I was just thinking about Dannys hatred for Christmas and how funny / odd itd be if Amity's citizens start noticing how snappy and overly emotional and aggressive Danny gets in December and start to collectively think it's because he died in December and is still having a hard time processing it.
*If the theory that "ghosts exhibit powers based on how they died." Is popular in amity. Then Dannys Ice powers may also Aid the rumor that He died during the winter.
* Danny's hazmat suit could be mistaken for a ski suit.
I mean....
It would be a more logical leap for what he's wearing than a hazmat suit.
I feel like most people wouldn't even know what a hazmat suit looks like anyway.
* most people headcannon that Amity Park is in Illinois.
That state has like 5 ski resorts
I bet you Casper High even has a ski/ snowboarding team.
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I'm just saying I could completely see people running with the idea 😅💖
Maybe people also start to theorize that the reason why Phantom is always so quick to intervene and finish the fight to save the civilians is that the avalanche rescue never made it in time.
There is a thing called 15 golden minutes, where the buried person can still be saved, so maybe someone out of curiosity tries to time Phantom's fights and they are all less than a quarter of hour...
Do they know about the Christmas truce? Because if they didn’t I could see some thinking that the ghosts leave phantom and amity alone because it’s when he died. Like the ghosts don’t mess with him at that time and they already think that is when he died so it has to be connected in their minds. Also I wonder if they use his appearance in this theory. He died in snow and now he has SNOW white hair. And his eyes are bright green and glow so that he’d be easier to spot in snow? Sorry that it’s rushed.
Black suit with bright green signal-esque highlights... first thought I had with regard to the color scale and his color scheme was something along the lines of "a path that was marked safe and green turned out to be really really not while he was on it (and it buried him in his suit)"
If he's assumed to've been an out-of-town tourist/visitor, it would also explain why they can't find a local grave or obituary. Because he was in the area for vacation when he died, and the evidence, paper-trail, etc, is mostly in the area where his family actually lives.
This also implies that’s Danny’s parents routinely come back to search for his body. And now the tow is looking into families that routinely visit using phantoms first appearance as a marker for when he could have died and cross referencing it with anyone who was there in the year frames
First off, read the reblogs cuz there is so much good stuff in there
Second off, what is someone asks him where he died?
"what do you mean, where did I die?" Danny was very confused. He knew that Dash was a huge fan, but looking for his body seemed a bit too obsessive.
"Well, we were wondering if you had any idea of where you died so we could make you a memorial, a grave or something?"
"Nuh uh man, I am NOT bringing people there. Especially living breathing very alive people! I died there! It is dangerous and I make sure people don't go there for a reason!" In the distance, there was a loud yell.
"WHELP! I WILL HAVE YOUR PELT FOR MY WALL!!"
"And that's my cue to leave! Don't! And I mean DON'T! Go looking for my corpse." Danny flew away, leaving a very concerned and confused Dash where he was standing
Hi. I do not go here. Everything I know about this show and these characters, I learned through osmosis from being friends with a fan. Apologies if I have this completely wrong. But doesn't Danny detect the ghosts by breathing out a little puff of chilled air, with visible condensation?
Imagine that in their search for him they find other bodies, so they just end up being able to give those people proper burials. They feel good about it but at the same time it’s not the body they were looking for.
And on the sideline is Danny making sure nothing happens and is just confused (if he still doesn’t know why they think he’s there). (And if he does) is just proud that other people are gonna get proper graves.
Danny's eyes did go black. Exactly once. When Pariah Dark, King of All Ghosts, attacked.
The video is shaky and staticky, but the outline of Phantom's face, and somehow only his face, is clear as ever. His features are contorted in pure rage as Pariah Dark ravages his town, and he isn't holding back.
Amit Park never saw what became of the Ghost King after he got shoved through a portal into the Ghost Zone, and most of them don't want to think about it if Phantom was pissed enough to reach the maximum danger on the ski trail danger rating scale.
I feel like Danny doesn't use his wail a lot during most fights since it can cause a lot of damage to anyone and anything around, and it's too much of a big gun attack to warrant using against his regulars.
At some point, someone records Phantom using his Ghostly Wail. The citizens come to the, for once 100% correct, conclusion that this is his DEATH SCREAM. They now get why Tucker Foley and Sam Manson act so somber and grief-stricken when they hear it. The two figured it out before ANYONE. (Also true, THEY WERE THERE and thus KNOW what his Death Scream sounds like. The Ghostly Wail just has a little more echo to it.)
Almost all of my DPDC posts have the #Danny Fenton is Not the Ghost King tags, barring perhaps my earliest aus like my Thomas Wayne Au (which will be included in the post). This tag includes art i've made, asks i've answered, and non-fic au posts I've created. This is my main tag!
DPxDC posts under the main tag that don't have their own tag:
Danny's Life-Changing Cross-Dimensional Roadtrip with A De-Aged Batman
Danny is also Bruce Wayne (Starry goes back to their middle school roots)
Danny being the first batkid (if i can get the creative juices flowing I will expand on this. mark my words)
There is a Damian clone LOOSE in Amity Park. Oh wait, Danny's got him.
My Biggest DPxDC Aus
#Danny Fenton is a Clone: all my posts talking about clone!Danny.
Clone Danny Masterpost: previously my pinned post. A no-powers au where Danny is also a clone of Bruce Wayne, also includes some clone^2
#Clone^2: Clone Damian + Clone Danny au combined, explores themes like identity, found family, and growing into your own as a person. Starting post Here. + A slow-to-update fic here!
#Childhood Friends Au or #Cfau: A childhood friends dead on main au that explores grief, how it may change a person, and how growing up in Crime Alley changed Danny. Contains heavier themes like smoking and mild violence. There is also a fanfic included! (Slow to update unfortunately)
#Blood blossom au: A Nightingale/First Batkid au where Vlad poisons Danny with blood blossom extract, and it results in Danny running into a pre-Robin Batman! Takes place in the Battinson-verse, has its own fanfic!
#Danyal Al Ghul Au: No longer just my "older brother danyal" au, instead it hosts all of my Danyal Al Ghul aus! An excuse for me to delve into the psychological effects that growing up in the League would have on Danny that I don't really see in other DAG aus. Putting the 'assassin' in 'raised by assassins'. Now with a secondary masterpost listing all of my DAG aus!
My Minor DPxDC Aus
Danny Fenton is Thomas Wayne: an oldie but a goodie! An reveal gone wrong au where Danny decides to go by his middle name 'Thomas' shortly after the events of TUE, and leaves Amity Park two years later. He finds out that Vlad cloned him again and finds an infant in the lab. Danny takes the baby, names him Bruce, and ends up adopted by the Waynes.
#Danny Fenton is Jason Todd au: An au where Danny is Jason Todd! He was adopted by the Fentons shortly after the events of the carjacking.
#Older Brother Danny: contains all of my aus where Danny is an Older Brother. This currently includes only my DAG posts but it's not limited to Danyal Al Ghul.
#Changeling Danny: a half-ghost? oh, wait, no. that's a changeling. even worse! Danny's got latent fey blood from a Fenton getting freaky with a faerie some dozen generations ago, and it reactivated with a fervor when he had his accident! Instead of a halfa, he became one of the Fair Folk.
#tinker fairy Danny: while we're on the topic of fairies; this is a cute little au I made for fun where Danny is a dual-talent sparrowman/never fairy from Pixie Hollow! He's a Tinker/Winter Fairy that ends up befriending the Batfam, coz why not?
#dpxdc star wars au: I couldn't come up with a clever name, but it's exactly as it says on the tin: a DPxDC star wars au. It features an Alien!Danny! It's primarily a Bruce and Danny-centered au; found family :).
#stately raven au: a homeless danny au that, just like my blood blossom au, takes place pre-Robin Batman and with the Battinson Bat! Danny might not be poisoned with blood blossoms, but he sure isn't having a good time regardless! Not many posts here, but there is a fanfic to make up for it.
#tales of the passerine: the official au name for my "Danny being the first batkid" post! This au is what inspired changeling Danny. It's the idea that Danny was the first to be adopted by Bruce, and features me favoring batdad over "lmfao Danny goes fuck you bruce and adopts the other kids" au. Because I want batdad.
(Nightingale is, so far, the official vigilante name for the Eldest Batkid Danny concept on my blog.)
#mother of monsters danny: specifically its mother of monsters dan but i digress. I was messing around with my fem!Danyal au and boom! Her evil timeline self is Layal, the terrifying Mother of Monsters who raises any manner of monstrous beasts. I love her <3
#martha knight au same song, different dance! This is a fem danny version of my aforementioned "Danny is Thomas Wayne" au. Except this time around, Danny is Martha! Arguably my favorite between the two, I feel like I'm able to do more with her than Thomas. Her au's vibe is After All by Christine Ebersole
Bonus Excerpt: a ficlet I made in response to a DPxDC Dead on Main prompt! It's not under the main tag as I didn't make the post, however it can be found if you search #fem danny fenton on my blog. I actually really love this idea so I may make it its own tag in the future.
baby dick getting mad with bruce and telling journalists and paparazzi the most outrageous lies that bruce has to try and explain. i think it would take maybe four or five articles and begrudged interviews for the public to realise that bruce isn’t an abusive parent, his kid is just a menace
Omg but the thought of Dick as a child just being a habitual liar for shits and giggles is so funny. No one ever knows if what comes out of his mouth is true or not. He can get away with saying the most outrageous shit because no one thinks it’s real, it’s just Brucie Wayne’s kid being a pain in the ass for the press as per usual.
Does this habit continue into adulthood? Perhaps. He uses his powers for evil, of course (i.e., driving his siblings insane).
Adult dick continues to say the most wild as fuck out there shit he can think of, and graduates to doing the most out there actions somwtimes too, bc he realized its an amazing cover for vigilante shit if no one takes him seriously.
"Of course dick grayson was seen being arm candy for a known mercenary(slade ofc), he probably thinks its hilarious." He tells people he got slade to train him as a mercenary too but batman asked him to not do that anymore bc it was making bruce sad and people just (probably metaphorically but maybe literally) pat him on the head and say "of course you did." And roll their eyes when they think he can't see and the only people who take him seriously are outsiders when the occasional comment breaches containment. (I imagine in this scenario he tells people that batman is his other dad who is marries to bruce wayne bc i find that in-universe ship hilarious)
The GIW had finally done it. They had declared marshal law in Amity Park. The complete lockdown started three days ago and they had surrounded her house. Sam was lucky her parent never skimped on home defense. They had gotten advice straight from Bruce Wayne after all and it was reinforced with Fenton Tech.
