I've been getting a bit behind because of all the crap at school, but I am now happy to announce I'm pretty much back for good. Or at least a while since finals are coming up. Geez, the fun never stops, does it?

Anyway, this was written for Bao Yu on DeviantArt. Her birthday was a little while ago and I promised her a fanfiction. She asked for Vlad and Jack BFF story...

I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something to write. Jack and Vlad... Jack and Vlad. Honestly, there were days filled with very weird yaoi ideas that made even me want to scream while I ran into the swamp, never to return. But eventually inspiration struck, ironically when I was in the shower and I had to rush out in just a towel, looking for anything to write down the idea so I wouldn't forget it.

Isn't how that always works?

Anyway, here you go. I hope you like it Bao Yu, that you had a most excellent birthday, and that you can forgive me for this thing being so bloody late.

Give It Twenty Years

When Vlad was a young man, he never would have thought that he would hate Jack Fenton. They had been friends since childhood, had shared everything. He could remember when they'd been kids, racing down the road on bikes or trying to smuggle a scientific experiment into one of their rooms while no adults were looking.

Vlad even remembered how hard Jack had worked to get accepted into the same University in a whole other state so they wouldn't be separated. Not that Jack was stupid. Vlad had to admit, he was brilliant really. He was just... easily distracted and had the same carefree attitude since he'd been a kid. But Jack hitting the books and Vlad working with him as hard as he could so they could stay together had been a true testament of how close their friendship had really been.

Then the accident had happened and Vlad had been abandoned. All alone in the hospital just to hear that Jack had married to the girl Vlad himself cared for. He could still remember the boiling hatred that had festered in him, never quite cooling off in the twenty years he had to plot against him. He wanted Jack to suffer, to lose everything just like Vlad had. The bitter halfa never thought that he would forgive Jack.

Which only proved that the universe must have felt the urge to prove him wrong yet again. He could only suppose once wasn't enough for whoever was in charge of all these things.

His relationship with Danny had always been a rocky one. He had so desired the boy as his son, wanted someone to connect with, who could understand him. The problem was Daniel did understand him, all too well. He saw what no one else did, a lonely man who had everything and nothing at the exact same time. It had caused so much grief between them until...

Until somehow, they had fallen in love. The road hadn't been easy and it had caused so many awkward moments between them. Eventually though, it had blossomed into something Vlad cherished more than anything in his whole life. He would have done anything to make the younger man happy.

That had included telling Maddie and Jack about the two of them, though it had taken a bit of convincing from Daniel. And by convincing he meant a week long drought of not seeing the boy while he pouted at home. Honestly, Vlad was surprised he even been able to last that long.

It had been embarrassing to say the least. Maddie had seemed shocked and Vlad could tell that she was fighting to keep from shooting, and the restraint was purely for Danny's sake. Vlad certainly couldn't blame her. Jack had been surprised too, but whatever reaction Vlad had expected, the man hadn't given it. Instead he had simply stood up and said he was going to the lab to think. He'd grabbed Vlad without even asking and the billionaire had wondered just exactly where he was going to get buried in the backyard.

Surprisingly enough, Jack hadn't been upset. Shocked, yes. It had been rather out of the blue, but it had taken less than ten minutes of talking for the larger man to slap him on the back and say he was happy for him.

Vlad had still hated him back then, but something about being accepted so easily made him pause and wonder about things. While Jack blathered on about how great it all was, e could only sit there in silence before he found himself asking an almost forced question.

"You're happy I'm with your son?"

"Of course V-man. Well, it's a bit odd, but hey, who could I trust to take better care of my son than my best friend?"

The words had stung, not that Jack had known it. If only he had known about Vlad, he never would have said something so trusting, so innocent.

And so Vlad started to see him in a different light. Honestly, he didn't want to. He wanted to just hate the man in peace instead of having to admit that for so long the grudge had been pointless. But it seemed he was a better man than what he thought, than what he even desired to be.

He'd allowed himself to talk to the man again, to stop making insults about him to Danny, which his lover more than appreciated, and to actually think back on the days when they had been close. It wasn't instantaneous. There was no sudden moment when he saw the light and rushed to Jack to confess everything and beg forgiveness. Yet it still surprised him one day when he realized that they were friends again. Granted, Jack had never known they weren't friends, but that was besides the point. After so many years, he'd gotten back what he lost and found he didn't want to lose it again.

Even then though, Jack could really push it at times.

"Jack please, you know this isn't really necessary," Vlad tried to reason with him as he was practically drug down the street. A small mantra of, 'Don't blast him. Don't blast him. Don't blast him,' going through his head.

