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Silence had never been a normal occurrence in the Fenton household. There was always the tinkering, the clanking, the buzzing, the celebratory shouting… so many sounds that always came from the basement, Danny had grown used to being surrounded by noise. Maybe that was the stark difference that didn’t let him sleep at night now.
Well, that and the nightmares, he supposed.
He woke up later than he intended, sunlight barely entering the edges of the blackout curtains in his room; his mind was fuzzy, trying to recall where he was now.
Oh. Right.
Wayne Manor.
Danny woke up from his first night at the large mansion; his second day, and he was already left alone to his own devices. Unless he considered the family’s butler as the human surveillance equivalent to keep him out of any trouble. He smiled at the vague reminder of the first times he visited Sam’s mansion and how her parents would keep an eye on him like hawks, hoping he wouldn’t break or stain any of their precious belongings.
Would they do the same now that Sam was gone? Now that everyone was gone.
He didn’t know and now, so far from Amity Park, he would never find out.
Convincing Vlad to let him live anywhere else, away from him, had been such a pain in the ass. Danny tried to run away as soon as the future he had been told and had seen play in front of his eyes became a reality. It reminded him how his only option in the cursed timeline was to stay with Vlad Masters, of all people.
Had Danny really nowhere else to go? No, that couldn’t be the case and he needed to prove it. He needed a way out.
As soon as he was taken to FentonWorks to pack his belongings, he used the opportunity to go into the portal to the Ghost Zone and try to make his new home there. Maybe even trying to find any signs of his loved ones, even if he didn’t like the idea of them leaving things unsolved and staying as ghosts in the afterlife.
The plan, of course, failed. Danny hadn’t taken into account how Vlad had enough ghosts working for him or owing him favors that they quickly let the older half-ghost know where Danny had been hiding.
So much for picking Pointdexter’s school frozen in time to stay out of everyone’s radar…
Before he could be trapped by Skulker, Danny escaped and tried to think of any alternative place he could go to. Tucker’s family or even Sam’s grandma were among his first options, but that would only put them in danger from Vlad’s hypervigilance.
He then remembered he had other options outside of Amity Park and he flew as fast as he could to reach Spittoon, Arkansas. It was a long flight, but with his growing speed, he was able to get rid of any pursuers in no time.
Spittoon was a last-resort thing. The place had never been one he enjoyed visiting, but knowing he needed to avoid Earth’s destruction, it wasn’t that bad after all. In fact, he recalled his memories during his short stay with heavy melancholy. It had been the last connection to his family, to an easier life away from ghosts and disaster. Who knew loss could close the distance with a distant relative?
His Aunt Alicia loved having him over… in her own way. She had never been one to show her affection conventionally. Although growing up as a Fenton should have been enough to convince Danny there was never a normal or regular way to do anything. In this case, he figured it was her way of coping with the loss of his cousin all those years ago.
Aunt Alicia wouldn’t hug him as his mom would, but she would give him such a strong squeeze on the shoulder that he was reminded of what being protected felt like. She didn’t say any loving words, but he would find the best portion of whatever homemade pie she had made, still warm and waiting for him at the table.
It had been a dream. Two weeks spent learning how to hunt, trailing early in the morning following her routines, trying to keep the chickens safe from the foxes, or finding new ways to tell if something was poisonous or venomous. The last one reminded him how lucky he was to have such a messed-up biology that no creature wanted to get near him. Small mercies of being already kinda dead.
But there were animals he couldn’t avoid the same way and he came to that realization when three familiar vultures tracked him down in the hidden piece of land owned by his aunt. Vlad followed soon after, since Danny couldn’t keep the birds contained in a thermos. The only one he still possessed was occupied and hidden closer to his chest. Not literally, but close enough to cause discomfort whenever he ate (not that he had much appetite lately, anyway).
When Vlad caught to his Aunt Alicia to ask if Danny was somewhere nearby, despite her threats to get him off her property, he used a combination of overshadowing and bribery to convince Alicia to let Danny go.
Danny had no option but to follow, not wanting to submit any other distant relatives he could manage to find in old phone books to the same brand of blackmail Vlad was capable of (perhaps even more; perhaps even worse). Hanging his head down, he resigned to the dreaded stay in Wisconsin.