When the lockdown first started Sam's and a bunch of other parents went to complain, and the GIW had simply opened fire. They were gone now, along with most other parents. She didn't know where the Fentons were. Tucker, Jazz, and all the other kids were hold up in the school, under siege by the GIW just like her. The Fentons had also fortified the school. FentonWorks went up in green ecto-fire yesterday. Sam doesent know why.
Danny had been blown out of the sky getting everyone left to safety. He had been unconscious in her bed for over 24 hours now. Sams only comunication with the outside world had been from her grandma Ida, who was vacationing in Florida, and said that she was sending family.
Sam was trying to figure out what that meant when she heard gun fire outside. Not ecto-guns but real guns and explosions. It was getting closer.
Glass shattered from inside the house and her emotions boiled. There was no way she was gonna let them inside the house. Sam raged as every house plant her mother thought was fake sprung to life and lashed out at the intruder. Swords slashed vines and guns riddled pots and plants with bullets till a man in an orange and black battle suit stood in front of her. He had two sword and alot of guns. He took off his helm revealing and aged face with a missing eye as he spoke.
" Relax little Poison ivy, Ida sent me. My name is Slade Wilson and Im your grandfather."
Oh this is great! I had an entire Prompt based on this!
The GIW if going to be facing attacks on All Ends.
Slade is attacking them as the Grandfather of Sam.
Waller is destroying the Agency as the Mother to Tucker.
Throw in some Demon Twins AU and suddenly the League of Assasins and the Bat Family are on their tail.
Who else in Amity is related to somebody important?
Maybe Dash is the nephew to John Constantine? If I remember correctly his Sister was in a Cult and died there, but what if she survived and escaped to Amity to hide. With the son of the Demon they worshipped.
What if Paulina is an Amazon whose Mother left the Island as a toddler to live with the Man she loved? She would probably know, and would also he shocked that Ecto-Weaponry could damage Amazons.
Kwan has a Twin Sister out there. He escaped from his abusive Dad years ago, but couldn't take his sister with him when he left. Her name was Cassandra, but he called her Cass.
Or course Wes knows who his secret Relative is. But nobody believes him when he says Lex Luther is gonna come save them. Apparently they don't know he was ginger before he went Bald.
To double on the chaos: Tucker’s grandfather? Brainiac through some sort of experiment. Paulina is somehow related to Trigon because the idea of her and Raven being related just cracks me up. And Darkseide is Mr. Lancer’s father and utterly delighted and smug of having an actual valid and moral (and dare he say, even heroic) excuse to invade earth.
A boy washed up on the shore of a sleepy village. You took him in, fed him, and gave him a home. When soldiers came through town looking for the lost prince, he started shaking, tearily requesting that you harbor him.
You know what would be really awkward in a bodyswap soulmate AU with Danny?
A bodyswap soulmate AU with corpse AU.
Just imagine Danny trying to bury his own body, the shovel is his hands throwing mud and dirt over the hole with a clear view of his corpse; when suddenly he gets bodyswap with his soulmate.
That would be pretty hard to explain, especially to a vigilante who now is probably in panic that their soulmate just murdered a teenager. Should they help hide the body? That is their soulmate so it should be for a good reason their soulmate just killed someone, right? RIGHT?
Even more awkward if Danny swaps when the vigilante is in costume and now he is freaking out about the misunderstanding that is about to happen.
Danny held up a large sign from the background like a man at an airport as thier leader, Robin, gave his report to this "Justice League". The first sign said, "Help! I'm surrounded by daddy issues!" Earning a laugh from someone off camera. He then pulled the next card out from behind the first one.
"Can you send air fresheners? It smells like teen angst in here"
This one got a cackle from someone on the Justice League side of things. Score. No one here really wants to laugh. They're all edgelords and Danny is suffering. He didn't really want to be here, but things in Amity had ended in a way he never expected.
Both he and his parents had been arrested.
Not by his worlds government, mind you, but by the government of another Earth. This Earth that he was currently on to be more accurate. Who knew that so much of the stuff he and his parents had been doing was super illegal and wouldn't ya know it? He was in the middle of doing something really sketchy looking in his parents lab when the feds busted in.
Thankfully, the Justice League presented him with a deal: they take him out of Juvie and the reformation program he was in, and in return, he joins a team of former teen/child villains and anti-heros.
Figuring he had nothing to lose at this point he agreed.
He was not expecting to be surrounded by angry angsty teens. His fault really. He should have known better. Thankfully it seems like nobody knows about Phantom and he'd like to keep it that way.
Psaro was his calm in the storm. The other boy was proud and almost as arrogant as Robin, but he had been proven to be very kind and reliable. If Danny ever needed advice or if Robin was getting a bit too much, he could just knock of Psaros door.
The last time Robin had a fit and was starting a fight with someone, Mr. Pointy ears stepped up and told Robin that his outburst was undignified, especially for someone of a higher class like Robin seems to be presenting himself as. He also said something about there being a big difference between a king and a tyrant, but Danny had been trying to rush Robin's victim to the medway and didn't hear all of the convo.
Psaro was some kind of half demon prince who was also from another world. He didn't have a superhero name yet, but the program was brand new, and to be fair, Danny didn't officially have one either.
Some lady called Raven was supposed to be coming in to help Psaro and convince him to embrace his human half and help him with magic and...something about a curse? What did Danny get himself into???
ten year old Tim Drake having a minor phase of liking archeology bcs of his parents so he starts digging shit up in his garden, but because he’s Tim Fucking Drake he does it too well and accidentally unearths one of the tunnels that connects to the fucking batcave.
ten year old Tim Drake who already knew who Batman and Robin were, finding out he now has a secret tunnel in his garden connecting his house to their lair, and he’s just like ‘fuck yeah that’s cool.’ and starts exploring.
thirteen year old Jason Todd bored and fucking around alone in the batcave system when he comes across a fucking ten year old who knows his identity, clearly idolises the hell out of him, and is just kinda wandering around the cave system alone and completely chill about it. they see a super dangerous spider and Tim just starts info-dumping on the species. when asked if he has a curfew to go back home by he goes ‘uh, July i guess? that’s when mom and dad get back.’ it is early February.
thirteen year old Jason Todd who takes a minute and then goes ‘ok this is funny as fuck i promise i won’t snitch to Bruce.’
Jason Todd and Tim Drake being secret cave buddies. Jason Todd and Tim Drake hanging out in the tunnels and making fun of Batman and Nightwing from the shadows. Tim Drake who has to buy a whole new set of night-vision camera lenses for his new photo album that’s just photos and selfies of him and his new best friend Robin fucking around in the underground pitch-dark.
Jason Todd who dies, gets revived, is told by Talia that Tim Drake has ‘replaced him’ unknowing they’re already friends, and Jason who all he can think of is that time they played hide and seek in the cave system and Tim clung to the fucking ceiling via a stalactite for 45 minutes straight. Jason Todd who just looks at Talia and goes ‘yeah sounds about right for him.’
Jason Todd being told he has to deliver Damian to Bruce and he decides ‘absolutely the fuck not’ to the idea of even touching the front door. they have a Ring camera he is not getting caught on that bullshit.
Jason Todd who just goes to Drake Manor and uses Tim’s old entrance to get into the tunnels, his home away from home, dragging Damian along, until he gets to a spot where he can secretly signal into the batcave for Tim to sneak the fuck away.
fifteen year old Tim Drake who gets called into the tunnels to find the Red Hood, unmasked as Jason, presenting to him a random child which he declares to be the son of Batman.
fifteen year old Tim Drake who comes full circle and says ‘ok this is funny as fuck i promise i won’t snitch to Bruce.’
the cave boys are reunited. a third is added to the club. a new photo album is filled. when Tim brings Damian up through the tunnels into the cave he looks Bruce dead in the eyes and says fully straight-faced ‘this is your cave son. i found him wandering, he was born from the shadows of the bat.’
eleven year old Damian Al Ghul-Wayne who’s spent the past three and a half years under Jason Todd’s influence and sombrely declares ‘the cave birthed me for you, father. i am darkness. i am your child.’
these lonely bruce in the justice league asks are so good … idk if you would like this but it made me think of a younger bruce excited to share his plans to the justice league (who he put on a sort of pedestal before) only to be shot down quickly, becoming isolated by his idols… plus of course the failing to make friends thing.
maybe after he tries to make friends with clark and diana, he also tries and fails to connect with the others without realizing it. barry talks to hal about science stuff and he tries to jump in and they kinda go “…. okay” and keep talking about what they were talking about. he thinks talking to oliver will be better once its later on and he joins but they simply dont click like they used to (maybe even if this is a scenario with oliver and bruce childhood friends, when oliver came back he fell for the shallow “brucie” facade and felt extremely disappointed in bruce? causing tension?) idk … bruce just being unable to connect / being isolated from the rest of the league because there’s something “off” about him is just. very good food. make that man sadder and more insecure !!! yay!!!!
*cough* the "off" is just autism *cough*
It's fine! It's fine! He can have J'onn.
Au where J'onn joins later, after the JL has already formed. After he's already 'screwed up' making something more than just a working relationship out of his teammates. J'onn finds himself fascinated by how Bruce's brain darts from topic to topic at a moment's notice, how ideas spring to mind from the smallest prompt, his mind filled with such life, in a way most brains aren't.
Bruce is listening to Clark and Hal discuss the aerodynamics of his ability to fly, running a mantra in his mind that his input isn't welcome despite the contributions he knows would fit the conversation. He doesn't expect the subtle impression of words in his mind, a warm feeling down his spine that he thinks might be a smile. I'll listen, if you want. I wish to know.
He looks at J'onn on the other side of the room, who waa accepted so seamlessly, and can't help but smile, and pushes his thoughts on the topic towards him.
J'onn confesses what it was like on Mars, how he misses it, and Bruce just shrugs. "Use my brain." So they form a mental link, tossing half-formed thoughts and ideas towards each other from across the world, across galaxies, and play innocent when the other leaguers ask what the two of them are giggling at.
