If Amity Park has one rule for survival, it's commit to the bit. Whose bit?
Everyone's.
You go to Ember's concerts even though there's a better than even chance of being hypnotized. When Technus turns up you obligingly shriek about how terrifying unfeeling machines are. If Boxy's around, you put up a spirited but ultimately futile fight to protect your precious, valuable boxes.
You confirm it when your neighbor tells the GIW that the ghost went thataway, officer. Phantom says the weird eye-ghosts that are stalking him are delusional and he is not an authority figure of any kind, you agree that he'd be the one to know best. The Fentons are ranting about their latest weapons, you oooh and ahhh over their brilliant creation.
Your eyes glow because of special effect contacts you're testing, anyone who knows you can testify to that.
Don't run, don't break the rules, and heaven help you if a ghost decides you've disrespected their obsession. It doesn't matter how much time passes, they might not chase you, but they will remember the insult.
Ghosts are never more dangerous than when their obsession is disrupted. So smile and nod, or shriek and cower, and play the role you're cast in. You'll get out alright.
**
Gotham natives have a word for people who play along with a rogue's plan instead of getting out at the first available opportunity: morons. The closer you are to a rogue, the greater the danger, and none of them will spare you just because you decided to 'see where this was going'.
Civilians are little more than mobile props for most rogues - as long as you get out of their line of sight, they'll forget about you. Don't try to be a hero, don't draw attention to yourself. Playing by a rogue's rules is a great way to die.
We need more ugly Jason who’s still loved and cherished. Jason is the wielder of the all blades as much blood as is on his hands none of it is the blood of the innocent. He’s an avenger and protector and to those more in tune with death and understand its weight and its necessity he wouldn’t be seen as some fallen hero drenched in blood but as a risen figure who wades through the filth without being stained.
I’m thinking ghost king Danny where Ghost King is more of a title that grants a certain amount of power and ability because obviously there’s no actual responsibility attached if Pariah could sleep for millennia and no interim king be appointed. So. . . One of the abilities obtained as Ghost King is full sensory experience of cores. I imagine seeing/feeling what’s essentially a persons entire being puts looks on the back burner as far as personal relationships go.
Any Danny is in Gotham for college and maybe Jason audits classes or maybe they just meet in the library and Danny has never seen a core like Jason’s, not pure exactly because there are no pure cores even babies are tainted by selfish impulses (I head cannon that anything that can die has a core but if they’re fully live the core is ghostly and not as present) but a core so bright and righteous. Danny is immediately trying to chat Jason up and it’s obvious because Danny is an awkward dork and has no skill in flirting. Jason is baffled because being blown up didn’t leave his pretty face in tact even if he was brought back and his current “profession” is only adding to the collection of scars. He cannot fathom why this very pretty twink is flirting with him since there’s no one around that could be filming a prank or waiting on pretty boy to finish a dare.
Dedicated to @imhereandiexist who's fan art made me want to write out this au. A scene of thier early days where Lady Gotham and Wulf were still at odds. Slow burn
Wulf was walking down the street, minding his own business. A group of men and women follow him, trying to recruit him for a modeling gig or get him to sign an acting contract. He seemed unaware of the group as Lady Gotham watched from the second floor of the fire station, wondering what the big oak did this time.
Everywhere he went, he somehow had people tripping over themselves to speak to him.
She could not understand how the other-punished Ghost could wrap humans around his finger as easily as breathing. Not that breathing was truly easy. Lady Gotham often choked if she did too much movement.
Dr. Leslie claimed it was a condition called "Asthma" caused by the pollution she was exposed to, but Lady Gotham had always been exposed to pollution. Why would it affect her now? Humans were such pathetically weak creatures.
Eventually, the group of humans surrounded Wulf, shouting introductions and handing him cards. He accepts them all witha smile, lifting the card up to his nose to remember the scent of the owners. The humans' faces fell a little as Wulf had to make a real effort to gather the scents, but eventually they were all wafted away, and the other ghost, a peasant one, wandered inside.
She demands to know what that was all about. Wulf smiles, holding out the small stack. "Just some humans looking to hire me. Nothing I'm too interested in".
Lady Gotham snatches the cards, flipping through them, and a small twitch of irritation grows right under her eye. Of course, these types of recruiters had their eyes on him.
