Protective Instincts: Part 1
Based off my “Mistaken Identity AU” wherein Danny momentarily mistakes Bruce as his father and is eventually adopted into the family. Full serious of Protective instincts stories will be up on AO3 when they are all written.
“Alright Danny! Courtesy of our new best friend Oracle, I have your brand new ID hot off the press.” Tucker called into the room as he entered.
Danny and Sam were in their shared bedroom in Wayne Manor. Danny was finishing painting Sam’s nails with her customary black. His own were painted a dark purple. Now that they were all finally safe and reconnected it was time to get back to feeling like themselves again. It was well past time they had fun and colorful (or black in Sam’s case) nails. Tucker would get his turn as soon as Sam’s were dry.
Of course there were more than enough rooms in Wayne Manor for them all to have separate rooms, but after a chaotic first night wherein every member of the trio had their own nightmares then panicked when they couldn’t find each other. Even Jazz, usually the most emotionally steady and mentally healthy member of their group didn’t sleep at all that first night as she kept checking on Danny, Sam and Tucker.
So it was decided that the trio would share a bedroom. The bedrooms were definitely large enough for the three of them to sleep side by side by side, and considering they had all crammed themselves into Danny’s tiny twin at the Fenton’s household, they slept comfortably. Plus it made it easier for Jazz to anxiously check on them if they were all in the same bed. Alfred and the Waynes didn’t say anything about them rooming together, though the trio did get a few raised eyebrows when they left their room together.
“Daniel Edward Nightingale.” Tucker said as he handed over the ID with a flourish.
“I can’t believe you picked Edward as your middle name.” Sam said with a sigh as she started to blow on her nails to get them to dry.
“Well Jazz wanted her last name to be Nightingale, you two wanted to share a last name.” Tucker said as he sat down and started looking through the nail polishes that Cassandra and Stephanie had loaned them. Sam’s collection was still in Amity Park. “There are so many puns I can come up with, with those letters.”
Left unsaid was that any middle name that started with an A was completely off the table. Danny didn’t need anymore reminders of Dan. Danny looked over his new paperwork as he spoke.
“Yeah and we’ve already established I’m terrible at naming things. That’s apparently something I inherited from Jazz.”
None of them mentioned Jack and Maddie’s terrible names they gave things. There were a lot of things that were being left unsaid between the three of them.
“Actually, speaking of my sister, have either of you seen her?” Danny asked, standing and stretching.
“Yeah, I handed her ID to her first. She immediately grabbed her purse and left the Manor. Apparently she’s desperate to start the job search so she’s not indebted to Bruce.”
“Did she leave alone?” Danny asked, his voice rising and he knew his eyes were flashing green.
“No, don’t worry. Jason was standing around in the kitchen and he got voluntold to be her escort. He’s got his guns, and Jazz has her creep stick. They’ll be safe.”
“You don’t sound thrilled. I know you’re worried about her, but she’ll be ok.” Sam said as she started layering a neon blue polish onto Tucker’s nails.
“Yeah, I trust her.” Even if his voice was a little hesitant. “It’s just now that we have real IDs and everything, I was hoping she would help me get my prescription set up, it’s been like a month since I had my last T shot.”
Tucker whipped out his PDA and started typing one handed while Sam glared at him to stop moving so much lest she mess up his nails.
“I’ve got the closest respectable pharmacy, and I’ve already sent in your prescription. I’ve even rearranged their queue and marked your order as a priority fill. It should be ready to pick up in a few minutes.”
Danny gave him a wide smile, then looked nervous again.
“Uh, I was also hoping Jazz could help me administer the shot. Maybe one of you could…?”
He trailed off as both of them looked uncomfortable. Sam capped the polish she was working with and put her hand on Danny’s arm.
“Danny, we love you. But I don’t think either of us are going to be able to stick you with a needle any time soon.” She said. Tucker gave him an anxious smile and a small nod.
“Oh. Well I guess I could do it myself. No problem right!” Even in his own ears the words sounded like false bravado.
“Hey, maybe one of the Waynes would be able to help you out?”
“What can the Waynes help you with?
Before Danny could reply a voice from the hallway made him whip around. Tucker had left the door open in his excitement and standing there, not entering their space but still leaning casually on the doorframe was Dick Grayson.
“Sorry to butt in. And for eavesdropping but I couldn’t help but overhear.” Dick said with a small smile, trying to put them at ease.
Danny consciously forced himself to relax. When he had been startled he had whirled so he was in front of Sam and Tucker his fists raised and his gleaming with a green light. He let out a slow breath and relaxed his clenched and ready muscles. Dick wasn’t a threat. Sam and Tucker were safe. He was safe. He breathed slowly in then out again before he shot a smile back at Dick. He already told the Waynes his biggest secret, what was one more secret? Better to know now if there was going to be a problem before they all got comfortable.
