Mostly Danny Phantom with a mix of other superhero stuff thrown in. If you ever see a seemingly random post... yeah I queued it on the wrong blog and couldn't be bothered to remove it oops
When they say that youâll have the best time in college, they are lying. Donât ask what is my major or what Iâll do in the future, the future is so dark it made me look whiteâŠ..
Anyway I just wanted to get rid of this draft for a while now, so donât get your hopes on this oneâŠ.
âŠ.
Danny had asked Clockwork about it once, expecting some big cryptic reveal. Maybe heâd glow like a neon sign, or sprout extra eyeballs, or at least hear ominous whispering every time he walked into a room.
Yâknowâthe standard pack of cosmic horror perks.
Instead? Nothing. Nada. Still the same kid who occasionally put Pop-Tarts in the toaster with the wrapper still on. Apparently, having the title of being the âCornerstone of All Realityâ didnât come with a manual, benefits, or even dental.
His rogues hadnât noticed anything either. Skulker still insisted he was the âmost valuable prey in all dimensions!â which, like, okay buddy, but Danny was 90% sure that was code for âyou annoy me the most.â
Technus kept calling his toaster a âbeautiful childâ and kept on trying to unionize Dannyâs appliances. Ember wouldnât stop leaving flaming emojis on the Amity Parkâs only Insta posts.
Still getting blamed for the lab explosions he definitely only partially caused. Honestly, being the cornerstone of the multiverse hadnât even gotten him a discount at Nasty Burger.
Meanwhile, back at home, the universe had taken a sharp left turn into sitcom territory. Apparently his parents had finally accepted that love was love, and now Jack, Maddie, and Vlad were in a committed throuple.
Yes. Vlad.
As in: âI'm going to destroy your father and take your mother!â Vlad.
Now relaxed, soft-smiling, occasionally bringing a bundt cake Vlad. Apparently, the decades-long hate boner was just deep-seated sexual tension wrapped in rich guy melodrama. Who knew? Certainly not Danny, who was still trying to mentally bleach the time he walked in on them watching âThe Notebookâ and crying into each otherâs arms.
Oh, and Dani and Dan? Yeah, forcibly adopted. Because if there was one thing Fentons did best besides breaking the laws of life and afterlife, it was forming chaotic, emotionally intense found-family units. Dan, who once tried to burn the timeline to the ground, now had Danny on his personal âpeople to protect and die forâ list, somewhere between Dani and a very specific brand of chili dogs.
Life, if it could still be called that, was absurd.
And then it got worse.
âŠ
It started on a Tuesday. Because of course it did. Tuesdays are always cursed.
Danny was supposed to pick up food for the horde of semi-feral ghost kids of a siblings, because apparently when your parents are in their ânewlywed honeymoon phaseâ they forget food is a necessity. He was halfway to Nasty Burger, debating if he could justify an extra order of fries âfor science,â when a Batarang nearly skewered his foot.
His brain short-circuited for a full second.
Option A: Gotham tourist with bad aim.
Option B: Batman just tried to assassinate him.
Option C: He was hallucinating from onion ring withdrawal.
Before he could pick one, he noticed the Batman. Except this one looked like heâd crawled out of Hot Topic, bought the entire store, and then decided murder was a viable aesthetic. Armor blacker than black, eyes glowing red, the whole âbad life choicesâ starter pack.
Then another Batman showed up. A different Batman. And Danny thoughtâoh, great. Limited edition Batmans. Collect all twelve.
And suddenly he was airborne. Batman #2 had scooped him up like he was the worldâs worst football. Then another hero snatched him away. Then a weird looking hero tried to snatch him back. And suddenly Danny was being passed around like he was the universeâs least popular party favor.
It was like Hot Potato, except he was the potato, and all the players had capes.
Somewhere in the chaos, Danny had one clear thought: if I die again before I get my burger, Iâm haunting the multiverse.
âŠ
A DAY BEFORE
A sudden portal ripped itself open in the middle of the Watchtower, humming with eerie precision. It wasnât messy, jagged, or threateningâit was clean. Too clean. The kind of portal that made even Batman tense, because nothing in their experience was ever this polite.
From the rift stepped Lex Luthor. Or at least⊠a Lex Luthor. He was older, hair still nowhere to be found, but instead of the usual smug sneer and ironed-on malice, this one looked almost⊠heroic. His armor gleamed gold, the design regal and streamlined, practically radiating âParagon of the Peopleâ energy. His hands were raised high in the universal âI come in peaceâ pose.
