Now to be fair? We don't KNOW that? We just know Red Robin had Tim Drake's wallet. Did he rob him? For get to give it back? Find it? These are valid questions. And Tim better think fast!
But that was... not his greatest moment.
If all else fails? No. That was NOT Red Robin. That was Tim Drake's cosplay of Red Robin.
Tim quietly sighed into his coffee. Was nothing sacred? He hoped to goodness this wasn’t another techie fanboy. He wasn’t nearly caffeinated enough for that. “Depends. Who’s asking?”
He looked up and saw the guy from last night awkwardly holding out his wallet. Shit. Shit! Fuck, Tim was such an idiot! An overtired moron! Was this guy going to try to blackmail him now? Reveal his identity in the middle of this café?
“I’m, uh. Danny.” The guy said nervously. “And this is gonna sound weird but Red Robin asked me to give this back to you.
Wait. What??
At Tim’s blank stare Danny rushed to explain. “He like, found it?? I’m assuming. He didn’t really have time to explain, heroism never sleeps after all.” He joked weakly.
He didn’t know the half of it, Tim thought forlornly.
“A-anyway. He had to go do hero stuff- you know, being a good guy and all. But I’m absolutely sure he’d wanted this to get back to you. Because he didn’t steal it.”
Again. What???
As Tim was still buffering, the guy began to frown. He huffed defensively. “Vigilantes are doing their best okay? It’s a thankless job putting yourself in harms way to protect others. Just because they’re spooky doesn’t mean you should assume the worst in them! Just because he had your wallet doesn’t mean he stole it! And even if he did, it was probably mind control, because-”
Tim blinked, incredulous understanding finally washing over him. “Wait, is that what this is? You’re defending Red Robin to me? Why on earth would I think he stole my wallet?”
At some point Danny had sat down at Tim’s table, the wallet set on top of the napkin dispenser. He seemed to deflate like the wind was taken out of his sails. His mouth opened and closed a few times. “Because… because he had it?”
“You’re not from around here, are you?” Tim concluded.
Danny buried his face in his hands and groaned. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing. I thought… It’s just that back in Amity Part everyone thought Phantom was a menace even though he was just doing his best. They never let go of the thefts he committed under mind control, his actions were misinterpreted ALL THE TIME, and most of the property damage they blamed on him were from the people hunting him.”
“Your hometown hero has people hunting him?” Tim asked, alarmed. “Does he like, need help?”
Danny unburied his face to wave his hands about. “Oh. Uh- no, he’s good! Like, he left. Retired. Or something.”
Tim and Danny sat together for a moment of awkward silence.
Clearing his throat, Danny slapped his thighs and stood up. “Welp. Anyway. Glad you got your stuff back, but I should go…”
“Wait.” Tim stood as well, at last picking up the wallet. He flicked it open and pulled out some bills. Before Danny could accuse him of counting to make sure neither Danny nor Red Robin stole any- Tim shoved the cash into Danny’s hands. “A reward for your integrity in bringing this back to me. Red Robin had good judgment in giving it to you.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly-!”
“I’m not taking now for an answer Danny.” Tim interrupted. “You deserve it. For returning the wallet and whatever it is you did to get Red Robin to trust you with it.”
Danny bit his lip, looking back and forth between the money and Tim. It was insanely cute. “I- I feel like I should be refusing harder.”
“Don’t. This is Gotham. Whatever manners you were brought up with doesn’t apply here.”
“Okay.” Danny pocketed the cash and straightened his shoulders. “Then let me be rude. I think you’re really hot and I’d like to take you on a date. I recently got some money to burn after all.” Danny was blushing so hard he looked like he might faint but his eyes were steady as he held Tim’s gaze.
DC x DP but it's just Danny being the universe's punching bag (we're looking at you, Clockwork)
--
"You're wondering why my parents are making deals with a well-known terrorist, anti-alien enthusiast, meta-human antagonist, and warmonger? Yeah me too," Danny said, pulling out something from the fridge. "Orange juice?"
Batman couldn't help the blink of surprise at the boy's lack of tact. "You don't seem surprised at their behavior."
"Nope," He said popping the 'p' and sipping his orange juice. "They do that a lot."
Once again, Batman blinked in shock. "Make deals with terrorists?"
This was a lot worse than they were expecting...
"Yup. Terrorists, villains, corrupt government agencies. You name it, they've done it."
Batman stared at the glass of orange juice Danny was holding out to him. Numbly, he took it. Then, "Why have you not reported them?"
Danny laughed. It was dry and humorless. "Report them? You're kidding right?"
At Batman's silence, Danny continued.
"Not kidding, then. Sir, with absolutely no respect, the Justice League hasn't helped in worse situations in the past. Why would I expect help now?"
Well. That.
Batman will have to raincheck on Dick's insistence on family movie night.
Turning back to Danny, orange juice held in his hands like it was a bomb, Batman spoke, "Tell me everything."
After the Nasty Burger incident, Danny went to live with Vlad under the promise that he would change. And he did, for all of two months before Danny discovered a secret basement full of clones. All except one of them were unstable.
Thoroughly betrayed, Danny takes the one stable clone and puts the rest of them out of their misery. Then he heads to Gotham where the local billionaire has a habit of taking in black hair blued eyed orphans. Fight fire with fire right? Or in this case money with money.
Bruce was expecting many things when he woke up to an unknown presence in his bedroom. Assassins, one of the boys, one of Damian's pets; he hadn't been expecting a bedraggled looking teenager, holding a sleeping baby.
The teen appeared...distraught. Eyes rimmed with red, shoulders drawn tight, barely contained rage written in his clenched teeth.
But his hands were gentle where they held the child. Even though it was raining, the baby was completely dry, while the teen was soaking wet.
The windows had not been opened. The door had not been utilized. No alarms had been set off.
A meta.
A young, pissed off meta.
"Adopt him," the teen ordered, staring Bruce down.
Bruce raised his hands, showing that he wasn't a threat, and used that same movement to trigger a silent alarm.
"I know my reputation precedes me, but I don't actually take in every kid I-"
"-Shut up. Take him in, you're the only real option I've got. I have to hurry, I need to lay down a false trail or...just. Take the kid."
Unspoken words. The boy was hiding from someone, trying to hide the baby from someone. He himself had no intention to stay. He felt the danger was bad enough that a "false trail" would be required.
Shadows moved under the door.
Whoever was nearby to answer the alarm was ready and waiting.
"Okay. Okay, let's say I do this. Does he have a name? Is there someone specifically I need to watch out for?" Bruce asked, buying time. He needed more information; this boy had potentially brought a threat to his doorstep.
He needed to be prepared.
He needed more information on the boy himself, to investigate what the hell was going on.
"No name. Watch out for Vlad Masters, can't imagine he's happy about me taking my kid away from him, and he's got a weird mind control thing he does, so never enter a room alone with him."
Bruce's mind went blank.
Oh.
Shit.
No, he was not leaving a teenager to face their rapist alone, especially one with literal mind control as a power. He needed to know if this teen had proof of his claim of said power, if he knew if Masters had used his powers on any others, if he knew how long the mind control lasted-
"...What if I take you both in?" He asked instead.
The teen's eyes narrowed, lips parting in a small snarl.
"Not good enough. Vlad can't know he's here, so I have to-"
"-How do we defend against him, then? You broke away once, is that just something you can do or is there a way to fight back?"
