Chapter Text
Vlad Masters was exhausted.
It had been a long day full of even longer problems caused by stupid people he would rather just immolate rather than coax and prod into giving him what he needed. The only saving grace on this day was the fact that the new company he wanted was well on its way to being purchased, and his secretary, who was not stupid, had sent him home the moment she saw his expression.
“Go home, Mr Masters.”
“Mrs. Caine, I assure you that I am perfectly fine-”
“Go home, Vladimir.”
So Vladimir went home.
He arrived over two hours earlier than he usually managed. Being a mayor AND a business owner of multiple enormous corporations meant lots of hours pouring over documents which translated to many, many hours at the office. Thankfully, as an adult halfa he didn’t need that much sleep. Only two or three hours a night, really. Daniel needed MUCH more than him, but did the brat ever listen? No. He snuck out at night and fought ghosts at all hours.
Thankfully, those crime fighting hours had lessened once Vlad had FINALLY convinced the teen to let him lock the damned Fenton portal. Now escapees were much less of an issue. If they could force the lock in some way or were clever enough to bypass it, they still managed, of course. Everyone wanted to see the up-and-coming young halfa as it were. Curiosity was natural. Anything else was…quietly terminated by Vlad himself.
Vlad sighed with relief as he stepped inside his home then paused at a familiar tingle at the base of his spine. Daniel, of course, called it the heebee jeebies. Vlad was much more mature and insisted it was simply an instinctive reaction to the presence of another halfa.
Question was, what Daniel doing in his home during Vlad’s absence? Looking for secret plots? Stealing from him? That last seemed unlikely given the young heroes rather self righteous on what was right and what was wrong. Stealing was wrong. Even from someone like Vlad.
Absently, the older halfa switched on the ghost shield around his home and started to search. He found Daniel in the pantry, cramming food into his mouth as quickly as he could, like an overly enthusiastic chipmunk. For a moment, Vlad just stared at him, confused.
“Daniel…what on earth are you doing?”
“Eefin.”
“…yes, I can see that you’re eating. Why are you eating here.”
“Unngry.”
Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose in silent exasperation. He was tired and in no mood for the teen’s nonsense tonight. Especially given the fact that he could scent no injuries on the younger halfa.
Vlad forced himself to take a deep breath then continued his questioning.
“Why are you eating here. In my house.”
Daniel finally swallowed so he could talk properly.
“You said I could come over any time,” Danny reminded.
Vlad had, actually. But he’d meant in the way that Daniel could come over if he was injured or wanted to learn more about ghost culture or their shared powers. Not to eat him out of house and castle unannounced!
Vlad took another deep breath. He opened his mouth to say something then snapped it shut again. He was the adult here. He just had to remember that.
“Just...clean up after yourself, Daniel.”
Vlad opened the ghost shield with a flick of his wrists then walked back out of the kitchen.
He could feel Daniel’s gaze following him as he left, and just when he was almost out of hearing range, Vlad heard the unmistakable munch of chips as the teenager continued to eat.
~~~
Vlad dragged himself downstairs in the morning in an only slightly better frame of mind. Everyone who hadn’t been able to see him yesterday seemed incredibly desperate to make up for that this morning. Right this minute.
The older man dropped his phone face down on the table in the breakfast nook and focused on getting some caffeine inside of him. Once that was accomplished, he checked around the kitchen for the inevitable mess that Daniel had left before the chef came in, he but was surprised to find everything had been neatly put away in the night. There were no wrappers on the counter. No crumbs on the floor. Nothing was out of place.
Well...perhaps the younger halfa had some manners after all.
Vlad stepped inside the pantry and curiously catalogued the missing food Daniel had consumed. It didn’t surprise the older halfa that it was mostly snack foods. Chips. Snack mix. Every single box of cereal Vlad had including the box of fruitloops he’d seen on his ordering app and had bought as a little joke for himself...
“Oh dear. That box was a least a year old,” Vlad murmured when he discovered its absence. “I hope Daniel doesn’t suffer from it.”
The older man finished cataloguing all the missing items to add to his shopping list for the week then walked out of the pantry and headed toward the fridge to make another list. And yes, he did know everything that was in his own pantry and could even admit to being a little OCD about, well, everything he owned, but it stood him in good stead in his business and in his lab which had never accidentally produced a halfa much less two thank you VERY MUCH.
Vlad pulled open the huge industrial-sized refrigerator and searched the shelves. Some meat and cheese, no surprise there. A whole gallon of milk gone as well as a huge bowl of cold pasta that had been left over from the event at Vlad’s home that weekend.
“Sweet Ancients, are they even feeding that boy?” Vlad muttered.
Then again, Danny was using quite a bit of energy every day to fight as Phantom. And the young halfa was in the middle of human puberty, too. Perhaps this was only to be expected? Something to add to his research list, certainly.
Vlad quickly flipped through his app, ordered everything that was now missing, then closed it and went about his day. He thought nothing more about the incident. (Okay, so he did order a few more snack items than normal, just in case Daniel came to raid again.) But the older halfa honestly expected the whole thing to be a one-off. A moment of desperation or mischief on Daniel’s part, never to be repeated.
Then, one week later, Vlad suddenly sensed another ghost cross the boundary of his house.
Daniel.
Vlad hesitated. The younger halfa obviously knew he was home. Well, probably he knew. Vlad could only assume he’d caught Daniel earlier because of his own unexpectedly early arrival, especially given that his schedule as mayor was pretty consistent. And assuming Daniel knew he was home, that meant he knew that Vlad knew he was there. And if he didn’t care that Vlad knew that he knew that Vlad knew-
The older man groaned and brushed the inane cycle of thoughts away with a hand. The main question was should he go down and see the younger halfa or not?
No, he’d best not. If Daniel had come to feed, Vlad’s presence probably would put him off the activity, and it was clear that the younger halfa needed more calories in his diet. If he thought he could get away with it, Vlad would start sending meal services to the Fenton home, but neither Daniel nor Maddie would allow that overstep.
Vlad sighed then picked up the blueprint he had let drop at the other’s arrival and tried to focus on his work again. It was difficult. He and Daniel didn’t just ignore each other. Well, he didn’t, at least. Daniel was a teenager and was an excellent giving other people the cold shoulder (no pun intended). But even then, the younger halfa had always watched Vlad out of the corner of one blue eye. For Vlad to pretend that the teen wasn’t floating just around the proverbial corner raiding his pantry was...an exercise in his self-control.
He felt Daniel exit the kitchen some thirty minutes after he arrived. Vlad’s core wavered a little as the younger halfa left his territory, and Vlad found himself on his feet already striding in the direction he’d left.
He could follow Daniel. He could catch up to him and start a conversation and ask—
Vlad stopped with his hand halfway through the study door.
Fruitloops in a handbasket, this obsession was hard to ignore!
He removed his hand from the door then pressed his forehead against the solid wood, breathing deeply for a good two or three minutes before straightening again. He would not go after Daniel. He would not...but he could go down to the pantry and see what items Daniel had taken. He’d need to restock again, surely?
Vlad’s core started to purr.
Ancients, he was becoming pathetic in his old age. Still, Vlad was glad to throw a bone to his obsession. And it wasn’t anything too weird or creepy, either. It was his pantry, after all!
Pleased, Vlad phased through the floor then floated in the direction of the kitchen. And if his smile was ever so slightly unhinged as he happily cataloged all the items his little badger had eaten and immediately ordered more...well, no one but Maddie the cat was there to see it.