And that was something I hadn’t felt since I was very young...and I wanted to feel that more than anything else.” 

“I...make you happy?” Danny asked and Vlad finally turned, sitting in the window and pulling Danny to him, the young man sitting on the sill between Vlad’s legs as the man pulled him close and kissed at the crown of his head, “You make me more than happy, Daniel. You make me feel alive again.” 

Danny met his gaze and the pair kissed softly, breaking apart only for Danny to press his forehead against Vlad’s neck as he asked, “Does this mean I can go see my family now?” 

Vlad wrapped arms around him, giving the faintest whine as he asked in a whisper, “Will you come back if I let you go?” 

Danny nodded softly, “I will.” 

“Promise? Promise you’ll come back to visit me. Promise...you won’t abandon me...promise Daniel...I...told you I don’t want to be your enemy, I don’t want to be the villain but...I love you...I can’t let you go for long.” Vlad whispered desperately as his arms tightened around him and Danny nestled closer as he smiled, “Vlad...you stupid Fruitloop...I love you, I promise I will come back. But you do realize, given you’re a halfa, you can come to see me anytime you want...and one day...maybe...this could become my home. For now though...I need to be with my family and friends...I need to go to college...have a life...I can’t give that up yet...I’m not...I’m not ready. Please don’t ask me to.” 

Vlad let out a soft sigh, kissing Danny soundly on the temple before he said in a shaky voice, “Alright Daniel, alright. I’ll trust you. We’ll make this work...I promise we will make this work...and I will try not to hog your attentions.” 

Danny hummed curiously, “Maaaaybe you could hog my attentions for another day...or two...you have a really squeaky bed...I kinda want to see how loud we can get it.” 

Vlad chuckled, “I suppose we could...but...about bonding our cores-” 

“I...uh...give me a little bit to think on that-” 

“You’ve had two months,” Vlad whined. 

“Yeah, and I’m eighteen dickwad, bonding cores is like the Ghostly equivalent of marriage. We’ve been hanging out, albeit you in too many forms, for three months. Not quite the needed time frame for me to promise myself to you for eternity.” 

Vlad scoffed and looked away irritably though his arms still held Danny tightly, “Very well.” he grumbled and Danny smirked, “Cool. Thanks, Fruitloop, now...come on...we have a bed to break.” 

Vlad scooped him up and moved back to the bed, tossing Danny onto it as he crawled on and Danny pressed his hand to the man’s chest to still him, “So...can you and I still bang in our ghost form?” 

Vlad eyed him a moment before he said, “Yes?” 

“Cool….and you can duplicate right?” 

Vlad eyed him in confusion, “Yes…” 

“So...in theory I could make out with you as Vlad while Plasmius was-” Vlad captured his lips quickly, pressing him onto his back as he transformed into Plasmius and Danny grabbed his horns tightly.  “Alright Ghost King, give it to me hard, I have a good grip .” 

Vlad leered at him, fangs sinking into Danny’s neck as he shoved his thighs apart and once again took root deep inside, the unknown night stretching on as the pair descended into the decadence of passions and love. 

END 

A/N: I may write an epilogue that is just Danny having a threesome with Plasmius and Vlad but this is the current end of The Gauntlet. Boros, I hope you enjoyed this and it wasn’t too on the nose nor too far away from what you want. Sorry, it took so long but I got really invested in this.