The teen snorted, bouncing the baby as it started to wake up and fuss.
"Well you can either be dead or you can have anti-ghost tech, and you don't look too dead to me."
Looks were deceiving, and Bruce refrained from saying so. He also filed away that bit about Masters dealing with the occult.
"I can easily procure anti-ghost technology."
"'Easily', pff, yeah, sure. What, do you know Batman or something?"
Bruce's door quietly creaked open, and Nightwing, in full kit, poked his head in and smiled reassuringly at the bristling teenager.
"Or something." Bruce repeated, nodding at his eldest.
He was going to take both of them in, for as long as they needed.
He was also going to ask JLD for anti-possession charms so he could punch Masters in the face. Repeatedly.
So on the one hand Danny does NOT intend to stay. He has to distract Vlad and buy the Wayne’s enough time to get all the legal paperwork adoption stuff sorted. That way it will be a whole media circus if Vlad goes for legal custody or kidnapping. And it’s not like the bats can physically stop him from just dipping at this point in time.
On the other hand Danny is extremely angry and petty and right now? Doesn’t have anything left to lose. Bruce can handle Vlad. Batman can handle Plasmius. What’s Vlad gonna do? Out Phantom’s identity to his dead parents? Danny is gonna set the Justice League on Vlad’s ass. That should buy the Wayne’s enough time to get things sorted on their end.
And in the meantime? Well after he’s shared his intel with Nightwing Danny supposes he can accept a shower and a hot meal from the rich guy he’s dumping his clone on. He really is tired. Okay so staying over one night won’t hurt. It’s not like it’s permanent.
Of course Nightwing points out that the Wayne’s are his best bet for getting updates on the Justice Leagues progress with Masters. And the League might need more intel for their operation to be successful. Oh and also the baby’s vitals are different to baseline. Looks like he inherited your metagene. Don’t you want your baby to get the best care possible? You gotta at least stick around to let the Wayne’s know about any health needs that crop up.
Just realized Danny not seeing Bruce press the silent alarm will probs think it’s pretty weird for Nightwing to just randomly show up in Bruce Wayne’s bedroom
The teen tensed at Nightwing’s arrival, sneering at him with distrust. “You his sugar baby?”
Dick and Bruce both cringed. “Nope!” Dick immediately denied. “Absolutely not. That’s gross and disgusting. He’s like my dad.” Bruce shot him a warning look.
“Uh. Stepdad. Y’know, cause he’s married to Batman.”
Bruce sighed deeply. Now was not the time for the digs about being “married to his work”. Besides, this kid brought a case to him, not the other way around. Bruce was actually sleeping- it wasn’t his fault this time.
“Not married.” Bruce corrected. “Legally it’s impossible. But regardless- I can get access to the tech I need to protect you both.”
“Huh.” The teen chewed on his lip and Bruce spotted elongated canines. “This… could work.” He looked up and studied Bruce with a piercing gaze. “Your sugar batsy- he’d go after a ghost for you?”
Bruce’s face twitched. “Please don’t call him that ever again. But yes, Batman would.”
Nightwing snickered. “Great. Sounds like we have a collaboration in our future. So how about introductions? I’m Nightwing, that’s Bruce. You are?”
“…Danny.” The teen hedged. The baby gurgled and began to fuss.
“Nice to meet you Danny. How about we get you dry and the little one a place to sleep?” Nightwing coaxed.
“I’m not staying.” The tee- Danny immediately protested, the scowl on his face incongruous with how he gently rearranged the baby in his arms.
“So you’ve said.” Bruce placated. “But you still need to share your intel with Nightwing. And it’s pouring outside. It would be nigh impossible to track anyone in this weather- and that’s only if Masters tries at all.”
“Bruce is right.” Nightwing added. “You’d be the only person outside and therefore an obvious target.”
Danny sighed gustily. Then sniffed. Grimaced. Gingerly transferred the squirming baby onto Bruce’s lap. “Here. Uh. Needs a change, I think. So… yeah. I’ll just let you deal with that while Nightwing and I go talk strategy! Okay. Bye.”
And then he turned on his heel and dragged Nightwing out of the room while Bruce wracked his brain trying to think if he’d never changed a diaper before.
Dick has never interrogated someone as Nightwing in the parlor over Alfred's tea, but there's a first time for everything. Plus, he has given the impression that Bruce is his step-dad so...in costume in the Manor it is.
Thing is, Danny's not relaxing like Dick expected. Sure, he's rambling and providing small details as if he is oversharing, but Danny's not drunk his tea, there's a tenseness to his shoulders, and, as the conversation continues, Dick is pretty sure Danny is providing small details to hide the big ones.
"So how do you know Masters?"
"Oh, he was my parents' lab partner back in college. They went to Wisco back in the 80s."
"And you said he had mind control powers?"
"Oh yeah, because of their lab project at school. Vlad was pretty pissed about it, actually. They didn't speak for nearly twenty years as a result. And hey, if my parents' built something that rearranged my genes, I'd be pissed too."
Dick waits - Danny did absolutely use a meta power to sneak into the Manor. Was that inherited?
"But at a class reunion they reconnected. Dad had really missed his best friend, you know?"
"And Masters didn't use his mind control powers on your parents?"
"Are you kidding? He loves my mom too much for that. He'd never hurt her. Even named his cat after her."
Nothing about Masters hurting other members of the family. Nothing about what he and Bruce both suspect: that Masters used those powers on Danny, an assumed trans teen, who is looking for shelter for his new infant.
"You mentioned Master's power can be stopped?"
"Yeah, Batman just needs anti-ghost tech. But good luck getting that. There's only one manufacturer in the world right now who makes it, and well, that's Vlad's company."
Suspicious.
Danny looks out the window. The rain is still heavy, but dawn is starting to break.
"Look, Vlad can find me. I don't think he knows that I took the newest one," Dick has to hold back his alarm at that statement, "so he should be safe as soon as I'm gone. Vlad's the only one selling anti-ghost tech, but it looks like Bruce's pocket book is bigger based on the sheer amount of stuff in here, so, take this."
Danny digs into his pocket and places a flash drive on the table. "Plans for anti-ghost weapons, as well as where to find supplies. I recommend starting with a ghost shield and -"
"Look, it's late. Early. Why don't you sleep, and we can go through those plans tomorrow."
"What part of Vlad can find me don't you understand? Doesn't matter I'm several states away. I've got like, an hour maybe, and I need to make sure he doesn't come here." Danny stands.
Dick stands with him. "Danny, please. Let us help. Or tell me what he's done. If we have evidence, of, of him hurting you, we can -"
Danny laughs. "Look, it's funny you think that'll work. But it's not like Vlad's hurt me, just completely broke his promise and violated my trust like, five times over."
Dick winces. They need to get Danny away from this guy.
"Vlad's outside the law, I'm outside the law. Nothing will stick. Just, just take care of the baby, okay? I think it'll piss him off, having a better, richer dad." Danny's grin is feral, fangs on display and Dick has so, so many questions.
Danny's head snaps to the doorway, eyes alarmed, sliding into a ready stance. He got in without alerting anyone, could Masters do the same?
Dick hears the shuffle and recognizes Bruce and Alfred's footsteps. They step into the room, the baby fussing. He's swaddled in at least three blankets.
"What are you doing?" Danny snaps, taking his son.