"I didn't get to see my daughter grow up," J'onn tells Bruce one day. "But I like to think she would have been like you."
He might have said the words aloud, but Bruce pokes around in what he's thinking, everything unspoken, and offers entry towards his own.
J'onn, an older figure, taking Bruce under his wing, the kind of guiding hand he had dozens of, the affectionate arm around his shoulders he never experienced past age eight. The kind of person he wished took custody of him after the murder, in the quiet of his mind, never to be said aloud.
He still doesn't. But J'onn hears it anyway, and envelopes Bruce in a hug.
Dick is the first, when one day, half-asleep, he bids his "Grandpa J'onn" goodnight. Bruce scuttles off with Dick, mortified as he tucks him in, until he feels their mental bond explode with joy, and realises J'onn doesn't mind. Quite the contrary, actually.
The JL don't know until Bruce is captured on a mission. They are working themselves to the bone to get him back, even not friends they are still teammates and there a loyalty there, but don't expect J'onn to crack.
"Don't pretend you care," he hisses. "Not when you have ostracised and cast him aside for years."
"We don't have to be buddy-buddy with the guy to give a shit about him, J'onn. Not being bezzies doesn't mean we want Batman to stay a prisoner of war, and I'm sure you don't want Batman to stay there either."
"I don't care about Batman."
"Then w—"
"I care about my son. I will not lose another child."
field trip to stark industries fic but it’s post-NWH and it’s peter community college class and peter’s first time back in the building after being forgotten.
and the building makes it very clear that AIs were immune to the spell.
bonus points if it’s an au where tony survived, and he’s very curious why his tech is reacting so strangely to this random kid
This is the end for Cujo. He fought as long as hard as he could, but still he ended up here, with only the burning fire light to guide him into the True End that awaits for us all. Oh, how he wishes that things could have gone differently, but no! This was how it had to be...
Or: Cujo eats too much and gets a tummy ache.
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This is my first @phicphight fic, a prompt fill for @duchi-nesten! Their prompt was Cujo has REALLY messed up BIG TIME now.
The fire raged behind him, each crack and crash of the wood burning and breaking deafening on Cujo's ears. The heat scorched his fur, and yet he didn't have the strength to move away. Not after what he'd been through today. Every ounce of energy, every ability his death had given him, had been spent fighting the good fight, only for it to lead him here. This, he knew, was his final hour. The true end for him.
At least he didn't need to face it alone. His beloved Pookie lay beside him, just out of paw's reach, motionless on the scorching floor. His beautiful face, eyes closed, tongue lolling out, a perfect illusory peace that almost let Cujo forget the pain that he must be going through, surely greater than that which his own superior ghostly form would conjure. He longed to drag himself over to Pookie, to lay nose to butt one last time before the great dark took him, but even those few inches seemed like miles, and Cujo's body failed him again.
Cujo let his eyes sink closed, Pookie's face clear in his mind, and allowed his imagination to carry him away from the heat, from the pain, from the acrid scent of smoke filling his nonfunctioning lungs. Soon, he knew, he would fall again into that forever sleep, except this time, he would not awaken. With his final wish, he hoped that Pookie's upcoming ghosthood would have a better ending then his had.
The blast reverberated through Cujo and into the room as a whole, carrying with it the only scent that could tear through the smoke - pure death. A few feet away, Cujo heard the voice of his human, his Danny. "Oh god, what is that smell?"
It was Pookie's human that answered his call. "I think you dog died again, Fenton."
Danny snorted. "Serves him right. That turkey was thirty dollars, and we spent all day making it."
"Yeah, about that. I do think it looked better after they'd gotten into it. I don't know how you messed up putting pre-measured seasonings on it, but it was not looking good when it came out of the oven."
A soft smack echoed through the room, followed by Dash's "Hey!" Cujo's human had resorted to violence, clearly as a coping method to handle the immense grief of watching Cujo end.
"You're the one who insisted I help, I told you it would go bad!"
"Maybe, but you're the one who decided to just leave it on the counter!"
"Cujo's a ghost dog! I could put it on the moon and if he wanted it that bad, he'd still get it. The only way it would've lasted is if I stayed and watched it, but no, I had to fly to the store, because you didn't want to drive."
"Well, I think-"
Another fart interrupted their quarrel, this time coming from Pookie's alluring behind. The puff of air blew embers up from the fire, and the flames burned hotter, if only for a second. If the two of them weren't careful, they'd light the whole place on fire. Cujo needed to warn his beloved, to get him to move away from the fireplace, but all he could manage through the pain in his gut was a small, meaningless whine.
"At least their suffering is cute," Dash said.
Danny laughed. "And the chinese takeout isn't half bad."
"Better than the turkey would've been."
Another smack. Cujo let their bickering fade away. At least, when the end came for him, he knew his humans would not let him go without a fight.
It doesn't have a title yet, sorry. Anyway, I was teasing this idea for a while, and while I'm not writing for it Right Now, I did get a good bit written so I figure I may as well share what I have over the next week or so until I'm home. <3
It needs a first part that I,,, haven't written yet, to explain the mechanics and give some lead-up to this, so be prepared to be dropped in headfirst with no explanation lol.
Edit for anyone who wasn’t following this: soulmate AU, they swap bodies when they both go to sleep the night the younger soulmate turns 15, they won’t swap back until they both go to sleep in the same bed. They can also sense the amount of danger the other is in at all times.
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The moment Damian opened his eyes, he realized that he had made a few too many assumptions in his desperate analysis of his soulmate's situation.
There was something painfully wrong with the body he now inhabited. It felt strange, as if the sensation of lightheadedness filled his entire body. A bone-deep chill seemed to originate from deep in his chest, and it seemed to struggle to draw enough breath. The left hand was half-numb, but there was a sharp pain on the opposite forearm. His ears rang as if damaged. Had his soulmate been dangerously ill all this time? They would have to find… him better care than he was currently receiving. Dangerous chronic illness could certainly explain the constant danger his soulmate lived in, as well as its frequent spikes.
When he carefully sat up, however, there were no widespread aches or trembles. There didn't seem to be any significant weakness, nor dizziness. Checking the arms revealed a bandage wrapped tightly around the left forearm, and he could feel a bandage under the pajama pants his soulmate wore.
Finally, Damian looked up and surveyed the room he found himself in, something that he normally would have done before anything else. His soulmate's bedroom was small and messy, scattered carelessly with clothes, trash, and discarded homework. They would require a firm talking-to about cleanliness, although not right away. The lack of medical equipment implied that the condition, whatever it might be, was either stable or new; Damian leaned toward the former.
He looked down. The comforter on the bed was space-patterned, and there was a wall dedicated to model spaceships, as well as several posters. Clearly, his soulmate had a primary interest.
There was no note on the nightstand or desk, and the phone he found charging on the nightstand was locked. There were four notifications: two from 'Inquisitor' asking if his ears were still ringing and if she needed to come home and run interference, one from 'Sam' reminding him about an upcoming history test, and one from 'Techno-Luddite' telling him about the release date of an upcoming game.
After the nightstand and the phone, the most common place to leave a note for a soulmate was on the computer. There was a desktop in the corner of the room, in good condition but several years old. Damian got to his feet, ginger and careful, and made his way over there without incident.
It was already on, he observed. He woke it with a flick of his wrist, and the screen lit up, showing a chat window. He crossed his arms on the desk and examined it, frowning.
napstablook: ringablingblingbling
napstablook: my ears are bleeding again
TF (Too Fine): i thought the fenton phones were helping?
napstablook: they were
napstablook: until they started testing a new frequency that cuts right through them
TF (Too Fine): shit
TF (Too Fine): okay bring a pair to school with you and i'll see what i can do
napstablook: thanks tuck. i owe you one
TF (Too Fine): you owe me many
Damian made a note of the requested item, a pair of 'fenton phones,' and moved on. It was tempting to scroll up and get more context for the interaction, but not now. He minimized the window, the browser underneath, and Steam before reaching the desktop, where he was able to quickly locate the expected file.
soulmate_readme.docx
Perfect. Damian opened it and scanned the note his soulmate had left for him.
Hey, partner. You're lucky I'm older, or you would've just gotten [pleasantries and stuff] at the beginning of this.
I'm Danny Fenton! I'm 17 right now and you're in Amity Park, Illinois. I'm really passionate about space, and I also like video games and concerts. I used to want to be an astronaut but my life plans got thrown off-track a few years ago, and I'm still figuring out what to work toward instead. I'm kind of jumpy by nature, please don't take it personally if I'm like that with you at first, but I can be a bit of a gremlin too. And if it's okay, I'd really like to go stargazing with you when we meet, before we go to sleep.
I'm excited to meet you! I really am. I'm getting the idea that we have a lot in common, so I kinda geared this list in a certain direction. Hopefully I'm not misreading things too much. The rest of this is all warnings, don't skip any of it. I'm sorry, this probably won't be very fun for you.
First: I'm also a metahuman. Synthetic. My parents don't know, please do not tell them. I don't know how much of my control will stick with you through the swap (online reports are kinda inconsistent) but Sam, Tucker, and my sister Jazz should be able to help you if something happens. The main concern is phasing through things by accident, but you might also turn invisible sometimes or notice some ice slipping out, especially if you get worked up.
Second: Amity Park is not really safe. You probably know that already. There are frequent extradimensional attacks and the beings behind them are pretty strong. Avoid them if you can, but they might seek you out. You'll know when they're around because your breath will run cold.
There's two weapons in the bottom of my closet. One of them is a wristband with a plasma gun in it, the other is a lightsaber-style bo staff that splits into two if you prefer. Take both and use whichever you're more comfortable with. If you're not experienced, I recommend the blaster. The thermos is a capture device. Take the cap off, point, and shoot.
Do not go downstairs. Take the rope in the bottom of the closet and leave through the window if you can. I am so serious. My parents mean well, but as soon as they know it's you, they'll give you a bunch of stuff that may or may not be safe with my meta abilities. If they try to put a metal belt on you, do not let them. If you can't leave through the window, call Sam or Tucker. My phone's passcode is 990198.
First aid kit is under the bed if you need it. Sorry again. Drink one of the green vials if you're injured. If you're really injured, use a syringe and drink three vials.
