I had the sudden vision of Tim getting hit with some magic that temporarily, harmlessly!, alters his reality into that of a movie
Like sudden dramatic background music for intense situations, or a change in “filters” for “scenes” — everything was perfectly in color up until he turned the corner and now the world has a blue filter for some reason
Or headache inducing double vision that lets him see people when he rightfully shouldn’t be able to — like those scenes that show the back of someone walking away then switch to the person walking away’s front so we see their expression or or the camera shows someone’s hiding behind a corner that no one notices
And this only affects Tim, no one else notices
And so he’s very annoyed but intrigued when this random guy he bumped into is being bathed in angelic lighting with some string music playing in the background and now suddenly there’s like roses floating around him?
(It’s Danny and the magic has cast him as the Love Interest)
You know that Teen Titans Go episode where Raven was split into her different emotions? Anger, Happiness, Sadness, etc.?
So that but it happens to Tim Drake
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be his emotions, but like different aspects of his personality or something
And, someway somehow, one meets Danny
So Danny only gets to know this one aspect of a whole guy and doesn’t realize it
Imagine the possibilities of what their relationship could look like based on which aspect of Tim Drake that Danny meets
Maybe it’s one of the characteristics/emotions tied to his kindness so Danny falls in love with him — which can then segue into a complicated un/requited love because Danny only fell in love with one part of Tim while Tim was never whole enough to feel love or such for Danny
Maybe it’s one of the more …negative characteristics/emotions that meets Danny and creates a bad impression forever souring any relationship they could have
And then imagine when Tim is made whole again— does he remember what any of his individual selves got up to? Or is it all blurry and vague impressions that something happened but not what
Tim is the son of a noble family that goes under, gets adopted by the emperor
Danny who was in training to be a knight for Tim’s family before it went under, the only other that was near Tim’s age
Childhood friends that grew apart due to their duties
A childhood promise of protection that one forgets but the other uses as motivation
Danny joins the empire’s knighthood— rising in the ranks until he can be posted near the royal family, near Tim to keep that promise
Keeping his identity secret because it doesn’t seem like Tim remembers their promise or friendship and doesn’t want to make things complicated for him
Becomes a close but silent protector and friend once again but only addressed by his title
Danny— who has been pining since they were teens but resigned to it never being returned
Tim— who misses his childhood friend crush and is now pining over his personal guard but doesn’t believe the other could ever like him outside of his obligation to the royal family
And the politics involved with being a part of the royal family—including arranged marriages
It’s a statement of fact. Everyone and everything dies at some point. Just another part of life you can’t do anything about.
So Danny dies.
He’s torn apart by the very thing his parents’ poured their soul into— their pride and joy for most of their lives. He’s destroyed by his parents’ love.
And Danny doesn’t stay dead.
He stands hunched over the bathroom sink with a white knuckled grip. Head bowed and eyes tightly shut. Breath a little too heavy and loud in the night’s silence.
He’s still in the outfit he…
He stayed holed up in his room all day, unwilling to see or been seen by anyone. Stayed curled up in bed, hiding away from the world and himself.
But now in the dead of night, locked in a bathroom with walls that softly glow from contamination, he slowly unravels. He doesn’t look as he peels off the suit, hands shaking once it’s pulled off his top half.
Danny died.
He breathes.
Danny is alive.
Which does the universe concern itself with most?
When he opens his eyes, is he going to find the name of a stranger on his wrist - a stranger he’ll never get to know and love, a stranger he killed..
Or will the universe be merciful and his wrist will be blank - his soulmate still alive.
Danny died.
In a moment of stupid teenage recklessness. It was his mistake.
Danny is alive.
They should be too, right?
~*~*~
There are several ways I can imagine this going honestly.
If there’s no name on the wrist then Danny can call into denial about his own death— smooth it over as an accident and that he has powers, not that he’s actually dead or half-ghost
Which opens the door for Consequences— on his side and on the side of his soulmate.
Especially if he doesn’t think to check his wrist while in ghost form— so every time he Goes Ghost, his soulmate could die and like stay dead until Danny returns to human form in which case how do you mourn for someone that you’ve seen die and wake up numerous times and how do you go about your day never knowing is this finally it?
Or if there’s like a smudge where the name should be, Danny can completely deny his ghost half in fear that transforming will completely kill off his soulmate
So Phantom ends up being a human vigilante instead of another ghost
But in suppressing a part of himself Danny becomes sick until he’s forcefully transformed and can’t transform back
Danny and Tim should meet by Danny selling solutions to problems online.
He has good reviews— covers all sorts of problems from comedic to serious to everyday stuff.
Tim should pay him to solve like a small problem first— maybe any interpersonal relationship problem? Something at work or school?
Then once they build a rapport, he gets so stressed on a case he decides to go to Danny who has a solution and it snowballs from there I think until the problem is a World Ending thing because i think it’d be funny
I have a sudden desire for a Singer Danny au where he is the equivalent of Taylor Swift with a long list of ex-lovers~ that are the inspiration for his music
And Tim is either on that list or the friend that’s singing I’ll treat you better~ in the background
