After being seen doing something supernatural one too many times, Danny concocts a story to hide the fact that he has ghost powers without just denying the existence of his ability to do weird stuff. He claims to be learning magic, inspired by stories of his Witchhunter ancestors and the incredible displays of power showcased by the likes of Doctor Fate, Shazam, and Zatanna.
It works pretty well, with him becoming known as a necromancer who specialized in banishing spirits and as a cryomancer capable of grand displays of raw cold generation. He even becomes so well known that when some people outside Amity Park find themselves in need of someone to cleanse some lingering spirits and cursed energy, they call Fentonworks with the intent to hire Danny to deal with it.
No big deal. The Drakes were a respected and well-known duo of archaeologists. It probably wasn't a trap. And it wasn't like Danny wasn't capable of actually dealing with ghosts... He wasn't sure about the curse though. That might be a problem.
After the grief comes the realisation that Danny is immortal. Oh, he will surely die a second time, but his future as a ghost is pretty much assured.
He will have to bury many more of his loved ones, and very few will follow him to the afterlife.
But some can.
Here is Danny's most well-kept secret: he knows what it takes to make a living being into a ghost at the moment of their death. He has never spoken a word of it to anyone, and he never will.
But it gives him the idea to ask his loved ones if they would follow him to his strange sort of afterlife in death.
(Well. Not all of his loved ones. He knows what his parents' answer would be.)
Tucker and Sam say yes.
They've followed him to the Ghost Zone before, and they see nothing wrong with making a permanent residence there when the time comes. They won't leave him to face eternity alone.
Jazz says no.
It devastates him, but Danny accepts it.
He has to. His method only works on the willing. He doesn't want to think he would force this on anyone, but he is also glad the option isn't there.
He deals with it.
They have decades to live together. Who cares if they don't have forever? His time with her will be no less precious for it.
Except they don't have decades together.
When Danny is on the cusp of his eighteenth birthday, he, his friends, his family and Vlad are caught up in the blast of an explosion. His world detonates around him and he survives it only because he was in Phantom form.
Danny buries his loved ones and the godfather he never wanted.
(Vlad had promised they were one and the same. That if anything, they would survive each other.
He was supposed to be the one that understood. The one that stayed.
Vlad was wrong, and Danny hates him for it.)
He goes after the GIW, who were responsible for the explosion, and makes them regret it. He doesn't go so far as to kill, he knows too well the price of death, but he makes sure they would find death preferable.
Then he waits.
It takes a week for Sam and Tucker's ghosts to form. When it does, Danny disables the portal and leaves Amity Park behind. He takes his best friends with him.
They go to Gotham City, where their obsessions can more easily be fulfilled and the ambient ectoplasm is ideal for newly-formed ghosts.
Sam and Tucker are different now.
It is harder to rein in their impulses. Danny does his best to remind them to be careful around humans.
He buys the three of them a mansion with Vlad's money. It's properly goth and outfitted with the latest technology. It's decently isolated so they don't have to pretend to be human out there.
His best friends are different.
But he marked them for death before tragedy happened and it had the unforeseen side effect of letting them retain more of their identity than any ghost he has previously encountered.
He is glad for it.
They bicker as much as ever.
And they worry for him.
Sam nags him into attending his classes at university, Tucker forces him to make living friends.
When he meets Tim Drake-Wayne and falls in love, they cheer him on.
If he wasn't already half-gone, that boy would be the death of him.
He makes Danny believe life is beautiful again.
But Tim is accident-prone. Every few weeks, he has some sort of injury. Sometimes they are extreme sports-related, sometimes they have to do with the infrequent kidnappings he and his family are subjected to.
Sometimes he is collateral in a rogue attack during one of his family galas.
(Why anyone still organises galas in Gotham is kind of beyond him.)
Sam and Tucker think Tim is hiding something, but they respect Danny's desire to wait and see. He has things to hide too, after all.
But he is starting to want forever with Tim and he does not know if he wants to wait until they trust each other to find out if that is something he can hope for.
So he asks him one quiet evening, where their hands are interlinked and their eyes fixed on the stars in the planetarium Tim bought them tickets to.
"Would you want to live forever if it meant you were no longer human?"
(Tim thinks about Ra's Al Ghul, who has lived centuries and become so twisted he cannot rightly be called human.)
Tim says no.
It hurts, but it is his choice. Danny accepts it.
A day later, he breaks up with him.
Better to save his cracked heart from further shattering.
Tucker philosophises, sitting on Danny's bed. He's been rotting in there for the past few days, skipping class to mope around instead.
"It's like asking your partner if they want kids one day but for half-ghosts, I guess. It's better to know immortality's a dealbreaker now than after you're married."
Sam nods, her glowing purple eyes soft with sympathy. She is floating on top of him, the tip of her combat boot intangibly passing through his elbow.
