List compiling all my Danny Phantom x Batfam prompts. Will attempt to update as I add. :)
Dick Grayson is Danny's dad:
Mor-gue Room to Talk
Cartoons & Cereal pt. 1, pt. 2
Bat-dad prompts:
Taste of Home
Adopt a Bat-Dad
Grandpa Patrol
Fatherless Behavior
Manifesting Destiny
Don't be Suspicious, Don't be Suspicious
Dead Tired ship:
Like They Do in Vegas
Dead Tired College AU
Breaking Codes (and Hearts)
Dead Tired Stalker AU
Dead Serious ship:
Dead Serious Creature Comforts
Dead Serious Arranged Marriage
Dead Serious Oblivious Dating Trope
Dead on Main ship:
Single Dad Dead on Main
Co-Parenting Clones
Graveyard Favors
Dead on Main Sugar Daddy
Lost & Found
The Guy
Anger Management ship:
Bat-in-Law
It Takes a Village
Demon Twins AU:
Demon Twins AU
Phantom Pains
Eldritch!Danny prompts:
The Eldritch Being Effect
Batfam Eldritch Horror
Like Bandits Do
Villainous Woes
Danny gets isekai'd to DCU:
Detective Comics #27
Dead-icated Fan
Dead Silent ship: Updated 5/12/26
Mentor-Hunting
Reblogs:
Danny gets a grave
Red Hood owes Danny $25k
Danny pretends to be old when summoned
Misc:
Bad Driver
Deadman's Coin
Gotham Toothfairy
Gotham Ghost Shitposts
Coffee and Comfort at 2am
Google Searches To Put You on a Watchlist
Scary Dog Privileges
Skittles-Flavored Fear
Phantom of the Manor
Apprentice of the Butler
Henchmen for Hire
Gotham Tiktok
Damian, walking out the manor door in civvies with Purpose and a katana while his siblings watch in concern
Dick: uh, hey, baby bat, where ya off to?
Damian: I am attending an execution
Tim, looking up from his laptop for the first time in 6 hours: what
Steph: in civvies? I get not going as robin but at least wear your assassin gear
Tim: THATS WHAT WE’RE WORRIED ABOUT?
Steph: well yeah that stuffs meant to get blood on it
Damian: it is not the execution of anything that would bleed.
Dick: explain that
Damian, sighing with all the annoyance he can muster at his curious siblings: Do you recall my partner in the school project?
Duke: uh, you mean Danny? The teen dad transfer who you said set up a Prince and Princess Club with the kids in his apartment building, and hosts tea parties where he gives them political problems about unicorns and mermaids to discuss over scones?
Damian: yes. This Thursday the issue was a stuffed giraffe who brought tribute to the council, but the tribute snacks contained nuts. Danny tells me it was originally an attempt to make them refuse the snacks as a group, as the stuffed giraffe knowingly snubbed some of their members. But then it was pointed out that if the allergic children ate the snacks, there would be great medical risk, and the scenario escalated to an assassination attempt.
Dick: …so they’re executing the stuffed giraffe.
Damian: yes. It is good to see the young trained early. Now if you will excuse me, I promised to be there. It is my duty as one trained with the sword to ensure Lord Longneck is dispatched properly for his attempts on Princess Bridget of apartment 114 and Prince Hunter of the top floor’s lives. Good day.
Jason is just chilling in a safe house at home when an ominous swirling green portal opens in the middle of his living room and several beings with giant eyeballs for heads pull a trussed up teen through.
Freaky eyeball: "Congratulations, revenant, you have been chosen to be the abom- I mean... the halfa's new guardian."
Jason: the fuck did he just call this kid?!
The eyeballs then promptly leave, the teen still trussed up in the middle of his living room. Jason unties the kid and sets about interrogating the kid because wtf. Jason finds out:
Kid's name is Danny
He's 15
He has no family or home to return to
He is a half ghost and has all the ghost powers that come with that.
Jason had an older brother once, his name was Danny, he was 15 when he died. Jason looks at Danny: black hair, blue eyes, simmering rage, gaunt corpse-like features. Yeah, this could work.
"Roy! I need a favor. I need you to hire someone to dig up my brother's coffin and transport it out of Gotham and, this is important, it needs to be super obvious until it's out of Gotham. Then Batman needs to lose all trace. Got it? Good. Okay kid, you need to turn invisible and stay invisible while I go steal a plane."
Cut to Batfam PoV, where Jason suddenly leaves town with no explanation, then the next day his older brother's corpse gets stolen ("Jason had an older brother?!") which Bruce fears is a sign their IDs have been compromised. They try to figure out what's going on but the corpse trail goes cold outside Gotham and Jason isn't answering any calls. He's all over Eurasia, fighting all kinds of people, even ending up in a few LoA bases. He finally stops at Nanda Parbat (to intro Danny to the remnants of the All Caste, but the batfam doesn't know that) before stealing yet another plane and heading back to Gotham.
"Hey everyone, this is my big brother Danny. No, we will not be taking questions at this time. C'mon, Danny, I'm exhausted, let's go home."
I'm imagining Danny just getting dragged along, not really understanding anything that's going on, but his core trusts this guy, so he'll go along with things until he gets his head on straight.
My idea is Jason is explaining some things during the travel time at least. The flights over the Atlantic alone are hours of uninterrupted explanation time. He should at the very least be explaining Danny's new backstory and anything he would be expected to explain to his brother upon being revived.
Now, DP and DC being 2 different universes and Danny having no idea who Batman (or Superman or Wonder Woman...) are and not bothering to ask could definitely leave Danny even more confused.
Danny has a problem. He is a protective spirit. Which means he has to protect people or he will slowly drive himself insane. But he doesn’t want to be used for his strength. The solution? Become a fake oracle for Clockwork.
He can warn people of things that shouldn’t happen therefore saving them. Somehow Clockwork agrees and Danny is sent out.
The Justice league hears about him and his accurate prophecies and goes to investigate. They find out the work is going to end if they don’t convince the Ghost king to help them defeat one of his old enemies. They just have to find him.
Danny knows Clockwork is laughing. Now he has to pretend to be a human while leading them to find his own alter ego.
Being a protective spirit wasn’t optional — it was what he was. If he didn’t protect someone, anyone, the magic that made him would twist inward, driving him toward madness. But people had a way of taking advantage of protectors. They’d use him for his strength, his foresight, his willingness to throw himself in front of danger.
Danny Fenton had done that dance before. He wasn’t doing it again.
So when Clockwork, Master of Time and perpetual enigma, offered him a loophole, Danny took it.
A fake oracle — that was the plan. He’d pose as a human seer blessed by some mysterious patron. He’d warn people of what shouldn’t happen — a bridge collapse here, a monster attack there — fixing the timeline and satisfying his need to protect without revealing his true nature.
It worked beautifully. Too beautifully.
Word spread of the “Oracle of the Clock.” His predictions were too accurate, his knowledge too deep. Even the Justice League started paying attention. And when the League learned that the world was on the verge of annihilation by an ancient ghostly enemy — one that could only be stopped with the help of the elusive Ghost King — they came seeking his guidance.
They didn’t realize they were already talking to him.
Now Danny has to lead the world’s greatest heroes on a hunt for… himself.
He has to keep up the act, play the part of the cryptic prophet, and somehow save the world without letting anyone know he’s the very being they’re desperate to find.
Meanwhile, Clockwork, as always, is laughing in the background.
—————-
The old church sat at the edge of nowhere — a crooked shape against the fog, its bell tower long since fallen silent. Inside, candlelight flickered across rows of shattered pews and half-burnt clocks that ticked out of sync.
Danny liked the noise. The uneven rhythm reminded him that time wasn’t as linear as people thought. Clockwork’s sense of humor had rubbed off on him that way.
He was sitting cross-legged on the floor when the air changed — sharp, electric, too clean. A dimensional ripple. They were here.
He didn’t bother to look up. “You can come in,” he said softly, tracing a sigil into the dust. “You’re not the first to knock on Time’s door.”
The heavy door creaked open. Batman stepped through first, shadows clinging to him like armor. Wonder Woman followed, posture regal but cautious, and then Superman — his presence bright enough to make the candle flames shiver.
Danny smiled faintly. “Let me guess,” he murmured. “The end of the world again?”
They froze, just for a moment. That was always the fun part — watching people realize he already knew.
Batman’s voice cut through the stillness. “You’re the Oracle of the Clock?”
“That’s what they call me.” Danny stood, dusting his jeans off. He looked nothing like a prophet — young, too relaxed, barefoot. The white streak in his black hair glowed faintly in the candlelight, and his green eyes didn’t quite look human when they caught the light wrong. “You can just call me Danny.”
Superman exchanged a glance with Diana. “You’ve predicted five separate disasters this year,” he said. “Each one stopped before it happened. We were hoping you could help us again.”
Danny tilted his head, pretending to think. “Ah, yes. The ghost.”
Diana’s brows furrowed. “You know of it.”
“I know him,” Danny corrected, tone suddenly too knowing, too tired. “Old enemy of the Ghost King. The kind that doesn’t stay buried for long.”
Batman stepped closer, cape whispering against the floor. “We need to find the Ghost King. Can you tell us where he is?”
Danny laughed softly — a sound that wasn’t quite human. “Now, that’s the question, isn’t it?” he said. “But time doesn’t like shortcuts. You’ll have to earn your answers.”
“Can you at least tell us if he’ll help us?” Superman asked.
Danny’s smile faded, and for a moment, the weight of centuries flickered behind his young face. “If you find him,” he said quietly, “tell him that the balance is breaking. Tell him Clockwork warned him this would happen.”
The League traded uneasy looks.
Danny turned away, lighting another candle. “Now go,” he said, voice light again. “The sooner you start looking for your ghost, the sooner I can stop pretending I don’t know where he is.”
That wasn't going to cut it. They needed a place to start.
"Where do we begin? Where should we look?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Begin where you are, and look ahead. It will be in front of you, when you know how to look." The prophet replied.
And then, the massive clock leaning against the back wall hit 12, and they were back on earth.
"What did he say?" Came a gravely british voice.
"He told us to 'tell him that the balance is breaking. Tell him Clockwork warned him this would happen.' and 'Begin where you are, and look ahead. It will be in front of you, when you know how to look.' Is any of that familiar to you, Constantine?"
"Riddles. I should have known, nothing is easy, right?" He let out a dry chuckle.