The League braced anyway. Theyâd seen alternate Luthors beforeâconquerors, sorcerers, mad scientists whoâd eaten entire timelines just because they could. So when this one calmly asked for an audience, they granted it with suspicion sharp enough to cut.
And then he spoke.
According to him, his dimension had collapsed. Not to entropy, not to war, but because the villain versions of the Justice League had found out a secret that shook even him. Somewhere in the infinite weave of dimensions, there was a focal point. A keystone. A single existence that anchored every universe and every timeline. Remove it, and all of reality would unravel like yarn in a blender.
At first, the League braced to defend Earth. That was usually the answer, right? The planet was always the big target. But Golden-Luthor shook his head with calm finality. No. It wasnât the planet. Not even the Watchtower.
It was a teenager.
With a flick of his wrist, a holographic projection spun to life. The League leaned forward as the image sharpened. Black hair. Bright blue eyes. A slightly oversized white t-shirt. The boy in the picture was squinting at something off-screenâlikely a raccoon, because he was holding a Nasty Burger bag like it was his last lifeline.
Lexâs voice was grave when he said the name: Danny Fenton.
If Danny had been in the room, his internal monologue wouldâve been something along the lines of:
Wow, great, I finally get interdimensional recognition and itâs for âexisting.â Whereâs my trophy? Or at least free food coupons?
Did he have to use that picture? Really? Out of every photo across infinite realities, we went with âDanny vs. Trash Panda: Dawn of Friesâ?
Fantastic. Iâm the multiverseâs duct tape. Someone slap that on my gravestone.
The League, however, didnât laugh. Not when the stakes were the literal collapse of existence. They looked at the boy on the hologramâthe keystone of creationâand realized that everything now hinged on protecting one random, awkward teen from Amity Park.
âŠ.
PS: If someone out there wants to continue or make a fic about this you are free to do so, donât forget to tag me though.
This would probably go a lot smoother if the heroes would pause and actually explain to Danny what's going on. Like, Danny is not actually helpless. A bit oblivious, sure. But when he knows he's in a fight, he's actually pretty dang powerful. Not to mention his several powerful allies and his . . . enthusiastic parental figures.
Point is, between the Justice League and everyone else who already had vested interest in Danny's life/afterlife; they could surely come up with a better solution here than Justice League tries to be somehow better, faster, smarter than their alternate counterparts. But Danny can only call in those reinforcements if these heroes stop for 30 seconds and give him a chance.
I'm imagining that Danny just kind of lets the JL "protect" him for a bit, Danny's pretty easy going and isn't going to put in effort he doesn't need to. He'd let them drag him around for a while all "This too may as well happen" until eventually something happens. (In the middle of it there's this miscommunication where they think Dan is one of the people trying to destroy Danny when he's actually trying to get the little twerp back. Dan: I've killed you before I'll kill you again. JL: Not a chance! Danny: *Sigh* Dan, we've talked about this.)
Eventually though something happens. Either 1. Danny gets gravely injured and shrugs it off 2. he gets sick of this and transforms to go punch whatever latest big bad is on their tail or 3. he gets bored at whatever "super secret utlra safe" location they've squirreled him away in and he just walks out. Through the wall.
I was just thinking about how for the JL its a survival horror while Danny's had Yakity Sax on loop in his head since this started but I just realized what's really going on:
Danny just became the worst ever NPC escort mission
He acts like he takes no damage. He has no run cycle, only a walk cycle. He does not shut up. Ever. Easily distracted and wanders off if the Leaguers take their eyes off him for half a second. Just the worst.
And the BEST part is after allllllllllll that, after the JL finishes this escort mission from hell, they find out it was an optional side quest (as in Danny knows he's the lynch pin and is damn near indestructible).
AKA "Jason stumbles upon DILF!Danny threatening Vlad at a charity ball. He kinda-sorta falls in love (and his kid is pretty cool, too)." Dead on Main pre-slash prompt!
To say Jason hates attending charity galas is an understatement. Unfortunately, ever since he legally came back from the dead and took a position at the Martha Wayne Foundation as an social outreach coordinator, it's mandatory. (At least attendees tend to take one look at the infamous white streak in his hair and steer clear of him. It's an open secret that Red Hood is Jason Todd-Wayne, if only because it's too inconvenient to dye his hair.)