He might have no idea how to change a dipper, but Danny is gentle with the infant. He starts removing the wrapping. "He'll overheat in all these layers."
"He's cold," Alfred states. "I suspect hypothermia from the rainy night."
"What? No. This is normal for us." And indeed, as Danny peels off another blanket the kid settles down. He snuggles into Danny's chest, and a small purr fills the parlor, from the baby or Danny, it's hard to tell. Maybe both.
Dick locks eyes with Bruce over Danny's shoulder. He might have a flash drive full of blueprints, but he hasn't gotten much extra info from Danny that's be useful to take down Master. He's certainly more pissed, if this baby is the 'newest'. How long has Danny been under Master's thumb?
"Danny, please, stay the night," Dick asks. "You gave me information on anti-ghost tech." And that's an unanswered question - is Masters a ghost? Controls ghosts? "But we need information about the baby too. Standard care won't work, I'm guessing."
Danny looks between them. There's a slight edge of panicking creeping in. "I, I need him to be safe. I can't, the others, I want him to live."
Miscarriages? Did Masters dispose of them?
Bruce whispers in Dick's ear. "He's Master's charge, after Danny's parents died six months ago."
Dick has more questions now. How long has the abuse been going? Did Danny's parents know?
Danny is starting to spiral, half talking to them, half talking aloud. "I thought you'd be able to help him, that he can live a normal life. But that means you need to take care of him, and if you can't...Who else? Who else is rich enough to piss Vlad off? Who else can I give him too? This can be the false trail, I've been here long enough, but there's gotta be someone on the other coast. Or farther? How quick can I cross the ocean?"
It's all in one breath. Danny isn't breathing, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for him.
Step one: take care of the infant. Once that's taken care of, Danny will settle.
Dick steps up and takes the baby from Danny's arms. "We can absolutely take care of him. We just need your help. Go do what you need to, lay your false trail, but be back here tomorrow morning."
Danny looks at him - big blue eyes, messy black hair, pale exhausted face. Bruce is 100% going to try to care care of him too.
"Okay," Danny says. "Okay, I'll be back tomorrow morning."
And then he disappears into thin air as a cool breeze blows through the parlor.
The baby in Dick's arms whines, and Dick pulls him close.
"I'll prepare a bottle. And more tea," Alfred says.
Dick turns to Bruce. "We have twenty-four hours to come up with a plan to convince Danny we can protect him and the kid."
Post-vivisection Danny traumatized by his parents (he can’t even call them mom and dad anymore) but also still protecting them. Hoping they never, ever find out his true identity so they don’t have to reckon with the reality of what they did. Knowing his mom would never forgive herself and walking away from the mortal world completely so she would never have to. “Killing” his mortal self and absconding to the infinite realms because he knew that would be easier for them to live with.
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.
"My King," Jason breathes. Where the words are coming from, he doesn't know. All he knows is the pull in his chest, the whisper in the back of his head, the feeling of complete and utter rightness curling around him, sinking into his skin.
"My Knight," comes the echoing answer, awed and crooning. The voice hums through the air, and Jason nearly closes his eyes in bliss. He could have waited eternity to hear that voice; would, still, if that's what it took to hear it again.
The being- white hair, green eyes, sharp teeth, long, spindly limbs- pushes through the barrier Constantine had sewn so painstakingly into the edges of the summoning circle, working desperately to avert catastrophe as he called for the entire Justice League Light, Dark, and anyone else on hand to get their asses in gear and be prepared for a dimension-wide catastrophe.
Passing through the watery veil that shimmers in and out of sight, barely visible and not quite there, seems to pain the being, if the desperate way they claw at it and the grimace twisting their face is any indication.
Rage howls through Jason at the sight. He wants to eliminate the threat, draw his guns and shoot until Constantine's insides become his outsides and the whole damn League know never to so much as dare look his King's way in malice ever again, but something holds him back.
He hasn't been given the order to move. His King wants to come to him- is coming to him- and Jason will be damned if he moves a single inch before his King gets whatever he wants from him, however he wants it.
Two cool hands cup his cheeks, and Jason melts into the hold, his whole body leaning forward, straining for this being like a flower to sunlight. His King takes mercy on him, pressing their foreheads together with a soothing rumble that Jason doesn't hear so much as feel, doesn't feel so much as become submersed in; everywhere all at once.
Something clicks into place inside his own self, deeper than conscious thought, where the All-Blades rest. An hiccough struggles out from that same place in answer to his King's call, cracked and wheezing, snuffed out as soon as it starts.
It's so distressing, in that moment, that a strained whine falls from his physical lips instead, aching in his throat, searing the inside of his skin with the wrong kind of heat.
That crooning, again. A hand lifts away from his face- no, please- to stroke across his brow instead; to thread through his hair. Jason relaxes once more.
"My Knight," the being says, still rumbling that sound that felt dangerously like a purr, and Jason thinks, out of nowhere but entirely serious, that if Damian is ever granted the honour of hearing his King in such a state, he may actually have to kill him. "I missed you."
Jason bites back a sob. He knows what the being means. Until this moment, he never realized what it was he was missing, didn't realize he was missing anything at all, but now that he's been near his King, has heard him and seen him and is, even now, feeling his touch, he knows that he'll go the rest of his life conscious of that space inside him, empty whenever the being isn't near.
"Missed you, too," Jason dares to say, presumptuous as it may be, and is rewarded with a soft sound like the chuff of a big cat or the throaty ringing of a distant gong, carried on the wind. And a smile. One that curls across the being's face, full of far too many teeth.
It's uncanny, but Jason doesn't care. He can't imagine feeling anything but safe with his King. Has he ever felt like this? Maybe when he was a child, so small he could be wrapped up and tucked against his mother's chest, so small neither his mind nor his body remembers.
"My Knight. I would know your name, if you would tell me."
"Jason," Jason replies immediately. If the being wants his name, his loyalty, his eternal soul and servitude, he'll give it willingly. He already has. "My name is Jason, my King. Jason Todd." He hesitates, then adds, in a much smaller voice than he means to, "Some call me the Red Hood."
The soft touch of a nose brushes the side of his, and any apprehension drains out of him at the affectionate gesture. "Which do you prefer, My Knight?"
"Jason, please," Jason requests, nudging his nose shyly against the being's in return, prompting a renewal of the purring sensation from before, loud and vibrant. It settles like sunlight in Jason's bones. "Hood is better when I'm in the mask. Helmet. This."
The being chuckles. "I am known as Phantom, My Knight." Lowering his voice, which is already low and private, into a whisper that Jason is sure he wouldn't be able to hear if he wasn't quite literally cheek to cheek with Phantom, and coming ever closer to being definitively in his King's lap with every passing moment, Phantom says, "But between just the two of us, I would be glad if you called me Danny. It was my name, when I could be counted among the living."
Jason's breath caught in his throat. He wanted to know, burned with it like a need; the desire to hear and understand everything, straight from the source, from Phantom's- Danny's- own tongue.
As if sensing his curiosity, Phantom laughs softly, that resonant, bell-like sound. "Another time, My Knight. Not to worry, you and I will have plenty of it. But for now, I think your colleagues, perhaps, are getting quite anxious. We should settle their fears."
Blinking out of the warm bubble of emotion he allowed himself to slip into without thought or hesitation, Jason looks around to see that, yes, the entirety of the Justice League is in fact launching a cohesive and targeted attack at a glowing green dome surrounding him and Phantom.