Sam and Tucker should be able to give you the rest of the rundown, whatever info is up to date. We've been planning this for a while. Call when you can and we can talk about what travel arrangements make the most sense.
Good luck. And happy birthday.
Damian sat back, crossed his arms, and frowned at the screen.
First: it seemed his assumption about Danny being a vigilante had indeed been correct, and Danny had deduced the same about him. That was good; it meant his soulmate was intelligent. He also seemed rather excitable, given the tone of the first few paragraphs. Should Damian have included more information about himself as well? He shook the thought off impatiently.
He also went by a nickname. Using it would be Damian's first major concession to the relationship.
Second: it was unusual for non-alien metas to have more than one or two powers, and Danny had listed three. Then again, 'synthetic metahuman' was a broad category that could include any number of inciting incidents. Damian would have to inquire into the details later. At least it explained why this body felt so… strange.
Third: he clearly considered both his home and his hometown at large to be an active hazard to Damian. And since Danny was the older, he hadn't been able to arrange for Damian to wake up in a safe location. That was unfortunate but understandable. It mattered little, since Damian was more than capable of taking care of himself with the information and tools provided. Still, with the note that extradimensional beings were likely to seek him out, it would be best to rendezvous with 'Sam and Tucker' for more information.
Decisively, Damian turned away from the computer and moved toward the closet, careful not to stumble in his soulmate's altered body. His center of balance was unnaturally high; Damian would need to practice some maneuvers before attempting serious combat.
Upon opening the closet, Damian discovered that Danny had an appallingly casual sense of style. That would have to be fixed. Damian's soulmate needed to own clothes outside of jeans and t-shirts. He picked a pair of black slacks and a navy blue button-down, then turned to the bed and laid them out.
He knelt down and pulled the first aid kit out from under the bed. He opened it, then faltered at what he saw. The cold spot in his chest seemed to magnify.
Five corked vials and three capped syringes of glowing green fluid. Lazarus water. Where… how…
Damian took a deep breath and forced himself to focus. He knew of no use for Lazarus water in small quantities, despite having grown up around people that actively studied it. There were multiple things in nature that glowed bright green; radium did, after all, as well as the Green Lanterns' constructs. He picked one up and tilted it, baffled to discover that it was viscous, like honey.
Would it be better to be suspicious, possibly denying his soulmate's altered body a necessary supplement, or to trust his soulmate blindly, consuming a substance he didn't even know the name of?
He drank it. It had a peculiar taste, like a hyper-concentrated electrolyte mix, but Danny's body responded positively to the flavor and swallowed eagerly. Damian grimaced, set the vial on the nightstand, and forged on.
The injury on his soulmate's arm appeared to be a knife wound, quite deep and clumsily stitched with an odd glowing suture; it seemed likely that Danny had done it himself, with his left hand. No antibiotics or antiseptic - allergy or oversight? He rewrapped the injury and moved on. The injury on his right thigh was a second degree burn, most likely from a plasma gun judging by the uniform shape. There didn't seem to be any decreased sensation either; it was quite painful. He applied burn cream from a nearly-empty tube and rewrapped that as well.
Finally, he manually tested the sensation in his left hand, flexed it experimentally, and then decided that was enough. He dressed, fetched the three remaining implements from the bottom of the closet, and picked up the phone.
Since Bruce was… unreliable, on the topic of personal boundaries, Damian had gone to Dick for advice on this matter. Dick was very firm on his suggestions: Damian was not to go through his soulmate's messaging history, internet history, photos, or any diary or journal he might find. Under the circumstances, Damian should probably not linger too long at all and instead move on as quickly as possible.
Damian hesitated, then unlocked the phone and checked the notes first. There was another copy of the readme there - useful. Several other notes included a short review of first-aid procedures, a list of locations where a local organization would perform stake-outs, a list of locations where his soulmate had stashed go-bags (making heavy use of his meta abilities, it seemed), and some computer game-related notes.
Finally, Damian went to the browser, and searched 'Amity Park vigilantes.' No relevant results were returned.
He searched 'Amity Park.' There were several cities by that name, none in Illinois.
He left Google, and performed the same searches on Bing, DuckDuckGo, AOL, YouTube, X, and Bluesky. None of the search results indicated that a town called Amity Park existed in Illinois, nor did one with any known vigilante activity.
Amity Park, it seemed, had been delisted from everything.
Well. This was a problem that could be addressed later. Damian pocketed the phone, took the rope from the bottom of the closet, and fastened one end to a curtain bracket above the window.
The rope was knotted, as to facilitate cautious descent and easier climbing. Damian made the decision not to be offended by this, and swung out the window, dropping down a few knots at a time.
Hopefully, Danny was having a somewhat easier time than this. Though given that he was facing the scrutiny of Damian's family, Damian doubted it.
Danny woke up, and had to immediately stop himself from panicking.
His body felt heavy and hot; the cold spot in his chest was gone, and he was warm through for the first time in years. He was breathing hard, and his heart was racing. His ribs were cracked, aggravated by his heaving breaths, and he was sure they hadn't been last night. His shoulder ached like he’d wrenched it, and he could feel something like road rash on his cheek. That usually healed overnight; it was odd to wake up to the sensation. But the painful burn on his thigh was gone, and the knife wound on his arm.
He opened his eyes to a room he'd never seen before, and far too late, it clicked.
His soulmate had finally turned fifteen, and they'd swapped bodies.
Okay. That was… fine. That was great, even - he was starting to worry. Most soulmates were born within three years of each other. Apparently he and his soulmate were at about two and a half. Good to know.
He'd apparently forgotten what it felt like to have a normal human body. That was also fine. It would probably never matter again after today, because he didn't have one of those.
And his parents weren't working on anything too awful! The frequency weapon was aggravating, but even if his soulmate got caught in range of it, he wouldn't get seriously hurt or anything. That was good.
…They really needed to meet up, like, as soon as possible.
Danny pushed himself upright with a wince and finally took in the room. It was huge, he realized - at least as big as Sam's room, maybe even bigger, and just as richly decorated. There were swords on the walls, some paintings, a couple of bookshelves, and some massive windows. Apparently his soulmate was from a wealthy family. Weird.
There was a notebook on the nightstand, flipped open to a simple note.
Bonded.
I am Damian Wayne. I expect you to be normal about this.
Refresh yourself in the bathroom in the northwest corner. My phone's passcode changes on the hour, the key is underneath the top drawer of the nightstand. Wear any clothes you like.
Whatever your own circumstances, you are in no danger in this home. I have a father and an appalling number of siblings, listed below in order of seniority with some notes. All of them save Todd are likely to be present, as they are extraordinarily nosy. Father and Richard should be waiting for you in the living room downstairs. Head there when you are ready and you will be given breakfast.
When you are ready to make arrangements, call. If you do not, I will do so myself.
Bruce Wayne - My father. Despite what he shows the public, Father is a sharply intelligent and goal-oriented man. Be respectful of him.
Richard Grayson - I would advise you to stick close to Richard, as he is the most sane and will do his best to protect you from my siblings' nonsense.
Jason Todd - Can be temperamental. Put space between yourself and him if necessary.
Cassandra Cain - Semiverbal but extremely observant. She communicates primarily in ASL.
Timothy Drake-Wayne - No notes.
Stephanie Brown - Intentionally annoying.
Duke Thomas - Enhanced vision.
Danny lifted a hand to his mouth, stifling an incredulous laugh. Okay, so Damian was kind of funny - super formal, clearly, and his exasperation with his siblings bled clearly through the page. He was a little disappointed that he hadn't written more about himself, but that was okay. They'd have time to talk, probably, if Damian forgave him for the situation he woke up in.
Anxiety bit at him again. He hoped Damian made it out alright. He'd been so sure, with the levels of danger that Damian regularly got into, that his soulmate had to be a vigilante. But the Waynes were in direct danger all the time, weren't they? Because of rogues and stuff. Heck.
And that was the other thing: Danny had to admit, he was sort of uncomfortable with the idea of being in the Wayne family's orbit. Not that they seemed like bad people or anything, but he just didn't need that much attention on him.
Well. Not like he was getting out of it now. He'd figure something out one way or another, right? And he and Damian had to be soulmates for a reason. Even if they didn't click romantically, they'd probably be good friends. Hopefully.
Danny did his best to shake off the creeping anxiety and followed Damian's instructions, going to the bathroom before he went to check out the closet. It was, like Damian's writing, really, really formal. He picked out a polo shirt and a dark pair of jeans, wincing at the creak of cracked ribs.
The sharp spike of pain made him pause. Cracked ribs. Why would a random rich kid have cracked ribs? He silently put the vigilante hypothesis back on the table.
Finally, he dug the passcode key out of Damian's nightstand and worked it out, unlocking Damian's phone after almost five minutes. He wanted to text Sam and Tucker, but hesitated - Damian probably wouldn't want Danny giving his number to people he didn't know, right? That was the sort of thing public figures worried about; Vlad was pissed when Danny gave out his number (which happened pretty regularly.) But Discord used two-factor authentication, and he didn't have his phone.
He sighed, went to email instead, and logged in one of his accounts. He wrote a quick email to Tucker, explaining what had happened and asking him to stay on standby and go to Fentonworks at eleven if he hadn't heard from Damian by then. Then he emailed Jazz to let her know too, and ask her to come home soon if she could. Then Valerie, asking her to cover.
After a moment of thought, he opened Chrome and Googled each of the names on Damian's list. It wouldn't hurt to recognize them once he saw them. They were public enough figures that they probably expected him to.
He put the phone and the passcode key in his pocket, took a deep breath, and tried to shake the nervous tension out of his shoulders. With all of that done, there wasn't anything left to do but go and talk to Damian's family. Right? And he'd talked about this part with his sister before too. Before he knew it was the Waynes.
Danny exhaled harshly, then pushed himself forward and out the door.
The Waynes were more understated about their wealth than Vlad was. The wall trimmings were simpler and more elegant, the furniture Danny could see was more well-made than opulent, no gold anywhere. That wasn't a huge surprise; Vlad liked to show off.
