What a serious title, my god. But if I knew how to name things, my dog and cat would have better names. This is very long, it's like 15,508 words not counting my very long comments.
Jason's terrible self-esteem, the Batfamily ruining Jason in a new way, Duke isn't happy, Danny is the Batfamily's karma. Something like a/b/o? Or a soulmate bond? I don't know how to explain it. Canon exists to be ignored. My stupid English translator and I against the world.
Okay, head me out, Jason's romantic interests are always, uh… they don't end well (?) We can't entirely blame the poor guy; he gets killed at 15. It's not like he had time for romance even before that, and it's not like he had the best role models to know what to do. But this is more about the Batfamily; they're meddlesome and try to "protect" their son/brother… ruining all of Jason's romantic relationships.
Roy? Dick barely noticed that the archer's eyes were looking at his little brother differently, and well, that tentative relationship went down the drain.
Kyle? Bruce and Tim noticed how he acted around Jason and simply scared him, ruining the romance Jason thought would blossom.
Rose Wilson? Scaring Slade Wilson's daughter isn't easy, but Cass wasn't going to let something like that happen. Rose was a very bad influence on her little brother. Yes, she wasn't going to let her near her family, even if her intentions were good.
Slade Wilson? Leaving aside the fact that Slade seemed to have an interest in Jason, who could be his son given his age, and that he didn't seem to care that his own daughter was interested in the same boy—as if it were totally normal for father and daughter to be rivals in love and both seem to be okay with it—yes, no, never. Luckily, Jason never realized that Slade was flirting with him. That's why they have to protect him! He didn't even notice the mercenary's obvious flirting!It was a real family effort to scare Slade away from the idea of even looking at Jason. They were all disgusted and furious.
Kori? Yeah, that was a bit more difficult in the sense that they had to explain that it wasn't a good idea. Then Jason, Roy, and she went off somewhere. When they returned, Roy and she decided to give their relationship another try, so that settled things.
Black Mask apparently couldn't decide if he hated Red Hood with a passion or wanted to have wild sex (or make love slowly) with him, because he really did apparently have certain photos saved which he used for disgusting and nefarious purposes. When they had the chance, they all hit the guy a little harder than usual. Perhaps the worst part is that he had one of the leather jackets he used as a mock boyfriend sweater, and it was even more disconcerting that Jason had one of Roman's coats. There was a non-romantic story there that made Black Mask fantasize about Jason.
Then there were the civilians. No, that wasn't going to work. Jason couldn't keep his vigilante secret from any civilian for long because he was too emotional. He wouldn't want to lie to his partner like that; that's how romantic he was.They couldn't let Jason get his hopes up, let him drag a civilian into his lifestyle. Barbara was very good at spotting civilians who even managed to ask for Jason's number, let alone get it from him. She wouldn't allow them to go on those dates. It was better not to let that happen, for everyone's sake.
Kon? Tim still suspects that Kon really did. For a moment, a dirty moment, his best friend looked at his brother as if he were a real option, he swears! So Tim made sure his friend really didn't look at Jason with loving eyes. No, that goes against the best friend rules, especially not the brother who once tried to kill you.
Damian did the same with Jon, just in case, and Bruce was glad Clark was married, just in case. Steph, Cass, and Barbara reassured Kara, because she'd said she was impressed by Jason—it's definitely a Kryptonian thing.
Talia and Damian had already made sure that any peasant girl in the League who ever thought about Jason, both during his time in the League and later. Talia wouldn't allow just anyone to date her son—not-son, really; there was no one worthy.It was incredible how almost everyone was so invested in this.
Even Steph could recognize that Jason didn't know how to flirt or, apparently, kiss, based on what she'd gathered one strange night when she and Jason talked. She didn't need that information, but God, she couldn't let Jason go out with just anyone. It was the only thing they could all agree on… until Duke joined the family.
Although Duke had been the last to know, he learned some things through pure gossip, mostly from Tim and Steph, but he usually only found out about other, less relevant details at the very end. Everyone had led turbulent lives; there was no way to catch up on everything. The others forgot that he didn't know, and it didn't occur to him to ask. Being in Gotham during the day allowed him to get away with things in a different way, so it was actually a bit chaotic, and nobody noticed. He did things his way, and nobody complained.
He had his opinions about Red Hood; he was in a gray area because, well, sometimes he was an enemy, other times an ally, and he was like a raccoon. But at least he could say they got along. Red Hood operated at any hour, day or night, as needed. They were both at university, though that last part was a secret; Jason didn't want anyone to know "just in case something went wrong."
Duke sometimes didn't know what to think about Jason because he was the damn Red Hood, and at the same time... he seemed to have an inferiority complex that no one could notice, even though it was so obvious. If Red Hood felt so useless, what did that leave for him? He tried not to think about it.
During school, he noticed it: many people were interested in Jason, but he easily scared them off.It was a bad idea to ask for dating advice; it was bad luck or something, but Jason only talked about how he wasn't good at it because he always ruined everything.
He thought about it for a few days and asked the others, only to discover that it was actually everyone else's fault. All of them, every single one! Even Damian's mother! Everyone was guilty! Damn it! He even tried to find out from other vigilantes, and they were all on the same page! So he was stuck knowing that everyone, seemingly everyone in damn Gotham, was sabotaging Jason's romantic attempts! I didn't know how to tell Jason that, because yes, it was going to be chaos, a real disaster if I told the truth, but I had to tell him the truth! This wasn't right!
Then Daniel Master joined her math class, he was sure he was a meta, there was a silent understanding between them when they looked at each other, sometimes that happens with some people. He was a nice guy.
He was there to witness the exact moment Danny looked at Jason and Jason looked back. Their eyes met for what felt like seconds, but he was sure it felt like an eternity to both of them. That was love at first sight, not just a simple crush, no.
So he had to introduce them, obviously!
Maybe, just maybe, I could help Jason get a boyfriend to make up for not knowing how to tell him what everyone had been doing. He was going to be the matchmaker for this pair. It still depended on them to make it work, but he wasn't going to let anyone else ruin it.
It was love at first sight, well, not really. He felt like he knew Danny from before. A past life? It had to be a past life! It was as if a part of him was finally complete, as if he had found what he was missing, as if he could truly breathe, and Danny was already looking at him as if he loved him, as if he were going to cry because he had found him.
He couldn't afford to ruin it, no, it had to be Danny, it could only be Danny, he wanted to hold on to him, to have their ribs entangled, to be a part of him, he needed him like a drug and he noticed it as soon as they were alone.
Danny was the same, something dark, possessive, and savage. He barely concealed himself in his cold blue eyes when they looked at each other. He felt his knees tremble.
The smile revealed white fangs; he wanted to be bitten by them, he wanted to be devoured by them.
Of course he knew that sometimes cannibalism in literature could be a metaphor for a sick form of love; he had dealt with real cannibals, he saw them as scum, but Danny bit his lower lip with those white teeth, with those fangs that seemed sharp, and he really wanted to offer his neck, his organs, everything to satiate the other boy; he wanted to devour Danny in return.
They couldn't even get that far, no, they barely looked at Duke who seemed very happy to have introduced them and left them alone to go to their next class, they just walked in silence, until they ended up in a broom closet, just a few seconds and they kissed.
He'd never felt anything like it, never such a burning passion that he couldn't resist going after his lover, never so eager or needy. He didn't think for a moment that he was a mess, that he didn't know how to kiss, that he wasn't a good lover. He couldn't think, he didn't even care about the scars, not when Danny bit his neck with those fangs. It felt like soft, melted butter in Danny's hands, cold hands that made him shiver.
He wasn't thinking.
He was taller than Danny, but between hungry kisses, he was the one underneath the other, both crammed into the broom closet.
God, he wanted them to fuck him right there like he was just some random whore, he wanted, no, he needed them to fuck him until he was stupid, not caring if anyone heard them. It wasn't biologically possible, but only stupid, needy thoughts came to him. He was going to defy nature and get pregnant with this man's children.
Suddenly, he realized he wasn't breathing, he blinked, he didn't even gasp for air even though her lips were free and he looked into Danny's bright green eyes.
Not even death can separate us… Of course, life would try, but it would fail too.
They will love each other until infinity becomes finite.
They will love each other until their souls, like embers, are extinguished.
They will love each other until their cold souls melt and evaporate.
Regardless of whether they're from different worlds, regardless of whether one was alive and the other dead.
The dead have thousands of eternities, and they, above all, had time…Because everything is as it should be.
_________________________
It's almost embarrassing every time she looks at Jason and Danny; they're so shy, so awkward together, blushing so easily. That only motivates him to help them be together. He is literally their private messenger; they exchange letters between classes every single day, and he throws one of his secure phones to Danny so he can communicate with Jason. That way, no one will suspect a thing.
He covers for them on their dates; when Jason doesn't answer the other family members, he offers himself as an excuse. It doesn't take long for them to officially start dating.
It's…it's strange to see how young Jason looks when they're on patrol talking about dates, when Jason is the one asking him about normal date activities, the small, trembling smile because he's not used to smiling like that, to laughing, to being…happy? It makes him angry at everyone else; they were taking away opportunities to be happy from the guy they swear is family and claim to love. They take this away from him, and okay, maybe Jason has fallen hard, but no one has tasted his relationship, and he wants to keep it that way.
"What if I left him?"
He blinked, confused, panicked. Jason had just blurted that out of nowhere. “What? Leave who?”
"If I'm Hood, if I finish college, get a job, and stay with Danny," he explains.
"Isn't it a little soon to be thinking about something like that...?" Okay, maybe Jason really is very, very much in love with Danny. It hasn't even been three months!
“I have to keep him with me, Duke, before I ruin him, because I always ruin him and he’ll want to leave me or someone will find out. Nobody wants to hang out with me; he could get someone better.” He wants to beat up all the family members and other vigilantes again! They should see how insecure Jason is because of him!
“You won’t ruin it, dude. Besides, you should be sure if you want to stop being the Hood. It’s for yourself, not for anyone else.”
They remained silent on the rooftop; two hours until nightfall.
“If it were up to me, I’d die in this suit again. It’s not like anyone could quit without some external reason. Just look at Agent A and Oracle,” he complained.
He grimaced. Quitting being a vigilante really seemed impossible…would it be so bad if Jason quit? But… “What about the alley? Could you leave them without regretting it?”
There was no answer. Not when Red Hood was so deeply ingrained in the community. There was no way he could leave.
“I’m tired.”
Of course, he can’t hide Danny from the others for much longer; in fact, he considers that he’s done a good job for almost five months. Tim initially thinks Danny is his love interest, but Danny laughs, denying it.
"No, sorry, I already have a boyfriend. Duke is a great friend! We help each other a lot in our shared classes, and sometimes we hang out outside of class, although he seems very busy."
Tim would buy it if Danny weren't wearing Jason's jacket. Oh my god, that was close! Tim has that fake smile he uses with high society and for people he plans to financially ruin.
“Nice to meet you, but I have to go.” Danny runs off, adjusting his jacket as if nothing had happened. He wishes he could go with him.
“Was that Jason’s jacket?”
“No,” he lies, pretending nothing strange is happening. “I mean, they look similar, but can you even tell the difference? Have you been awake for like, 36 hours?”
“No, I’m sure it was Jason’s jacket,” he insists.
“Jason doesn’t have a monopoly on leather jackets, you’re being weird.”
“Come on, Duke, you should have noticed.”
“Jason doesn’t even go to college.”
“Fine, you know his boyfriend, let’s go find him.”
“You’re being weird, I have class, Tim, see you later.”
“Duke, tell me his boyfriend’s name.”
He doesn’t walk fast enough to lose Tim, but at least he escapes for a few hours.
_______
He knows the bats will come, they'll try to separate them. He doesn't like them one bit; they're toxic. They don't deserve Jason. His Jay is too good, too kind, such a noble and loving being. They don't deserve even a trace of him.
Red Robin is the first one they find, but his cover is perfect, as if he were truly born in that world, with believable traces. His meta registration serves as an excuse for his powers. There are records for Jazz, Ellie, Tucker, Valerie, and Sam, as if they were truly born there, as if they were normal, as if they were truly human. (Especially as if they were still human! Ha!)
No matter what information they look for, they won't find anything strange about them: school records, medical records, online presence—so normal it will offend them.
____________
The meeting started by putting everyone in a bad mood, betrayed by one of their own! Although Duke seemed the most disappointed in all of them and refused to tell them about Daniel.
They were all in the clock tower, even Bruce was there, grumbling.
“There’s nothing suspicious about him,” Barbara blurted out. “He’s just a regular civilian.”
“Nothing? Not even a traffic ticket? Any school reports?” Dick insisted.
“He doesn’t own a car to have a traffic ticket,” Steph countered, rolling her eyes at the older boy.
“He has two high school reports: one for releasing frogs that were going to be used for biology class and another for releasing rabbits. Besides that, a few for being late, and that’s it,” the redhead stated definitively.
“He doesn’t even have a decent fortune to his name, just a commoner.” Damian clicked his tongue, offended, crossing his arms.
“Do we really have everything on him?” Bruce insists
“Daniel Masters, the middle child of Jack and Madeleine Walker, has an older sister named Jasmine who is studying for a PhD at Oxford University. His younger sister, Ellie, is on a gap year in Europe. They were orphaned when Daniel was six; his parents died in a car accident. They were taken in by a family friend, a Russian businessman with newfound wealth named Vladimir Masters, who officially adopted them when Daniel turned ten,” Tim reported, looking at his notes. “He returned to the country to study aerospace engineering. He has good grades and is taking some art courses this semester. He used to share an apartment with Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley until a few months ago. Currently, he lives near Crime Alley in his own apartment. Although he checks his finances, he receives an allowance that could easily have allowed him to move to a better part of town and easily pay for his studies and housing, but no,” he sighed exasperatedly. “He has a dog. He doesn't study at Metropolis because when his metagene awakened, they found a problem with it he has a heart condition, since his intention was to be an astronaut, and now he's studying here as an engineer. He's applied to W.E. for some internships.”
“What kind of meta-power does he have?” Bruce demanded.
“It seems like an overall improvement, some super strength, increased speed, better hearing, smell, and sight, but it doesn't work perfectly. His body is normal, but he could hurt himself if he used his strength, so all that actually just gives him headaches and migraines. That's why he was always exempt from PE. It seems he only does exercises suitable for his heart condition, and as an additional note, he seems to be somewhat immune to the cold,” Tim clarified. “He'd tear his muscles if he tried anything drastic. He has no food allergies, hates Christmas because his parents died on Christmas, has a maternal aunt who didn't want to take care of him and lives in Kansas, likes horror books and movies, and listens to rock, pop, and electronic music according to his Spotify playlists… He's normal, just an average guy, more or less.”
“Ex-partners?” Dick asked, biting his thumb.
“Bisexual, dated three girls and two guys at his high school in Russia. They ended things amicably. No one cheated on anyone; they just got bored or decided to be friends again.”
