Chapter Text
Vlad and Maddie made small-talk on the ride back home, while the two teenagers in the back sat quietly staring out their windows. Danny wanted to ask what was on Jazz’s mind, since normally she would be interjecting herself into the adults’ conversations, but Vlad’s presence kept him quiet.
They pulled up to Fenton Works and Vlad held open the door for the three Fentons. Maddie gently placed a hand on Danny’s back as they crossed the threshold of the door, telling him sweetly. “Why don’t you go ahead and lie down, and I’ll bring up some water for you and tuck you in. Okay, sweetie?”
“Danny, come here!”
A jolt of anxiety jumped through Danny’s skin. His mother's hand tensed against his back.
“Jack, what do you need?” Maddie called back.
“I need Danny. Right now,” Jack answered curtly, booming voice carrying his impatience up the basement staircase.
“He’s sick! Whatever it is can wait!” Maddie yelled back, her own voice growing tight.
There was a brief quiet before heavy pounding alerted that Jack was ascending the stairs, each step promising unpleasantness.
“Mom, it’s fine, I’ll just go see what he wants,” Danny quickly relented, hoping that if he started heading down the stairs now, he could head off some of the conflict, but it was already too late.
Jack was at the top of the stairs in moments, steely eyes locked onto his son as he demanded, “How many chores do you have?”
Danny hesitated a beat as his mind tried to shift gears. “Uh… I-I don’t know, uh—”
“You have three. And you only have three because it’s the most I can expect you to do. And they’re the easiest chores I could think of for you, but apparently wiping off a filter is too difficult and too complicated for you,” he seethed, stepping forward and towering into Danny’s space.
“I-I-I’m sorry, I forgo—”
“You forgot? You’ll do it as soon as you’re done? You meant to, but? Sam needs you? Tucker is having a crisis?” he mocked.
Danny averted his gaze. It wasn’t like Jack was wrong. Fighting ghosts throughout the day and night often made him lose track of things he was doing.
Danny felt his mom transfer her hand to his arms, giving him a gentle but firm push towards the stairs to the second floor.
“Jack, this can wait,” Maddie said sternly. “He’s not feeling well.”
Jack snatched Danny’s other arm and yanked him toward him. “He’s not getting away with shirking his chores anymore. I’ve had it with his excuses. You’re not even sick, are you?” Jack accused.
Danny winced at the crushing hold, “I-I’ll clean it!”
“No you won’t. You’re going up to your bed right now,” Maddie insisted, staring at Jack challengingly.
“He’s not doing anything until he admits he's fine and quits being a manipulative little brat,” Jack asserted, locking eyes with Danny warningly.
“I’m not trying–I’ll clean the filters right now. I’m really sorry–”
“Jack, I'm warning you-” Maddie said.
“Admit it!” Jack shouted and Danny practically jumped out of his skin. He felt Jack’s fingers curl around the collar of his shirt and jerk, a ripping sound accompanying the motion.
“Jack!” Vlad's voice broke through the confusion like a thunderclap. Everyone turned to look at him, frozen and stunned. Vlad was quick to take advantage, patiently addressing the Fenton patriarch, "I'm sure Daniel will be able to complete all of his chores after a brief rest. Enough time for everyone to settle into their daily routines and clear the fog of sleep, hm?"
Jack’s shoulders slumped slightly, though his scowl remained. He released Danny’s arm, but the damage was done, motherly eyes having scanned him fully before he’d had a chance to duck out of her meticulous view. Maddie gasped and snatched Danny’s arm, pulling back the rip in his sweater before he had a chance to protest and revealing the bruise on his shoulder and neck that had begun to shift from an angry red into an ugly purple.
“Danny! What happened to you?” she asked as she assessed his injury.
He yanked himself away from her gently. “I—”
“He probably fell off that scooter,” Jack said. “He’s always been clumsy.”
As much as he didn’t want to add fuel to the humiliating fire Jack was starting, Danny needed some sort of excuse for the bruise.
“Yeah, that’s… me… clumsy. Heh. Fell off my scooter…”
“Onto your shoulder?” Maddie asked suspiciously.
“I fell into a pole. Look, can I just clean those filters and go lay down?” he stole a glance Jack’s way and added, “Please?”
“Nap first,” Maddie instructed.
