Chapter Text
Danny was tired… and injured. He had been flying for a few days, only taking small breaks if he felt dizzy. He dropped into isolated locations or, if he had the time, closed gas stations to steal water and bandages. He lost count of how long it had been since he fled his home, his haunt, but he knew he had lost his par- pursuers. He still beats himself up for not keeping his guard up enough.
It all started when he decided to tell his pare- Jack and Maddie, about his half-ghost status. One good thing was that he had a talk with Team Phantom before taking this step and they set up things on their end in case things went south (Sam had anointed it “Code Toast” which he was outvoted), he had Jazz with him as a buffer and support as he explains what happened to him at fourteen. The couple was dazed but seemed to have reacted better than expected, and the following week acted normal as if Danny hadn’t said anything. They still gave him hugs and affection and didn’t bat an eye when Danny went ghost to fight one of his rogues. Danny was planning to call off “Code Toast,” but Sam begged him to keep it up just in case. Allowing the plan to remain ended up saving him.
It was late; he had returned from his patrol when they struck. One moment, he was floating in the living room; the next, he dodged the ecto-blasts coming from the blaster as he made his way to his room. He heard banging on the room next to his as Jazz tried to get out, shouting at Jack and Maddie to leave Danny alone. He shut the door, and using his inhuman strength, he used a drawer as a blockade. He knew it would be a matter of time before his room broke through, so he quickly swept his room, snatching his computer and extra clothes into himself, a skill he had learned by accident. He opened the window and got out. He heard the door and drawer give way; simultaneously, he could also hear a crash from Jazz’s room. He felt a beam hit his right shoulder as he turned around to see Jazz fight with Maddie for the gun. He wanted to turn back, but the look that Jazz gave convinced him that he was on borrowed time.
The first part of the plan was to head to Sam’s place, so Danny flew in her direction. Once he reached the mansion, he located her window and knocked in a pattern set up for the occasion. Quickly, the window opened, and Sam’s face paled as she saw his condition.
“Oh, my Ancients, Danny, what happened?” Sam didn’t wait for the answer; she pulled the ghost boy through her window and started to look for the bag she had set up for “Code Toast”. It was a bag she had customized using her allowance in case Danny had to make a run for it. Filled with everything like clothes, emergency rations, and money hidden in invisible zippers. At the same time, she sneaked into the bathroom, grabbed bandages and gauze to cover his shoulder injury, and quickly performed first aid. Danny just remained standing there, completely out of it, as Sam pushed him through the window.
“Danny, remember you have to go to Tucker’s next?" Danny nodded as Sam closed the window. She then messaged Tucker, knowing that the tech was awake.
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VeggiegothGirl: Tucker Code Toast!
VeggiegothGirl: I repeat, Code Toast Danny is on his way.
TFine: I will have the tech bag on it, and the power will be out for 10 min.
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Danny couldn’t recall how he managed to get to the Foley house until his best friend showed up, handing him another bag filled with a backup computer and a modified Fenton tech emblazoned with the Phantom logo. Tucker quickly sat before his computer, hacking into the town’s power grid. Although it was more challenging now that the GIW had taken over, his liminal powers and experience working against GIW servers allowed him to succeed. Without hesitation, he shut down the power. The town was plunged into darkness, and he knew that the GIW base would also lose power somewhere far away for ten minutes—just enough time for a young halfa to escape.
“Danny, my man, you have to leave now.” Tucker noticed that Danny was still out of it. He knew he was still reeling from Jack and Maddie's betrayal, his core aching, but Danny needed to go.
“Danny…” Tucker embraced his friend and pushed him out. Danny snapped out of his trance and flew away, understanding that this was a goodbye.
Danny's only reminders of the passage of time on the run were the day and night cycle and the state of his aching injury.
By then, he saw a city in the distance—a city shrouded in gloom and smog. Danny felt a little better once he crossed its borders; the ambient ectoplasm boosted his ghost healing factor. It wasn’t as high or as pure as Amity Park's, but it was enough for Danny. There was some curse energy present, but the fortunate reality of being the ghost king not only meant that he was immune to it, but it provided an extra boost.
As he made his way through the city, a presence guided him to the top of the clock tower. There, he found a dark figure: a tall, willowy woman dressed in a black strapless gown meant for a gala. A pearl necklace hung around her neck, but it appeared broken and crudely repaired, with several missing pearls. Her pale skin was marred by overlapping scars, yet her face, despite the marks, was strikingly beautiful and almost youthful. Danny knew right away what she was.