He was worried he was going to get lost trying to find his way downstairs, but luckily it only took two turns before he could see the loft. He made his way over there and leaned against the railing to look around. The loft overlooked some kind of ballroom; an expensive-looking chandelier hung from the ceiling, there was a fountain in the center of the room, and the walls were edged with elegant carvings that looked difficult to keep clean.
"Need some help?"
Danny jumped a mile and instinctively jerked away from the unexpected voice, turning to face him as he took a few steps away. It took him a moment to place the face of the man in front of him - Richard Grayson, giving him a friendly smile that looked… not fake, but rehearsed. He didn't move any closer, letting Danny put space between them.
It took Danny a moment to process what Richard had said, and then he ducked his head uncomfortably. "Yeah, if that's okay. Um, I'm Danny." Luckily, since Damian was younger, they were probably ready for this to happen. Even his parents had taken the day off when he and Jazz each turned fifteen.
"Hey, Danny. Call me Dick." Richard - Dick - held out his hand, and Danny hesitated before scooting closer to shake it. Dick let go after a moment, still smiling amiably. "Let's head downstairs. It's just Bruce and Alfred for now, so we should have some time to talk before the others can't help themselves anymore." Danny smiled a little and followed him toward the stairs, a few steps back. Dick half-turned to face him without missing a beat. "So, do you have any questions you want to start with? I know this must be a bit of a shock for you."
Danny could see why Damian had instructed him to stick close to Dick; it was obvious he'd been assigned the role of settling Danny in. He thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.
"I don't know how this stuff gets handled with high-profile people," he admitted. "All the examples I can think of are like, child stars and stuff." He'd seen some stories in passing, and most of them talked about arranging a meeting through their agents, which wouldn't be the case here. Right?
Dick gave him a smile that looked genuinely pleased, so apparently Danny had said something right. "We'll talk about that soon," he promised. They turned down the stairs, but Dick kept facing Danny, not missing a step. "Okay, is there anything you want us to know up front? Any warnings, concerns, special circumstances?"
Danny reached up and ran his thumb along the line of his jaw without thinking. Damian's jaw felt different from his. Sharper. "Um…" He grimaced. "We should probably go get Damian soon."
"You're not safe at home, right?"
Danny froze. Dick took a few more steps down before turning to face him completely, raising one eyebrow without faltering.
"You don't have to hide it," Dick said, when Danny didn't respond. "Damian's been keeping track. And that's why you're worried, isn't it? Because he's swapping into the circumstances that you've been living in?"
Dick's eyes were too sharp, too observant. Danny looked away, crossing his arms tightly, and continued walking down without answering. Dick didn't push, turning to continue the walk downstairs in relative silence. They hit the marble floor, and Dick directed them toward a side door.
"Don't worry," Dick said at last, pausing just outside the door to meet Danny's eyes. "Damian is pretty good at taking care of himself. He'll be alright."
Shows what you know, Danny wanted to say. He held his tongue.
Dick maintained eye contact for a moment longer, then turned away and pushed through the door.
Going down the hall led to a living room that looked almost normal. It was big, sure, and richly decorated, but it had couches and armchairs and a television, a coffee table, some bookshelves, a large high window. It was nice. By the coffee table, Bruce Wayne was on one of the couches, using a tablet. An older man, like, retirement age for sure, hovered nearby, already looking their way. Danny smiled fleetingly when their eyes met, then dropped his gaze again.
"This is Danny!" Dick announced as they came in, drawing Bruce's attention up to them. "He's a bit jumpy so go easy on him, and he also wants to know how we're planning to handle this process since he knows it'll be different from the norm."
"I see," Bruce said, and gave Danny a warm smile, gesturing to the couch across from him. "Take a seat anywhere and we can talk things over. Are you hungry?"
After considering his options for a moment, Danny sat in one of the closer armchairs instead, then drew his feet up and crossed his legs. He grabbed the hem of one leg and rubbed it between his fingers, braced his elbow on that knee to ease the weight on Damian’s cracked ribs, then shook his head. He felt more than saw Dick and Bruce exchange a look.
"Something small, then," the older man cut in, approaching with a kind smile. Damian's family seemed really nice, Danny thought distractedly. "Does anything sound palatable?"
"Oh, um…" Danny glanced up, startled, and met the man's eyes. Alfred, he realized belatedly. Dick said Bruce and Alfred were waiting for them. "Fruit is okay, I guess. Thanks."
"Of course," Alfred said warmly. "I'll be back in just a tick, then."
Danny smiled briefly, then looked back at Bruce. Dick had sat on the couch across from him, leaving Danny slightly more on Dick's side than Bruce's, but both of them a comfortable speaking distance away. Almost as soon as it registered, though, Danny frowned again, looking down to pick at the hem again.
"Really though," he said after a moment. "We should go get Damian soon."
"About that," Dick said, and when Danny glanced up he wasn't smiling anymore, though he didn't look angry either. "What exactly are you worried is going to happen?"
Oh, that was… a bad question, but fair. Danny grimaced. If they weren't going to believe him until he explained, though… "Well… I guess the first thing is the house." He bit his cheek, trying to decide how to explain, then stopped quickly. Not his body. He rubbed the cuff of Damian's jeans harder. "I'm… a meta. And my parents are inventors. And they keep making stuff that hurts me by accident. And Damian doesn't know what's safe for me to handle and what's not, so he really shouldn't be in there, in my body, by himself." He shrugged uncomfortably. "I told him to leave through the window instead of going downstairs, but I don't know if he'll take me seriously."
There was a heavy pause. Danny squirmed. This really wasn't a great start.
"You told him to climb out the window rather than risk coming into contact with these inventions?" Bruce asked, with a dangerous edge to his voice that made Danny flinch.
"Sorry!" he yelped, scooting back, away from him. He clamped his hands around his elbows, squeezing tightly. "I, I didn't know when it would happen, so I wasn't sure what they'd be working on when it did! And I guess it's just the frequency weapon, and that wasn't that bad, but I was worried it'd be one of the aerosols, because those always make me really sick, or one of the auto-targeting weapons and he doesn't know to look out for those, or, or…"
"Easy, Danny," Dick cut in, low and soothing enough that Danny blinked, glancing up in confusion. Dick wasn't smiling, his eyes dark, but his tone was carefully modulated. "Bruce isn't mad at you. Damian won't have any trouble climbing out a window, and he knew he was walking into a dangerous situation, so I'm sure he looked hard for any notes you left him. It's just very concerning that you're in regular contact with something so dangerous for you."
"Oh- it's okay." Danny tried to relax, but ended up just squirming backward some more. He let out a shaky breath, wincing as his ribs protested, and eased over enough to take the weight on his elbow again. "I mean, I do know what would hurt me, so I can usually avoid it."
"I'm sure you can," Bruce agreed, more calmly. "So, assuming he escaped your home unscathed, what else are you concerned about?"
"Well…" Danny loosened his death grip enough to pluck at his shirt. "Rogue attacks, I guess. The Red Huntress should be out on patrol today, but they’re still frequent enough to be a concern.”
"He'll be fine," Dick said, firmer than Danny would have expected. Huh. Did that mean Damian's family knew what he, maybe, did? Danny relaxed a little, letting out a soft breath, and nodded. Dick continued, "Rogue attacks, huh? Where do you live?"
"Amity Park, Illinois," Danny said, settling enough to go back to rubbing the cuff of Damian's jeans. "Don't bother looking it up though. It's been delisted from pretty much everything. Even the mail goes through a relay now. Every time I look on Google Maps I'm surprised it's still there." The following pause was so heavy it made him look up. "What?"
Both of them were frowning again. Danny cocked his head, uncomfortable.
"…Do you know why that is?" Bruce asked at last. Danny's mind flashed back to Damian's note.
Despite what he shows the public, Father is a sharply intelligent and goal-oriented man.
Instead of scoffing outright, Danny huffed softly and pulled his knees closer, tucking his feet under him. He spared a moment to be glad that Damian seemed to have a similar build to him. "The GIW doesn't want the Justice League catching wind of what they're doing, probably."
"I can make that happen." Bruce's gaze was intense. It occurred to Danny that actually… he probably could. Even Vlad wouldn't be able to do anything about it until it was too late.
Vlad. Shit, Vlad. Danny's fading anxiety clamped down on him again, and he sat up. "We should go get Damian first," he said again, feeling embarrassingly like a broken record.
He craned his neck to find Alfred bringing a massive plate of fruit over, like, way too much. Danny thought for a moment that he was going to put it on the coffee table for everyone, but he set it on the arm of Danny's chair, and Danny automatically reached up to balance it.
"Um, thank you," he said awkwardly, looking up to give Alfred a nervous smile. "Alfred, right?"
"That's right," Alfred confirmed with clear warmth, and then pushed a glass of water into Danny’s hands as well. “Master Damian had an accident recently; I assume you’re feeling sore this morning.”
Startled, Danny looked down at the plate, and found two aspirin sitting on the edge. “Oh. Thanks.”
It had been a while since he bothered taking painkillers; they barely worked on his human form. He swallowed both, then downed the rest of the glass of water as Alfred addressed Bruce and Dick.
"I think that's enough business for now, isn't it?” Alfred said, subtly pointed. “I do believe both of you agreed to ask the young man about himself, not his circumstances."
Both men looked rather sheepish at that. Danny ducked his head to hide a smile and looked down at his plate - slices of peach and orange, strawberries cut in half, some blueberries and blackberries. It seemed like a lot for a vague request for some fruit. He picked up some blueberries and started eating.
"We did get a bit sidetracked, didn't we?" Dick chuckled, seemingly embarrassed. "So, Danny, how old are you?"
Danny hesitated, shifting uncertainly. The berries were perfect, but his stomach churned nervously. "I really think we should go," he tried again. They didn't know the full extent of what was at stake, after all. 'Rogue attacks' didn't exactly cover it.
"Did you direct Damian to somewhere safe?" Dick asked. Danny nodded. "Where did you have him go?”
“…To my friends,” he admitted, embarrassed not to have anything better for them. “They’ll be able to catch him up on anything I couldn’t put in my note.”
“Then he'll be fine for a little while,” Dick insisted. “Alfred can get the plane ready and we can head out after you eat, alright?"
"…Okay." Danny went back to eating and tried to reassure himself as Alfred headed back out. Sam and Tucker would keep Damian out of harm's way until they met up, he was sure.