“He has to have some flaw! He’s too normal and nice! No weird tastes? No dirty secrets? Anything?! He’s so…plain!” Steph protested. There was nothing interesting about him. “Even Bernard is more interesting because he’s a conspiracy theorist!”
“Hey!” Tim protested, but Cass just patted him on the shoulder, amused.
“Even Vlad Masters isn’t weird. Well, he just decided to buy a castle as a mansion. His company is in security. There’s no embezzlement or anything shady. He went to college, met the Walkers, was a best man, hasn’t dated anyone, has a white Angora cat named Princess, likes American football, his father is Russian and his mother is American, they live their retirement lives in Switzerland, and if anything, he seems to be having a romance with his assistant,” Barbara explained. “There’s nothing strange about them except that the Masters' children were orphaned, then they moved to Russia, and Jasmine is doing a PhD from Oxford, Ellie’s touring Europe, and they don't have any metagenes, nothing suspicious, they have a normal online presence, they're normal."
They remained silent, reviewing all the information. The subject was clean; he wasn't even a real threat to Jason because he was much shorter and thinner. He seemed so...bland to them, so ordinary.
"They've been dating for almost six months now. It's obvious they're living together or something, so Jason will eventually reveal himself as a hood." Barbara just sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. There was nothing wrong with him; he was just a nice, ordinary guy.
His only problem was that he was a civilian, but other than that, there was nothing wrong. He seemed less crazy than Bernard, who could be just as chaotic as Tim.
Jason was using a fake name for his studies, so they couldn't present themselves as his family either. Legally reviving him would only draw more attention to him.
The photos uploaded to Instagram by Samantha Manson, where Jason and Danny appeared in the background, looking very affectionate on some outings... to a coffee shop.
He smiled like a schoolgirl, head over heels in love.
"We have to make sure he's a good guy for real," Dick blurted out.
"We'll put him to the test." Cass looked at the photographs; she'd make sure he was real.”
As they suspected, Jason was practically living in the apartment. The front door had a special lock, not a standard one, but it must have been from his adoptive father's company. It was well secured; no one would break in, even though they had gotten in easily. Nice furniture, a kitchen full of Jason's pans—little by little, it was clear that Jason was taking over the place.
There was nothing out of the ordinary: clothes, family photos, good appliances, it was clean, and there were already two toothbrushes in the bathroom. The dog, an apparent cross between an Italian Mastiff and something else they couldn't identify, Cujo, was a bit more difficult to deal with. He didn't allow Bruce, Tim, and Damian to spy on him enough because, well, he was suspicious of three strangers and was barking a lot. He didn't even seem interested in the steak; he was scraping at the door and would soon break it down, no doubt.
They couldn't stay long because there were interior cameras, especially on the living room speaker. Daniel's voice, confused by all the noise his dog was making, made them leave quickly.
Only when they were already outside did the dog decide to eat the steak, and sedating him wasn't an option.
"His dog is very well cared for and fed; he hasn't destroyed the apartment, so he must take him for a walk every day."
"I'm glad you enjoy checking on his dog," Tim said sarcastically, although Damian really seemed annoyed because he couldn't use the dog to prove that Daniel wasn't a good guy.
"Shut up, Drake."
"We'll keep investigating. Barbara will delete the security camera footage. Let's go," Bruce ordered in frustration.
Their next attempt leads them to follow Daniel. They have his class schedule; he's in the astrology club from Tuesday to Thursday. He doesn't seem antisocial, but he's not an extrovert either. They see him talking to several students and then meeting up with Jason. It's worse than they thought; they're terribly in love.
They share a single class, where they spend the whole time holding hands. Then they have a lunch break. Jason takes a lunchbox out of his backpack, and they go to a corner of the campus courtyard. Daniel takes out a sheet, a lamp that looks like a candle, and drinks, and they have their own little picnic, feeding each other, laughing, blushing, and damn, it's so embarrassing to watch them!
Then, of course, they kiss like they'll never see each other again, but they just kiss. They separate, pack their things, Daniel takes the lunchbox, and they part ways reluctantly.
What follows is three hours of class. Daniel stops to buy some things at the store, goes back to his apartment, eats, does some homework, grabs some things in another backpack, and takes the intimidating dog for a walk. At the park, Cujo gets excited, Daniel lets him off the leash, and the dog runs to knock Jason down, licking his face, very happy to see him. The couple spends an hour walking the dog and another playing with him using some dog toys. They return to the apartment very close together. Jason prepares dinner, and they dance together in the living room while it cooks. They kiss more, seemingly promising each other eternal love. Jason gets ready to leave, presumably with some lie about a night job, and it takes them half an hour to say goodbye.
Daniel just does more homework, prepares lunches, cleans the kitchen, showers, and gets ready for bed. Cujo ends up asleep at his owner's feet. Daniel puts on one of Jason's t-shirts and falls asleep.
They are followed for two weeks. Both weeks are almost the same: some days they go to cafes for lunch, they walk the dog together in the afternoon, and Daniel takes him out alone in the morning before going to university. They dance in the living room while dinner cooks more than once a week. Daniel hugs Jason when he returns sometime in the early morning.
It doesn't matter if Jason is badly hurt one of those nights, it doesn't matter if Daniel makes things easier for him, or if Danny's migraines leave him lying down; Jason hugs him in the dark. Of course, they stop spying when they're intimate because they don't need to know about that, which happens quite often—another detail they don't need to know.
Daniel has bought Jason flowers nine out of the fifteen days they've been watching him. Jason has bought him little things for the space Daniel is arranging in the apartment. They still exchange letters even though they literally live together.
Cass approves of Daniel one day when Jason seems stressed about a case that's been going on for a while, more impatient in general, but Daniel just takes his hand and murmurs something that makes Jason blink back tears—an obvious relief in his posture, more love when they look at each other, in silence. Steph proclaims that they can't compete with this guy; he's literally the perfect boyfriend, so she drops the subject.
Tim draws a chart showing how Jason's happiness actually makes him more dangerous, more efficient, more alert, as if every night he leaves that apartment extremely motivated to be more brutal and inflexible about his rules in the alley.
Fifteen days spying on the couple only to find no more excuses for why they shouldn't be together.
"If they don't get married, I'll stop believing in love," Duke says with a smug smile. "They're so cheesy, they should just let them be."
"He's still a civilian," Bruce insists.
"Just like Bernard, but I don't see you pressuring Tim to break up with him," he points out. "And Bernard has a better chance of becoming a villain; he's dating Tim."
"Hey! What does that even mean?" Tim complains.
"Yeah, well, he could do something to prove some of his theories and become a rogue. If he's dating you, it's a possibility."
"You dated me too!" Tim protests
“But I’m dating Cass now, of course I won’t go over to the dark side, my girl will stop me with one disappointed look,” Steph explains. Cass just nods and kisses the blonde on the cheek.
“Besides, Bruce, you don’t have much right to complain about Danny, you dated Damian’s mom,” Duke says, clearly enjoying teasing Bruce, who suddenly seems more tired. “Generally, the only one who can say anything is Cass because Damian doesn’t count.”
“So what about me? I’m dating Cass!”
“But you dated Tim first, Steph.”
“Touche,” the blonde admits, defeated.
“What about Alfred?” Tim objects.
“He dated Bruce’s parents, everyone knows that.”
Duke seemed triumphant, his other siblings agreed with him, and Bruce just covered his face wearily.
Their next tactic is direct confrontation: appearing in front of Daniel to intimidate him, while the other side tries to make Jason reconsider dating a civilian.
At one point, Dick asks why Jason hadn't introduced them sooner, given they've been together for over six months. Duke just rolls his eyes and says that obviously Jason wasn't going to risk them all scaring his boyfriend away; they're not exactly paragons of boundaries and are quite chaotic.
Barbara is the first to try to talk to Jason, only for him to complain that no one was doing anything about Bernard, Tim's history of infidelity, Dick's past discovery, or even mentioning Bruce, who seems to date the most unsuitable person he can find.
Daniel ‘Danny’ Masters has a more handsome face up close, Dick notices. A cute young man, his face has faint freckles, barely visible in the right light, on the bridge of his nose and the upper part of his cheekbones. He's pale, very pale indeed, and his black hair only accentuates this. It's not curly, a bit long, and falls slightly over his forehead. His body is slight, and the oversized red hoodie, which is obviously Jason's, makes him look more comfortable and slim. He's not quite 180 tall, but he must be close, maybe 1.77 if Dick's calculations are correct. His hands are calloused, larger than expected, hands that look used to working. His posture is careless, slightly hunched over. His backpack has many space-related pins and a bisexual flag patch on the side. He's wearing headphones, perhaps noise-canceling due to his powers.
That's precisely why he confronts him, his cold, light blue eyes analyzing him for a few seconds. He stops suddenly, staring intently.
"Hi! " he tries to greet him, putting on his journalistic smile, trying to appear more innocent. Daniel doesn't answer, just looks at him like he's a cockroach. "I know it's very sudden, but I'd like to invite you for coffee. There's one a block away."
"Why are you, Richie Wayne, inviting me for coffee?"
Since he left the city, many had forgotten what he looked like now; only those who were paying attention or those in high society themselves recognized him easily.
"Aren't you curious to know? I promise it's important, and you won't waste your time."
Daniel doesn't seem interested or happy at all. "I'm not interested. I'll be late for work."
"Oh, what do you do for a living?" It was a lie to reject his invitation. A tough guy to convince. Did Jason tell him about them? Daniel doesn't even bother to answer before starting to walk.
"I really have to insist."
"Hey!"
Jason finds them, walking really fast, looking very annoyed, and Daniel smiles. He looks like the lovestruck young man he is. He cuts the distance and simply hugs Jason, who for a moment stops looking annoyed and enjoys the hug. He never seems so happy to see them! He never lets them hug him like that!
"Are you jealous?" Daniel asks, smiling. He seems amused.
“No, I just seemed to be bothering you,” his little brother defends himself, still glaring at him, about to say something, to yell at him, and he's already preparing his response.
“You know I can defend myself, honey,” he says, taking Jason's hand to kiss the back, leaving the taller boy silent. “I could never look at anyone else, not in this life or the next, the way I see you. Everyone else is just a rock.” The words are spoken seriously, as he looks directly into his little brother's eyes, who seems to be gasping for breath. He even blushes and smiles. “Let's go, Starlight, I'm going to be late for work.”
Jason just nods, practically forgetting him for a few seconds, only to turn around once, flip him the bird, glare at him, and Daniel says something again as they walk away.
Well, the mission has successfully failed.
He decides to talk to Jason, because at least it's obvious they know. His brother is in a bad mood when he finds him on the roof.
“Does he know you're Hood?” I didn't want that to be her first question, but surprisingly, Barbara didn't get anything out of him.
"Of course not," he complained. "I told him I worked for Red Hood, not that I was Red Hood."
"And he's okay with that?" A half-truth then, which still makes it bad.
"After we talked about it, he said it wasn't much different from dating a cop or a soldier, which annoyed me, but he wasn't going to clarify anything else."
"What the hell?" he blurted out, confused, a little offended, though he didn't know exactly why.
"I told him I believed what Hood was doing was good for the alley and that I wanted to help. We didn't talk about it anymore, but since he's never met Red Hood, he didn't ask any more questions."
"He makes you happy."
"Wow, what gave him away? What made him not yell at you this afternoon?"
“He literally made you blush and kissed your hand,” he added… Relax "I just miss seeing those expressions on my brother’s face"
Jason took off his helmet, his domino in place, suddenly looking much more serious. “Turn off your communications,” he demanded.
“What? Why?”
“Just do it, you idiot.”
“Okay, okay, fine, off.” For a few seconds they remain silent, he seems to gather his strength, taking a deep breath.
“Listen carefully to this, you’re going to leave him alone. I’m not going to let anything ruin this. I already do enough to keep things from messing up myself without all of you showing up and ruining the best thing that’s happened to me since I crawled out of my damn grave.”
“Isn’t it a bit of an exaggeration to say he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you? Is he just a guy?...”
“Just a guy? Just a guy?! Sure, it’s so easy for you to say that, you’re the fucking Nightwing, you damn Dick Grayson.” He spits out, much more annoyed. “You’ve always been the perfect guy, perfect body, great personality, pretty face, you could date anyone, any civilian, anyone in spandex, man, woman, it doesn’t really matter, everyone would go out with you if you gave them the eye, a great hero, a great leader, a great brother. For you it’s so simple, You're so attractive to everyone."
"It's not as great as you think," he tries to argue, explaining why that popularity is worse than one might imagine.
"I don't know, everyone is extremely attractive, with great personalities. Even Bruce's stupid, boyish personality has him as the most sought-after bachelor for years. You're all like that; you have it easy."
"You're not horrible, Jay."
"Don't be condescending to my face, Dick!" Suddenly, his brother's voice cracks. He tries to catch his breath.
"Jay...?" He tries to approach, but Jason takes a few steps back.
“I found someone who loves me, he really loves me, I can’t ruin it, I can’t let you ruin it, I don’t want you around, no, nobody chooses me and then you decide you want to get to know him, that I should take him to the mansion or some crap like that, no.”
“…Are you…are you worried he’ll leave you for one of us…?” The question tasted bitter on his tongue. Jason just let out a yell as if it hurt so much to hear it out loud.
“Nobody chooses me.”
“That’s not true.”
“You want us to recap everyone? Fine, fine! that’s what we’re going to do so you, you fucking idiot, can try and understand,” he said, more agitated, starting to pace the ceiling. “Catherine could have accepted that rehab I worked so hard to get for her, but no, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Jason,’ so Catherine chose drugs first.”
He didn’t know that. His heart crushed, but he felt paralyzed just watching his brother pace like a caged tiger.
“Barbara said, ‘You’ll never be Dick Grayson.’ Some Titans said, ‘You’ll never be Robin.’ Sheila literally chose to hand me over to the Joker to settle her debt… I liked Roy,” he admitted without looking at him. “I felt like we understood each other, we were best friends, and I thought we could be something, so I tried, but I think I was trying to rush things, forcing everything too much, and I messed it up. I ruined it. It wasn't the same anymore. He kept insisting it wasn't my fault, but it was right when I decided to act that I messed it up.
Suddenly, she felt much worse, her mouth dry, her throat closed. Jason lowered the collar of his suit slightly, revealing the ugly, jagged scar.
“Bruce chose the Joker.”
That single sentence completely crushed him, devastated him as it surely had his brother. It took Jason several breaths, but he knew it was useless. They both knew it was useless.
“Kyle was annoying at first. He thought I wanted to date Donna, but after a while, we started texting again. He was an idiot…but I wanted him to be my idiot.”
“Jay…”
“But we weren’t going to work. Of course, we weren’t going to work. A long-distance relationship is hard enough, and one across planets? I’d only asked if we could see each other more. I asked for more. I was being pushy, so I ruined it. I ruined it because it would also be scandalous. Dating Red Hood would only make things difficult, so what I thought was going so well was actually stupid.”