“Greetings, my lady. I apologize for intruding on your domain, but I humbly ask for your sanctuary until I can fully heal.” Clockwork and Princess Dorathea had taught him about the different types of ghosts and how to interact with them. As the Ghost King, Danny learned the ways he needed to communicate with them. One of them is the city spirit. He needed to be especially cautious when entering a haunt associated with a city spirit, as these spirits were manifestations of the city they haunted and were as powerful as the inhabitants believed them to be. It would be unwise to anger such a spirit if he wanted to find rest.
The city spirit just gave him a smile in return “W̶̡̯̥̠̫͇̞̏̅̈͛̍͠͝ë̶̛̩̰̥̇͌̃͂͊̋͛̈́̔̈́̕͝͝l̷̹̮̯͙͖̭͆̆͐̓̈́̀̀̀̿̎͛͆̕c̸͉̬̹̜̤̅̍̕ó̵̼̫̖̭̹̦̬͙̭̻̉̀̂̔̏͊̊̚͠m̴̜̰͖̼̥͖̦͊̉̓̉͆͛͒̀̌͑̂̈́̕͜͠ȩ̷̞̞̭̲̳͓̪̗̯͎͍̝̑͂͋́̈́̀̀͐̈̕͠͠ ̷̟̖̠͙̣͔͉̟̀͐̓̓̿͆͜ͅt̷͇̰̫̭͙̗̮̼̲͍́̈͗ơ̶̡̢͈͇̪̤̘̖͉̽̓̊̅͒͋͊̾͝͝ ̸̘̣̱̦̯͍̫͉̖̹̠̠̍͆̀̓̓̒̈͒̄͂̃̂́̕͘G̶̰͍̗̪̃̒̈̂̉̕͝ǫ̴̨͚̮̘͔̹̟̞̫̮̥̦͚̈́͑̽̆͆̌̈̅̑͛̐́͝t̵͓̳̘̖̦̄́̉ĥ̷̫a̵̡̨̨̢̛̛̝͓̙͓̳͉̝̩̞̬̥̐̔̽̂̈͐̿m̴̢̨͉͇̣̗̜͔̲̬̫̤̳͑̀̌̈́̐̈́͗̽̊̈́̄̒̕͜ ̵͙͈̖̱̇̉̑̿͌̒̀̀̈̈́̈́̃̉̕̚m̸̧̢̬̞̥͓̪͋͋̈́̋̓̈́͆̾̈̂̊̍y̴̡̧̧̨͉̰͈̠̣̳̙̣͚̔͒̍̅̑̀̑́̑͑̚̚͠ ̶͕͋̐̆̊̌͌̿͛̆͑̑͛͝K̵̡̡̭͚̪̤̮̰̖̃̉̑̄͑̇̓̑̆̄̕͘͠͝ĭ̶͕̲̦͓̗̘̮̲̤͎͓n̷̡̥̱̖͇̝̖̜̪͒͊g̴̜̜̲̬̀̈́ “
This was enough of a confirmation of any of the strong beauty, and Danny knew that he was free to explore The Lady’s haunt. However, he stopped when he realized where he was. He was in THE GOTHAM, the Gotham in the most dangerous city in the country, Batman’s territory. That Batman has a no meta rule and wouldn’t hesitate to kick him out if found out, and even worse, that the bat is his father. That meant he was in his father's city. And even worse is if SHE knew he was here. Memories of a younger Danny fleeing for his life as SHE and her people chased him, since there was no need for a spare when his Pollux, his twin, was the perfect heir.