For all that Lady Gotham scoffed and mocked him, even she knew that Wulf was a attravtive human. He used to be much more appealing in his werewolf form, but that was out of reach now.
She turns to him again and demands the story while he sighs, throwing himself on the hammock he strung up between two pillars.
Wulf starts off by explaining he was hours late to their usual meeting time because he had accidentally wandered onto a filming set, and when someone yelled at him to move a box- assuming he was crew- Wulf and threw two boxes onto one shoulder while carrying a bigger one under his arm.
The action had surprised many, after all the boxes were heavy for one person. And when he had marched onto the loading area with a crooked grin, well, more then one person had noticed.
A few agents had scrambled for their business cards as Wulf's low, rough voice asked the flustered set manager where she wanted him to leave the boxes at. He was then asked to do a scene as an extra, which he agreed to, because the movie was about werewolves and he wanted to see what the humans thought of his kind. Originally, he was meant to be a pack member with no lines, but after one of the speaking extras fumbled his lines too much- earning a far too harsh reprimand from the director in Wulf's opinion- he stepped in, allowing his regular mannerism to help the extra move the scene alone.
He was offered a scene and told by the director to be "an intimidating rival alpha pack leader," and Wulf took that as "Assert dominance by making the other group want to give it to him."
Needless to say, he blew everyone away, and when the recording was done, he just... wandered off. They hadn't even been able to pay him for the day because Wulf didn't actually work there. A few of the agents had taken off after him, and he hadn't noticed- Gotham was loud and crowded on a good day, but Wulf had a long and fast stride so often he left people scrambling to keep up.
"You didn't get paid!?" Lady Gotham hissed. "Why didn't you demand pay!?
"Eh." Wulf waved his hand around, curling the other under his head as a makeshift pillow. "It was too much of a hassle."
"Too much- we haven't had a decent meal in three days! I've done things, horrible things, to get lunch." She trails off, a faraway look in her eye as if reliving the haunting memory
"You went to the Soup Kitchen," Wulf rolls his eyes. "That's what they're for."
"Soup Kitchen is the gateway to the Poor House!" She snaps, which causes the man to sigh heavily.
"Those don't exist anymore. Honestly, are you that out of touch with the current times?"
Lady Gotham purses her lips, biting back every swear and curse that she wants to fling at him. It wouldn't be proper, not a ghost of her standing, to swear like the common folk, but drat would it feel good. Taking a few breaths- ugh- she forces herself to calm down so she can level him a cold look that normally would have made the few humans that attemtped to summon her over the years flinch.
All she gets is a challenging smirk, amusement dancing in the werewolf's eyes. Under such a glance, her heart flutters a little, which has her gripping her dress in horror. The human business cards flutter to the ground, forgotten, as she tries to soothe the strange ache building up underneath her skin. Her heart is running too fast. It's disgusting. "Oh no."
Wulf stands up immediately, "What's wrong?"
"We must go to Dr. Leslie," She gasps, "My human heart! It is hurting!"
"You're having a heart attack?" Wulf says worriedly, placing an arm on her elbow and on her back to offer her something to lean on. His low voice makes her skin break into odd little bumps, and Lady Gotham wants to claw out of it.
She lets out a scream, pressing her hands harder against her chest. "The heart can attack!?"
Wulf must realize how serious this is, for he swings her up and throws her over his shoulder. It does no favors for her human heart as she feels it pick up speed, aching more than before as her somewhat partner breaks into a run, bouncing her on his shoulder with one arm wrapped around her to hold her steady. She wails, thinking she was going to die, and goodness, what happens to a ghost that turns human and dies?
Would King Phantom have her turn into unconscious ectoplasm? Would she vanish? Would she become the city, but without a form?
Wulf takes no breaks, sprinting at fullforce and leaping over oncoming cars to reach the clinic. Within twenty minutes, he burst through the front door, screaming for Dr. Leslie. An hour later, they are both kicked out by the irritated healer, who confirms that Lady Gotham is not dying, despite her worry.
She just needs to watch out for allergies, because apparently the human body sometimes self-destructs, since it can't tell the difference between a threat and not. Wulf takes it upon himself to clear out all the dust that Dr. Leslie said was affecting Lady Gotham while she naps in his hammock as the medication that Dr. Leslie gave her made her drowsy.