Jack didn’t seem thrilled with the direction the interaction had gone, but with all three of his family members watching him warily and Vlad running interference, he sulkily retreated to the lab, allowing his family to finally breathe easy.
It took a little convincing to assure his mother that his bruise was nothing to be concerned about, along with promises and assurances that he'd be careful and gentle with it until he got better, Maddie eventually dropped the issue. She finally left him alone after she had him comfortably set up in his room, tucking him in, making sure he had water, and giving him some cold medicine to be safe.
Once the door was closed, he aggressively kicked off the heavy blankets, ripped off his sweater, and melted into the comforting embrace of his bed. He let out a deep, long breath that sank him deeper and he stared softly and blankly at the ceiling.
He relaxed for a whole ten seconds before the sinking pressed into his chest and spread uncomfortably into his arms and legs. He let out another breath, shorter and sharper, as the ceiling seemed to start pressing in as well.
He tried to shift positions, reached over to his desk and examined his model rocket like it was new, covered his head with a pillow, but nothing seemed to help him relax.
He had hoped that if he just gave it enough time he could settle in, but at the sound of the front door closing, the sinking feeling tugged demandingly on his anxiety.
He stood up, thinking maybe watching Vlad officially leave the house would put him at ease, but as he peered out the window at the street below, he bristled when he saw not just the vainglorious billionaire, but his mom, stepping into his fancy car in front of the house.
“Crap,” he muttered to himself, rushing over to his bedside table and grabbing his cellphone. Once in hand, he dashed back across the room and leapt at the window, transforming and phasing through the glass to follow as he called Sam.
“Finally!” she answered, “I was wondering when summer would start.”
“Yeah, about that… it’s going to have to wait a little longer. You know how Vlad’s been hanging around a lot lately?”
“Hard not to notice. He leaves a trail of affluent waste and loneliness wherever he goes,” she snarked.
“He and my mom just drove off somewhere. I know that sounds like nothing but it's been kind of a day and I could really use your help,” he said, going invisible and dropping down close to the car to peer inside. It didn't look especially nefarious; the two were engaged in a conversation he couldn't hear, but even that made him nervous.
To his relief, Sam immediately assured, “No need to explain. Anyone being alone with him is bad news. Where should we meet you?”
“Looks like he’s heading downtown. I can keep you updated. Call Tuck for me?”
“You got it. Do you need us to bring anything?”
“A good excuse to get him away from her if he crosses the line,” he replied with a bitter chuckle. “I’m supposed to be sick in bed so I can’t be seen.”
“We’ve got it covered, Danny.”
“Thanks, Sam,” he said, hanging up and focusing on his pursuit.
Not unpredictably, the car pulled up to the nicest coffee shop in town. Vlad got out first and held the door open for Maddie and took her inside.
Danny frowned, sending Tucker and Sam the location before floating into the store. It was busy, since it was still breakfast, so once Vlad and Maddie had ordered some coffee, they decided to take one of the covered tables outside on the patio.
Despite still being invisible, Danny ventured close and peeked at them from behind one of the decorative plants close to the table.
“Thank you, by the way, for helping diffuse the situation,” Maddie said, almost sheepishly, to which Vlad waved a hand dismissively.
“Normally, I never would have intervened, but—”
“No, I’m very glad you did,” Maddie said softly, eyes downcast solemnly. “He's just been so… it’s hard to get him to listen.”
Vlad paused, seeming to be contemplative, but Danny's skin crawled at how rehearsed it felt. “Maddie, I don't mean to overstep, but from what I've observed… it doesn't seem like an issue with communication.”
Maddie got quiet, staring at him hard for a moment before looking away again. “I’m worried, Vlad.”
Vlad reached across the table, took one of her hands and tilted his head at her. “How bad is it really?”
Danny texted Sam and Tucker as quickly as he could to hurry.
She met his eyes, grimacing, then stared at the table distantly. “What you saw today… he's… He's been argumentative and aggressive to all of us, but… He’s been particularly… harsh… with Danny.”
Danny's brow quirked in surprise.
“Ah, then this morning wasn’t a fluke?”
She shook her head, raised her hands, expression twisting in confusion as she tried to explain. “He’s just been… I don't know, he's been intolerant towards all of us, but lately, with Danny, he's… he's been accusing him of things and saying just… mean things to him and-and… but I’ve never seen him grab him like that.”