“D̵̦̭̙̔ȍ̴͙͙͔̓ ̸̼̦̇͜n̶̙̈̃̈́ȯ̸̫͔̈́̚t̴̞͍͕͆̓͝ ̶̜̭̽̾̃ẅ̸̬͔́o̵̖͉͆̎͠r̷̰͛r̷̲̜̿̀̓ỹ̵̞̬̓͐,̶̙͂ ̸̭̫̇͗m̶͖̞̂̃ÿ̶̪́ ̸̜͒͝k̵͕̩̯͐̆͗i̷̼̍͒n̴̦̠̦͑̐̕ģ̴̘̈̍;̷̛̳͇͊ ̸͕̪̖̂Ĭ̸̦͉̚ ̷͎̥̗͑̋w̶̪̎̚i̶͉͖̇̊ͅĺ̶͎̫̕͠l̸̥͕̓͜ ̷̛̰̍̓e̸̩̓͆̌n̶̢͕̫̄s̵̛͚̺̾u̶͙͂ŕ̵̦̹͂̂e̸͈͇̼̔̍̚ ̴̻͉͒͐ṱ̸̡͌͠h̶̦̄̏̊ȃ̷̼̎́ͅt̷̘̊̈́ ̵̳̬̃̋̾m̸̪̼̼͒ỷ̷͇̑̌ ̴͉̦̔̐́k̷̖̱͖͊͊͘n̴̤̜̆ì̵͓̟̘̋͑g̴̥̟͂̊̽ḩ̵̭̠̌̂̾ṭ̵̡̯̊̈́s̸͔̣̿̈́͐ ̵̠̑͘͜͝s̸̭̻̅̒t̷͈͔̍̐á̴̟̗͛̈́y̵̗̠͎͒̈́ ̸̗͔̠̾̾̒ä̷̬̮̀̈́ͅẇ̴̠̥͎́a̶̙͑y̵̛̰̼͂ ̸̗͝f̶̖̬̟̑͊r̸̛͎̜̰͑͊o̸̘̙͌̕͜m̶̦͈̀̃̃ ̵͍̕ͅẏ̶̝͠ő̸͓̣ů̴̼̖̎̽.̵̳͖̈͜ ̶̖̰̳͠Ĵ̶̖̪̖̈́ǔ̵̺̿s̴̫̅͋͜t̶̺̦̜͆̆ ̵̹̀r̴̥̳̦̐̈́̓e̸͚͈̍s̵̜̓̓̌t̵͕̂̊͝ ̵̘͎̜̅̚͠a̷͓͑͝n̷͇̟̘͝d̸̫͍̈̄ ̵̦͖̕r̶̭͗̋ͅe̶͓͇̙͒c̶̞̲̈́̆̅ǫ̷͋ṽ̷̫̹̇̚e̴͈̦̙͠r̴̼͒,̴͈̮̒́ ̴̧̯͒̉m̵̳͉̎y̴̫̑ ̷͚͙͎̍y̸͉̘̏̒ö̷͔̭͎͝ṳ̵̠͒n̷̲̙̫̄g̷͉͠ ̸͎̖̅̊k̶̩̓͜į̵̪͇́̈́̚n̸̡̺͍̍̑͘g̸͕̮̤̎͂.̵̤͛̀͊”
Lady Gotham cooed as she embraced him, trying to calm the panicking halfa while guiding him away from the clock tower. Danny didn’t realize he was in a state of panic, but he leaned into her embrace as she led him to a more suitable location where he could have the privacy he needed to heal. By then, it was dawn. They arrived at a closed-off apartment that had seen better days but still had water, electricity, and a decent bed. Lady Gotham pointed out remnants of an orange gas lingering in the air, which she said came from a rogue known as Scarecrow, who was infamous for feeding people's fear using Fear Toxin. It was in a small amount, not enough to affect his health.
“Thank you, Lady Gotham. I promise that I will not cause any issues.” He bowed and turned back into his human form. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
Lady Gotham stood there as she saw the young king resting in the bedroom. She smiled softly as she took out a neon green sticky note and reread the small note before pocketing it again. She silently spoke into the darkness with a knowing smile as she let the young king rest.
"̶͇̄̃̋I̸̺͉̒̇t̷̛̤̞̙̀̈ ̵̨͙̗̊̔ḯ̶̼͔̉s̶̝̘̹̚ ̷͖̖̍͝a̷̫̾̽s̴͙̻̒̂͊ ̸̺̤̏́͂ḯ̸̟̝̰͛t̸̜̙̲͝ ̸͙͎͂ś̴̼̋h̸̹̙̖́ỏ̸͙̯̓u̴͎̣̇̈́l̴͙̘̈́͘͝d̴̥͐͊ ̵̡̣̅̐b̷̳͉́̍̓e̴̡̫̒̿,̸̛̞̥̒̊ ̸͎̬̔͠m̴͓̂y̴̻̰̤̔̿ ̶̨̯̉͂͐ķ̵͙̳͌͗̓i̸̛͙̩̪̎ǹ̶̼͈̔g̶̡̢̈́̒͘.̷͇͊"̴͚̟̲̈́̂
…
Danny awoke dazed. Dazed and sore as if he had been run over by his- the Fenton’s GAV twice. Grumble~ okay, also hungry. Danny pulled himself out of bed and stretched, feeling the crack in his stiff body. Food was a priority kind of thing. Danny took out Sam’s bag and took out the money from the hidden pockets, ignoring the rest of the stuff, knowing it would cause him pain. Counting it, taking what was needed, and placing what was not back, he steps out of his temporary shelter. By the look of the area, Danny could guess it was already close to evening, so this meal was going to be breakfast and lunch, so he made his way through the streets.