Once in Vlad’s castle, Danny tried to use every single trick under his sleeve to dissuade the billionaire from wanting him as his new son. He tried to escape, caused scenes at events and reunions, and even tried to act every bit like Jack Fenton’s son to remind the bitter old man he was not just Maddie’s last memory on Earth.
And it worked.
Soon after, Vlad threatened to do something about his attitude. Which meant good news to trace his official escape.
Except that option was to remove his powers from him as punishment. Which was pretty bad news of the end-of-the-world variety.
Danny could have promised to behave to get the man to back off, but he knew that would keep him on a tighter leash with the fruitloop. So, he instead braced himself for a new challenge: letting Vlad know he could still be a little shit even if he didn’t use his powers. Vlad wouldn’t even know what hit him.
It had been one of those boring, stuck-up galas when Danny decided to show Vlad his worst behavior when the man wanted to introduce him to Bruce Wayne. Danny dialed up his gremlin side, rolling his eyes, talking back, snorting, punning… the works.
But he should have known a guy who had adopted half a dozen teenagers already knew how to handle it. So his plan apparently worked to get the Prince of Gotham to give Vlad some advice on dealing with this brand of shenanigans and offering his home as an alternative space for Danny in case Vlad needed a break.
(“It looks like you could use some help, Vladdie,” Bruce had said to Vlad’s displeasure. Danny was starting to like the forty-something himbo.)
Vlad didn’t seem to dislike the idea either, thinking he could win this way a deal with WayneTech (talk about being used for financial gain…). Danny knew this because the fruitloop wouldn’t shut up about it for days as he enrolled Danny at Gotham Academy and ordered the boy to pack his things and stay on his best behavior. Or else.
Cue to a few days later, the young half-ghost was being introduced to the Wayne Family. Or most of it, in any case. There were a lot of them to remember all of their names, but not all of them had been able to make it to the manor for Danny’s arrival. Bruce explained there would be a dinner the next day to welcome him for the time being (which was… the remainder of the school year).
From what little he had already seen during his first day and first impressions, they were all… nice. And Bruce Wayne always regarded him with something closer to concern and a sense of protection. Which made sense for a man who had adopted a small baseball team to keep them out of complicated situations.
Was Danny starting that same path? Was he being targeted to be a Wayne?
Hopefully not. The last thing he needed was another billionaire looking for the perfect son or whatever. Not to mention, Gotham had its own share of crazy rogues Danny didn’t really want to meet. Or fight.
The first night at the manor had been rough, but the day after he had been allowed to sleep to his heart’s content (his heart was happy not sleeping, apparently). So, Danny decided to wait until everyone was gone to see how he could deal with his next biggest hurdle after getting out of Vlad’s grasp: figuring out where to store the cursed thermos.
Danny had been told by Bruce the previous night that he would be busy with meetings all day and to make himself at home. Alfred then reassured him it would just be the two of them at the manor this time and to call if he needed anything. Danny supposed calling to ask where he could store his evil future self to keep Earth from being destroyed wouldn’t be a nice thing to request on his second day at the Manor, so he decided to find other ways to fix the issue.
Changing to Phantom as he pretended to take a long shower (thank Tucker for the sounds he had pre-recorded to cover for him), he turned invisible and intangible to explore the lowest level of the Manor: the ground beneath it. This is how Danny realized just how impressive the property was, with so many rooms and floors underneath that he didn’t even get to see as everything was darkened (good thing they were saving the planet by not keeping the lights on).
Eventually, the half-ghost reached the foundations of the manor, disoriented by the vague notion of earth surrounding him, engulfing him in darkness. Fortunately, the light from his glowing green eyes had allowed more visibility than what could have been humanly possible. Small perks and big powers were mixed in the bag like that. So, he found a good spot away from any kind of electrical lines or pipes to let the thermos sort of… hang in there, half in this plane of existence and half in the liminal space where his intangibility allowed him to go.
Once he was confident enough that the thermos wouldn’t be dug out by any machine, animal, or creepy crawler, he took off back to the manor, rising from the ground like a renewed person who was free from hiding a secret that big from the likes of Vlad Masters. As he rose layer over layer of dirt and concrete, he was met by one of the manor’s underground levels, which in this case did have the lights on.