Dick smiled at him. It was nice. "Then let's start with an easy one. How old are you?"
Danny swallowed his food and played with the pile of berries with his thumb. "Seventeen." He thought of the obvious problem and winced. "Um, and closer to 'just seventeen' than 'eighteen."
"That's good to know," Dick said amiably, not seeming bothered by the slight age jump. "What are your career plans?" Danny hesitated, and Dick added, "It's fine if they're still loose, nothing wrong with that."
Danny relaxed a little and shrugged again, picking through the berries to avoid looking up. "They're… yeah." He sighed. "I wanted to be an astronaut, but I had a major accident about three years ago that really threw things off, and I'm kind of still… figuring things out. I'll do engineering, probably, since I'm okay at it."
Dick hummed in surprise. "Hang on… three years ago?" When Danny glanced up in question, Dick was looking at his phone, scrolling for something. "…August second?"
What? Danny blinked, and then winced with the realization. "Oh. That was probably pretty hard on Damian, huh? Sorry." The whole lead-up to that, with Danny approaching the plugged-in portal and then actually going inside, like an idiot, must’ve been horrific from Damian’s side. He couldn’t even imagine what Damian had felt while Danny was actually dying.
Then again, he was certain that Damian had at least come close a few times himself.
"It was the most worked up I've ever seen him," Dick agreed, not seeming upset. "An accident, you said?"
Danny shrugged and nodded, biting into a peach. "I got a pretty bad shock from one of my parents' machines. It put me in the hospital for a few days and there were some, um, lasting effects." He paused. "That wouldn't happen to Damian. I did something stupid."
Dick hummed noncommittally. "Is that how you got your meta abilities?"
Danny flinched so badly that he jostled his ribs again, and had to hold his breath for a moment before he could respond. "Y-yeah. But it's… complicated. I don't really want to talk about it. Um, can you tell me how this is going to work?"
Bruce and Dick exchanged a look, and Danny looked away, wrapping an arm around his torso.
"That depends on a few things," Bruce said at last, shifting his focus to Danny. "You know that it isn't uncommon for abused children to move in with their soulmate's family after the switch, yes?"
Danny went still, a cold weight falling over his shoulders.
"Sorry. I should've been clearer." His voice came out wooden. "My parents aren't abusive. They would never hurt me on purpose. There's just… a lot of accidents."
It sounded lame, and he wanted to snap and insist to them that it was true, there was nothing wrong with his parents, it was just that Danny was such a mess- but it would sound like a lie. They’d understand later, he promised himself. When they met.
Bruce studied him for a moment, and Danny squirmed under the scrutiny, fixing his gaze on the coffee table.
"You would prefer to stay with your family?" Bruce clarified after a moment. Danny nodded, hard. "Alright. I understand. In that case, I would like to stay for a few days and speak with your parents before finalizing any arrangements. Do you think they'll be amenable to that?"
Danny let out a relieved breath and nodded. "Yeah. There shouldn't be any problems once I'm the one in my body. They're really very nice." Of course, then he'd have to explain to them why he didn't want Damian around them in his body, but it wasn't like they could deny how often accidents happened.
Bruce hummed. "Most likely, the two of you will stay in your separate cities for the moment. We'll arrange for a set number of in-person visits every month as well as any online or phone communication you agree on. From there it will be up to the two of you."
Danny smiled a little, quietly pleased by the image Bruce painted.
"That sounds good to me," he said, picking at the fruit again.
The sound of footsteps made him look back up, and he only jumped a little as more people emerged from the hallway - Damian’s other siblings, Danny realized. Tim, Stephanie, Duke, and Cassandra. Tim had a laptop under his arm, Stephanie looked avidly curious, and Cassandra lagged a few steps behind, her eyes already set on Danny. Duke’s eyes were intense, boring into Danny, and he looked away quickly, flustered.
“So who’s your favorite Gotham vigilante?” Stephanie asked him, as soon as their eyes met.
“Um…” The question felt oddly like a trap. Was this a Gotham thing, like asking people to pick between Phantom and the Red Huntress? He cast a wary glance across everyone, but they just looked expectant, and he shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know. I mean, at this point they’re all really experienced and good at what they do. Nightwing, I guess? He does a really good job of balancing being competent and friendly, and it makes him a great point of contact between the Bats and, you know, everyone else.”
Their expressions quickly shifted from expectant to appraising, which was, if anything, even more uncomfortable. Dick’s eyebrows rose, and Bruce’s eyes gained a calculating edge. Danny ducked his head away from all of them, picked up his plate, and leaned forward to set it on the table. By the time he sat up again, their expressions had cleared.
“You’re interested in heroes, Danny?” Bruce prompted, amiable again. Danny instinctively distrusted it, and he wished he could turn that off. It wasn’t helpful right now.
What was it Jazz had said? His soulmate’s family wouldn’t be looking for reasons to separate them. They were just making conversation, getting to know him. Something something optimism.
It didn’t feel like that. It felt like something else. But maybe Damian’s family was just… intense. He’d implied that in his note, hadn’t he? Without meaning to, he glanced at Dick pleadingly, and Dick gave him a kind smile that made Danny’s shoulders loosen.
“That was just a very thoughtful remark,” Dick explained, loose and relaxed. “Most people don’t think about how heroes present themselves.”
Well, most people weren’t heroes. Danny’s mouth twitched, and he leaned back again, forcing himself to settle.
“A bit,” he conceded at last, carefully. “Amity Park has a couple of heroes that manage its rogue activity too, but it’s only been a couple of years, so they’re both really inexperienced compared to Gotham’s. The Bats are old guard, you know?”
He shrugged again, hyperaware of everyone’s eyes on him. There was something he was missing here - weight to this conversation he didn’t understand the meaning of. Weren’t there rumors about Bruce Wayne and the Justice League? Some connection? He wished he knew.
“That’s understandable,” Dick said agreeably, also not acknowledging the elephant Danny couldn’t see. “People that live around heroes do tend to regard them a bit differently.”
The others settled down around the room, picking armchairs and couch spots.
“What are the heroes in your town like, then?” Tim asked, his eyes too intense. The calculating edge had never left them, Danny realized, assessing Danny for some reason or another.
“So weird to see Damian squirm like this,” Stephanie muttered, and got elbowed by Cass.
“Well, there’s two,” Danny said, slow and careful. How could he even talk about this without bringing up ghosts directly, or explaining the portal his parents had built? Damn it, how was he supposed to explain the portal? “Phantom and the Red Huntress. They work together now, although they didn’t always. The Red Huntress is human, and Phantom is the same… kind of meta as the rogues.”
“It’s an alien situation,” Tim concluded immediately, making Danny flinch. “Did something happen?”
Danny was saved from answering when Damian’s phone rang.
Part 3!! alert alert! there is a part 3!!!!!! I'm so happyyyyyy!
I like how Alfred is just like “yes. fruit. all the fruit.” the more options there are and maybe Danny will eat something. also shout out to Alfred being the one to notice that Danny is experiencing pain from Damian's body.
Lmao! Alfred: Damian was in An Accident. Danny: I was in An Accident. Danny, sweet boy, I know that like 90% of your brain is dedicated to focusing on survival over things like recognizing a pattern in the topics, but.... all the hero emphasis stuff. Come On Man open your eyes to read between the lines
Gosh... just... Danny: I was in an accident. and Dick: oh you mean the August 2nd one?
They have him Clocked. They Know what is going on and Danny just... My Parents Aren't Bad or Abusive and everyone is just side-eyeing him
The terms for setting up soulmate interaction make sense and especially for a family of high status like the Waynes. Danny is so anxious that they're going to think he's not good enough for Damian or that Damian is going to be in too much danger with him so Bruce is going to separate them and Danny does not want to be separated from his soulmate. Boy... that's called seperation anxiety and I think it's because you don't have enough healthy, positive relationships in your life. Just saying. (good job op! great way to include that detail)
Damian's phone is ringing!! Who's on the phone??? Is it Damian???
Finally putting together that link post for Trials and Trios, co-written by @writing-wraith-thephoenix. Pls be patient with me, may take a week or so to get the list fully updated.
T&T is a (long) Batfam x Danny Phantom series. It starts with Danny & Co hiding in Gotham while Danny heals some bad injuries during the early stages of the Under the Red Hood story arc. Ghosts meet Bats and everything changes.
(DC stands for disregard canon.)
Main relationships are Eternal Trio and Jason Todd/Jazz Fenton/Dick Grayson
So I love the trope where the main three (Danny, Sam and Tucker) plus some of the other kids from Casper High rock up to Gotham for whatever reason and are completely unphased by Gotham's bullshit. There ain't enough of that shit. And so I present to you, more of that shit:
~~~
Things go a little bit differently for Danny in this AU. As hard as he tries to handle all the ghost bullshit by himself, he has a hard time. Sam and Tucker of course do what they can to help, but they're only three teenagers. So of course some mistakes happen.
Through verious turn of events, Danny accidently reveales himself to multiple of his classmates. Dash and Paulina are the first to find out after he saves their lives at a school dance. Both refuse to speak to him for a week afterwards. Danny fears that they hate him because he's a monster, when actually they are both dying of emberrassment as they both had a cruch on Danny Phantom the size of Jupiter.
After getting over themselves they kinda just start... inserting themselves into Danny's life. They offer to help out where they can with the ghosts, they run interferance with his parents, and Paulina makes it her personal mission to verbaly eviscerate Vlad every time she sees him. Somehow they just become apart of Team Phantom.
And where Paulina and Dash go, Kwan and Star eventually follow. Similarly getting swept up in some ghost nonesense and getting saved by Danny, they too just... keep showing up cause they guess this is what their friends do now. Oh well.
Valerie contimues on her Red Huntress journey. As much as the popular crowd were her friends, there was always that distence between them. So Valerie didn't get involved in things until her dad lost his job and she went looking for revenge. Things worked out between her and Danny similarly to how they did in canon (without Dani but I will get to her) and Valerie becomes part of this big group of teenagers that all work together to protect the town from ghosts.
When Danny becomes the Ghost King things get a bit harder for the group. Suddenly helping around town is less fun and more.... dangerous. The stakes were less "fight kooky ghosts and prevent property damage" and more "stop the world from endning on a regular basis."