It took a while to navigate the streets, but Danny found himself in front of a fast food restaurant. “Batburger… well,l it isn't a Nasty Burger, but this will do.” Danny entered and couldn’t help but giggle at the decorations and the “uniforms”. There were no people there, so he could get to the front to order where he was face-to-face with an exhausted college student in a cheap Batman costume with a name tag that said “Mark”. Feeling some semblance of empathy for the man, Danny just ordered one of the cheaper deals with a soda and jokerize fries. Once he had his meal, he sat at the empty table next to the window, and people watched as he ate. He saw a limo pass by with a W ornament. That was Wayne's limo, and he recalled from one of Sam’s Eat the Rich (You Are Rich Sam) fits after going out of town for a fancy party, she said that Wayne's parties were annoying unless one of the Wayne kids did something stupid like swinging on the chandelier. That gave him a harsh tug on his core that almost made him double over in pain. He misses his friends, his sister, and his haunt. He stopped himself before he started to spiral; he stood up and threw away the trash to head out to the street.
After taking care of food, Danny stepped onto the street and decided there was still enough sunlight left for a stroll around Gotham to create a mental map of the area. He spent his time sightseeing, even catching a glimpse of a vigilante named Signal during their patrol. He also picked up a NASA coffee mug and some snacks from a small mom-and-pop store. By the time he returned to the apartment, night had begun to fall.
Danny placed his belongings in the bedroom where he was staying, which, upon closer inspection, showed no signs of leftover fear toxin. The previous resident had installed a gap blocker at the side and bottom of the door to ensure the room was safe from gases and smoke. Afterward, he took out the bags and items he had hastily gathered before leaving to see what he had. As he checked the contents, he felt a tug at his core when he came across a photo album Sam had created, documenting the two years since he began his journey as Phantom. He could start looking through it, but uncomfortably realized that his hair felt greasy. It had been days on the run, and water alone wasn’t enough to maintain his hygiene. Now that he had a temporary place to rest, he needed to address his cleanliness. He took a shower after confirming that there were no remaining toxins, and it was refreshing after such a long time of fleeing.
After the shower, Danny grabbed one of the snacks he had bought. Looking at Tucker’s bag, he took out a PhantomPhone. This was a modified FentonPhone he and Tucker had made as a pet project to see if they could make a much more secure communication line. He didn’t know how long had passed since he left, but he believed it was now safe to communicate with his team.
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Schrödinger's Boy: I lived Bitch
dannyalive.jpeg
VeggiegothGirl: Danny!
TFine: Danny, thank the Ancients that you are ok!
Red: I heard what happened. Are you alright, Ghosty?
CassandraCurse: I told you he would be fine!
TheBetterMiniMe: STF Wes, you spiraled more than any of us, newbie!
Schrödinger's Boy: I found a safe location to land, but I’m fuzzy on how long I was away.
TFine: It's best to keep the location safe for now, but you were away for four days the last time I saw you. Our lines seemed secure, but let's keep our communication scarce, just in case.
Schrödinger's Boy: Ok, what has happened since I left?
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The team proceeds to explain to Danny the aftermath of the previous night. First, the Fenton couple lost their minds searching for him. They barged into both Sam's and Tucker's homes, but fortunately, their parents managed to keep the Fentons away from them. By morning, the Fentons spent the day trying to track down Danny, but their Fenton Boomerang was mysteriously missing, which resulted in school being canceled due to hazardous driving conditions. Jazz, on the other hand, insisted that it would be best for her to have minimal contact with the core trio for the time being, to prevent their parents from learning where Danny had fled. Though their parents announced that Danny is Phantom and ran away from them, no one in Amity Park believed them, except for the Guys in White, who had begun investigating Danny. This investigation revealed that Danny had been in foster care, which came as news to everyone except Team Phantom.
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TFine: You should have seen Vlad’s reaction to the discovery.
VeggiegothGirl: He looked like his soul left his body. I guess with all the time stalking, he didn’t realize you weren’t even their kid.