"You'll find your happily ever after, Danny. I'm sorry, I know you really liked him."
"I loved him," he mumbles, burrowing further into his sheets.
"And I'm sure he loved you too. Unfortunately, sometimes love isn't enough. You have the right to save your heart for someone you won't have to grieve. You've lost enough, Danny."
The halfa sighs.
"Maybe I don't have to grieve him, but I'm losing him anyway. It feels less like self-preservation and more like cowardice."
But he's made his choice, and now he has to live with it.
Tim does not consciously place a bug on the love of his life after the boy breaks his heart.
In fact, he does not realise he has done it until after he returns to the Nest following an impromptu trip to San Francisco during which he tried to drown his sorrows in liquor, enabled by his best friends.
Contrary to popular belief, he does not invade the privacy of every single person he meets and he does not do background checks on his dates in search of possible supervillain ties.
Not without an incentive.
Danny never gave him one.
He had made it clear he had a troubled past, and that there were aspects of himself that he wasn't quite ready to share yet. Tim, who was in the same position and had never been quite so skillful at navigating this type of conversations, had appreciated his frankness and had worked hard to always respect Danny's boundaries.
Until now.
In his defence, doing surveillance on people who display uncharacteristic behaviour has become a kind of professional tic he hasn't quite managed to shake off.
In his line of work, abrupt changes in beahviour in civilians can potentially mean they are being mind controlled, blackmailed, threatened.
There had been no signs.
They were doing well.
So well in fact that Tim had bargained with his dad for several months to be given the chance to share his secret with Danny when time came.
He had it all planned out.
He was going to introduce Danny to his family and slowly build a rapport of trust between them.
Then he would deliberately start showing small aspects of his night life, the behind-the-scenes of Wayne Enterprises' work to better the city.
One thing Tim finds extremely attractive about Danny is his cleverness. He had no doubt the boy would pick up on the clues he was putting down and either connect the dots or ask him directly about it.
Tim thought easing him into it was the best way to do this.
He guesses it is a moot point now, he thinks, staring bleakly at the notification on his computer.
Placing the bug on Danny's bag was a reflex. An unconscious decision stemming from his terrible work-life balance.
Listening in will be a choice.
A deliberate invasion of privacy he will not forgive himself for if it turns out that the break-up he was so blindsided by has nothing to do with his night life.
But he doesn't know if he will be able to live with himself if he doesn't lay that worry to rest.
.#dpxdc#dead tired#eternal love au#ficlet#there were so many ways i could have continued this i had trouble choosing#but ultimately i want this story to be more about the batfam being confronted with their own mortality#than about misunderstandings#so we won't have tim spiralling for months about the break-up#instead i'll have him freak out about danny potentially being in danger#as a treat
If there is one thing everyone on campus knows it's that Danny Nightingale is hot. Not in the stereotypical supermodel or Hollywood way. He was so attractive it was scary like he dropped out of a fairy tale.
Tim first saw Danny after whispers started going around. He spotted Danny in the library walking towards the observatory on the top floor.
At first glance, you'd call him a goth and there was no shortage of people who'd love to date one. It's probably why no one shuts up about him. But Tim could tell this wasn't the corporate punk type goth that he saw Damian scrolling through on his phone. Tim was quick to tease Damian and stop what would inevitably become a phase.
No, Danny had a clear style. Classic gothic...but also not. It's hard to explain. His clothes looked handmade, straight out of the 1800s. Did he thrift or make them himself? He was an astronomy major right? Or was is engineering?
Danny looked almost ethereal. Tall, lean, and almost glowing skin. It wasn't until later that Tim would be close enough to see the way his skin sort of glittered in low light.
People parted to not obstruct Danny's path as he went toward the observatory.
Everyone knew that Danny was off limits, too cowardly to get the courage to ask him out and risk rejection. So Danny remained unreachable.
Tim paid it no mind. He acknowledged that Danny was good-looking but there wasn't much else that got his attention. Danny didn't pay attention to others.
But Tim couldn't help but notice that Danny was always alone in his own little world. There was a hint of longing in him. Tim might have overheard a few things.
Danny would usually be in the library reading eclectic materials, playing with tarot cards, and studying star charts. Other days he was in the greenhouse tending to a little corner of plants he was growing. He seemed bored. He looked like he'd rather be somewhere else.
Tim might have done some research. Just scrolling through Danny's social media. Pictures of friends and graveyards. Most of the landscape photos were taken after his arrival in Gotham. Tim gathered that Danny was alone out here and far from home. He could fit in easily around here but simply chose not to.
It wasn't until that faithful day when Danny offered him a bundle of red carnations and a cup of Death Wish coffee.
"You looked like you need this." He said smiling.
