Jason: Some jerk pushed you down a flight of stairs, you're on general anesthesia, and hes on life support.
Danny: wait who are you?
Jason: Oh boy-
Danny: you can't be in here, Jason won't like that.
Jason: I'm sure he'll be fine with it-
Danny: No, you're almost as pretty as Jason. He'll feel insecure.
Jason: Jesus- wait, "almost"?
Danny: well no one is as pretty as Jason, he got a pretty soul.
Jason: Oh oh oh wow-
Danny: you ever win the lottery pretty guy? take a look at Jason, you'll know what it feels like.
Jason: *coughs to distract himself*
Danny: hes like really hot- obviously, but then he'll be like really cute when you don't expect it, and before you know it- wham! he's drop dead gorgeous! he's like a kaleidoscope with muscles.
Jason: Oh okay you can stop now!
Danny: and how he dresses, he makes Wonder Woman look like a cereal box.
Jason: Seriously, slow down Danny! *fanning his face with his hand*
Danny: and he feels so deeply, I wanna swim in his heart.
Jason: For real cut it out, I still have to be a person for the rest of the day!
Danny: *starts crying*
Jason: Why are you crying?
Danny: I just miss my Jason.
Jason: I'm sure he misses you too!
Danny: he does?
Jason: Guaranteed.
Danny: oh no.
Jason: what now?
Danny: he spends so much of his time worrying for other people- I'm worried he doesn't worry about himself, you know?
Jason: Uhhhh
Danny: some days I wanna pick him up in my little noodle arms and say 'you don't gotta be strong today baby, you can just be my little angel that I order postmates for!'
Jason: Huhhhh you always stumble into the right thing to say. *pats Danny's arm*
Danny: No!
Jason: What?
Danny: You just touched my arm without my husbando's permission!
Jason: No thats not-
Danny, crying: That's infidelity! I'm an infidel!
Jason: Here we go.
Danny: He cornered me in a moment of weakness, Jason forgive me!
One paragraph challenge: Tim approaches Bruce about a problem involving Danny
Bruce is not expecting Tim to barge into his WE office in the middle of the day nor is he expecting his son to snap out orders that has all the blinds closing, the locks springing on and the sound canceling equipment to activate. He straightens up, believing his son is about to relay a message that may or may not doom the world. Tim certainly looks serious enough to warrent worry. He feels his heart far near his ankles as Tim crosses his leg over the other and stares at him like Tim is ready to take on Death. "B, I need Brucie Wayne's expertise. How do I get pretty boys to follow me to my bedroom?"
Bruce rubs his face. "Tim, I don't have time for jokes. Also, the lockdown sequence is not a toy -"
"B, this is a matter of life and death." Tim cuts in seriously. He leans closer to Bruce, staring him down in the same way he did when he ordered his team to set off the explosions despite him still being inside the building.
That was also the day Young Justice received a five hour lecture in not doing everything Tim said.
"I need to have this boy. Teach me your ways, Gran Master Brucie Wayne. Make me a thot"
Bruce: What do you do if you wake up to one of your wards standing over your sleeping body, checking your heart rate while holding an Anti-creep stick?
Barry: Im going to take a wild guess here and ask: Was that Danny?
Bruce: Yes! He wanted to make sure I wasn't a vampire.
Clark: Where was Dick?
Bruce: Digging a hole.
Diana: Why was he digging a hole?
Bruce: In case I turned out to be a vampire, they needed somewhere to hide the body after Danny killed me.
Hal: Spooky, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I think those kids you took in are a danger to the public.
Bruce: They're good kids! Dick is just going through a lot with his parents being killed in front of him and Danny.....well, Danny escaped a lab that his parents sold him off to. Both of them are having some trust issues right now and are acting out. That's all.
Clark: Bruce, last week Danny broke into my apartment and held me at knife point demanding to know what my intentions were with you. He wouldn't accept that we're coworkers.
Bruce: He probably thought you were a vampire. Danny doesn't like those.
Hal: Didn't Dick break into your house too Barry?
Barry: Yeah, but that was more so he could cuddle with Wally then to make threats at me. Danny, on the other hand, showed up at three am. after rumors about Batman and Flash sleeping together went around. He threatened to cut the muscles in my legs so I could be " The fastest crawler in the world" if I didn't offer Bruce a ring by morning.
Bruce: Why is this the first I'm hearing about that?
Barry: *shrug* I figured you knew since the next day you showed up and apologize for the boy's behavior.
Bruce: I did not know. I was apologizing for him breaking into what I assumed was to see Wally while grounded like Dick. Great, now the boy is going to kill me in my sleep and/or ensure I never get a lover again.
Diana: I think it's rather sweet. Danny is placing a challenge for your would-be suitors. It's like a wolf pup attempting to scare away mates from his father. No real harm was done.
J'onn: He set me on fire.
Bruce: What? Why?
J'onn: Apparently, my eyes were on your back for too long. I was admiring your cape, but Danny believed my eyes were focused too low, and I was instead admiring your bottom. Dick threw glitter in my eyes a few hours later.
Bruce: *sigh* Danny is overly protective, and Dick does whatever his big brother tells him to. I don't know what to do anymore.
Oliver: Tell him you're a vampire but like a sluty one that feeds on lust instead of blood. He'll get scared and leave your dates alone.
Bruce: That's an incubus. What you just describe is an incubus. Also, that's a terrible plan. I would be in a hole so fast.
Hal: Yeah, but they would cry while they buried you so there's that at least
This is a part of my wheelchair/cane user Danny AU, and while I first had plans to draw Vlad and Dani in this AU- I just had to try my hand at drawing Cujo.
Cujo is a mobility assistant dog, he provides Danny with an additional level of balance support when Danny walks. He also has other tasks like item retrieval and "opening" doors.
He's also a trained diabetic alert dog! May as well put those heightened ghost dog senses to work.
More design explanation and little "rambles" under the cut, as always!
Someone in one of the other posts mentioned Danny using a hurrycane, and while I originally gave Danny a non-folding acrylic one for the aesthetic, I did want to give drawing different cane styles a go. This one has a wider base that swivels as he walks, and a small model of Pluto attached to the strap.
I imagine that, even though Danny would probably take the NASA designation very seriously, Pluto would become his favourite 'planet' after he develops his ice powers. Plus, in roman myth, Pluto is the equivalent of Hades- Hades has the dog Cerberus. And Pluto is a dog name- it was just too perfect.
When Danny brings Cujo to school with him, he brings a pouch of specialty ectoplasmic dog treats and Cujo's squeaker toy. He keeps those attached to his hip with a carabiner
Danny's new cane in this art has glow in the dark star stickers stuck all over it.
Cujo is modelled after a mastiff and bully- for no reason other than I wanted him to have the mastiff fur pattern and big ol' cheeks
Cujo being a diabetic alert dog actually comes from a gag line from a comic I've been working on. Danny was trying to get out of detention and fight a ghost, but Lancer rejects each of his excuses before he can make them, and one is "No, you may not go get Sam some juice or a snack, if she has low-blood sugar, I will get something for her."
But then I think it could just be a nice thing to train Cujo to do; I imagine that when Cujo is out with Phantom, he's alerted to a few random citizen's blood sugar levels
Cujo's full list of tasks include:
balance support for Danny while walking
"opening" doors (touching his nose to them to turn them intanglible for Danny)
item retrieval (less used due to how difficult ectoplasmic dog drool is to clean)
circling (where Cujo paces around Danny's chair in crowded places to give Danny space to move, stand up, or sit down)
wheelchair pulling (this is NOT an average mobility dog task- this is EXCLUSIVELY because Cujo is a ghost, he's got ghost strength)
and diabetic alert for Sam and other civilians.
More design rambles
Cujo's muzzle is non-restrictive. It's merely there as a signal to Cujo that he's still working, even if one or both of his vests have been removed.