Danny swallowed, suddenly feeling very guilty that he had heard any of that. It hadn't really, consciously occurred to him that his dad's treatment of him was all that different. He had just assumed, because Jazz was an A+ student who never missed a curfew and didn't need monitoring, that his dad was just being harsher with him because, even if Jack was acting worse than normal, Danny was still the one causing trouble to begin with.
It surprised him that she would notice at all, much less that she was acting like Danny was blameless in it.
“I feel like it’s getting worse. I thought maybe he was drinking or he was on drugs. But I’ve checked the whole house—top to bottom. Every nook and cranny. I pulled out vents, outlets, and moved furniture. I can’t find anything. And he doesn’t leave the house so he’s not doing anything elsewhere. I even thought..." Maddie stopped, swallowing hard as though her next thought was a betrayal in itself, "I even thought he was possessed. But he's clean on all of my scanners. I just… I just don’t understand, Vlad, I—”
“Now, Maddie, stop this. You could drive yourself mad trying to find any reason behind Jack’s behavior. People can change suddenly and without any real provocation,” Vlad told her.
She looked up from the table into his eyes and he smiled softly. “But does that mean…” she swallowed and gave Vlad pleading eyes, “That he could change back?”
Vlad smiled sympathetically.
Danny stared at them, jaw clenching with guilt that he'd put so much on his mom's shoulders, but that he'd also let her confide in someone who was absolutely thrilled to hear it.
“Mrs. Fenton! Mrs. Fenton!”
Both Vlad and Maddie looked up as Tucker and Sam ran up to the railing of the coffee shop that separated it from the street and frantically got Maddie’s attention. Danny released the breath he had been unconsciously holding.
“There’s a ghost, Mrs. Fenton!” Tucker exclaimed, a little too dramatically in Danny’s opinion, but then again, that’s how he often dealt with things.
“Yeah, it’s terrorizing the people on 2nd street,” Sam said much more believably, “You’ve got to hurry!”
Danny watched his mother’s expression harden in determination and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. She looked at Vlad who–to the surprise of the three children–merely smiled.
“Of course, I understand, my dear,” he said, taking another casual sip from his half-full coffee mug. “I’ll have the car meet you when you’re ready to go home. I myself have some business I need to take care of as well.”
She nodded and flipped up her hood and put on her goggles. “Lead the way, kids,” she told them seriously.
They started leading her in opposite directions for just a split second before Tucker course-corrected and rejoined Sam, leading Maddie away from her romantic pursuer.
Vlad watched her run off, then raised his mug to his lips again as he said, “Shouldn’t you be resting?”
Danny’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly collected himself, taking full cover behind the plant to transform into his human half before walking out to stand in front of the man, glaring at him.
Vlad appraised him casually.
“You really do look poorly, my boy. You should have taken advantage of the chance you had to rest.”
“Stay away from my family,” Danny said, dropping all pretense.
“Now see? Lack of sleep can result in flared tempers,” Vlad said. “How about some coffee, Little Badger?”
Danny leaned his hands on the table to bring his glare closer. “I mean it. You went too far with this. I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. Leave my mom alone. Leave my family alone. Back. Off.”
Vlad mockingly smirked at the way Danny’s eyes flashed green and he faked a shiver. “Ooh, the scary eyes. Careful, son. Let’s not make a scene.”
“Don’t call me that,” Danny seethed through clenched teeth.
“Someone ought to,” Vlad replied evenly.
Danny’s lip curled and without even thinking he raised his hand to swat the smug billionaire’s drink out of his hand. Vlad must have discerned his intent, snatching his wrist before Danny could even quite raise it. Sharp eyes stared at him tauntingly.
“It would be ill-advised to cause a scene here. After all, your mother isn't that far, and I can't imagine this little goose chase your friends have concocted will stall her long. What will you tell her when she comes back to get a ride home and finds you here?”
Danny scowled, tried to yank his hand free, but Vlad wouldn't let him go.
“I suppose you could transform in front of all of these diners, but then your mother would come back to Phantom , instead, and that would be much worse, wouldn't it?”
