Short DPXDC Prompts #567
Danny possesses one of the many Bats in the Batcave and the Batfam, completely unaware that this bat is actually a whole ass person, just treat Danny as a strangely human acclimated bat that they see as a pet.
First of all, ow.
Danny didn't know where he was right now, but he was pretty sure his arm was broken, which was more than enough distraction, and a much higher priority.
In fact, it was so distracting that Danny only noticed that he was falling when his slow descent transformed into a very fast descent.
Danny just about mustered up enough energy for intangibility alongside his current can't-see-me shtick as the ground rose up to meet him.
The dirt swallowed him.
And then it didn't. The flood of light shocked him into wakefulness, and he forced his body to a screeching halt.
Looking around, he found himself in some... cave. Which, sure. Whatever.
Until he noticed the huge computer, and chairs, and random tech, and blueprints, and... dinosaur? For some reason? Point was, this was a very inhabited cave.
Perhaps to his luck, not just by people.
He honestly couldn't muster up the energy to care about what the hell he stumbled onto. No, his eyes were drawn to the top of the cave, where a swarm of bats chittered.
He flew closer.
Surely, despite his reservations against overshadowing, a bat wouldn't mind too much? It'd only be for a little while, just to rest and heal up. And it would mean neither Fenton, nor Phantom, would be seen covered in blood.
Just for a little?
Before Danny even really registered it, he was roughly a thousand times smaller and upside down. He hummed internally, happily. It was still daytime, so Danny could sleep in this new for a little while before it became suspicious. Yes, this was a good decision.
Or maybe it wasn't, waking up on the cave's floor, approximately a coupe hours later. Ah, new form. Right. He wasn't used to holding on to things in his sleep. Ow.
His broken arm had translated into a broken wing, which had hit the ground hard. He squeaked in pain.
Large, black boots stopped in front of him. Fuck.
But instead of the person stepping over him, or stepping on him, or even brushing him to the side, gentle hands carefully lifted him up.
The boy had tan skin and dark hair, although his eyes were a piercing green. He was dressed in some... bright get-up? His hooded cap swished behind him as he settled.
Another, similarly dressed boy appeared in Danny's line of view. He asked the first boy, "Whatcha got there, Damian?"
"He's hurt," Damian answered, "I must treat him."
The other boy blinked, "We have patrol in like... five minutes."
Damian stiffened, "Father will understand."
Danny was admittedly curious, now. But, Damian held him so gently and Danny was so tired. They thought he was an actual bat. They had no reason not to. Perhaps he could go back to sleep?
Unconsciously, Danny snuggled into Damian's palms, and promptly fell asleep.
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Part two :)))
Damian had set up a corner in his room for the bat.
It wasn't a very big corner; it couldn't be, with all the weaponry in Damian's room. Nonetheless, with a bit of clearing and safety-proofing, there was a corner of Damian's room where the bat slept.
He refused to take the animal to a vet. Bats weren't a common pet; they may not know how to treat one, or do it incorrectly. And Damian needed the experience, anyway, if he was to become one.
There were few vets in Gotham that Damian truly trusted. Even so, he would not trust those few with a matter such as this. This was a bat cave bat. Practically a pet! This was no ordinary bat.
The wing was... concerning, but not beyond repair. When it came to wing maintenance, Damian was more practiced with birds, but he had done bats before.
It shouldn't be too difficult.
Although, Damian also wished to check for other injuries. The Bat Cave had a very high ceiling, and for a creature as small as this? It was a very long fall.
...Why did the bat fall? Were they not equipped to hang on during times of distress? Perhaps this bat was special.
Damian stretched briefly, stalking over to the bat's corner in a few, quick strides.
Still asleep, Damian noted. It made sense, it was midday.
Carefully-- so as to not spook the critter, should it awake-- Damian lined up the splint he had made in advance. It wouldn't be easy to wrap the wing entirely, so Damian settled for a few bandages to keep the splint in place.
He'd just have to watch him, make sure the bat didn't hurt himself.
A knock on the door. Damian felt his eye twitch. Sighing, he crossed his room to open the door.
Ah, Grayson.
"Hey, Dami," Dick smiled in that crooked way of his, "Heard you and Tim found a hurt bat...?"
Damian tilted his head briefly in a nod, "You would be correct. His wing is broken. I haven't had the chance to check for other injuries."
Damian glanced at the nest-like bundle of cloth near his dresser. The bat was mostly hidden by the mound of cloth, but Damian could just make out the tips of pointed ears.
Dick picked up on this, "Is he in your room?" He gaped.
Damian bit back another sigh. He supposed this was inevitable.
Damian stepped back to let his adopted brother in, making his way to the bat. As soon Dick caught sight of him, he cooed.
Perhaps startled by the noise, the bat woke up.
Damian twisted his mouth in annoyance. Really, Grayson? Now look what you've done.
He didn't approach the bat just yet. Let him get used to his surroundings, first. Give him space.