He stared in awe at the sight of this new place. A mixture of a cavern and some kind of underground lair. What was it with crazy rich people and keeping evil labs below their luxurious homes? As he looked around, he noticed there was a T-Rex, a giant penny, a large computer and gadgets laying on a table nearby, as well as a huge case that displayed—no… no way…
No freaking way…
Danny’s mouth opened in such shock he couldn’t even grasp any thought racing through his mind. Batman’s cave!? This had to be some joke.
As his brain rebooted, he turned around to make sense of everything else in the room. The uniforms displayed behind glass cases, the impressive vehicles he could recognize from the fan-made postcards of Gotham City, and the weapons and tools displayed to arm a small group of vigilantes. Or a larger group.
How many kids did Bruce say he had again?
Before he could even process just who he ended up living with, Danny heard some noise coming from behind the displayed uniforms. There was a soft grunt and a heavy thud of what looked like a duffle bag falling close to where he was standing. Err… floating. He was still floating and still invisible, at least.
That mere thought just made Danny freeze in horror. What if Batman (Bruce?) caught him down in his lair… cave… whatever this place was? What if any of his companions (his kids??) were the ones to find him? There were rumors about Batman not liking metas in Gotham (which Danny could totally understand: he wouldn’t have wanted metas or any hero in Amity Park either. Just to think of them being overshadowed—right, digressing).
Whoever tossed the duffel bag emerged with two more bags filled to the brim with what looked like grenades or bombs, and other kinds of equipment. And out stepped someone Danny hadn’t seen at the manor yet. Wearing all the outfit he identified as Red Hood’s.
Minus the mask.
The young man, with black hair and a quirky tuft of white on the front, looked very pleased with himself as he hauled the bags. Didn’t he have some history with Batman or something like that? Wait, Red Hood was a crime lord, right? Was he stealing whatever those bags contained? Danny realized he didn’t want to find out what was really going on here or the situation between the different Bats and Co., so he decided to leave as discreetly as possible.
Or so he thought.
“Who the fuck is there?” the guy—RED HOOD asked in Danny’s general whereabouts.
Danny held his breath and mentally kicked himself. Duh, ghost…
He figured he could just continue going his merry way out of the cave, back into his room, and pretend nothing had happened. But then Red Hood stared straight in his direction. And, holy shit, had that been intimidating even without the infamous red helmet.
Was he really looking at Danny? Did he just make a lucky guess?
But there was something… strange. Danny could feel a tingling sensation, almost like the shiver he felt from his ghost sense whenever he had trouble coming his way. Maybe he had been detecting imminent danger and not ghosts this whole time—no, different superhero.
The sensation got worse as he floated slightly closer to the maskless vigilante. Like having an answer at the tip of his tongue. Or feeling his stomach twist before the rollercoaster drop. It was a sense of wrongness he couldn’t really explain. As if Red Hood’s whole soul was arranged outside of the coloring lines.
Was Danny thinking about the oddest comparisons to cope with the fact that he found THE Batcave under Wayne Manor?
Yes.
“What the hell is that?” Red Hood whispered to himself.
Danny gasped and he knew he was done for. What if this guy could sense him the same way Danny did? Nah, it couldn’t be the case…
“I know you’re there, little creep,” the vigilante called out and Danny decided it most definitely could be the case and maybe Red Hood was more perceptive than he thought.
Which was a huge problem. Didn’t Batman work with the Justice League and didn’t they have people who could read minds or do magic and the like? Or what if they thought the place was really haunted and called for actual ghost hunters—no, that couldn’t be the case. The GIW was shut down thanks to Vlad, one of the few things that jerk did that actually benefited both of them.
Whatever the case, having Red Hood suspecting something was going on and getting on his case? Not good. Maybe there would be no harm if he just… showed himself? Figure out what’s going on? Try to parlay his way out of this situation before he was exorcized out of the manor?
Taking a huge risk, a leap of faith if you will, Danny regained visibility. Hood didn’t flinch when he saw Danny’s ghostly form, but he did glower and scrunched up his nose. “What are you supposed to be? And how the hell did you even get here?”
Danny decided to play two truths and a lie with this one. “I’m just a passing spirit.” A lie. “I swear I found this place on accident. I don’t care about whatever you guys got going on here.” Two truths.
Hood studied him intensely, his hands hovering over his gear—his guns? Oh, not the kind his parents used back in Amity Park. The human kind that he hadn’t gotten to see up close yet. Hopefully, that would remain unchanged.
