Guys! I finally wrote the full chapter for this prompt I made! And here is the AO3 link. I hope you guys like it!🫰
Phantom's Red Knight
Chapter one: Dark Horse
Summary:
Danny blinks as the man kneels in front of him and gingerly undoes the cuffs that had been digging into his wrists for hours now. Shocked at the gentleness the man had shown not seconds after throwing the world’s greatest detective into a wall, Danny can’t help the feelings of SafeProtectedFriend that bubble up from his core. The anger that had been coming off of the liminal in waves turns into subtle confusion as he sits back on his heels to stare at Danny through the eyes of his blazing red helmet.
Danny is interrupted by a hand appearing on the liminal’s shoulder. He feels every part of his being roil at someone touching something that’s his. His core screams at him as he darts between the man and the owner of the hand. He feels his body change as he faces Superman, legs joining into a tail as his body fades into an inky void. Hands stretch into claws, mouth splitting into a pointed gash, and eyes turning into swirling, glowing pits. Tail gently coiling around his rescuer, keeping him protected and behind Danny
Superman backs away in sweet fear as Danny’s -no, Phantom’s- voice fills with cracking ice and harsh static and he says,
All of Bruce's kids have come out to him as some form of homosexual that when it comes to Duke, Bruce just assumes he's queer and is too scared to tell him for some reason.
Sure, literally everyone in this family, including Bruce, are publically out it's still normal to be afraid to come out and Bruce thinks he just needs an extra push.
He starts asking Duke things about his love life, starts saying shit like "I'm always here for you, you know that right?" and even resorts to dumbass shit like leaving little rainbow flags in places he knows Duke will find them.
Duke is freaking out.
Duke: guys, Bruce is acting really strange.
Jason: he's always acting strange. It's Bruce.
Duke: yeah but like extra strange
Tim: strange how?
Duke: idk man he's like, being strangely supportive. Like in a creepy way. And he keeps asking if I have a "lover" and what my type is. It's really weirdly invasive and I don't know what to do
Everyone:
Jason, starts laughing hysterically:
Dick: Duke-
Tim: oh my god.
Dick: Duke he-
Steph, wheezing: holy shit
Dick: Duke he thinks your gay and he's trying to see if you'll come out to him
Duke: but I'm not gay ????
Jason, still laughing: I think he just assumes any kid around him is some form of gay at this point
Damian: I suppose none of us are heterosexuals
So, Duke has to sit Bruce down and break the news that he is straight and exclusively likes girls. Bruce is surprised, thanks him for telling him and now says shit like "I know it's hard but we can get through this"
The kids love it.
Jason, who is still laughing: you had to come out to Bruce as STRAIGHT. This is the best day ever!
Dante moves to Gotham for a fresh start and opens a bakery called
"Dante's Infer-dough" (because he's a pun-loving, quippy dork, no matter how cool or mysterious he acts). He uses his powers to do most of the work (heat core/pyrokinesis for baking & duplication to run the place single-handedly where no one can see).
He also gets ingredients from the Infinite Realms that you can't get on Earth, from Realm-exclusive ingredients to things that are extinct. Super cagey about his recipes, for obvious reasons, but tries to be accommodating to people who need to know the ingredients for health reasons.
Has a sign that says, "START SOMETHING AND I'LL END IT." He doesn't care if you're a civilian, vigilante or rogue, if you cause problems he will HAVE a problem. There's a "NO CLOWNS OR CIRCUS/CARNIVAL SHIT" rule, but he'll allow Harley in if she's not dressed up in her costume.
Red Hood decides to check out the new business, make sure it's not a cover-up for something sinister. I'm a sucker for the whole "gives ecto-infused food to liminal who doesn't know they're liminal" thing, so let's have Dante warm up to the guy and start adding ectoplasm to his orders because he clearly needs it.
Does Red Hood start to fall for the mysterious beefy baker who makes heavenly food? None of your damn business! Do you know who else should mind their business? His family! They noticed his shift in demeanor and are now "subtly" investigating Dante and the bakery out of curiosity. Dante is kinda annoyed that all these vigilantes are sniffing around, because he has to be more careful to not be caught using his powers, but holds to his rule of not starting conflicts.
Just ending them.
Things I can see happening in no particular order:
The Batfam losing it when they realize they can't identify some of the ingredients, or that the only match is a food that doesn't exist anymore. Who is this guy and where is he getting this from???