And wow...that smile. Tim didn't think he'd ever see a smile like that. It was a sort of lopsided smile, a bit clumsy but sweet. Danny had elongated canines. Were they fake or was it a medical condition?
Tim didn't know how to respond to Danny's offer but he wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee.
Over the next few weeks, Tim found himself on campus more often and hanging around Danny. Danny tended to be very generous. Always gave things to Tim, most of which he made himself. That is what made it all feel genuine. On cold days Danny always had a hot cup of coffee or tea. When it was sunny he had something sweet freshly baked. When it rained he had flowers to brighten the room. When it was foggy he wanted to go find something fun to do. Danny also worked at the flower shop nearby which was said to be haunted by the old owners.
Rumors spread more and more that Danny wasn't human, like some kind of fae that took human form. Was there a chance it was true? Yes. Does that mean that Tim was going to test that?
Yes.
So Tim just wanted to test that theory and gave Danny a bracelet that looked similar to the ones he usually had. It just so happened to be made of Iron. Tim felt bad about it (kinda) but it was just genuine curiosity.
But no Danny wasn't a fae. He was incredibly happy to get a gift though so no harm done.
Another thing Tim noticed was Danny's eyes. They weren't blue like he thought. Danny had central heterochromia. He had a ring of bright green near his iris surrounded by icy blue. Not that Tim was staring at his eyes or anything, just that no one ever mentions that part when describing Danny. It's pretty notable you know. More people should know that.
...
.....
It's normal to think that.
Anyways Tim and Danny meet up when they can. Danny likes visiting graveyards and abandoned churches. Not that he doesn't like the movies or arcades because he loves that stuff. But one time after a late class he dragged Tim with him on a scenic drive out of the city to this spot he found. It was this massive cliff just far enough from the city that you could see the stars.
Tim never really gave much thought to the stars. He's seen them thousands of times especially being carried around by Kon or on the Watchtower. But right then watching Danny fiddle with his telescope babbling on about the planets and far-off galaxies, the stars felt new and wondrous.
Was this what it felt like to be normal? Just a college kid going on a spontaneous road trip with a friend, not thinking about patrols or duties.
He liked it.
Danny had a way of making him forget about the rest of the world. Someone not linked to heroes and assassins. A friend, a weird one but one he didn't have to be Robin with. He was just Tim to Danny. Not Tim Wayne, not Tim Drake, just Tim.
Because of that, he wanted to keep Danny as far from his family as possible. They already think they were dating and he'd be damned if they scared Danny away. This didn't stop them from investigating Danny and that brat wont stop spouting his opinion.
"I don't know what he sees in you. Aside from appearance, there isn't much to like." Damian grumbled.
"He must be really vain then because Tim doesn't deserve this kid." Jason responded.
"But if he even thinks about hurting Drake-"
"Yeah, we bury him."
Tim has chosen to ignore everything they say.
The last issue is Phantom.
Tim doesn't like Phantom.
The spirit had been hanging around Gotham for a while now. He lingered around the corners of the city and if he felt like it he'd interfere. In his own words, Phantom said that he dealt with the dead, not the living. Tim did some research and it's said Phantom showed up near the dying or dead as a sort of shepherd to souls. He made the transition easier for them.
So when Phantom was seem lingering around Danny he couldn't accept it. He'd be damned if he let some spooky bastard take Danny. He can't have him.
So Tim decided to invite Danny to stay with him for a few days. But a few day became a week became two weeks. Don't judge. This was just so Tim could look out for Phantom and prevent Danny from dying. It hasn't been working so far since Phantom hasn't been seen nearby.
But Tim did run into him.
"Why are you stalking Danny Nightingale?" Tim damanded.
Phantom circled overhead his spectral tail curling. His translucent body phasing in and out of the visible light spectrum.
"Stalking? I don't know what you're talking about. I don't care about chasing the living. But let's say Nightingale is an exception. He's special. But what does he have to do with you?" Phantom eyes Tim suspiciously before diving down floated inches away from Tim face. "Hmmm, I always did think you were the cutest Robin. I was right. Too bad I've got my eyes on someone else now."
And like that he dissappeared.
Now Tim was even more anxious. Phantom was definitely after Danny most likely dead or alive. If something happened to Danny he didn't know what he'd do. Its not safe out there with Phantom hanging around.
Danny was still awake when Tim returned home. He was watching some detective drama he had refused to watch with Tim because he kept guessing the plot during the first few minutes. Which was fair.
"You were out late again. Would it kill you to get some sleep now and then?" Danny sighed stretching.
Tim wanted to say "Actually I think it would. Lets not test it" and banter like always. Maybe even relax and let Danny talk about where show was on.