"So, what do we do now?" Superman asked.
The brit sighed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Clockwork. The ancient of time. I suspected that this prophet had him as a patron."
"Have you made a deal with him in the past?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Eh, can't say that I have, but I've met him." He said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Can you contact him?" Batman inquired, straight to business.
"No, not anymore. It's complicated, but it's not an option."
"Hmn."
"Uh, I heard him say something at the end, he said 'The sooner you start looking for your ghost, the sooner I can stop pretending I don’t know where he is.'" Superman added.
Another sigh from Constantine. "Yeah, of course he knows. But he can't tell us, for whatever reason. He knows the future, and other futures. He didn't tell us for a reason, I'm sure."
"Right." Batman started. "Any advice, Constantine?"
"Hm. I guess, start with cults, and summoning rituals. Most likely your best bet. Or, if you can remember what the kid looked like, look for him in this world."
"In this world?" Wonderwoman asked.
"Yea, he's most likely not from this world, but an alternate dimension.. If you can find him in this world, it might help somehow. I'll go home and look through my library. Good luck. If you need me, figure it out yourself."
With that, they had 2 unreliable leads. Find the kid in this universe, and research cults. It really can never be easy.
It doesn't have a title yet, sorry. Anyway, I was teasing this idea for a while, and while I'm not writing for it Right Now, I did get a good bit written so I figure I may as well share what I have over the next week or so until I'm home. <3
It needs a first part that I,,, haven't written yet, to explain the mechanics and give some lead-up to this, so be prepared to be dropped in headfirst with no explanation lol.
Edit for anyone who wasn’t following this: soulmate AU, they swap bodies when they both go to sleep the night the younger soulmate turns 15, they won’t swap back until they both go to sleep in the same bed. They can also sense the amount of danger the other is in at all times.
---
The moment Damian opened his eyes, he realized that he had made a few too many assumptions in his desperate analysis of his soulmate's situation.
There was something painfully wrong with the body he now inhabited. It felt strange, as if the sensation of lightheadedness filled his entire body. A bone-deep chill seemed to originate from deep in his chest, and it seemed to struggle to draw enough breath. The left hand was half-numb, but there was a sharp pain on the opposite forearm. His ears rang as if damaged. Had his soulmate been dangerously ill all this time? They would have to find… him better care than he was currently receiving. Dangerous chronic illness could certainly explain the constant danger his soulmate lived in, as well as its frequent spikes.
When he carefully sat up, however, there were no widespread aches or trembles. There didn't seem to be any significant weakness, nor dizziness. Checking the arms revealed a bandage wrapped tightly around the left forearm, and he could feel a bandage under the pajama pants his soulmate wore.
Finally, Damian looked up and surveyed the room he found himself in, something that he normally would have done before anything else. His soulmate's bedroom was small and messy, scattered carelessly with clothes, trash, and discarded homework. They would require a firm talking-to about cleanliness, although not right away. The lack of medical equipment implied that the condition, whatever it might be, was either stable or new; Damian leaned toward the former.
He looked down. The comforter on the bed was space-patterned, and there was a wall dedicated to model spaceships, as well as several posters. Clearly, his soulmate had a primary interest.
There was no note on the nightstand or desk, and the phone he found charging on the nightstand was locked. There were four notifications: two from 'Inquisitor' asking if his ears were still ringing and if she needed to come home and run interference, one from 'Sam' reminding him about an upcoming history test, and one from 'Techno-Luddite' telling him about the release date of an upcoming game.
After the nightstand and the phone, the most common place to leave a note for a soulmate was on the computer. There was a desktop in the corner of the room, in good condition but several years old. Damian got to his feet, ginger and careful, and made his way over there without incident.
It was already on, he observed. He woke it with a flick of his wrist, and the screen lit up, showing a chat window. He crossed his arms on the desk and examined it, frowning.
napstablook: ringablingblingbling
napstablook: my ears are bleeding again
TF (Too Fine): i thought the fenton phones were helping?
napstablook: they were
napstablook: until they started testing a new frequency that cuts right through them
TF (Too Fine): shit
TF (Too Fine): okay bring a pair to school with you and i'll see what i can do
napstablook: thanks tuck. i owe you one
TF (Too Fine): you owe me many
Damian made a note of the requested item, a pair of 'fenton phones,' and moved on. It was tempting to scroll up and get more context for the interaction, but not now. He minimized the window, the browser underneath, and Steam before reaching the desktop, where he was able to quickly locate the expected file.
soulmate_readme.docx
Perfect. Damian opened it and scanned the note his soulmate had left for him.
Hey, partner. You're lucky I'm older, or you would've just gotten [pleasantries and stuff] at the beginning of this.
I'm Danny Fenton! I'm 17 right now and you're in Amity Park, Illinois. I'm really passionate about space, and I also like video games and concerts. I used to want to be an astronaut but my life plans got thrown off-track a few years ago, and I'm still figuring out what to work toward instead. I'm kind of jumpy by nature, please don't take it personally if I'm like that with you at first, but I can be a bit of a gremlin too. And if it's okay, I'd really like to go stargazing with you when we meet, before we go to sleep.
I'm excited to meet you! I really am. I'm getting the idea that we have a lot in common, so I kinda geared this list in a certain direction. Hopefully I'm not misreading things too much. The rest of this is all warnings, don't skip any of it. I'm sorry, this probably won't be very fun for you.
First: I'm also a metahuman. Synthetic. My parents don't know, please do not tell them. I don't know how much of my control will stick with you through the swap (online reports are kinda inconsistent) but Sam, Tucker, and my sister Jazz should be able to help you if something happens. The main concern is phasing through things by accident, but you might also turn invisible sometimes or notice some ice slipping out, especially if you get worked up.
Second: Amity Park is not really safe. You probably know that already. There are frequent extradimensional attacks and the beings behind them are pretty strong. Avoid them if you can, but they might seek you out. You'll know when they're around because your breath will run cold.
There's two weapons in the bottom of my closet. One of them is a wristband with a plasma gun in it, the other is a lightsaber-style bo staff that splits into two if you prefer. Take both and use whichever you're more comfortable with. If you're not experienced, I recommend the blaster. The thermos is a capture device. Take the cap off, point, and shoot.
Do not go downstairs. Take the rope in the bottom of the closet and leave through the window if you can. I am so serious. My parents mean well, but as soon as they know it's you, they'll give you a bunch of stuff that may or may not be safe with my meta abilities. If they try to put a metal belt on you, do not let them. If you can't leave through the window, call Sam or Tucker. My phone's passcode is 990198.
First aid kit is under the bed if you need it. Sorry again. Drink one of the green vials if you're injured. If you're really injured, use a syringe and drink three vials.
Sam and Tucker should be able to give you the rest of the rundown, whatever info is up to date. We've been planning this for a while. Call when you can and we can talk about what travel arrangements make the most sense.
Good luck. And happy birthday.
Damian sat back, crossed his arms, and frowned at the screen.
First: it seemed his assumption about Danny being a vigilante had indeed been correct, and Danny had deduced the same about him. That was good; it meant his soulmate was intelligent. He also seemed rather excitable, given the tone of the first few paragraphs. Should Damian have included more information about himself as well? He shook the thought off impatiently.
He also went by a nickname. Using it would be Damian's first major concession to the relationship.
Second: it was unusual for non-alien metas to have more than one or two powers, and Danny had listed three. Then again, 'synthetic metahuman' was a broad category that could include any number of inciting incidents. Damian would have to inquire into the details later. At least it explained why this body felt so… strange.
Third: he clearly considered both his home and his hometown at large to be an active hazard to Damian. And since Danny was the older, he hadn't been able to arrange for Damian to wake up in a safe location. That was unfortunate but understandable. It mattered little, since Damian was more than capable of taking care of himself with the information and tools provided. Still, with the note that extradimensional beings were likely to seek him out, it would be best to rendezvous with 'Sam and Tucker' for more information.
Decisively, Damian turned away from the computer and moved toward the closet, careful not to stumble in his soulmate's altered body. His center of balance was unnaturally high; Damian would need to practice some maneuvers before attempting serious combat.
Upon opening the closet, Damian discovered that Danny had an appallingly casual sense of style. That would have to be fixed. Damian's soulmate needed to own clothes outside of jeans and t-shirts. He picked a pair of black slacks and a navy blue button-down, then turned to the bed and laid them out.
He knelt down and pulled the first aid kit out from under the bed. He opened it, then faltered at what he saw. The cold spot in his chest seemed to magnify.
Five corked vials and three capped syringes of glowing green fluid. Lazarus water. Where… how…
Damian took a deep breath and forced himself to focus. He knew of no use for Lazarus water in small quantities, despite having grown up around people that actively studied it. There were multiple things in nature that glowed bright green; radium did, after all, as well as the Green Lanterns' constructs. He picked one up and tilted it, baffled to discover that it was viscous, like honey.
Would it be better to be suspicious, possibly denying his soulmate's altered body a necessary supplement, or to trust his soulmate blindly, consuming a substance he didn't even know the name of?
He drank it. It had a peculiar taste, like a hyper-concentrated electrolyte mix, but Danny's body responded positively to the flavor and swallowed eagerly. Damian grimaced, set the vial on the nightstand, and forged on.
The injury on his soulmate's arm appeared to be a knife wound, quite deep and clumsily stitched with an odd glowing suture; it seemed likely that Danny had done it himself, with his left hand. No antibiotics or antiseptic - allergy or oversight? He rewrapped the injury and moved on. The injury on his right thigh was a second degree burn, most likely from a plasma gun judging by the uniform shape. There didn't seem to be any decreased sensation either; it was quite painful. He applied burn cream from a nearly-empty tube and rewrapped that as well.
Finally, he manually tested the sensation in his left hand, flexed it experimentally, and then decided that was enough. He dressed, fetched the three remaining implements from the bottom of the closet, and picked up the phone.
Since Bruce was… unreliable, on the topic of personal boundaries, Damian had gone to Dick for advice on this matter. Dick was very firm on his suggestions: Damian was not to go through his soulmate's messaging history, internet history, photos, or any diary or journal he might find. Under the circumstances, Damian should probably not linger too long at all and instead move on as quickly as possible.