“A ghost? Really?” Hood said unimpressed.
Danny shrugged. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Red Hood. I’ll stay out of your black and white hair.”
Before Hood could say anything (which most definitely wouldn’t be along the lines of “Call me Hood; Mr. Red Hood was my father”), Danny turned invisible and floated out of the cave (The BATCAVE! Yeah, he still couldn’t believe it). And back into the manor, where he would have to pretend he had just taken a really long shower and was decidedly not freaking out in the process.
Jason was livid. First, he had tried looking for some supplies at some of Bruce’s mini-caves only to find the old man hadn’t restocked enough explosives for what Jason needed. No, he had to go into the main cave under the manor Jason had avoided visiting in so many weeks. Maybe the big Bat thought that would be enough to convince him to stay for dinner…
Not like he was really looking forward to it. There was a new kid in the manor, another adoption bait from what everyone said in the comms and the group chats. A kid who Bruce was trying to get away from his super sketchy godfather, who B was looking into.
Fortunately, no one had seen him go into the cave. Unless he took into account the ghost that was supposedly haunting the manor. No, wait. Just passing by (yeah, right).
What had a kid been doing inside the most guarded place in Gotham?
Jason tried not to think too hard about the possibility of ghosts haunting their already crime-filled city right now. The family had already known the likes of Secret or Deadman, but he wasn’t eager to extend that list. Somehow, knowing he could’ve been stuck in some sort of limbo after dying didn’t sit well with him.
Jay figured he should let the old man know about it, although that would imply having to explain that he had been in the Batcave earlier. Which would lead to uncomfortable questions about where all the missing gear had gone, and that defeated the whole purpose of messing with the cave’s surveillance system for a clean getaway.
So, begrudgingly, he decided to join that evening’s family dinner but decided to keep quiet about the visit to the cave. He just had to wait and see if he could sense the ghost kid again like he had before, which shouldn’t be too hard if the spirit was haunting the manor.
Which was another thing: why did the pits feel like that with the ghost? He knew he wouldn’t have detected him otherwise, the way he seemed to have crawled up from hell. When the pits reacted, an oppressive feeling settled in his chest, reminding him of his place underground. Like clawing out of his grave once more, the smell of the dirt above his coffin filling his senses, the cool shiver of the night he made it out claiming every nerve in his paralyzed body.
And the ghost felt it too, somehow. Did he manage to recognize the traces of death inside of him?
Jason walked into the manor through the front door later that evening, dispelling any reminder of the eerie sensations and the memory of his death. He pushed it all away as he greeted Alfred. “Hey, Alfie, how are things now with the new guest?”
Alfred’s semi-stoic demeanor didn’t change. “As quiet as one would expect with a full house eager to acquire a new sibling.”
“Did everyone really come over to meet the kid?” Jason was so not ready to see the whole clan. It would make his casual ghost-hunting much harder. But at least that gave him a way out of interacting with David or whatever the boy’s name was.
When he reached the dining room, most of the bat kids were in fact already talking animatedly with the guest, asking as many questions as would’ve been expected in a house full of detectives. The kid looked tense, on edge. Maybe they were overwhelming him already. Jason hoped the others understood that launching a whole interrogation disguised as friendly small talk was not the way to go.
“Knock it off, you’ll scare the kid away,” Jason said as he walked up to the empty spot he usually sat at, which was currently far away from the commotion (and Bruce).
The boy’s eyes widened when they landed on Jason for some reason. Maybe he was just that terrified after seeing there were more Waynes to deal with. Jason couldn’t blame him. Being seated between Dick’s puns and Damian’s death glares? Not easy.
“Hey, Jaybird, here to meet Danny?” Dick asked. So that was the newbie’s name.
Jason rolled his eyes, hoping the gesture wasn’t taken the wrong way. “Meet him? Yeah. Overwhelm him? No.” He then turned to see the boy and there was something familiar about him that sent a shiver down his spine. “Nice to meet you, Danny,” he replied instead but couldn’t help studying the kid.
Danny’s eyes remained wide and he seemed ready to bolt out of the room. “I, uh—yeah, nice to meet you.”