Lady Gotham fell asleep, pressing her nose against the woody musk smell that she often associated with Wulf. Oddly enough, it makes her heart ache again but in a good way, and soothes her into a dreamless slumber. She has the faint awareness that Wulf dropped a second blanket onto her, encasing her in a warm cocoon, and she thinks she understands why humans are drawn to him so much in that moment.
There is something comforting about having a werewolf like him by your side in times of need. The following morning, she wakes to find the fire station spotless, Wulf nowhere in sight.
The idiot wandered off. Again.
It takes her three days to find him doing shadow puppet shows for a group of children. She was ready to beat his face in with her fan, but when he invited her to sing the duet of one of Gotham's original musicals, she couldn't resist the offer.
It is one of her people's songs, and she knows the words as well as she knows her core. Their voices mix in perfect harmony as the children watch wide-eyed. When they're done, Lady Gotham is surprised by how their tiny faces light up with joy, and for one second, the humans make being alive perfect.
Well, half of the one I'm making. I haven't finished drawing Lady Gotham yet. But I did finish Wulf, so I decided to show you. (Yes, I shamelessly gave up on drawing Wulf's hands. It was stressing me out. Pretend they're there.)
Wulf: Doll, we have to clean this place up a little. Danny is coming over for a visit.
Lady Gotham: THE KING?! THE KING IS COMING?! WE HAVE TO FIND A BETTER LODGINGS FOR HIM.
Wulf: Why?
Lady Gotham: I will not make the same mistake again. I made the mistake of disrespecting the King and got turn into this.
Wulf: The human definition of gorgeous?
Lady Gotham: Humans dont know real beauty. They only know brief flashes of infatuation that melt into resentment
Wulf: Damn, who hurt you?
Lady Gotham: Humans did. They're always trying to kill eachother, take advantage of eachother or harm eachother because of sheer boredom.
Wulf: Humans can't help their nature. It's a pity that they aren't meant to hold happiness for too long. I pity them.
Lady Gotham: Monsters the lot of them
Wulf: ...Yeah, monsters. Did you know my life ended because they found out my race existed? They wiped out all werewolves, erased us from history and then told lies of us only having fur on full moons. All because we were different then them.
Lady Gotham: I'm sorry. That must have been horrific.....You know what might make you feel better?
Wulf: What?
Lady Gotham: Breaking and Entering
Hours later:
Danny: This place is lovely. You two seem to be doing well for yourselves!
Lady Gotham: Thank you for your kind words, your Highness. It's a honor to know you find our home adequate
Danny: How did you get such a nice place?
Lady Gotham: The Drakes died-
Wulf: *kicks her*
Wulf: She means they moved. The Drakes moved and sold us this place at a decent price. Trying to get out quickly. Too many memories, you know?
Danny knowing they're lying: Memories of what?
Lady Gotham: The worst thing to happen to anyone: Adultery. Worse then your own core exploding from Obsession Deprivation
Wulf: No seriously, who hurt you?
Lady Gotham ignoring him: As you can tell they were most devastated and took everything with them.
Danny: Is that why we're having dinning on the floor? Can you two not afford new furniture?
Lady Gotham: Oh no! See there is a good reason for that. Right Wulf?
Wulf catching on: Its a human way of life to enlightenment.
Danny: Oh?
Wulf: Yes. Its a teaching from monks.
Danny: Monks?
Wulf: Yes, Tibetan Monks. Having no possessions beside shelter brings enlightenment.
Danny: That....actually makes sense.
Lady Gotham whispering: Nice cover. Who are the Tibetan Monks?
Wulf whispering back: I have no idea. I heard the neighbor mention it when we were looking for a way pass this place security.
Bruce easedropping with a listening device that glitching a bit due to Danny and only hearing bits of the conversations: Did I go to class with them????
Here's another fanart💕 (Yes I'm still working on the full body drawing. But hands are HARD)
If you notice my art-style changing on my fanarts, that's because I can't keep a single art style to save my life. So it just keeps changing every time I draw. Please ignore it🥲
I have no excuse for drawing Wulf this good looking.
More by (Self-indulgent) demand: The lady and the Wolf
Lady Gotham forgets how to walk. She is used to floating gracefully across surfaces, but she once got stuck army crawling on the ground because she forgot how humans move. Wulf found her sobbing while crawling under barbed wire and assumed she was practicing for the Draft.