The mobility assistant vest is inspired directly by a harness from Bold Lead Designs. I chose that one due to the adjustable height of the main bracer, but made a few changes; there is a leather bracer in front that's short and stays upright. The metal bracer can rotate back to lay against Cujo's side when it's not needed- and the plastic handle is moulded to curve around the shape of his body to make it lay flatter. There's a wool lining around the main parts of the vest for Cujo's comfort.
Here were my reference images:
The patches on the purple vest include "Mobility Assist" and "Diabetic Alert", a "Danny Phantom Certified SAFE GHOST" patch, another patch that says "Service Dog: Do Not Pet", and Danny's Casper High ID.
The light and dark gradient of Cujo's eyes is the reverse of what the humans have. Humans have highlights at the top of their irises and darker shades at the bottom, but Cujo has dark on top and highlight at the bottom.
Cujo's Axiom Labs dog tag has been replaced with a Danny Phantom tag.
The patches on the purple vest include "Mobility Assist" and "Diabetic Alert", a "Danny Phantom Certified SAFE GHOST" patch, another patch that says "Service Dog: Do Not Pet", and Danny's Casper High ID.
The light and dark gradient of Cujo's eyes is the reverse of what the humans have. Humans have highlights at the top of their irises and darker shades at the bottom, but Cujo has dark on top and highlight at the bottom.
Cujo's Axiom Labs dog tag has been replaced with a Danny Phantom tag.
Phew. That's a big list. Hope I didn't forget anything.
And that's about it for now. Like I said, I have plans for Vlad and Dani- but for now I just want to say this:
Thank you all so so much for the overwhelming support on my original post for this AU. 2K notes on the first drawings I did is insane- I have been blown away by how kind and excited ya'll have been about my design choices and art! And I'm so so so incredibly grateful for all of the wonderful people who gave me their feedback and advice, and corrected me on some of my mistakes.
I hope that as I post more, I continue to learn and improve.
also if I knew it was going to get so much attention I would have drawn backgrounds for the first two posts. They look so unfinished to me now ;-;
When I get time I'm going to go back and add some simple backgrounds to those two posts.
Thank you for sticking around and reading the rest of this post!
Nah I want the Observants to somehow mistake Danny for Clockwork, show up and low-key 'Kidnap' him back to the Clocktower only to find an amused and also angry Clockwork cause on one hand this is funny and on the other they blatantly showed up snatched Danny from a party, and it was because these dopes who are supposed to be watching over all things past present and future mistook a child's costume as the ghost of time.
…..not even six hours later i got an offer of a well paying full time long-term job with free room and board in queens in nyc, allowing me independence and a way to escape an abusive situation and an unhealthy environment
likes charge reblogs cast, folks, this is the good luck post
Danny comes to live in the Wayne manor. In order to keep his alter ego a secret Danny comes to the logical conclusion that he has to act like he is against vigilantism. This leads to a discussion on how, since vigilantism is still against the law, and even though they're mostly pardoned from it, Batman is a crime lord and all his sidekicks are or were his henchmen. The bat kids find this hilarious much to Bruce's chagrin. He dies a little inside every time the kids call him boss, bat boss or refer to each other as his henchmen. They even call each other nicknames like "youngest henchmen" or "undead henchmen" ect.
One day Phantom arrives at the justice hall to find Batman defeatedly banging his head on his desk. Phantom lends a sympathetic ear as Batman tells of his newest ward.
Oh my gOD-
Phantom listening to Batman’s complaining and equally panicking because “holy fuck Batman is Bruce Wayne” and also trying his best to not laugh because this situation he put himself in is a perfect opportunity to double down on the bit even more.
did someone ask for 2,722 words because that's what I have. Also bet you can't figure out all the Phantom Family Philosophy Acronyms! I got E.A.R from a fan fic and I wish I remebered which one bc it was amazing. Experience, Adapt, Repress. The E.A.R method. Like yeah, Danny would. anyway. enjoy!
There was one thing Danny did incredibly well, and that was Commit To The Bit. He was a shit liar no matter how much he tired or practiced, but since his undeath Danny had discovered his knack for Playing The Part. So it was one more acronym added to the Phantom Family Philosophies. E.A.R, P.T.P, T.S.G.H, F.A.F.O, W.I.D.D.D, D.N.H.T.N.S. They had worked so far, and he wasn’t in the business of fixing what ain’t broke. Bonus, his kids thought they were great too, they made banners and pins.
So when his parents went missing and presumed dead, Danny played the terrified teen to avoid Vlad easy enough. It was only half an act since Jazz was also missing, something he was far more worried about, and Danny knew what possible outcome going with the older halfling meant.
No dead heroes, he wouldn’t let that happen again. He went through too much to stop it the first time.
His family wasn’t dead, he was sure of it. He would know.
Even still, they had to send him somewhere. He was sixteen and couldn’t live on his own. He’d considered running away in the Fenton Airship, but someone would get a flight hero involved (or just shoot him down, probably) and… it would be a whole thing. So he dismantled as much of his parents work as he could. Useless scrap to anyone who didn’t know how it fit together. Copied blueprints, data, research, and other files before frying the server.
Just in time as someone had tried Tucker’s firewall just as he finished the kill switch codes. He added a surprise bug that was a pop-up ghost saying ‘i am a ghost, fear me.’ To latch into the hacker.
Server destroyed and research secure, he dismantled the portal last. It was both the easiest and hardest thing to do. He put the parts in the ops center and set to work there as well. It was easy to flood the machinery with his energy and then from the outside shot it with the shrink ray. Way to go dad, it worked. He marveled at the tiny blimp and put it in a secure container before taking apart the shrink ray.
That had been weeks ago, and now he was sitting on a couch in a room bigger than his fucking house and staring down the whole Wayne clan. There were like eight people here, maybe Jazz wasn’t too far off the mark about Bruce’s coping mechanism being to care for people. The only people missing were Bruce and the butler guy Alfred.
Weird that he was the only staff? Butlers were like store managers, Alfred should have at least twenty other specialized staff to order around. In an Old Money manor? What? He did his research!
“So I fit a pattern.” He said casually, as if he wasn’t nervous as fuck. Put that court training to use. Play The Part. He was just a snarky teen who wasn’t impressed with the situation. That broke the tension at least.
“You’re not a vigilante, are you?” The woman in a purple swearer asked, she looked far too giddy. Steph, right, Bruce had introduced her as Stephanie or Steph.
“That’s illegal.”
“He’s dodging the question.” Tim, he knew who Tim was easy enough, co-ceo of Wayne Enterprises. Fruit Loop complained about him, which meant he was already Danny’s favorite and only managing to accumulate more points in the cool dude column. Tim looked like a guy who could keep a secret, maybe he'd let him in on some things.
“No, I’m not a vigilante.” Danny answered with a roll of his eyes. He wasn’t surprised when Tim turned a tablet around to show his picture, back to back with Dash in orange hazmat suits. "Local Teen Leads Charge Against Pirates! Rescues Missing Adults!" A couple other activities he'd been caught in as Fenton followed. He was mildly surprised by the video of him taking down several of Walkers goons with the xiphos Pandora had gifted him once he'd mastered her training for them.
Yeah, Tim would be trouble, better to have him as an ally.
“No?” Sooner rather than later. Tim Drake-Wayne was no Wes Weston.
“Hunting ghosts is a family profession and not only sanctioned by the US Government, but encouraged. My friends and I might have called our group Team Phantom, but I’m not a Crime Lord like Batman.”
There was a beat of silence before hell broke loose, and Danny couldn’t help being amused and explaining what he meant. Going on about how He operated outside the law, had Henchmen who were varying levels of in charge of operations. "It's called delegating. I've seen a map, Gotham is huge. Obviously he's got right a whole crew to deal with it."
His core was practically buzzing with contentment from the sheer joy rolling off the Jason guy. The youngest seemed baffled and unsure if he should be offended by the conversations and since he was, like, twelve, Danny wouldn't blame him. He probably looked up to the guy. Another shame because, well, Danny kind of did too.