When Jason looks to him, he simply quirks a small smile. "For the initial Bonding, I thought it better that we remain undisturbed." His expression doesn't visibly change, but Jason feels a troubled ripple stretch across the space between them, feels it stream through his body and pluck at something far deeper.
It makes him shiver, to be brushed and caressed so intimately in that place that's never known any touch but his own.
He doesn't hate it.
(If he lets himself think about how badly he wants more of it, he'll do something both foolish and irrevocable.)
"There is yet more to discuss, My Knight, but I would hear it from your own lips, and I would that you should hear it from mine. Until then, know only one thing, if you can believe nothing else: You are Mine, and I will always, always protect what is Mine."
Jason nods dumbly, because he can feel it, the strength of Phantoms determination and conviction, his absolute willingness to follow through on that statement, and the bottomless, bitingly cold well of power that Jason knows makes it not an idle statement, but a testament; immutable fact.
"Ready, My Knight?" Phantom asks, with the barest hint of a tease, and all the warmth of the life-giving yellow sun.
"Yes, My King," he says, because even if he wasn't, he thinks would follow Phantom anywhere. No hesitation, no doubt.
The green dome thins, wafting away into nothing, and together, they step forward into the unknown.
The bell rang out above him as Tim shuffled over to the counter, already tiredly calculating how he was going to order the most caffeine in a drinkable quantity. There was a short line before him so he had some time.
Letting his eyes wander, he took note of the tasteful decor, and the stunning number of plants for a business unrelated to Ivy, before his eyes inevitably found the people within the building and began sleepily profiling them.
There was a male, Caucasian, in his early twenties, his head in his hands with a laptop opened to a blank document in front of him. College student, likely. A woman, of Asian descent, late twenties to early thirties, her eyes closed as she inhaled the steam coming from her drink. It was a Saturday, so it was likely her day off. The person in front of Tim - male, Caucasian, teen, typing rapidly on his phone with one hand and holding the strap of his backpack in the other - was on his way to a study session, if not setting up here to study with his friends. The person in front of him - male, African descent, late fifties, married, squinting at the board and chewing on his lip - was anxious about how long it’s taken him to decide on something, either having an anxiety disorder or needing to head out quickly. The barista…
Tim blinked. He’d thought he’d slept last night.
The barista was gorgeous. If Tim believed in the fae being in Gotham, he’d suspect this was the Summer King or something. They were definitely a meta, with subtly pointed ears and lightly glowing blue eyes, and small but noticeable fangs that flashed when they spoke.
Tim couldn’t look away now that he’s seen them.
“What can I do ya for?” A Midwestern accent, projected more with this sentence but otherwise light enough to miss.
“At no cost, and repeatedly please,” Tim heard someone mutter, only to watch those pretty eyes widen as a bright flush took over the man’s(?) face.
Even his ears turned red, Tim noted idly. The barista was staring at Tim as though stunned.
OK, but has anybody written DC x DP with an ex-Talon Nightwing AU?
Skip past all of the deprogramming stuff and start with the main four boys all comfortably brothers (Jason never died because Dick is such a mother hen).
Nightwing (name-pending) is a very rarely seen hero, who is technically part of the justice league, but does not make public appearances. He strictly shows up when the world is ending or when heroes need information that can only be gathered by an insanely well-trained person.
Though he still at peak physical fitness, he doesn’t want to risk ever falling back into his programming.
He’s also ridiculously protective over his little brothers and by extension any sidekick younger than him.
There is and will always be a part of Dick that none of his family understand or can relate to. There’s a certain trauma that comes with being undead or half dead that no one can relate to. Of course he says he’s fine but there’s a hint of loneliness as he tries and fails to make meaningful connections with Deadman and Grundy.
He runs into Danny after a cliché “bad reveal means he needs to GTFO” storyline.
Something much deeper than he can explain, whispers to Dick that this kid is A, also dead and B, in need of serious help.
Whether or not you want to include the absolutely fucked up mental status that would come from Danny being vivisected depends on the author. But it would also be another point that Danny and Dick can deeply relate with, and Dick is uniquely qualified to help.
But either way, Dick picks up Danny like a stray kitten and brings him back to the Batcave.
Originally Danny was a bit freaked out but could tell Dick was a kindred soul, just not a ghost or something from the Infinite Realms. He’s so physically and emotionally exhausted that he decides to take a chance with this guy.
Later, someone comes down to the Batcave for whatever and acknowledges Dick in the medbay but they’re distracted. It takes them walking by the med bay three times before they notice that the black-haired, blue-eyed teen that Dick was tending to was not Tim.
Danny has to do his introductions to the rest of the family while Dick is still obsessively testing his baseline vitals.
Tucker: So you don't have a valentine, and I don't have a valentine which means there is only one solution to our problem
Danny hopeful: Yeah?
Tucker: We put Phantom in the Gotham Valentines Auction, get some rich lovelies to bid high for a date with him, and then we split the money 50/50. And before you ask, yes, this is legit. It's a charity event hosted by some rich guy named Cobblepot. His lounge keeps half of the bid money, and we keep the rest.
Danny: ....
Tucker: I'll also be up for auction but I dont think I can compete with the great Ghost Hero. But it be for a good laugh right?
Danny: .....okay
Tucker: Yes! Let's go! If you fly at top speed, we can make it to Gotham with two hours to spare. We have to make ourselves look irresistible!
Danny: Okay.
Later that night:
Tucker: I can't believe I sold for only $100. With the Ice Lounge taking $50 and splitting it with you, I only make $25.
Danny: Sorry
Tucker: Hey, you okay? You've been so quiet. You don't have to do this if you don't want to.
Danny: No no no. I'm just unsure whether anyone will want to go on a date with a ghost.
Tucker: Oh, trust me, there is a large group out there excited for Phantom. Especially since you announced you're going for both teams. The group of guys in the front are especially excited and sound like they come from money. You'll have your pick.
Danny: Unless the one i want is straight
Tucker: Yeah but come on what are the chances the boy you notice tonight is straight?
Danny under his breath: Very likely given that I've been eyeing you since I was 14.
Tucker: What was that?
Danny: nothing. Let's do this
Host: And now we have the one, the only, Ghost Hero Phantom! We can start the bid at $10. Do I have-
Tim: $50,000!
Host: Um..okay wow, large jump. $50,000 going once, going-
Damian: $100,000
Host: Holy-
Tim: 150,000
Damian: 200,000
Tim: 250,000
Damian: 300,000
Tim: 350,000
Damian: 400,000
Jason: 1 million
Tim/Damian: What!?
Host: Sold!
Danny squinting: Jay? Is that you?
Jason: Hey Danny, long time no dead. You still in love with that Tucker boy?
Danny: Maybe. You still in love with-
Jason: SHUT UP.
Danny: COME UP HERE AND MAKE ME!
Tucker: Excuse me can we go back to the in love with Tucker thing or-?
could you write something about space ghost Danny? I love when he’s depicted as a representation of space or having a space obsession
Danny hovered over the city, above the fog that wreathed it, looking up at the sky above. His tail unrolled in the wind, billowing out like a banner, snapping, a fading cylinder of mist that filled with bright spots, like stars. Looking at it from the right angle, it looked like a piece of the sky itself, caught in a particularly persistent bit of cloud.