Things thankfully balance out for a while, until the GIW show up. Then shit really hits the fan. Ghosts and human's alike are in danger from them. So with a heavy heart, Danny destroys the ghost portal, forbids any ghosts from going to the living world, and he and the gang make a run for it.
Thankfully they have the help of Vlad, who has had a sudden change of heart after the accidental/completely on pourpose creation of his daughter Danielle (Ellie), who is an adorable 6 month old.
He helps the kids get out of Amity and has them run to the place that has the most ambient ectoplasm to both lay low undetected as well as keep Danny healthy: Gotham.
He puts them up in a house large enough to house 8 teenagers but not large enough to catch much attantion and enrolls them in Gotham Academy, the one school in the city that likely has enough security to at least stall the GIW if they do show up in town.
When Team Phantom gets to Gotham they are... underwhelmed. For suposedly one of the most dangerous cities to live in in America... it's pretty boring. All their classmates are mind-numbingly normal compaired to them.
Until Damian Wayne returns from him month long suspention after getting into a fight with some of the assholes on the football team.
Finally, they have found one of their own.
What follows is a series of shinanigans where Damian finds people who think HE is the sane one and others watch on in facinated horror as Damian makes friends for the first time but they're all violent lunatics.
~~~
Again, sorry for the lackluster ending. I truly am not long for the writing world. Makes my back hurt. But I think imma write a couple more of these DeadSerious AUs cause I love this ship and there isn't enough of it plus I love dpxdc.
To add some more unhinged energy my ships for this AU are: DeadSerious (obvi), Sam x Valerie x Paulina and Dash x Tucker (cause i feel like that would be a crazy dynamic). And like in canon Kwan and Star and just chilling.
Ooh! Ooh! Edit: Alternatively (and I think I like this even better than the ships above^^) Damian gets roped into a big ol' polycule. 😂😂😂
Okay, okay, but I’m just imagining the other bats reactions!!
Bruce: you made friends?
Damian: yes father, is that so hard to believe?
Bruce: of course not! I’m just glad you’re making friends, you didn’t seem to get along with your classmates
Damian: of course I didn’t, they were unbearable to be around. My friends are not.
Bruce: well, I’m excited to meet them.
Damian: *suddenly oddly nervous* meet them??
*Later*
Damian: my father wishes to meet you, Beloved.
Danny: *unfazed by the nickname* Bruce Wayne wants to meet us, or just me?
Damian: …us, but we must be well behaved. Until yesterday he did not know I had friends. I believe he would have a heart attack if he knew we were dating
Tucker: *sitting in Dash’s lap, not even looking up from his phone* oh, gross, behaving?
Dash: disgusting.
Valerie: what counts as behaving? Is dueling allowed?
Damian: it is not, though I don’t understand why. It is perfectly reasonable to duel with your allies to bond.
Danny: I love brawling with you too, Polaris ❤️
Sam: stop it. Don’t make me get the spray bottle for you guys!
Danny: what?!? Tucker is sitting in Dash’s lap! Paulina has been trying to convince you and Val to go make out in the bathrooms for all of lunch!
Sam: but I’m not encouraging it!
Kwan: *approaching with Star* Anyone wanna go to Arkham tonight? We could sneak in and mess with the Joker
Damian: *knows that he’s scheduled to patrol tonight* wait, no, not tonight, Father is making work.
Star: just quit already
Damian: but he’s gonna be all weird like, why do you wanna quit? Are you compromised? And it’s just… yuck
The others all look at Danny and via telepathy ask him if they should get rid of Batman.
Danny: mmmmm let’s see, idk yet lol
Damian: stop plotting to kill my Father, I can hear you!!
Danny had his accident early on his parent found out they caught him but could not end their son they put Danny in a cage with some blanks and toys and drove far away and came to a swamp they put the cage under some trees and set a timer on the cage and left him there the place they left their son was Slaughter Swamp
Lady Gotham knew well the cruelty of humans. But each time a child was hurt it still tore at her. They were all her children after all. She tried her best to aid all the children she had claim to. Her power was spread thin. among so many.
Until her darling Prince was left for her. An offering in the swamp. Oh his human parents abandoned him. But while she hates them. She loves the child she gained. As soon as he was free on the cage she embraced him within her shadows. Crooning softly to her boy. This child, with his half dead nature she could save. This one she could teach and guide to her fullest.
The poor boy was so scared at first. But Last Gotham coaxed him into her heart easily enough. He grew to know what he could safely eat. Where he could go for clothes. For medicine. Who to avoid. Who to work with. Laughing freely as he ran in her streets. Camped in her woods. Yes. He would be free this boy of hers.
She could have led him to her knight. But she was so very tired of being alone. And he was so bright. So powerful. She was not ready to share him yet. One day, he would shine his light down and help her city. But for now, he would rest and play and grow.
Danny loved his new Mama. Mama Gotham looked super scary at first. But, he could feel her in his chest. Mama called it his core. And he could feel that she wanted him. So so much. So he found he loved Mama just as much. He loved all the shadowy nooks. The hidden places. Every inch was wonderful.
But Mama made sure he was careful. He knew lots of people I. mama's city were mean. And dangerous. And would hurt him if they could. So he made sure to listen. He would cling to her shadows. Letting Mama hide him. He could only show his other form and powers to Mama. And that was ok! She taught him everything he needed!
Danny had found lots of other children who lives in the streets. And he made sure not teach them what Mama taught him. It was important! And every time one of the tricks he knew saved another street kid Mama felt happier!
So he took them to the hidden places. And into the safe areas he knew. Showed them where in the forest was safe to find food. And he was making friends! Mama said he didn't need to. But, it made her happy. And Danny needed to help them. His core pushed and pushed to help. So he did.
And sometimes when he helped, he made a new friend! One of his friends is Jay. Jay was almost like Danny. Mama said Jay was hers, but didn't know it yet. He couldn't hear her like Danny could. But that's ok! Jay was still good at following directions, even if he wasn't very good at listening. Danny liked to run through the streets with him, playing hide and go seek tag. Jay was good, but not as good as Danny yet. Mama said she'll send someone to teach Jay like she teaches Danny. Danny was happy for Jay, really! But why did he have to go so far away?
===
Danny didnt see Jay after that.. Mama promised he was safe.. He was with her knight! That didn't make him less lonely though..
Then Danny met Tim. Tim wanted to take pictures, but wasn't very good at hiding yet, even if he *was* pretty small. He got sent home a lot. But Tim was very good at learning! So, Danny showed him how to hide, where to sit, which roofs were safe, and which roofs to avoid. They liked to sneak around the city, pretending to be ninjas.
===
Gothamites know to avoid the deepest shadows. Some are hiding the Bat, her knight.. others are hiding her boys... Mama Gotham always keeps her boys hidden. Even if they do a bad job at muffling their giggles. They'll get better as they grow, and won't need as much help. But for now? She'll let them be children just a little longer
Danny loves all of his friends! He loves teaching them how to be safe. How to feel Mama. He knows they can't hear her! But they can learn to see and feel her! Mama was so happy when he was able to get Tim to feel her shadowy hugs! Tim cried, because he was alone lot. And he could feel how much Mama loved him! Danny has to hug him extra as well.
Tim learned even quicker the Jay did! He was so clever! And Tim was teaching him too! He brought bokks, and taught him to read. And to write. And how to do maths. They learned about the stars. And science, and how things were made!
They played on the roofs, an in the alleys. Always practising and learning together! Getting strong and quicker and quieter! Tim even showed him th pictures he took. He was so so good. And Danny was so proud and happy for his friend. He still missed Jay. But Tim was brilliant!
And Tim liked to hear stories about his other friends. How he found food for the other street kids. And taught them all like he was teaching Tim. Tim liked to hear about everything! He especially likes hearing about Mama.
He thought Danny was Amazing! Because he could hear Mama so well. And he could teach people how to hide in her shadows. Mama liked to watch them closely. And Tim was always so happy when he felt her near. He me And into her shadows all the time!
Lady Gotham watched her two young ones. And she could we what was happening. Danny wanted so badly for a true friend. He was sharing his power with Little Tim. Making him more than human, but not quite Ghost.
It meant she could give the poor child the love he needed. Every night she would drape his room in her shadows and stroke his hair gently. And he always knew. How she loved her bright boys. They were growing so well. Too fast for her liking. But amazing in every way.
Her Jaybird was taking flight beneath Batman's wing. And she was so glad to see him. He brought so much hope and joy. Her newest Robin was such a bright spark of hope. Her little Robin who danced in her shadows. Fearless and wonderful. all of her boys doing so well.
Her knight could have her Jaybird. But Tim and Danny were here for now. She would allow them to go to her knight eventually. But she wanted to watch them be children safe and carefree for now. Each moment was so precious. How could she share them?
Ok, could make this go tragic and have reactions to Jason's death, go semi neutral and have danny go to school or the library (how old is babs? Is she dick's age? Idk Canon outside of what I learn from fanon lol), have danny living in the swamp and being found by Waylon or something, (when do we want danny to meet gotham's knight? When is he getting adopted? How long is she planning on keeping him with her?)
OOOOooooo!! Yesyesyes!! Bruce and Alfred just go full smol childe panik mode XD
===
I'm also imagining mama gotham seeing what happened to Jason when the joker gets back (idk, magic) and hearing him gloat and laugh and her just getting soooo angry she just....swallows him. Like a shadow appears and he thinks its bats but then its not and its not stopping and -glomp- he done been et
Now whether this is permanent or more of a...time out of sorts... is up for debate. Bc its funny if everyone wonders what happened to the joker and Danny's like "Mama ate him! Joker broke his deal, so his soul was hers. And she made it go *poof*!" Uses his hands to show something vanishing. "After she finished digesting of course. We don't need anyone getting ideas."
(My brain is thinking joker made a deal of no permanent harm to her knights in exchange for no permanent harm to himself. Or something like that. Which is also why bruce could never bring himself to kill joker bc he's bound to Gotham as her knight (even without knowing) and has to uphold her deals. Once joker broke that though - killed jason - then the deal was over and once joker came back to the city, he was he's to do with as she pleased. And she pleased to eat him. Joker thought he was safe bc he thought it meant only in *gotham*. But no. There was no location specified in the deal, and he didn't read the small print.)