Damian hesitated, then unlocked the phone and checked the notes first. There was another copy of the readme there - useful. Several other notes included a short review of first-aid procedures, a list of locations where a local organization would perform stake-outs, a list of locations where his soulmate had stashed go-bags (making heavy use of his meta abilities, it seemed), and some computer game-related notes.
Finally, Damian went to the browser, and searched 'Amity Park vigilantes.' No relevant results were returned.
He searched 'Amity Park.' There were several cities by that name, none in Illinois.
He left Google, and performed the same searches on Bing, DuckDuckGo, AOL, YouTube, X, and Bluesky. None of the search results indicated that a town called Amity Park existed in Illinois, nor did one with any known vigilante activity.
Amity Park, it seemed, had been delisted from everything.
Well. This was a problem that could be addressed later. Damian pocketed the phone, took the rope from the bottom of the closet, and fastened one end to a curtain bracket above the window.
The rope was knotted, as to facilitate cautious descent and easier climbing. Damian made the decision not to be offended by this, and swung out the window, dropping down a few knots at a time.
Hopefully, Danny was having a somewhat easier time than this. Though given that he was facing the scrutiny of Damian's family, Damian doubted it.
Danny woke up, and had to immediately stop himself from panicking.
His body felt heavy and hot; the cold spot in his chest was gone, and he was warm through for the first time in years. He was breathing hard, and his heart was racing. His ribs were cracked, aggravated by his heaving breaths, and he was sure they hadn't been last night. His shoulder ached like he’d wrenched it, and he could feel something like road rash on his cheek. That usually healed overnight; it was odd to wake up to the sensation. But the painful burn on his thigh was gone, and the knife wound on his arm.
He opened his eyes to a room he'd never seen before, and far too late, it clicked.
His soulmate had finally turned fifteen, and they'd swapped bodies.
Okay. That was… fine. That was great, even - he was starting to worry. Most soulmates were born within three years of each other. Apparently he and his soulmate were at about two and a half. Good to know.
He'd apparently forgotten what it felt like to have a normal human body. That was also fine. It would probably never matter again after today, because he didn't have one of those.
And his parents weren't working on anything too awful! The frequency weapon was aggravating, but even if his soulmate got caught in range of it, he wouldn't get seriously hurt or anything. That was good.
…They really needed to meet up, like, as soon as possible.
Danny pushed himself upright with a wince and finally took in the room. It was huge, he realized - at least as big as Sam's room, maybe even bigger, and just as richly decorated. There were swords on the walls, some paintings, a couple of bookshelves, and some massive windows. Apparently his soulmate was from a wealthy family. Weird.
There was a notebook on the nightstand, flipped open to a simple note.
Bonded.
I am Damian Wayne. I expect you to be normal about this.
Refresh yourself in the bathroom in the northwest corner. My phone's passcode changes on the hour, the key is underneath the top drawer of the nightstand. Wear any clothes you like.
Whatever your own circumstances, you are in no danger in this home. I have a father and an appalling number of siblings, listed below in order of seniority with some notes. All of them save Todd are likely to be present, as they are extraordinarily nosy. Father and Richard should be waiting for you in the living room downstairs. Head there when you are ready and you will be given breakfast.
When you are ready to make arrangements, call. If you do not, I will do so myself.
Bruce Wayne - My father. Despite what he shows the public, Father is a sharply intelligent and goal-oriented man. Be respectful of him.
Richard Grayson - I would advise you to stick close to Richard, as he is the most sane and will do his best to protect you from my siblings' nonsense.
Jason Todd - Can be temperamental. Put space between yourself and him if necessary.
Cassandra Cain - Semiverbal but extremely observant. She communicates primarily in ASL.
Timothy Drake-Wayne - No notes.
Stephanie Brown - Intentionally annoying.
Duke Thomas - Enhanced vision.
Danny lifted a hand to his mouth, stifling an incredulous laugh. Okay, so Damian was kind of funny - super formal, clearly, and his exasperation with his siblings bled clearly through the page. He was a little disappointed that he hadn't written more about himself, but that was okay. They'd have time to talk, probably, if Damian forgave him for the situation he woke up in.
Anxiety bit at him again. He hoped Damian made it out alright. He'd been so sure, with the levels of danger that Damian regularly got into, that his soulmate had to be a vigilante. But the Waynes were in direct danger all the time, weren't they? Because of rogues and stuff. Heck.
And that was the other thing: Danny had to admit, he was sort of uncomfortable with the idea of being in the Wayne family's orbit. Not that they seemed like bad people or anything, but he just didn't need that much attention on him.
Well. Not like he was getting out of it now. He'd figure something out one way or another, right? And he and Damian had to be soulmates for a reason. Even if they didn't click romantically, they'd probably be good friends. Hopefully.
Danny did his best to shake off the creeping anxiety and followed Damian's instructions, going to the bathroom before he went to check out the closet. It was, like Damian's writing, really, really formal. He picked out a polo shirt and a dark pair of jeans, wincing at the creak of cracked ribs.
The sharp spike of pain made him pause. Cracked ribs. Why would a random rich kid have cracked ribs? He silently put the vigilante hypothesis back on the table.
Finally, he dug the passcode key out of Damian's nightstand and worked it out, unlocking Damian's phone after almost five minutes. He wanted to text Sam and Tucker, but hesitated - Damian probably wouldn't want Danny giving his number to people he didn't know, right? That was the sort of thing public figures worried about; Vlad was pissed when Danny gave out his number (which happened pretty regularly.) But Discord used two-factor authentication, and he didn't have his phone.
He sighed, went to email instead, and logged in one of his accounts. He wrote a quick email to Tucker, explaining what had happened and asking him to stay on standby and go to Fentonworks at eleven if he hadn't heard from Damian by then. Then he emailed Jazz to let her know too, and ask her to come home soon if she could. Then Valerie, asking her to cover.
After a moment of thought, he opened Chrome and Googled each of the names on Damian's list. It wouldn't hurt to recognize them once he saw them. They were public enough figures that they probably expected him to.
He put the phone and the passcode key in his pocket, took a deep breath, and tried to shake the nervous tension out of his shoulders. With all of that done, there wasn't anything left to do but go and talk to Damian's family. Right? And he'd talked about this part with his sister before too. Before he knew it was the Waynes.
Danny exhaled harshly, then pushed himself forward and out the door.
The Waynes were more understated about their wealth than Vlad was. The wall trimmings were simpler and more elegant, the furniture Danny could see was more well-made than opulent, no gold anywhere. That wasn't a huge surprise; Vlad liked to show off.
He was worried he was going to get lost trying to find his way downstairs, but luckily it only took two turns before he could see the loft. He made his way over there and leaned against the railing to look around. The loft overlooked some kind of ballroom; an expensive-looking chandelier hung from the ceiling, there was a fountain in the center of the room, and the walls were edged with elegant carvings that looked difficult to keep clean.
"Need some help?"
Danny jumped a mile and instinctively jerked away from the unexpected voice, turning to face him as he took a few steps away. It took him a moment to place the face of the man in front of him - Richard Grayson, giving him a friendly smile that looked… not fake, but rehearsed. He didn't move any closer, letting Danny put space between them.
It took Danny a moment to process what Richard had said, and then he ducked his head uncomfortably. "Yeah, if that's okay. Um, I'm Danny." Luckily, since Damian was younger, they were probably ready for this to happen. Even his parents had taken the day off when he and Jazz each turned fifteen.
"Hey, Danny. Call me Dick." Richard - Dick - held out his hand, and Danny hesitated before scooting closer to shake it. Dick let go after a moment, still smiling amiably. "Let's head downstairs. It's just Bruce and Alfred for now, so we should have some time to talk before the others can't help themselves anymore." Danny smiled a little and followed him toward the stairs, a few steps back. Dick half-turned to face him without missing a beat. "So, do you have any questions you want to start with? I know this must be a bit of a shock for you."
Danny could see why Damian had instructed him to stick close to Dick; it was obvious he'd been assigned the role of settling Danny in. He thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.
"I don't know how this stuff gets handled with high-profile people," he admitted. "All the examples I can think of are like, child stars and stuff." He'd seen some stories in passing, and most of them talked about arranging a meeting through their agents, which wouldn't be the case here. Right?
Dick gave him a smile that looked genuinely pleased, so apparently Danny had said something right. "We'll talk about that soon," he promised. They turned down the stairs, but Dick kept facing Danny, not missing a step. "Okay, is there anything you want us to know up front? Any warnings, concerns, special circumstances?"
Danny reached up and ran his thumb along the line of his jaw without thinking. Damian's jaw felt different from his. Sharper. "Um…" He grimaced. "We should probably go get Damian soon."
"You're not safe at home, right?"
Danny froze. Dick took a few more steps down before turning to face him completely, raising one eyebrow without faltering.
"You don't have to hide it," Dick said, when Danny didn't respond. "Damian's been keeping track. And that's why you're worried, isn't it? Because he's swapping into the circumstances that you've been living in?"
Dick's eyes were too sharp, too observant. Danny looked away, crossing his arms tightly, and continued walking down without answering. Dick didn't push, turning to continue the walk downstairs in relative silence. They hit the marble floor, and Dick directed them toward a side door.
"Don't worry," Dick said at last, pausing just outside the door to meet Danny's eyes. "Damian is pretty good at taking care of himself. He'll be alright."
Shows what you know, Danny wanted to say. He held his tongue.
Dick maintained eye contact for a moment longer, then turned away and pushed through the door.
Going down the hall led to a living room that looked almost normal. It was big, sure, and richly decorated, but it had couches and armchairs and a television, a coffee table, some bookshelves, a large high window. It was nice. By the coffee table, Bruce Wayne was on one of the couches, using a tablet. An older man, like, retirement age for sure, hovered nearby, already looking their way. Danny smiled fleetingly when their eyes met, then dropped his gaze again.
"This is Danny!" Dick announced as they came in, drawing Bruce's attention up to them. "He's a bit jumpy so go easy on him, and he also wants to know how we're planning to handle this process since he knows it'll be different from the norm."
"I see," Bruce said, and gave Danny a warm smile, gesturing to the couch across from him. "Take a seat anywhere and we can talk things over. Are you hungry?"
After considering his options for a moment, Danny sat in one of the closer armchairs instead, then drew his feet up and crossed his legs. He grabbed the hem of one leg and rubbed it between his fingers, braced his elbow on that knee to ease the weight on Damian’s cracked ribs, then shook his head. He felt more than saw Dick and Bruce exchange a look.
