Chapter Text
Vlad Masters has a secret.
A private little indulgence that he keeps carefully hidden from the public eye. And not the kind of secret you would expect from a millionaire bachelor either. It's not a crippling gambling addiction or frequenting certain gentlemen's clubs. It's not designer drugs or hunting exotic animals. It's not even his close ties to the occult and powerful supernatural forces which, to be fair, are thinly veiled at best these days. And despite wild speculations, he does not partake in necromancy or ritual human sacrifices to maintain his youthful looks. Anyone caught perpetuating such rumours will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Mr. Weston!
Ahem.
No, this is one secret that would not ruin his reputation or land him in prison, but it would change the way people see him, the way they think of him.
You see, Vlad Masters is a hobby gardener.
Behind his mayoral mansion in Amity Park Vlad keeps a small vegetable garden and a budding flower bed. It's a handsome little affair with two raised beds, a stone path, compost bin, tool hutch, utilitarian rabbit fence and an old rhubarb plant against the property wall that inspired his endeavour. All neatly tucked away behind a row of tall lilacs to hide it from any guests he may have on the back patio. A perfect hidden oasis.
Unfortunately, thanks to his busy work schedule and other civic duties, Vlad is often left with little no time to enjoy his hobby during the day. Which is indeed a problem. That is, if one doesn't have night vision and requires as much sleep as a normal human. Vlad's not about to let a little thing like limited daylight stop him though. His halfa abilities help him to partake in his hobby and keep it hidden. Night Gardening, as he's taken to calling it, also occupies the time that he would otherwise spend drinking and lamenting his regrets in life.
"Really? Gardening at night to avoid the sun? How much more of a vampire could you be, Vlad? And doesn't this clash with your archetype anyway?"
Speaking of regrets, deactivating his ghost shield after striking a truce agreement with Phantom is quickly coming back to haunt him.
Vlad sighs and cringes inwardly, brushing bits of dirt off his gloves. Of course, the one person who would actively make fun of his hobby is not bound by human barriers. Case in point, said thorn in his side is currently hovering in the air a couple of meters above Vlad. As usual looking like a smarmy jackass in his silly superhero costume.
It hasn't changed much since the boy was fourteen and freshly half-dead. His white gloves, boots, belt and collar stand out boldly against the dark sky. The rest of his black jumpsuit blends into the night like a starless void. Only the subtle white glow surrounding his body indicates his outline. White hair and piercing neon green eyes glow against his tan complexion completing the look.
The main difference in his look these days is not in the design, but the wearer himself. That skin-tight bodysuit shows off his hard-won muscles and the tall stature he inherited from his father. The figure of a warrior. Vlad takes an ounce of pride in knowing he helped shape the young man into what he is now. Albeit through… antagonistic means.
"You know the sun doesn't bother me, Daniel," Vlad calls back. "This is just more convenient for my work schedule. Besides, it's not like you live up to your namesake either."
Daniel tilts his head like a confused dog, "Pretty sure I'm doing the whole Phantom thing fairly well." He gestures to his glowing, floating person.
Vlad grins up at him.
"Is that so? Tell me, little badger, do you even know how to dig?"
That gets a reaction. Phantom pouts upon hearing his old nickname, crossing his arms like a petulant child. He drops down to hover at eye level. Vlad smirks deviously.
They both know dear Danny Phantom can never ignore a challenge.
"Fine," Daniel huffs, transforming out of his ghost persona with a flash of light and into Danny Fenton, "How hard could it be?"
The young man only drops a few inches onto the ground, practically the same height as Vlad now. A significant increase from when they first met and Daniel was barely up to his chest. How the years have flown by.
Daniel's dishevelled dark hair absorbs light the same way his costume does. Tired, glacial blue eyes peer out from under his fringe. His torn, baggy jeans and long-sleeved shirt scream small town stoner more so than small town hero. Admittedly it is a good disguise. Though it's due more to Daniel's lack of class than genuine forethought.
He eyes Vlad suspiciously.
Keen to exploit Daniel's competitive nature Vlad points him towards a tall patch of weeds to pull near his compost bin that he's been putting off. The younger halfa makes a face at the weeds. Vlad raises a questioning eyebrow at his hesitation.
"What? Foraging outside of your forte, badger? I thought I'd start you off on something easy"
Daniel caves, rolling his eyes as he rolls up his sleeves.
"You're lucky it's a slow night and I literally have nothing better to do."
"Whatever you say, badger."
Somewhat surprisingly they settle into silence working together. Vlad nearly forgets that he has company. He was half expecting Danny to joke and complain throughout the whole ordeal, or at the very least make his presence more obnoxiously known. Perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising that Danny is taking this new challenge as seriously as any other. If nothing else he has always proven himself to be a dedicated worker.
With their half ghost strength, battle hardened hands, and the damp night soil, it makes for easy work weeding. The two quickly build a decent sized pile of plant matter each. Vlad occasionally notices Daniel eyeing the size of Vlad's pile in comparison to his own.
Daniel eventually breaks the silence.
"This is actually kinda fun."
Vlad snorts, "I wouldn't quite use 'fun' to describe manual labour with you, Daniel. But your presence is certainly more tolerable like this. And the extra pair of hands is appreciated."
"Pfft, wow, I feel sooo appreciated."
Vlad expects more jibing or puns but they seamlessly lapse back into quiet cooperation.
After clearing their designated sections Danny helps Vlad carry their piles of weeds over to a small, stout brick building closer to the main house which Vlad reveals to be an incinerator. He idly notes how Danny seems fascinated by its existence. They remain peacefully quiet as Vlad safely burns the plants. No quips, insults or attacks between them. Just cool spring air, the soft crackle of burning plant matter, and natural sounds of nightlife. Even occasionally the distant sounds of Amity. It's… pleasant.
"Hey,"
"Hmm?" Vlad hums noncommittally.
"Do you, um, do you want help with your garden again sometime?" Danny asks, sounding uncharacteristically subdued.
Vlad glances over his shoulder. Danny stands casually a few paces away, hands in pockets and gazing up at the stars. If he weren't trying so hard to project an image of calmness Vlad would think the young man almost seemed distracted.
"Oh? I didn't take you for much of an outdoors type of person."
"I'm not. It's just, this was nice. Weird, but… nice."
"I suppose it was," Vlad replied honestly. And isn't that the biggest surprise of the night? Sharing his garden with someone else, albeit somewhat against his will, wasn't awful.
Baiting Danny into doing his dirty work has historically always come back to bite Vlad in the ass. Although the stakes are usually much higher. It felt good to work with someone. Almost akin to when he would aid Phantom against a particularly nasty opponent. Maybe...
"If you still feel up to it in a week I'll think of something for you to help me with," Vlad blurts before he can think better of it.
He almost instantly regrets his outburst. Idiot, he shouldn't be willingly offering up what little private time he has! But the way Danny looks at him with poorly concealed excitement when he hears Vlad's impulsive offer chases away his doubts.
Oh well, maybe this can be another secret they share.