"Look, all I'm saying is the guy dresses like a bat furry and has a bunch of kids all dressed up under a theme of bats and birds and mostly fight other themed gang leaders. One of which is a flightless bird so wow, rude." Danny grinned a little, though he was starting to worry about Jason wheezing. Before he could ask, the Sad Puppy Man spoke up.
"Okay, but Nightwing is clearly not a kid. Neither is Red Robin." Danny really wanted to keep referring to him as Sad Puppy Man, but he would throw off the momentum of this amazing conversation.
"Richard, Dick, can I call you Dick?" Duke fell into another fit of giggles with Steph, who was texting someone at lightening speed. Dick didn't seem to know how to answer, which was great because it wasn't a real question.
"I'm sorry, you really think you're on to something here, huh? Those three are obviously grown up Robins." Dick opened his mouth and Danny flashed a grin, knowing exactly what was coming next because he'd asked the same thing when having this discussion with Sam and Tucker. "Including Red Hood, who is clearly a woodpecker. Thus keeping with the bird theme without the dick jokes."
Danny leaned back with his arms out across the back of the couch and crossed his legs. Smirking like he'd uncovered the secrets of the universe. "Also, Red Hood is vocally a crime boss. Who's got a gavel case dismissed."
"Okay but," Tim spoke up now, coming out of his moment of intense meditation. "What about Spoiler. They aren't a Bat or Bird."
"Freelancer. Everybody in a position of power has that one person who's always fucking with them. I know this because it's a time honored tradition, and I personally am also a freelancer in harassing a rich guy with weird hobbies. Thirty bucks says Spoiler has at least once put itching powder in Batman's suit. I did that to our mayor back home like the third week he was in office."
If Danny thought it weird that everyone glanced at Steph for a split second, he didn't show it. "
Danny wouldn't know the chaos he'd caused until months later.
=+=
Danny managed to convince Tim to help him find his family, something that was surprisingly easier than he'd planned for.
"You're sure they're alive somewhere?"
"Positive."
"Let's get to work, are you sure you don't want to tell Bruce?"
"The smaller the initial investigations the better. I have a lot of powerful suspects."
He was sure this would deter Tim from digging into him, but at least it would provide groundwork for the truth.
=+=
It took Tim exactly three days and a little help from Lonnie, but he had the information he was looking for. Erasing Danny's few slip ups since leaving his hometown was the easiest part.
If whoever Danny was running from wanted him, they'd have to go through him first.
=+=
Phantom had managed to make a pretty decent name for himself. Striking up friendships with Superman and the Flash first, which mostly consisted of showing up and helping with civilians. Sometimes aiding in preventing property damage too. As tempted as he was to also try and get Batman to like him, he also didn't want to look like he was stepping over Batman's boundary line.
The guy was pretty serious about supers not operating in Gotham, and he understood that well enough. Plus, he didn't want to risk getting found out. He didn't have much interaction with the Bats as Fenton, but he had ended up in a few altercations.
God forbid, he gets discovered while being grounded for throwing rocks at (and knocking out) the Joker instead of lying low. This opinion was likely because he was Fenton at the time. Danny's opinion was if the Joker didn't want to catch hands, he would steer clear of him or not attack the museum and fuck up the observatory show times.
Bruce was not impressed with; "Sorry Mr Wayne, but I don't put up with clown shit." Danny's funds weren't happy with the swear jar. Shit was absolutely not a twenty dollar word.
Regardless, Danny sought out Aquaman and Wonder Woman, finding it surprisingly easy to earn their trust. Bonus, he got some pretty good advice on dealing with the Atlantean afterlife politically speaking. Four out of seven wasn't bad for three months work, technically five since Flash was besties with Green Lantern, which meant he got a formal introduction and a two-hour conversation about Space Laws.
Hal wasn't too bad for a Space Cop.
Phantom gave each of them a Spectral Comm, so they could call him if they needed too. He also offered to make a couple more if they wanted, after giving them one for Batman. They hadn't been tested yet, but since they worked between realms, they might work through deep space.
Finally, his hard work had paid off. Well, that and all of his time travel adventures. As cool as hanging out with other heroes his actual age would be, his plans required higher level protection. Especially since the white vans were mobilizing more. Someone had upped their funding. Being seen everywhere but where he lived was turning out to be great for throwing them off.
Today, he'd been called into the Hall of Justice to talk to Hal about something, some ancient civilization had recently come to light, and they needed a translator. Being Prince of the Dead and Master of Talking Out of His Ass apparently also covered being able to speak any language someone was speaking to him with.
He found Batman sitting in one of the conference rooms after three hours of Phantom in the Middle. They had a pretty solid work relationship and while intimidating, Batman was a pretty cool guy. For someone people thought had no sense of humor, it was pretty easy to get him to crack a smile outside, you know, working.
Phantom had caught him being amused mid-battle by some of his quips, and that was a point of pride given the history of Robin's being talkative smart asses.
"Hey, B, You look like someone who needs a long vacation from several toddlers." He said, floating over and sitting down on the table cross-legged and head propped on his hands. "What's eating you?"
"Hello Phantom. I didn't know you would be here today." Batman straightened and nodded to him. There was some of that emotional constipation. It had to be a Gotham thing, right?
"Eh, Hal needed someone to translate, and it was easier to do it with the new tech room. Good news, it works like a charm! The power source is stable and whoever you assigned to maintenance is doing great with keeping the place and filter clean." He beamed and pretended not to see the quirk of his lips, even while practically preening at Batman's approval.
"But! You're deflecting. What's up? It's not top secret, is it? I bet it's Robin jumping into a group of armed men again, huh?"
"No, he's much better at following orders and becoming more patient."
"Aww, you sound proud of him."
"I am."
"Don't forget to tell him." Phantom reminded seriously. Having Elle and claiming Bart as a son had also helped sell him being older than he was. Co-Parenting with a semi-sentient layer of reality was interesting to say the least.
"Of course." Batman nodded seriously, grunting a thanks, which Phantom didn't comment on. One thing he'd learned so far was that Batman wasn't the best at saying what he felt, and often his actions didn't convey the meaning he wanted. "It's actually my newest ward."
"Uh oh."
"No, no, he's a good kid." Batman started, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers together while resting his arms across his lap and on the arm rests. "Brilliant, sharp-witted, capable. I would almost be worried about him trying to become a Robin..."
Phantom bit the inside of his cheek to avoid saying something he shouldn't. Reminded of what he'd said about Robin being a training position for Batman's right-hands.
"If he wasn't so vehemently opposed to Vigilantes." Phantom froze, the distinct feeling of 'I'm in danger.' springing to mind. He managed to make a sound like a curious 'Oh?' and Batman nodded. "My kids have... taken a shine to his ideas, and I have tried everything I can think of to get them to stop. It's gotten bad enough that just last night, Robin radioed for back up from Red Dead Henchman. Oracle was unreachable for ten minutes."
So this was how he died. Fully and for real. Here on a table in a conference room of the Hall of Justice. Facing down Batman, who could not possibly be who he was suspecting right now.
"That sounds, uh... well honestly that's kind of hilarious. Way to go, Robin making jokes!" Oh, god, did that mean... Holy shit, that would be Damian making a joke! He hated missing Damian's jokes, they were always so fucking funny when they happened.
"Yes, well, it would be nice if they stopped playing Crime syndicate on the job. It's one thing back home." The Ancients were not having mercy on him. This is what reaping what you sow feels like, isn't it?
"Good thing the new kid isn't on the scene at least, heh, doing the same thing in costume and out? Oof." Batman squinted at him, and Phantom fought the urge to go invisible.
"That's the other problem." Oh, oh no. "I don't know how he's doing it and I haven't caught him yet myself, but I know he's out at night. Hood reported seeing him lingering outside a condemned factory three days ago, but never saw him leave after he'd gone inside."
"Sounds sketchy."