"Something small, then," the older man cut in, approaching with a kind smile. Damian's family seemed really nice, Danny thought distractedly. "Does anything sound palatable?"
"Oh, um…" Danny glanced up, startled, and met the man's eyes. Alfred, he realized belatedly. Dick said Bruce and Alfred were waiting for them. "Fruit is okay, I guess. Thanks."
"Of course," Alfred said warmly. "I'll be back in just a tick, then."
Danny smiled briefly, then looked back at Bruce. Dick had sat on the couch across from him, leaving Danny slightly more on Dick's side than Bruce's, but both of them a comfortable speaking distance away. Almost as soon as it registered, though, Danny frowned again, looking down to pick at the hem again.
"Really though," he said after a moment. "We should go get Damian soon."
"About that," Dick said, and when Danny glanced up he wasn't smiling anymore, though he didn't look angry either. "What exactly are you worried is going to happen?"
Oh, that was… a bad question, but fair. Danny grimaced. If they weren't going to believe him until he explained, though… "Well… I guess the first thing is the house." He bit his cheek, trying to decide how to explain, then stopped quickly. Not his body. He rubbed the cuff of Damian's jeans harder. "I'm… a meta. And my parents are inventors. And they keep making stuff that hurts me by accident. And Damian doesn't know what's safe for me to handle and what's not, so he really shouldn't be in there, in my body, by himself." He shrugged uncomfortably. "I told him to leave through the window instead of going downstairs, but I don't know if he'll take me seriously."
There was a heavy pause. Danny squirmed. This really wasn't a great start.
"You told him to climb out the window rather than risk coming into contact with these inventions?" Bruce asked, with a dangerous edge to his voice that made Danny flinch.
"Sorry!" he yelped, scooting back, away from him. He clamped his hands around his elbows, squeezing tightly. "I, I didn't know when it would happen, so I wasn't sure what they'd be working on when it did! And I guess it's just the frequency weapon, and that wasn't that bad, but I was worried it'd be one of the aerosols, because those always make me really sick, or one of the auto-targeting weapons and he doesn't know to look out for those, or, or…"
"Easy, Danny," Dick cut in, low and soothing enough that Danny blinked, glancing up in confusion. Dick wasn't smiling, his eyes dark, but his tone was carefully modulated. "Bruce isn't mad at you. Damian won't have any trouble climbing out a window, and he knew he was walking into a dangerous situation, so I'm sure he looked hard for any notes you left him. It's just very concerning that you're in regular contact with something so dangerous for you."
"Oh- it's okay." Danny tried to relax, but ended up just squirming backward some more. He let out a shaky breath, wincing as his ribs protested, and eased over enough to take the weight on his elbow again. "I mean, I do know what would hurt me, so I can usually avoid it."
"I'm sure you can," Bruce agreed, more calmly. "So, assuming he escaped your home unscathed, what else are you concerned about?"
"Well…" Danny loosened his death grip enough to pluck at his shirt. "Rogue attacks, I guess. The Red Huntress should be out on patrol today, but they’re still frequent enough to be a concern.”
"He'll be fine," Dick said, firmer than Danny would have expected. Huh. Did that mean Damian's family knew what he, maybe, did? Danny relaxed a little, letting out a soft breath, and nodded. Dick continued, "Rogue attacks, huh? Where do you live?"
"Amity Park, Illinois," Danny said, settling enough to go back to rubbing the cuff of Damian's jeans. "Don't bother looking it up though. It's been delisted from pretty much everything. Even the mail goes through a relay now. Every time I look on Google Maps I'm surprised it's still there." The following pause was so heavy it made him look up. "What?"
Both of them were frowning again. Danny cocked his head, uncomfortable.
"…Do you know why that is?" Bruce asked at last. Danny's mind flashed back to Damian's note.
Despite what he shows the public, Father is a sharply intelligent and goal-oriented man.
Instead of scoffing outright, Danny huffed softly and pulled his knees closer, tucking his feet under him. He spared a moment to be glad that Damian seemed to have a similar build to him. "The GIW doesn't want the Justice League catching wind of what they're doing, probably."
"I can make that happen." Bruce's gaze was intense. It occurred to Danny that actually… he probably could. Even Vlad wouldn't be able to do anything about it until it was too late.
Vlad. Shit, Vlad. Danny's fading anxiety clamped down on him again, and he sat up. "We should go get Damian first," he said again, feeling embarrassingly like a broken record.
He craned his neck to find Alfred bringing a massive plate of fruit over, like, way too much. Danny thought for a moment that he was going to put it on the coffee table for everyone, but he set it on the arm of Danny's chair, and Danny automatically reached up to balance it.
"Um, thank you," he said awkwardly, looking up to give Alfred a nervous smile. "Alfred, right?"
"That's right," Alfred confirmed with clear warmth, and then pushed a glass of water into Danny’s hands as well. “Master Damian had an accident recently; I assume you’re feeling sore this morning.”
Startled, Danny looked down at the plate, and found two aspirin sitting on the edge. “Oh. Thanks.”
It had been a while since he bothered taking painkillers; they barely worked on his human form. He swallowed both, then downed the rest of the glass of water as Alfred addressed Bruce and Dick.
"I think that's enough business for now, isn't it?” Alfred said, subtly pointed. “I do believe both of you agreed to ask the young man about himself, not his circumstances."
Both men looked rather sheepish at that. Danny ducked his head to hide a smile and looked down at his plate - slices of peach and orange, strawberries cut in half, some blueberries and blackberries. It seemed like a lot for a vague request for some fruit. He picked up some blueberries and started eating.
"We did get a bit sidetracked, didn't we?" Dick chuckled, seemingly embarrassed. "So, Danny, how old are you?"
Danny hesitated, shifting uncertainly. The berries were perfect, but his stomach churned nervously. "I really think we should go," he tried again. They didn't know the full extent of what was at stake, after all. 'Rogue attacks' didn't exactly cover it.
"Did you direct Damian to somewhere safe?" Dick asked. Danny nodded. "Where did you have him go?”
“…To my friends,” he admitted, embarrassed not to have anything better for them. “They’ll be able to catch him up on anything I couldn’t put in my note.”
“Then he'll be fine for a little while,” Dick insisted. “Alfred can get the plane ready and we can head out after you eat, alright?"
"…Okay." Danny went back to eating and tried to reassure himself as Alfred headed back out. Sam and Tucker would keep Damian out of harm's way until they met up, he was sure.
Dick smiled at him. It was nice. "Then let's start with an easy one. How old are you?"
Danny swallowed his food and played with the pile of berries with his thumb. "Seventeen." He thought of the obvious problem and winced. "Um, and closer to 'just seventeen' than 'eighteen."
"That's good to know," Dick said amiably, not seeming bothered by the slight age jump. "What are your career plans?" Danny hesitated, and Dick added, "It's fine if they're still loose, nothing wrong with that."
Danny relaxed a little and shrugged again, picking through the berries to avoid looking up. "They're… yeah." He sighed. "I wanted to be an astronaut, but I had a major accident about three years ago that really threw things off, and I'm kind of still… figuring things out. I'll do engineering, probably, since I'm okay at it."
Dick hummed in surprise. "Hang on… three years ago?" When Danny glanced up in question, Dick was looking at his phone, scrolling for something. "…August second?"
What? Danny blinked, and then winced with the realization. "Oh. That was probably pretty hard on Damian, huh? Sorry." The whole lead-up to that, with Danny approaching the plugged-in portal and then actually going inside, like an idiot, must’ve been horrific from Damian’s side. He couldn’t even imagine what Damian had felt while Danny was actually dying.
Then again, he was certain that Damian had at least come close a few times himself.
"It was the most worked up I've ever seen him," Dick agreed, not seeming upset. "An accident, you said?"
Danny shrugged and nodded, biting into a peach. "I got a pretty bad shock from one of my parents' machines. It put me in the hospital for a few days and there were some, um, lasting effects." He paused. "That wouldn't happen to Damian. I did something stupid."
Dick hummed noncommittally. "Is that how you got your meta abilities?"
Danny flinched so badly that he jostled his ribs again, and had to hold his breath for a moment before he could respond. "Y-yeah. But it's… complicated. I don't really want to talk about it. Um, can you tell me how this is going to work?"
Bruce and Dick exchanged a look, and Danny looked away, wrapping an arm around his torso.
"That depends on a few things," Bruce said at last, shifting his focus to Danny. "You know that it isn't uncommon for abused children to move in with their soulmate's family after the switch, yes?"
Danny went still, a cold weight falling over his shoulders.
"Sorry. I should've been clearer." His voice came out wooden. "My parents aren't abusive. They would never hurt me on purpose. There's just… a lot of accidents."
It sounded lame, and he wanted to snap and insist to them that it was true, there was nothing wrong with his parents, it was just that Danny was such a mess- but it would sound like a lie. They’d understand later, he promised himself. When they met.
Bruce studied him for a moment, and Danny squirmed under the scrutiny, fixing his gaze on the coffee table.
"You would prefer to stay with your family?" Bruce clarified after a moment. Danny nodded, hard. "Alright. I understand. In that case, I would like to stay for a few days and speak with your parents before finalizing any arrangements. Do you think they'll be amenable to that?"
Danny let out a relieved breath and nodded. "Yeah. There shouldn't be any problems once I'm the one in my body. They're really very nice." Of course, then he'd have to explain to them why he didn't want Damian around them in his body, but it wasn't like they could deny how often accidents happened.
Bruce hummed. "Most likely, the two of you will stay in your separate cities for the moment. We'll arrange for a set number of in-person visits every month as well as any online or phone communication you agree on. From there it will be up to the two of you."
Danny smiled a little, quietly pleased by the image Bruce painted.
"That sounds good to me," he said, picking at the fruit again.
The sound of footsteps made him look back up, and he only jumped a little as more people emerged from the hallway - Damian’s other siblings, Danny realized. Tim, Stephanie, Duke, and Cassandra. Tim had a laptop under his arm, Stephanie looked avidly curious, and Cassandra lagged a few steps behind, her eyes already set on Danny. Duke’s eyes were intense, boring into Danny, and he looked away quickly, flustered.
“So who’s your favorite Gotham vigilante?” Stephanie asked him, as soon as their eyes met.