“I don’t think you’d be missing much…you know, he’s a Green Lantern.”
“Then sometimes people would give me their number, flirt with me, but it’s a joke, it’s always a joke. It never made it to a second date. They seem uncomfortable around me. Sometimes they tell me it was just to laugh with their friends. A dare is always a joke: ‘Who would go out with you? Have you looked in the mirror?’ So I don’t play along anymore. I scare them all off.”
Oh…
They had really been so worried, thinking they were helping, that they couldn’t let just anyone try to date their little wing, and… they actually hurt him more. Jason is too sensitive. He loves fiercely, with such loyalty that, damn it, anyone else would have left Gotham, would have stayed away when Bruce chose the Joker that damn night, and Jason was still there, staying close to them too. Neither of them knew how to let go of people.
And now they were seeing how they had failed him in such a terrible way.
“Even Rose decided I’d be a shitty partner, so messed up, too messed up even for Slade’s daughter. Maybe it was a bad idea, but there were times when I thought it could work… he always ruined it.”
“No, no… Jay…”
“I’m just Batman’s biggest mistake, the Robin who died, the damn Red Hood, Jason Todd who let himself get killed, who couldn’t even stay dead, who no one chooses, who always messes it up. You guys just tolerate me, you never choose me.”
“That’s not true. We love you, we really do.” He tries to get closer, tries to hug his brother. His heart keeps breaking, but his brother pushes him away.
“No, you came here to say I’d be a danger to Danny, that he should leave me for his own good because I’m a danger. That’s what all of you want to do, that’s what Bruce wants to do.”
“It’s not sustainable to lie like that.”
“How long have Tim and Bernard been together? But it’s Tim, the best Robin, the detective, the CEO…” Respected vigilante, socialite, so much so that we can ignore that he's sometimes a damn cheater, it's because I'm me, a ticking time bomb, as Bruce likes to say.”
He became even more discouraged; there wasn't much to say. His only point was that Daniel was a civilian, but that was a very weak argument considering Tim's relationship.
“But you can't hide it forever,” was something he really had to emphasize.
Someday Jason would come back too badly injured or disappear for a few days due to injuries, and he wouldn't be able to hide it. Tim already lied to Bernard too much; the lies had also ruined his relationship with Steph.
“Then I'll just quit.”
“You'll quit when he's already figured out you're Red Hood? When it's too late?”
“No, I'll stop being Red Hood.”
The words surprised him. He was serious. Even with the dominoes in place, he knew she meant it. “He’s just a guy, a civilian, they haven’t been together long, you couldn’t stop being Red Hood, you care too much.”
“But he loves me… every time I come back to our apartment he’s grateful I’m here, grateful I’m alive, he’s grateful every day and he tells me so to my face. He doesn’t think I’m horrible, he even likes my silly white streak in my hair. He doesn’t think I’m a pain, he doesn’t see me as a monster. He calls me by all those cheesy nicknames, he buys me flowers, sometimes he fills the silence so I’m not left with my thoughts, and other times he’s just quiet. He doesn’t question why I haven’t introduced him to my family. I told him I wasn’t very close to you because of some issues, and he never tries to force me to tell him things. He doesn’t like the same books as me, but he’ll listen if I’m talking about anything. He looks at me, Dick, like I’m everything to him. Even when he’s in terrible pain from migraines, he still looks at me like I can cure them. Hell, I don’t even think he cares that I’m Red Hood. He loves me, not that failed Batman wannabe. He loves me.”
"...I don't want you to get hurt."
"At least this way it's not just all of you hurting me, it's not just Bruce proving it was a cosmic mistake that I came back to life."
"I'm grateful you're alive, Jay, I really am."
"Wow, it only took you what, how many years?" he roared. "You guys can never put yourselves in my shoes for even a second. You think it's easy being me, that I exaggerate, that I'm too much, like I asked for all this shit," he complained.
"You're not being fair, Jay," he muttered, hurt.
"I think that part of me stayed in Ethiopia or in that suit hanging in the cave. Am I supposed to come back in perfect condition after dying and dig myself out of my own grave?" Then he started to laugh, not humorously, a bitter laugh.
"What's so funny?" I questioned, annoyed.
“If it had been you, you surely would have done better. If it had been you, everyone would have let it slide. You've killed before, like Tim has killed, like Damian did, but I'm the monster, the black sheep of the family. If you had risen from your own grave, of course you would have done better than me.”
He felt a chill run down his spine. “I'm not perfect, Jason, not even close. Being me isn't easy either.”
“Bruce always compared me to you. He gave me the same haircut. You're his damn golden boy.”
“That's not true.”
“Dickie, you're the only one who's better than Batman. You're bigger than Batman. The only one who's ever been told you're his pride and joy. The original Robin, the true Boy Wonder, a great leader, Robin who became Nightwing, Nightwing, which is his own name. You're not Batman's son, you're the hero Nightwing. You were a better Batman, and the suit became too small for you because you're better. Living in your shadow was a disgusting, and the others have never had to experience it."
"...What do you mean?"
"When I was Robin, you hated me, you hated the street rat they gave your name to. I trained to be a tiny fraction of the great natural acrobat you are. I was never enough for anyone, just a little brat who I tried to keep up with you, Bruce sometimes sought you out until Alfred had to tell him that he obviously couldn't reach your level, he was a malnourished child who wouldn't be able to catch up with your level, Barbara hated me too, it took her a long time to accept me but I will never be Dick Grayson, I will never be Robin, the other heroes and your friends thought the same, some were surprised that I was actually 'a little' competent, at school it was worse because I wasn't nearly as charismatic as you.”
“I didn’t know.”
“It’s not like you cared.”
“I’m a better brother. I really changed. I treated you badly, I was awful. I was just getting used to being a big brother. I thought I had time. I always regretted how I was with you. It hurt so much when you died.”
“Yes, you’re a better big brother. You’re a great big brother to everyone else, but it took you years to try to change for me.” They fell silent, though the noise of the city was so loud. He felt so hurt, his emotions raw. “But your change into being a big brother didn’t even help me. Thanks for not being a jerk to the other kids anymore, but your change doesn’t help me. Thanks for showing you could actually be a great older brother… I wasn’t worth the effort, but I had to die so you could be better. Great.”
“I really want to be your brother. I try. I really do try.”
“But I’m too difficult, no? ” he finished bitterly. “When I died, things changed. You weren’t the standard anymore. Bruce didn’t want you. He didn’t want anyone to be like me. Don’t be like Jason. That’s why he died. Don’t be reckless. Don’t be too emotional. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be Jason Todd, Batman’s biggest mistake.” His voice broke again. “I wasn’t even a good soldier. I was so disappointing that Bruce erased all traces of me. There wasn’t even anything in the Braces Tower, even though I was supposed to be there. It’s always ‘Poor Bruce Wayne, he lost his street rat.’ I always have to be considerate of Bruce and you because of my own death, like If it really had been my fault, as if I had truly brought it on myself, and no, they've never asked me what happened, because that ruins the moral of the story they made of my life. Sheila tricked me, pointed a gun at me, and handed me over to the Joker to settle a debt. She stood there smoking, watching with annoyance as they beat me. I died protecting the woman who was my mother, despite everything, because I believed in what Bruce taught us: every life is precious, every death matters…” He took a deep breath. “What about my life? What about my death? Why do I have to think about your stupid feelings instead of my own about my own death? I can't even graduate from college with my own name. I'm too dangerous, unstable, and stupid to have my damn name back, according to Bruce.”
“…” He didn't know what to say. His wit ran dry, and once again, they fell silent.
Jason calmed down, doing breathing exercises, as if he were more practiced than before; he just looked tired. “So this is what’s going to happen: don’t go near my boyfriend, don’t harass him, leave us alone, all of you leave me alone.”
“You were never going to bring him over for us to meet?”
“If it were up to me, only Duke would know. I would never, ever tell you. I would never let him near you for you to harass, scare, make uncomfortable, or bother him. Don’t look for our apartment, don’t come in, don’t follow us, don’t talk to us, don’t come looking for us at the university. I already have enough stress trying to make sure I don’t mess things up myself without you doing it.”
“…Not even after you graduate?”
“Jason Miller has nothing to do with the Waynes, he has no family. Why would they be there? B decided it would be dangerous for him to come back to life. He has no right to be there; his son is dead.”
“And what about us? What about the rest of us? Even Alfred?”
“…Alfred will always choose Bruce. No matter how much he loves all of us, he’ll always choose Bruce… I asked you to turn off your communications, and you couldn’t even do that… I don’t want you near him.”
He grimaced, thinking she wouldn't notice, and stayed on that roof feeling like the worst person in the world.
“I told you so,” Duke said, looking at them with even more disappointment. “What you did was horrible. Jason thinks everyone he dated dumped him because of something he did, that he was the problem, so his self-esteem is even lower.”
All his brothers looked terrible, truly guilty of what they had done. Bruce and Alfred were two separate cases, seemingly affected in different ways.
“He’s too attached,” Tim muttered, still not entirely convinced.
“Can you blame him? Danny makes all sorts of romantic gestures, for God’s sake, they’re still exchanging letters!” Duke exclaimed, making a dismissive gesture with his hand.
“Nobody’s perfect,” Damian said, though apprehensive.
“Well, he’s not much of a cook, he makes a few things but nothing extravagant, although he does make good desserts. Is he a bit clumsy sometimes? Yes. He’s in poor health, I think his heart condition proves he’s not perfect.”
Everyone grimaced at Duke’s comment, a reminder that ‘Danny’ wasn’t a threat.
“If my mother finds out, she’ll try to do something. She won’t accept a commoner for Todd,” Damian blurted out. “I don’t know how he’s managed to keep it a secret yet.”
“So now we have to defend Danny from the League of Assassins, great,” Tim complained. “Actually, now we have to keep him as safe as possible. Jason’s very attached, if anything what’s wrong with him? He’s going to lose it,” he sighed wearily.
“Good, we’ll keep him safe,” Dick nodded, looking at all his brothers.
Keeping a specific civilian safe should be easy when that civilian isn’t even actively trying to put themselves in danger. Somehow, Jason has managed to keep him hidden from Talia, so it just had to stay that way.
He still wants to threaten Danny with ruin if he hurts his brother.
His start as Robin certainly wasn’t easy; the standard was certainly not to end up like Jason, but it wasn’t like Jason himself made it out to be.
Bruce was a mess who didn’t even want him around. It was a horrible time, but he had to admit that asking the person most affected to think about others wasn’t a good idea.
Steph had been the one who received many of the warnings about not being like Jason; it was messed up that he would also end up badly.
They couldn't put cameras or anything in the apartment; Cujo wouldn't let them. He tried to go back in, but the dog was scraping at the door when he tried to enter through another room. It was a problem that the master bedroom wasn't being used—redundancy intended—as the master bedroom, but as the guest room, which was the first strange thing he noticed the first time.
The room where Jason and Danny slept was the smallest, far from having a window through which it would be safe to enter when Cujo barked at him. The windows remained closed; there was no reason for them to be open if Jason wasn't supposed to be Red Hood.
So he had to ambush Danny as he returned to the apartment. Trying it any other way would only alert Jason.
Just as Dick told them, Danny noticed him first. Luckily, he was able to approach him more easily. He didn't actually complain, but he definitely gave him a dirty look as they walked—not to the apartment, after all. Danny had changed direction.
“Why would you want to talk to me?” I ask. If it weren’t for her annoyed expression, it wouldn’t seem like he was avoiding bringing me home.
“We both know what this is about. I won’t take up much of your time,” he insists with a smile.
“It’s about how your family is very involved in my boyfriend’s life, and no, I don’t really know what you want from me, Timothy Drake Wayne.”
“Just making sure we’re on the same page, that you’ll continue to be good to Jason, that’s all.”
“Or what?”
“You don’t have to worry about that, that’s not your intention.”
“You know, it’s strange how your family is obsessed with my boyfriend, just because he looks like what Jason Todd Wayne should have looked like. He’s not their Jason, it’s just a coincidence, a coincidence that he’s also named Jason, but they don’t look that much alike.”
“It’s more complicated than you might think,” he insists, despite Danny’s obvious hostility to ‘protect’ Jason from his ‘bullies.’
“Actually, explain to me how that works. Did they see him one day and decide that he was now their Jason?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” he says again, but Danny pulls out his phone, revealing he’s recording the conversation, focusing aggressively on his face.
“It’s kind of sick that Richie Wayne tried to get me to go out with him if I’m dating what seems to be your dead brother’s replacement. It’s really weird of you to come here and threaten me about dating my boyfriend just because he looks a bit like Jason Todd Wayne. Actually, explain to me how you know where we live.”
Talking will only make him look bad. Everything he does will make him look bad. He stops smiling and has to admit it’s a good move, at least for a civilian who hasn’t even flinched. He’s just said the most damaging words.
“Or are you here so I’ll cheat on my boyfriend with you? Is that some kind of fetish? Is it yours? Do you like to share people or something? Don’t you have your own boyfriend? Is he okay with this? Maybe I should ask him since you rich Waynes are okay with harassing people They're normal, they're like celebrities, they're used to this, right? Although again, it's really creepy that they'd try something with us, just because my boyfriend looks a little like his dead brother.”
Actually, he could make it worse by bringing Bernard into it, who of course doesn't know Jason is alive.
“You wouldn't do that.”
“Is that a threat? A fact?”
“I'll leave you alone.”
“Both of us, they'll leave us both alone.”
The best thing to do is back off. He turns around once and Danny is still filming, focused on him. It's lucky he approached him when there weren't any other people on the street, but it's definitely made things worse.
No one seems to have noticed his unfortunate encounter with Danny. There are no threats from Jason, but he's not close enough to verify them…
Or so it is until the others confront him two days later, all because Barbara saw him on the security cameras.
“That's a way to make someone look bad,” the blonde complains, “and it's not even my potential reputation.”
“Insinuating things like that is awful!” Dick whines, a little more disgusted each time he thinks about it. “The only way would be to reveal that it's really Jason, but it would still look like I tried to seduce my little brother's boyfriend!”
“At least he has the brains to threaten in…outrageous ways.” Damian seems disgusted by the accusation, but pleased by this form of blackmail?
“You’re the worst, Tim,” Cass echoed Duke’s disappointed expression.
“I can’t even get into his apartment to steal his phone, and approaching him undercover will be even harder. Who’s to say he can’t detect us with his enhanced senses? Maybe by smell,” he complained.
“I’ll get him. It’ll be harder for him with me,” Cass said sympathetically.
“I have bad news. The Joker just escaped,” Barbara blurted out suddenly. “And Bruce just left 20 minutes ago. He went to look for Jason.”
Everyone grimaced and groaned in pain, overwhelmed.
______________
What would undoubtedly be uploaded to the internet within minutes of what had happened, thanks to a boy who actually wanted to say goodbye to his family, would later become a powerful defense (not that anyone was really going to take his role seriously in the state's shortest trial).