There was a slight stir under Jason’s skin. The same feeling he got from his earlier visit down at the cave. He tried to focus on what was causing the hairs on his arms stand on end, where the sense of wrongness was lurking. Was the ghost in the room, somehow? Was he just there, floating invisibly? He tried to pinpoint where the presence was exactly, just like he did back in the cave when he realized one cold spot was not like the others.
The others resumed the conversation, thankfully switching to something else about their days and the weather. The smallest of talks. From what Jason heard when Bruce announced the temporary housing arrangement, this kid had lost everyone and everything. There was this haunted look, the circles under his eyes speaking volumes of the sleepless nights and constant tears from past days. His heart went out to the boy. Jason already knew what it was like to lose it all and feel so lost at the same time.
Most of them at the table did.
Maybe Danny didn’t know how similar they all were in the end, behind the silly jokes or the inquisitive looks.
“So, Danny,” Bruce asked and made everyone quieten down, figuring this might be an important question. “Did you have trouble finding your way around the manor today?”
The kid was not paying any attention, already lost in whatever thoughts were plaguing him. Could it be an anxiety attack? Maybe they had said the wrong thing. The presence in the room felt odd again, cornered, scared. It gave Jason the bad feeling that this was somehow connected with the kid. Was he the one being haunted by a ghost? Could he sense the ghost in the room like Jason had earlier?
“Danny?” Bruce asked again, concern written on his face, which was too much even for his Brucie persona.
“Uh, sorry, I zoned out,” Danny replied sheepishly. “What did you say?”
Bruce furrowed his brow “I asked if you were able to find your way around the manor today.”
Danny answered with a nervous “Finding? No, no finding at all. I stayed in my room the whole time.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Leaving aside the tug from the pits, which were now closer to a nagging pull that told him to watch out for something, this didn’t seem like a regular response. And the way the kid kept staring at Jason… did he see something earlier that day?
With a theory in mind and a hunch on his side, Jason decided to test the waters (maybe even the Lazarus kind in his system). “So, Danny, I know I’m late and all but, what are your hobbies?”
Danny seemed to relax a little, at the same time the pits began to relax. Curiouser and curiouser, indeed.
“I guess I like video games and—” The kid stopped and took a shaky breath. “I used to, at least.”
The air shifted and was heavy with sadness again. Jason knew he wanted further proof for the ongoing theory in his head, but… the way he felt the mourning under his skin, heavy in his chest? Yeah, he had the proof he needed.
“You know, some of us like extreme sports,” Jason continued, managing to move past the heavy atmosphere in the room. He knew all eyes were on him, questioning, trying to think of what his endgame was here, some even glaring daggers that could very well be literal if given the chance. “We could take you to practice some, if you’d like. I’m sure something like that can always come in handy. The adrenaline rush. The high you get.”
Bruce’s glare was the heaviest across the room. Good. This might remind the old man it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reign in his desire to grow the bat family if he realized the kid had abilities of some kind.
Unless Bruce misunderstood and ended up being more than eager to teach the kid about the family business to keep the kid safe from his godfather. It wouldn’t be the weirdest Robin origin story.
Jason sure hoped it was the former.
Danny eyed him with suspicion. Maybe he got the hint or was starting to catch on that Jason was onto him. Or at least that Jay was aware of Danny’s connection with the ghost from earlier today at the cave. “What kind of extreme sports?” he asked, the angst lifting from the room as it was replaced by curiosity and a tinge of fear.
“Oh, you know. Gymnastics? Dick used to be an acrobat,” Jason replied and gestured at Big Bird with his head, earning a proud smile from the older sibling. “Bruce sometimes likes going on adventures, like scuba diving or even spelunking.”
“Spelunking?” Danny questioned.
Bruce shot Jason a warning glare and took over the answer. “Ah, yes, there are a lot of places to explore when you travel around the world,” he replied with a typical Brucie laugh. “You could say I’ve tried it all, from mountain climbing to sky diving. Spelunking is just a fancy way to call cave exploring.”
Jason noticed how Danny was trying really hard not to show his surprise but ultimately failed. At least the others didn’t have the full story to connect all the dots. Jason didn’t have it either, but at least he was aware they were hosting another meta under their roof, who somehow had managed to figure out all the Bat secrets before any of the other Robins had. That should be a record to fondly look back to in the future, if the signs of adoption were anything to go by.
