Summary: Danyal reflects on the mending and burning of bridges.
Inspired by this post.
- - -
Danny stared and stared some more at his phone’s screen, undecided on what he wanted to do.
Somehow, he had seen his brother again.
Damian had grown, just like him, not just in height but as a person.
He was now an established vigilante, a champion of justice in his own right, an ally of the Justice League, fighting evil and protecting the weak.
He was a completely different person from the little boy that had ran him through with a sword at the behest of their grandfather, with a disgusted glare as he stared down at his dying twin.
He was good now.
But in truth, he was the boy that had killed Danny, the brother that he had wrongly trusted, and thought could be on his side.
Danny sighed, dropping his phone in his lap and wondering not for the first time at how they had ended up being so different, already back in the League, how had Damian not been able to see how wrong things were, when they had been raised together, and Danny had realized it early enough? Realize that the soldiers were people, and not just props or tools to be discarded –to be killed – on a whim.
Well, Damian seemed to have realized it by now, been taught better, like all he needed was for someone to talk sense into him.
Why hadn’t Danny’s pleas been enough?
And there was also… their… extended family. Their father, the Batman, and all the people he had brought with him.
Most of them had been… tentative, he would say, in the short time they had interacted. They saw that it was a tense situation and had handled themselves with care, hadn’t pushed Danny, but still showed they would welcome him if he decided to approach. That was nice of them.
The mater of his father, though…
Danny had thought, over and over as he smuggled himself from country to country with mother’s help until they had to cut contact least they be discovered by the League, about seeking his father, the mighty warrior that even his grandfather respected, someone who could protect him from the League.
Then he had found out about Robin, and decided against leaving one child-soldiering life for another.
Then he had met the Fentons, and he didn’t regret it one bit.
(He understood now, though, that the vigilante life didn’t respect ages, and sometimes you just had to step up, because you could, and no one else.)
And now he had the chance to have it all if he wanted. But if he did, it’d have to be everything, he couldn’t be cherry-picking what he wanted and what not, it was all or nothing.
“Nothing it is.” He deleted the number from his phone and the memory of it from his mind, and the slip of paper it had been scribbled on was burnt in green fire along with the communicator Batman had handed him (hesitant, hopeful, beneath his calm façade), and ended up in his trash bin once it stopped radiating heat.
Even if he wanted to have that part of his family, he didn’t want anything with Damian, and he wouldn’t make them choose between the two of them. The Bats were Damian’s and the Fentons Danyal’s, and that was it.
And maybe, just maybe, he would be broken all over again if they all chose his killer over him.
- - -
There is a post on tumblr that uses "Get in the Water" from EPIC: The Musical (my current fixation), where Danyal gives Damian a good scare for having killed him and things spiral from there for the bats. I love it very much.
I don't actually hate Damian or anything (i don't really care for his character, but the bats are a package deal), but as an abused sibling i've always hated with a passion the whole "forgive your abusive sibling uwu, they did't know any better u.u" fuck that noise. Even if they change and grow to be a better person, you don't have to forgive your abusers or be part of their lives so that they feel better. Fuck that very much.
i'm a bit of a hypocrite tho, since my fave is Jason and i forgive him the Titan's Tower incident (but if what i've read about Tim talking shit about Jay after he became Robin is true, then I won't even excuse him. shoulda hit 'im harder. i'll have to check that). alas i also don't care for Tim so i don't really read as much on his relationship with Jason. it's complicated but I wrote what i wanted.
please feel free to leave your opinion! on the subject, on the fic, i'd love to read it!
