Chapter Text
Danny would like to say for the record that it was not his fault.
In fact, Danny would say that it was entirely Clockwork's fault. After all, he wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for that cryptic time god.
He wouldn't have ever found himself in Gotham and evidently run across the asshole who was being less than polite to his girlfriend. Danny wouldn't have considered taking the cash from the guy's wallet if he wasn’t broke and CW gave no warning that he would need money with the impromptu trip. He wouldn't have had an empty stomach that made him eager to accept the girl's offer of a meal if CW hadn't basically kidnapped him before he had eaten anything.
So really, it wasn't Danny's fault.
But what was his fault was the fact that he kept helping.
He kept taking the cash from the assholes messing with the residents who lived in the area (and damn there were a lot of assholes near where he lived) . He kept accepting their offers of food. So, because of this new routine that kept him able to afford to rent out his shitty (and possibly illegal) apartment and the hunger pangs sufficiently satisfied, rumors grew.
Rumors about a skinny teen named Danny who was willing to help out in exchange for cash or food. Rumors about how he was quick to take down those who gave them trouble while being polite and kind to them (no matter their occupation or lack thereof). More and more stories popped up about how Danny seemed to make it routine to help out or simply keep an eye out for them.
It started out small.
Nods of acknowledgments and maybe small waves. When he walked around he didn’t show discomfort around them. No looks of judgment for the working girls or the customers. No looks of pity for the kids who watched him from their spots and different hangouts. No looks of disgust for the ones who found shelter outside and in tents.
When he walked around, it was like he accepted that you were there and that you were there to stay. He didn’t make them feel as if they didn’t belong in their own neighborhood.
Despite the strength in his lanky stature (that was witnessed several times over) he never beat up the kids that formed groups trying to force them to follow him. He didn’t hassle the working girls to repay his ‘kindness’. He didn’t kick at the man sleeping on the bench he walked by. Instead, he called the man on the bench by his name, Martin to tell him that a rainstorm was coming in. He let the kids who ran into him walk away first without any additional pain for the mistake. He thanked the girl he gave bruise cream to for the food she gave him in a container the day before.
Those who lived there wondered what Danny’s deal was. Was he a kid in over his head or with a few screws loose? A few kids whispered that maybe Danny was trying to be a vigilante like one of the Robins.
Then one night there was a city-wide fear gas attack. With it, there were the ones who crept out of the woodwork to take advantage of the chaos. Those who had pockets of pills that held the promise of bliss to take you away from the lingering fear as long as you kept taking them. Syringes that were said to make the fear gas make your head dizzy and your body full of euphoria that would dwindle into an ache that made people claw at their skin.
In different areas like Crime Alley where Red Hood reigned it wasn’t such a big issue. But this wasn’t Crime Alley and there wasn’t anyone who held significant power to put such rules in place and keep those people away.
There was the lingering worry about which residents would end up being pushed to try the drugs or end up being hassled for more cash when they needed a new gasmask or supplies. When attacks happened, they tried to be prepared and hunkered down. Doors were locked and those outside went into hiding in the nooks and crannies away from everyone.
But it seemed that Danny didn’t get the memo.
Instead amongst the chaos and yelling the residents of this small neighborhood heard something else. They saw something odd.
They saw a man named Dawson who made it his business to profit in the chaos hit the ground in the middle of the street. He was a burly guy who was always pushy with the girls when he visited this side of town and was known to leave bruises on the kids who came across his path. Just two months ago he had ‘bargained’ with them about the delivery of water when the water from the tap was injected with another chemical concoction courtesy of one of the rogues. Demanded cash and other unpleasant things that they couldn’t afford to pay. No police or vigilante to stop him. Just another thing missed in their neighborhood.
Except now Dawson seemed to be the one getting bruised as they watched Danny, someone who didn’t even yell at Old Man Elijah two days ago when they accidentally spilled some trash on him, step on Dawson’s chest roughly keeping him down.
They watched as Dawson failed to get up. They saw Danny’s eyes almost seem to glow among the gas that didn’t seem to affect him at all despite how he didn’t wear a mask. They watched as he leaned down close to Dawson’s face, one hand grabbing the mask making Dawson panic to keep it on. Danny didn’t remove it though and instead seemed to say something quietly in Dawson’s ear before backing away.
Then, the foot was removed and Dawson got up. But he didn’t fight back. He backed away slowly, almost tripping on himself before fully running away. Danny watched him the whole time, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
When the gas fully dissipated and things settled down to a familiar sense of wariness a week later, they finally learned what Danny had exactly done that night.
“He caught Dawson and his cronies pushing Sandra against the wall,” Eric, one of the younger kids and Sandra’s little brother said to the group gathered at one of the steps of the building next to the park. “Dawson was trying to push the pills saying that she owed him and she could repay it by ‘endorsing his merchandise’.”
They looked at Sandra who showed a bruise around her neck but she didn’t look too upset. Instead, she smiled. “Then Danny showed up,” she said with a slightly raspy voice. “Took down the other assholes no problem like he always does, but he was pissed this time. Real angry when he saw Dawson and the pills.