The Joker had escaped, as some news outlet would say, he had escaped long before, having managed to reach a grocery store in Crime Alley.
In the store were four teenagers, the store manager (a man in his 50s), a mother with her 5-year-old daughter, and a gay couple.
When the clown entered, everyone froze. His unmistakable voice made them nervous. The woman looked at her daughter, who was, in her opinion, too far away from her, trying not to cry. One of the teenagers was clearly dissociating over some potato chips. The store manager even seemed resigned to his impending death. No one was really following the clown's game or mood. The college student practically hugged the little girl, who was also on the verge of tears, a protective embrace that almost hid her.
"Give me the girl, she'll have so much fun with Uncle J!"
"No."
The woman was already almost collapsed in the doorway, murmuring softly, "No, please, not my baby." Another teenager was trying to support her.
"No? How brave! Hahahahaha." He laughed, pulling out the weapon—it could be a real gun, a fake, or, in the worst case, laced with Joker's venom. Then the man grew impatient. "Stop holding me up, give her to me!"
“No.”
“Well, some people are as stubborn as donkeys. I just have to kill you in a boring way.”
Another person rose, a wrench in hand, silent steps. Two of the teenagers shook their heads at him, telling him not to do it because it would go wrong. Suddenly, the man moved quickly, very quickly. The steel wrench even flattened slightly in his hands, but he struck directly at the head.
“Don’t you dare come any closer to the love of my life.”
The direct blow to the head took the Joker by surprise. He could barely turn his head. The wrench hit him squarely. The force of the blow made his head spin, and a cracking sound echoed throughout the store—a cracking sound that was the Joker’s skull and neck, which snapped from the way he spun.
The vile man fell gracelessly to the floor. Blood quickly flowed from the wound, but almost everyone was in shock.
The young man dropped the heavy wrench to the floor, going straight to his partner. “Are you okay, Jay, my love? Are you too, sweetheart?” He looked at the little girl who had finally burst into tears.
“Mommy!”
“Catalina!” The woman snapped out of her daze, running to her daughter, taking her from the arms of the young man who had been holding her. She hugged her tightly, kissing her small head and crying, “My baby, my little girl, oh my baby.”
“He’s dead!” shouted another teenager who had approached intending to kick the weapon away from the body, but then noticed the large dent in the skull, the blood, and the vacant stare of the body.
“He’s dead?! Are you sure, kid?!” shouted the manager, coming out from behind the counter to see for himself. “Good heavens! He’s really dead!”
The teenagers screamed with joy; the one filming was now actually recording the Joker's corpse.
"You killed him," the tall, muscular boy said, not an accusation, just a look of surprise. "beloved, you really killed him."
"I know the Joker hurt you once, you have nightmares about it. I've never asked for details because, being the Joker, it must have been traumatic," he said softly, his hand on his boyfriend's cheek. "I just wanted to protect you. You're so good too. You protected that little girl. You're a hero, too, baby."
"Thank you, thank you for protecting my daughter. Thank you. I truly have no way to repay this. Catalina is my husband's and my miracle baby. Life wouldn't have any meaning without her. Thank you, thank you both for saving her," he began, tears streaming down his face.
"Dude, you have to get out of the city! Batman will find you!"
“That furry really expect me to stand by and watch them kill the love of my life? He takes an innocent little girl and will probably kill the rest of us later?” he complained to himself, then covered his face with his hands in a gesture of exhaustion. “What am I talking about? Of course I would do that, right?”
They all nodded, making their own faces and sounds of disgust.
“We have to leave. We have to leave the country. We’ll go to your family’s and disappear into some rural Russian village. We need fake passports so he can’t follow us, and cash.”
“Jay, Jay, love, no, we’re not fleeing the country, no matter how much I miss living with Vlad and his cat,” he said, amused, though trying to calm his boyfriend, who was clearly getting agitated. “What I’m going to do is call Vlad and ask for a "I'll go to your lawyer and turn myself in. He can't do anything if I surrender."
"He'll lock you up in Askham, beloved! I can't let him do that to you! We have to go, now!"
"I'll go to your lawyer and turn myself in. He can't do anything to you if I do."
“Yeah, kid, that bat is really weird with this trash. He’ll beat you up and throw you in Arkham,” the guard blurted out.
“Well, it’s Arkham. I could probably escape in a week or less, even if that guy tries. He can’t just throw me in there without a trial and a serious medical diagnosis, though the truth is, I didn’t plan on killing him,” he sighed. “I guess I hit him harder than I meant to because I was worried about you and the little one.”
“Danny, please, we have to go. I don’t want him to hurt you,” he pleaded, almost in tears.
“Everything will be alright, Jayjay.” He pulled out his phone to make two calls.
The first call was to get a lawyer, and the second was directly to 911 to get Commissioner Gordon.
Gordon felt it was incredibly lucky that he was so close to the alley when he was notified, along with three other teams of his men. So he was the first to enter, seeing everyone involved still pressuring a college student to flee the country. He really hated it. Everyone here sees him as the bad guy, but he recognizes one of the people and knows this will be complicated.
………
“So you hit him in the head?” he repeated, even though he had seen the body himself; you can never trust anyone.
“I wanted to take him down to protect my boyfriend and the little girl. I killed him by mistake,” he insisted calmly. His partner, who of course wasn't the dead Jason Todd Wayne or Red Hood—because denial is what keeps him alive—still looked very nervous, his hands trembling as if they were about to take his boyfriend to the gallows.
“He can't say any more. We already called our lawyers,” said Jason Miller, who of course didn't have Wayne's lawyers.
“Ours?” Danny Master stammered, staring at the dead Robin. God, the denial is over tonight.
“Yes, I called my mother. She will send her lawyers too. Her lawyers are closer.”
“Okay, damn it, I wanted to make a good impression on your family.”
“Beloved, my mother already demanded we get married. I think you have her blessing,” he said with a small smile, though his eyes were still teary.
“Do you want a spring wedding or an autumn wedding?”
“I want to go to court right now, be your husband, and make love to you until next week.”
“It makes me happy when we’re thinking the same thing.”
Jim really didn’t want to hear the last part, although his plausible deniability extended until tonight. He was actually very happy; he also wanted to get home, have a glass of wine he had saved, cry a little, and sleep.
Of course, the moment was ruined when Bruce walked in wearing his bat suit, but he wasn’t supposed to know it was Bruce, so he did something he never thought he would: step between Batman and Red Hood to save the latter’s boyfriend.
“The situation is already resolved. We’ll take the kid, but honestly, I don’t think he needs those lawyers.”
Batman silently looked at which of the two was wearing the handcuffs; he seemed more furious.
“Miller was protecting a little girl here, and Master was the one who took the clown out,” he said, but he knew it wouldn’t do much good. “He called 911 himself to turn himself in.”
“Are you sure that?”
“You’re free to watch the store’s security camera,” he pointed to the other side of the store.
Everyone was tense. Red Hood could have a heart attack, staring at his father, standing in front of Master's, who was trying to calm him down.
There’s no way to twist the facts when the cameras captured everything from two angles. It wasn’t really Red Hood who killed the clown, but his civilian boyfriend. He hopes he’s a civilian, though, given how sane he is, he’s certainly not a vigilante.
But things can never be easy, not when it comes to the clown. It’s almost pointless how he tries to push Batman while Red Hood holds his little boyfriend, yelling at him because Bruce has a knack for ruining conversations when they involve his children…plausible denial. He should be the definition of denial. It’s amazing how far he takes you.
“Was I supposed to let the Joker kill the man I love in silence?! Just stand there and watch?!”
“You put everyone in danger.”
“So we all just had to accept our impending death and that’s it?! The only one who’s mentally ill is you, you fucking furry!”
He was actually quite surprised that the calm boy had such excellent lungs to shout so authoritatively at Bruce—I mean, Batman. Then, the mother, whose husband had arrived a few minutes earlier, approached, holding the little girl, furious, very furious, with tears again, her mascara running.
“You! You won’t put these kids in that fucking asylum! These kids were heroes! Jason saved my little Catalina! He protected her! He wouldn’t hand her over to the Joker even if he were go kill him! And Danny saved us all! You're supposed to be a hero, and you're being a scoundrel?!"
"Marta, don't go near Batman, please!"
He suddenly remembered that by some twisted coincidence, the woman's name was Marta Harris and her husband's name was Tomás Harris, their daughter Catalina Harris… (Wasn't Catherine Jason's mother…? Was God mocking Bruce—Batman?…he's not paid enough for this.)
"No, Tomás! Cati would be dead if it weren't for them! Our little girl would have a horrible death because she was the Joker, and these two saved her! This man in a leather suit isn't going to hurt them! No!"
Tomás, the husband, just sighed, put on a firm face, and approached with little Catalina standing next to his wife. "Fuck off, Batman," the man said very seriously.
"Yeah, fuck off! You never come to the alley, you only come to fight with Hood and beat up our people!” Carlo, the owner of the small shop, blurted out. “That kid did what no one else could!”
His phone rang. He would have ignored it if it weren't for the fact that it was the exclusive ringtone he'd set for the mayor, so he answered. Bad timing. “This isn't a good time.”
“Why am I watching Batman trying to attack a couple defending a gay couple for killing the damn Joker?! Is he really dead?!”
He looked around. There in a corner was Steve Johnson, recording everything with his cell phone, hidden among the magazines, and his friends.
“Jim! Get Batman out of there!”
Luckily, Batman heard the commotion from the mayor's shouts and left. As soon as he was gone, Danny Master clutched his heart and winced in pain, which he didn't like, and Red Hood also seemed very worried.
"It hurts."
"No, no, I have your heart medication, I have it right here, love. You can't die now. We have to get married, finish college. Just breathe, try to calm down."
Well, the night could only get worse. The last thing he needed was for this kid to die. He hadn't even thanked him yet!
Tim watched the recording. Steve Johnson started live streaming when Bruce arrived at the crime scene. Jason looked terrified, trying to get in front of Danny, who wouldn't let him. Then Bruce and Danny, and Danny in particular, started arguing, admitting that he only wanted to protect his boyfriend and the little girl. No, his intention wasn't to kill him, just knock him out, but what's done is done. He called the police and turned himself in, much to everyone's dismay.
Albert Fishers later decided to post the video of what happened at the beginning: Jason holding the girl, refusing to hand her over even though the Joker was about to shoot him. Then Danny moved quickly to hit the Joker, not even looking past the fact that he had fallen, going straight to Jason, worried about him. Jason was in such shock.
Yes, he's not going to leave Danny. He's going to marry him and leave her family because Bruce came out of that very badly hurt.
Barbara and he can't completely stop the situation; too many people are watching, the video of the incident has already been downloaded too many times, the LGBT community is already burning Batman memorabilia, writing so much on all social media that they're surprised no one has already realized how homophobic it is because he wants to hurt the "adorable" couple. The Meta community is also making noise about discrimination and incrimination. Others are already noticing that Jason Miller looks a lot like Jason Todd.
Someone commented that the Harrises are the reincarnations of Thomas and Martha Wayne because they look somewhat alike. There are already conspiracy theories circulating about the coincidence that the Joker died from a single blow while trying to hurt a guy named Jason, who looks like Jason Todd Wayne, who was trying to save little Catherine, daughter of Thomas and Martha, because Jason Todd Wayne's mother was named Catherine Todd, and that's like four deaths.
The city is divided between happiness that the Joker is dead and fury over what Bruce tried to do. Did he mention that a lot of people are burning Batman merchandise?
It's barely 3 a.m., but almost all the judges in the state have already said they won't prosecute Danny; they're demanding he be released.
The mayor wants to give him the keys to the city.
It was literally self-defense, and killing him was accidental, not planned (although no one would have done anything if it had been planned, honestly). To make matters worse, as soon as Bruce left, Danny almost had a heart attack because of his condition, so Bruce harassed a metahuman, gay, half-Russian guy with a heart condition who defended his boyfriend and a little girl from the Joker.
Public relations are going to be a nightmare. Oh, and Talia called to confront Damian about hiding the fact that Jason had such a "suitable" boyfriend, but that her lawyers were already sorting things out.
Even Talia likes Danny because he killed the Joker to protect Jason.
He was still trying to keep things under control when he got a message from Duke.
“Oh my god.”
The photo showed Jason and Danny kissing in tuxedos, a judge, Duke, Talia, Tucker Foley, and Samantha Manson in what looked like the most elegant room in the police department, decorated with a tired-looking Jim Gordon holding a champagne bottle, and the other officers cheering.
"Of course, I'm the best man."
Talia really got things moving fast… this is something a judge actually decided to do…it's weird that he wants to hit Duke, but he looks way too pleased. Wasn't he upstairs at the mansion? Apparently not.
“What's up, Tim?” Steph asked, just tossing the phone to him. “Did they get married?!”
Of course, Danny was cleared of all charges. Jason decided to further screw over Bruce by admitting to the assembled press that he was the seemingly deceased Jason Todd Wayne. Bruce and none of the prominent Waynes supported him when he called to say his boyfriend had killed the Joker—all except his brother, Duke. Talia used her influence, telling the press that as Damian's mother, she had actually taken Jason under her wing after Ethiopia, but the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his son wasn't the same, and now that he had almost died again, he hadn't even bothered to leave the mansion.
So the scandal that greeted them that morning was impressive. Oh, and Jason took his now-husband's last name because, obviously, he was going to stay with the guy who killed the Joker to protect him and an innocent little girl. How could he not marry him?
Afterward, they would have a wedding party with only close friends and family—not Bruce, obviously.
___________
He was waiting, that's what he'd been doing for a long time, waiting.
He'd hoped to find a soulmate, it was the only thing he prayed for. He knew that with his luck he'd present as an omega, even if everyone at home was a beta, but the portal changed him in so many other ways.
It made him present early, as an alpha. That would have been nice if his body had caught up.
He was still skinny and short, nothing like an alpha, and then there was his smell. Burnt flesh, the iron of blood and dirt, it was a horrible aroma, even betas could notice it. Jack and Maddie couldn't be too happy that the portal worked when he'd lied to them about how it activated. They'd ruined his life and they knew it; they couldn't even tolerate it.
Vlad hadn't had the same problem. He'd already presented as an omega. His accident had only robbed him of a body incapable of giving birth, and his smell was still strange, but it wasn't the scent of his corpse like his.
He got what he wanted, his soulmate mark, but could that person love him? Could they bear his mere presence? The answer was surely no; not even his parents could look at him.
The ghosts of the Ghost Zone were different; they didn't even understand the soulmate bond or their own world. That was the first clue that maybe… maybe he would have a chance in another world. He kept learning, things kept happening. He wanted to leave his world behind, but he couldn't let go completely until a small ghost appeared.
The suit was very strange, honestly. Sam said something about it being too revealing for anyone, but he didn't seem to want a fight, which he appreciated, just confused about where he was.