Wulf's main power is portal-making. This means he is used to just disappearing and has extreme wanderlust. If Lady Gotham doesn't pay attention, human Wulf will just pull an Irish goodbye and climb a bus to go wherever the bus line ends. He forgets he can't just vanish
Despite their less-than-favorable money issues, Lady Gotham still insists on wandering around in elegant dresses. She stands out because her idea of elegant dresses are the 1800s ballroom dresses or the 1920s ballroom dresses. Wulf lies to her and claims he paid top dollar for them. He pulls them out of second hand stores or costume stores.
Wulf is notoriously a "go with the flow" ghost and doesn't indulge in his Obsession- Its Protecting a Pack- which is actually really unhealthy. He can adapt to nearly any setting his portal opens up to, which is why he was able to identify needing shelter right away, but he does not take his responsibilities seriously. He's the ghost equivalent of a hillbilly or a stoner.
Danny assigned Wulf to care for Gotham as a means to teach him to lay roots and not be so careless. Lady Gotham's lesson is to connect with her humans and become humble. Its also revenge for the last slice of pizza and being made fun of in court. He can multitask
Lady Gotham attempts to get a job, which is hard to do without a adress or ID but when she does land interviews she refuses to go by any other name then Lady Gotham and that costs her the jobs. Except for the one guy who assumed she was a lady of the night with a name like that. She stabbed him then cried because she forgot humans "spill so many liquids" (it was blood)
Wulf's charisma stat is maxed out. While he doesn't have an official job, everyone on the block of the closed down fire station they decided to squat in, offers him goods for services. He is a really good handyman. Lady Gotham's max stat is Dexterity, which comes from the many years her people were at war. She doesn't know how to apply this as a human besides doing random flips for spare change
Lady Gotham wants to complete their task as fast as possible to get back home but its hard when Wulf doesn't focus on the task at hand. Once Wulf was missing for three days, and she finds him in a ball pit inside a kids' arcade, juggling. She's about to rip out her hair and his because he will not focus on fixing Gotham.
The bats are aware of them but assumed they are harmless homeless with some mental issues. The mental issues arent a danger to anyone but themselves so they let them be. They are a little spooked by the way the two can snap thier heads in thier direction the second they get remotely near them though.
Danny is watching all this go down between breaks of paperwork and meetings. He is running a entire infinite kingdom so hes super busy but whenever he gets a chance to catchup with the pair, he drinks wine and marathons thier shenanigans. He ships them. Treats thier assignment like its a drama show.
Lady Gotham finds humans disturbing because she believes they all go evil and are born that way. Wulf finds humans to be like candles. Pretty, and bright but eventually die out and unable to truly get rid of the darkness.
In order to fix Gotham they need to bring hope back to the people that things do get better. Its very hard since neither of them think it ever will
Wulf once followed the Batmobile back to the cave system where the BatCave is on foot and when the Bats notice him on the sensors he pretended that he fell down a hole. He broke his own legs and one arm to really sell it. He forgot he was a human and was shocked by how much that hurt- he passed out while freaking out thats what humans feel like. He doesn't understand how they survive so long because he was sure he almost died in that moment.
Lady Gotham once got caught up in a shoot out between two gangs. She walked between them brining the two sides to a stand still from the shock forgetting that the bullets could kill her. Only after she was safely two blocks away did it hit her. Rumors of her actions spring to life with people assuming shes either crazy or fearless or both.
Wulf sniffs people. He used to rely on his sense of smell to make sure he is safe that its habit now. His human nose isnt as strong as his ghost one so he leans in and tries to snort the smells. It freaks everyone out.
Both are really tall. Lady Gotham has a perfect hourglass shape figure and Wulf is bulky but not off putting. Just solid. They look attractive until they do whatever ghost habit they do. Lady Gotham has walked into a wall while Wulf got down on all fours to smell a puddle.