It was a nice night for stargazing, this far up. Danny could almost forget about his troubles. Almost. But for the moment, he could at least put them aside.
The stars crept up, from the misty end of his tail to the remaining blurred suggestion of his thighs.
There were constellations up there. Stars shining bright and pure, their colors sharp in the dark. It was winter, and the air was clear with bitterness. He could almost taste the ice on the air.
Orion, Taurus, Gemini, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor... Point of light to point of light. Danny could see more than what he'd ever been able to as a human. He could see Alcor and Mizar, the horse and rider, but each of them was a double star, and he could distinguish those, too.
They glittered on his cheeks like freckles, pinprick glows visible in the periphery of his vision. Bright, but gentler than the stars themselves.
That was good. Danny needed gentle things. So much of his life was harsh, right now. So much of it hurt.
His belt loosened into a halo of mist, like a ring around a shrouded moon, streaming away with his tail. The stars crept up his rib cage, his breast bone, his spine. His gloves and collar glowed as bright and transparent as moonlight.
Up here, the world below was dark, its edges illuminated by streetlights and windows, all of them seeming as distant and small as the stars above. It was like the sky continued in every direction, all around him.
It was easy, letting himself fade away into the sky. Easy, to imagine nothing holding him back.
He breathed, just to remind himself that he could.
To remind himself, that there were things holding him back, and that he was holding on, too. That he wouldn't let go.
And, slowly, bit by bit, he pulled himself back together, out of the sky.
Tim noticed his shadow about two weeks ago following him during his patrol routes. It had started small enough; shadows that moved, flickered of light in places it didn’t belong, the unmistakable shutter that came with being watched, and that gut feeling that he wasn’t alone.
Red Robin was being followed—and tonight he’d confront them.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who noticed his little stalker. Batman noticed about a week ago and was being all paranoid about it. Hence the listening devices and trackers (even more so than usual) on Tim’s person along with the rest of the bats hidden close by in case things went south.
As annoying as B’s paranoia was, Tim had more pressing matters to attend to.
“I know you’re there,” Red Robin called out, eyes flickering around the empty rooftop, “Show yourself,”
He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting to happen, but it definitely wasn’t a floating boy to appear into visibility just some feet away.
The boy, despite his otherworldly features, looked to be about Tim's age. He had pale blue skin, blood red eyes, clawed hands, stark white hair that flickered at the ends of the ponytail it was placed in like flames, fangs that glinted in the moonlight, and an absolute predatory look on his face.
The boy was wearing a full black body suit with some white stripes and lines here and there along with slightly heeled white boots and white fingerless gloves. He wore a completely white leather jacket with a graphic design of a pair of black teeth with fangs on it placed on the back.
The boy lowered himself to the ground; unsettling wide, red eyes staring intently at Tim.
“Who are you?” Red Robin demanded, ignoring the sudden chill of coldness that came with the boy being visibly present.
“Dan,” He answered, walking closer slowly until he reached out a clawed hand and twirled a piece of Tim’s hair.
Tim ducked away from his grasp, “Why are you following me?”
The boy, Dan, snapped his fingers and the vigilante watched as a rose formed out of pure ice appeared in the being’s hands.
Dan handed the rose to him, “You have the worth of gods,”
Tim.exe stopped working.
“Beautiful,” Dan brushed his claws gently across Red Robin’s cheek, “and dangerous. My bejeweled dagger. My cursed treasure. My haunting moonlight.”
“What are you?” Tim forced himself to properly function.
“I,” Dan made a static-humming sound, “Am yours, my dear Timothy,”
Just imagine with me for a moment theres a new Lazarus Pit and Ra and the bats are fighting trying to claim it when they finally bust through and see Danny. Danny in like a bright neon pink pool floaty with a large sun hat, and some brightly colorful drink and sunglasses just full beach mode maybe even a tiny ducky too in the middle of the pit blasting Jimmy buffet and just ignoring everyone cause hes on vacation.
Summary: Bart wanted to give the newbie, Phantom, a chance. He really did. It was just hard when he'd watched this same guy destroy the world.
Rating: T (Teen)
Tags: Canon Divergence - The Ultimate Enemy (Danny Phantom), Unreliable Narrator, Bart Allen-centric, Bart Allen is Impulse, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Cassie Sandsmark is Wonder Girl, Kon-El | Conner Kent is Superboy, Core Four (Young Justice - Comics), Protective Danny Fenton, Team Dynamics, POV Bart Allen, First Meetings, First Impressions
Words: ~5.3K
Link:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/78686451
Also posting the full story under the break
The first time Bart questioned how fickle time could be—
No, actually, this probably hadn't been the first time he questioned something as huge as that. It wasn't like he experienced it the same way everyone did, with slow and torturous vibes. Not everyone got to shorten time by cutting the distance between two, three, or fifty points in the blink of an eye.
And not everyone got a chance to see their future. Even just a glimpse, a blip of a horrible outcome after probably too many bad decisions leading to an apocalyptic landscape.
So, it was hard to explain how time could not-actually-literally freeze when the future somehow came back to bite someone's ass.
The big moment didn't come with ominous music. It came without much ceremony after Red Robin walked into the training room, pulling everyone's attention to a new guy standing awkwardly beside him.
"I'd like you all to meet Phantom," Tim announced the day time froze for Bart.
It didn't register much at first. Just a nagging feeling that something was fundamentally wrong.
Black, white, and a whole insignia emblazoned on his chest. A familiar one, just like the name.
Then the memories rushed back. Fragments of horror scenes that gave him nightmares slowly faded to give his mind space for a new hope for the future. One Bart had so desperately tried to change that it no longer felt like a possibility.
Until today.
But it couldn't be. Right? The timing was all wrong, and the way Phantom looked was nothing like—
"Oof!" Bart huffed out as Cassie dropped him from the headlock she held him in during their last hand-to-hand combat, making the speedster plop on the mat in his distraction.
Bart was glued to the floor without moving, staring as Cassie walked toward the newbie. He also caught sight of Kon, who had been working by the sidelines on maneuvering objects in the air, dropping them with more care before taking in the warm greeting.
"Wait-wait-wait…" Bart quickly blurted out from his place on the mat, too struck on the spot to even think about moving. "Did you say…Phantom?"
If he moved, he was sure he'd tail it to get the hell out of this timeline in record time.
Phantom tilted his head quizzically at Bart, giving off a hesitant vibe. "Uh, yeah?"
Tim seemed to catch on that something was off with Bart and broke the tension, taking a step closer to the mat. "He's going to be training with us for a little while. B wants to see if he'd be able to join the team someday."
Oh, no. No no no no no…
Wasn't that how it started last time? The guy joined the team, then he lost someone important, then he left, but came back, and then there was fire on his head and mad cackles and—
"Hey, you alright?" Kon asked in a lower tone next to him, as he offered a hand to help Bart up.
Bart stared at the hand for a few seconds longer than he normally would, taking it mostly out of reflex while nodding numbly. "It's just like seeing a ghost," he whispered, disconcerted.
The whisper was not soft enough, considering Phantom heard enough and chuckled. "Well… yeah. I guess the name was a dead giveaway."
That made Cassie groan and throw a friendly punch on his shoulder. "That was terrible. I'm Cassie, by the way."
"Kon," Bart heard his teammate say, realizing he was already standing with the rest of the team.