“Um…” The question felt oddly like a trap. Was this a Gotham thing, like asking people to pick between Phantom and the Red Huntress? He cast a wary glance across everyone, but they just looked expectant, and he shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know. I mean, at this point they’re all really experienced and good at what they do. Nightwing, I guess? He does a really good job of balancing being competent and friendly, and it makes him a great point of contact between the Bats and, you know, everyone else.”
Their expressions quickly shifted from expectant to appraising, which was, if anything, even more uncomfortable. Dick’s eyebrows rose, and Bruce’s eyes gained a calculating edge. Danny ducked his head away from all of them, picked up his plate, and leaned forward to set it on the table. By the time he sat up again, their expressions had cleared.
“You’re interested in heroes, Danny?” Bruce prompted, amiable again. Danny instinctively distrusted it, and he wished he could turn that off. It wasn’t helpful right now.
What was it Jazz had said? His soulmate’s family wouldn’t be looking for reasons to separate them. They were just making conversation, getting to know him. Something something optimism.
It didn’t feel like that. It felt like something else. But maybe Damian’s family was just… intense. He’d implied that in his note, hadn’t he? Without meaning to, he glanced at Dick pleadingly, and Dick gave him a kind smile that made Danny’s shoulders loosen.
“That was just a very thoughtful remark,” Dick explained, loose and relaxed. “Most people don’t think about how heroes present themselves.”
Well, most people weren’t heroes. Danny’s mouth twitched, and he leaned back again, forcing himself to settle.
“A bit,” he conceded at last, carefully. “Amity Park has a couple of heroes that manage its rogue activity too, but it’s only been a couple of years, so they’re both really inexperienced compared to Gotham’s. The Bats are old guard, you know?”
He shrugged again, hyperaware of everyone’s eyes on him. There was something he was missing here - weight to this conversation he didn’t understand the meaning of. Weren’t there rumors about Bruce Wayne and the Justice League? Some connection? He wished he knew.
“That’s understandable,” Dick said agreeably, also not acknowledging the elephant Danny couldn’t see. “People that live around heroes do tend to regard them a bit differently.”
The others settled down around the room, picking armchairs and couch spots.
“What are the heroes in your town like, then?” Tim asked, his eyes too intense. The calculating edge had never left them, Danny realized, assessing Danny for some reason or another.
“So weird to see Damian squirm like this,” Stephanie muttered, and got elbowed by Cass.
“Well, there’s two,” Danny said, slow and careful. How could he even talk about this without bringing up ghosts directly, or explaining the portal his parents had built? Damn it, how was he supposed to explain the portal? “Phantom and the Red Huntress. They work together now, although they didn’t always. The Red Huntress is human, and Phantom is the same… kind of meta as the rogues.”
“It’s an alien situation,” Tim concluded immediately, making Danny flinch. “Did something happen?”
Danny was saved from answering when Damian’s phone rang.
AKA "After Alfred dies, the Batfam need a new chef. Somehow, they find Danny (who totally didn't lie on his resume and absolutely knows how to cook!). Danny just wants Mr. Pennyworth's ghost to stop harassing him." DPxDC prompt idea!
This was inspired by the bajillion other ghost!Alfred prompts, but I literally couldn't get it out of my head. Specifically, how bad Danny would be as a chef. But I also want Danny to somehow heal the Wayne's grief a little?
Damian is the first one to notice how the Manor's kitchen looks different. While Bruce, Tim, and Damian still live in the Manor, Bruce and Tim refuse to enter the kitchen. Bruce even (politely) refuses to eat the food Mr. Fenton cooks. (Damian hadn't known Alfred Pennyworth for very long but he had respected him all the same. Even so, he refuses to let his loss prevent him from walking around his own home.) So, of course, Damian notices.
It starts subtly. Mr. Fenton, their new chef, left several recipe books on the kitchen counter. It's not unusual for a chef to do so but it's jarring since Mr. Pennyworth always made sure to keep the kitchen spotless. Next, are chrysanthemum flowers in a vase. Notes pinned to the fridge with colorful magnets. Star-themed tea towels hanging off the oven door. A small hydroponic garden plugged in on the counter top. Mr. Fenton starts to listen to music - an odd mixture between country and classical, sometimes listening to a podcast about NASA or World War II. It's not obnoxiously loud but it can be heard over the bubbling of soup, Mr. Fenton chopping veggies, and occasional humming.
It's like the entire kitchen transforms with new life. Sounds, colors, movement, the scent of fresh herbs and tomato sauce. Damian stays hidden in the hallway as he silently observes.
Until he sees the cookbook flip several pages and a bottle of pepper flakes floats above the sauce pan, shaking until they flutter out. Mr. Fenton heaves an exasperated sigh and groans, "Al! I was going to add them! Ancients, if you wanted to cook, you should'a just done it."
It's several more minutes of a one-sided conversation before Damian decides either he's hallucinating (not likely given Mr. Fenton would also need to be hallucinating) or Mr. Pennyworth is... a ghost. Haunting the Manor. And somehow Mr. Fenton can see him, can communicate with him. It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen - Damian has seen the dead revived, had the displeasure of speaking with John Constantine, and he himself has been in Hell. A ghost would be underwhelming. But the ghost of Alfred Pennyworth?
Good thing Damian is the son of the world's greatest detective. He will figure this out.
(Cue Damian recruiting Thomas, Cain, and Brown - those least familiar with Pennyworth and therefore less likely to be swayed by the ghosts of the past - to investigate Fenton's clearly meta status.)
((Alfred is surprisingly busy for a dead man. If only his new charge didn't have the cooking skills of Master Bruce. Nonetheless, Alfred has never backed down from a challenge before; he'll not do so now.))
AKA "Danny haunts the Wayne Manor shortly after Jason Todd's death. Bruce... takes it as well as a grieving father probably would." DPxDC prompt idea! TW: Mentions of child death (for obvious reasons) and hallucinations.
Okay, so hear me out! Y'know how Dick Grayson had hallucinations of Jason Todd after his death for, like, months??
What if Bruce sees a shadow that looks suspiciously teenager-shaped around the manor, kicks into paranoid mode, and immediately runs 80 tests to figure out what it is. He does blood tests (he hasn't been poisoned by Fear Toxin), his MRI doesn't show any abnormalities, and he triple-checks his chronic pain medications to make sure they don't cause hallucinations. Then he focuses on the hidden cameras to determine whether an intruder infiltrated the manor. The cameras show... nothing. He can clearly see himself on the frame, but there's nothing where the figure was.
Until he switches to infrared and ultraviolet cameras. Then he can see a cold spot that looks like a teenager with medium height, average build, and wisps on its head that almost resemble unruly hair. Bruce spends the next 32 hours watching as the cold spot move from room to room. It mostly spends its time in the library (and that's Jason's favorite spot, his favorite armchair right next to the fireplace).
And Bruce feels... something. Watching as the cold spot enters Jason's room, seems to stand hesitantly in the doorway, before retreating to a spare bedroom. His chest tightens uncomfortably as the shape curls up on the spare bed, looking so small and alone. Bruce doesn't call Constantine or Zatanna. Instead, he turns off the Batcomputer and takes a shower. Asks Alfred to make a cup of hot cocoa, takes it to the spare bedroom, and quietly sets it on the bedside table. (He isn't exactly sure why he does it. But thought that it could be Jason, that his baby boy could be curled up on that bed, ignored and alone, makes his eyes burn.)
Danny, who's been freshly exorcised from his human body and escaped into the Infinite Realms to get away from the GIW, takes refuge in a nearly-abandoned manor with only the company of a grieving father and butler. So, it's weird when he wakes from another Pain Nap (because the GIW really got him good this time, ouch) to find a cup of... hot cocoa?? On the bedside table?? It sucks that he can't drink it, but if he wraps his hands around it and concentrates, he can kind of feel the warmth still.
(Meanwhile, Bruce's heart is absolutely breaking watching his little boy try to hold the cup on the infrared cameras.)
So, months go by and Bruce is trying to slowly coax "Jason's" ghost into revealing himself. Danny is elated that the grieving man seems to be getting better - smiling occasionally, not hiding away in the creepy basement (Danny never goes down there because what if it's a Vlad scenario?? He'll never willingly go into a basement again, no thanks), and actually setting out a dinner plate for Danny! Even the butler seems to be taking Danny's presence in stride, calling him "young master" and setting out cups of tea. He appreciates it, even if they sit there and get cold. It's nice to be noticed, included, regardless if he can't participate. Maybe it's because he's been exorcised from his own human body, but he's totally invisible, intangible, and can only communicate via Ghostspeak.
Maybe Tim Drake never approaches Batman because he doesn't act violently, doesn't become the monster who lashes out due to the loss of his youngest child. Sure, the absence of Robin is noticed, but maybe Tim decides he'll intervene only if Batman seems to really, really need help. Except... he doesn't. Bruce's "son" is still with him. They can still sit together at dinner, "Jason" mostly stays in the library, and Bruce engineers infrared/ultraviolet glasses so he can see where his son is. The manor almost starts to feel... homey again. Bruce notices Jason never, ever goes into the basement and thinks he understands: after all, why would Jason want to be reminded of vigilantism when it got him killed in the first place? (...that Bruce couldn't save his own son from Batman's villains? That it's Bruce's fault Jason died in the first place?)
And then Red Hood comes into the picture.
The final confrontation comes where Red Hood takes off his helmet, snarling about how Bruce chose the Joker over his own son, and Bruce just... stops.
"Jay, why aren't you at home?" Bruce asks. He's baffled - he can't think past how did his ghost get here? How is his son's ghost alive?? Jason, however, is equally baffled. The stand-off ends with Jason somehow coming back to the Manor, which apparently now has infrared scanners everywhere? ("For you," Bruce said quietly. Why the hell would he need a scanner? The fu-)
And then they both pause while looking at the scanner. Because the ghost is... still there. Curled up in Jason's spot in the library with a still-hot cup of tea Alfred delivered moments ago.
Cue Bruce actually contacting Zatanna, who realizes Danny is literally a Hafta and could've gotten Danny back in his body months ago.
Post experimentation, fled to Gotham Danny is held together by stitches. Stitches everywhere. From the vivis autopsy to various limbs he had to retrieve and reattach. Incisions closed and even whole patches of skin he had to sew back onto himself.
A patchwork person, all stitched together, shambling through Gotham on base instincts. Perhaps occasionally lashing out in pain or fear, but ultimately just trying not to hurt or be hurt.