“I was hoping for some help administering my T shot.” He was still tense, but when Dick’s face only changed to a wider smile he relaxed more.
“Oh, I can help you. I’ve helped Wally with his plenty of times. There’s just something about having to stick yourself with a needle that is so much worse. May I come in? Or would you prefer to do it in one of the restrooms?”
Danny relaxed further, almost back to how he was when it was just him, Sam and Tucker in the room. He glanced at them and they both gave him a nod so he nodded ot Dick.
“I don’t have the prescription yet. I was just going to go pick it up.”
Dick entered and glanced curiously around, but quickly refocused. Danny was sure the room was a little messy, with two teenaged boys living there, and all three of them still living out of their suitcases in case they had to leave quickly. However Danny didn’t feel like Dick was judging them at all.
“If you’d like I can swipe the keys to one of Bruce’s cars and drive you to the pharmacy. There’s no worries there.”
Danny hesitated again for just a moment before he nodded. He had been planning on going ghost and flying to the pharmacy then just taking the package with his name on it and disappearing, but maybe it would be better to do this as a human.
“We’ll be here when you get back. Be safe out there. Love you!”
Dick gave him another small smile at their farewells but didn’t say anything. Tucker and Sam had been doing that a lot more recently. He didn’t mind, his core always purred and hummed when they did and he certainly loved them, but he wasn’t sure why or where that had come from.
While he was caught up in his thoughts on his friends Dick had grabbed a set of keys and escorted him into the very full garage. Despite the number of luxury and sports cars that filled the space, Dick led him to one of the more normal looking cars. Still fancy, and still nice, but common enough that it wouldn’t be obvious that a Wayne was on the roads. Dick waited until they had pulled out the front gate and were on the road before he spoke again.
“You don’t have to worry about anyone in the family giving you a hard time.” He said, with his voice soft, comforting. “Half the family is queer and we all have friends or associates who are part of the community.”
“Thanks. That’s good to know.” Danny said. His parents… no. Jack and Maddie had been accepting of his gender identity, but had hated his ghost half. He had been afraid that the Waynes might have been the opposite, ok with his ghost half and bigoted against his gender identity. Though maybe he needn’t have worried, Dick after all, had the most Bisexual energy Danny had ever seen outside of a mirror.
The trip to the pharmacy was quick and efficient. With Dick standing guard and fully willing to stare down or call out anyone who even looked at him funny when he asked the pharmacist for his prescription, Danny was able to get in and out without a problem. Honestly with Dick towering over him at 6 foot, Danny felt as safe as he did when his sister was with him. Though she was even taller at 6’3”. They were pretty sure she was going to end up even taller with the ectoplasm running through her veins.
Once they were back in the Mansion and Danny could relax a little more (he still didn’t relax fully in the mansion, unless he had Tucker, Sam and Jazz around him. That was the only time he felt fully safe) Dick escorted Danny to one of the restrooms on the ground floor.
“You needed help with the injection, is that correct?” Dick asked.
“Yeah, usually Jazz helps me out.” Danny gave a half laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s weird I’m totally fine with stitching myself up, and giving myself injections of Ecto-dejecto, but I can’t handle the much smaller needle of a T shot.”
For a moment Danny could feel rage radiating off of Dick even though the older man kept his face mostly calm. Though that should have been its own hint at Dick’s emotions. He was almost never serious, always ready with a joke or a pun.
“It’s ok, Danny. We’re here to help. You don’t have to do everything yourself anymore.”
Danny wasn’t 100% certain that Dick was talking about the testosterone injection at all anymore, but he just nodded and let Dick help him with the injection. He had to look away from the needle and couldn’t help a small flinch as the needle reminded him of all the needles his parents had stuck him with while he was in their care. They wanted to test how ghosts reacted to different chemicals. He had experienced everything from human blood (Jack’s donation) to bleach flowing through his veins.
He didn’t realize he had tensed until he felt strong arms wrap gently around his body. Danny untensed his muscles with difficulty and took a breath, the silent reminder that at least part of him was still alive, even if he didn’t need to breathe anymore. As he repeated the breathing exercises Jazz had taught him, he slowly became aware that Dick was slowly and softly repeating calming phrases to him as he hugged him.
“It’s ok, little ghost. It’s Danny. You’re not alone anymore. You’re safe. Your family is safe. You’re part of our family now. We’re going to keep you safe. You’re ok, Danny.”
More tension bled from his shoulders as he sighed into Dick’s arms. Maybe this is what a family was supposed to feel like.
Final Author Note: I have a couple of these planned, I’ll post them all on tumblr seperately, then on AO3 all together once they are all finished. My Momma Selina story will be updated next. Then I have an idea for Papa Red Hood story that I’ll do next. Also! I have a zine coming out at the end of the week, keep an eye out for it!
