𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕳𝖔𝖒𝖊 [√]

Part Seven

It had been a month since Danny agreed to stay with Vlad. The man had been nothing but nice to him, and Danny was enjoying the tiny bit of kindness he was receiving. He hadn't been out fighting ghosts, though, afraid that the ones he trusted would capture him for the big plan they were doing; he knew if they found him, he wouldn't have it in him to fight them. They may have hurt him, but he could never do the same.

He wandered down the mansion's halls, admiring the few pieces of art that Vlad had on his walls. Most of them weren't really of a place or thing; they were just swirls of color that made no sense to Danny, but he guesses they depicted Vlad perfectly. He paused to look at a particular painting that was just a blue star and red, yellow, and gray swirling background. He leaned closer to the painting, trying to figure it out; he reached up to touch it when a voice spoke behind him. "You look with your eyes, not your hands."

Spinning around, Danny looked at Vlad, who stood at the end of the hall, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. "I wasn't going to touch it," Danny lied, and Vlad scoffed, moving off the wall and making his way toward him.

"This painting cost sixty thousand dollars," Vlad told him, and Danny gaped at him.

"Sixty thousand dollars?" he asked incredulously, and Vlad nodded. "I could have a better painting from preschoolers in five seconds!" he exclaimed, and Vlad laughed a little.

"The artist, Huhd Sanit, took four months to complete this painting. He said the red background represented the anger, betrayal, and loneliness he was feeling, and that one blue star represented his lover who came and calmed them all down, making his life better worth living." Vlad explained. "They were his guiding light in those times, like the star of Bethlehem; they led him back home to them because they were his home, where he felt safe and comfortable."

Danny was quiet after that. Maybe he couldn't get better from preschoolers. Danny looked over at Vlad and realized that the man was lost in thought. He looked back at the painting; now, he could see the meaning behind it.

Danny thought maybe Vlad was looking for his guiding star to lead him home. He looked down the hallway where he had come from and then back at Vlad. "Are all these paintings the same?" he asked, pulling the older man out of his thoughts.

"Most of them are, and some I just bought because they look beautiful. This one is my favorite, though," Vlad told him, and Danny nodded.

"It's beautiful," Danny said honestly, and Vlad smiled.

"Danny?" Vlad said, and something in his voice made Danny turn to look at him. "I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tomorrow night?" Vlad asked.

"Dinner?" Danny asked, shocked.

"Yes, little badger. We have been living together for almost a month and have yet to learn anything about each other." Vlad told him, and when Danny thought about it. He had been trying to avoid the other man as much as possible.

"Sure." 

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Word count: 529

Re-published: April 26, 2024, 11 am

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