.
Reports are popping up around Gotham that someone must have pulled a Frankenstein. Naturally this warrants Bat investigation. And Jason, the literary nerd, feels himself best qualified to take on the case.
Everyone thinks they have what it takes — the temperament, the patience, the dedication — to tame a stray/handle a traumatized creature. Right up until they're sitting in the ER, bitten and/or scratched to hell and back, needing to get their shots just in case, while the professionals sweep in to take over where they failed.
Later, at Leslie's, waiting for her to finish analyzing saliva to make sure the kid isn't venomous.
Selina, bitten and scratched to hell because Frankenkid is not, as it turns out, actually a cat: Not. A. Word.
Jason, sitting smugly with said kid held calmly, albeit chewing on his armored jacket, in his lap: I didn't say anything.
Danny, not quite present but there's a fellow ghost here whose core is crooning warmth and help and protection to him, self soothing by chewing: rrrgrrrmrrrng
AKA "Danny gets magically turned into a DILF because a wayward wish. Who better to help Phantom manage a feral mini-me than Batman, bat-dad of many feral children?" DPxBatfam prompt based on this art! A little plot-twist at the end ;)
Imagine Danny's in his late 20s, graduate student going to Gotham-U for a (super cheap, possible Villain Origin Story trial run) doctoral degree in bioengineering. To be fair, Desiree has never stepped foot in Gotham. And not so fair, she does happen to keep an ear out for her king and any wishes regarding his well-being.
(Later, she'll say it was in his best interest. She was just trying to give him the "gift of fatherhood" without the tribulations of a "boring romance". Danny, of course, calls B.S.)
So, when an itty-bitty well-meaning grandma from the food cart Danny probably frequents too often tells him, "You need a find a wife and have some babies! He'd be a heart-breaker with those curls. I wish I'll see the day," Danny laughs it off. He orders his usual, spends 6 hours working on his dissertation, and falls asleep to his laptop fan trying not to combust in flames.
He wakes up to: A Child. Staring at him. It then says, "Do you have graham crackers?" in a deceptively cute voice.
Specifically, his child - black curls, cherub cheeks, pale skin, and oh no, bright green eyes that immediately narrow with poorly hidden mischief. He's chasing the 7-year-old around his apartment and frantically dialing his mom, asking, "How did you calm me down as a kid?? Ancients, don't touch- come back here! Stop flying! Don't break anything, I need my deposit back!" Unfortunately, neither his mom or dad are any help.
It takes about 3 days of non-stop child wrangling before Danny is desperate enough to ask for help from anything aside from single mom tips and tricks reddit posts. He feels like he's been run over by a truck. He's barely eaten because his kid steals anything he makes for himself like a particularly loud-mouthed vacuum cleaner, he can't take a shower without a bone-deep terror that the kid somehow escaped out into one of the most crime-ridden cities in North America, and he's 72 hours behind on his paper.
It's... not Danny's proudest moment. Nor is it probably his smartest. While Danny called Batman's "no meta" bluff (because c'mon, Signal is literally zip-zapping his way through Gotham in broad daylight), he doubts Batman's blind eye extends to Danny using the Batsignal and holding up his child like Simba in front of it. He's running on like 4 Redbull and spite that can only occur after 3 days of a constant stress migraine.
Mini-Danny is squirming like a scruffed kitten, actually hissing - with elongated teeth, burning green eyes, and white threading through his previously black hair. Batman arrives just as Danny's pleading desperately scolding, "Please be good, kiddo. Please, please, don't bite Batman." He's interrupted by a quiet but raspy hum in a probably-not-very-welcoming greeting behind him.
And maybe he's not thinking straight. He's probably so sleep deprived from trying to single-handedly manage an overactive and over-powered quarter-Ghost child that he doesn't really have half a mind how disheveled he looks. Danny faces the mass of shadows - ignoring the gremlin's sharp fangs latched onto his forearm like the kid's trying to re-enact Jaws - and pleads, "Please, please, help. I want to be a good dad but I'm so overwhelmed and I don't know what to do. Please."
((Black Bat stares at the poor guy holding to his near-uncontrollable child. His hair is slightly matted with what smells like maple syrup, curls snarled, and deep purple circles contrast sharply with his icy blue eyes. He's definitely a pathetic sight - Gotham-U hoodie stained, sweats hastily dragged on, and mismatched socks sticking out of untied shoelaces. She'd have to be blind not to notice how desperate he is, but it's the earnestness that gets her.
She's a bleeding heart, just like Bruce, but she knows she can help. When she steps out of the shadows, the guy's eyes widen and she can catch his genuine surprise, curiosity, and an odd sense of wry amusement. He sputters out thanks regardless.))
Unique or well-executed tropes, all platonic edition! Just because I feel like it.
COMPLETED
City Pigeons Bleed Green by PaperPuffin
Danny is Bruce Wayne's clone. He's discovered by the Bats, who promptly adopt him. Lots of angst and trauma, skittish Danny, very sweet. 20/20 chapters
Ghosts, Legacies, and CPS by Ace_of_Roses & Karnia_Queen
Vlad calls CPS on Danny. To avoid being placed into Vlad's custody, he goes to a distant biological relative for help - Tim Drake. This one is literally so good. Lots of identity shenanigans. 6/6 chapters
Grave Promises by Blueseabird2
Dick Grayson was trapped in the Ghost Zone years ago and taught newly-Phantom Danny how to be a vigilante. After a reveal gone wrong, Danny seeks out Dick "years" later for help. 11/11 chapters
Like Facing Off Against C'Thulu, but it's Really Just your Fears by nerdpoe
Emotionally devasating. Dick is vivisected by the Fentons and Danny rescues him. The Bats rescue Danny in turn. One of my all-time favorites that you must read. 4/4 chapters
TWINcognito Mode by nerdpoe
Another one of my absolutely favorites. Nerdpoe, you get me. Danny is Tim Drake's clone, and they decide to be twins (and mess with the rest of the family in the process). 6/6 chapters
The Bat Trap by Threee
The Parent Trap, but with the demon twins who don't know they're twins. This one is such a journey. 33/33 chapters
ACTIVELY IN PROGRESS
Corrupted Respawning by CosmicDustPoltergeist
Another "Danny is Tim's clone" masterpiece. Danny is more of a chill guy than a weapon, so the Batfamily decides to adopt him. 21/?
Baby, I Basked in the Violence by Garden_Haunter
Utterly traumatized post-capture/vivisection baby Danny who finds refuge with the Bats. 17/?
those who serve. by aryelee
Reread this one a dozen times. Alfred adopts homeless Danny instead of Bruce and teaches him to be the family butler. Absolutely stunning. 8/9
sacrificial bat by hollowgast1
Shameless self promo! Nowhere near the level as these others, but hopefully you still like it. Danny is summoned by a cult and forced to overshadow Tim. Angst and identity shenanigans. 7/8
Transference by PoseidonChick13
Nightwing rescues traumatized, tortured Danny. Demon twins AU. So much delicious angst in this. 3/?
I thought you were gone (and you still found me) by TStarOPines
Evil Vlad keeps Danny captive. Dan and Ellie are reverted to cores, which Danny is "incubating." The Bats rescue him. Trigger warning for assumed noncon (there is none). 23/?
Inhumane (It’s All In Gray) by AKelaNakamura
Beast Boy, stuck as a green dog, is captured by the GIW and escapes. The Amity Park kids have to figure out how to get him to safety as the GIW takes over. 9/?
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A really well done costume that he spent weeks making, the one that is so intricate in detail because he spent months stalking the vigilante at night to get it done right.
Now, the Mayor of Gotham is shaking his hand, and cops claping him on the back for a job well done.
He just accidentally saved the Wayne Family from their promised demise.
It started as an extra credit assignment from Mr. Lancer. Help out with setting up at some sort of hero memorial gala thing, make up for—well. Danny isn’t even sure WHICH assignment or grade at this point, if he was being honest. He needed the help regardless.
The bonus was that after he helped set up in this garden venue, he was free to go home or attend himself. Upon finding out that there would be hero cosplays, Tucker not only volunteered himself and Sam to join, but also had INSISTED they all dress in costume. Sam only agreed if she got to be ‘stabby Robin’, which led to Danny also being a Robin when her first cosplay sets came in as the wrong Robin.
Waste not want not, and Danny found himself as either Robin one or Robin two, he isn’t sure and—frankly, there wasn’t much difference in the costumes as far as he could tell. Tucker still laughed at the pixie boots as he donned his own Signal costume.
There’d been some double takes at Danny throughout the evening, which really only encouraged him to mess with people a little. He can’t sneak in and out like one of the Gotham heroes, but he can turn invisible, which was much easier to pull off. He even got Brucie Wayne looking like he’d seen a ghost! Highlight of the evening, really.
Which led to the lowlight of the evening.
They weren’t in Gotham, rather a neighboring town, in an attempt to avoid the usual Gotham Rogues. Considering this was still a Wayne Enterprises affair, it was maybe unavoidable. The Joker had decided to show his ugly face.
And also about fifty freaking ghosts, invisible to everyone else but making a giant racket in Danny’s ears. Not to mention a handful of armed goons.
Danny had been trying to carefully sneak back to his friends and bail them out, or at least get them to cover before showing up as Phantom. Human enemies weren’t his specialty, but like he’d really let anyone else get hurt by a guy that had a haunting that intense going on. Amity Park was special in that regard—haunting a person as a ghost on the living side was actually quite difficult, so to have dozens of people successfully do so? It meant his actual kill count was exponentially higher.
Unfortunately, Danny is a Fenton, which meant Fenton Luck.
Joker spotted him.
“Oh?” Joker grinned. “Didn’t I kill you before? Quite a place to show up in a dead man’s clothes. Or are you just a fanboy?”
Danny scowled. He did not want to fight Joker while wearing honest to goodness tights, but he’d done far dumber for far less good reasons than keeping a madman’s attention on him. Time to distract until he either got a plan or got bailed out by-hopefully-another hero. “I got better. Your unwaking dead send their regards, by the way. Quite loudly, too.”
Joker cackled, and Danny was honestly unimpressed. Sure, it wasn’t a pleasant laugh, quite spine-chilling. But Danny was also a horror movie fanatic, a horror movie creature himself, and had met Freakshow. Did this guy even have any powers? Not to underestimate him, but—actually.
