WC: 915
CW: Vivisection, Implied/Referenced Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Off Screen Character Death, GIW, Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton Danny Fenton, Panic Attacks
Their little shadow was showing themselves more. Dick’s nickname seemed to have stuck with the family occasionally actively addressing the entity by some variation of ‘little shadow’ in various languages. They still didn’t know the exact identity of the being, but Bruce had his suspicions.
Trusting his gut was something that was always hard for Bruce, what with his need to know. He would rather trust research and facts. But right then his gut was telling him that their little shadow was the boy who had been coldly labeled as the entity FBA-P_01. The boy who had bled red like a human when the scientists cut into him before it ran green. But Bruce also knew that he couldn’t be objective, not when the boy had looked so much like Jason had laid out on the autopsy table.
The Justice League had been working their way through more of the encryption on the files and making their own database from the information. FBA: full body apparition. It was a title for the ghosts who took on a humanoid form that could be fully interacted with. The GIW considered these the most important test subjects. Unlike the A-E classes, which had multiple files, the P was a classification had only been used twice. Once for the boy and once for a FBA-P_02, who was listed as ‘unsuitable for long term study’ and marked as terminated. ‘Phantom’ had come up in once in a file connected to FBA-P_01, leading them to believe that was was the origin of the P marker. Reports from Amity Park— the city that had brought the Anti-Ecto Acts to light— cited Phantom as their town’s hero.
The boy had been a vigilante. Another black haired, blue eyed teen hero that had died; that might have stayed dead.
Bruce pushed himself away from the computer after locking it down. He knew he needed to brief his children on the information the Justice League was finding— they had a right to know what with the little shadow becoming part of their home— but Bruce didn’t know how to broach it. He wanted a few more answers first, a few more certainties.
Besides, the children had been doing so well at making them feel more at home. Now that they were showing themselves more, made it easier to try and meet their needs. Bruce was sure that when he made it upstairs for lunch there would be a place at the table set for their newest member also.
It was never a full plate, but Alfred had started being sure to set out a little bit of what the family was having for the little shadow. It had started with Jason and the other children slipping bits under the table, but Alfred soon declared that unacceptable behavior— their shadow was not a dog— and so a place at the table with a small plate had been set. The food only ever disappeared when no one was looking, but it seemed to be enjoyed if the noises the shadow made was an indication.
Sure enough, there was an empty plate other than Bruce’s. It was a rather full table for a weekend lunch— Damian, Tim, Cass, Duke, and Dick were all gathered. Another thing that the little shadow had brought Bruce: more time with his children.
-
Phantom watched the family at the meal. Watched Bruce (not Batman, the man tried so hard be Bruce around his children) ask Dick (golden and smiling) about his day. Watched Tim and Cass fight (play fighting, not real) over the last piece of garlic bread on the serving plate.
He had a little piece of garlic bread too. He waited, carefully, until no one was looking to pull it down under the edge of the table. Oh, it was good. Of course it was, everything that Alfred made was good, but this was very good. This was almost cookie level good. Phantom trilled happily at the taste. When he peered back over the edge of the table, there was another piece on his small plate!
Phantom looked up. Duke was smiling down at him.
Phantom shrunk back. He didn’t mean to. He knew (part of him knew) that the plate was for him and so the others must know he was there, but he still felt so seen when one of them looked at where he was. Being seen was dangerous.
Being seen meant tests and blades and being cut cut cut.
The sound of the table quieted suddenly.
Oh, he must have made a noise.
“I do hope the silence is due to everyone simply being too busy eating,” Alfred said as he swept into the room, breaking the tension of the moment. “Though heavens knows that a full mouth has never kept any of you from talking.”
“I would never,” Damian said with a haughty sniff.
Conversation surged again, picking back up as people defended themselves or called others out. Without looking, attention seemingly on the new argument, Duke nudged the plate towards Phantom. Phantom… not breathed, he didn’t need to breath, but he… relaxed, like all the air had gone out of lungs he didn’t have in a sudden relieved whoosh.
He was safe here. He was safe with Batman Bruce. He was safe with Bruce’s family. He knew that, he knew that, he knew that.
Sometimes, still, the fear choked at him; made him feel like he couldn’t breath.
(He wondered what it was like to breath.)
(He used to breath, he thought.)
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AN: Getting back into writing both Bruce and this version of Phantom has been a task! But I think it's getting there. Our poor little shadow...
First two chapters are up on ao3 here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I hope to have this chapter done and up in a week or two! As always, sorry for any typos in this first draft version, I'm suffering from the after effects of a sensory induced migraine still and my vision is a bit doubled. This is why I beg Moku to beta things for me lol
So this Eldritch!Danny was inspired by this but could be for any Eldritch Danny prompt:
Okay..here me out-
The JL finding out about Phantom due to him being trapped in his eldritch primal form (four arms, lots of wings, eyes, s
He did have a crown but it was too much and I may add it in on a future drawing. Added a no background cause I like it. If anyone writes about this one could i get a heads up pls? I wanna read it!! Also NO STEALING, NO REPOSTING
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
His gut was telling him the little shadow was the boy who had been coldly labeled as FBA-P_01. The boy who had bled red as a human when the scientists had cut into him before it had run green. But Bruce also knew that he couldn’t be objective, not when the boy looked so much like Jason had when laid out on the autopsy table.