That's why it's so surprising when someone - a little someone - slams into the back of his knees with a childish shout of, "Hey, mister!"
It's a little girl (maybe 10-ish?) with white-blond hair pleated into a messy braid, big watery blue eyes, and a death-grip on his dress pants. "C'mon! C'mon!" She yanks at him until he acquiesces and stumbles toward one of the hallways. Maybe she needs help finding the bathroom?
"This creep wants to kidnap me!"
Ah, fuck. Jason really, really hopes he won't have to go Red Hood at the Wayne gala. (He will if he finds out there's a creep gunning for children, though. He's sure Bruce won't mind too much. Probably.)
"Hold on," Jason tugs them to a stop and kneels down to eye-level. Her expression contorts into an angry pout. He keeps his voice calm and low like he does when speaking with the street kids. "Kid, who wants to kidnap you? Where's your mom and dad?"
The kid rolls her eyes like he's stupid, which... okay, that's kinda funny. He presses his lips together to stop the instinctual twitch of a smile. Be serious, Jason.
"I don't have a mom. My dad's here. I went to get some lemonade and the fruitloop kept tryin' to get me to go with him! But he's creepy and doesn't have my toothpaste!"
Okay, unpacking the toothpaste comment later. "Who's your dad? We'll find him and I'll take care of the... fruitloop." Jason holds out his hand, letting her choose to unclench his pants and instead hold his hand. She eyes him critically before huffing a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes so hard her little head goes wobbling with it, and clasps his hand. This time, Jason doesn't stop himself from a little smile. She's definitely a snarky little kid.
"My dad's Danny Fenton 'an I'm Ellie." Ellie pauses before squinting at him, asking, "An' who're you?"
"Jason Todd-Wayne. Let's go find your dad, kid."
It turns out finding Mr. Fenton was easier than expected since Ellie was actually bringing him to her father to "help beat up the creep". ("Why didn't you just say that, kid?" "Hey, you're the one who questioned me! What are you, a cop?") What Jason doesn't expect is seeing a well-built man in a fitted dark suit, white-blond hair slicked back into a side part, and small silver galaxy piercings. It takes a second to realize the man is pinning an older man to the wall, growling with such a deep baritone that it practically vibrates in Jason's bones.
"-carve your core out of your goddamn corpse, Vlad. Where. Is. My. Daughter?" Mr. Fenton punctuates each word by tightening his grip on the other man's throat, eyes shining a deadly green (Lazarus, acidic and burning, Jason's mind whispers, it makes his gut clench and his palms sweat and his breath stutter). His heart is beating quickly, Mr. Masters opens his mouth, and-
"Dad!" Ellie practically screams. Both men's attention snap to her, answering with a simpering "little badger" and relieved "Ellie!" simultaneously. Mr. Fenton practically flings Mr. Masters to the side with no effort before enveloping Ellie in a bear hug. One she returns with equal fervor. "Dad, I brought a protection spirit to help you!"
Mr. Fenton's eyes snap to Jason and... soften. Slightly. Still intense with the chokehold protectiveness of a father, assessing, but with a sort of empathy that feels too... too much. Too aware, like Mr. Fenton can see straight into Jason's soul and finds kinship there.
"Mr. Wayne-," Mr. Fenton starts.
"Jason Todd-Wayne. Just Jason." He keeps his voice steady and low.
"Danny Fenton. Just Danny, then. Thank you for finding Ellie. I'd thought-," Danny turns to Mr. Masters, squinting and clenching his jaw for a moment. Mr. Masters scoffs and brusquely smooths the wrinkles from his suit collar but wisely doesn't say anything. Danny's eyes find Jason's again. They're almost hypnotic. "Anyways, thank you. You don't know how much it means to me."
"I do," Jason finds himself saying. The weight of his words feels strangely heavy. There's something buzzing and screaming at him, saying this interaction is important, to tread carefully. Like a promise and an acceptance and something other-worldly. He means say something like just doing my civic duty, you're welcome. Instead (to his own stupefaction and befuddlement), he says, "You're my duty."
To which he watches Danny's face immediately go slack with shock, Mr. Master's stifled sputter of outrage, and Ellie giggles. (Jason will never live this down, oh my god.)