Despite Wulfs habit of just eloping he is actually really sensible and has a lot more common sense then Lady Gotham. She tends to burst into tears a lot but mostly about being poor. Once he found her crying in a gas station aisle, with a freaked out teenager at the cashier calling the cops, because and I qoute "I can't get to the chocolate Wulf. Its trapped behind this unbreakable seal!" "That's a candy wrapper. You have to open it- NO DO NOT BITE THROUGH IT. SPIT THAT OUT"
They have both become frequent visitors to Leslie Thompkins Clinic because they put things in thier mouths that they shouldn't. Lady Gotham more often then Wulf. Leslie gets a headache whenever she sees them in her waiting room. The worst was when Wulf tried to eat a shoe- dog instincts are worse around full moon even of he can't change- and it was covered in Fear Gas. No one knew because he keep looking around claiming "The werewolf hunters are gonna get me. The pound people too. They're going to put a collar on me. But they cant. I am free. Ah-oooooooh!"
Heeey, I'm still working on my other drawing (a full body drawing of Wulf and Lady Gotham) but for now I have draw how I'm picturing Lady Gotham's face.
The Justice League has had Red Huntress on their list of people to recruit. Yet, they were told to wait because of Constantine. He said that Ghosts are not what they think, and recruiting Red Huntress before Constantine reaches out to Phantom could have dire consequences.
If Constantine is right, then Phantom is a Protector Spirit. And he will need to learn more about Protector Spirits to get Phantom to join Justice League Dark BEFORE the Justice League recruits Red Huntress.
From what the Hellblazer has learned from other Ghosts and such, Phantom is a Protector Spirit that is dangerously close to abandoning his role.
A Protector Spirit that abandons its role is incredibly dangerous. As a Protector Spirit keeps the worst of the worst at bay with just their presence alone. And if a gate to the Infinite Realms has no Protector Spirit nearby, then malevolent Ghosts will come rushing through the gate and cause a lot of destruction wherever they go. Once those malevolent Ghosts are in the living world, they get stronger and more confident. The only way to get those malevolent Ghosts back into the Infinite Realms is with the Protector Spirit that they feared to beat them back into the gate they came from.
Constantine was about to go and recruit Phantom and help the Protector Spirit move the gate, he hears that Red Huntress has been recruited, in front of Phantom, who had quickly run away soon after.
Now they need to find Phantom soon, as in less than a day, the Lingering presence of the Protector Spirit will fade from the gate he was guarding, and then they will be under the constant attacks of malevolent Ghosts because of the Justice League being to impatient.
Danny had blasted away the moment he figured he could. What the hell was up with that sad, sad, jigsaw-souled man? The justice league were cool and all, and he could definitely see the need for a ghost specialist on the side of the heroes.
That had been the whole reason Danny had entertained Constantine in the first place.
But everything the british man said just made Danny more and more suspicious. To start with, the 'Heroes' having a black ops team just didn't sound right. Who could ever trust the heroes if they were hiding that sort of operation from the public?
Second of all, 'Justice League Dark' sounded EVEN MORE suspicious. Yeah, magic is dangerous and there should definitely be magic specialists on the justice League.
But then that weirdo with his swiss cheese soul started telling DANNY, about Danny's purpose and reason for existence. Like, gimmie a break, dude.
So the moment he heard that Val got recruited into the actual, LEGITIMATE, Justice League? Danny booked it back home.
Danny had already been preparing to leave Amity to Red Huntress' protection. Danny doesn't have time for any of this nonsense. He only has a couple more days to pack his things before he heads off to his new dorm! Metropolis University Aerospace Engineering with nearly a full ride scholarship. There's no way Danny's going to pass that opportunity up!
Even if Constantine is right, Danny is half human. He has human dreams and desires for his future. He didn't want to be a hero in the first place! He did it because there was no one else available. Better come up with a better solution than convincing Danny to stay, because he deserves to be able to pursue his own future.
I need one of the Ancients to go looking for "the Great One", "the little Dreamer/Star", "young Warrior", "friend of the Daughter of the Green", "Storm Wielder".
Frost Bite, Nocturn, Pandora, Undergrowth, and even Vortex were not told of Phantom leaving his portal. They didn't think he even could. It's not like he's a regular Protector Spirit, this was his Grave! Most Ghosts can't leave their Graves for very long and prefer to have a Haunt around it. Of course, Phantom's Haunt was massive, even compared to older Ghosts. A whole town, plus some of the area outside it. That didn't stop the fact Phantom slept right above his Grave for most of his existence!
He's only four years dead! He needed the ectoplasm to grow.
He's a toddler compared to other Ghosts, but a fetus to the Ancients.