"Mm." Batman sighed. "I suspect he's looking for his family. The police in his hometown have concluded they're likely dead, but some of the details in the police reports don't add up."
"Sounds like a cover-up."
"Hm, maybe. We attempted an investigation before he arrived, but someone had already cleared the data and the home was stripped of anything useful."
"Sounds like you should talk to the kid." Danny grinned in response to Batman's amused snort.
"He's very tight-lipped about this. I suspected it was just because he needed time to grieve, but if he thinks they're still alive." Phantom bit his tongue to avoid insisting he knew. "How do you suggest I start such a conversation?"
Phantom sat up, back straight and eyes wide. He hadn't expected Batman to confide in him, let alone ask advice. Maybe he should ask Pandora or Frostbite if he had some kind of 'I'm totally safe to tell your secrets too' power he didn't know about.
"As Batman. Investigating a case. You've seen him around places he probably shouldn't be. Good opener, I'd say."
"Hnm."
=+=
Two nights later, when Batman dropped onto his balcony, Danny had several colorful swears in a very, very dead language to say before screaming into his pillow.
Bruce Fucking Wayne was the God Damn Batman.
He could never let go of the Bit. He had to stick by his vigilantes are crime bosses until the heat death of the universe.
=+=
It wouldn't be until after Danny took the time to explain everything to Batman, pulling Tim in to help cover what wasn't in his notebooks, that Bruce would follow through with a suspicion he'd had for over a month.
Dick: *holding up his phone camera* -And here we see the elusive roommate, a rare beast who was thought to go extinct after the great finals started. You can see their panda like markings-
Danny: *voice muffled* Dick I will hit up your father and become your step-adopted dad. I have seen that man at Galas, its not that hard, get your phone away from me.
Dick: Okay I'm sorry, please don't become my step-adopted dad! *puts his phone back in his pocket*
Tucker: That was a great Comic-Con. I got to meet so many voice actors.
Danny: I know! I underestimated big city cons. I went way over budget.
Sam: How much did you spend?
Danny: four hundred
Sam: FOUR HUNDRED!?
Danny: I'm including the hotel room.
Tucker: Oh thats not too bad.
Danny: Might be easy for you to say. Both of you guys have money to spare. My extracurricular activities make it impossible to keep a steady job. I need a sugar Daddy. Anybody on this escalator want to be my Sugar Daddy?
Jason turning around: Sure
Danny: *Gasp*
Jason: How much you need, gorgeous?
Danny:...I dont know. I was joking.
Jason: If you want, we can go back down the escalator to the con, and I can buy you whatever you want, then you join me for dinner in the nerd theme bar.
Danny dazed: Okay
Sam: What's happening?
Tucker: I think we're witnessing the beginning of a Rom-con.
Sam: While cosplaying Pride and Prejudice?
Jason: Your cosplay was why I noticed you, actually. I always wanted to romance Mr.Darcy.
Danny: And I always found Red Hood really attractive. Your costume is perfect.
Jason: Thank you, gorgeous.
Tim, slightly in front of Jason: And you said this would be a waste of time.
AKA "Red Robin jokingly says I'll protect you to a civilian Danny Fenton, unaware this is a ghost proposal. Danny, also unaware this is a ghost proposal, accidentally accepts. So, uh... cue the awkward honeymoon phase?" Dead Tired DPxDC prompt idea!
Or: Tim Drake is a simp with a helping of gratuitously hot Danny Fenton
Red Robin is a disaster bisexual on a good day and a desperate simp every other day, or that's what Jason tells him. But seeing Daniel Fenton - Gotham-U aerospace genius and terrifyingly hot kinda-sorta-crush - about to get mugged feels like a good opportunity for Tim to show he's above all that. He's a hardened, experienced vigilante. He can do this.
Except Danny throws a punch hard enough to drop one of the muggers like a bag of bricks. His blue eyes almost glow in the dark, expression curling into something snarky and surprisingly self-confident. (Tim absolutely does not find that attractive, no. He's a professional.) Red Robin drops down into the alley with familiar ease, bo staff already swinging on the second thug. Danny's on the third one like an animal, slamming the poor guy into the wall so hard his head ricochets off the wall and he slumps in Danny's hold.
He's only wearing fitted white tee and jeans, the same outfit he was earlier on campus, so Tim can see the way his biceps flex and his pecs strain the chest of his tee when his shoulders roll back.
"Wow," Danny drawls. His midwestern accent should sound tacky, but Tim feels a flush burn his pale skin. Thank god for masks. "I was almost a goner there. Thanks for the save, Red."
Tim thinks very, very hard so he doesn't stutter. He's sarcastic and quick-witted, the smartest detective since Batman. He can flirt. (And maybe he's using his Red Robin mask for confidence, but who cares? The amount of times he's gotten tongue tied when trying to ask Danny out, despite sharing four gen ed classes with him, makes him want to claw his eyes out in embarrassment. Tim needs this win.)
"Seems more like an assist than a save. But I can be your knight in shining armor any day." Oh, god. That was the worst pick up line. Tim wishes one of the thugs would suddenly wake up and fight back just so he could get distracted from his utter failure of attempted flirting. Just as Tim's about to backtrack, apologize and say he's just joking, Danny laughs. A giddy, I-can't-believe-I'm-talking-to-you laugh that Tim's personally familiar with. He's suddenly dumbstruck by the idea that Danny might want to flirt with him back.
"Yeah? You'll be my knight?" Danny smiles earnestly, the usual nonchalant bad boy expression softening into something awkwardly endearing.
"Yeah," Tim agrees breathlessly. Jokingly, he adds, "I'll protect you."
As if Danny needs it. Clearly, he's more than able to protect himself, considering how easily he cleared two absurdly jacked muggers. He also has the intelligence of a potentially terrifying Rogue. And he's hot with his tight t-shirts and piercings and perfectly messy hair. And he's funny, matches Tim's sarcasm with his own snark, unashamed of the things he cares about with a passion. Anyways.
"I'll walk you home?" Tim means to sound confident and assured, like how he normally is as Red Robin, but it comes out almost bashful. And he is bashful... bashing his damn head against a wall. Ugh. Get it together, man! Danny laughs again and it's like the stars twinkling or something. It's beautiful. He wants to hear it all the time.
"Yeah. That's-uh, I'd like that." His crush smiles, a flush starting to dust over his ears and cheeks, and Tim turns to tie up the muggers so Danny can't see the goofy smile that takes over his face.
(The next morning, after taking Danny home, Tim Drake wakes up to a tattoo on his left hand. Specifically his wedding finger. The tattooed band is somehow glowing green with incomprehensible runes encircling his finger just beneath the knuckle. What. The. Fuck.)
((Danny Phantom stares incredulously at the wedding band on his hand. The words I'll protect you scrawl in Infinite Realms ancient script like an unbreakable vow. Oh, shit.))
Danny Fenton stopped screaming sometime between the sirens and the smoke.
Nasty Burger burned down to its foundations in less than ten minutes. The official reports called it a gas leak. The unofficial ones—whispered by EMTs and police who’d seen green fire crawl up the walls—never made it to paper.
Jazz, Jack, and Maddie Fenton were gone.
Sam.
Tucker.
Mr.Lancer.
Everyone who had ever known Danny as Danny died in that booth with the cracked vinyl seats and the flickering menu board.
Danny didn’t cry at the funeral. Didn’t scream. Didn’t even shake.
He smiled.
Vlad Masters took him in with the practiced sympathy of a man who had waited years for this exact tragedy. Soft words. Silk sheets. Promises of family and guidance and becoming what you were meant to be.
Danny knew how that future ended. Dan was trapped in a thermos locked away in the time keepers' tower.
He’d seen it in Vlad’s eyes—control disguised as love, possession dressed up as mentorship. A gilded cage with ghost-proof bars.
So Danny did the only thing his grief-ravaged mind could come up with.
He broke.
Not in the loud way. Not rage, not tears.