(Fortunately, Danny invites him for coffee after the gala. Unfortunately, he also explains he's not quite... entirely human. And neither his Jason. And Jason may have just pledged allegiance to the fucking Ghost King??)
((Also, Jason absolutely puts Vladmir Masters on his kill-on-sight list after Danny explains Vlad is a 'family friend' who often tormented him growing up and occasionally tries to kidnap his daughter. Red Hood may or may not have been sighted in Wisconsin setting a certain millionaire's mansion on fire.))
Ellie was de aged in order to stabilize her and has been living as Danny's daughter since than
It was hard taking care of a 2 year old child as a freshly 17 year old boy(he wasn't even eighteen yet, mind you)
But he'd make it work
It was hard, but he managed it while juggling between part time work, online school and taking care of young Ellie
One day, Ellie just barged into the house with a boy in a tow
The twelve year old girl pulled the boy along into the kitchen where Danny is making lunch for the two of them
The boy looked utterly confused
" Daddy, can we keep him!" She shouted loudly. That's not a request, it's a demand
Danny turned around with a calm expression but was shocked when he saw the boy
THAT'S AN INFANT!
Oh dear....
The boy looked physically 16 but he is not even half a year old yet
That's a literal baby....
Danny lowered the fire, washed his hand and wiped it before walking toward the boy
The boy just stood there, dumbfounded, as Danny cupped his face and turned it left and right
" where did you find him Ellie?"
Ellie hugged Danny's waist and buried her face into it
" was following a bunch of costumed children and then they kinda destroyed a whole laboratory and saved him and he's a clone! Like me! But his DNA donor doesn't want him, so I took him with me!" She told him proudly
Danny sighed fondly " Ellie, I've told you many times not to follow them, it's dangerous"
Danny turned to look at the confused boy who was standing there awkwardly with his face being cupped by Danny's hand
Danny let go of the boy " are you hungry? We're making casserole and beef stew if you want? We also have fudge"
Honestly... The superman's clone(he doesn't have a name yet) didn't know what to do, so he just nodded hesitantly
"great! Let's go eat fudge! Dad's fudge is the best in the world!" Ellie grabs his hand and dragged him into the dining room
And he has been living with them since that day
He means- he do can leave if he wants, he just choose not to
Why would he leave someone who actually loves him? That would be crazy of him since his DNA donor wants nothing to do with him and the other one is crazy megalomaniac
And oh! He also has a name now, it's Conner
Conner Nightingale
And he loves it
Meanwhile the others when superman's clone suddenly disappear:
WHERE DID HE GO!?!?!
Ellie who just picked him up and used flight and invisibility: yay I've now acquired a baby brother, we'll be bestie forever. Let's cause an explosion
Conner : what?
----
The idea of Danny being able to tell someone's actual age is funny to me cuz lol it's just funny
And since superman didn't want Conner, Danny would gladly take him in
It's several months, almost a year, before the heroes finally locate Conner. Even then, it's by pure chance, as one of the Young Justice members happens to spot him while he was at the mall with Ellie and Danny. Their first instinct is to rush over and make sure he's ok, but when they see him smiling, relaxed and getting a playful noogie from the man, they hesitate. He seems HAPPY, but how the hell did he end up with these civilians? WERE they civilians?
Deciding that it was best to do some digging first, they alerted their teammates and started following the "family".
Except Danny noticed their tagalong. He warned his kids and suggested that they go home a bit early today, just until he can determine their tagalong's intentions and whom they're working with. The kids agree (Ellie cause she knows better than to not trust her Dad's instincts and Conner is still adjusting to having freedoms but he trusts Danny's judgement.)
So when the trio turn a corner into a crowd and away from cameras, Danny turns them invisible and leads his kids out to their car, only returning to visibility once they're in the underground garage and next to the car.
The YJ kid meanwhile turns the corner and is EXTREMELY confused and concerned when he doesn't see them anymore.
A search is done, but Danny's careful to keep his kids safe and away from the heroes until he can figure out what they wanted from his son.
And the thing is, Danny resemble superman by a lot, so conner genuinely could past of as his nephew or sibling or someone related to him
The JL told them(YJ) to watch over them and make sure they're not a threat
And time went by but all they see is the family of three behaving like an actual family
Going out together, having fun like an actual family, meet with close relatives or friend and hung out with them
They found out about superman's clone name, which is Conner Nightingale.