But Tim couldn't. Not when everything felt so surreal. Danny was just oblivious to the dangerous spirit trying to take his soul and Tim couldn't protect him.
Tim couldn't believe he was thinking this but what if Danny wanted to be with Phantom? Then what?
Tim knew that his emotions were his greatest weakness. When he did control them he does a lot of self-destructive things and he ends up hurting people especially when he's hurt.
He hugged Danny, burying his face in his shoulder.
"Danny can you promise me...that you'll stay here." He didn't care if Danny wanted to be with Phantom just as long as he doesn't leave this world and stop being his light.
The thought of not seeing Danny every day killed him. No more nagging him to eat and drink. No more star gazing. No more TV marathons. No more being dragged to spontaneous trips to the crafts stores. No more hearing the insane conversations with his friends. No more waking up on the couch with a pair of blue-green eyes looking up at him. No more Danny.
Tim felt like his heart was stopping and his stomach dropped.
Danny hugged him back putting a soothing hand on the back of Tim's neck. It was cool to the touch.
"Of course, I'll stay." Danny laughed as if the very notion he'd leave was ridiculous.
Tim's brain seemed to twist in on itself as the cascade of emotions overflowed. That laugh seemed to play over and over in his head echoing non-stop. Warmth bloomed in his chest. Dread, uncertainty, hope, and affection all blended.
Oh no..
Tim was in love.
(This got way too long. I'm not really good a romance as you can tell but I'm trying. Anyway this is a Danny fell first but Tim fell harder situation.)
Danny and a few justice league members have to go undercover to investigate a new criminal organization. He decides to go human for the mission cause his hair and eyes in ghost form would give him away. Too little to late he realized at the meetup point that he forgot to tell the League he was partly human. Oh god he hopes the League members trust his word.
This is inspired by a post where the Fentons, including Danny and Jazz, get arrested by the Justice League. The Doctors Fenton are sent to prison. Danny was placed in a League run foster/youth detention center as a youth at risk of becoming a villain, and Jasmine was completely cut off from him as a potential risky influence.
If you recognize the prompt, please send it btw.
In one of the Reblogs they mentioned Waller recruiting the Doctors so....
"We've lost contact with the Youth Probation facilities. A Type 3 System lock down was signaled before communications went dark."
Bruce watches the way Tim subtlty shifts his weight, a repressed show of worry that has Bruce's stomach clutching before he even opens his mouth. "Nightwing entered the facilities approximately 15 minutes before the lock down triggered. Back up comms have been completely cu-"
Screens flicker to life, Oracle cursing in the comms. Nightwing has been suspended in the omega grade super interrogation restraints. Multiple guard bots are stationed around the cell. Daniel Fenton, recent addition to the facility, steps into frame.
"Approximately 3 weeks after Doctors Jack and Madeline Fenton were placed in New York State's maximum security penitentiary, paperwork was filed indicating their transfer to an non existent facility.
The Director of Project X, Amanda Waller constripted them.
You will get my parents out of Waller's clutches safely. You will have proof that they will be safe from Waller or anyone who would exploit them.
If I lose my parents, you lose your son."
The feed cuts before anyone can respond. Oracle clears her throat. "B, a large file attachment was sent to multiple reporters and leak sites from the facility. What's the plan?"
Danny stares at the blank screen, focusing on the pulsing power of the facilities computer in a vain attempt to suppress his anxiety induced nausea. He stumbles over to the trash and heaves bile from his empty stomach.
Nightwing makes a face behind the gag like he wants to say something but Danny turns away, a pulse of ghostly control through the computers ensuring that the vaunted oracle and cyborb will be locked out until Danny lets them in.
It had been surprisingly easy to figure out how to connect to the computers while human. Danny had always been adaptable.
The internet was on fire with the secret documents Danny had stolen and distributed. All of Waller's dirty laundry was exposed. She might not get punished. But she would be a pariah for the rest of her life.
Dick accepts the carefully offered water from the teen, studying the bags under his eyes. As the water is pulled away, "The League was wrong, weren't they? You weren't working for your parents...Phantom was spotted with Fenton Tech on several occasions. You were sabotaging your parents work and stealing useful tech for Phantom."
The kid looked at him with a hint of exasperation breaking through, "That doesn't matter much anymore now does it? I'm holding Nightwing hostage. Previous innocence or not, I'm a villain now."
Fenton spins around, eyes narrowed, handing off the plate of food and stalking out.
Dick calls out fruitlessly, trying to get Fenton's attention. The bot offers a bite sized piece of sandwich, letting out a whirring noise that almost sounds questioning.
By the time he's finished his food and water, about to get regagged, a frazzled looking Fenton leads a group of bots carrying two bodies into the cell across from him.