Something inside him simply… slipped its leash.
He laughed at nothing. Stared through walls. Spoke in flat, empty tones before exploding into sudden, bone-breaking violence. He phased through doors just to slam them behind him. He shattered lab equipment with careless flicks of glowing fingers. When Vlad tried to restrain him, Danny turned the tables and had Vlad strapped down in the same way he had done to Danny so many times.
Danny smiled wide and cold and asked, very politely, how Vlad enjoyed being powerless. He finally had Danny, wasn't it everything he ever wanted? Vlad trembled, and Danny's smile grew wider and sharper as he tasted the fear rolling off of the older Halfa.
Vlad lasted three weeks.
Three weeks of sleepless nights. Three weeks of reinforced walls and emergency protocols. Three weeks of realizing that the boy he’d wanted as a son was now a hollow, unpredictable thing wearing Danny Fenton’s face.
The paperwork was signed with shaking hands.
Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
Best psychiatric facility in the country.
Vlad didn’t visit after that.
The cell door clanged shut with a final, echoing boom.
Danny sat on the bed, wrists cuffed in glowing dampeners, and grinned.
Sure, Arkham was basically a prison. Concrete walls, barred doors, guards who watched like hawks. But it wasn’t Vlad’s house. It wasn’t full of expectations and manipulation and that suffocating mine feeling.
And honestly?
Arkham wasn’t that bad.
The food was incredible compared to whatever his parents used to burn. He could sleep as long as he wanted without alarms or experiments. No one expected him to be anything at all.
And the people?
Oh, the people were interesting.
Harley Quinn brought him pudding cups and talked nonstop, like silence physically hurt her. Pamela Isley—Dr. Ivy—spoke softly about plants and decay and rebirth, and never once looked at him like he was broken beyond repair. They didn’t flinch when his eyes glowed. Didn’t demand explanations.
They just… accepted.
With his powers, Danny could leave whenever he wanted. Phase through walls. Slip past guards. Vanish into the night.
He just didn’t feel like it.
Peace was a locked door and a scheduled routine. Peace was no one expecting him to care.
The only annoyance was Batman.
He showed up like clockwork—looming shadows, gravel voice, cape like a threat.
“You don’t belong here,” Batman said during their first meeting. “You’re a victim.”
Danny floated upside down, feet hooked through the bed frame, grinning at him.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
“You could have a better life.”
Danny’s smile sharpened. “Tried that. Didn’t like the ending.”
Batman came back again. And again. With therapists, with offers, with plans and contingencies and hope Danny didn’t want.
Each time, Danny refused.
Because Arkham was quiet. Predictable. Safe in its own twisted way.
And Danny Fenton—Danny Phantom—was just fine right where he was.
In Young Justice, Black Canary works as a counselor for young heroes, and sometimes other kids/teens.
What if…Phantom came to her for help? Not for himself, of course, but for his son!
Background
the Anti-Ecto Acts were repealed
Danny and Dani are part of the Justice League (whether Dani is part of the Teen Titans or another young superhero team is up to you)
Danny is 16-17 by now, making Dani 14-15, with Dan being deaged back to 14
Dan is on house arrest in his own personal rehab facility somewhere in the Realms, away from everyone else until they’re sure he won’t go on a rampage again. Dw they visit him when they can
The JL think Phantom is an adult because he wears a full hazmat suit that covers his face, Spirit is his daughter, etc
The JL also don’t know Spirit is a clone. The cageyness with which they talk about “fruitloop” and some other things surrounding how Spirit was “made” lead many to assume Phantom was taken advantage of
Obv no one asks the two about it because it’s clearly a sensitive topic
This means various JL members are silently collecting info about who “fruitloop” could be so they can lock them up
Slowly but surely, Dan had been making progress. Jazz was putting her psychology classes to good use when she visits him. Having a family member as a counselor/therapist is a conflict of interest, but she was the only one he was comfortable with, and wouldn’t maim. For a while, it worked.
Until it didn’t.
At some point, they hit a wall and he wouldn’t open up any further. Jazz isn’t surprised, “There’s a reason people are more comfortable opening up to strangers, you know. It’s less personal, there’s nothing to lose because a stranger holds no control over your life.”
So, they just have to find someone new to work with him. Someone unbiased, unconnected to their lives. No big deal, right?
Except Dan is…deteriorating. A ghost’s health is tied to their mental and emotional states, moreso than humans. Plus, he lacks the things needed for a healthy ghost; A fraid (besides Jazz he doesn’t tolerate his old relationships very well), an obsession (they don’t know what his is or if he has one, they tried giving him space stuff but it upset him. Reminds him of what he lost)
These things combined means he is doing…not well. At all.
But finding a good therapist/counselor is hard. Sure there are plenty of dead ones, but Danny still has to vet them. He refuses to have a repeat of Spectra. But Dan’s issues are also pretty unique! How many therapists are equipped to handle time travel, villainy, and all the trauma that comes with it? Very few!
Dan is getting worse (how this physically affects him is up to you) and it’s stressing Danny out. They may not have a good relationship, but he doesn’t want him to suffer, especially now that he’s actually trying to reform!
But then, he hears from Dani that Black Canary counsels the younger heroes, making her qualified to deal with Dan’s…everything. She may not be super knowledgeable on ghosts, but that can be remedied! Jazz is happy to giver her her notes on how ghost psychology differs from humans (she plans on writing a book on the subject)
So, Phantom pulls Black Canary aside one day and awkwardly asks (pleads) that she work with Dan. Promising that “You’ll be compensated, obviously, and there’ll be security and failsafes and I can even ask Clockwork to mess with time so it doesn’t interfere with the rest of your schedule—”
She appreciates the lengths he’s willing to go to get help for his son, and accepts the job, though she’ll just fit him into her schedule the normal way, uncomfortable with the idea of altering time for non-emergencies. Frankly, she’s excited for both the challenge, and to get closer to Phantom and Spirit. The two are great coworkers, but haven’t really opened up much about themselves personally, so this is progress!
From there she gets a quick rundown of the situation, some research about ghosts for her to study, and is sent to counsel Dan! Not without some misunderstandings, of course!
The reason Danny calls Dan his son even though they aren’t really close is because, if Dani is his daughter then it’s only fair to call Dan his son. And because otherwise he’d have to explain the whole “my soul was ripped from my body, fused w my nemesis’s soul, became evil and we had to deage him” thing and saying “son from another timeline” is way easier
Because of this omission, Dinah believes that in this other timeline, Phantom got taken advantage of again, died in childbirth, and his son was raised by “Fruitloop” to become a supervillain until Clockwork (who might be Kronos?) stepped in to help and Phantom defeated his own son before erasing that cursed timeline
From then on it’s a story of comedic misunderstandings, angst, and helping a traumatized teen through his redemption arc.
Bonus things I can see happening in no particular order
Dan ranting about Vlad, ranging from things like “nobody says no to Vlad Masters!” Is something he’s actually said! That’s a real quote!” To “he’s so ridiculous he doesn’t even swear! He just says things like “oh butter biscuits!” So lame!”
Spectra ending up on Dinah’s shit list when Dan tells her “my last counselor called me a freak” and she learns that there’s a villain who pretends to be a highschool counselor to torture students and feed off their misery. As soon as Vlad is dealt with she’s next lol
Have Dan pick up a bunch of random hobbies to 1 give him some healthy coping mechanisms and 2 maybe spark a new obsession in him. Dinah’s a florist sometimes I think, so maybe she gets him into flowers? Idk just give this boy some hobbies
Picking out a new name for him since “Dan” is literally just what they call him because he doesn’t have another name
After being sure he isn’t an active threat to the public he’s allowed outside, because he REALLY needs to socialize. Spirit introduces her hero friends to her “little brother” and they’re confused cus they didn’t know she had one
The first time Dinah calls him “hon” he thinks she’s going to call him a honey badger and loses his shit. She calms him down and makes a mental note to figure what that’s about
Welp, that’s all I’ve got for now, maybe I’ll add onto this later who knows
Not the restless, flickering kind this time—real sleep, heavy and bone-deep. Jason didn’t risk putting him back on the couch. Instead, he sat on the floor with his back against it, Danny curled in his lap like a cat that had decided this was where it lived now.