They watched as Conner had fun and are truly happy being with them
But then one day, the family of three including three additional people, that is, jasmine Nightingale, Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson, went on a trip somewhere they didn't know exist
It is quite far away from where their home is, it is an open space surrounded with trees and greeneries
They coild see It was a beautiful place through the camera lense
And than they witness it
Conner had snatched the container Danielle was holding and started levitating in the air and the young girl started screaming at him
She chased him
Not by running after him
....But by flying after him...
The girl could fly....
She could fly just like conner
And then Conner snatched Daniel's container, which earned an offended gasp from him
Then he flew after Conner too
The other watched it in delight and laughed at them as if it was a very normal thing that Daniel and his daughter could fly
And what conspiracies theory do you think, they came up with?
Not really, but everyone is convinced he is. He arrived at crime alley around the same time the red hood appeared, he's strong, gets along with the night girls, often gets involved in fights to protect others, and is completely unbothered by death. What really sell it was when someone finally saw him shoot a gun, the guy has a terrific aim.
Sure, no one has seen him take a life, but that's what the vigilantes shit is for, right? So everyone knows this young man is Red Hood, but that's okay, crime alley is good keeping secrets from outsiders.
Danny has no idea everyone thinks this, and is unsure why he has so many hit man's behind his head. He can't even blame this on his ghost side, this men only use human weapons! This is his Fenton luck again, isn't it?
Jason is really interested in meeting who is apparently his civilian ID. Also, kind of worrying to have a civilian carrying his name, seems like a quick way to get the guy kill. Then again, the guy seems to have survived pretty well so far.
I love the trope where Danny becomes the Ghost King, but I was thinking about a phrase I read in a fic some time ago where he says that, as Ghost King, he is the judge, jury, and executioner.
It got me wondering: has there ever been a fic where he was literally the judge of souls?
We know Pariah Dark declared himself Ghost King by force. He conquered the Infinite Realms; he wasnât chosen. So what if the Ghost Zone already had an actual judicial system before Pariah took over? A court responsible for judging newly arrived souls, determining unresolved obligations, deciding whether crimes committed in life still carry over into death, and settling disputes between ghosts.
Then Danny defeats Pariah.
Everyone assumes heâll become the new kingâŠ
âŠonly to discover that the position of âGhost Kingâ doesnât actually exist in any legal sense. Pariah made it up.
What does exist is the highest office in the Realms: the High Judge.
Now heâs the one deciding whether a soul deserves redemption, punishment, reincarnation, or release.
The DC universe eventually finds out.
Maybe the Justice League requests an audience to argue that Constantineâs soul should be considered off-limits because of all the deals heâs made.
Maybe Jason Todd gets summoned to testify after the Joker finally dies, because no one is better qualified to speak on the impact of the Jokerâs crimes.
Maybe a villain tries to exploit a loophole by dying before sentencing, only to discover that earthly justice is no longer the only court with jurisdiction.
Or perhaps Batman is horrified to learn that the final appeal for every soul isnât before a godâŠ
âŠitâs before a twenty-year-old in a black-and-white hazmat suit eating a burger while reading through centuries of case law.
âââââ
If anyone has more ideas for how this premise could play outâIâd love to hear them.
At this point heâs started to get attention from people outside Amity thinking itâs a roleplay twitter with a really elaborate ghost-teenager storyline. He never corrects them.
He sometimes just tweets directly but either it disturbs people how calm he is about his own death, the potential to get ripped apart âmolecule by moleculeâ, near-gods wanting him dead x2âŠor heâs just posting death puns.
Danny who has really bad PTSD and Paranoia brought on by Vlad bugging his house. So when Danny and Jason move in together, and Jason insists on a security system, he gives Danny full control. He lets Danny pick where all the cameras go, and he links them up to Danny's phone so Danny can shut them off to feel safe if he needs to.
Everything goes fine for a while. Danny shuts the cameras down when hes having a bad day, but usually he leaves them and even seems less paranoid about them as time goes on.
But then, Danny finally convinces Jason to let them get a dog. Jason agreed so long as it was small to medium size, so of course that ment they brought home some sort of massive breed that Jason pretty sure is part wolf. Or demon. But Danny insists its a small dog, and won't grow any bigger than 36inches tall, and he looked so happy and in love with the dog that Jason just couldn't say no. At least it was well behaved-
-But after a week or so of having the dog, it started acting weird one morning. Standing the middle of the living room, they barked at the corner of the house repeatedly, not coming for food or water or to play. Finally, Danny checked out what they were looking at, and as he dug around and searched, his body started shaking in fear.