"Nonsense Vladdy," Jack replied, his usually enthusiasm running rampant. Then again, when did it not? "Come on, every guy needs a bachelor party!"

A bachelor party. Honestly, it had not added into Vlad's calculations when he had proposed to Danny. It should have though. It really, really, really should have. How could he have not thought that his friend would want to celebrate? And of course, there was just no reasoning with him once he had his mind set on something.

And when Vlad was pushed inside of exactly where Jack thought it would be appropriate to celebrate, he thought for the first time in his life that revealing himself as Plasmius would be appropriate, if only it meant escaping from the situation. He knew that Jack was a bit senseless at times, but... a male strip club?!

"Jack, I am not doing this," he said flatly, his arms crossed determinedly.

"Oh come on man, it's a bachelor party," he said. "You need one. Besides, don't you think Danny is going to do the same?"

Vlad bristled. The boy had better not, unless he wanted a mass genocide of all the strippers in Amity Park. He was willing to take them all out to find the one who dared touch his lover.

In his jealous musings, he didn't notice Jack grab him before he was suddenly being yanked to a table and his friend was enthusiastically waving his arm for some drinks. He wondered if he could explain to Jack that he wasn't gay and he just loved Danny as the exception to the rule.

Sadly, he didn't see it working. So instead he just bowed his head low and hoped to god no one realized just who the hell he was. The place was a little dark aside from the flashing lights, so it was hard to make out any details of the place or who was in it. It made him wonder if it was a bit intentional, if he was not the only one in here who didn't want to be known?

"So, married huh?" Jack as when their drinks arrived. "Nervous any?"

"Jack, are we really going to do this?" he asked with a sigh.

The man looked a little disappointed and his face drooped into a pout. Vlad tried to ignore it, but it proved a little too hard. The man sulked well for one his size. It reminded him of Skulker actually.

He shuddered. He'd forgotten that one had a surprise planed for him as well. He swore if he had to sit through ghosts stripping he was going to take great pleasure in destroying every single mechanical suit that ghost had.

Why he spent time with people like this was beyond him.

Noting Jack was still pouting at him (Vlad was beginning to think he was doing it on purpose), he sighed and shook his head.

"Fine," he said. "Honestly? No, I'm not nervous."

"Really?" he asked. "Not at all?"

"Jack, I love Daniel more than anything," he answered. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to be married, have companionship. I'm going to fulfill that need. How could I be afraid?"

"Yeah, you always were kinda dependent on others," Jack mused.

"What?" he asked, an eyebrow raised in irritation.

"Just that you seemed so lonely at times," Jack said, not seeming to notice his friends sour expression. He never did. "I remember when we were kids. You were at your best with other people and you always looked so down when you were alone. Heck, one of the reasons we're such good friends is I know how much I really meant to you, and I always tried showing you I felt the same."

"I doubt anyone would have thought that besides for you," Vlad said. "You always were the more obvious one about your feelings."

"Ah, I could tell," Jack replied with a smile. "You had tells. I still remember when we met in the fourth grade, Miss Ruebert's class. You looked so down. You remember that Vladdy?"

"How could I not," Vlad said and found himself smiling. "That was... so long ago. Seems lifetimes since then."

"But I still can't believe you're not nervous," Jack said, steering the conversation back to it's original course. "Come on. You're getting married. You're not scared at all?"

"No Jack," Vlad said. "Not in the slightest."

"I was," Jack confessed.

"What?" Vlad asked, not sure he was hearing him right. "You were scared about your wedding to Maddie?"

"Well of course I was. Who wouldn't have been?" Jack asked. "I love Maddie more and more with each passing year, but it was still scary back then. I mean, it's marriage. Even when you know you're perfect for each other, you can't help but feel nervous."

"She was the perfect one in the relationship," Vlad murmured.

"Hm?" Jack asked, probably not hearing him over the music.

"Nothing," Vlad said casually. "Have a drink Jack."

The hours were passed like that, talking and drinking. Beers turned into rum, rum turned into vodka, vodka turned into shots. He didn't have nearly as much, knowing one of them had to be responsible, so nothing stopped Jack from going all out. Despite his earlier misgivings though, he stopped caring that where they were or the fact that this bachelor party was no where near the day before he was getting married. It was fun. He couldn't remember the last time the two of them had had true fun together. It was as if the years had melted away and they were just young men again.

He didn't even mind when Jack went off to stuff money down the stripper's drawers. Well, he never had been capable of hating anyone. Why would he be homophobic? He just sat there, musing about how funny life was and how much of a better man that Jack was.