Red: I took a pic!
vladdyshockface.jpg
Schrödinger' Boy: Or he was in denial.
VeggiegothGirl: Maybe, I, for one, I’m glad you aren’t their kid.
TFine: Hey, at least we can use this as an excuse to find out where your father lives. Then, you can see if you can move in with him.
Schrödinger's Boy: Yeah, I’ll think about it.
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Danny found it ironic since he was already in his father's city. This fact was never told to the team about his father because that meant explaining LoA, his mother, and Damian, his Pollux. Those things he thought he had enough time for, but fate had other plans. He finished his conversation with his friends, turned off the phone, and finally went to sleep.
Damian woke up with a start. It had been a week since he started having dreams about the time before he left the League of Assassins. This wasn’t the first time he had experienced this; he had lived with his father for six years. However, these recent dreams had a recurring theme: they revolved around someone he longed to have by his side—his twin, his Castor, Danyal al Ghul.
The dreams began with simple childhood memories, which, given that he was raised in an assassin’s death cult, were not as innocent as one might expect. Over the past four days, the subjects of the dreams had become heavier and more intense as they approached the final days before the Test . Typically, he would have these dreams on the anniversary of their separation, which occurred a week before his mother sent him away. Though puzzling, this was set back burner to the investigations that had occupied the young Robin.
Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to return to sleep’s embrace, Damian got off the bed and dressed in a light outfit for training. He made his way to the Batcave, which he knew his Akhi would love to pun about, and went to practice his sword swings. He was still remembering his dream, and he didn’t realize someone was approaching him until he felt someone poke him in the back. Damian would deny that he jumped as he turned around to see Jason behind him. “Got another of those dreams, Demon Brat.” Jason gave him a knowing look.
“Come on, Akih. Everyone is asleep, so we can go see the new guy,” Danyal pleaded, trying to persuade Damian to check out their mother’s latest pet project. Not much was known about this new arrival, but snippets of information gathered from the servants suggested that they had been thrown into the Lazarus Pits as soon as they arrived.
“Fine… but if things go south, we have to retreat,” Damian huffed as they sneaked through the seemingly endless halls.
After some time, they finally reached the dungeon where prisoners were kept, including those who had succumbed to Pit Madness. As they navigated through the cries for help and the desperate hands reaching out toward the young demon heirs, they found a prison cell that was farther away from the rest. Inside stood a teenager surrounded by blood, pacing like a caged beast. Damian hesitated, keeping a safe distance, but Danyal moved closer, pulling out a ring of keys that Damian couldn't recall his Castor obtaining from the guards.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Danyal managed to unlock the door. The bloodied teen's head snapped around at the sound of their arrival, and Damian would never admit that his heart raced at the sight of those glowing Lazarus eyes fixed intently on his twin, who approached without fear. An inhuman growl erupted from the teenager as he lunged at Danyal. Damian instinctively prepared to throw his dagger, ready to grab his twin and escape. However, he was taken aback by what happened next.
With an unexpected calmness, Danyal raised his hand, causing the teen to halt. The growl transformed into a purr as the teenager lowered himself to Danyal's six-year-old height.
“Pollux, look! The new guy is nice,” Danyal exclaimed in awe as he wrapped his arms around the older boy. At Danyal's command, the teen stood up, effortlessly carrying his twin, who laughed in delight. Damian stood there in shock as he watched Danyal being carried around the messy room, oblivious to the fact that blood was staining his white sleepwear.
Damian knew that those who had recently emerged from the depths of the Lazarus Waters tended to be violent; it usually took them a long time, if ever, to regain their sanity. However, seeing his twin maintain someone in such a calm and compliant demeanor, someone who recently was bathed in those toxic green waters, was unprecedented. A shiver of fear coursed through his heart as he realized that if this situation were to become known, their grandfather's initial reaction would be fear, followed by curiosity. Damian couldn't shake the disconcerting thought that there was a good chance he might never see his twin again.
He let out a whistle, calling his twin to come along. He received a growl, but Danyal poked their nose, scolding him for being mean to his Pollux. There was a whine that came from the teen boy, but he reluctantly put down the young al Ghul as Danyal rushed back to his twin side, not before locking the cell door. Holding hands, they ran back to their shared room.
This wouldn’t be the last of their encounters, and Damian was grateful that Grandfather or Mother never found out about Danyal’s ability.
“Hey, are you with me, kid!?” Damian was returned to the present when Jason started to snap his fingers in front of him. He gave his first scowl of the day, slapping the older man’s hand away from his face.