Jason stayed awake.
He counted breaths. Watched the rise and fall of Danny’s chest. Kept one hand anchored over the scars, like proximity alone could keep the kid solid.
Every so often Danny went faint at the edges, transparency creeping in when his dreams turned sharp. Jason would tighten his hold just a little, murmur something grounding—hey, you’re here, I’ve got you—and Danny would come back.
By dawn, Jason had a plan.
That should have worried him more than it did.
Morning light crept in through the blinds, pale and dusty. Danny blinked awake, eyes glowing faintly before settling into a softer green. He looked around, confused but not afraid.
“Did I… fall again?” he asked.
“Nope,” Jason said. “You stayed put all night.”
Danny beamed like he’d just been given a gold star. “I’m good at learning!”
Jason snorted. “Yeah, you are.”
He helped Danny up slowly, testing. Danny’s feet hit the floor and—miracle of miracles—stayed there.
“Okay,” Jason said. “Rule one.”
Danny straightened, serious. “Rules!”
Jason held up a finger. “When you start feeling floaty, you stop moving and breathe. Don’t fight it.”
Danny nodded hard.
“Rule two: you don’t wander off alone. Ever.”
Danny hesitated. “…’cause I might disappear?”
“’Cause Gotham eats people,” Jason said honestly. “You especially.”
That made sense to Danny, apparently, because he nodded again.
Jason rummaged through his kitchen and produced toast, peanut butter, and a glass of juice. Danny stared at it like it might vanish.
“For me?” he asked.
“For you.”
Danny ate like someone who wasn’t sure when the next meal was coming. Jason pretended not to notice.
After breakfast came the harder part.
Jason crouched in front of him again, gentle but direct. “Danny. I gotta ask. Do you remember anyone? Anyone at all before the… ouchie?”
Danny thought hard. Too hard. His glow flickered, then steadied.
“No,” he said finally, small voice apologetic. “Just me.”
Jason nodded. Memory wipes happened. Trauma did that. Magic did that. Lazarus pits did worse.
“Okay,” Jason said. “Then here’s what I remember for you.”
Danny looked up, trusting in a way that made something ache behind Jason’s ribs.
“You’re a kid who went through something bad,” Jason continued. “Something that wasn’t your fault. And now you’ve got abilities that are gonna take time to understand.”
“Like falling,” Danny supplied.
“Like falling,” Jason agreed. “But you don’t have to figure it out alone.”
He hesitated only a fraction of a second.
“If you want,” Jason said, “you can stay here. With me.”
Danny’s eyes went wide.
“You won’t give me away?”
“No.”
“You won’t be mad if I break stuff?”
Jason huffed. “Kid, I own reinforced furniture.”
Danny leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Jason’s neck, careful and solid and real.
“Okay,” he said happily. “You’re my person then.”
Jason froze.
Then he hugged back.
“Guess so,” he murmured.
Elsewhere, alarms began to ripple through reality.
The Ghost Zone stirred, empty and sealed where it should not be. Gotham’s magic took note of a new presence—bright, impossible, half-alive. Fate tried to correct itself and found teeth instead.
Clockwork watched the future unfold in branching paths.
Danny Todd—no, not yet, but close—learned control young. Learned grounding. Learned that powers didn’t make him a monster.
Jason Todd learned patience.
Learned gentleness.
Learned that saving a kid didn’t always mean pulling them out of the line of fire—sometimes it meant teaching them how to stand in it.
Clockwork adjusted one final gear. A mysterious rock appeared in Flash's path, breaking three toes on his left foot and two on his right foot.
“Messy,” he said fondly. “But stable.” A twitch of his finger and a brick landed on Flash's hand, breaking his thumb.
And in a small Gotham apartment, Jason Todd taped a piece of paper to the fridge.
Under ordinary circumstances, Danny wouldn't have resorted to throwing punches first ask questions later. But he was on the run and he was tired so when the hero sneaks up on him, he swings. Now he is on the run, tired, and has a concussed hero to take care of.
Concussed Super would be fun. They'd probably be extra out of it because they don't get concussions. This is a first for them. They don't know what's happening and they don't know what to do about it and thinking hurts and nothing feels right and is this magic? Mind control? Why can't they think clearly? Why can't they understand?
A Bat would get a concussion and at least know what it was, probably also try to power through it.
For maximum chaos? Let's add a kidnapping! Clark was playing Super Catch with Jon. You know, as ya do. Bit o flying, throw a ball with super strength, fly after it. Catch and repeat! Good wholesome fun!
But? Uh oh!
Who is this lost, bedraggled, upset looking youth?
Flying in Metropolitan air space?
Clark better put on both his Dad AND Superman pants and make sure he's oka-*WHAM* Mmmmm plurble! Tasting colors. He's okaaay! 👍🏻
Danny, however, is NOT. Because, oh god. Oh GOD! He just PUNCHED SUPERMAN! That's like punching a cop, your dad, AND a priest at the SAME TIME!!! He's going to SUPER HELL JAIL. On TOP of everything else! He's gonna cry!
But he's still being ACTIVELY being chased and he can't just LEAVE the guy with... a concussion? It seems kinda like a concussion. OH GOD, HOW HARD DID HE PUNCH HIM!?
Then?
Then!?
SuperBOY is there.
You know, SuperMAN's SON? Small child? The baby Kryptonian? Who just saw him PUNCH HIS DAD! Oh god, kid I can explain. I am so SO sorry, and-!
But THEN? Fuckers in White show up. Attack helicopters. Why. WHY do they have attack helicopters? HOW do they have attack helicopters?! Who the FUCK is okaying their BUDGET!? This is some Bruce Banner, chasing the Hulk, BULLSHIT!
He has no time to explain.
Because?
If it flies? It's a Ghost.
Open Fire.
Over a HEAVILY POPULATED CITY MID-DAY, WHILE HE'S HOLDING SUPERMAN. Because of COURSE they fucking do! When have they EVER cared about collateral damage! He... he doesn't know what anti-ecto rounds will DO to Kryptonian biology. Especially not a CHILDS.
He's not about to find out.
Boy under one arm, Man in fireman's carry over the other, Danny and the two Supers are OUT of there. At top speeds. Does he really have the energy to burn for this? No. But it's amazing what adrenaline can do, ain't it? Protection Obsession coming in clutch, pumping out fuel even as he burns it all away.
They end up half way across the country, phasing through trees to avoid CRASHING through them, as they make a VERY rough landing in some national park.
He thinks he might be crying. That or a head wound. Might be both. His face feels wet and he feels choked up, so could be a throat injury. Don't panic. Ignore the screaming fear in your brain and DONT PANIC. It can't help and just freezes you in place. Freezing gets you hurt. Might get someone KILLED.
He digs his hacked Fenton phone out of his torso. Still kneeling in the dirt. Hands shaking. He doesn't know what to do. But he knows who he can ASK at least. To help Superman. He may not be able to help himself... but... but he can HELP SUPERMAN. Fix this.
And? Look. Jon? Jon is a smart kid. He knows he is. Everyone always looks at him and Damian and thinks "oh, the grumpy one must be the smart one, that one must be the dumb sunshine-y one". As though THAT would ever fly! Damian would never tolerate him if he was dumb! For goodness sake, his PARENTS are award winning investigative journalists!
He just likes to be optimistic, is all. See the world for all the good in it.
And, yeah, at first? He was REALLY mad. This guy PUNCHED his dad for no reason. Hurt him. But? It was clearly an accident. And the longer Jon looks at him? The more messed up the guy looks. Bruises, scrapes, poorly bandaged injuries. Bags under his eyes. Shaking hands. And... well, he's crying. Pretty hard.
