Chapter Text
A camping trip. With his dad. Danny, Vlad, and his own father are going on a camping trip.
The words process through Danny’s mind like a beehive. Too much noise to really have one singular thought. Looking for the queen bee of them is difficult. It’s difficult to put into words what he’s feeling.
“Are you sure about this hon?” His mother’s voice of reason cuts in. Grounding him back to the lab in Fenton works as his father is throwing weapon after weapon into his suitcase.
“Of course! Vladdy asked me to go on a man’s trip, how could I say no?” Jack turns back around as he messes with the zipper of his weapons duffel bag, muttering further to himself. “Maybe he’s finally trying to forgive me.”
He throws a duffel at Danny, telling him to move his butt and help pack the essentials. Mom wasn’t letting him take the RV, so he was preparing the best he could.
Danny groans, wondering how he ended up in this mess. Maybe it’s because Vlad had asked his father on a camping trip- and he just had to join in to keep an eye on him. It’s true that there was no trace of his obsession with his mom left in that mansion. No pictures or paintings on the wall of her. No AI program that sounded like her. Nothing. Only one reprinted picture of them in college that sat in Vlad’s lab.
Still, Vlad doesn’t just do things for no reason. Of course Danny asked to come on this ‘man’s trip’.
“You sure you’ll be okay?”
Sam wonders to him while he’s packing his own clothes. They’re on video call watching him go back and forth in his room, trying to make sure he has everything he needs in case Vlad does something villainous. The thermos, of course, the specter deflector, the Fenton fisher, and a SOS button that would alert Sam, Tucker, and Jazz if he truly needed their help. The last one was an original Foley-Fenton design. He and Tucker were beginning to dabble in stuff like that. Danny designed it, while Tucker created the insides of it.
“Yeah,” he sighs, “I can handle him- besides if worse comes to worst I can always go to the last resort.” That’s always his answer. The last resort being revealing Phantom and Plasmius.
“Maybe it won’t come to that.” Tucker says, “I mean, he hasn’t really done anything villainous in a while, according to my records he’s down to the ten percent threat category in your list of enemies.” He turns the PDA to the camera to show them his analysis.
“I don’t know, it’s a little fishy.” Sam sighs. “Well maybe he’ll behave since you’re there.” Her voice lilts on a tease. Danny stops and glares towards his computer, rolling his eyes.
“He better.” He’s been getting closer with Vlad- on purpose. Hiding it from his friends was useless. And the full blown argument they had about it almost ripped their friendship to shreds. But… they’re coming around.
Tucker is better at hiding his disdain than Sam, but she’s definitely making an effort. Danny keeps telling himself that he’s not settled on Vlad. For now he was… comforting. Something he never thought such a man could be. He’s become someone he wants to keep close contact with. Even though the mark is gone, he still hides away for days in his home when his heat comes around. Sometimes begging for him again. It’s embarrassing, but Vlad never used it to humiliate him. He was always so… accommodating.
They chat a bit longer before Danny knew he was running out of time. Jack calls for him from downstairs for a third time when he’s rounding the corner with his own clothes bag and camping gear.
When he’s at the bottom of the stairs he freezes. Vlad’s in the living room. But he looks different. His ponytail is put up in a looped bun, usual suit traded in for overalls and his undershirt. Danny remembers him wearing something similar during the whole King of Ghosts arc of enemies. It’s a shame he didn’t appreciate it then.
Then the alpha has the gal to smirk at him. Like he’s reading his every thought.
“Daniel, Jack mentioned you’d be joining us.”
Maddie interrupts, coming to squeeze Danny tight.
“You boys be safe out there.” She says softly, before whispering, “keep an eye on your father for me honey.”
Jack hauls two bags over his shoulder and holds another one out to Danny for him to help carry. It’s heavy as hell and in his weaker human form he struggles to hold it. Of course his dad would pack every bolt and nut that he thought would help in case of a ghost attack.
“Allow me.” Vlad takes it without further warning, slinging it over his shoulder like it’s child’s play. Damn him. Damn him to hell. Strong in his ghost and human form? So unfair. It always feels unfair when Vlad does something attractive like that. Something low in his gut tells him to hang onto the sight of his power. He’s trying to shush it, just like he always does around Vlad. But it’s there, quietly crawling over the surface of his mind. Chilling his every thought.
Danny had never seen Vlad drive himself anywhere before, so he’s surprised that he’s behind the wheel. Honestly, since it was his idea, he’s not all that surprised. Maybe he wanted to drive his dad off a ravine. Or maybe he knew how much of a reckless driver he could be when the road is empty. The rental car— because of course Vlad owns a helicopter but not a four wheel drive— is high end. Honestly he’s surprised he didn’t just buy one outright. Maybe he wants to keep it pristine or something.