Red Hood trying to strike up a convo about books (the bakery name is literally a reference), only to be heartbroken when Dante admits to not like reading. He bounces back when Dante explains that he struggled with it in school and an asshole English teacher ruined the subject for him. Red Hood is now determined to fix Dante's relationship with literature
Maybe afterwards he installs a little bookshelf in the bakery and Red Hood falls even further
Dante getting to square the fuck up with someone who breaks his very simple rules of "be chill & no clown shit". No one's really shocked by it, this is Gotham and the guy is clearly jacked. People are still impressed by his clear fighting skill. Mostly Hood. The Batfam are adding this to the list of "BAKERY MAN ODDITIES"
Dante side-eyes Nightwing whenever he's in the bakery, because he may not be in the circus now, but Dante can practically smell it on him. If he does anything too circus-y Dante glares at him and taps the sign. The guy is on thin fucking ice.
Anyways, that's what I've got for now, I might come back to this later.
Jason: Oh by the way, your sister can't come over.
Danny: What? Why not?
Tim: Yeah Jason, what's the big deal? Trying to keep more secrets?
Jason: She's a redhead.
Tim, turning to Danny: She's not allowed over.
Danny: What???
Damian, just joining the conversation: What is all this incessant racket about?
Danny: They won't let me bring Jazz along!
Jason and Tim at the Same Time: She's a redhead.
Damian: Ah that explains it.
Danny: WHAT?!?!? WHY?? HOW???
Tim, patting Danny on the shoulder: You don't wanna know.
When Ellie contacted him, Danny thought it was for one of their regular meet ups. So he was quite shocked when he stepped through the portal and was confronted with the Justice League. The second he was through, Ellie who was patiently sat in front of him with handcuffs on, asked him to please tell the heroes how she was telling the truth about being the half ghost clone princess of the Infinite Realms.
Ellie: Um.... Space cop snuck up on me while I was flying. I punched em like you taught me to do if someone sneaks up. Then I got arrested.
Danny: Right. So, was she somewhere illegal?
Hal: Well.. No.
Danny: Then why the handcuffs?
Batman: She is a powerful meta who attacked one of our heroes. Of course we arrested her.
Danny: Yeah, not a meta. Not even slightly. How purposeful was the sneaking?
Hal: I mean. Sound doesn't travel well in space. So not very.
Danny: Ok, so I guess you what, tapped her shoulder, or something?
Hal: Yeah.
Danny: Little tip. Next time circle round and approach from in front. Ellie did exactly as I taught her to do. She is My Heir. Heir to the throne of the Infinite Realms. Her safety is my highest priority. Ellie, stop playing nice please?
Ellie*Breaks handcuffs like nothing and hugs Danny*: Ok Papa!
Batman: You could have done that at any time?
Ellie: Well duh. But diplomatic tensions are still tense with the living world due to the US and what it did. So, I figured it would be better to wait for Papa to show up.
Danny: Thank you starlight. Anyway, do you need anything else? Or can I take my daughter home?
Batman: Can we set up a meeting? We need to discuss why you are letting your Heir wander unsupervised?
Danny: Maybe because she is over 100 years old? More than strong enough to look after herself? And smart enough to know when to cave to nonsense like this?
Batman: Not a child?
Danny: No. Not a child. Ecto entities don't age if we don't feel the need to. It's why I look barely any older than she does.
So, for whatever reason, the Justice League are fighting Phantom, thinking he's evil or suspicious and trying to bring him to the watchtower or whatever, but of course Phantom isn't cooperating, either not trusting the JL/being bitter they didnt show up to help Amity Park/whatever
UNTIL... One of Clockworks' notes show up, and Phantom pauses to read it, before surrendering to the JL, saying he'll follow them.
Now obviously, the JL are confused and suspicious, but eventually come to the (wrong) conclusion that Phantom is just a lackey or something, and that the person who wrote the note is the real mastermind manipulating this poor innocent super-powered teenager.
Danny finds this all either hilarious, or stupid. Probably both.
Danny moves to Gotham and buys an apartment building.
It was more just a fun project for him to fix up the building, seeing as how after he took over VladCo, and cleaning up operations, Danny was making more money than ever, even after donating to various charities. So yeah, he was bored and just wanted to get his hands dirty and personally repair the appartments.