“Tt I’m here, aren’t I, Todd?”
Jason just smiled, which earned another glare from the boy. “You were thinking about Danyal, weren’t you?”
A year ago, Jason confronted the heir when they were alone. He began to gain fragmented memories from a time when he was in a daze and realized that two boys considered him their beloved errand boy. Damian could have denied this to keep his brother’s memory to himself, but he knew his twin would never forgive him if they avoided their Sirius. So, he relented and told Jason about his twin, warning him that if he revealed anything to the family, there would be consequences. This honesty brought them closer, but to maintain appearances, they decided to keep it private to prevent others from prying into their relationship. Naturally, for that, Jason would eventually figure out that Damian was having dreams about his twin.
“Yes, and it's become more specific in the last 4 days.” He started. Jason flinched, knowing which ones the younger boy was recalling.
“Do you think that twin telepathy is activating?” Damian's face scrunched at the idea. Jason believed on an instinctual level that Danyal was still alive, especially since Damian didn’t see the body.
“I knew you were a fool, but you have just proven the extent of your idiocy, Todd.”
“Hey, my instincts have never proven me wrong, brat.”
“Did you forget that time that-”
“We promise not to speak of that incident!” Jason covered the boy's mouth as he looked around to see if a wild Steph was nearby. Sighing in relief when he saw that they were still safe, he removed his hands. Just in time, Damien decided it was time to try to bite his fingers.
“Woah, jeez, demon brat. I’m just saying that I don’t trust your maternal side as far as I can throw them, so there is a possibility they lied about his death. However, there might be a chance that he manages to pull something over them. Danyal was always a better escape artist than you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a way to escape death.” Jason made a good point. While Damian was good at assassinations, Danyal was a star in information gathering, thievery, escapes, and invention. The times they took out their targets, Danyal was able to get them away before anyone realized that there was a corpse nearby. There was even a time when Danyal played with his clueless child persona to get tools and items and construct a weapon when they lost theirs to the sabotagers.
Damian asked as he walked to the elevator to prepare for school. He watched the city pass by from the window of the family car. He looked away for a moment as they passed a Batbuger to ask Alfred to change the station.
He let out a sigh, This would be a long day.
It has been two days since Danny arrived, and he can confidently say that his experience has been easier than he expected. True to her word, Lady Gotham—an honorific she has proudly accepted—has kept her promise. She not only kept her knights, the Bats, away from Danny but also protected him from their rogues. As a result, he has been able to heal properly. Additionally, he has mapped out all of Gotham, exploring the city as if he had lived there for years. As a lighthearted inside joke, he has been playing "Spot the Vigilante" on his travels, catching glimpses of:
Signal: 5
Nightwing: 1
Spoiler: 3
Black Bat: 3
Red Robin: 6 (one was in a 24/7 coffee shop, and Danny was tickled funny how everyone just didn’t bat an eye as the lethargic young vigilante ordered enough caffeine to kill an elephant)
He had yet to see his—the big bat himself, his new Robin, or Red Hood. So far, so good.
It was short-lived.
That night was nothing special as Danny flew invisibly around Gotham as he patro—explored. He stopped, in subtle ways, small-time crimes. A trip here, a misplaced ‘beware it's wet’ sign, a bullet missing anyone there. Small things that were sparse enough that no one would think anything other than it was a coincidence or a small miracle. He just managed to make bullets miss a running teen when there was an explosion coming from the docks. Usually, he would ignore the pull of his protection obsession since there was always a bat or bird heading there, but this time, the pull was much stronger. His core, which was numb after leaving his haunt, became painful as if it were being squeezed. He gasped for air that he didn’t need, completely unaware that he was making his way toward the explosion, never noticing that he passed Lady Gotham in one of the buildings, who smiled at him knowingly.
As soon as he felt the ache in his core begin to lessen, he noticed he was standing in front of a warehouse engulfed in flames. Even from a distance, he could make out dark figures rushing toward the scene from a far distance. He wanted to fly away and let Gotham's heroes handle the situation, but something deep within him urged him forward.
“I’ll just do this and leave before the bats get here ,” he thought as he phased through one of the undamaged walls. The warehouse was abandoned, with old, dusty boxes providing kindling as the fire spread. Danny followed the pull of his core, which directed him to the location of whoever had triggered his protection. A flash of green made him stop; he saw a boy around his age, surrounded by masked men. The boy looked battered, struggling to stay upright but determined to fight off the enemy. Seeing the new Robin in such a state pinched Danny’s core, even though he knew he shouldn’t interact with the Bats. However, knowing that the boy wouldn’t last long, Danny decided to help.