When they finished shaking hands, Bart was still frozen in place, all expectant eyes on him. He belatedly realized he hadn't walked close enough to offer his name or hand to the new guy. "Oh, uh, call me…Impulse," he awkwardly waved without offering a limb to tear apart.
Phantom didn't take any offense and smiled, waving back. "Nice to meet y'all."
Bart's mind raced at the small expression. So mundane and polite. He sounded like a nice guy, but everyone knew looks could be deceiving. And what a deception it was…
The smile twisted in Bart's memory into a feral grin, fangs menacing between manic laughter. Images of buildings turned into dust, surrounded by the sounds of screams and painful pleas that were too late to be saved, with heroes who were never prepared to sustain the barrage of attacks from such a relentless force of nature.
A future Bart managed to survive and escape with some fuzzy memories about things to avoid.
But at the same time, the easygoing way Phantom was interacting with everyone didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.
His friends had continued asking Phantom all sorts of things to break the ice. Where are you from—Amity Park. What can you do—Ghost powers. Have you worked with other heroes—Just my friends and a ghost hunter with a grudge.
All the information got quickly filed away in Bart's head, comparing notes with what little he recalled—which wasn't much to be entirely honest.
But then one question changed it all: Who would you say has been your ultimate enemy?
Phantom's mask cracked. A haunted look, too appropriate for a ghost. "Uh, maybe we can unlock that tragic backstory some other time?" The nervous chuckle that followed broke an unspoken spell that fell over the group as they shifted to more lighthearted topics.
But Bart's thoughts reeled with the display. The nagging feeling got stronger as he tried to process what the hell that could mean and if that could lead to the horrible, terrible, no good future Phantom antagonized.w
He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.
One thing was certain: whatever triggered Phantom to turn against all humanity, the team was better off not getting too attached.
---
The rest of the week was no better. The introduction of a new teammate, temporary or not, gave the whole team enough distraction to forget about regular training entirely, shifting instead to more casual displays of powers and complicated tag games. While Phantom went from shy new guy not wanting to brag to nonchalant powerhouse bordering on too cocky, something about the whole situation made Bart want to rip his hair out.
His powers seemed too erratic, kinda like someone who was still discovering how to wield fire without burning himself. And it made sense for Batman to want someone like that trained by a team of heroes closer to this guy's age, but there were layers of distrust that were already deeply ingrained in the way he moved or in the heavy look he threw their way during rougher questions before donning his playful mask.
Masks were a part of the hero game, sure, but some ran so deep it was hard to tell where they ended.
Bart honestly wanted to give the newbie the benefit of the doubt. He really did. But there was just something about seeing his entire timeline collapse because of that teammate that didn't sit well with him.
It was the end of a playful spar one Thursday, with Bart's mind in such a jumble of contradictions he almost missed the moment Red Robin excused himself and left the room. Bart wasted no time catching up with him, making sure they were well out of earshot.
"Red-Red-Red—"
Tim suddenly turned, and Bart nearly bumped into him. "You were off today again."
Oh, if only Tim knew the half of it…
Bart had wanted to tell his friends from the start. About the future, about the danger Phantom posed, but a part of him wanted to confirm he was right to be paranoid before he launched into what could sound like a crazy conspiracy theory. Far too many times, he had mixed fake memories with real ones, and things happening in different timelines and dimensions.
But the nagging feeling had never disappeared and kept his nerves on edge.
Bart rubbed his face with both hands and tried to dispel all the tension to make sense. "Ugh, okay… listen. You can't trust Phantom."
Red Robin raised an eyebrow—Bart would one day figure out how he could make his mask be that expressive. "You already knew him."
Bart's face scrunched up, and he made a so-so motion with his hands. "More like kind of knew him? Met the guy, sort of. I think. Spotty memory, you know how that is, and—yeah…future nightmare. End of the world kinda thing."
Red Robin seemed to consider this for a moment but kept a more guarded expression. Bart never liked that. Too similar to Batman for his liking, keeping secrets even from his friends, trained by what felt like a long lineage of Bats to have the best poker face. It meant this was not going to be openly discussed anytime soon. "He's fine. The Justice League cleared him. Futures can change."
Then he turned around to keep on walking down the hall.
Oh, that wouldn't do.
"I'm serious," Bart insisted as he tried to get his friend's attention again, walking side by side. "Please, don't just brush it off, Red. The guy is a ticking time bomb."
Red Robin stopped again in the middle of the hallway and gave Bart his whole attention. Or probably, like, 40% of his attention, because he had to be running on different overlapping layers of thought to be that damn efficient.
"Serious question," Tim replied in his serious Bat voice. "Do you think I'm a ticking time bomb?"
Bart was taken aback. "Whoa, whoa, that's crazy, what?" Red's face didn't change as Bart waved frantic hands in front of him. "I mean, okay, yeah, maybe, because you're calculating and super strategic and crazy smart—" Red's poker face slipped just enough to allow him to scoff. Bart backpedaled at full speed. "—but that means you're great at making all kinds of contingencies and planning for your plans to make that not happen. Like, at all, ever." He looked around them just to make sure the walls didn't suddenly show a white-haired dude phasing through them. "But, that guy? Mr. All Jokes and Charm? He was vicious. I don't trust the good guy act when I've seen the kind of hell he can let loose."
Red Robin tilted his head, and Bart braced himself for whatever logical loops he'd go through that the speedster wasn't seeing. "Hey, trust me, I get it. I'm not… being dismissive of that. But we don't know the factors that led to that future. What if they never happened in this timeline?"
Bart scoffed. "Sure, I don't know the whole story, but have you seen how he packs his cosmic punches? He doesn't have to do much to avoid Kon or me. Just a tiny bit of phase-shifting and bam! No way to land a punch on the guy."
"He's been running away from ecto-weapons," Red deadpanned. "You really think some powerless humans will have more leverage against Phantom than Kon or you?"
"Well, maybe there's a reason why normal-type Pokemon are immune to ghost Pokémon," Bart grumbled.
Red put both hands on Bart's shoulders. "Please, just…play nice. He's a great asset to our team."
Bart raised an eyebrow. "An asset. Wow. Do you even trust this guy?"
Several complicated emotions crossed Red's face, so fast that not even Bart could catch up with them all. There was more that he wasn't telling the team. Maybe he did know Phantom more than he let on.
"I trust he wouldn't want that future to happen," Red said softly. "There are so many alternate versions of people's decisions, and maybe sometimes we just need to give someone a chance. Even if we keep contingencies, just in case."
Bart didn't want to admit it, but he was probably right. It would've been unfair to judge Superman for what he did in that other overlord timeline. Or Raven for that one time she ended the world…
"Fiiiiiiineeee," Bart groaned.
Even if it wasn't really fine. Even if something still continued to nag at him.
He wondered if, at least, Tim would keep an eye on Phantom now. If the dismissive answer was just his way to keep Bart from panicking.
Either way, he knew that in a practical sense, there wasn't much they could do beyond keeping an eye on him.
It wasn't like they could just keep the ghost locked up in a thermos or whatever.
---
In the following days, Bart suppressed his need to call Phantom out for being the creature who destroyed the world in the future. It helped that not much had happened besides some more structured training and minor crises that didn't require a full display of power.
Sometimes, not being constantly reminded that ghosts didn't just float and wander aimlessly through walls helped to preserve some of his peace of mind.