Once everything was fixed up, he opened the appartments for rent. He didn't really want to charge people, especially in such an area as Crime Alley, but not charging someone rent is way more sketchy than just asking them to pay whatever they could or wanted to. He ended up just setting the money aside to use on the appartments should it need any upgrades or repairs. He doesn't only take money either, while he denies "physical" payments and/or narcotics, he'll take lessons, like the man in 2B teaching him to sew, or the woman in 5A teaching him how to cook, or the two kids who give him very interesting shiny rocks as payment, there was even a few people who paid by cleaning the appartment building's shared places. One teenager paid rent one month by giving Danny a pair of sickly black and white kittens they found outside(they're named Casper, and Specter, and they're the Building's Managers in Pest Apprehension, and Danny loves them).
Because the appartments are so close to where the working girls/boys run, they make up most of his tenants, so Danny asks them to not bring clients back to the apartments, its dangerous to let their clients know where they live, especially because there are other tenants, including children, in the building so its a safety risk. They all agree, they don't really want their clients knowing where they live anyway.
Some do get stalkers though, and Danny is quick to get rid of them. Or when burglars manage to break in, Danny stops them before they can take anything, and if he managed to miss the burglar, he'll personally replace whatever was stolen until they could get the original stuff back. (Maybe he should adopt a gaurd dog, at least for the intimidation factor. Cane Corso's are medium sized*, hes sure he could get away with getting something like that. Something to think about later.)
A lot of his tenants say Danny is really kind, but thats not how Danny sees it, and its something he loudly denies. He's a bored rich person who was taking advantage of his wealth. Him providing them a safe place to live, and a little bit of comfort isn't kindness, its basic human decency. He's not some saint who is doing this of his own kind heart, he's a normal guy who was bored and just decided to do something helpful opposed to harmful, and he shouldn't be praised for that.
*Danny's idea of Dog sizes is skewed, to him Cugo is a big dog, anything smaller than that is medium to small to xsmall.
Bonus
-Red Hood(or the bats in general) thinks the appartment building was suspicious. Maybe it was some rich guy just being nice, but outside of Bruce, stuff like that doesn't happen in Gotham. Maybe its money laundering, or its acting as an underground brothel, or the owner is actually a massive creep. Either way, they want to be discreet, they don't want to ruin a good thing for people in need if everything happens to be clean happenings. So, they go under cover, Jason acts like a working boy, Damian is a abused kid/teen on the run, Steph is hiding from a abusive ex, maybe Alfred gets in on it and acts like an old man whos boss just fired him because of with no severance pay?
-Everytime Danny starts to get bored, he buys another building to fix up. Not always appartment building's, maybe a hotel, or an auto garage, or an abandoned building he could gut and turn into rec center. You'd think Danny would be burning through money, but no, somehow Danny's happenings leaked and it was good press because people are buying things from VladCo more and more.
I’ve been rereading Things That Bleed and its amazing every time I read it. My favorite crossover fic fr. I can’t wait to see how the scp agents continue to deal with these children (and their totally not dad assassin). I was wondering if we could get a little snippet of the next chapter 👉👈
presents you a littol snippet just from the very top of chapter 16 hehe
Focus on Alex.
Focus on Alex.
Danny stares blankly through the keening hunger.
Alex isn’t even strapped in properly, lying horizontal over the other two seats of the SUV. The engine roars in his ears, chaotic.
He fucked up. Almost fucked it all up. It was almost his fault. He needs to make it right.
Focus on Alex.
He sucks in another breath. It lands on his tongue. Holds it there. Blows it out. Dead air.
“You should sit up. Put on your seatbelt,” he says.
Alex twitches, and confusion rises from him momentarily—like he’s not sure Danny is talking to him. Like he isn’t confident where he is. But it settles, and Alex works up a smile.
“You sound like Yassen.”
“And a vehicular accident would be an asinine way to die,” Yassen adds tersely from the front seat.
Damian doesn’t see the importance of this project, the teacher insists though that it will be a fun activity while learning about letter structures, and a way for them all to possibly make a new friend. Which doesn’t interest him at all.
The project is basically two students from two different class periods will be paired up randomly and will have to write letters to one another. While doing this they aren’t allowed to say their real name or disclose any obvious information on who they are. Only after a month of going back and forth would their writing partner be revealed.
That last sentence was the only thing making things interesting, because Damian was going to use this as a test on his investigation skills. His only goal for this project was to discover his writing partner before the month's end.
The first thing Damian notes is that some students, himself included, are given letters. While others are directed to start writing the first letter. This tells him that his partner is someone in an earlier English class.