But its also funny if its jason asking mama gotham about it and she's like "I knew I was forgetting something!" And just ... upchucks joker from a shadow in front of Jason like "for you!" ^^
Bruce would immediately adopt Tim and Danny. Sure Tim is a Drake. But the boy has been running around Gotham unattended since he was 5?!??! No judge would back then in that case. And Danny? No one knows where he came from. Even Mama Gotham doesn't really know. She knows he was e.g.ped in her swamp. But the people doing it were not hers.
So yes. Bruce got his lost son back and two more! And, they are both already ridiculously good at stealth and tracking. How? Danny keeps saying his Mama taught him. And Bruce does know Lady Gotham. So once he realises Mama = Lady Gotham he makes another offering at her grave.
She gave him two new boys to cherish! And! Now Jason is back. He can hear her like Danny can. And as Ti m spends more time with Danny and Jason he is slowly able to. All three get to have Bruce, and Alfie and Mama.
Is it a normal family dynamic? Nope! so they care? Not a bit. Sick is also overjoyed that Jason is back. And somehow stole two more kids? The heck Jay?
I love the idea of Mama Gotham just eating the Joker. Just, straight up shows down. clown is gone forever. She doesn't even pretend to be sorry about it. He killed her boy! Her Jaybird. No, absolutely not. He cannot remain free! So she ate him.
She may have accidentally traumatised Harley further. But that girl is strong. She will get over it. Admittedly the eyes and teeth may have been unnecessary. But it was immensely satisfying.
Danny and Tim don't want to be heroes as sich. But they do want to help! Danny is more interested in making safe places for people. But Tim loves the investigation side of being Batman. So both boys are trained. But neither becomes Robin. Tim works with Oracle.
Danny? He works with Alfred. And also looks for people who need help in other ways. Stopping crime is all well and good. But there are lots of other people who need different types of help. He gets trained in how to help charities. And how to make sure they do the work right!
Alfred is so incredibly proud of them. And so glad Master Jason is home. Master Bruce is being a tad over protective at the moment. But he can well understand the urge. Keeping the boys safe at home does ease the worries of the heart.
Everyone is getting along! there haven't been any major injuries for 2 weeks now! Jason has adjusted well to being able to hear Mama, and Tim can now hear her like whispering spider legs on silk. Dick doesn't startle everytime he sees her now (though she'll miss the days of him leaping onto the chandeliers in shock. Such an amusing boy). He can't hear her yet, but they're developing their own way of communication whenever he's in town. It'll be helpful down the line she's sure :)
and her knight, her beloved, has done such a good job protecting the city, and learning to be a father to several (slightly feral) children. Its a good day, and OH! Its going to get better! Her knight's page is returning home! Oh how marvelous! She knows he will be pushing to become squire right away, sweet foolish boy, but her knight will ensure he's ready first. That's why he's hers afterall.
===
The stages to become a knight are page, squire, knight. So I thought , play on words! (Gotham knight, knight of Gotham, Robin is batman's squire) (Bc I'm clever that way lol)- pre robin, Robin, own hero (batman, nightwing, red robin, spoiler, etc.)
In this case, the page is Damian. He's not robin yet, so not a squire.
Tim, Danny and Jason were sad the Dicki-bird no longer flew to the roof when he saw Mama. It had been hilarious. But it was good he was getting used to her! They were more than happy to teach him everything they knew about her! Mama was the best after all!
It was fun to sneak up on him and spook him. Dick wasn't used to people being able to. Bruce and Alfred very quickly got used to seeing or hearing Dick yelp in surprise. They were putting Mama's training to good use!
She would run her shadows through their hair every time they suceeded! And give them hugs as well! So they loved managing! They hadn't managed to surprise Bruce yet. But they were deteremined.
Dick adores the little terrors, even when they scared him half to death. And he was so glad Jay was alive again. A bit different, but back home. He was so glad Mama Gotham had found him, and kept him safe.
And she even brought home two new brothers for him. He was fairly certain Danny was more feral than anything. But he was a sweet child. If prone to mischief. Tim was so painfully clever. He couldn't wait to see what the three of them became!
And he thanked every star that they didn't want to join the family business just yet. Tim was interested. But seemed to be aware he needed time before he would be ready. Danny seemed to want to help in other ways.
And Jason? Well, Robin was back in the sky. But it had taken him time. Dick was so happy he had actually taken time to rest. And sort through his feelings. He had a feeling he was only ok with it because Mama Gotham ate the Joker.
And wasn't that a doozy of a conversation? He had thoroughly enjoyed watching Danny explain how the Joker had been destroyed. Even his soul was gone. He made sure to lean into Gotham's shadows to say his thanks more often.
Speaking of shadows! Now he knew about Mama Gotham! He was able to follow her leads easier. Which made his job finding criminals easier. She would lead him to people in need of help. It was wonderful.
Bruce had decided none of his boys were allowed into the field until they hit 14. And had enough training. And would not be let out of his sights during patrol until they were 18. He could not risk what happened occurring again. Losing Jaylad had broken him.
His boys would stay either with him or Dick in the field until they were adults. They had agreed to the rules without complaint. Tim seemed more than happy to be involved through the computer for now. And Danny? Threw himself into learning other ways to help.
They were more than happy to do all the Robin training. But they also picked up other hobbies. Danny had a knack for engineering. And was gladly making new items to keep them safe. And a few he wanted WE to patent. So they could help civilians defend themselves.
Tim took to technology like it was his natural habitat. Between them they would make a formidable team against any mechanical or technological threat. He was so very proud of them. They also badgered Alfred for first aid and first response training.
They refused to let any harm stay untreated. He watched them whispering to Lady Gotham's shadows. Conspiring about something clearly. But She seemed amused. And in letting it play out he found modified improved armour. For himself, and more importantly Jaylad.
Jason about cried when they presented the new Robin suit. His brothers were ensuring he could fly again. But be safe. They made him a helmet as well. Danny gave Bruce a highly judgemental look when he presented it. Which, Bruce felt was deserved. They had even made one for Dick. When he tried to refuse the three lads faked tears. He couldn't refuse after that.
And then Talia arrived in his city. With a lad not much younger than Tim and Danny. He had another son. An angry one. Raised by Talia and the League of Assassins. Damian demanded the right to be Robin. He took it very poorly indeed that he would not be allowed for several years yet.
Jason mostly ignored him to begin with. He figured Damian would need space to adjust. And he knew Danny had a plan. So he stayed safely out of the line of fire. He was old enough that gettng involved would be unhelpful. He was nearly 16 now. Getting involved in a spat between kids under 11? As anything other than a moderating influence? Yeah. no.
Tim and Danny tried to befriend him at first. When that didn't work. Well. they decided to challenge him. They also were not allowed to be Robin yet. If he could not prove his skills were better why should he be allowed? And with Mama having trained them in the art of stealth? Damian had no chance.
They took to inviting him to find them. If he could, they would spar. If he couldn't. They would do a different activity. So that he could adapt to his new culture. Danny helpfully pointed out that he would be seen as strange is he didn't adapt. And any extra attention could be dangerous.
Tim then pointed out that and understanding of his new culture would help him understand the motivations of others better. Damian begrudgingly agreed to their logic. Bruce was incredibly proud of them all. And made sure to mention it.
Even with Damian. He had been thrust into a new situation. And while he was clearly struggling, he was at least trying. He also very much approved of Tim and Danny Using his newest son's pride against him. Talia had done his boy no favours raising him the way she had.
Alfred was pleased with the way the boys took time to find ways to help Master Damian. They were happy to include him in their training. And quick to point to areas he could use his own skills to help. Quick to admit he had superior knowledge or training in some areas. But firm in upholding the new rules.
All of his grandsons were wonders. Master Damian was slowly but surely becoming a true part of the family. And was beginning to indulge in his own interests. Now he could be sure they would not be mocked or belittled. And would in fact be praised or respected. Yes. They were doing well.
Lady Gotham smiled upon her favoured and her boys. Young Damian had a ways to go before he could truly see and hear her. But he was allready able to feel her presence, and like the rest of her family would lean into her embrace. Yes. She was well pleased.
As it turns out, Danny makes a pretty good leader. His little gang of homeless children has grown immensely, both from picking up strays and from assimilating other gangs into his group.
Danny might only be 10 and still figuring out his powers but dang, intangibility and flight are over powered even before you add invisibility and laser blasts. At first he regretted sneaking into the lab alone to check out the portal his parents made in this basement. Waking up in a cold alley in a city you've never heard of is a terrifying experience even without the corrupt cops trying to sell you into human trafficking, but finding out he had powers and could do whatever he wanted? That was great. It no longer mattered that adults didn't listen to him or chased him around. He could do anything now. Be anything. Take anything.
He and the people under his protection often robbed places, never banks or anything but high class restaurants and stores that usually wouldn't even let them in through the front doors. Yeah, Danny can admit most of thier robberies were because of grudges the other kids had because of how they were treated but Danny being ten thought this was fine.
The real issue was Gothams Paw Patrol (who absolutely hate being called that :3 ) they were always on thier case, Dannys especially. They kept insisting that the system could help them -Danny called bull. No one helped him or Jazz back in Amity and it was waaaay nicer that Gotham- and kept getting him and his fellow kids arrested. That didn't really matter. Anti-meta stuff never worked on him so getting himself the other kids out was no big deal.
After overhearing a conversation between Nightwing and one of the other bats a kid came into thier current secret base announcing that Nightwing was poor and the other bats weren't. This caught everyone attention. Appearently Nightwing was trying to establish himself outside of the colony cause he didn't get along great with whoever the bats super daddy was, which was fair. A lot of them were runaways for one reason or another and knew a bunch of reasons why you wouldn't want to except "free" money.
This led to them fetching Nightwings "wingdings" and batarangs instead of keeping them/selling them like they do with the others, sharing some of thier spoils with him like the groceries, jewelry, fancy clothes, ect that they stole.
Dick even catches one of the kids in his apartment in Bludhaven filling up his fridge which has him panicking about his secret id being compromised. Luckly the kids had only followed him there and didn't think to check who was on the lease or anything cause they assumed it would be a fake name or something.
Just Dick getting forcibly adopted by a child gang.
A bunch of tiny ducks in a trench coat @snowrose3838 - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