“Ah, I get it now,” Danny said with a nod. “I had my own share of cool sports to practice back at home. Can’t say I’ve climbed mountains or explored caves, but it sounds exciting. A mind-blowing experience, no doubt.”
Okay, the kid caught on. Good. It was also enough confirmation for Jason that this kid had somehow managed to hide a whole other entity inside him. Or was this some sort of summoning? He would have to make sure Constantine didn’t even sniff in the kid’s direction, even if he was working with Bruce on the Masters’ case for the time being.
“We could show you sometime, we’ve all gone spelunking too, it’s not that big of a deal” Steph chimed in with a shit-eating grin.
“I’m sure we don’t want to expose Fenton to dangerous situations while he’s temporarily with us for his studies,” Damian added with a glare as sharp as the blades he was no doubt hiding underneath his sweater.
Tim hummed. “I don’t know, it might be beneficial. He might get a better sense of how to protect himself from those dangers.”
Wait, they were considering it? No way.
Jason huffed. “Just because you like it, doesn’t mean you have to force the poor kid into trying it, you know?”
Danny stared at the family. “Wow, I didn’t know you were so passionate about caves.”
The room fell silent, an uncomfortable one at that. Jason really liked this kid’s bluntness despite not really revealing what he knew. He couldn’t help smiling at Danny. Maybe he was a little shit he could get to know better. “Let’s just say we like exploring mysteries. And caves are always full of that.”
“Oh, understatement of the year,” Danny said with a slight chuckle. “I bet there are so many left unexplored you could even find old fossils in there.”
Or a full dinosaur, Jason wanted to add, but only shot a smile back at the kid. Maybe he could sneak around to talk to him later that night and come clean about the whole situation down at the cave. He did know all their secrets now, which was potentially dangerous as hell.
Dinner continued, exchanging half-veiled experiences, with Dick going on a long-winded explanation about how acrobatics have been amazing to feel lighter on his feet, or Damian explaining he came from across the world and used to live close to mountains and cold weather, or Cass sharing some of her observations during her trips abroad as well. Danny took every story and detail, and Jason was sure the kid would try to connect it all to what he now had discovered about the Bats.
Maybe Jason would need to make sure none of their secrets were shared elsewhere, much less by a kid who could cause trouble with them, especially with how sneaky he seemed to be.
Danny was still shaking by the time he was finally alone in his room. He was failing so hard in the not-freaking-out part of his plan. He had been totally on edge during dinner that night. Bruce was asking him how he felt on his first day by himself in the manor and he totally froze and stammered and—well, at least he didn’t eat his spork this time. Not that he could because the Wayne family used the finest cutlery since they were absurdly rich.
Which explained how they were able to finance every single gadget the Bat clan used.
He still couldn’t believe he was living with The Batman™.
Danny was sure Jason was onto him. Jason, who was secretly Red freaking Hood. How did he manage to piss off the only Bat who had openly been a crime lord? The only one with guns and a desire to murder those who deserved it—which, mood, but still. Knowing there was a life beyond death took the edge from those threats in a way.
Well, an afterlife for some, at least, as he had sadly come to realize. Being closer to ectoplasm apparently was not a guarantee to come back to haunt your loved ones.
So far, Jason hadn’t said a word at the dinner table or even after, when Danny excused himself to go to sleep (which he used as the perfect opportunity to invisibly eavesdrop on the family, and learn they were really considering telling Danny eventually the truth about the family’s late-night hobbies.)
Whatever happened to keeping identities under wraps (or domino masks)? Why had Bruce Wayne even agreed to take him in if he had such a huge secret to keep? Maybe he did have an adoption problem or wanted to heal past trauma through black-haired, blue-eyed kids.
But what would that mean? Would Danny be invited to become a vigilante again? Ghost Robin? If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that he didn’t to play being a hero again, no matter how much he enjoyed his powers. In the end, it was his ghost side what had caused all the mess with his alternate future. He couldn’t go back to that half-life knowing that.
Or what if that was Vlad’s endgame? Did he know or suspect something about Bruce’s hidden lifestyle? Or what if Batman thought Vlad was up to something? Why would he want someone like Danny living with them in that case? To keep an eye on Vlad? Or maybe they already knew his secret and were just biding their time to—
There was a shuffling sound by his open window and Danny’s breath hitched.