Vlad reached into his wallet and deposited a wad of cash that was definitely more than what they spent on coffee onto the table. He then started pulling Danny along with him as he stood to leave.
Danny tried to pull himself free, but (and he hated to admit it) both those options sounded bad and plausible, so his efforts were dulled by trying to also be discreet. They were getting some looks and he didn’t want to make things worse.
“What are you doing?” Danny hissed under his breath, resigned to following Vlad out of the patio and down the sidewalk. He felt a little embarrassed that the heat was already getting to him, but Vlad, in his black suit, seemed unaffected.
“If one of the diners had been concerned enough to call the police, what would you have told them? Especially if they happened to notice that bruise. Or those cuts on your arms.”
Danny had completely forgotten he'd left his sweater at home and the wraps and bandages on his arms were exposed, but he shook off the concern to growl, “I'd tell them you did it, now let me go.” As soon as Vlad had dragged them out of view of the restaurant, he grabbed Vlad's hand to rip himself free.
Vlad released him unconcernedly, turning around and smiling smugly at him. “And they just might believe you, but do you think your mother would?”
Danny went to respond but felt his chest deflate as he realized how uncertain he felt about his answer.
Vlad smirked with satisfaction. “She's awfully suspicious of Jack and after this morning, she knows you're willing to appease him.”
“I wasn't appeasing him,” Danny defended.
“What would you call it?”
“I was just keeping the peace!”
Vlad waved a hand as if the difference was negligible. “It's all the same to her.”
A black car pulled up next to them and Danny watched someone who definitely wasn’t just a nicely dressed ghost step out of the drivers’ seat to open the door for him. Vlad gestured at the car politely. “After you.”
Danny scowled distrustfully. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Relax, Little Badger. I’d prefer it if you got home before your mother did. I don’t think she’d be pleased to find you missing and I think she’d be all- too pleased to find Phantom flying about, especially as injured as you are,” Vlad reasoned, gesturing again at the open door.
Danny's lips pressed into a thin line, the paranoid irritation he'd felt before shifting into a simmering anxiety. As much as he distrusted Vlad, he really didn’t want to run into his mom as either version of himself. Warily, he walked over to the other side of the car and let himself in from that side, sitting down and keeping his distance as Vlad settled in as well.
The driver returned to his seat, closing the partition between the front and back as the car smoothly continued–to Danny’s slight ease–down the street towards his house.
“This won't work, Vlad,” Danny said as he crossed his arms and sunk into the seat.
“What won't?”
“This. Making my dad look bad. You already tried that at the reunion.”
“Mm. The reunion was a little hasty, wasn't it. Why she ever cared for that oaf still baffles me.”
“ Cares ,” Danny corrected. “He's not an oaf and she still cares about him. You can't change that.”
“Do you know why I agreed to our truce at the reunion?” Vlad asked abruptly.
Danny looked at him, blinked dumbly. “Because I threatened your identity?”
“You threatened both our identities,” Vlad corrected. “And no, it wasn't because of that.”
"Was it because you realized that holding a twenty year grudge is stupid?"
Vlad ignored him, replying casually, "It was partly because I realized that now matter how big of a buffoon Jack is, your mother will excuse it. Maddie is as fierce to her enemies as she is generous and patient towards her loved ones. It's one of the reasons I love her."
Danny grimaced, disgusted that Vlad had the gall to say that out loud.
“But just as importantly, I agreed to our truce..." Vlad said as the car pulled up alongside Fenton Works. “...because I believed you.”
Danny stared at him for a second with flummoxed incredulity before rolling his eyes. “You just said you didn't agree to the truce because of that,” he complained as he stepped out of the car. Before he closed it, he leaned back in, narrowing his eyes to give Vlad one more warning glare. “If you're gonna lie about it, just don't even say anything .”
Vlad smiled. “There's only one liar here, Little Badger.”
Danny gave him one last glare before slamming the car door. He felt Vlad's eyes follow him all the way to the front door before the car finally pulled away. He stopped before going inside, watching Vlad drive off and his simmering anxiety hardened into determination.
He had no idea what that meant, but he couldn't shake the smug certainty oozing off the other hybrid. It didn't matter what Vlad's plan was; that stupid little ghost haunting his dad was at the core of it.
He took a big breath and stepped inside the quiet house.