Maintaining his invisibility, Danny approached the group and began to trip the masked men just as they were about to strike Robin. He made sure to nudge Robin away from incoming attacks or bullets. With each successful maneuver, he felt his core purring with joy, especially when he made physical contact with the boy. Soon, the goons started to fall, and Danny realized he was working in tandem with the vigilante. It reminded him of when he fought alongside his Pollux. Danny shook his head; there was no way he should be here. The distraction allowed one of the goons to take a shot. Danny heard Robin grunt as he caught sight of blood starting to seep from the boy's side. That was enough to make him visible and launch an ice shield around them.
“No, no, no, no,” Danny panicked as he rushed to the other boy and pressed down on the injury. “Shit, Robin, stay with me.” The other boy grunted, staring at Danny with confusion at first. But then realization crossed his masked eyes as he reached out to touch Danny’s face, finding a scar left from a throwing knife training incident when Danny was nine. The scar was mostly invisible in his human form due to its age, but in his phantom form, it contrasted sharply with his pale blue-tinted skin.
“Akih?” It was almost silent, but Danny’s inhuman hearing heard it. His core jolted in pain as Danny took in Robin’s face. Even with the mask on, the memory of his Pollux fused with the boy before him. There was no mistaking who the boy was.
“P-Pollux?” He hesitated as his core wept for the boy who was losing blood, but still smiled in confirmation. This is his Pollux, his twin Damian. He managed to leave the league and was staying with their father, the bat. There were many things he wanted to say to him, but other things took priority.
Thinking fast, Danny froze the injury to stop the bleeding. The other boy shivered in the cold. Danny ignored that and decided that it was better to cover his ears.
“Castor, what are you-?” Robin didn’t have the time before Danny opened his mouth and wailed.
One of the things he was proud of about his ascension to kingship was that the power boost gave him enough power to Ghost Wail 2 times instead of 1 if he was healthy. The two days of ectoplasm (thanks to Lady Gotham), good food, and the ability to work with his obsession, even for a little were enough to keep him in the good health range that was needed. The power of his wail broke the ice field, shattered the glass windows of the warehouse, and snuffed out the flames.
Moments later, Danny stopped. Looking around, he saw that it had also knocked the goons unconscious, leaving him and his twin alone. He removed his hands from his brother’s ears, giving him a gentle smile.
“I’m glad you made it to Father Akih.”
“Castor,” His brother started, but Danny could hear the sound of a motor finally reaching their location. He wanted to stay, but he wasn’t sure that Father would accept him even if his twin were to vouch for him.
“I’m sorry, Pollux,” Danny exudes his aura as a call within the infinite realm.