Clockwork refuses to say anything, but even his mood is down. Which only riles the other Ancient and Unquiet Dead. Many question if the GIW or Fenton's did something to him. And the Red Huntress suddenly having backup doesn't help. Especially as true monsters start coming through the Portal.
Meanwhile, Danny's having fun and is so excited for classes! He's relating to his peers. His food isn't attacking him. He can get a full night's rest! The only thing that sucks is the light pollution.
Which is easily fixed by flying into the atmosphere himself.
He has to have a Ghost clone hold him while he, in human form, holds the camera to take pictures and send to his friends. It helps prevent the static from Ghost powers.
"Danny, you'll need to go down. Soon. You're getting too cold."
"Don't worry Janus." Which was what he called any other facet of himself, given the god had two faces. "Just a few more pictures. I need to bring a coat next time."
"And probably a blanket."
"Yeah. Okay. I'm done. Look at this one!"
"Oh, sick!"
Superman watches, and listens, from afar. And makes some revelations while watching the pair. As well as making his own conclusions.
Sorry Amity. Blame the Fentons for building the portal in the first place.
I think the ancients/full ghosts are experiencing misunderstandings about Danny's perspective, because Danny isn't a full ghost. Danny has a lot more mental flexibility than a ghost because he's still half human.
The whole infantilization angle is something that always rubbed me wrong in baby ghost Danny fics. He might not be a matured ghost, but he's still mentally a human teenager and maturing at a human pace.
Understandable! I think it's really only the Ancients that do the infantilization., TBH. While the regular Ghosts all view Danny in the lense of a Full Ghost sometimes, they don't view him as a child outside his actual age. So, when he was 14? They treated him the same why they'd treat a freshman in highschool. Now that he's an actual adult? That's an adult. A young adult, but he's still an adult.
I also think it'd be interesting if they knew that, while put into the role by fate, Phantom isn't Obsessed with protecting others or protecting his Gate/Portal/Grave. Phantom didn't knowingly make Amity Park his Haunt. He's specifically doing all the fighting and protecting because he feels guilty about helping open the portal. Because he feels responsible. Because he was the only one who could.
They know that. Even if the Ancients don't.
But it doesn't explain why he suddenly disappeared. He didn't even say goodbye. Where was their reluctant Protector, who made sure both Ghost and Human were safe? Who was going to fight with them? Who was going to make fudge for the Christmas Truce?
Who was going to stop beings like Spectra from coming out and hurting humans and Ghosts alike?
Amity definitely blames the Fenton's. Mostly the parents, since both kids are moved away.
I really want Constantine to look at a picture from when Phantom was just starting as a hero and comparing it to the young man he saw. Ghosts rarely ever age. Usually only as a change in perception of themselves or is a reaction to growing into more power.
Talking to the few Ghosts of the Infinite Realms explains a bit. That Phantom technically beat the Ghost King in combat, even if it was just pushing him back into his Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. And using Fenton Technology.
Which, given that Superman revealed that Phantom followed the son to Metropolis and seemed very close? Explains some thing's. The fact the Protector Spirit decided long ago not to protect it's Gate, but a person, isn't really encouraging. It just means they have to convince the Fenton to come back.
Oh, I love this so much. Fake Pitch pearl is one of my favorite types of misunderstandings, especially if Danny commits to the bit.
Now, what does the League knows after a bit of research and gently interrogating Phantom's(Janus?) usual rouges and allies?
1) Apparently, the gate counts as Phantom's grave. Constantine feels his headache get even worse cause, holy fuck, he didn't get the whole explanation of what went down when the league confronted Phantom, but it has to be BAD if they managed to make a ghost voluntarily leave his resting place.
2) Phantom was never really enthusiastic about being Amity's protector. But he did it anyway, even when everyone made him public enemy number 1. There where many occasions where Phantom seemed annoyed about having to deal with other ghosts attacking, still he always fought them. And he responded way quicker when the attack was at school (reaction that now they correlate to Danny being in immediate danger).
3) Unfortunately for many, Phantom is NOT bound to Amity or the gate. Phantom can, in fact, leave whenever he wants. And the League made him leave.
4) If they don't bring Phantom back, everyone's fucked.