It was a camera. Not one of their, it was more high tech, smaller, and not at all where Danny placed them. Danny threw the camera on the ground, breaking it, before frantically tearing the house apart in search of more, the dog more than happy to help him search. Danny looked and relooked and checked for four hours before finally collapsing in the closet and having a panic attack.
When Jason came home to the house torn apart he freaked out and was relieved to find Danny in the closet with the dog. Though, he was worried that Danny was completely despondent and that his face was stained with tears.
When he finally got him to talk, and tell him about the cameras, Jason was pissed. He had a good idea who planted them, and he was so angry that they caused such a setback.
Jason took Danny and the dog to a hotel, watching with a tense jaw as Danny did a sweep of their room 6 times before laying on the bed and passing out.
Filled with righteous fury, Jason went back to the house, gathered up all the smashed cameras and drove straight to Wayne Manor. It was a shame, Jason hadn't been feeling the pit rage as strongly as of late, and now suddenly it was bubbling all up to a surface, and just when Jason was thinking of trying to reconnect and mabe introducing them to Danny. But now, now he kind of just wanted them all dead for setting Danny back in his healing.
Oh Jason screaming at them til his throat raw, hand twitching towards the hidden gun he forgot to leave behind in his anger.
He storms out without hearing them out, taking Danny away from Gotham for a impromptu road trip, no electronics, car completely checked right in front of Danny right before they leave.
It was Vlad. He finally found a way through Danny's security measures, he just had to use a Meta with density shifting instead of planting the bugs himself.
Vlad had been watching for ages and figured out one of Danny's triggers that caused him to turn all of their security systems off. He deliberately had Danny triggered, then set the Meta boy in there while they were out of the house. He'd told the kid some sob story about trying to get evidence of Danny being abused by his partner, so that they could get him away legally and safely and the other guy put in gaol, and the kids was more than happy to help - it's Gotham, this isn't an uncommon story told about them by outsiders.
Even more luckily for Vlad, Danny and Jason assumed that Jason's air-headed bimbo father had them installed, making the two boys leave the safety of Lady Gotham's city without any sort of electronic device or way to contact the outside world for help.
He has their safe house gassed with knock out gas and the two safely transported back to his castle with none the wiser.
Danny had been hearing about Red Hood for a bit. The latest was a former building manager named Bill who was worried about the vigilante. Danny hovered listening to the other man talk at the graveside. It was then he noticed the other man felt a bit like a citizen of the Infinite Realms already. Not a halfa but not fully alive either. Danny decided that meant Red Hood fell under his protection. Gotham better beware.
Dan is many things. A violent sociopath. A narcissist. A man with good taste in home decor and jazz music. He is not, however, a good parent.
Danny has gotten himself in trouble and is now in a de-aged state. Jazz is currently out of picture and they still need her back. Clockwork says he's working on it but Jazz isn't one to stop a mission when she is halfway there.
Dan doesn't really care though. He is not dealing with a baby. The kid was awful as a teen as is but as a baby he is sickening. He was now a milk sucking, funny smelling, loud mouthedâinfant!
But he has to watch him and take care of him. A hellish punishment. He was one diper blowout away from tossing him into a dumpster.
That's why he had to do it.
He needed the kid gone for a while so when he saw the revenant passing by he shoves the wailing thing off on him and made a run for it.
Look he had a plan. The kid is the current prince so the revenant will be compelled to take care of him. It's just how it works. The guy will do it gladly and Dan can get the kid when this mess blows over.
That's what he thought at least unfortunately Dan is also under the influence to take care of the kid. So when he finally gets some time to himself his brain starts going nuts.
Where is he?Where is my baby?Is he safe?Is he okay?I can't see him.Is he missing?Did someone take him?My baby.My baby.MYBABY!WHEREISMYBABY?!
Logically Dan knows what happened but his instincts is currently baby brained.
He just needs to go back and get him from the Rev and everything will be fine.
Boston Brand, against his better judgement, came to the House of Mystery when John Constantine called.
âGhost Businessâ he said, unhelpfully, when Boston asked. And Boston, nobly, and stupidly, found himself in Johnâs parlor not long later.