He extended his hand… when they touched, there was 'something.' He watched as the mark formed on the opposite side of the small ghost's body from his own, like molten gold on pale skin, a 16-pointed star with feathers around it. On the other ghost, the mark looked like a sun, and on his, it looked like a blue star.
This ghost was his soulmate.
His name was Robin, the second one. At first, he didn't remember much about his death, but he was certain that in his world there were no marks or second genders.
Clockwork said there were millions of worlds. Danny Fenton always dies young, not just because of the portal—not really. That's why creating Dan was so dangerous. Danny Phantom was unique. Danny Phantom had to be both alive and dead. They couldn't allow a Danny who was a complete ghost to exist; it was too dangerous. He had to remain a little alive.
He explained that his existence was something the Infinite Realms decided. The core of the Realms was somewhat conscious. They had decided that he should be a Halfa. They took much from him, but they would give him more. Jason was his destined soul, a soul far from his world, but they would bring him there.
The mark that on him looked like a star with small feathers, on Jason was a sun with those same feathers surrounding it. Even though he was dead, Jason could still smell his scent, his true scent, beneath death: hot chocolate, something that strongly resembled a snowy day and a little bit of the sea. Jason never knew how to explain it, but he loved it.
I leave Amity and her own world shortly after Jason's arrival.
They met more ghosts; some could sense him as an Alpha, feeling him as a dominant and terrifying presence. Almost none could perceive what Jason did.
Clockwork once said that if Jason were alive in Amity, he would adapt naturally. He could still smell his sweet scent above death, and might even develop a second gender, just for being his soulmate.
The truth is, he didn't care. He didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted Jason. They continued getting to know each other, discovering more about one another. He continued falling in love with the vigilante.
They were together when Jason's memories resurfaced, they were together when Vlad searched for him, they were there when Sam died, when Tucker got married, when a car accident finally killed Jack and Maddie.
They were together when he decided to return to Amity, even in death. The longer he spent in his own world, the more Jason adapted. The scent of an omega, jasmine tea with lemon, vanilla cake, and petrichor felt like home.
Matching marks, a scent that drove him wild, thousands of eternities ahead. Marriage was an obvious step.
He didn't even care that neither of his halves seemed to change, to grow at the same pace. He always seemed like a college student, forever 21, forever 14. It didn't matter to him. Jason would always be 15.
Dressed in formal attire, beneath the iridescent hood meant to be a bridal veil, Jason, in red and gold, placed a crown upon the head of his now prince consort. The same green eyes, like the portal with veins of gold and blue, the mark of soulmates barely visible through the collar of his coat, reminded him of cups repaired in molten gold.
His husband smiled as he placed the crown of the realms upon his head.
Infinite realms that burned with power.
They exchanged rings, Jason kissing the now-star ring on her index finger, in addition to kissing the ring on her ring finger as he had done.
It had been perfect. He could give the realms her attention, him work, and him dedication, all because they had given her Jason.
It had been perfect, even if Jazz, Valerie, and Tucker finally joined them in death.
It had been perfect…
He had felt so whole and alive… Then Jason disappeared… He wanted to destroy everything until he heard. The Infinite Realms spoke. He needed to wait again. They would meet again, and so he began to wait again.
Waiting…waiting…waiting and waiting, begging the realms to allow her husband to return. Who can you pray to when you are the one to whom all the gods, dead, born, unborn, and yet to be, answer? So he only prayed to her husband, worried about him. Would he be safe? He couldn't feel anything for his mark; they were so far away that he couldn't sense it, and the crown he had given him remained in the castle.
He waited, he waited, needing a break, visiting a world trying to remember what it was like to be human again, returning to work and then resting in another world. His soulmate mark was becoming more invisible, and that terrified him, as if he were losing his husband the longer he waited.
He found a world where a second Robin existed, a world similar to his husband's world, perhaps. He made some friends; he didn't want to get involved in the world of heroes and vigilantes, so he decided to study. Then a classmate, who had a vibe that reminded him a little of Clockwork, a metahuman as they call them there, and then they met.
Jason didn't recognize him, didn't remember him completely, but it seemed he could sense his need.
They kissed; he seemed as hungry as he was, as needy, as desperate… he enjoyed being bitten as before.
He would make him remember.
He could already feel it, every day they spent together, that sweet scent, that mark that returned on his neck. Even if Jason wasn't a Halfa like him, he was still a little dead, a Revenant… only for a while.
He already knew Jason's "family" would be a problem, but they wouldn't suspect him. Just a normal guy who would casually kill the Joker so that that trash wouldn't ruin his prince's mood. That's precisely why he made sure his room wasn't the one with the window and the fire escape, and it was Batman he was waiting for.
The sound of the window opening told him that his unwelcome guest had finally arrived. He timed everything so perfectly. Of course, he discussed this with his husband; he wouldn't expose him like this without his consent. (Sometimes Jason liked being watched. They'd made many observers uncomfortable, so they'd learn they couldn't just put them to bed with royal duties. He had another idea, but perhaps he got a little too carried away with this.)
He stops dead in her tracks when he looks down at the floor. Near the island that separates the kitchen from the living/dining room, her son's head peeks out. He's lying down, panting, and hasn't even noticed he.
Maybe he can still leave quickly and quietly.
The sound of ragged breaths trying to calm themselves, the scent of sex permeating the room, breakfast still half-eaten on the island, not even any clothes nearby.
He steps back, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
"Beloved!" His son suddenly let go, squeezing his eyes shut. A whimper escaped him, and he writhed on the floor. “Please, please, please,” he began to beg breathlessly, his voice broken. He caught a wet sound he didn't want to identify, something he refused to acknowledge.
“I know you can, husband,” Daniel Master's hoarse voice, broken by what he refused to acknowledge, encouraged his son. “You look so beautiful like that.”
He could see Daniel's black hair. Jason arched his back, his eyes closing even tighter. Tears streamed down his face, his cheeks flushed and sweaty, his lips bitten. Jason lets out another moan, a mixture of pain and pleasure overwhelming him, then collapses again.
“My husband, my Jason.”
Jason’s face turns toward him, his eyes barely opening. They shine intensely, a green lighter than Lazarus’s glow. They don’t look at him, they don’t focus, even though he’s trying to breathe. A few tears escape; he seems barely able to resist sleep. Daniel gently takes his face in his hands, turns it, and kisses him.
A liquid escapes during their kiss, a bright blue. Jason reacts with more enthusiasm, as if he wants more of the liquid shared in the kiss.
They separate. His son seems dazed and lost, trying to laugh breathlessly, and Daniel hums. He even adjusts his son’s face so he looks at him, but there’s no recognition.
Then he gets up, the island covering him from the waist down. There are hickeys, bite marks, a really bad one on the side of his neck, handprints, traces of passion, and of course he smiles at he like the damn bastard he is.
“You’re always so inconvenient, Brucie?” He asks, but doesn't let him see any reaction. He won't give him that. He doesn't seem disappointed. His eyes begin to glow a little blue, smiling. "I suppose you've decided not to talk."
It had been a long game. In the end, he really wasn't just any ordinary civilian.
"It's not like Jason told me your secret. The truth is, I've known for a while. I'll always question why you let Dick and Jason go out in those Robin suits. Dick's was more outrageous, although Jason's little scaly shorts hardly made a difference, if you ask me. But they did let me appreciate Jay's legs more," he admits.
It's always better to let them talk, always thinking they're in control. He glances down at his son for a second, still out of it, undoubtedly drugged.
"Who are you?"
"Danny Master. I never see the need to change my name," he explains casually.
"What are your intentions?"
"My intentions?" he hums again, “Keep making love to my husband for at least a few more days until the week is over.”
He clenches he fists, barely trying to move when he hears the dog growl. It wasn't there a second ago, but now it is. Its eyes, too, glow a pupil-less Lazarus green.
“I don't think you want to be Cujo's chew toy. Although a human body is too soft for him, he won't even eat you. He just likes to play,” he explains, doing nothing more than staring at him.
“Why, Jason?”
“It can only be Jason. There’s no one else for me. He’s my soulmate. Not even death can separate us, you know? I’ve waited so long for him. It’s not even about you or your other children. I actually dislike them. They don’t deserve my Robin.”
“So you’ve hypnotized him to have him under your control. It won’t be for long.” He’ll stop it. He’ll save his son.
“What we feel is mutual. He felt it when we saw each other again for the first time. Even Duke witnessed it. We love each other, and you won’t be able to separate us.”
“Controlling his mind isn’t love.”
“Is controlling his morals and his life? Denying him even his name, leaving him legally dead—that’s hypocritical of you. You never deserved him. You’ve mistreated him for so long. You’ve driven him so far away that you actually made things easy for me. He hid me from you with all his might. I didn’t have to do much, though I hate the part about all the torment you’ve caused him.”
“His eyes still shine. Magic can to break,” his son seems only trying to catch his breath, his consciousness still far away.
“Medicine,” he clarifies, “for his problem with the Lazarus Pit. Technically, it’s already done.”
“The pit has no cure.”
“You’re right, it’s not really a cure per se. What that filthy water did was more harmful. The medicine does something different; you could say it’s killing it in the right way so he can stand up. Death has no cure, but there are some tricks, loopholes, opportunities. Even if I don’t administer another dose, it’s too late to stop the process. I’ve been giving him the medication for a long time,” he confessed calmly. “Even if you throw him in the pit, it won’t help. It’ll kill him faster. The point of no return was two months ago. It’s not like he minded.”
“As if he could consent to what you’re doing to him,” he growled, though the dog just stared at him, drooling as if he were already savoring it.
“Consent is important, very important in our relationship. Even letting you see how I left him after a few orgasms, because we knew you’d come after the other day.”
“You planned it.”
“So that it will seem like a coincidence forever. I didn’t need to hunt the clown; I would make him appear before me. A few calls to get a judge and we’ll be married.”
“What does Talia have to do with all this?”
“Oh no, I was keeping a little bit of control over her. When the effect wears off, she’ll be furious, but I’m sure she’ll think I’m a suitable spouse for her son. Besides, he needs to survive long enough to complain if he doesn’t like it.”
“I’ll stop you. You won’t have my son.”
“You’re too late for that.” There was more joy in his tone, his blue eyes turning green. “Thanks for making it easy to have.”
With a wave of his hand, as if pushing him away, he found himself ejected from the apartment onto the stairs of the other building. There was a glimmer in the window, a shield. Jason stood up only to kiss the enemy. The dog disappeared from his sight. They continued kissing. Now Jason leaned Daniel over the island and smiled triumphantly.
He would have to get away for now; he had to find a way to break the spell, to save his son. The crackling of his communications returned.
His enemy is smarter. The camera in the hood itself shows something else: it shows him arriving at the apartment, encountering the sounds they were making while having sex on the kitchen floor, him turning to leave, and then spending some time on another rooftop far away. When he supposedly turns off the communications, they reappear on yet another rooftop.
He calls Zatanna, but she detects nothing, not a trace of magic, nothing unusual about Daniel Master. He tries with John to see if he can detect mind control in Jason, but no, nothing. All so that Jason can accuse him in front of the others, saying he's making up a problem because he can't accept that Daniel is his husband.
Daniel leaks the video he took of his encounter with Tim, so they can't take it down from the internet no matter how hard they try. Tim has to rush to explain things to Bernard, but even though he's given him the benefit of the doubt, it's obvious he's caused a rift.
Public opinion isn't great, and Daniel Master probably enjoys making him look crazy.
No matter, he'll go to any lengths to stop him.
___________
Looking at one of the many clocks, he saw the possible future that lay before him. He was heading toward it with certainty: the Justice League and its supernatural division seeking diplomatic contact, peace talks, and alliances. The growing distrust was already proving too easy.
Until they were finally taken to the throne room to ask his personal "favor." He had already planted the seeds for his little... half-lie? Half-truth? Not that they could change anything. He truly hated his father-in-law and brothers-in-law! Everyone except Duke. He would regret hurting his feelings, but time would heal all wounds.
The Ancient of Time gazed at the same future, amused by his childlike smile, which was now that of an adult.
Even the infinite realms seemed amused by his little joke.
___________________
After a whole week of trying to upload this, I finally did it. Part of October felt like the AO3 curse had struck me; that's why I upload this stuff to Tumblr—I'm running away from it. Anyway, this is the closest thing to a long one-shot I've ever had (I could still write more, maybe three chapters?). Should I stop starting this with "DP X DC Prompt"? Although, anyone is free to do whatever they want with this idea because I don't know if I'll finish this (three chapters, maybe I can manage).
So, is it all because Jason's official love interests (and the ones that obviously aren't, unfortunately?) are such a mess? The Batfamily doesn't know about Essence, Artemis, or Isabel They don't really count Kori. Jason does count them here, which is why I think he's the problem. So the Batfamily thought they were protecting Jason because he's "too sensitive/sentimental"—in general, they have a problem with him being "too."
Of course, that creates more problems for Jason, adding to the fact that Bruce chose the Joker. Yes, that's amplified trauma.
Although they're also hypocrites, because half of them are a disaster as partners or when it comes to choosing companions. By the way, I'm also combining a lot of things from different parts, hence why Dick killed, because canon and headcanon don't matter if I'm coming up with these nonsensical things.
I don't know much about Duke, but he seems like this kind of guy with an innocent face who's also a chaotic force who doesn't tolerate nonsense. Duke found out what they'd been doing and looked at them with great disappointment, like, "Really? Are you doing this crap? Giving this guy more free trauma?"
Jason didn't remember Danny (or anything else, because he spent so much time in the Infinite Realms, and all that messes with his living brain). It didn't take him long to realize it, then he had to adapt. We don't see much from Jason's perspective (I'll write about it later, for sure). He only knows that Danny was his husband. He has these strange new instincts that are somewhat nostalgic, but Danny is his obsession.
One day I came to the conclusion that a/b/o would be a disaster and a nightmare for Danny because dying would erase many things associated with that gender (the bonds, the marks, the scent ). Making all the ghosts part of it doesn't make much sense to me either.
But in this world, Danny's world has a/b/o and the possibility of having soulmate marks, which are rare. Jack, Maddie, and Jazz are Betas, but supernatural events ruined them. They're Betas who seem like crazy Alphas, and then the portal made Danny an Alpha. (I had planned for the portal to also change Tucker, Sam, and Valerie, but I didn't write it down; I just didn't know where to put that.)
Danny's problem is that he appeared at least two years earlier, he doesn't have the typical body of an Alpha, and of course, his scent is a disaster. His scent literally repels everyone. Jack and Maddie felt terrible, very guilty that their invention had ruined their son, that it had made him this way, his very scent that even they could detect and that terrified them.
At first, everyone bullies Danny more until it reaches a point where the scent itself repels everyone. Dash-Alpha couldn't bother Danny anymore because his entire being reacts to the fact that Danny is literally death or a corpse—too much horror to process. So, instead of bothering him, they make him an pariah.