Hm.
Weird.
Danny could see a bit of what he can best describe as murky ectoplasm. Basically, ectoplasm that had fermented while on the Living Side. Everyone had at least a little by the time they grew into adults, since ectoplasm was some kind of biological messenger or… something? It was something in the environment that all living beings used, but it was also somewhat produced internally…. He thinks. He hadn’t paid as much attention as he should have to that lecture.
He did know this though. Ectoplasm kind of was like a nutrient, cycling through the body and the ecosystem with several different sources of getting it. ‘Living’ ectoplasm got cycled out naturally, but ‘dead’ ectoplasm had a much harder time leaving, and can build up, causing nasty side effects. The body didn’t know the difference, so when around the dead—cemeteries, funerals, cadavers, and so on—it all gets picked up regardless. Humans stored a lot of it naturally, more so than any other species, but that meant that it took that much longer for the murkier ‘dead’ ectoplasm to be able to DO anything to someone before it DID get filtered out.
One way to get more of that ‘murk’ quickly was to consume another living thing. Eating meat or eating plants wouldn’t cut it—both were the usual bulk sources of ‘living’ ectoplasm—unless it was rotten. Option two was cannibalism.
Danny didn’t think the Joker was a cannibal, but looking at his levels of dead ectoplasm… that had to be affecting the Clown Prince Of Long Monologues That Danny Was Not Listening To. Something something Waynes something something terror something something deranged laughter.
What if he just… took it out? That much had to be affecting Joker’s mind. Heck, not even just Joker—Danny could see a couple of others with concerning levels of their own in the room, and that could end badly. If the ectoplasm in Joker could, say, cause a subconscious hive mind, or otherwise interact with the other higher leveled people, it’d go from bad to worse for everyone.
One way to find out. And hey, he was already wearing a mask, so…
Danny, ignoring whatever ultimatum Joker was spewing as he gestured wildly at one of the statues, reached into Joker’s neck, into his spinal column, and pulled out stringy, almost-seaweed-like strands of corrupted ectoplasm.
Joker looked at him. Danny looked at the Joker. They both looked at the whatever the hell Danny had in his hands.
“Are those my blood vessels?”
“… No?”
The ectoplasm twitches.
Joker leapt back, completely and uncharacteristically surprised, and toppled over his own feet. His head smacked against a marble table, covered in velvet and finger foods but no less solid for it.
Danny waited for him to get back up, to start screaming or going back to that monologue.
He doesn’t.
One of the goons, wearing a full face mask and eyeing Danny warily all the while, stepped over to the Joker.
“Boss?” she poked him lightly in the shoulder.
Nothing.
Very hesitant in her movements, she pulled one of her gloves off and held it against his mouth, then against his pulse.
She stood, pulled her glove back on, and said in a very clear tone, “Uh oh.”
“What do you mean ‘uh oh’?” A different goon in a hat asked.
“Can’t get paid if the man is dead, which means the Goonion is going to have to bail—cause we’re totally getting arrested.”
“The Joker is DEAD?!”
Danny didn’t know who shouted, but he can hear the thunderous roar of Joker’s ghosts cheering. He winces, and accidentally clamps too hard on the gross ectoplasm in his hands.
The damn stuff splattered, and in an attempt to purify it before it can get into anyone else’s system, Danny tried to both burn it with an ecto blast and freeze it with ice at the same time.
It became a sort of mist, floating in the air and taking up far more volume as a gas than as a—was ectoplasm a solid or a liquid? He had no idea, but he did notice the effect it had immediately.
The ghosts were visible to the other gala guests.
Danny was still the only one to hear them, but the crying and cheers from the dead were plainly visible to the living.
Someone was trying to talk to him, but the ghosts were just too loud.
With a snap, because Danny had accidentally helped kill a man just now and was rather frayed from it, he turned to the ghosts. “I get it, I did the thing you wanted, now would you go?! I only have limited time here myself you know! Go party in the afterlife, please!”
For the first time in Danny’s lif-er, existence, the ghosts listened, shimmering away slowly with happy tears running down their faces.
It’s just as well, since the doors now burst open, the police coming just in time to see actual spirits wave goodbye and a far few shouting complaints about competency as they leave.
There’s only so much nonsense Danny can take for the evening, so he let invisibility fade over him as the guests look over to the police squad now standing dumbfounded in the doorway. It takes mere seconds to grab Sam and Tucker and get out, running through the halls with intangibility until he can see the night sky, and then running further after until he’s satisfied.
“Dude,” Tucker said as he panted. “You couldn’t have just flown us home?”
Danny glared. “Ah, yes, I’ll just go ghost in the middle of a ballroom. Excellent choice. My powers are weaker as human, you know.”
Sam started to laugh in a rather incredulous manner, which is something Danny actually IS wary of when hearing. “No lost love here, but I can’t believe a “Robin” just killed the Joker.”
Danny glances back down again.
…. Well. It’s a good thing this Robin was already retired, right?
Surely this won’t have any long reaching consequences.
Guys, hear me out. Dead tired. Roommates. Both in university together, not currently dating but everyone assumest they are. Tim’s still Wayne Industries CEO [and the Drake bussiness, but let's be honest he has someone else running that place]
Tim is REALLY bad at taking care of himself or the house because he’s got CEO stuff and also vigilante stuff so Danny picks up what he can around the house.
He cooks meals.
He makes Tim lunch every day.
One day, Tim forgets his lunch
Danny marches into the Wayne Industries building, fresh out of a lab at Gotham U, holding an embarrassingly cute lunchbox.
He shocks the receptionist when he says, “Hi, I’m looking for Tim Drake? He forgot his lunch at home.”
Tam leans against the door jam to Tim's office. He's on a call, and can't visibly react to her, but he can feel her eyes. Judging. Teasing. Calculating.
He wants to shove his lunch box into a drawer, but the EMEA lead is chatting about the roll out of satellite internet to the region and Tim actually cares about that.
There's a ping from his personal phone. Then another.
Tim risks a look at Tam. She's grinning at him, her phone balanced on her cheek. Oh, she did not.
A third ping.
His phone vibrates from a call. Tim shoves it off his desk, the carpet absorbing the sounds.
The last 10 minutes of the call are agonizing. Tam's still staring at him, ignoring her own work to torture Tim. When they finally finish, Tim slams down his laptop to reduce distractions and looks at her.
"What?"
"A cute boy brought you lunch in a cute space bag and you ate all of it."
"Danny's a good cook."
"He implied you live together."
"We do."
Tam slams her hands on his desk. "Why haven't you told me you have a boyfriend you live with? I thought we were friends, Tim."
"Danny is not my boyfriend, and I have mentioned him. He's my roommate at Gotham U."
"Tim, roommates don't usually make each other lunch and hand delivery it."
"I've good food issues, he's got food issues. This works for both of us." On the floor, his phone vibrates again. "What did you do?"
"Sent a photo of the lunch bag and you eating to Dick."
Okay, could be worse.
"And the photo of Danny from the front desk. He still had his googles from lab around his next. He's perfect for you."
"We're not dating!"
"Yet," Tam calls, already leaving his office. She's texting something. It better not be to Dick.
Tim's phone rings for a third time. He scrambles to pick it up, but it's not Dick calling. It's Danny. He picks it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey! At the store. What do you want for dinner?"
"I'm being teased at work," Tim offers.
"Comfort food it is then. Pizza and beer."
Meal planning is one of those coupley things too, isn't it? And Danny knowing his comfort foods.
Tim looks through his open door, to where Tam is sitting at her desk, frantically texting.
He has a feeling he needs to ask Danny out before someone does it for him.
60-70yo Danny who opened a Cafe in Gotham after retiring from being an engineer. Every week the theme of the cafe changes, for example, one week its authentic Italian cuisine, the next its Korean dishes, ect. Its such a good hook that a lot of people visit, sometimes not even looking up what kind of week it is so that they're surprised.
Alfred learns about it from the Duke, after Duke had gone there to study with some of his friends. It was English(British) week when Alfred visited, so when Alfred had an hour a free time he popped in and ordered a full English breakfast. And honestly, he didn't have anything bad to say about it, maybe the egg yolks were a bit more runny that he personally prefered but thats more about preference than an actual flaw.
After paying and then moving up to the bar to order a cup of tea, Alfred struck up a conversation with Danny. They spent Alfred's whole break talking between Danny making and delivering orders, and became pretty good friends. So much so that Alfred started spending his almost all of his breaks there, regardless of what the week was, he'd order breakfast and speak to Danny as he worked.
Tim and Steph started calling its "wholesome old man yaoi", because of course they did, but none of the Wayne's are actually sure what Alfred and Danny's relationship is. They definately have a fondness for eachother, but its kinda hard to tell if its just two older guys being friends or two older men guys finding love regardless of their older age. Either way, its cute, and they're super happy that Alfred has found companionship in any variety.
Bonus idea-
*Danny gets taught how to cook by a bunch of ghosts on how to make the authentic food. Be it Nonna's and Nonno's lecturing him on noodle thickness, or the Ajumma telling him how to cut the cabbage properly for the kimchi.
A midnight prompt that came to mind before going to bed (Not that I have a lot of time left to sleep).
Dick learned a lot whole living with Bruce, one of those things was how much of an advantage being underestimated gave you. Bruce might like to use his dumb mask to separate Batman from Bruce, but Dick preferred to play up the dumb and naive thing as Nightwing. Bruce was good at seeing the logistics of a case, the mechanics, but Dick like to resolve things by figuring out the social aspects, intend, desire.
For that he needed people to trust him, to underestimate what he could do with their information. So Dick played up the naiveness and dumbness, just a little. Just enough to have people lose their tongue, but not enough for them to forget he was a bat. He was the golden retriever of the bats.
So far the charade had helped.
-_-_-_-
Danny did not trust Nightwing. It was so obvious for him that the guy was playing up his friendliness. He could simply see the calculation in the man's eyes. His questions sounded just curious, but Danny knew better, he knew how pointed and coaxing they were. It was probably his ghostling empathy that let him see through.
But it was fine. Two could play this pretend game. He would let Nightwing believe he trusted him, and then the man wouldn't doubt Phantoms words.
He was good playing the role of a fool.
-_-_-_-_-
Sometimes people write Dick as if he were dumb, when he's the farthest from that. But. I think it would be funny if it was a charade.