John sits him down at a card table (well John sits, he floats) and begins explaining. John seems in good spirits, which is unsettling enough that Boston chooses not to comment on it. Heâs only half listening to Johnâs preamble when a boy who looks like he just woke up shuffles by the parlor door.
Noâ not a boyâ oh shit, heâsâ
âYour Majesty!â Boston floats back, startled stiff. He blinks in disbelief. That aura is nonsensical as it is unmistakableâ that boy, the rumpled teenager in Johnâs hallway, is the High King of Ghosts.
The king looks up at Boston and blinks, slowly. âHmm?â
Deadman freezes. Even though the king appears to have the form of a teenage boy in mismatched pajamas, his presence saturates the room with power. Boston feels the pull of it, tugging at him like gravity. He has to actively keep himself steady above his chair.
âOi Danny, bring us a tea, would you?â John snaps in the kidâs general direction. Deadman stifles a whimper, and thanks his lucky stars that the king didnât vaporize John on the spot. Instead, the boy tilts his head in a lazy nod and shuffles off toward the kitchen.
Deadman might dissolve into a ball of pure nerves. John couldnât be so witless to not know the Ghost King was under his roof. Unlessâ itâs possible the king was purposefully hiding. Powerful things tended to be good at disguising themselves when they wanted to. That seems more likely than the alternativeâ that John knowingly addressed the king like he had an active death wish.
Boston bites his tongue. Was that little outburst enough to reveal the kingâs hidden identity? He doesnât want to imagine what the king might do if he blew his cover.
âSomething the matter, Boston?â John smirks, âYou look like youâve seen a ghost.â
His eyes shift between Constantine and the door the king disappeared through. He really should warn John. As much as he likes to joke that John deserved to go to hell, he truly didnât deserve to be the petty plaything of the King of the Infinite Realms for all eternity.
âJohnâ youââ is all he can manage to clip out before the boy reappears. He slips over to the table with three steaming mugs in hand.
He sets the teas down with a thunk and takes a seat next to John. Boston had heard the king could interact with the physical world in a way that ghosts like him couldnât, but seeing it for himself makes him twist with jealousy. The third mug of tea on the tableâthe one Boston would not be able to pick upâ is a taunting reminder.
âThanks, mate.â John takes a long sip. The king lifts his mug as well, before his attention shifts, finally, to Deadman.
âSo, you must be Boston?â The king pins him with green eyes that glow with all the power of the in between. âJohn told me all about you.â
âHe did?â Bostonâs eyes go wide. He looks to John, who gives half a shrug, and Boston confronts another horrible possibility.
John sold him out.
Ghosts arenât supposed to hang around on the mortal plane, and Boston has certainly overstayed his welcome. It isnât far out of character for John to lure Boston here just to hand him over. Heâs an offering, or a trade of some kind, a bargaining chip for good favor with a very powerful entity. Either way it didnât matter much now. The king was here to collect his truant ass for good, and he could dunk Deadman into the afterlife simple as swatting a fly. Itâd be nearly impossible for Boston to get back.
Pure panic ices through him.
âI promise Iâve done nothing but try to help. I donât belong in the afterlife, pleaseâ Iââ the pleas fall pathetically out of his lips, but he canât bother to protect his pride now. He canât go to the afterlife permanently. Not yet.
âOh, I know what youâve done.â The kingâs lips curl into a smile, hinting at sharp teeth. Deadman considers dissolving. âHonestly, Iâm surprised that you, weak as you are, have done as much good as you have.â
âIâwhat?â
The king sips his tea. âYou only do possession? Really? I guess you have to make do with what youâve got.â
âIâm not sure Iââ Boston frowns. Johnâs shoulders shake, holding back laughter. âItâs not funny, con man, thatâs the King of Ghosts.â
John nods, perfunctory. âThat he is.â
Deadman blanches. âWhatâs he doing in your house?â
The king smirks. âItâs technically sorta my house, at least when itâs in the Infinite Realms.â
âWhat?!â Boston hisses, and Constantine does let out a chuckle then.
Constantine leans back in his chair. âRelax. Danny helped me with a demon problem in Gotham. Heâs staying here for a while.â
âI helped you?â the king side eyes Constantine, grinning. John raises his hands in a gesture of concession.
âDanny?â Deadman practically squeaks, and oh god, did he just call the king by his first name?