Wally is encased from feet to mouth in some sort of flexible silver shell, twitching from the aftershocks of whatever defense mechanism he was trapped by. Fenton directs the bots to suspend the unconscious speedster in the appropriate restraints.
Garfield is locked down in a full meta suppressor set, being restrained in another cell.
Fenton looks his way, worry and anger sparking in his eyes, and stalks out of the cell block without a word.
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 wasnât following this: soulmate AU, they swap bodies when they both go to sleep the night the younger soulmate turns 15, they wonât 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⊠howâŠ
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 heâd 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.
âŠThey 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. "UmâŠ" 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 Damianâs 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, umâŠ" 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, orâŠ"
"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?"
"WellâŠ" 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 theyâre still frequent enough to be a concern.â
"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.
"âŠDo 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 Dannyâs hands as well. âMaster Damian had an accident recently; I assume youâre feeling sore this morning.â
Startled, Danny looked down at the plate, and found two aspirin sitting on the edge. âOh. Thanks.â
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?â Alfred said, subtly pointed. âI 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?â
ââŠTo my friends,â he admitted, embarrassed not to have anything better for them. âTheyâll be able to catch him up on anything I couldnât put in my note.â
âThen he'll be fine for a little while,â Dick insisted. âAlfred can get the plane ready and we can head out after you eat, alright?"
"âŠOkay." 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. "âŠAugust 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, mustâve been horrific from Damianâs side. He couldnât 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. Theyâd 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 - Damianâs 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. Dukeâs eyes were intense, boring into Danny, and he looked away quickly, flustered.
âSo whoâs your favorite Gotham vigilante?â Stephanie asked him, as soon as their eyes met.
âUmâŠâ 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. âI donât know. I mean, at this point theyâre 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.â
Their expressions quickly shifted from expectant to appraising, which was, if anything, even more uncomfortable. Dickâs eyebrows rose, and Bruceâs 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.
âYouâre interested in heroes, Danny?â Bruce prompted, amiable again. Danny instinctively distrusted it, and he wished he could turn that off. It wasnât helpful right now.
What was it Jazz had said? His soulmateâs family wouldnât be looking for reasons to separate them. They were just making conversation, getting to know him. Something something optimism.
It didnât feel like that. It felt like something else. But maybe Damianâs family was just⊠intense. Heâd implied that in his note, hadnât he? Without meaning to, he glanced at Dick pleadingly, and Dick gave him a kind smile that made Dannyâs shoulders loosen.
âThat was just a very thoughtful remark,â Dick explained, loose and relaxed. âMost people donât think about how heroes present themselves.â
Well, most people werenât heroes. Dannyâs mouth twitched, and he leaned back again, forcing himself to settle.
âA bit,â he conceded at last, carefully. âAmity Park has a couple of heroes that manage its rogue activity too, but itâs only been a couple of years, so theyâre both really inexperienced compared to Gothamâs. The Bats are old guard, you know?â
He shrugged again, hyperaware of everyoneâs eyes on him. There was something he was missing here - weight to this conversation he didnât understand the meaning of. Werenât there rumors about Bruce Wayne and the Justice League? Some connection? He wished he knew.
âThatâs understandable,â Dick said agreeably, also not acknowledging the elephant Danny couldnât see. âPeople that live around heroes do tend to regard them a bit differently.â
The others settled down around the room, picking armchairs and couch spots.
âWhat are the heroes in your town like, then?â Tim asked, his eyes too intense. The calculating edge had never left them, Danny realized, assessing Danny for some reason or another.
âSo weird to see Damian squirm like this,â Stephanie muttered, and got elbowed by Cass.
âWell, thereâs two,â 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? âPhantom and the Red Huntress. They work together now, although they didnât always. The Red Huntress is human, and Phantom is the same⊠kind of meta as the rogues.â
âItâs an alien situation,â Tim concluded immediately, making Danny flinch. âDid something happen?â
Danny was saved from answering when Damianâs phone rang.
Part 3!! alert alert! there is a part 3!!!!!! I'm so happyyyyyy!
I like how Alfred is just like âyes. fruit. all the fruit.â the more options there are and maybe Danny will eat something. also shout out to Alfred being the one to notice that Danny is experiencing pain from Damian's body.
Lmao! Alfred: Damian was in An Accident. Danny: I was in An Accident. Danny, sweet boy, I know that like 90% of your brain is dedicated to focusing on survival over things like recognizing a pattern in the topics, but.... all the hero emphasis stuff. Come On Man open your eyes to read between the lines
Gosh... just... Danny: I was in an accident. and Dick: oh you mean the August 2nd one?