“Dawson tried to pull his shit,” she smirked. “Didn't end too well for him and then Danny looked at me. I gave him a lil explanation since ya know, he always seems interested in what's going on. When I mentioned the pills and other shit though” - she leaned in closer - “His eyes glowed. He told Dawson that he couldn’t pull that crap here anymore and if he didn't, there’d be hell to pay.”
“That work on Dawson?” one of the others asked which only made Eric and Sandra laugh.
“Nah, Dawson called bullshit and just went at Danny, even pulling out his stupid-ass pocket knife. But Danny didn’t have any trouble at all. You should have heard Dawson when Danny somehow ended up holding the knife up as if he had it the whole time.” Eric smiled. “It was a complete beat down which the end is what you saw in the street.”
“Yeah, but Danny said something else to Dawson in the street when he leaned down. Do you know what it was?”
At that, Eric shook his head. “When I asked, Danny just said that he was just letting Dawson know to tell his cronies that they can’t come back. He said we wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Surprisingly they believed that Dawson wouldn’t come back. The man had looked spooked like never before and clearly, Danny was able to handle himself against him. The others got a little quiet before one of them finally spoke.
“When you think about it, isn’t Danny kinda like Red Hood?”
A few of them laughed at the comparison. Red Hood was a man that was built like a tank and known for his intimidation while Danny was shorter than some of the working girls and skinny like the kids on the street no matter how much he seemed to eat.
“Red Hood is protective of his territory so, yeah. But Danny doesn't go on beheading people. He’s less bloody, dark, and broody."
“Yeah! And Red Hood’s eyes don’t glow do they?”
“Don’t know, dude never takes off his helmet. For all, we know he doesn't have a face.”
Old Man Elijah shushed them at the onslaught of conspiracy theories about Red Hood. “Well looks like he isn’t gonna behead anyone, but either way we should probably pay him back for Dawson. Any of you got some food to give him, he looks skinnier than last week somehow.”
With that, plans on how to pay Danny were made and if the kids later started to call Danny and refer to him as Bright Eyes, Danny was none the wiser as to why. Instead, he was just grateful for the food and happy that the kids seemed comfortable enough with him to give him a nickname.
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Dawson had crept away and sought treatment for his injuries.
A twisted ankle, bruised ribs, and an oddly cold sensation stuck in his throat followed him even as he ran from the one with glowing eyes. When people asked what happened to him, he told them something attacked him while he was trying to do business. He told them that whatever it was, it didn’t want him there, made threats and he knew it would make good on them.
The thing was this, Dawson made a business with gas masks and a large aspect of it was that the ones he sold were poor quality. Known for leaks and breakage, which was how he maintained the demand.
In the attack, he just happened to grab one meant to be sold.
Even as he tried to push his pills on Sandra in the alley, already he could see the shadows growing limbs. How Sandra looked at him with empty eyes behind her own gas mask as he gripped her throat. Even how her kid brother didn’t look so innocent anymore with how he started to twitch.
It only worsened when the thing showed up. Its voice had been grating and cold. Its eyes pierced him with their glow like the toxic waste one came to know in Gotham. He had told it off, yelled, and told his men to handle it (because why would he want to get any closer). But his men were tossed away like trash and the creature advanced on him. It spoke a warning to stay away, that there would be consequences. But Dawson didn’t care. He called bullshit despite how uneasy he felt, false bravado because this had to be just the fear gas, nothing more.
But then in the fight, it moved too quickly. Too silent. He never even felt it when the knife left his hands.
It didn't seem right that it had been able to kick him down, to make him stay down. He felt frozen when it stepped on his chest. He was so worried its foot would break through those bones that protected his heart. A hand gripped his mask and slowly the little leaks in his mask grew just a tad bigger and more fear rang through Dawson.
Those dammed bright eyes were so close and inhuman. The hand he touched was cold like a corpse.
The creature leaned down and he couldn’t make sense of the words but somehow he knew. He knew he couldn't come back. He didn’t want to come back. It almost seemed to taunt him with the small human quality it had, like something young and innocent.
Then it let go and he wasn't trapped anymore.
Dawson ran.
Later one of his cronies would tell them what they saw happen from behind their Wayne Enterprise mask. Except Dawson would still go on and on about the inhuman thing that pushed him out. Not daring to believe it was some scrawny teen.
His cronies were not exactly eager to contradict his words so that was how the story went.
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After the gas attack incident, Danny found himself with little shadows.
Specifically, a couple of kids.
Eric, the brother of the girl he helped out during the attack was a constant presence. He had been the one to come up to him with a container of some food as thanks for helping out Sandra.
Danny had accepted the food, but instead of leaving like the others usually did after giving him food, Eric stayed. The boy who seemed about to be 11 years old followed him around as Danny walked through the neighborhood.
Danny didn’t call him out though, knowing the kids in the area didn’t like to be questioned a lot.
He still didn’t ask questions when a few days later some of the other kids joined Eric. Although, they didn’t come as close as he did. It sort of reminded Danny of the blob ghosts back in Amity Park. They had always varied with hiding around corners and in nearby trees while a few decided to make themselves comfortable in his hair or hoodie.