For an injured animal, the bat didn't seem too shocked at the presence of human people, seeming far more interested in the room itself.
Damian approached cautiously.
While apprehensive, the bat didn't scramble or run at his proximity. Hesitantly, Damian lent out a hand to the bat, his palm facing upward.
The bat blinked. Looked at the hand.
Luckily, the creature had enough sense to avoid aggravating his wing as he crawled onto Damian's hand, staring up at him with beady eyes.
Dick snapped a photo with his phone. Damian glared as he brought the bat slowly to his chest.
"What are you gonna name him?" Grayson asked curiously.
Damian considered this. It felt... wrong. To name this one. This one animal, so intelligent, so human-friendly. But Damian couldn't keep calling him 'the bat' forever.
"I shall write out a list," Damian decided, "Of names. He will decide."
Dick snorted good-naturedly but didn't say anything. Tt. Good enough.
Later on, he did write one such list, full of Arabic or mythical names.
The bat chose Danyal.
So. Um. We've got quite the tag list now. uhhhhh. @the-church-grimm, @legowerewolf, @theeclecticenquirer, @bun-fish, @yurijay, @illusionwolfwriter24r8, @arc-777, @reinaluna, @skulld3mort-1fan, @thegatorsgoose, @avery-isastupid-name, @thefanficcup, @8-29pm, @naluforever3, @vremya, @blueneko9314, @parleboo, @f4nd0m-fun, @drowningroane, @littlefeather345, @01101010-01100001-01111001, @omnicrafts, @mnemovoid, @pikakaistudios, @newgraywolf, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @scythegal, @tricksovertreats, @wanderingrutabaga, @thor-s-joanathan, @write-it-right-2, @roseinbloom02, @autumnwulf, @aconitewolfsbane, @phoenixdemonqueen, @batbootie, @dsabian, and @fisticuffsatapplebees. GAASSSP DEEP BREATh ookay i'm cool
thats a lot of you. uhhhh, really didn't think my little prompt blurb would be this well received but i mean okay i guess
part 3 out of ????
Bruce sighed as he stepped into Wayne Manor, exhausted from a day of meetings and fake smiles. He was just starting to take off his rumpled blazer when Alfred took it from his hands.
“Welcome home, Master Bruce,” Alfred hung the blazer over his arm, already folded neatly.
“Hey, Alfred,” Bruce greeted with a tired smile, “Hope I didn’t miss anything while I was gone.”
Alfred just hummed, his mouth twitching in amusement, “Nothing out of the ordinary, sire.”
Bruce paused in the middle of undoing his tie. He slowly turned to Alfred, “...What does that mean?”
Alfred smiled, “Would you like some tea, Master Bruce? I already have a pot boiling.”
Bruce hesitantly— warily— finished taking off his tie and unbuttoning his collar, “...Sure,” He answered.
Alred started toward the kitchen, Bruce following on his heels. Duke and Cass were giggling on the kitchen island, mugs of tea in hand. They were whispering to each other, but trailed off as the two older men entered.
Alfred raised a brow, “Perhaps waiting five minutes was too difficult a task,” He commented. Duke, at least, looked a little sheepish.
Alfred turned to the bubbling pot, “Did you even let it steep for long enough before drinking?”
Duke blinked, “...It doesn’t make that much of a difference, does it?” Alred pursed his lips, but seemed to let the matter drop.
As Alfred prepared Bruce’s tea, Bruce took a seat next to his children. They shared a look as they continued their previous conversation.
Despite Bruce’s… reputation as the man who wanted to know everything, he didn’t feel the need to eavesdrop on hi children’s conversation. After all, privacy was important, and without trust, families fell apart.
So, no. Bruce didn’t mean to listen in. But as he just barely catches random words, he began to grow… a tad concerned.
“Sorry, what?” Bruce asked, after the third time he heard the word ‘bat’ in conversation— though it was implied to be the animal, not one of their own.
Duke took a long sip of tea, making direct eye contact with Bruce over the lip of his mug. Cass smiled. Slowly, slowly, Duke set down his mug on the counter.
Bruce furrowed his brow.
Duke smiled and shrugged.
"Oh, who's to say, really?" Duke spun in his stool and stood, stretching his arms behind his head, "I really should be working on schoolwork right about now, though..." He tapped his chin in mock thought.
"...Duke," Bruce started, but his adopted son had already exited the kitchen with a cheeky grin. Sighing, the man turned to his daughter, "Cass?"
Cass weighed the options in her mind. Would she really sell out her brothers-- and fellow vigilantes-- in some vague chance of an amusing reaction from her father?
"Damian adopted a bat," She signed in fluent ASL.
Yes. Yes, she would do that.
Bruce blinked in shock. That... was not what he thought she was going to say, "...From the Batcave?"
Cass nodded sagely, barely holding back a smile.
"He was injured," Alfred chimed in, "As far as I've heard. Fell straight from the ceiling and landed by Master Damian's feet."