It’s nice being in the back of an actual car for once. Danny had rode in the assault vehicle so much that he almost forgot a smooth drive like this existed. His eyes follow the trees as Amity Park disappears from view. In the front his dad is playing some 80’s music. He had to beg him to change any songs that were too… embarrassing. Maybe he wouldn’t have turned the Def Leppard song if Vlad hadn’t stared him down in the rearview.
“This brings me back.” Jack laughs happily, already having his fill on soda. “Is this what you kids get to do when we drive?” He grins back at Danny who smiles at him.
Jack squints a moment and chuckles. “You know Danno I know how annoying it can be to wear those patches- but you’ll be out here with your old man and Uncle Vlad! You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.” Jack knew about the school incident. Danny presses a palm to the patch and looks away in embarrassment. He can feel Vlad’s eyes on him from the mirror.
“I’ll leave it- besides, knowing you we’ll have to make a pit stop soon and I don’t want to cause a scene.”
Jack nods slowly and sits back in his seat. He had been so excited that Danny was an omega like Jazz and Maddie, but Danny doesn’t think he knew all too much about what he’s going through. It’s totally different.
“You called it Danny!” Jack laughs, “hey V-man can we stop at that truck stop.” He points towards a billboard for some large truck stop chain as they pass it by.
“Of course, I’d rather not have to pay a cleaning fee.”
It’s odd that Vlad is so quiet too. Danny does think he’s enjoying the throwback music, but maybe he’s also trying to hold in any insults. Jack is the optimist of the three of them, getting him bummed might make things too awkward. Then again, when had Vlad ever cared about that?
Once they’re stopped, Danny believes that his dad gained ghost powers to phase out of the car he was so quick. He gets out himself, stretching his legs a little before glancing at Vlad exiting the driver’s side. The parking lot isn’t empty, but it’s not booming with business either. There’s the faint smell of Marlboro’s mixed in with gasoline and some kind of restaurant from inside, giving anything that he saw a more dingy appearance. He’s sure his dad will get all of them something to eat while he’s at it.
“Enjoying yourself, my boy?”
The voice in his ear sends goosebumps from his shoulders to his achilles. Whipping around, he glares. Vlad knew not to do that!
“Yeah, just keeping an eye on you.” Because he knew exactly what Vlad is thinking right now. Why did Danny come along? He should have known he would come in the first place after finding something like this out. “Why’d you ask my dad on a camping trip anyways?”
“Jealous?”
“Ugh, no, don’t you hate him?” He raises a brow and Vlad hums while looking up. As if he’s careful to speak what’s on his mind.
“I’ve been reconsidering it.” That’s definitely a change. Almost too big of a change for someone harboring a two decade long vendetta for the man who supposedly ruined his fantasy life.
“Why now?”
Vlad tuts and waves a finger, “you don’t learn anything from me do you, little badger?”
Rolling his eyes, Danny grabs his wrist to stop the wagging finger. “Fine then, what’s your motive?” He knew that was Vlad’s favorite word. Something to motivate him to do anything. He hated his dad before because his motive was his mom. So why be so nice to his dad now all of a sudden?
Those deep blue eyes stare at him wordlessly from bottom to top, one eyebrow raised. No words said feels more like a million punching him in the stomach. Danny lets his wrist go, feeling heat rise in his face. He isn’t stupid- actually his mind has to overwork when talking to Vlad. The man had a habit of talking in encryptions that he had to decode.
The insinuation that Vlad is trying to change for him makes something like pride bubble in his stomach. Something like victory or intense excitement. He’s not sure.
“That’s dumb.” Wow, intelligent Fenton. But Vlad doesn’t take offense to it, only huffing out a small laugh.
“I don’t think so.”
His blush only gets harder. “I’m gonna go pee.”
His dad lets him play some of his newer music the rest of the way to the campsite, no hard metal, but Danny could deal with it. His tent pops up without a problem- one thing he is thankful for that his parents created. He glances over his shoulder to see his dad is putting up his own while Vlad is actually… building his own? Honestly, he looks like he’s fighting the thin bars of the tent, looking back and forth between the instructions and to his mess on the ground.
“Need help?” He comes over, looking at the poor pile of cloth, tarp, and metal.
Vlad sighs and looks at him, eyes glancing up to make sure Jack isn’t within earshot. “I may rely a lot on duplication.” He admits.
Danny rolls his eyes and glances at the instructions in his hand. “Here, you read, I’ll build.”