âAt your service.â The king- Danny- nods with a mock salute.
Boston opens and closes his mouth, as if that might help make sense of what the hell is going on. âSo youâre⊠not here to drag me back to the afterlife?â
âNope,â Danny replies, popping the p.
Boston puts a hand to his face, mortified, a whirlwind of anxiety still swirling. It seems John still was finding new ways to try to give him an aneurysm.
âI meant it when I said youâve done good work,â the king continues. âYou help people. I canât say the same for most ghosts who try to make a life outside the realms.â
Boston sinks closer to the table, sitting beside them as much as heâs capable. He lets the warmth of the kingâs approval sink into his chest, as well as the relief.
Boston will berate John for the panic he caused later. For now, heâs just glad to have gotten a royal get out of jail free card.
âAh, we talked too much, your teaâs gone a bit cold.â Danny nods at Bostonâs cup, and Boston bites back a bitter retort. But thereâs no mocking edge to Dannyâs face, only a kindness, and a familiar conspiratorial bend.
Boston can see why he and John get along.
He reaches for the cup, just to humor his king, andâ
His fingers close around the mug, solid, real. He can feel the lingering warmth of the tea, the weight of the cup in his hand. Slowly, he lifts it to his lips to sip. It tastes bitter, and sweet.
He looks up at Danny in shock.
âHow?â he whispers.
Danny shrugs. âGhosts have an easier time interacting with the physical world when theyâre around me.â
Boston might cry.
Danny just smiles. âYouâre welcome. Oh, and alsoââ
Danny points over his shoulder to a door on the far wall. The wood of the door is so dark itâs nearly purple. Boston knew it hadnât been there before, because now that itâs here he canât ignore it. It pulls at him even stronger than the king does.
âThatâs yours,â the king explains. âThe House of Mystery agreed to let it stay here so you can have easier passage back and forth to the Realms. Itâs not good for you to stay away for so long.â
Deadman understands the weight of this gift innately. But he canât help the trepidation that tickles at the thought of willingly leaving the living world, even if it isnât permanently.
âThanks. I think.â he says finally.
âItâs nothing.â Danny smiles.
John grins, utterly too pleased with himself. âOh donât look so glum Deadman, youâre still the number one ghost in my heart.â
âFuck you Johnny.â
John just laughs, and so does the king, and Boston, despite himself, joins them.
The door, his door, lingers, an open invitation. Heâll leave that journey for later.
Danny sometimes slips into teacher mode around the league. Sometimes he'll clap and go "1 2 3 eyes on me" when he gets to speak in meetings. The league immediately settles down and listens. When it happens again he clarifies that he's a preschool teacher and was still in teacher mode. The league is now picturing Danny's class as eldritch beings. Danny is a little embarrassed that the clap trick actually worked on the other members of the league
Danny: *on instinct* Alright, everyone, say âbye byeâ to Bruce!
Everyone: *also on instinct* Bye bye, Bruce
Diana and Jâonn: *looking at each other in confusion bc they didnât have a human preschool education* ??
Batman as heâs leaving the JL tower: *expressionlessly waving back* Bye bye.
Tucker: That was a great Comic-Con. I got to meet so many voice actors.
Danny: I know! I underestimated big city cons. I went way over budget.
Sam: How much did you spend?
Danny: four hundred
Sam: FOUR HUNDRED!?
Danny: I'm including the hotel room.
Tucker: Oh thats not too bad.
Danny: Might be easy for you to say. Both of you guys have money to spare. My extracurricular activities make it impossible to keep a steady job. I need a sugar Daddy. Anybody on this escalator want to be my Sugar Daddy?
Jason turning around: Sure
Danny: *Gasp*
Jason: How much you need, gorgeous?
Danny:...I dont know. I was joking.
Jason: If you want, we can go back down the escalator to the con, and I can buy you whatever you want, then you join me for dinner in the nerd theme bar.
Danny dazed: Okay
Sam: What's happening?
Tucker: I think we're witnessing the beginning of a Rom-con.
Sam: While cosplaying Pride and Prejudice?
Jason: Your cosplay was why I noticed you, actually. I always wanted to romance Mr.Darcy.
Danny: And I always found Red Hood really attractive. Your costume is perfect.
Jason: Thank you, gorgeous.
Tim, slightly in front of Jason: And you said this would be a waste of time.
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