He didn't mean too. He really, really didn't. He just got startled. Was already on the run from the guys in suits. Didn't expect anyone else to BE up in the sky with him. Now he feels terrible. And Jon? Jon is pretty sure this guy isn't a bad guy.
Listens as he franticly calls some dude named "Frostbite" (ice powers, maybe?) and asks what to do. Tells him about punching his dad. Dad's symptoms. That he's a Kryptonian. The guy doesn't know what to do, obviously, but? What catches Jon of gaurd? Is... is apparently the guy DOES know someone who does?
He's on speaker, so the guy can check Jon's dad. "Elder Frostfang" is apparently the only one who studied in "that area" of "the Zone"? And this guy is some "great one". Lot of vague bits and clues. Jon's cautiously gonna say... alien, maybe? Half alien? Since he recognized Dad?
Mr. Frostfang talks him through checking symptoms. And... yyyyyep. Concussion. Ouch, he's heard those suck. Jon listens carefully to the care instructions. Frostfang talks like a doctor, so it's probably a good idea to follow them? Gonna double check when they get home though.
At least the dude who grabbed them is calmer now.
He thanks the doctors and gets off the line. Jon pipes up before he can put his weird phone away. Asks, politely of course, if he can call a friend of his dad. (Not "mom" in uniform. Never mom. That's the Rule. "Mom" is a mysterious unknown Kryptonian from space. Not award winning reporter Lois Lane.) So that people don't freak out.
Also hi! I'm Superboy!
The guy blinks, exhausted and frazzled. Before it kinda connects for him. His eyes widen and he practically fumbles the phone as he all but launches he at Jon. Yes! God yes! Holy SHIT, please! He is SO SORRY for grabbing Jon like that. His name is Phantom and he just didn't want to find out if Jon COULD get hurt by the specific type of weapons the Suit Guy's were using.
Makes sense, honestly. He'd do the same.
He calls his mom.
They've practiced this. "Hi Mrs. Lane! It's me, Superboy!" (Hi mom, I'm okay, I found a phone.) He runs through the script, casual as can be. Updates her on what going on. And when she asks? Hands her over to Phantom.
And Danny? Nervous. Tired. Wants to sleep for a thousand years but know he... he CANT stop moving. Isn't sure how he's gonna get Superman to his friends SAFELY. How he's gonna protect Superboy. If Superman's friends are gonna try and turn him in. He'll... He'll still go. Because Superman needs medical help, is hurt. But...
God, they're both so NICE? Everything that everybody says about the Super's is true. They really ARE nice people. You DO feel safe around them. Like they've been your friends for years. Like you want to be BETTER because of them, to prove they were RIGHT about you.
But... but Lois Lane? Holy SHIT. SHE? Is SCARY. Like, Sam's "I want to be HER when I grow up" alter of terrifying nightmare ladies, Scary. Respect at a distance. Like you would a very VERY big tiger. P-please don't eat me Mrs. Lane, I constitute a biohazard. I didn't mean to hit him.
She knows. She wants to know if he's okay and if he's currently safe. Tell her what's going on, kid.
And?
And there is something about the confidence, the "I can handle anything" coupled with the caring in her voice. That just... finally makes him break down. It's the voice of an authority figure, who actually gives a damn, who needs information so they can make things RIGHT. And... and he's been waiting... waiting so, SO long for that?
It all spills out. Not even just hitting Superman. EVERYTHING. All the things he's been wanting to tell someone but COULDN'T. Because he's just fourteen. Just fifteen. Just running and running and now sixteen. A kid. He wanted to be an astronaut, Mrs. Lane. Eat burgers and hang out with his friends.
He's scared.
It was an accident. (In the beginning and ever since. Isn't it ALWAYS?)
It takes a few tries, because Clark can't coordinate his limbs so good right now. But he manages to land a hand on the kids knee, gently squeeze. The world may be woozy and he may feel sick, but sobbing upset teenager needs a hug. Can't do NOTHING. Jon agrees. There are GOING to be hugs happening. Super hugs.
Mrs. Lane promises she's gonna fix "this". What IS this? Punching her... friend? College? Boyfriend? She's married but like... Tucker made a REALLY good case that they're a throuple. So who even knows. But, Punching Superman.
Is she gonna fix THAT... or... or like? Everything? How... how would that even WORK?
...
......
Well, with the Flash showing up, for starters.
He nearly punchs HIM too. Oh god, they're gonna think Ghosts ARE violent! He's attacking EVERYBODY! And not in the fun way! In the "kill you before you kill me!" Way!!! Danny might cry. Again. Today sucks SO MUCH.
But the Flash just? Moves out of the way. Cause of course he does. He's THE FLASH. He moves at The Flash Speed. The guy just keeps smiling and... and talking in that "hey, it's gonna be okay" voice that you use when you're pulling people out of wrecked buildings, and... and? He's never been on the RECEIVING end of it?
More Speedsters are here, to pick up the Supers. But the big guy is just... just focused on him? Talks in calm voice and shares an energy bar when he mentions his extreme metabolism. And... and please god don't let this be a trick. Because Danny has spent so long afraid, been so CERTAIN that the Justice League would side with the GIW and...
And they're NOT.
They're good people. Real, actual heroes. Older then him and know what they're doing and... and... God he's just so tired! He TRIED. He swears! But the threats kept getting bigger and the GIW showed up and his parents won't LISTEN! And... and his grades are in the toilet! And he knows! He KNOWS that shouldn't matter when LIVES are on the line, but it DOES! It... it does.
It's too much.
And? Barry tells him it's gonna be okay. Because they're here now. Because THIS? This IS their job. He did good. Held on. He was brave. And Barry is sorry he had to do that alone.
One super speed jog and a teleport later? They are where the GIW can officially kiss the League's collective asses. Space. American government has no jurisdiction HERE. There IS no extradition unless they say so. And the League says those laws are so far beyond unethical they bring new levels to the term "war crimes".
In FACT, they plan to say that publicly.
At a PRESS CONFERENCE.
But? In the mean time? This is the mess hall and THAT is a free bed. Pick an order of your choosing. Eat then pass out or pass out then eat. Just rest, kiddo. Let the adults handle this, for once. You did it. You got to safety. And once Superman is no longer smelling blue, you can apologize like ya wanted.
The concussion thing depends entirely on how you hit your head and how bad the concussion is.
The most common are the initial splitting headache, which can last and come and go for several days. From what I remember of mine, my whole head just had this heavy all encompassing pain. (Note that I had a mild concussion and my headache only lasted a few hours) my headache didn't start for a little while after I hit my head, I mostly just had the injury site pain.
Another common symptom is the lack of balance, although, I hit the back of my head on a floor and had no balance issues with mine.
Memory issues vary by a lot from person to person. But its not uncommon to not remember hitting your head at all. It can also be as simple as forgetting some of time leading up to the injury/right after or be as complicated as losing larger chunks of memories or having an extremely difficult time moving info from short term memory into long term memory (this was mine, and it scared me for a bit. It was extremely difficult for me to remember new information and I'd lose track of what was being said in a conversation while the conversation was still happening. There was a lot of asking people to repeat what they said and then repeating those words to myself over and over again until I thought I had it in long term memory. Luckily it only lasted a couple of days).
There's this one YouTuber whom I have followed for a number of years now. They had a major concussion and extensive amnesia (multiple years of time lost). I will not post any further details since appears the videos have since been taken down and I respect this creator's right to privacy, but it was very fascinating at the time to see how different their experience was from mine and just how amnesia can work in different ways.
Those are just a few things.
There's definitely the disorientated feeling right after you hit, but it's like any other sudden impact type of injury (I would compare it to falling off a horse but I realize that's not a universal experience). What I'm trying to say is, even if you don't hit your head, there's a few seconds your brain has to take to try to sort out things and take stock. There's that initial confusion and sort of dazed feeling almost. Harder to shake off when you are concussed, but with a mild concussion it can be easier to pretend you're fine or not be certain you even hit your head that hard.