Kinda imagine DC just found about infinite realms ghosts. Bats want info, Danny wants to keep as much important info hidden while still getting their help with the GIW or Vlad or Amity or something.
Was there an idea where Danny mistakes Bruce’s as Jack and get like different reactions depending on the au.
Running away? Panics and either runs with terror in his eyes or starts begging that “dad it’s me, pls dad, it still me!” and will make Bruce invested in this small hurt child because his adoption alarm is ringing.
Normal everyday? He will just walk by his side thinking Bruce is his dad while Bruce would think it’s a commonly known sleep deprived Tim and let him be before they both make eye contact and think “wait a minute…”
Personal it be funny if Bruce is actively avoiding Danny to try and not adopt him because he already had enough teasing from his children as it is, unfortunately, Danny also had to have a tragic backstory that only makes him want to keep him even more.
Danny was tired that his dad has dragged him out of bed at 5 am, saying something of a short trip. He had tried to tell the man he was tired and that his head hurt, but his dad had simply frowned and said that some fresh air would help. Then he continued to talk about a new theory he had and an array of other things that buzzed as the pressure in Danny’s head increased and he closed his eyes as the man nudged him downstairs.
He went down that as gracefully as he went up them earlier that morning after getting thrown into a few trees last night and shot by one of the home ecto security guns because it was still fully armed at 4:21am.
Made a part 2. and of course angst wiggled its way into it :p
~
‘New Brother?’ she signed.
Before the others could respond Damian felt Danny squeeze him and smile even though his face was still squished on his head. “Dami,” he said, “where do you keep finding all the babies?”
The world felt muffled when Danny woke up. His eyes were heavy and there was a haze to everything. But not enough to erase the fact that he could tell he was in a bed that did not belong to him. Too big. Too soft. Too grand. He could see the wooden frame and walls that were nothing like his bedroom walls with dents and posters.
After being on the run for a long time, Danny somehow stumbles his way into the middle of a fight. This leads to him joining the Teen Titans (much to his confusion).
Yeah this feels like this has potential and is not growing as much as I thought it would.
Danny wakes up to muffled voices of a whispered argument in another room. His hazy mind is noting that this is the warmest he has been in a while and that he is just coming out of a good sleep. Part of him just wants to sink back into the already fading dream he was having. But having spent 13 months running, hiding from Vlad and the bounty hunters the fruit loop hired to drag him back to that castle in Wisconsin he had learned not stick around.
Whispering means they think he is still asleep. Arguing means they are distracted. He doesn’t know who they are but the voices are vaguely familiar and that hasn’t been a good thing for him in over a year.
He turns invisible and intangible, diving down as most hunters expect ghosts to go up. There is a startled female yelp, “He vanished!”
Danny zipped through the floor below. His enhanced hearing heard deep male teen voice say that thermal sensors are picking up a moving cold spot. Danny silently cursed. Tech like that was always bad news. He tried to phase out a window but smacked against a magic ward on the building, giving him a painful shock and sapping some of his energy. To human eyes the magic shield would have looked like a shadow but Danny could see a purple tint to it. It was a passive ward that was placed on the outer walls and windows a while ago but seems to be refreshed weekly. It was designed to keep spirits from entering but in this case also keeping Danny from leaving. He would have to get out through an actual door.
He heard some running and an male dressed in traffic light colors shout they see him. He must have dropped his invisibility when he hit the ward. Danny flew off again going down another floor not stopping as the teen called, “Wait we just want to talk!”
The chase went on for what seemed like hours. Danny flying Dow halls and threw inner wall, up and down floors. Bumping into the warded outer walls occasionally as he searches for any exit. Each time he touched the ward it would hurt and drain more of his energy and it was getting harder to use his powers. He had for gone invisibility a while ago. And that meant the teens in the building could better track him and of course tried to call out to him. Asking him to stop, promising they wouldn’t hurt him, what was he afraid of, let them help him. Danny hasn’t fallen for tricks like those since a couple months after escaping Vlad. He wasn’t going to start now.
Danny had to stop for a breath after phasing through the last wall. His powers had almost given out half through and he would have been stuck. After a minute the dizziness faded and he looked up to se he was in a garage, with a door to the outside! It was only a electronic lock between him and freedom that Danny could easily hot wire to open. He didn’t waste a second with to think of hacking and ripped open the panel. He saw the wires he would need to cross after a few second and grabbed them. He stripped the ends and touched them together and the door began to open.
“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”
Magic swirled around Danny stopping him in midair just as he had finally cleared the threshold out and pulled him back in.
Well now that I have left you with that lovely angsty version of Danny’s point of view for a tasty misunderstanding, I leave it to others to add on. @azulhood @arzuera @bianca-hooks123 @bloggerspam @dcxdpdabbles @dragonsrequiem @evilminji @flamingpudding @fightmebissh @hypewinter @hdgnj @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @jedipirateking @kizzer55555 @puppetmaster13u @starlightcat04 @stormikitty @virgamsysxvolumes @zylev-blog
The next time he wakes up, he's wrapped in a blanket and placed on something so soft he's sinked in.
He tries to keep his breathing normal, to not alert anyone who may possibly be in the room with him, and considers his situation.
When he woke up earlier, he remembered medical equipment and a medical cot. This time, he's a little curled up, scrunched against the arm of what is presumably a sofa.
Sofa? He subtly stretches his fingers, hidden and curled around his abdomen, and realizes he's not even restrained. He stretches his senses out, and there's not even a ward in the room he's in.
The only thing keeping him here is his presumed unconsciousness, the blanket they've swaddled around him loosely, and his captors nearby.
He can hear at least one person breathing in the room with him, and further back, two more in the room beyond. He keeps himself from tensing as he registers another person in the room behind him entering silent like a mouse.
"Hey, Rob." The one sitting by his side whispers with a deep, smooth voice.
Rob doesn't answer the greeting, and only moves closer to Danny. It's hard to keep track of him, he's so light on his feet. The only thing giving him away is his heartbeat, which Danny keeps vigilant track of.
Even still, Danny flinches when a hand lightly touches his knee from where it's curled up in front of him.
"Hello. I know you're awake, and I want to make sure you know we mean you no harm. Can you....Do you feel comfortable enough to open your eyes?" This voice has a smooth tenor, soft like he's afraid of scaring Danny off. Again.
And Danny sees no point in pretending any longer, not when he can feel his powers still far and away from his grasp. His eyes flutter open, and Blue meets White for a long second. Somehow, even with the domino obscuring the other's eyes Danny can tell that this Rob is staring intently at him.
It makes him squirm inside, so he forces himself to take in his surroundings.
He's in some kind of living room. The blanket his mysterious captors have wrapped him in has an ugly floral pattern with green and white daisies.
Ironic.
Rob is still crouching slightly directly in front of him, and behind him past a large coffee table sits an Android--no, the being seems to have some organic matter--a Cyborg on a large blue armchair with a magazine on his lap. It has cars on it, from where he can see. The Cyborg is fiddling with something on his arm, but puts it down quickly enough when he sees Danny looking over. They smile at him, and that too makes him squirm.
A clatter to his left reveals another door, where a Green Humanoid and...that is definitely a magic user floating behind them, enter the room. There's a large TV screen on the wall opposite Danny playing some kind of racing movie.
"Hey! He woke up! You alright dude? Not gonna run off again are ya?" The Green one says, only to have the magic user smack them over the head for it.
Rob sighs, before straightening up and looking over towards the door behind Danny.
A second later, someone floats in and lands directly next to Robin with a wide beaming smile.
"How wonderful! You have awoken!" The pink-haired being claps their hands excitedly, even floating back up in their elation.
And that---that is Starfire. Starfire the Tamaranean. Starfire the Alien.
"Holy shit. You're Starfire." Danny's voice is raspy and he winces as his voice breaks.
Everyone perks up at that, and Danny shrinks into himself.
"I...I like space," he mumbles defensively against Rob--Robin's stare. "Aliens are cool, okay?"
He says it sotto voice, but clearly Robin and Starfire hear him as she squeals and twirls around.
"Oh yes, I am the Cool! I think you are the Cool as well, Strange Hero! We can be friends, yes?"
Danny looks up at her hopeful expression, and the only reason he doesn't immediately fold like wet tissue paper is the fact that they have for some reason decided to keep him here, and that he barely remembers what happened to get him here.
"...I don't know if I can be friends with people who won't let me leave." Danny is still trying to understand how he got here, and no amount of sad puppy dog eyes will make him forget what he's been through before.
Once burned, twice shy and all that.
"We're not keeping you here," Robin says, hands up palms down like hes trying to calm a scared animal. "We just wanted to ask you some questions after the Robot battle, but you were...extremely out of it, so we took you back to the Tower for some medical attention."
Danny tilts his head, thinking on that. He remembers the battle. He remembers seeing....seeing one of them almost grabbing up a little boy, and on the run or not Danny wasn't gonna let that happen. Especially when the boy looked like Tucker when he was that age.
He remembers being exhausted, remembers the haze of adrenaline taking over him. He thinks about how he hadn't had a chance to eat anything for a couple days, since his last run in with the vultures caused a 3 day long game of hide and seek.
He remembers thinking about skulker, and seeing Tucker, and yeah. He probably went under in a fighting fugue state.
He looks over the Titans, before letting his shoulders droop and feeling his cheeks warm up.
"Sorry. I remember now. What kind of questions did you have? I really can't stay, but I can probably answer a couple of questions at least." He looks around the room for a clock, and ends up seeing a little digital clock in the corner of the TV screen. He winces, seeing the date. He'd been out for a whole day.
"Maybe you should eat something first dude, I'm starving and I'm not the one whose been out cold for a whole day!" Beast boy says, bouncing up and heading towards the room behind him.
Raven grabs his arm before he can stray any farther, whilst Cyborg fiddles with his arm again--looking closer Danny can see a screen on it. Cool.
"Do you have any dietary restrictions?" Raven asks, heedless of Beast boys struggles to escape.
"I'm order pizza." Cyborg says immediately after. Danny looks at them, before looking at Robin and Starfire.
Robin crosses his arms, but nods his head encouragingly. Starfire floats up, hands together in a little pleading pose, clearly hoping for him to stay.
He sighs. Well. He does need the energy.
"As long as it doesn't fight back, anything is good." He rubs at his face.
He doesn't see it, but the Titans all share at confused look at that.