Sure, Bart also put in all the effort he could muster. He tried disconnecting the image of what he saw in the future with the guy who was trying to make puns at every chance he had, like his powers depended on well-crafted banter.
Phantom, the ghost, was powerful and scary.
Danny, the teammate, was…easier to hang out with.
Especially on quiet days.
Bart adored those moments, where everyone got to wind down for once and do things that had nothing to do with saving the world. At first, Phantom's addition to the group only meant the vibes were off. Which, fine, Bart later realized he was being totally unfair, and anyone joining their crew was likely to experience that same initial awkwardness. But over the days, the interaction got more comfortable.
"So, what do you like to do in your free time, Danny?" Cassie asked as she took a bite of her pizza, on one of the rare occasions the group had a slow week and decided to just hang out instead. "Any place you like to haunt?"
Danny snorted and shrugged. "You could say I enjoy having some slice of life." He extended a hand and allowed green energy to cover a pizza slice to guide it to his mouth. "Also, video games, hanging out with my friends, watching some trash TV. Just live a little, you know?"
Kon shook his head in amusement. "Is that why you eat food? Never thought ghosts did that."
And that was such a great point, and it added to all the little things Bart had also noticed since Phantom started training with them: for someone who was supposedly dead, Danny kept so many living traits. The way he seemed to breathe after getting too tired, the casual mentions of school projects, and the food. And wow, did Phantom eat with an appetite fit for a speedster.
Danny gave them a mischievous grin, one Bart didn't particularly like, considering all the terror he saw attached to it elsewhere. "And how would you know what ghosts can or can't do?"
Tim didn't look up from his phone as he casually dropped, "We've worked with ghosts before. You're different."
Ah, right. Greta. The team still missed her sometimes.
And Deadman could count, maybe.
That seemed to genuinely surprise Danny. "Really? How different?"
"You're scarier, for starters," Bart mumbled as he rolled his eyes. His tongue was sometimes much faster than him.
As much as Bart wanted to backpedal on his words, the damage was done. He winced as he saw Danny's reaction, frozen up with a horrified look on his face. "You guys think I'm scary?"
Something in the question didn't sit right. Bart had been close enough to people's responses during stressful situations to notice the anxiety spiking in whatever inner turmoil Danny was going through.
"No no no no," Bart tried to amend as his friends gave him a look of disbelief. "Uh, I meant. Our rogues would get way more scared of you if they could see the way you pack your punches."
"And there's the whole eerie vibe, when you get mad," Cassie added nonchalantly, but the words added another punch to Danny's gut, from the looks of it. "But then, you don't always get mad, so it's not a whole deal."
Danny sat back on his chair and dropped his pizza on his plate. "I didn't know I have a vibe when I'm angry."
Kon shrugged. "I think it's just that you get used to it. Not that our rogues would say the same."
Tim tilted his head at Danny, finally making eye contact (or was it mask contact?). "But it's not an evil energy, if it helps. More…protective? Like you need to put yourself in front of danger."
Bart hadn't even thought about the feeling he got from the ghost that way. There were more ways Danny could become the terrifying Phantom from the future. Not out of spite, but out of protection. It could make sense, right? Sometimes crises started with people who thought they were right in their views of the world, not caring if they shouldn't impose them.
The team continued discussing vibes and examples where Danny's green eyes got too green.
Which was one part Bart couldn't reconcile with the blazing red eyes he saw in the future.
Danny, the teammate, continued eating and averted everyone's look in silence, trying to keep his face from showing any distress as he nodded along with the conversation. He was good at hiding his real face from everyone. Bart just didn't know the thing he was hiding was pain and self-loathing. Good companions of any good hero.
Not that Bart would say anything like that out loud to reassure his maybe-not-so-potentially-evil-future teammate.
---
Tension returned weeks later with a bigger flinch than before.
A mission had spiraled out of control while trying to save a museum from one of Klarion's attacks during a gala. Something, something, magic artifact to retrieve, chaos to ensue—who the hell even knew what the issue was this time around, when the witch boy was involved.
The Young Justice team was the first at the scene, apparently something about Red Robin already being at the location during an undercover mission—or that was the official story, at least. Phantom didn't have to know that the event was hosted by the Waynes when he still didn't know anyone's identity.
The team's attempts to stop Klarion were fruitless when civilians were transformed into a creepy forest to deter them, a monstrous display no one could easily sort through without injuring an innocent bystander in the process. It didn't help that some demons of unknown origin appeared at every corner to hurt anyone stepping close.
When things began to escalate enough, and everyone in the team ended up overwhelmed by Klarion's magic, Phantom's eyes began to glow a dangerous blue. A chill ran down Bart's spine as he noticed Danny releasing a rush of ice and cold to cover every tree in his wake.
The future Phantom hadn't displayed this power, which only made Bart rush with thousands of theories of how this could be a sign of things growing potentially worse.
Bart looked down to realize he was truly frozen this time around, his feet stuck in a huge block of ice as Phantom floated towards Klarion to stop him. Going entirely solo.
The ensuing fight was a mess once Danny stopped holding back. Ice and fireballs collided with every attack Phantom and Klarion exchanged, amidst orders barked by Tim below, telling Phantom to retreat to help the others instead.
But Phantom didn't listen.
The team had tried to free themselves but were stuck between human trees and Danny's Winter Wonderland. The ghost dodged every attack, going intangible and using blasts that stunned the demons approaching to attack him.
"I can fix this," Danny yelled back one time after getting the upper hand.
"Well, I can make it worse," Klarion cackled as he released more fireballs towards the rest of the Young Justice team.
"Oh, for fucks sake," Kon muttered under his breath as he stopped fighting against magical branches and braced himself for the impact.
Before anyone in the team had a chance to break free from whatever constraint they were facing, the attack disappeared.
Bart turned to the sky and noticed it was beginning to clear, with the trees around them changing into more human appearances until only the civilians remained. He then turned to try to find Klarion, but the Lord of Chaos had been stuck in one of Phantom's ghost shields, unable to perform any new spell.
Well, fuck… There went any chances to stop an evil Phantom with magic.
"C'mon," Cassie pulled on Bart's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Let's get these people out of here."
"Shouldn't we check on Klarion?" Bart asked with a thumb pointed at the guy floating above them.
Cassie looked up and frowned. "Red already called Zatanna."
Okay, good. Another magic user, a powerful one, was much better than letting Chaos (Klarion) and Destruction (Phantom) find a way to join forces by accident.
The inseparable four in the team got to work, checking under debris and redirecting victims suffering from panic attacks.
True to Cassie's word, Zatanna soon arrived and relieved Danny from babysitting duties, allowing him to float down to join the team and help with the post-crisis round-up.
The moment the ghost landed, though, Red Robin turned to face him. Seething.
"Why the hell did you ignore orders?" Tim spat as he walked towards the newbie.
Tim getting riled up was a mess waiting to happen, so of course Cassie and Kon got closer to the scene. Bart, on the other hand, decided to stand back and look from a safe distance, trying to recall if Phantom had snapped from a situation like this to ultimately end the world.
To be fair, this was a more complex situation. As much as no one wanted to admit it, Phantom did handle the attack without casualties. He knew he was the strongest defense against magic and took charge. Sure, his technique was messy at best, but he got the job done. Klarion was locked up and would be sent back to his dimension.
But the call was too close. One-sided, made on impulse. These risks were all too familiar to the team, seeing how breaking apart was one step closer to making a hero go rogue.