And thanks to Superman, now they know Phantom is protecting Danny Fenton. So it's pretty obvious what they need to do next; convince Danny to go back to Amity.
Surely, if they talk with the boy, he will understand and cooperate... Or so they thought.
They were wrong.
Turns out Danny really likes what he has now and is not willing to give up from it just to fix Justice League's mistakes. Aren't they supposed to be the best heroes on the planet? Then they should find a way to fix things themselves.
When they asked Danny to at least call their boyfriend so they can maybe convince Phantom to go back and protect the gate, Danny looked at them like they were crazy. They thought that because he wasn't out of the closet, and because his parents wouldn't aprove his relationship with a ghost, Danny was pretending to not be Phantom's boyfriend. They insisted so much Danny just went "You know what? Fuck it. Yeah, Phantom's my boyfriend, no you cannot talk with him. Fuck off."
Okay, I've read too many dp|dc stories, and you know what I haven't seen yet? The gaslighting family of Bat! It's just unacceptable, so I'm throwing out an idea, and if anyone wants to use it or add to it in the comments, feel free
So, let's start with the fact that Denny ends up in the Wayne family as a victim of the government. Let's say the GIW captured him, brought him to Gotham, where the Bats declassified the base and saved Denny. They don't know that he has powers, but they suspect that it's not safe for him to enter the System until the League deals with the entire GIW government structure. Therefore, Bruce takes him in civilian clothes to live in safety while Batman handles the case
This is where the Dark!Bat Family's machinations begin. I'm certain that if a government official had stayed in their home for a few days or even weeks, noticing their nighttime adventures, they would have been severely punished. What makes Denny different in this situation? Yes, they feel sorry for him, but the secret of his identity requires them to go to extremes
Did Danny see Tim limping into his room at night? That's ridiculous, he was at his apartment in the city that night, and he arrived at the estate for breakfast. Look, there he is, driving up to the gate. Did Danny see Nightwing sneaking into the house through a window? Perhaps his vitamins are acting strangely after everything the government has done to him, and he's experiencing hallucinations of the vigilantes because he's in Gotham
Damian threw himself at Tim in front of him? With a knife? That's ridiculous, look at Damian, he can't even reach Tim's shoulders, he wouldn't do anything like that
At first, it's supposed to be innocent. They advise Danny to get more sleep, suggesting that his medication is causing hallucinations, that he's dreaming or imagining things. But Danny was once a hero too, and he quickly begins to see more, and with that, the Bets become more serious. They make Danny question his own sanity, perhaps to the point where he can't even tell if he was once a Phantom or if it was all a figment of his imagination. Why is Red Robin walking in front of them in the dining room, and no one but Denny is noticing him? Why is Nightwing swinging from the chandelier, and Bruce talking to him about online school like nothing is happening? Did Cassandra just merge with the shadows? Is she really here, or is she not? Does she even exist, or do the Waynes only have sons???
Danny is not in a good mental state. Definitely not good enough for this kind of shit.
So he starts to act unhinged.
Red Robin is sitting on the couch. Unmoving. No matter how much he points at him or tries to make the others believe him, no one sees Red Robin. But- but he's right there! Danny knows he is. He can see him. Why does no one believes him? What does he need to do to prove to himself to the rest of them that he's not crazy?
Red Robin— or the hallucination of Red Robin— smirks at Danny, still unmoving, perfectly composed. It's like he's mocking Danny. Mocking his attempts at proving he's not insane.
Something dark and twisted erupts inside him. Deeper, stronger and uglier than he has ever felt before. Something that reminds him of his future self eyes.
Danny acts before he can think and... He grabs Red Robin's genitals with an iron fist and squeeze as hard as he can.
Red Robin SCREAMS.
A loud, tortured scream of pain.
He... Can feel Red Robin. The vigilante is solid in ways an hallucinating could never be, real and here. He's really here! He's real. Danny is NOT crazy and the GIW didn't break him beyond repair.
He's real. He's real. He. Is. Real.
The vigilante tries to push the teen away, but Danny didn't bulge. He kept squeezing it harder. Danny's nails puncture through the vigilante's pants and tear the skin bellow.
Danny twist his hand. Making the vigilante scream more. Louder. Real.
Suddenly, Danny is on the ground. Bruce holds him down, face pressed on the could ceramic, hands behind their back.