Cass's shoulders shook with silent laughter.
It was pure chance, that at that very moment, Damian happened to waltz right into the kitchen. He blinked, "Father, you have returned home."
Bruce took a deep breath, "I have." He turned his head to look at Damian, "What's this I hear about a bat?"
Damian froze. From behind Bruce, Cass carefully spelled out each letter, foregoing the word's proper sign for dramatic effect, "Run."
Damian ran.
Bruce stood up in surprise, whipping his head around to Cass. By now, she had resumed her activities as though it never happened. Bruce sighed.
"...Let's go see this bat, then, shall we?"
#hello again!!!#not sure how many of these i actually want to do#it started as a writing exercise my guys#no idea what im doing#seriously feel free to add another scene!!!#totally open to people continuing this#i swear i don't bite <-prev tags
~shore~
Bruce steeled his nerves as he traced a path to Damian's room.
One thing about the bats in the cave is that they mostly stayed on the ceiling - dozens of feet away. Having one at face-level would be...a bit different.
But it would just be one tiny, injured bat. He could deal. The cave bats were an endangered species; Damian is a good caretaker when it comes to animals, but best to make sure he isn't overestimating himself and that the bat truly doesn't need a vet.
In stark contrast to how he'd fled the kitchen, Damian is sitting calmly on his bed when he calls him in.
The bat is nowhere to be seen.
"While I understand the rule about not removing the bats from the cave, Danyal-"
"You named it?" Bruce interrupts, brow raised.
"Danyal chose his own name, I merely provided the list. Regardless, Danyal's injury presents a danger to his wellbeing, but that he fell in the first place is even more pressing. He's been relatively responsive thus far but he needs to be monitored for additional signs of unwellness before he can be allowed to return to the cave."
"I agree."
Damian's shoulders slump nearly imperceptibly at that, untensing.
"Well, I'm glad you are able to see reason."
"Hm. Speaking of being reasonable, have you scheduled...Danyal... for a vet visit yet?"
"Of course not," he huffs, "They would only call the helpline, anyway. I will keep an eye on his condition and if he needs further care we will to take him to a specialist."
"Hn. And where is Danyal?"
"...Napping. He is nocturnal, father. It is a good sign for his recovery; we would be remiss to disturb his sleep."
They stare each other down.
Bruce breaks the silence ten seconds in with a sighed, "Very well. Bring him down to the cave tonight and we can see about taking a scan of his feet. Assuming you haven't already?"
Damian frowned.
"No. I was preoccupied with the wing. I didn't notice anything wrong with his them at a glance, but a foot injury would explain the drop."
-----------------------------
Danny wakes up in a blanket burrito.
Scratch that, a towel burrito - he briefly forgot that he was a bat. W
Well. That he's possessing a bat.
Something pokes at his foot and he lets out an indignant squeak.
"Apologies, Danyal, but we must check for further injuries lest something set improperly."
Danny recognizes the voice as belonging to Damian - a name he'd heard from the guy's sibling and from the fact that he'd formally introduced himself.
To a bat.
Well, Danny certainly wasn't complaining about not being left in the dark save for context clues.
He hated being called "Daniel," but the lilt Damian gave it when he said it - and the fact that he wasn't Vlad - made it a bit more tolerable. He was still hoping someone would give it the obvious nickname sooner rather than later.
Apparently he'd slept through quite a bit, seeing as the check-up ended not a minute after he awoke.
Damian carefully un-burrito'd him, which he appreciated.
He was, however, significantly less enthused by the tweezer-full of cricket he was then presented with.
He reared back, careful of his broken wing.
"It is merely a cricket, Danyal. A nice, juicy cricket for dinner-" Danny let out an indignant squeak. "-Surely you must be hungry by now."
And he would continue to dutifully ignore the pang in his stomach if it meant eating bugs.
Gross.
"Perhaps it is time to contact a specialist," Damian hummed.
And wow, Danny did not want some bat-person poking around and realizing he wasn't a normal bat somehow. He also does not have the energy to leave right now.
Regretfully, he lunges forward to nab the cricket.
-----------------------------
Damian is unsure of what to make of Danyal's sudden change of heart, but he is nonetheless grateful for it.
He chuckles under his breath at the sight; Danyal makes for the unhappiest bat he's ever seen, including his own father.
He looks at the cricket like it's the most insulting thing he's ever laid eyes on - in between his positively miniscule bites.
"No injuries aside from the wing, and he doesn't act ill aside from the initial hesitance to eat," Father notes, causing Danyal's head to snap up and stare at him.
"This is my Father, Bruce Wayne," Damian introduces, redirecting Danyal's gaze to himself. "He has approved your stay in the manor proper. You will not be made to return to the cave until you are well again, rest assured."
Once the cricket is all gone, Damian scoops him up to head to the batcave - Damian has a case to work on and bats are social animals, it would do Danyal good to be near his fellows even if he cannot be among them at the moment.