And Phantom going rogue…
Bart shivered. The team didn't need to see the apocalyptic future to imagine how catastrophic it would be to fight Danny's powers.
That's why the speedster always tried to identify any potential tipping point that would make Danny turn evil. This time, he braced for Danny's cocky remarks. A display of arrogance and power, shown in a dismissive wave of his hand. Hell, he even expected a bark shot back at Red Robin.
But they hadn't expected the shame on the ghost's face. "I'm…sorry," Danny replied while rubbing his neck, his eyes not meeting them. "I saw everyone in danger and got carried away."
Cassie stepped forward. "We know it can happen to everyone, but it's necessary to work on things together."
Kon slapped Danny upside the head. "Yeah, man, just communicate. It's not that hard."
Bart watched as the shame on Phantom intensified, breaking any image he had about the cruel destroyer of life he found in a future timeline that didn't seem compatible. "I'm still getting used to the whole team-work part. I'll do better." His green eyes looked up with an intense sincerity that felt like a punch to the gut. "I promise."
The dynamic with Danny in the team just kept getting weirder and weirder, Bart considered. Here was an absolutely overpowered teen who could do way more than he remembered with his powers. But despite all the fire in his eyes, the strength in his conviction, and the creepy factor that followed him through every wall, Danny just seemed…normal. A kid who hadn't asked for his powers, just trying to be better.
Weren't they all like that at some point or another?
Bart didn't want to continue overthinking the scene. He turned around to continue helping civilians, ignoring Danny's confession and the weight of his promise the best he could.
He'd figure out eventually what had made Danny stop caring enough to destroy it all.
---
The day time unfroze for Bart was ironically full of heat, fire, and destruction.
He was struck in the leg during a recon mission. The worst enemy of speedsters? Being a sitting duck.
So, now he was an injured duck. A duck who needed to retreat to avoid making things worse after they blew up the building they were keeping under surveillance, but still managed to get burned a bit during his retreat.
After the others wrapped up the mission and took Bart to the med bay back at the base, the speedster tried not to think about how long he'd be out of commission. Even a single day was bad enough for his jittery nerves.
He was already bored out of his mind when the door to the med bay opened, allowing Phantom to float inside. "Hey, need some company?"
Bart blinked as he stared at Danny, the guy who still hadn't shown his worst face in the last couple of months they'd been working together.
"Uh, sure. Knock yourself out," Bart replied, gesturing at the chair by the small bed where he was supposed to recover. "Not much fun around here, though."
Danny shrugged. "At least you won't be stuck alone."
Bart nodded. "Okay, fair. I guess it won't hurt to talk."
That was a terrible lie. Talking to Danny hurt in the worst way because Bart never knew what to say. He already struggled as it was to avoid blurting out any mentions of a future that was destroyed.
They sat in uncomfortable silence, listening to the subtle sounds around them.
"Uh, thanks for helping me break into the building," Danny suddenly said, his face scrunching up in worry. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."
Bart tilted his head and stared, confused. "Are you kidding? Destroying an illegal government facility was totally worth it. I just hope they stop experimenting on ghosts."
And boy, was that a terrible wake-up call. Danny showed up one day explaining there was a group called the GIW—Guys in White? Government Investigating Weapons? Ghosts Intensely Watched? Who knew that the initials meant—who captured one of his ghost friends to try to play evil scientist on them.
That didn't sit well with anyone in the group, and Bart worried that maybe that was the possible cause for making Danny break down and destroy it all. Of course, the team needed to stop an illegal group pretending to work for the government. Danny was horrified to learn they had already experienced something just as horrible with a different organization and a former teammate who was also a ghost.
Danny leaned closer to Bart's ankle, the one he had injured in the process. "Still, at least let me help you heal that up."
Bart hesitated but had to hand it to Danny. The guy, despite having ghost hunters after him, getting chewed on by Tim or even other League members, having what seemed like unlimited powers he could barely control or remember, was always looking for ways to help.
So Bart could only nod to give Danny permission to do whatever he was trying to do.
Danny's smile was warm, reaching out to touch Bart's ankle with glowing blue hands. Ice, Bart realized. The glow covered the area and brought immediate comfort to his sore skin and broken tendon.
"This is a technique the friend we saved tonight helped me learn," the ghost said with his focus still on the injury.
Bart quirked an eyebrow. "I still can't believe you have a Yeti teacher. Or that you have ice powers. That's…super ridiculous."
Danny laughed. "I don't know, man, ectoplasm is weird."
This was true. Ectoplasm was capable of withstanding so many harsh conditions. It made Bart wonder if that's why Danny hadn't broken so easily so far. Or if this Danny was related at all to the evil future promise of destruction and despair.
Bart's lips tugged upward. "You want to hear something weird?" Danny raised his eyebrows as if signaling the speedster to continue. "I didn't have the best first impression of you."
That made Danny snort. "Trust me. I noticed."
Shit. And here Bart thought he was being subtle with his wariness. Not that the countless times he turned down the chance to hang out with Danny had been any subtler. Or that the constant questioning and distance between them helped to dispel that image.
Bart cringed and tried to focus on his ankle rather than Danny's face. "Right, well…I'm sorry for giving you a rough time."
Silence fell between them again, less uncomfortable at least. They both had other things to distract them, like the magical healing properties of Danny's impossible ice powers.
After a beat, Danny licked his lips. "I heard from Kon that you came from the future. Figured you had enough reason to be wary."
Bart's head snapped to look at Danny at record speed. "Wait…what?"
The intense green eyes of the ghost landed on Bart, heavy with a burden, old with wisdom, and warm with understanding—Or maybe Bart was reading too much into the angsty look Danny had on his face. "I saw the future, too. And I stopped it."
There was a fire burning bright with the conviction Danny spoke. Bart let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, relief from the heavy burden of the words he hadn't dared to say, mixing with newfound dread. Danny knew about the future. And claimed to have stopped it. The reminder of the promise and the weight it carried when he said he'd try doing better came back to the front of his mind.
A nervous chuckle left Bart's chest as he dropped his head back against the wall. "Okay, so I wasn't crazy at least."
Danny grimaced. "Well, no. That was future me, I guess."
Bart looked back at his teammate with a deadpan stare. "Does that mean Red already built thousands of contingency plans to fight you?"
Danny snorted. "I gave him some of the contingency plans. Why else do you think Batman let me join the team?"
"Oh, so this was a keep your friends close, and your enemies closer kinda deal?" Bart asked and felt insane just voicing the question alone.
Danny sat back on his chair, allowing himself to float an inch above his chair with his legs crossed. "Hey, I get to work with amazing heroes, and the world doesn't end. See? Win-win situation." He then gestured with his head towards Bart's leg. "You should be able to walk now."
Bart turned to look at his leg, the skin already looking much better than it had before Danny's intervention. He remembered how that same power had been strong enough to fight Klarion and his haunted forest, how in training he was able to build complex constructs that had trapped Cassie during a spar. And then there was this…the light and gentle healing, leaving Bart wondering how something so destructive could hold such beautiful potential.
"Thanks," Bart said in a lower tone, unsure what else he could say to the guy he had misjudged for so long.
Danny gave him a friendly jab to the shoulder. "Hey, anything for a friend. Thanks for having my back out there."
Bart sat on the bed and looked at Danny. "Hey, what are teams for, right?"