Vlad was an omega, and aside from being rendered infertile, the accident took away his ability to properly perceive other people's scents, making it difficult for others to notice him. I also thought Vlad could only perceive Danny's scent as a pup. Vlad would be more horrified here with the Fentons because the accident took away his chance of having a family, and the Fentons knew it. Not only did Ecto-Agne destroy much of his life, but he's also obsessed with Danny being his son. Danny is his baby, and in the end, he succeeds. Danny put up his best fight, but Vlad wasn't horrified by his scent.
Dan loses more of being Danny and becomes more Vlad. He was still a danger, but even if he were to become a Halfa again (which won't happen; Dan doesn't exist for long here either), he would be an omega because of Vlad.
The infinite realms are aware, at least to some extent, that they wanted Danny, Halfa, the Ghost King! They also decided to find her a husband, who is Jason.
I thought all this (I think too much at work, but I can't seem to write it down) about how Danny wouldn't have so much trouble becoming king because a large number of the other ghosts can sense that Danny is a very powerful ghost, because in life he's a powerful alpha. They wouldn't notice the scent that Jason can, and the other ghost characters would feel strange. When Danny is human—I'll write this somewhere—they'll call him "son of infinity itself.”
Danny and Jason's mark is on their neck but goes up a little over their chin and down almost to their collarbone, it looks like a misshapen 16-point star that has small feathers around the peaks almost like a frame. On Jason the mark shines like gold which makes him look like a sun and on Danny it shines an iridescent blue or white which makes him look like a star. I also thought the fact that the brand is more about Danny than Jason was a way to translate their dynamic.
Danny as the most important/influential of the couple, because he is still the king of the infinite kingdoms, many of the things that they accommodate as a couple would have to do with making things easy for that, Jason's feathers are smaller but they surround the star, the feathers do not leave much room for anything else like a shield or also to keep it for himself, ghost Jason would go from a protective ghost to one more obsessed with his husband, ghost Jason would see a logic of if everything is in order in the kingdoms he has much more time to having her husband to himself.
This note is getting very long, sorry.
I wanted a Danny who doesn't age as a ghost and barely ages as a human. Jason as a ghost would still be his Robin version and of course he won't actually be able to age any more, he won't be a Halfa yet hence the strange medicine.
Danny is the karma of the Batfamily because they can't get rid of him, they have no arguments to do so and Danny wouldn't fall into any trap.
Dick doesn't try to flirt with him at any point by the way but he intended for it to seem that way and Danny would turn the situation around so much as to make Dick, Tim and the other bats look bad.
Alfred, Cass and Steph have no real arguments for not accepting Danny because they would have seen him make all kinds of romantic gestures, plus Jason is obviously happy with him.
Barbara literally searched for all the information possible, without finding anything bad that would make a convincing argument, especially since Jason has Tim's civilian boyfriend to prove that nothing is wrong.
I had ideas (that didn't come to fruition) that Jason would start saying strange things always only around Bruce like “Danny says I shouldn't do this” “Danny was right about you” “Danny doesn't like the way we do this” “Danny says this about me” I somehow wanted that to Bruce (maybe to Alfred, Dick and Barbara in the future) Danny would start to sound like a toxic or even physically abusive boyfriend but I could never prove it, because his only argument is that Danny is a meta. Which of course he can't use because he has a meta child.
All this because Danny wants to distress them. Jason would consent to all this because it would be a joke for him, in fact he begins to change himself without realizing it to become Prince Robin again.
Now I have finished my long note, I will try to write those two chapters and finish this!
Danny running away from his home dimension for such and such reasons (GIW, bad reveal, etc, etc) cue him stumbling around Gotham because holy mother of ambient ectoplasm, Batman.
So anyways he’s just chilling in crime alley, as a struggling guy in Gotham does and then. And then there’s someone else. Looks exactly like him. Not like how he and Dani look similar, her features just softer and rounded with babyfat, no, no, this guy looks exactly like him. Down to the barely there scattering of freckles on the nose bridge.
It’s Jason Todd. Danny is his dimensions version of Jason Todd.
I know your tags say Jaybin, but I'm imagining RedJay that hasn't revealed he's Jason yet, also hasn't attacked the Titan Tower yet.
Like, Bruce seeing a boy who looks exactly like Jason, helping the homeless in Crime Alley while also being homeless? He looks and acts just like Jason. And is a perfect DNA match.
Meanwhile, Jason also sees this teen who's struggling and looks exactly like him, save the scars. He even has the same skunk streak! Jason manages to get a DNA sample as well.
Whelp, looks like he has a long lost twin brother.
They first connected cause people kept mistaking Danny as the Red Hood's lieutenant, Peter Battinson. Jason was curious, but also pissed at the thought someone was pretending to be him. But nope. It's a homeless teen who's trying his best and helping as many people as he can.
Jason goes ahead and asks Danny if he can do a DNA test, just so Danny also knows that they are apparently brothers.
Danny, knowing that they are not brothers but the same person, yet desperate for family agrees happily to connect as much as possible with Jason.
And filter out that rancid Ecto.
He refuses to move into the other's apartment though. He doesn't want to intrude on the others space, nor does he want to be seen as a burden.
It takes months for Jason to convince Danny to move in.
Because of that, Danny filtering Jason's Core, and Jason finally feeling fulfilled at having family that seems to just get him right from the get go, Jason has no time to mess with Tim and little time for the Bat. Nor does he even want to deal with them. He also hasn't been doing much with the Joker, until the stupid clown tries to attack Crime Alley.
Jason's bordering a meltdown.
The Joker is terrorizing Jason's people. The Batman (dad) was reported to be storming Jason's territory to hunt the Joker and him, because he thinks that this is somehow Jason's fault.
Danny, who's been brought into the gang as the person Hood uses to ask about the people and how they're doing (which the other members are thankful that Hood is working with the soup kitchens and trying his best to help Crime Alley), notices that his 'brother' is not okay™. Asks why and what he can do to help.
And Jason just quietly breaks down as he hears the Joker's laugh get closer to the building. Tells Danny how the Joker murdered him. How his adoptive dad disowned him because he thought Jason killed a pedophile, and didn't save him from the Joker. How his dad never avenged him. How he came back, only to find out his dad took in another kid to replace him.
Danny listens.
And his blood boils.
His eyes burn and toxic green.
And when the Joker bursts through the door, manic eyes zeroing in on the two lone teens, cackling, "I fooouuund yoouuuu! Hahahahahah hahahahahahaha!"
Danny's maw was already filled with fangs. His nails tipped like claws and dipped in shadows. Hair caught in a sudden, turbulent wind that whipped the door behind the Joker closed. When the cops could finally pry the doors open, the scene was covered in red and no one else at the horrific murder.
~
Jason and Danny talked. Danny knew Jason had his own secrets. He had his own. But Jason revealed pieces of himself.
That he was Jason Todd, not Peter. That he was raised by 'their' dad and his step mom Catherine. Dad went to prison and his mom, Catherine died of cancer she couldn't afford to treat.
That, when he was 13 and homeless, he was adopted by a billionaires named Bruce Wayne who was secretly the vigilante known as Batman. That he'd become the second Robin. He was on a case to bring in a pedophile but saw no reason why people like that should live. And despite that, Jason had tried to save the man's life when he slipped off a roof, but was too late. But from his father's perspective, it looked like Jason had pushed the man off. So he had rejected Jason, no matter how much he pleaded his innocence.
Leading Jason to seek out his birth mother. Who lured him into a trap, which backfired as the Joker wanted her dead too. How Jason came back to life to find out he was buried next to the woman who betrayed him instead of being in the Wayne cemetery. How he had to claw his way out of the grave six months after being put into it. Only to be hit by a car as soon as he exited the graveyard.
How he'd come back to Gotham after a few years, only to find out the Joker was still alive to kill other people and that his dad replaced him.
(Danny thinks that Bruce Wayne is Vlad Masters equivalent in this world. Which immediately makes him hate the dude, cause what the hell? You had the perfect son you always wanted and you pushed him away, which caused his death!)
Jason asks how Danny was related to the Lazarus Pits. Which confuses Danny. So Jason explains that theirs a green liquid that brings the deathly ill, and sometimes the dead or undead, to full health and living status.
Danny decides that he'll give a partial truth, considering he knows Jason still hasn't revealed everything. He explains that 'their' mom was a scientist that worked for the government studying the fabric between realities with her husband. They discovered a substance that was like green, glowing water and that the in-between dimension was made of it. It was that dimensions version of carbon. And that was where souls went when they died. Mom called the souls Ghosts and hunted them for experimentation. But that she and Danny's dad made a portal to be able to research this in-between dimension.
Only... it didn't work. Not at first, anyways.
Not until Danny died accidentally turning it on, at 14.
"And where was Shelia? Why'd she let you around such dangerous machines, let alone have them in the basement of the house you lived in? What'd she do when you... died?" Jason felt sick. While he was jumping around Gotham rooftops, his brother died. He didn't even know about the other, but still.
"... She didn't even notice. Not for a long time anyways."
"Oh." And for lack of words, Jason asked, "Where's your grave? Might be nice to see if I can get mine moved next to yours. Or yours can be moved next to mine? Sorry, that's weird to ask."
"Haha! Oh my God, no worries dude! That's actually really sweet. But ummm..."
"But?"
"I don't have a grave. I wasn't even buried. My parents didn't even notice I died, remember? They were so focused on the new Portal working, that by the time they even saw me again I had came back to... Mostly full health."
"You know what? I wanted to move my grave anyways. I hate that it's next to that woman even more than I already did. Pick a nice place and I'll move my grave and get you one too. Right next to it."
Danny just stares at him, stunned. His eyes slowly welling with tears.
Then he lunges at Jason, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck.
"Dude. Dude. What the fuck? Why are you so nice? Dude. Do you mean it? Really? You'd move your grave and make me one? Really? I have the best brother. Ever. Oh my God."
And Jason can't help but laugh. Cause why does he have a brother that sounds like a mix between mid-country and surfer? But also because Danny makes it sound like it's the kindest thing anyone has ever done for the 19 year old.
Danny goes to put flowers on his brother's grave. It's the principle of the action, not any state of true mourning. They weren't much, but daises were kinda expensive in Gotham. And Jason, surprisingly, loves daises.
He knows Jason is looking for a new place to move his grave and give Danny one, but he wants to visit Jason's original grave. It means so much to even have one, so Danny wanted to honor it. Do the traditional thing of putting flowers, putting the headstone, running fingers over the words, and talking to it. Even if there was no longer a body. He wanted his brother to feel loved, and the dead feel no love stronger than through a form of memorial.
It must suck to be a protective spirit and not even have your grave in your Haunt.
(But Jason had made it clear that Park Row, otherwise known as Crime Alley, was not where he wanted his grave. And not where he wanted his brother's. Danny suggested buying an abandoned farm in Illinois and have their graves there. Jason looked at him funny, until he explained that that's where he grew up and is the complete opposite of Gotham. Sunny, mostly clear skies, easy star gazing, no crime, and it'd be like out of a fairy tale. It'd also be a good safe house, in case anything ever happened.
Danny also explained how, if they put their graves there, visited at least once a month, and put magic sigils up, it'd be near impossible for anyone who they didn't allow to get into the property. Jason looked impressed that Danny knew any magic, let alone how to use it. Danny created a little green light at the end of his index to prove that he could. Jason didn't seem to like that it turned his eyes green, but Danny understands. How could he not when Jason had worriedly told him about his violent episodes after being in the 'Lazarus Pits'?)
The grave was kept cleaner than most. He kinda felt grateful for that. An aged and overgrown grave was seen as sacred and Danny wouldn't have wanted Jason to have to give that up. Maybe Danny should recommend covering their graves with moss, as it'd cover everything quickly? Or maybe clover, which would be less aggressive but give good coverage and be soft to lay on?
"I miss star gazing. Gotham's never been good for it, you know? Little sad you were buried here, since you made it so clear you wanted to leave this city, but felt obligated to stay. I understand, though. Even though you always said how you feel like you're never doing enough, you saved lives. You still do, even if indirectly. You could never truly leave Gotham when you felt like you had to help. I uh, brought daisies. Know how much you liked 'em. Know you'll probably never see 'em. But it's the thought that counts, right? Not like I can get dandelions, like you'd really want. I'd probably be charged with littering. Everyone else considers it a weed. But I know how much you love seeing them. Knew how you used to like picking them and trying to press them like regular flowers when they were covered in seeds to "save your wishes". Park Row may still be a slum, but there's still good people trying their best to get through it all. Just got off another shift at the soup kitchen on the corner of Gale. You're favorite one, that'd always give you an extra roll of bread. Even if it was because they knew it'd keep you out the next day. Well, I need to get going. It's getting dark and we both know that's dangerous in Gotham. Bye, big brother."
An inside joke the two had, since Jason's birthday is the day before Danny's. Obviously, Jason thought that their mother just had a really long labor, or that they were born closer to midnight, just on either side of it.
Dick Grayson, as Nightwing, was in a nearby tree crying. Jason had a little brother, or twin, he'd never told anyone about. Had probably hidden from the family due to not trusting anyone. And said brother came to visit Jason's grave, with clearly bought daisies despite being homeless, to just chat like the other boy could still hear him. Dick's domino recorded the entire thing, so Barbara and Bruce could definitely see this.
A new fire was lit in his chest, though. He'd get to know this boy he'd never got to meet and give him the life he wish he could have given Jason.
Knowing that your little brother had family and didn’t think he could trust you with it is a different type of guilt.
It’s a guilt in knowing that those tires he was going to steal off your fathers car wasn’t just meant for a quick turn around, that it was meant to sustain an entire other person. It’s knowing that Jason had likely allowed himself to be taken in as a trial run before deeming it safe enough for his sibling. It’s knowing that Jason had found it lacking. It’s knowing that the Wayne’s may have held his wellbeing in their hands but they never held his trust.
And maybe, just maybe, Jason was right for that.
Dick watches a young scrappy thing settle in front of Jason’s grave. The boy looks just like his brother. Only older. Not fifteen. He looks like a Jason Todd who finally grew into his big hands and broad shoulders. Dick could almost pretend this stranger is his little brother. Almost.
He's sat on the uncomfortable ground. Dick knows its uncomfortable, he’s sat there too on the anniversary that Bruce refuses to leave the manor on. Too busy staring at a suit in a glass case, waiting, listening, hoping for that bell like laughter to chime once again in the stale air of the cave. He knows because he’s sat there in that very spot that boy is in and played music from bands his little brother liked, read him his favorites until his voice went hoarse, the classics that Dick could never quite enjoy with all their complicated flowery language.
But there that haggard teenager is, tired and still finding it within himself to gently hold a bouquet in his calloused palm placing it on the tomb of his brother like its the most important thing he’ll ever do. There’s a slim smile on the boys lips as he reads over Jason’s engraved name, running his finger tips across it. His smile is small and soft. Private in a way that Dick knows he’s intruding upon just by laying witness.