It made him feel just a tad nostalgic.
“Hey Bright Eyes,” Eric called out one day when coming with another container of food.
That was another thing, Danny wasn’t sure why exactly they called him Bright Eyes. But after he heard some of the other nicknames the kids gave each other like ‘Zipper’, ‘Snaps’, even ‘Tick’, and ‘Tack’, he didn't put too much thought into it.
Danny stopped walking as Eric came up to him. “Hey, how’s your sister?”
Eric handed him the container and smiled. “Good, Gina gave the bruise cream that you gave her a while ago to Sandra so her throat is doing better. It's funny how she sounds like Old Man Elijah. He even laughed at one of her impressions of him.”
That made Danny smile. Old Man Elijah had been a heavy smoker in his younger days if what he said was true and his voice matched that story. He was one of the oldest in the neighborhood and sort of a grump too. So making him laugh was something the kids thought highly of. Danny had yet to make him laugh, but he did get an apology after the garbage incident.
Oddly enough, Old Man Elijah seemed to be less tense around him afterward. Now he even got a nod of acknowledgment from the man when he walked by him.
It made Danny’s core hum when he thought about how things had changed since he showed up in the area. At first, he avoided everyone and focused on trying to find a place to stay. Then he ended up helping a girl out from her boyfriend and she offered him food. She had been nice, albeit tense which was understandable. But Danny really appreciated the food and the thanks she had given him for helping her out. She hadn’t even said anything about him stealing her boyfriend’s money.
He saw her around a few more times and made sure to give her a nod or wave (he was raised with manners, mind you).
He managed to find a place to live, though the legality of it was questionable. He went out to find something to do and possibly more money which was how he ended up making it a routine to walk around. It helped to familiarize himself with the place a bit more. Along with seeing who were the ones that actually lived there.
It was obviously not a good area. He never saw any cops around and the residents were wary. There were a lot of kids who seemed to make up different groups, people who were homeless, and prostitutes. He knew they kept an eye on him, he was an outsider after all. It made sense to be wary. That’s why he usually left them alone and gave them their space. This was their home and he was going to respect that.
Which worked out fine for a bit until he came across another situation like before and stepped in. Another asshole with cash. Another offer of food.
Danny thought he had been lucky.
But it kept happening. He kept intervening. There were a lot of assholes trying to cause problems with the girls just doing their jobs, kids just walking around, and people who just existed outside. It irked him and so he let himself to their wallet and took up on offers of food when they were given.
He had more people he could give a nod to and learned the names of some of the people living in a tent or sleeping on a bench. It helped to warn them about upcoming weather.
Slowly Danny felt more and more comfortable in the neighborhood. Unconsciously, doing a check on them as he walked around. It was like his patrols back in Amity Park, and his core seemed more than pleased about a possible new haunt and fulfilling his obsession.
It seemed that the others were getting a bit more comfortable with him, too.
Danny was brought out of his thoughts when he felt something. Like the beginnings of a haunt, he would enter if he walked further.
“Hey, why’d you stop?” Eric asked, and Danny noticed that he was a bit closer than before.
Danny looked down the street before him. This was at the edge of the neighborhood as far as he could tell. It seemed it was right beside a haunt. “Gotta be respectful of someone’s haunt,” Danny answered more focused on making sure his presence wasn’t encroaching on the haunt’s boundary. “Come on, I'm gonna head back. I’m not one to go in without permission. It pisses them off and that’s just too much trouble.”
Eric followed him when they turned back and went to join some other kids while passing the park. Though he stopped when Danny spoke. “Eric, let me know if your sister needs any more bruise cream. I hope she feels better.”
Eric nodded before he ran off, yelling “Bye, Bright Eyes!”
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Eric ran to the others with a smile on his face. The others began to ask him questions about what Danny did today. The kids were more interested in his activities ever since the Dawson incident (all of them had hated Dawson who always bruised them when he found them while Danny never did).
“He asked about my sister again,” Eric said. “When we walked I saw him check on the others like he usually does but he walked a bit more. Except he stopped when we got close to Hood’s territory.”
“He knows Red Hood?” a boy named Tack asked.
Eric nodded his head. “Yeah, he talked about not going into their territory without permission. Said it causes trouble and he’s not trynna start any.”
“See! He is like Red Hood,” Tick, Tack’s sister said. “We’re obviously in Bright Eye’s territory now if the way he keeps checking and watching out for us says anything. He just takes cash and food instead. You all know there’s no one else claiming this area so it's been up for grabs for a while now. But Danny is here now and he does a bit of what the other people do, just not so scary like them.”
“And the adults are fine with him, even Old Man Elijah. He’s the one who said we had to pay him back for Dawson.”
Nods of agreement came from all members of the small group of kids. When they separated each of them went to the others, letting them know what they learned that day.
By the next day, everyone in the neighborhood knew Bright Eyes knew Red Hood and respected their territory. That he wouldn’t go without asking permission and didn’t want trouble. It seemed that they were no longer in limbo about who was claiming this area.
From what they had seen so far, having it be Bright Eyes seemed to suit them just fine.