They have him Clocked. They Know what is going on and Danny just... My Parents Aren't Bad or Abusive and everyone is just side-eyeing him
The terms for setting up soulmate interaction make sense and especially for a family of high status like the Waynes. Danny is so anxious that they're going to think he's not good enough for Damian or that Damian is going to be in too much danger with him so Bruce is going to separate them and Danny does not want to be separated from his soulmate. Boy... that's called seperation anxiety and I think it's because you don't have enough healthy, positive relationships in your life. Just saying. (good job op! great way to include that detail)
Damian's phone is ringing!! Who's on the phone??? Is it Damian???
When Chief Frostbite had agreed to become The Great One's primary care physician he had thought it would be an easy task. After all the young halfa had defeated Pariah Dark, he probably did not get injured often. This would be a small way to repay him.
He had. Vastly. Underestimated. The situation.
The Great One began coming to him, constantly. Bodily injuries and illnesses caused by fights with other ghosts and ghost hunters. He had never had a patient who needed his care so frequently.
Still it would have been managable if The Great One were a normal ghost. But his halfa nature complicated things beyond Frostbite's ken.
It had been millenium since he was alive, and when he was he was not a human being. Living human biology was something he had never encountered. He didnt know how to correctly set a broken human bone, or how to repair a damaged organ. By the ancients he didnt even know what the purpose of each organ was, nor even where they were meant to be inside the body.
Within a month, he did something that as a healer he had not had to do in a long time.
He called for a consult.
He made a request for the ghost of a human doctor, one who had died as recently as possible and was more experienced with human surgical practices. Thankfully a ghost and his wife came to his call. In life Thomas had been a surgeon and was more than happy to once again practice his craft. Martha was keen to act as his assistant. Frostbite offered them a place in his village, a safe place with plenty of resources in exchange for help with the Great One.
The next time the Great One flew in, leaking blood and ectoplasm with a bone sticking out of his leg at a jaunty angle, Thomas was ready. It was the quickest healing session the Great One had needed yet!
"Well Chum, looks like you get into a lot of trouble. A real hero you are." Thomas said, to the Great One. "Reminds me of my son!"
"Oh really? Who is your son?"
"Batman of course!"
The hacking noise the Great One made after that was apparently normal according to Martha.
Yes, just yes. Also add Martha and Thomas getting enough energy to haunt Bruce or Alfred, maybe in their dreams kinda like
Martha: Alfred, dear, it's been a while hasn't it? Anyway, could you help us mother a hero?
Thomas: We're his doctors here in the afterlife, but with him being half-alive, he needs but more care, like Brucie...
Alfred: First of all, good to see you Master Thomas and Mistress Martha. Second...Did you adopt your patient? In the afterlife?
Martha and Thomas: ...yes?
Alfred: Alright, assuming this is real, and yes, I will do so immediately. May I have his name?
Martha: It's Daniel Fenton, but you may know him as Phantom
Alfred:...I shan't question how you adopted the newest Justice League recruit, but I shall do my best. And also pass this on to Master Bruce.
Martha: Oh no need, we'll be going to him next, to inform him of his new brother!
And Bruce would first question how the fuck did it happen, then question the afterlife and how it's real, then how did his parents adopt another hero (I want to assume Danny and Bruce have a 10y age gap in earth years)
And then accept it because obviously that's where his adoption tendencies came from
If Danny had been paying even an ounce more of attention to his surroundings he would have noticed a figure poking out of the alley way in front of him. He wasnât though, so Danny was completely caught off guard when said figure pulled him into the alley, knife being pressed against his skin with demands that he hand over his wallet.Â
This honestly wasnât that big of a deal to Danny; more of an annoyance if anything as the only thing he wants to do right now is go home and eat his takeout. Before he can make that known though with a snarky comment another person, Red Robin he notes, is dropping from the sky and pulling the mugger away from him.Â
The altercation is over before it even begins, saving Danny his energy, time, and having to reheat his food.Â
The whole event was put behind him by the time he woke up the next morning. Danny probably wouldn't have even thought more about it if it hadnât been for the fact that a week later he found himself in the JL space station due to a summoning for the Ghost King.Â
At first Danny thinks that maybe his run in with Red Robin somehow led to them connecting his human side to his ghost side. Luckily, that wasnât the case though and they were only needing some help with a ghost that was causing problems in one of their cities. Which he was gladly and easily able to help them with.Â
The only point of conflict is when the JL refuses to accept a âfree favorâ from him, and demands that he ask something from them. Danny really doesnât want anything from them though, and so in a moment of genius locks eyes with Batman and tells him.Â
âThe debt has already been paid; send Red Robin my thanks.âÂ
(TW: Gore, Blood, not sure if there are other triggers so someone tell me and Iâll edit it)
Danny had always had a deep kernel of belief that his parents would accept him as Phantom. However that kernel was quite deep and covered by anxiety and paranoia. After all, they even sometimes worked with ghosts when the time came for it! He had even tried to tell them more than once, though his nervousness and the constant interruptions meant he hadnât managed that yet.