And then, then he speaks.
He talks casually, like its any other conversation. Like he isn’t in a grave yard. Like Jason Todd isn’t six feet beneath him. He talks about stargazing, talks about Jason wanting to leave behind Gotham, staying because he felt he had to. He talks about daisies and dandelions. He says goodbye to his big brother and Dick thinks that it must feel agonizing to be older than your big sibling. To reach an age they never did and still keep going with out them.
Jason Todd had a little brother and Dick Grayson never knew. There has always been anger simmering beneath his skin and Dick has always been good at anger but he’s better at grief. Guilt has always come easy and this is no different.
*
“No, shut up this is so not funny. I don’t even know what I did but now I’ve got a bird on my tail and he won’t stop making sad eyes at me Jay.”
“It’s a little bit funny.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“You are too so I think it might be genetic.”
“Insufferable. Really. By the way, do you know how hard it is to try and lose the Wayne’s attention? I swear it’s like someone left me in a wet cardboard box on the side of the road and they just thought ‘yeah, you’re coming home with me’ like I’m some pathetic half drowned cat.”
“It’s too late for them, I already took you home first. Finders keepers.”
Danny groaned and slumped into his brothers shoulder “tell them that. Besides, isn’t Nightwing supposed to be based in Bludhaven? Whats he doing in Gotham?”
“Yeah, but he’s Nightwing. He does his own thing. At least Robin isn’t onto you yet.”
“And there you go jinxing it. Watch he’s going to show up while I’m out and about and scold me for being affiliated with you.”
“Well that little shit can go eat rocks. He already stole everything else, he’s not allowed to steal my little brother too.”
Jason's going through old files linked to the Joker. The loon was surprisingly into journaling everything he had done. Well, only the 'important' things he'd done. Which meant antagonizing the Batman. Jason had been reading it, wanting to see if he could find anything to hurt Bruce with, or to help satiate his curiosity.
Reading the continued anger and stress over killing Jason was a surprise. But it was mainly rooted in fears of Batman breaking. Of no longer fighting the man running around rooftops.
It pissed Jason off to no end.
Only guilt the clown reject had ever felt was over the thought of Bruce not playing the game anymore.
He kept reading. And reading. And reading.
From Batman getting a new Robin to how the Bat was finally playing the game the 'correct' way again.
Then, how the new Robin was worse than the last one.
Not because he was scared or anything. Nope. It's because the kid refused to play the games Joker set up. Trying his best to quickly shut everything down as soon as he found out the Joker's plans. Making Joker himself the butt of the joke, on many occasions. Jason become particularly interested in the fact the Joker believed that the new Robin would kill him if they were alone. How the teen had tried to break the Joker's bones to keep the crazed freak in Arkham longer.
Then, Jason read an entry that made his spine crawl.
Plans to kidnap the new Robin. To make him his 'son', because Harley wanted a kid. Ideas of how he could use the kid against the Bat.
Then, more entries. Entries upon entries of how he had kidnapped the baby bird. 'Played' with his new 'son' by electrocuting the boy. Made said child intake more than the lethal dose of Joker Venom. How he'd caught all of it on camera, to send to the Batman.
Again and again.
For days.
For weeks.
For almost a whole month.
How the Joker started to doubt if Batman even cared for the new Robin.
Jason started to doubt too.
Maybe he needed to take this bird for himself.
~
He decided on actually doing a background check into Timothy Drake.
What he finds is... concerning.
Tim wasn't even 3 months old when Jack and Janet left for excavation site in Greece. Left with a nursemaid and nanny. That the new parents had only come back every few months, stayed for less than a week, then left for another dig. They stopped paying for a nanny by the time Tim was 5, leaving only a maid, who's only job was cleaning and making food. And as Tim got older, the maid was there less and less. There are several reports of a tiny Tim taking the public bus to and from school.
And then, 6 months after Jason had died, 13 year-old Tim Drake had left Gotham for half a year. After that, he came back and there was a new Robin.
Jason was stunned. Bruce didn't train Tim. At least, not for those 6 months. He made a kid miss school. The kid's parents didn't even seem to notice. Then the kid's mother dies, and yet Robin is still flying in Gotham. Tim's family lost their wealth while his father was in a coma. Said father was quick to remarry. But looking at their lives, nothing seems to connect father and son other than their blood. There's even forums on Reddit questioning if Jack Drake was abusing his kid, given how Tim makes it very clear he doesn't trust his father.
Yeah, no. Jason doesn't care if Tim was meant to be his replacement. The kid clearly has no one.
"Hey, Danny. How do you feel about a little brother?"
"Uh, no dude. At least, not all the time. I don't want to barely ever see you. Plus, I like helping at the soup kitchens."
"If we're kidnapping Timmy, you're the most mentally stable. And a different location entirely is needed, cause no way is the kid staying in Gotham. It'd be too easy for the Bat to get him again. On top of that, I'll be there for a full week every month. As long as there isn't a trafficking ring I need to bust."
"That seems logical but does not bode well with your track record."
"On top of all that? I want you safe."
"You know I'm borderline indestructible? More so than you, at least."
"But the Bats will hunt you down if they ever realize you're the one that killed Joker."
"Won't it be more suspicious if I suddenly disappear? And you know Tim won't want to be gone so long."
"You can come back for a week every month, I'll go to the farm for a week every month to charge the magic wards or whatever our graves are going to be there for. Halfway through my week over there, you'll go to Gotham. I'll have a half week alone with with Tim for bonding time on the farm. You'll get a half week in Gotham without babysitting. When I return to the city, I'll bring Tim to Gotham for the other half of your week. I'll let Tim spend a full week in Gotham which will half be with you there and the other half without. I'll bring Tim back to the Farm on the last day."
"That's at least a 14 hour drive where Tim could surprise you and take you down to return to Gotham. And it's super complicated. Now, by plane ride, it's pretty quick and you'd have too many people watching for him to make a scene. And you'll have to be there for the first month, or so, anyways because Tim won't trust me. At least with you there, you can tell him you're just making Bruce sweat and giving him the chance to take a break from the mask. Ancients knows he needs one, but he's not going to believe just me. And if you leave too soon, he'll feel abandoned. Tell your group that you'll be gone for three months, then we'll talk about logistics. Maybe it could be the three of us going to Gotham for a week every month and the rest is spent on the Farm? Then when we trust Tim is safer and trusts us a bit, we let him go back to the Bats. Obviously, with the blanket permission to use Red Hood as a safe house from the Bats and the ability to go to the Farm any time he wants to run off. He's a teen. He's gotta want to run away sometimes. And we'll give him the space to do so."
"I don't know about three months. Maybe two? How about after the first month, we rehash all of this? He'll need a way to do school, and summer break is only so long, even for the rich."
"Fair. But on that note, I really don't like the implications of his attendance records. Or his disciplinary records. Falling asleep in class so much is the stereotype of a teen vigilante without a proper schedule. And delinquency? I got labeled that for defending myself against bullies cause I was considered weird. I mean, I am weird. But it didn't mean that I deserved to be hurt by others. And the same should be for Tim."
"I'll offer to tutor him in English, and help with any language or arts."
"I'll cover math and science."
"While we're on the topic. How do you feel about going back to school? Just online courses."
"One or two classes shouldn't be hard to start with, but I can't do a full class load. Too much, all at once, you know? And I'll need to get the Farm together. I want to actually grow some food in the case of something happening. And I can just give some to the soup kitchen as a donation. Just so they know kinda what I'm doing."
if you are doing any kind of design meant to reach large numbers of people, download a colorblindness filter (i use CVSimulator, its pretty simple and free) and use it religiously
you can use color contrast checkers like WebAIM to make sure the foreground/background colors are legible & meet web content accessibility standards as well
Additional note: screen readers can't read any fonts you copy and paste from Google to make your blog look cute, please just use the fonts that tumblr already has
actually the best part of the new superman movie is the fact that lois and clark have been dating for only three months because that means clark fell so hard he told her his whole ass secret identity in 90 days. fucking u-haul lesbian behavior.
the logic is when it comes to emotions and commitment, lois is like a feral cat. if you get too close to quickly she will bolt. and clark is trying very hard not to scare her off with too much affection too quickly.
Adult Danny Fenton walks into Gotham High, wanting to enroll his daughter/younger sister/clone/it's complicated into their program. But he's not even a few feet in when he's stopped by a faculty member.
"Ah, Mr. Wayne. You're a lot earlier than expected. Please come in, we've had some concerns with your youngest son, Damian."
Damian "I have no idea why none of you enjoyed being adopted" + him being able to read Danny like crazy (knowing he was trying to work up the courage to call his actual dad)
And ofc
Autistic Bruce vs autistic Damian ahahhaa and yeah internalizing some of that
You think Danny will be letting Dani-with-an-i go to Gotham U now? Cause I doubt it, unless she asks, so she can stay with Damian. Cause you KNOW the two menaces did some bonding while Danny chewed out the staff. Dani just like, yeah hi, that's my legal guardian. He's great right? Yes he does make sure it wasn't my fault, and even if it WAS, he would NEVER just pay for it to go away. He's all about making sure the punishment is fair and stuff. Probably have to help at the hospital or something if I hurt someone for no good reason. Yeah, he's good.
Bruce meeting this young man who has managed to form a bond with Damian in minutes. His most prickly son. Seemingly effortlessly as well. No he is NOT envious.... Okay, maybe a little. But he has Damian talking about it! With ease!! (It isn't that easy Bruce, it's practise) Who is making very good points Bruce can't argue against without telling him the truth about Damian's upbringing.
Damian will derail Danny though. His father isn't racist, he is just... somewhat blind at times. Also, apparently his father isn't as good at understanding Damian as Danny is. He is too like his Father, who WAS in fact a violent little menace at his age. It is understandable perhaps... (Danny doesn't think so. Not At All, but the child is clearly somewhat uncomfortable so he will stop)
Danny: Here is my number. If you ever want to talk about something.
Dani: Here's mine! We can go to the animal shelter to help out together! We can't have pets cause of the tenancy agreement, so I get my fluff cuddles that way!
Amity Park has a lot of strange things going on, and because of that, is notoriously known for paying much attention to anything outside the city limits. So when Danny Fenton gets applies and gets accepted to be the personal assistant for the CEO of Wayne Enterprise, he doesn't think much about moving to Gotham. The pay is ridiculously good, and the benefits? Don't even get him started.
But with supervillains, vigilantes, and way too many kidnappers running amok, Danny's starting to realize why the job's hazard pay was so ridiculously high.
Meanwhile, the rogues of Gotham city are seriously wondering where Wayne managed to get such an insanely strong bodyguard.
in case it wasn't clear (because i honest to god forgot that Tim did become CEO in some runs) Bruce is Danny's boss in this one, because I'd find it hilarious to have Danny constantly be in the presence of Brucie Wayne TM
Danny, stressed as fuck because he's been looking for Mr. Wayne for 4 hours and has to prepare him for a dinner with big investors that's about to start in 5 minutes: MR. WAYNE??? WHERE WERE YOU???
Bruce, who just got back after stopping a gang war from starting: I got lost?
Danny: IN YOUR OWN BUILDING?
Also Bruce gets held hostage a lot. Like. A lot a lot.
Thug: you know the drill Mr. Wayne
Bruce: Sure thing Bob, hands behind my head, keep my head down, all that. Say, how's your wife doing?
Danny: How are you so calm about all this?????
Gothamite: What do you mean? It's just Tuesday
And Danny may be semi-retired from the hero business, but he's not about to let his really nice boss just get hurt like that! But he's also not about to reveal his own secret identity, so now he had to cleverly stage a bunch of convenient "accidents" to save his boss from getting mugged or kidnapped or held hostage or be dangled off a tall building or get lost on the way to the bathroom or—
Well, at least Danny gets a raise from dealing with all this bullshit
Amity Park has a lot of strange things going on, and because of that, is notoriously known for paying much attention to anything outside the city limits. So when Danny Fenton gets applies and gets accepted to be the personal assistant for the CEO of Wayne Enterprise, he doesn't think much about moving to Gotham. The pay is ridiculously good, and the benefits? Don't even get him started.
But with supervillains, vigilantes, and way too many kidnappers running amok, Danny's starting to realize why the job's hazard pay was so ridiculously high.
Meanwhile, the rogues of Gotham city are seriously wondering where Wayne managed to get such an insanely strong bodyguard.
in case it wasn't clear (because i honest to god forgot that Tim did become CEO in some runs) Bruce is Danny's boss in this one, because I'd find it hilarious to have Danny constantly be in the presence of Brucie Wayne TM
Danny, stressed as fuck because he's been looking for Mr. Wayne for 4 hours and has to prepare him for a dinner with big investors that's about to start in 5 minutes: MR. WAYNE??? WHERE WERE YOU???
Bruce, who just got back after stopping a gang war from starting: I got lost?
Danny: IN YOUR OWN BUILDING?
Also Bruce gets held hostage a lot. Like. A lot a lot.
Thug: you know the drill Mr. Wayne
Bruce: Sure thing Bob, hands behind my head, keep my head down, all that. Say, how's your wife doing?
Danny: How are you so calm about all this?????
Gothamite: What do you mean? It's just Tuesday
And Danny may be semi-retired from the hero business, but he's not about to let his really nice boss just get hurt like that! But he's also not about to reveal his own secret identity, so now he had to cleverly stage a bunch of convenient "accidents" to save his boss from getting mugged or kidnapped or held hostage or be dangled off a tall building or get lost on the way to the bathroom or—
Well, at least Danny gets a raise from dealing with all this bullshit
This is just a link list of all the DPxKPDH fanfics and story prompts I am able to find gathered together to hopefully increase awareness of them and potentially increase the popularity of the crossover as time goes on. If anyone has stories or prompts that can be added to this list, please let me know!
'Of Half-Ghosts and Demon Hunters' By Wingd_Knight on AO3
-- Danny becomes a popstar to fight Ember and becomes friends with Zoe before Huntr/x's debut. Story starts during Huntr/x's world tour a year before the start of KPDH canon.
'Remember Your Idols (And What They Became)' by Silvermoonphantom on AO3
-- Danny keeps an eye on Ember and her new backup singers the Saja Boys by becoming her manager for a summer. He uses the opportunity to mess with people, particularly Huntr/x.
'The Half Ghost and the Half Demon' by Bloodhunter5566 on Fanfiction.net
-- Danny and Rumi are soulmates and feel each others pain. Rumi decides she's done waiting and goes to America to find her soulmate and figure out who he is and why he is in pain so often.
'The King of Kings' by Xenia12 on AO3
-- Ghost King Danny goes to a world with what looks to him like a planetary-wide ecto-shield and meets the very stab happy Huntr/x trio, who unintentionally convince him to go fight Gwi-Ma.
'Ignite The Soul' by Firestorm808 on AO3 and Fanfiction.net
-- Zoe grew up in Amity Park, not Burbank, but left to start her KPop training shortly before Danny got his powers. Now, years later, Danny and Zoe are going to be face to face for the first time since she left.