So much for not letting the Bats know he knew. A gloved hand shot out of the dark and sneaked inside the room. Oh, man, they were really going to have this conversation, weren’t they? Danny could play dumb, try to keep his secret intact. Why did he have to be so stupid and turn visible in the cave?
The figure breaking into his room finally climbed through the window, a red helmet revealing none other than Red Hood. Shock and surprise. Danny had heard the vigilante liked being dramatic, but this was totally unnecessary.
“Hey, kid,” the modulated voice that came from the helmet spoke, the guy brushing off his jacket before he leaned against the wall. “Welcome to Gotham, I guess.”
The intruder (because that’s what he was) crossed his arms and Danny could’ve sworn he had been glaring under the red hood—err… helmet.
“Oh, my gosh! Red Hood? Is this a nightmare? What are you doing here?” he tried to ask with all the feigned surprise he could muster. At least part of it was kinda real.
Hood tilted his head, the “Are you fucking kidding me” clear in his posture. “You know, I was in the neighborhood. Spelunking and whatnot,” he said in such a pointed way.
Danny’s eyes widened to really sell it. “No way, you were listening to our conversation? Wow, stalker much?”
“Stop playing games, kid. I know you were in the cave,” Red Hood growled and, as if to prove his point, Danny felt a rising fire making his ectoplasm boil. Whatever they had both felt back in the cave, was coming at him full-force.
Oh. That’s how he knew, huh? Danny didn’t have any way to hide it, unless he got rid of his ghost powers, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. Damnit, Vlad…
Danny sighed tiredly. “I don’t know what kind of game you think I’m trying to play, but I just want to be left alone.”
Jason (because Danny could stop thinking he could get away with just thinking this was an unrelated vigilante) looked tense and ready to use one of his weapons. “Holy shit, are your eyes glowing?”
Danny closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He tried to think about something else, like the smell of the trees back in Spittoon, or the taste of Aunt Alicia’s rhubarb pie, or even the sound of the birds in the early morning. Had that been the last time he had been truly at peace?
When he reopened his eyes, Jason had already taken his helmet off, apparently finding what he was looking for. “See? I knew it was you at the cave,” he stated bluntly.
So much for Danny being able to lay low. He only hoped Vlad hadn’t bugged this place to begin with, not that he had found anything during the full sweep he did the day before, but maybe Jason could help verify there wasn’t anything around the house with some of their fancy bat devices.
“Yeah, so? What do you want from me?” Danny asked with a glare, sending all the annoyance bubbling under his skin to the vigilante.
Jason sat at the foot of his bed as if he owned the place. Well, technically, he did, in a way. “I just want to make sure you don’t cause trouble. I know you’re scared and hiding but—”
“Look,” Danny interrupted. “I don’t want to be here either, okay? But at least it’s way better than staying with Vlad.”
The silence between them stretched as Jason nodded. “Fine. I can respect that. What I don’t respect is you sneaking around and figuring out everyone’s business without them knowing.”
Danny crossed his arms. “Oh, good to know you’re not on bad terms with the Bats like everyone says, Mr. Crime Lord.”
The glare he got from the vigilante was barely containing his anger. “That doesn’t mean I won’t try to protect them.”
“And here I thought you were just some distant relatives,” Danny sneered.
“And here I thought you were just a regular kid who needed help, not a little shit with ghost powers,” Jason shot back.
They held the stare for a moment longer until there was a knock on the door. Danny froze and reached out to touch Jason’s arm, whispering “Don’t say a word” under his breath. Hood was about to protest when Danny shocked him with a wave of invisibility and intangibility.
“Yeah?” Danny called to the person knocking on the door.
The door opened, revealing Bruce Wayne, a look of concern on his face. “Hi, Danny, I wanted to check on you before turning in for the night.”
Danny felt Jason shift under his grasp, which the ghost kid tried to pretend was just him leaning awkwardly on the bed. “All’s good, I was just about to go to sleep. You know, stressful few days, still getting used to it all.”
Bruce nodded and stared at the window. “There’s a small draft in your room, I can ask Alfred to keep your room warm with the heating system we have.”
“Nah, it’s okay, I’m always running a little colder anyway,” Danny replied with a shrug.
The man stood there awkwardly, trying to say or ask something for sure. “Alright, well, thanks for your patience with my kids. I know they can be too much at times. They get excited when someone new joins our family, however temporary it might be.”