So when his parents declared they were going to Gotham because of ghost rumors, Danny was dragged along and disgruntled because Gotham, while have higher ecto levels, was no where near enough to hide his ecto-signature when in ghost form.
Of course, nothing could have prepared him for what would happen 3 days into their stay. A fuzzy thought tickled the back of his mind as he stared in shock. âDid I really believe that they would change? Or was I just in denial?â
ââââââââââââ
Jason stood on a rooftop as Red Hood, on his usual patrol. There had been an Arkham breakout recently and a decent few of the big time Rouges were still out. Unfortunately he had been getting a bad feeling about tonight, so his paranoia was ramped up and he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Then he spotted a kid. Male, dark hair, kinda short, maybe 5ft 5in. He staggered about in a daze, and when a glint of light hit him, blood covered his clothes. Foreboding slipped in and Jason immediately connected his com. âHey, just a gut feeling here but I need Red and Black Bat to join me at my location. Got a kid covered in blood.â
Grappling down to the street he barely focused on the confirmation they were on their way. Landing near the kid he realized that his clothes had quite a bit of blood on them, and worry began to worm in that he was injured worse than he thought. âKid?â Jason called out.
Not seeing the kid react he slowly got closer and reached out, gently grasping his arm. Turning the kid around, his eyes were glazed in shock, murmuring something Jason couldnât make out. Hearing the thwip of a grapple, Red Robin and Black Bat landed near him.
âThe kid is in shock, not reacting to outside stimulus. He seems to be murmuring something but itâs too quiet to hear.â Jason stated.
Red moved closer, âIs he injured?â
Jason shook his head. âCanât tell.â
BB tilted her head. âUse com to see what he is saying?â
Red hmmed. âYeah.â Clicking his com on, he sent out to all the others, âEveryone be quiet on coms for a bit. The kid is saying something too quiet to hear so we are gonna see if putting a com near his mouth will allow us to hear it.â
After getting confirmation from the other BB took a spare com and placed it near the kids mouth. Jason was not expecting what he heard.
âThey killed someone. They Ended him.â
And somewhere deep inside Jason, he felt the part that always been the pits Shudder. He didnât know exactly what the kid was talking about but somehow he felt he knew. Someone had just been erased from existence.
Swearing, Jason called out to Oracle. âO, find out where this kid came from, I donât know exactly what is going on but the part about Ending someone made the pits react. Whatever it is isnât good.â
Jason could practically feel a grim atmosphere take over all the Bats and Birds at the mention of the Pit reacting. Hopefully whatever this was had nothing to do with Raâs.
Jason looked over to the other two, âLetâs get the kid to a safe house, check him for injuries and get him cleaned up.â Picking the kid up, they grappled away.
âââââââââââ
Bruce hoped against hope this didnât have anything to do with the LOA. As he followed the trail Oracle had traced from the boy Hood found, Nightwing and Robin by his side, he focused on silently entering the house before him.
With silent signals they split up, checking for other occupants. Receiving confirmation that no one was upstairs, they gathered at the basement door and slowly went down the stairs, following a trail of blood which was assumed to be from the boy leaving the scene.
Turning on the lights, they were unprepared for the sight before them. The Joker was strapped to a table, dead, his chest open like an autopsy. Blood was covering the floor in a pool, and splattered over many tools sitting nearby.
Many of his organs had been⊠removed and placed in jars. Weirdest of all was a small, broken, circular object sitting nearby, the color a faded purple green.
Bruce: Take him to Dr Leslie for now. He's clearly in shock.
Tim: This is not the work of any of our usual suspects. I hope he can give us names. And I really hope we get them before they attack someone else!
Jason: C'mon kid. That's it, up you go. Let's get you out of here and somewhere safe.
Danny gets up with help from Jason and is herded to the clinic. Still out of it, self soothing, probably rocking slightly, hugging himself. Mumbling under his breath, glassy unseeing eyes. One of them will send a text to get another bat to get him a spare set of clothes, he is covered in blood, clearly fell and freaked out.
You just know Danny is stuck in his own head, imagining it's him they'd done that to, him on that table, his core cracked and faded.
Might not even realize it was the Joker; if he even knows who the Joker is at that.
Also, it's pretty well implied that the Fenton's moved to Gotham. That this is their new house, new basement lab.
Huh, d'ya reckon Danny was home while they were doing that? They sent him to clean up, obviously they aren't worried about him being upset or traumatized by it; so I doubt they'd worry about making sure he was out of the house while they experimented. Good enough sound insulation, they could be ripping a man apart with Danny 10 feet overhead none the wiser. Betcha that fucks him up all the harder. The realization this was happening right under his nose. That he maybe could have should have stopped them.