I hope this helps a little. I am by far NOT an expert on concussions, just a curious soul who had an a-typical concussion and felt the need to learn more about the common signs.
Danny barista AU except it's written by an actual barista who's actually crashing out (its me. im the barista)
Danny was having a DAY. It was his last shift before he was going back home to visit Sam and Tucker for a few days and it was, to put it mildly: shit.
It had started a few days ago when a rogue attack had taken out two of his coworkers. Then the delivery was late and when it finally showed up but half the food was either expired, expiring, or missing. They over shipped napkins and sleeves but Clockwork forbid they sent small cups. Then two days ago one of his remaining coworkers decided they "weren't feeling well" and went home, only to be online later that day posting pics of their makeout session with their partner and a bong they were ripping.
Then the oven started smoking.
The espresso machine started leaking.
The remaining coworker kept correcting him. loudly. in front of patrons.
The coworker was. in fact. spouting nonsense.
A cup broke, spilling an entire caramel machiato all. over him. and the counter. and the floor.
He closed his eyes. sighed. chuckled and cleaned it up. Started to remake the drink. handed it off to his coworker. grabbed a wet wipe. and went to the back to clean up. he looked around. and briefly went intangible, just enough to clear the milk that happened to get past both his apron AND his shirt, and the bit in his socks. He went back out.
His coworker got a phone call and 'had to leave' taking the contents of the tip jar with them.
Danny stared after them. Then looked at the next customer.
The next customer looked at Danny, looked at where the coworker went and then looked back at Danny.
"Did they just-"
"yup."
"are you gonna-
"Nope. What can I get started for you."
"Just a quad shot over ice in a medium cup, six pumps white mocha splash of heavy cream and a pump of raspberry syrup if you have it. They really just watched you get covered in milk and espresso, took a phone call, stole all the tip money, and bounced?"
"Yup. That'll be $8.95"
"And you're ok with that?" The guy asked as he tapped his card on the machine.
"Man, that's like, the least shit thing that's happened today, let alone this week. Also, not the first time they've done that and probably won't be the last. I've taken to presplitting them when they're on break so when they inevitably take everything they're not getting everything everything." Danny said as he started queing the shots and threw ice and the white chocolate into the cup. the espresso machine leaked. Danny glanced up, no one had a good angle on him. He slipped his arm into the machine and tinkered. The water stopped leaking. He added the raspberry and heavy cream.
"-fucker. Imma kill you for that-"
Danny's head snapped up just as he went to hand off the drink. The guy made an aborted motion to grab it as he too turned to the sudden commotion.
They both saw it at the same time.
"Get down""Gun"
The Gothamites in the cafe dropped in unison. Danny looked around. He put his arm back through the espresso machine and riffled around, then he scooched over to the coffee brewer and fiddled with the hot water component.
Muffled yelling was heard
"Anyone close enough to push the condiment table in front of the door?" Danny called over the counter. Silence. Then shuffling. Then finally the sound of a heavy object being pushed across a tile floor. "Cool. That'll buy a few seconds and should stop at least two. maybe three bullets outright and slow down at least four to five more. Anyone call the cops?"
Silence.
"Ya. That's fair. Anyone able to signal one of the bats?"
Some whispering. The noise outside was getting louder and more agressive.
"Ok, if you can, start to make your way back here, kids first, then anyone who cant move fast. We're gonna try to go out the back, alright?" something hit the door. He heard shuffling and saw a 14 and 12 year old crawl behind the bar.
"ok, we gotta stand to get there so we gotta move fast, you have a safe place to go from here?" the two nodded.
"okay, I'm going to go first, make sure the ways clear, wait 15 seconds and then follow it's about 11 steps straight back then a sharp right 9 steps and then the door. got it?" more nods. Danny crouch scuttled to the door to the back pushed it open and then stood and quickly made his way through the back clearing as much of a path as he could in the process. Exactly 15 seconds later the kids were behind him, he unlocked the security door and ushered them out. "stay low, and move quick. get inside once you're somewhere out of the cerfuffle. and stay there until the Batfeed says it's clear/containtained."
"Thanks.""We will." He watched them run off for a moment before re securing the door. When he got back to the bar he saw a girl on crutches and a man with a cane and someone clutching their bag to their chest.
"okay. it's about 20 steps total. 11 straight back, 9 to the right and then the door. do you guys have someone to pick you up or meet you? If not I have a friend who can meet you a block away and take you wherever you need to be." two had rides or lived close enough it didnt matter and one needed one. Danny pressed a button on his Fenton phone and said an address. "Come on." the group made it through the back and out the door.
Danny got back just as another bang rang out. The last guest he had before his bad day went to shit was there along with 5 more people. "There's only a few more after this. and I just got news. The bats are on their way. There was a jewlery store break-in which is why it's taking so long. there were hostages." Danny nodded and turned his attention back to the small group. reiterating his instructions and leading them out. Making sure to resecure the door behind him. It would be really stupid to get them out only to have someone else sneak up behind them.
He was going to kill his coworker(s) when he saw them next.
and demand a raise.
(He would do neither)(he would bitch about it to Sam and Tucker though)
He went back and led the rest of the guests through (one had the audacity to complain about not getting their drink).
He heard a crash just as he locked the door behind them. He sprinted back. The table had done its job alright. but it was now in pieces on the ground. The Other Guy was behind the counter with a knife in his hand. (Not one of the stores a part of Danny that used to be a hero noticed)
"You alright?"
"Ya. They all got out?"
"yup. That guy ok?"
"Probably not."
"Awesome. Danny, by the way."
"Tim."
The guy groaned and started to sit up.
"The bat birgade here yet?"
"Doesn't look like it."
"Great. Cool. Sweet. Awesome. Ok. Stay behind the counter and under 36in."
"What? no!"
"Just. Trust me."
"why should I‽"
"I did a thing."
"You did a thing?"
"I did a thing."
"and what praytell-" Tim's rant was cut off by the sound of gunshots getting closer and another person entering the store and the two starting to fight. (or continuing. Danny really didn't know where they were in in the fight) Danny slid back over to the espresso machine. "Tim. You see the coffee brewer?"
"Ya"
"when I say, push the red button and hit the floor."
"Why-"
"Just do it."
"ok ok."
"on my mark."
The two seemed to finally notice that they had company. And weren't happy about it. They started to head in Danny and Tim's direction.
"Danny-"
"Wait for it."
The gun slinging duo got closer. Shots rang out.
"Danny I really think-"
"Wait for it."
The sound of someone landing feet first on top of a man from a great height echoed into the cafe. (Danny was usually the cause of that sound, in his experience. it was weird hearing it from this side of things) he waited a moment. The sound of fisticuffs reached them.
"NOW" Danny hit the eapresso machine once, firmly just as Tim hit the button on the brewer. They both hit the ground at the same time. Nothing. and then, just as Tim was about to say something, both appliances exploded, spewing hot water/espresso beans at the thugs pointing guns at them. They screamed, clutching at their faces.
"You 'did a thing' did you?"
"What? I told you to trust me."
"Danny I-"
"Everything alright in here?" Batman asked, startling the two.
"Uh, ya. I think they'll need medical attention though. They seem to have burned themselves." Danny commented dryly as he nodded towards the two on the floor, clutching their faces.
Batman looked at them men writhering on the floor. Then at Tim. Then back at the men on the floor.
"Don't look at me B-Batman. He's the one that rigged his equipment to explode on command with like, 30 seconds notice."
"What." Danny said, looking up from where he was picking at his nails.
"The coffee maker."
"Excuse me. Jessica isn't a coffee maker. She's a miracal maker."
"That you exploded."
"Whose energies I temporarily redirected towards an alternative activity."
"With 30 seconds notice."
"I plan escape routes when I get bored. or annoyed."
"Marry me."
"what."
"what."
Musings of an Artist @starlie - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