Eventually the bar closed, and Vlad found himself outside, Jack practically hanging off of him as they stumbled back to Fenton works. Vlad was sure there was nothing left in his wallet. It had all gone to drinks and half naked men. Seemed Jack really could persuade him to do anything, include convince him to lend him cash to pay for such things.

"Come on, they work hard, even if they're not my type."

Honestly, just how open could one man be? Still, it was the same openness that had allowed him to be with Danny in the first place, so how much could he really complain?

"V-man," Jack hummed happily as they made their way back to his home. "Yoo know I... lurv yoo... right? Yur... a bwodder to meeee..."

"Yes Jack, I know," Vlad answered as he helped him along.

"Act- actu... Well, aint you weally my... son now?"

Vlad grimaced. Jack as his father-in-law? Yet another thing that had not entered into his calculations. Just how blindly in love with Danny was he?

"Jack, if you value out friendship, you will never call me that again," he stated coldly. He got a overenthusiastic nod and very happy smile and supposed it was good enough. "The things I put up with."

The walk continued, as did Jack's babbling. Vlad wished he had some cash left to hail a cab, but as it was, he was stuck. Granted, he could have called his limo, but he really didn't want anyone who worked for him knowing what he had been roped into.

"Vlad?"

"Yes Jack?" he groaned in annoyance. He could see Fenton works. Soon he'd be free to escape and pin down Danny. The boy was going to pay for his father's actions, whether he liked it or not.

However, all his thoughts of a sweaty and moaning young man who needed him and only him was quickly shattered when lips were suddenly pressed crudely against his forehead. He staggered back, realizing his friends and staring at him, utterly... He didn't even think there was a word strong enough to express his feelings.

"What was that for?!" he yelled at him.

"Don' dads kish de... bride?" Jack asked with a warm smile before promptly falling over onto his face.

Vlad stared at him for a second before growling and stalking up the rest of the way to Jack's home and wrenched the door open.

"Vlad?" Maddie asked from the living room where she and her two children were and stood up at seeing his expression. "What's wrong? Where's Jack?"

"Your," Stupid, moronic, foolish, idiotic, senile... None of the words would be well received by his former love. He took a deep breath and started again, trying to stay calm "Your husband passed out. I couldn't drag him the rest of the way."

"Oh dear. Come on Jazz," she said and left, her daughter following and not seeming too pleased about it.

Vlad saw Danny watching him and he scowled, not even in the mood for sex anymore.

"Vlad, are you okay?" he asked as he approached him slowly.

"No boy," he hissed. "I'm not."

"Woah, cool it," Danny said. "You're eyes are going red. What happened?"

"Your father... kissed me." He felt dirty even saying it.

Danny looked a little green. Vlad didn't blame him.

"Uh... did he use tongue?" he asked, sounding like he didn't want to know.

"What?" Vlad asked, shocked. "No! He kissed my forehead!"

"Oh. Well, that's not so bad. Uh... not as bad," he corrected himself. "I mean, it could have been worse. But... uh, why'd he kiss you in the first place?"

"Aside from the fact that he's drunk out of his mind, you mean?" Vlad asked icily. "Well, apparently he wanted to follow the tradition of the father-in-law kissing the bride. Seems to fit, after all, he took me out to a bachelor party only hours after he found out we were engaged. Why would he wait for the wedding or consider the fact that I would rather be kissed by an Observant than him?"

Danny snickered despite the rage on his lover's face and Vlad glared at him.

"What?"

"Dad thinks you're the bride?" he asked. "Better get a dress then."

"Daniel, I'm warning you."

"You're the girl, you're the girl," he teased anyway, proving that for a young man, he still had the maturity of a child in preschool.

"For as long as I live, I will never forgive your idiot father," he hissed angrily. He really wanted to destroy something all of a sudden.

"Oh sure you will," Danny said. "It's not that big of a deal."

Vlad sighed, realizing Danny was probably right, that he would eventually forgive him, even if wanted to be stubborn about it. It would probably just take a while.

Twenty odd years would probably do it.

End

Hee. I can't tell you how much this made me giggle. It was immensely enjoyable despite how long it took me to think up a plot. Granted it is a bit on the short side, but I hope you'll forgive me for it.

Also, it's not as funny as I would have liked it. Never been good at the "curling up on the floor and holding your stomach while you roll around laughing" kind of humor. I'm better at the witty, snarky kind of stuff. Luckily, it seems to fit Vlad, if not Jack. Did my best to balance it all out and still make it a sort of "Aww" story.

Bao Yu, I hope you liked it and I hope everyone else did too. In any case, please everyone, leave a review to tell me your thoughts on it.