Anyway unless they're straight up squatting for some reason, it shouldn't be too hard for the Bats to figure out who did this. The bigger trick is gonna be catching them before they can hurt someone else. Which will be especially difficult if the Bats are also liminal enough to ping their radars.
Now Jason. One might assume Jason would be happy about this. Jason might assume Jason would be happy about this. But I think in the face of his reality, even with his ardent belief that some people should be killed for the greater good; would recoil at the thought of even the Joker dying like this.
Especially with a kid having had to see, if not the act itself (Cause the bats wouldn't know yet how much Danny had seen. For all they know, he'd had to watch it live.), at least the aftermath.
Jason thinks this should be good. It should be relief. But instead it's just sickening.
Give me Spider-Man x Gotham. No you don't get it. I need Spider-Man X Gotham
I need a tired, no-shits-given city x annoying sunshine. I need enemies to lovers type shit. Need Gotham to go full on tsundere.
I need the people of Gotham squinting at this flashy red and blue color pop of a vigilante against the skyline and feeling so damn incredulous.
Cause seriously? The bats have been trying to fix Gotham for years.
Years.
This city is cursed. Everybody knows it. The cops know it. The criminals know it. The gargoyles probably fucking know it.
And now this guy shows up? Cracking jokes? Is this a joke to him?
It feels like the first Robins all over again.
The city doesn't know exactly what happened to those kids, but Gotham knows enough. Knows what happens to bright-eyed heroes here. Knows what this city does to people.
So, who the hell is this new freak? Any why the hell does he talk so much?
Is that his legit social media page???? Why is there a video of him getting absolutely mauled by a cat? Did he post it himself?
Why are there three follow-up posts arguing with commenters about whether pigeons are government drones?
What the actual fuck.....Whatever.
He won't last. They've seen this before.
Maybe he's good. Maybe he's genuine. Maybe he's even trying to help. Just wait until his first Arkham breakout, wait until Joker.
Wait until Gotham gets its claws into him.
God damnit, why? Why is he carrying old ladies across busy intersections? Why is he helping kids with science projects? Why does he keep stopping to talk to homeless people?
......Why does he know their names? Why does he remember them?
And seriously. What the fuck is his beef with pigeons? Nobody understands the pigeon thing.
The criminals are having quite the hard time around him. It certainly is a sight to see the Riddler get so confused and baffled by the yapping. And Croc getting slapped in the face by a fish.
There is so much chaos.....it's hard to feel scared when the entire situation just becomes ridiculous.
And... yo.
Why are some of the criminals just vibing with him after they've been webbed up?
They don't seem to be able to actually hate him.
Not really. Cause Spider-Man sees them. Not the arrest records. The people underneath. Knows what it's like when life keeps kicking you in the teeth.
And it's different with him. He has an optimism that no Gothamite would have. And despite the jokes he tries, so damn sincerely just tries.
This idiot is gonna drown. Sooner or later.
Everyone does.
Oh.
Oh, he's strong. And fast.
And stubborn. Ridiculously stubborn.
He falls. He gets back up. He keeps getting back up. Again. And again. And again.
Then it happens. Joker. Bomb at a children's hospital......There was an entire month where everyone thought he wasn't coming back.
Not after he was seen holding a dying child through their final moments. Not after staring at the kid who didn't even cry because Spider-Man was there.
They've seen it before. They know what it does to people. The kind of all-consuming guilt. The burden that breaks good people.
......And then he's back. Back to helping them again.
Still quipping. Still helping.
Still carrying grannies across the street. Still helping kids with homework, arguing with pigeons.
Refusing to fucking quit.
And damnit he is good. Not perfect. Not even close. But good.
And one day, they realise, No matter their personal opinion on Spider-Man. When things are bad and they see him? Their shoulders relax. The tension fizzles out and the panic eases.
They think, subconsciously, it's probably gonna be okay
And that they'll tell their family all the ridiculous quips Spider-Man makes in this fight. Cause.
UNPOPULAR OPINION: A lot of "mental health issues" disappear when bills are paid, rent is secure, and the fridge is full. Peace is expensive. And pretending money doesn't affect mental health is privilege.
this is why i think every doctor and therapist should be authorized to prescribe their patient ten thousand dollars, and if the insurance doesn't cover that then their ceo gets shot in the street
Tune in next time for: Are these menstrual cramps? Am I pregnant? Is it just gas? I wouldnât have to ask these questions if I didnât have a damn uterus
Y'all are forgetting the all-time classic: Is it just my period or is my appendix about to burst? Some nice tea and a heatpack or 911 and emergency surgery?
Place your hand over the pain, press down slightly and release. If the pain doesnât change by any great margin, youâre fine. If it suddenly becomes some painful you can barely stand, Get thee to an Emergency Room