The Bats were scared when they learned of the Jokers newest obsession. A young man, he owned his own little repair shop at the edge of Crime Alley. Jason told them about the man, Danny, who liked repairing things or tinkering with them and letting people pay whatever they felt most comfortable with.
"His Godfather is a billionaire apparently. Gus heard them talk one day, Danny seems to take the guys money but won't spend it on fancy shit."
So they watched, they stalked, they researched and found out about Danny. What made the Joker so obsessed? Steph was the one finding the video, she was watching tiktoks with Cass. And there was a video from a baffled gothamite in a shop, the Joker entered, starting his spiel, then Danny entered.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" Joker looked at Danny.
"How about I make it up to you, here take my pastry. I can just get another one." Danny smiled and gave the Joker a pat on his shoulder, then left. Joker held the bag with unidentified pastry.
And then they found footage of the Joker, always near Danny, stalking him. He seemed to not want to do anything to the guy, but he kept looking. And then they saw what had started the investigation. Someone tried to mug Danny.
Danny smiled and pulled out all his cash from his wallet to give the guy. "Take it, looks like you need it more."
Bruce was getting flashbacks, desperately trying not to see his father hand over his wallet to his soon-to-be murderer.
The mugger took the cash and ran off, Danny kept going on his way, the Joker met the mugger just two blocks down. The mugger was still laughing, Joker took the money and broke into Danny's shop, leaving it with a note on the register.
Again, again and again they found footage of people trying something, Danny letting them go with no worry and the Joker seemingly getting revenge.
"Do you think he's in some twisted kind of love?"
"Ew, never say anything again Timbit!"
Danny was nice, the Joker was obsessed and at some point Harley met Danny, hugged him and slipped something into his pocket before she left, Danny waved her goodbye.
Babs eventually found a camera feed with the Joker talking about Danny to one of his goons.
"He is to not be touched! His world is sugar and candy, no spice! Look at Gotham trying to corrupt him and yet! And yet! He keeps being nice. Ahahahaha! Brilliant! A shining star in Gothams smog!"
Whatever this new obsession was, it was still dangerous and they were going to get the clown back to Arkham. They should probably make sure they kept an eye on Danny, just in case something happened.
Prompt idea Danny is hiding in Gotham but can't resist helping people so he puts on a OG Robin costume and starts fighting crime.
Invisible/intangible = sneak skills
Being able to fly = acrobatics skills
Danny gets the Robin halloween outfit. But adds leggings. He's not running about with his legs on show thanks!
Dick is probably highly amused to find out there is a kid not associated with them in HIS outfit. But also, oh shit! Fuck! Where are they! They need training! Backup! Kevlar! That's a Halloween costume!! Child! Come back! Not to mention Bruce.
This... This would be worst of it happens just after Jason... Bruce would probably think he was going insane. And most amusing during We Are Robin.
I love all the additions to this, but I misread this prompt...
I assumed Danny started doing this a few months after Jason died,but before Tim bothers the bats to become robin.
So now there is a possible bird-in-training Tim, Robin! Danny is giving tough love because all he has dealt with are destructive parents and sad Dick and Bruce Co-parenting these to chaos kids. And maybe Danny senses Jason's revival.
And when Jason gets pitted, and Talia informs about robin, we have a different Titans scene.
1. Danny recognizes Jason's pitflunce and have a heart to heart.
Or
2. Jason goes to Titans tower expecting Tim Drake, but Danny Fenton is there instead.
The guy who animated this is Mistuo Iso, the same person who did most of the Asuka’s fight against the mass produced EVAs in End of Evangelion. People often assume that comedy scenes are easier to animate than more dramatic action but I always think of this scene as proof that interesting dynamic animation can be the thing that pushes a joke from serviceable to an all time classic.
It’s a running joke in the manor that Tim’s kid was like a cat
And he would never admit that he could kind of see it himself.
The climbing, the ability to go from zero to a hundred in energy, and unfortunate ability to be too cute to actually get mad at him for anything he does.
Finding said son running out and about when there was breakout was pushing through.
“Hi Dad!!”
“Danny! What are you doing out here?!it’s still lockdown chickadee!”
Danny looked down at the ground and scuffed one of his shoe against the pavement.
“I know… but you’ve been gone so long and I’ve been worried!”
Tim sighed and tapped his comm,
“Oracle, please keep lookout for the next couple minutes.”
And crouched down in front of his son,
“You haven’t been home in a while and I missed you..”
Tim sighed as he wiped a tear from Danny’s face.
It was almost unfortunate how much the kid took after him.
“Kiddo I’m sorry, that’s my fault, I know we haven’t been able to hang out for the past week-“
Danny stomped a foot in frustration,
“No you don’t understand! You forget to sleep when you don’t come home ‘n’ great grandpa Alffie said we got to sleep because it’s good for you ‘n’ that when you don’t you are more likely to get hurt! I don’t want you hurt!”
Tim wanted to argue, and say that he was fine. He’s been taking cat naps between searching and the fights. If it was anyone else in his family he would’ve done so.
But this was his son, his little chickadee who loves so much and worries about himself so little.
He needs to set an precedent before bad habits emerge.
Picking Danny up, Tim set him down onto his hip and stuck his chin on his head.
“You’re right, I guess I haven’t been being nice to myself like I’m supposed to. How about we go back home and I’ll lay down with you for a couple hours?”
Danny peered up with glassy eyes,
“Can you stay for breakfast?”
And didn’t that just hurt to hear? Faded memories of asking that same question only to be given this almost pitying look danced in the back his mind.
“Sorry kiddo, but we just don’t have enough time before our flight but don’t worry when we get back we’ll have a family day, just the three of us!”
Clearing his throat Tim met his son’s eyes.
“Sure champ, and when we finally get joker back in Arkham we can ask everyone to have a family day, how does that sound?”
Stars almost seemed to take over Danny’s eyes as he let out a little gasp.
“Really?!”
“I promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, many of Danny’s mannerisms were reminiscent of a cat, but this was new.
Tim pinched his eyebrow in exasperation as he looked at his siblings.
He wished he never got up this morning.
“And how exactly did Danny somehow get a crowbar?”
The kid in question just happily swung his legs as he sat on the bench unaware that he himself was going to be getting a far longer conversation as soon as they got back to the manor.
“To be honest.. in hindsight, not my brightest moment.”
“WHY IN GODS NAME A CROWBAR?!”
“He said he needed something to help take care of the trash! I thought he would use it like a knapsack or something!”
Jason Thew his hands in the air, and Dick let out a snort while he nudged the mess of a clown next to him.
“Well he very much did use it for something.”
“Nightwing! I’m just as mad at you for somehow loosing the kid this badly to begin with!! You. Are. Not. Helping.”
“I know but I’m just saying, he gets his dramaticism from you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the end of the day, Joker ended up paralyzed from the neck down.
Jason and Dick were both no longer allowed to babysit Danny alone.
And one little munchkin was, though very much grounded, hailed a hero by all of Gotham for the actions that were live-streamed by onlookers.
And once he was no longer grounded, he did get his family day.
For Danny, gravity is a suggestion, but when he's human he prefers to feel ground under his feet while he's thinking. This leads to him often not realising he's started walking on the wall or ceiling when he's lost in thought or otherwise distracted.
Tim's definitely normal human friend Danny, pacing on the ceiling during his third visit at Wayne manor: [ranting about something, probably defending his love of weird flavour combo milkshakes]
The Batfam, silently debating how they're gonna break it to Danny that he's a meta: ........
Tim's eyes follow Danny as he starts pacing around the table, his homework abandoned on the table. His voice is becoming sharper, and his words are strung together more as he continues. He noticed that he became less aware of his surroundings when his friend started going on his rants.
Watching Danny's body language become slightly less human was fascinating. It started with his eyes—if Danny felt angry, they would glow green. Tim always knew when to cut back on his teasing whenever he saw the flash of green, no matter how brief the green was.
When Danny rants about something that upsets or makes him sad, his voice gains a particular echo. It is almost as if he is slowly walking into a cave.
There were times when Danny got excited or happy; his hair would start to puff up slightly. This reminded Tim of when he would rub a balloon on his hair to study the positive and negative charges.
Danny's hair didn't flout straight up, but it was electric enough to be noticeable if you paid enough attention.
It was as if his emotions affected his physical form like a mood ring. Tim could always tell what Danny felt by watching for the little effects.
All these little things were easy to hide. Most people noticed less than Tim did, but there was one little quirk Danny did that was rather hard to miss.
"What if we talked about the effect of well-lit street lights on crime rates?" Danny asked, striding up to a wall and casually pacing on it. He continued to think out loud, with his eyes closed, as he made loops on the ceiling. Tim needed to pay more attention to the subject of their presentation, but he was somewhat distracted by how Danny's hair and shirt defied gravity.
They stayed perfectly in place as if his friend were still on the ground and not upside down. Tim wondered if his powers were less flying and more gravity-shifting.
It would also explain his lower degree of super strength if he could manipulate gravity. (Tim didn't care what Danny claimed in gym class. No regular human could lift two punching bags like nothing, especially for something as casual as cleaning up)
Or maybe he was able to move in a fifth direction. From his perspective, while Tim was stuck in 3D, Danny could move in the fourth and walk on the ground. It would explain why he didn't notice he had stepped on the walls or ceiling. To Danny, he never left the floor.
"No, that wouldn't work," Danny mutters, making loops around the chandelier. "What if we...but then that would mean...."
Tim couldn't make out most of his words, but that was fine. Danny also tended to mutter under his breath when he was deep in thought.
He cranks his neck back, eyes tracing the way Danny seemed to strut around as if he was out for a walk on a nice sunny day in the park. Carefully, making sure Danny was too distracted by his thoughts, Tim aimed his camera phone at him.
He takes a few photos and then opens the family group chat.
Tim: I need advice on gently telling a friend something that may change our friendship. I've tried to say it to him before but he doesn't seem to get it.
Jason: buy him some flowers and write him a poem. He'll love it.
Steph: That's terrible advice, Jay. No one does that anymore
Jason: No one has class anymore, you mean. Besides, boys deserve to be romanced, too.
Dick: Just tell him how you feel, Tim! Be direct and make sure you use the words "I like you romanticly." Sometimes people don't understand you're asking them out.
Damian: Do not bother me with your failed courtships.
Duke: Maybe don't go as far as Jay said, but Dick's right. You have to say, "Go on a date with me" or something.
Steph: Try the bend and snap! It's Elle Woods-approved!
Tim: No, that's not what this is about. I need help telling Danny he might be a metahuman with Superman-level Power.
There is a long pause before his phone vibrates again.
Damian: I beg your finest pardon?
Bruce is typing.....
Tim: He's friendly! He just has yet to notice that what he does isn't regular.
Jason: Wait, isn't Danny that kid we saw you at the ice ring with? The one that snuck up on Cass by accident?
Tim: Yes
Multiple people are typing.....
Tim briefly glances up to see what Danny is up to, and he is surprised that Frost has started developing in his footsteps. That's certainly new. He attached the photos to the chat, sending them off as Danny slowly floated back down.
He watches as his friend flips horizontally in mid-air so that he's standing upright when he lands. His hair is starting to puff up again, so he is not surprised when Danny's eyes snap open with a gleeful glint in them.
"I figured it out, Tim!"
"That's great," Tim tells him with a smile as Danny eagerly returns to his seat. He is babbling about the solution to their government class and how he knows he can get their proposed bill passed with the correct narrative.
Tim watches frost develop around his pencil and chair. Fascinating. Does that mean excitement? He almost forgets about the family group chat while attempting to figure out what emotion Danny is experiencing to connect to frost that he missed a few messages.
Bruce: Tim, where are you?
Bruce: he made Cass jump because she didn't hear or see him coming. That's worrisome.
Bruce: He could be dangerous
Bruce: Where are you
Bruce: Tim, answer me
Bruce: Timothy Jackson Drake, answer the phone right now
Dick: Oooooohhhh middle name
Damian: They are in the left-wing dining room, Father. I already have a visual on them.
Damian sent a photo of two teenage boys sitting at a table, bending over to look at a book together. Papers and pencils are scattered around the stranger while Tim's trusted laptop is in front of his part.
Bruce: Good. Keep them in sight at all times and report any suspicious behavior.
Damian: Naturally.
Steph: No DNA test is needed
Duke: Literally.
Cass: I am confused. I thought we all knew Tim's boyfriend was not human?
Jason: We did not, in fact, know that Cass.
Cass: It is obvious by the way he moves that Danny is not a meta-human. He is close to one, but he moves like a different being. He reminds me of Captain Marvel.
I thought that this was dead tired for a sec it still could be
So I thought the picture was Danny writing something down while having to explain something to Tim but not looking directly at Tim and having a smile on his face excited for his idea
Meanwhile Tim is staring at Danny trying to figure out if ice does equal excitement not knowing he has a fond smile on his face head slightly tilted ignoring the laptop sat in front of him
The second that photo drops a new gc for the siblings is made excluding Tim. To roast him for not realising A) Danny isn't human. And B) he wants to date Danny. Damian is sending a constant stream of photos that show how fond Tim is of Danny. And just how intrigued he is in his powers. (Damian: Disgusting. I did not need to know about Drake's preferences in that fashion!)And
Tim is ignoring Bruce's texts. He knows Bruce isn't actually that worried. He's just being over protective again. He's met Danny. He knows Danny is a sweetheart and wouldn't hurt a friend on purpose. Heck, given how strong Danny is? His control of it is impeccable given that he doesn't seem to notice it's not normal!
... Actually, if he's not human? Or not entirely human...
Tim: So, what is your family like anyway? Since you've met mine and all?
Danny: Well.... Mom and Dad are Ecto biologists. Top in their field. They are the ones who got the anti Ecto acts struck eventually! They are really uh, enthusiastic about well... Everything? Dad has a bad habit of breaking walls when he forgets to use the door. Mom is a really good fighter and a crack shot. She taught us all how as well, so we'd be safe when we started to leave home. You've met my sibs at least.
Tim: Huh. That explains a lot. Your Dad just.... Breaks walls? By accident?
Danny: Like kool and man. Doesn't help that he's like 6" 9 and wide as he is tall! So he takes out door frames a lot too. The family home was basically rebuilt by Mom and Dad to make it so he could walk around without breaking it all the time!
Tim internally screaming: No wonder your so good at engineering then!
I got to work with the very awesome @tumblehcendrum for this one! I'll update this post when they have their partner fic up :) ehehe I love a good dramatic identity reveal
No need, partner! *tips cowboy hat* Here's the fruits!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
It was an honor to get to write for your piece and a pleasure to work with you! It was fun trying to create a cohesive blend of our takes on the story, especially how receptive you've been when I stared at these four full pages of epic buildup with art, composition and drama to make shonenjump blush and immediately went
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
2087
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
vaporwave
blakekathryn
romaincrisis
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