So Danny learns how to pitch a tent with Vlad. And maybe it wouldn’t have been so difficult if Vlad didn’t have the fanciest tent on earth. Danny has seen tents this big in burning man blogs before. Larger than his and his dad’s combined, room for more than one single person. It could realistically be used for at least ten people. Vlad also had an automatic air mattress. King sized with sheets and a comforter to go along with it. Theres a cooler he unloads to add as decor to his tent along with a fold out chair, a fold out ottoman, and a mini table. Danny wonders if he packed any food or if most of his stuff was just this fancy nonsense.
“I wouldn’t have bothered to bring a tent if I knew yours was enough for a whole family reunion.” He laughs, “you may as well have brought a camper.”
“I’m enjoying the outdoors in my own way, Daniel.” Vlad chuckles and looks back at him. “Though you’re more than welcome in my tent if you think it needs to occupy more than a single person.”
Danny feels that heat in his cheeks again and he rolls his eyes while turning on his heel. “Dream on.” He mutters, half fighting with the covered exit as he heads back into the campsite.
It’s getting dark out. Firefly’s dance around their tents while they get a fire going. Danny was in charge of wood gathering, and he may have cheated a little with his powers. There’s enough wood to last their two night trip and probably more for the next group of campers.
Jack has a radio set up that’s tuned into some country channel. The volume is low, but the buzz that filters in the background of crickets and kindling cracks is nice.
The first night is always the most exhausted. The five hour drive to their campsite almost felt like five years. Danny had packed their food, so he mostly packed sandwich stuff along with his dad’s giant packs of Fenton jerky. Camping was fun, but like hell he was going to live off the land or whatever.
The sky is clouded above them. It’s disappointing, he wanted to stargaze a little but there’s no use in unpacking his telescope right now. When his boredom begins to nip at his skin, he’s reminded of how awkward it actually is to be out here with his dad and Vlad. Said father pulls out the marshmallows and Fenton marshmallow roasting sticks.
“Sure you don’t want any Vladdy?” Jack asks with a grin, looking on to his three marshmallows skewed on one stick that the fire is consuming.
“It’s too sugary for my taste.” Vlad leans back in his luxury camping chair. He had been reading a book- placed neatly on the armrest while he stares into the fire. Of course he’d like being close to something resembling his core.
“Lighten up.” Danny pulls his from the fire, blowing out the flame that dares to char his perfectly golden marshmallow. He doesn’t elaborate. Vlad had asked Jack to come out here with them, but Danny can already tell he’s struggling just being normally social. “In fear of regretting this question… why don’t you tell me how you two met in the first place?” Yeah he knew it was college. But he was curious. When? Why? How? Because their chance meeting had directly impacted Danny’s life since he was fourteen.
Jack laughs in excitement. “That’s a loaded question son.”
“I would say it’s more like… how didn’t we meet” Vlad adds in. The addition actually piques Danny’s curiosity and he sits straight, nibbling at the marshmallow to keep focus.
“Vladdy and I had the same major, so no matter where we went we kept running into each other!” Jack thinks. “Then one day we were assigned partners on some machinery project and that’s all she wrote!” It’s the first time he’s ever heard his dad shorten a story. Usually he’d go on and on about some specific detail that didn’t matter.
“It was a group project on aerodynamic machinery.” Vlad corrects him. “You questioned every blueprint I made for it… but I suppose in college many of my first machines were flawed.” Vlad sits up straight.
“Oh! Right right! But our final totally blew up because I forgot to solder that wire down.” Jack laughs, “you should have seen the professors face when the whole classroom was covered in glitter.”
Danny is about to question that when his dad chimes again.
“We got an apartment together after I was banned from the dorms for uh, trying to dispose of ecto residue improperly.”
Vlad sputters and crosses his arms, raising a brow at Jack. “What he means is he tried to shove it down the shower drain- then crashed at my apartment and never left.”
“Cmon V, you were always so lonely without me in that empty apartment!” Jack pulls his flaming treats from the fire, blowing them out and scooping all three into his mouth at once. Danny winces at the sight, his dad had no table manners sometimes.
His eyes glance over to Vlad, expecting him to deny the claim. The denial doesn’t come. Only downturned eyes and a heavy sigh as his defensive stature depleted against his chair. So it’s true. Well, he’s not surprised. Vlad lived alone now and the loneliness drove him crazy, Danny thinks. The story seems finished, and he’s fatigued from riding in the car all day. Being able to fly made cars feel kind of obsolete.
With a stretch and a yawn he stands.
“I’m getting up early to walk the trail nearby, so I’m turning in.”
Jack makes a sound of disappointment. Sad eyes piercing into him. But Danny just smiles in apology, his and Vlad’s gaze meeting only a moment before he returns to his own Fenton tent.