The others move to help Red Robin, who was sobbing on the couch. Pressing his hands between his legs. Face contorted in pure agony.
He should feel bad about it. He hurt someone. He hurt a hero.
But all Danny could feel was the laugh forming inside him, because it worked. They saw him. They're seeing Red Robin too. They know it's real. It's real. Danny was right and Red Robin is really there.
The screams and the blood still hot on Danny's finger tips are proof of that.
Did you have in mind the plot where Damian Wayne and Danny Fenton—or Nightingale—became friends through violence after the latter transferred to Gotham Academy? Usually, the batfam think Danny is a meta, a clone, a spy, or just a strange fellow, so they start investigating him.
But what if they start thinking the real reason he’s so okay with violence and crime is because he’s an undiagnosed psychopath or sociopath? They’re genuinely scared of him. With Damian, they can attribute his behavior to the way he was raised—he didn’t know any better and had only just started learning to be better. But with Danny?
He’s from a small, boring town without any known rogues, and yet this boy doesn’t even blink while watching people get beaten to death. For him, death is just a new beginning, as he said himself.
(I don't usually write anything and english is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes)
Danny was merciless.
The man, a goon who tried to kidnap Damian and Danny a few minutes ago, was reduced to a bloodied sobbing mess under the kid's weight. He spat another teeth when Danny's fist striked his chin again, the wet sound of bones breaking and gurgling made Damian sick to his stomach.
Damian was used to it. Used to violence. Death. Torture. Broken bones and blood pooling and drying on the cold concrete. But something about this scene was... hard to see. There was something to Danny's brutalitty that made Damian want to scrach his skin off, like something was crawling inside him, too deep for him to reach.
Maybe it was the expression. It wasn't the face of someone who was taking any kind of pleasure from the man's pain. Nor was it the unfeeling stare of a profissional doing his job. It wasn't the angry face of someone consumed by righteous rage after almost being victim of a crime. It wasn't the face of a scared child trying to kill to not be killed.
It was... normal.
That was Danny's normal face. The expression he always wears when greats their classmates and teachers. When he calls Damian over to watch movies. When he plays games on his phone.
It was just Danny.
Danny's fist strike again.
The man cries out. Gurgling something that resembled a plea.
Danny kept punching anyway.
"Stop!" When he finally came to his senses, Damian grabed his... friend's wrist. Helding it tight, not willing to let Danny keep hurting theie would-be kidnapper. "You're going to kill him if you keep going."
Danny in return looked at him like he was the crazy one in this story. "No he won't?"
"Yes! Yes he will."
"...He really won't tho? No one dies because of a little beating. He will completely healed tomorrow." Danny said like that was an universal truth.
There have been a string of thefts in Gotham (which isn't unusual) that were confusing Batman, all involving things for a wedding. There were no finger prints, no signs of break ins and no cameras caught the thief. After finding out what the thief would steal next he placed a tracker on it.
When the thief stole it Batman followed it to a graveyard. While staking it out he saw a young girl around 5-7 with violet eyes commanding a floating boy with white hair around the same age, to set up the stolen objects in a way that resembles a wedding.
Batman looked at the kids that were currently organizing their "wedding". They couldn't be older than 7. The little girl wore a black version of a wedding dress, she had a crown of flowers on her head and looked fairly adorable. The boy was wearing a suit over what looked like a hazmat suit, he also had a crown of flowers on his head.
It should be a cute scene. It would be adorable in other context, two kids having a fake wedding and wearing crowns of flowers. Instead, all Bruce could feel was the pain in his heart.
The boy, the little 7 years old boy, was a ghost.
He was pale, so pale he was almost translucent. His hair looked like weird mist on the ends and he glowed on the dark of the cemetery.
He is dead.
After they decided it was enough, they stopped in front of each other. Holding hands and staring the other in the eyes.
"Are you sure you want this?" The boy, Danny was what the girl called him, asked.
"Yes, I am. No stupid accident will keep us apart." Sam answered immediately.
Another sharp pain on Bruce's heart. Accident. The boy died on an accident. They knew each other before his death. They stole wedding things just so they could have their own wedding, even if it was on the cemetery.
Bruce now had a dilema. Should he stop this? Should he stop them?
Is there love more pure than of a child? This kids... They literally decided to not let death do them apart. Who is Batman to separate them?