Opening the envelope and letter in his hands the first thing Damian notes is the handwriting. Messy but luckily still legible to read.
The second thing is the anonymous name his partner has chosen for himself, Pluto. A name suggesting a love for astronomy and/or astrology. A name meaning death and rebirth.
The letter itself, Damian is pleasantly surprised, isn't filled with basic getting to know you questions, but is instead something akin to an argumentative essay. Without realizing it Damiean is already writing a response; sharing his own thoughts on the topic. Things he agrees and disagrees with.
By the time he's done and needs to put his own anonymous name Damian chooses to by the name Mercury; known as the messenger.
On Dick's way home one day he sees advertisement for a new bakery. Since he loves supporting new small businesses, he pops in to grab some assorted cupcakes for the family as dessert.
Cut to after dinner, and Tim takes a bite of the cupcake Dick picked out for him; a dark chocolate cupcake with coffee filling, and vanilla buttercream topped with a chocolate drizzle and a chocolate covered expresso bean. Needless to say, Tim is hooked! Its so decadent, but not too sweet.
The next day, after getting the name from Dick, Tim goes to the bakery for lunch and to pick up some donuts for the brake room. He orders just the donuts and his cupcake, but the owner, Danny, shoves a croissant sandwich into his hands too, telling him its bad to only eat sweets. Tim tries to pay for it, but Danny refuses playfully pushing him out the door.
The next day Tim returns, and the next, and the next, and the next. He claims hes just hooked on the food, but anyone can tell hes grown very fond of Danny, and their quip little chats. But, he's a lot less thin and much healthier looking, he's eating more meals and eating less coffee, even if his coffee consumption is still high and what he no longer drinks has just been replaced with coffee flavored sweets.
Danny has become rather fond of his first regular customer. And if this fondness has lead to him making more and more coffee flavored treats, and more non-sweet ready to go options, well then so what? No one is actually complaining.
Basically: Tim falls in love with Danny's food, and then falls in love with Danny, and Danny develops a new interest in coffee flavored desserts.
Jason: I love this place. *shoves a peice of fudge in his mouth*
Dick: Let me try- *reaches out but gets his hand smacked* Ow! Stingy!
Jason: You have your own food. *eats more* Oh my God, I would marry whoever made this fudge!
Dani, popping up from seemingly nowhere: Really~? Because hes single!
Dick: *snorts loudly and chokes on his cake*
Jason: Woah-uh I was exagger-
Dan: Dani get over here and help me fill the display!
Dani: Make Danny do it! I'm trying to get him a boyfriend!
Jason: Wai-
Dan: He's making the Smith's 9 layer wedding cake! He's only one with the patience to decorate that monstrosity, you have to help me!
Dani: But Danny's going to be alone forever if I don't help him!
Tim: Wow. *munching on some chocolate-expresso candied popcorn*
Jason: Look, kid, what I said was just an exaggeration! I don't actually want to-
Danny: I heard yelling. *walks out of kitchen with flour on his apron, hot pink icing on his cheek, and really bad eye bags*
Jason: Ooooh wow *blinking rapidly*
Dan: Dani isn't helping me set up the display cases!
Danny: Okay, Dan, you don't have to get angry, deep breaths bro. And Dani, please help Dan? I'll give you an extra week off as soon as wedding season ends, I promise.
Dan: Fine.*starts doing some breathing exercises*
Dani, immediately cowed: Sorry Danny, I'll get to work.
Danny: Thanks. *gives her a greatful smile before heading back into the kitchen.*
Dani: Sorry for bothering you sir-
Jason: Whats his name? His phone number? How do I get to know that God of a man?!
Damian: -and then when i was eight, my Grandfather found out i named one of the camels and decided that i was getting too attached, so he used the camel against me by threatening to kill it unless i helped torture and interrogate five young men.
Tim: that’s horrible.
Jason: yeah Ra’s does suck.
Damian: yes. when i finally got the information he wanted from me, he shot the camel anyway and made me butcher the corpse.
Tim: i’m so sorry you had to go through that,
Tim: you know one time when i was being forced to work alone with Ra’s while getting Bruce out of the time stream, he-
Damian: don’t you trauma dump on me.
Tim:
Jason:
Tim:
Jason: *silently bites lip*
Tim: oh fuck you, Jason-
Jason: I DIDN’T EVEN- WHY ARE YOU MAD AT ME, HE SAID IT-