Danny was taken aback by the raw honesty in those words. Maybe Bruce did want to keep Danny safe from a bad situation he read perfectly well after dealing with so many abuse victims. Wait, was Danny a victim in a way? If he considered the threats, the whole thing about ripping his humanity in an alternate timeline, or financing a ghost huntress, or the bounty hunt—ok, he was making himself dizzy.
“I, uh, yeah, I know. Thank you,” he answered instead. “I think your kids are great. They seem eager to look after each other and protect their family, which I really appreciate all things considered.”
That seemed to make Bruce glow with pride. “I appreciate it and I’ll be sure to let them know that.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Wayne, for everything,” Danny said with equal sincerity.
“Please, call me Bruce,” the billionaire said with a warm smile.
Danny was still starstruck and he was trying to still come to terms with the fact that a man like Bruce Wayne, with a dazzling smile and bubbling personality could also be the fear-inducing Batman. Even when Danny transformed into something else entirely out of this world, he didn’t ever change that much. Did he?
“Sure thing, Bruce. I guess old habits die hard.” Danny could hear a faint groan coming from Jason and he tried to clear his throat. “Sorry, maybe I should close the window,” the boy apologized.
Bruce stared at him with a curious look. He could be really intimidating now that he was searching for it. The moment was tense, and Danny could feel all his secrets in plain view for the Dark Knight to see. Of course, that had to be impossible.
“Sleep well, Danny,” the man said as he left and closed the door.
Wow. Batman had just been in his room. Had known his name. And hadn’t noticed Danny using his powers in front of him. Danny had fooled Batman under his nose. The sheer power high he got from that—no, no… that’s what led to evil futures.
Danny waited for a moment to release Jason from his intangible and invisible grip, but the vigilante beat him to it by slapping his hand away and standing up.
“What the hell was that?” Jason asked with heavy indignation. Which, valid.
“Just keeping us from having an awkward conversation with your dad?” Danny replied with a shrug. “I can call him and say ‘oh, by the way, Jason just revealed his ID after he climbed into my room as Red Hood. No biggie.’ I’m sure that would go really well.”
Jason opened his mouth to protest and closed it. He settled for a huff. “Alright, point taken,” he grumbled. “I don’t want to have that conversation with him either.”
The boy licked his lips. “So, you’re going to keep my secret, well… secret?”
Huh, Secret. It kinda fits for a half-ghost in a way. Maybe that could be his new identity to keep Jason from calling him Phantom and opening that whole can of worms.
Nah, he was past the whole having a hero identity for now.
Hood turned to the door. Then at the window. “This is going to come and bite me in the ass later, won’t it?”
Danny smiled softly. “Nah, I promise I just want to be left alone. The whole hero thing? Been there, done that, don’t want to repeat it ever.”
Jason glared, the ectoplasm or whatever ghostly vibe he had in him, raising a little hell inside him. Danny had still so many questions about that whole situation. But he knew it wouldn’t be easy for Jason to just open up about it with some strange kid who just came to invade his family’s home.
“I still don’t trust you. And I’m still keeping an eye on you,” Red Hood threatened.
Danny shrugged, knowing this was well expected. “Sure, fine, do whatever you think needs to be done. I’m definitely not looking to cause any trouble.”
This would most likely lead to disaster. He was already bracing himself to get sent back to Vlad. Or worse, being locked up by the Justice League. Or maybe he was just being too paranoid. Maybe everything would be fine if he just kept things quiet and focused on school.
Danny knew he was being too hopeful, too dumb and naïve, but he had to believe good things could also happen to him every once in a while. It couldn’t all just be bleak and dreadful. He couldn’t just be permanently afraid of just enjoying a peaceful life.
Jason’s ghostly presence eased up a little bit. Maybe he sensed Danny’s sincerity. Whatever the case, the tension in his shoulders relaxed as he released a tired sigh. “Fine. I’ll keep your secret for now. But, you and I? We’re going to have some words soon.”
The ghost kid smiled. “Sure, you already know where to find me, I guess.”
As the vigilante left, there was a moment of peace and quiet. Danny thought that maybe sharing a part of himself with someone who was apparently similar to him wouldn’t be so bad.
Living with the Bats, what’s the worst that could happen?