"̸̠̏͗̄̋D̴̟̬̱̻̝̺͓̿̅r̷̻͉͐̎̅̃̒̈͜͝e̵̫̪̝̯̱͇̮͒a̶̟̻̘̹͌͊̃m̵͖̊̓̆̇͊̄m̵̬͛̈́̃̀̐̈ạ̶͉͕̱̪̉͂͐͘ͅk̶̮̓̓̃̓e̴̪̯̣͉̍́̎̂̈̈́̊r̴̡̞̙̮̠̰͈̅,̴̢̣̰̳͎̞̀ ̶̘͆ỳ̵͍̮͇͗̇̐̽o̸̪̳̭̹̲͑̽̏̆̂̀ú̴͙̗̣̣͒̕ŕ̸͉̄̀͐̕͠͝ ̷̛̠̺̭̊̏̍͊͊̒k̶̯̰̪̇̈́i̴̡̹̥͇͇͑ņ̸̲̘̯̘͗̃̎̆̎͘͝ͅģ̷͈̺̖̤̬͖̒̊̀̊͂̂͐ ̸̡̛̬͇̭͐̊̎̐͊̚k̶̯̠͉͌i̷̛̟̎͋͌n̴̬̬̝̪̲̄̓̆̑̿͘d̴̖̩̩͉̱͆̔ļ̶̡͈̹̪̬̫͌̇̐̀̚y̸̨͉̞̠̰̙͉͌̉̈́̉̃ ̵̨̞͍̹̪͍̠̑͋͛͊͋̽r̷̢̨̟̟͂̈́̈́͛̕͝ẻ̴̫̓͂q̷̡̨̞̫͓͉̓̿u̶̳̦̜̲͔͈̘͑̌̕ȩ̶̡̬̭̠̔̉̈́̈̔̎s̵̢͑̀̾̀͑͠ţ̵̪̰̥̍̏̆͐̈̿͘ṣ̴̲̙́̀͋́̚͝ͅ ̷̗͍͚͠y̶̘̦̦̩͈̒͜o̵̡̢̢̯̖̙̥͑̽͊̏̄͝u̸̥̥͙̹̲̗̇̄r̷͖̗̻͙̩̬̔̈ ̴̛̲̟͕̗̩͚́̄͛̃̕p̸̱͓̱͈̙̤͛e̸̮̓̆̃̌̄͘͜r̷̺̈́͌̍̏͝m̷̗̝̐͛̆͌ĭ̵̻͙̖̈́̔s̷̫̝̲͓̝̑̀̏̅͘s̵̙̄̿̈̓̚̕i̸̮̽̔́͠ō̶̡̙̖n̴͎͍̻͇̰̞̑ ̸̳̦̈́̈̉́͘ṯ̷̻̜̺̳̈̊̆̆̉͐͜ͅo̷̙̟͊́͌̈́̈́̌̈ ̸͓̑̈́͛ǔ̸͍̭̹̼̋͒̅͜͝t̶͉͚̥͔͇̾͗͂į̴̘͍̋͐̌̆l̴̛͕̙̿̏i̷̦͉̪̎̋̊̓͛̂͘z̸̛͎̟͓̾̌e̸̲̘͓̞͛̇͌̂̍̈́͝ ̶͙̑́̿͘y̴̹̮͐ǫ̶̪͔̥̋͑̂͒͠ṳ̶̥̃̓̅̇ŕ̵̛̠͔̿ ̵̨̜̯͓͚͚̔͐͘̕p̸̧̗͕͛ǫ̶͈͈̮̫̭͆̚͝w̷̧̛̬̏̈̓̈́̐e̵̮̤͍͉̙̍̌̔̕͠r̸̠̪̥̹̔ ̴̺̺̦̞͊͝o̶͕͓̒͋͝͝f̷̢̺̃ͅͅ ̴̹͐s̸̭͕͕̟̝̱̎͑̏̇͊͘l̴̨̧̳̦̞͖̪̓̾̐̐̑u̶̙̭͇͓̍͋͗͛m̶̢͍͎̪̮̣̘͘b̴͚̫̻̭̝͕̈ë̵̼̩̰̳̣́́r̵͍̙̽̂̏̏͐̚.̶̢̻̱̩̽̈͠"̴̢̬̰͙̽̓͐̄̽͘
He felt his core warm up in confirmation. Placing his clean hand over his twin’s eyes, he mumbled, “Sleep Pollux.” His brother struggled but quickly succumbed to Nocturne's Power. Just in time for Danny to become invisible as Batman enters the warehouse through one of the broken windows.
He saw his father, the first knight of Lady Gotham, look around before rushing to his youngest side and picking him gently as he noticed that they were shot. Danny greedily observes his father's appearance. As much as he feared the man, there was a part of him, even when he accepted the Fenton couple as family, that wanted to meet him. There were a lot of things he wanted to know about the one who got the ire/ respect of the Demon Head and the adoration/ obsession of his daughter.
“Robin is down, I’ll be taking him back to the cave for medical care. Nightwing, I leave you in charge of handling the criminals.” Batman ordered. There was a small noise from the comms in confirmation as he walked out with Robin. As much as Danny wanted to follow his father and brother until they reached their destination safely, he held himself back. He let out a quiet whimper. He didn’t wait for Nightwing to arrive as he flew away from the destroyed warehouse.
Danny made it to the apartment and started to panic in the middle of the living room about his Pollux being in Gotham, and he got away from his mother and LoA. He wanted to scream or something, but it was late. He could only run into the room he slept in and scream into the pillow. Questions of how, when, and why swirl in his mind. The consequences of Amity’s governmental blackout were a two-way street. It cut the town from the rest of the country, so recent news from 2 years ago wouldn't surface. Though Tucker found a way out, they only used it to see if the Justice League realized an entire town disappearing from Gmaps. The answer was a disappointing no. Danny had to learn who was who through word of mouth when he started to map the city. Even then, he took some of the information with a grain of salt.
Well, I gotta do my research eventually , Danny decided as he got ready for bed.
Damian woke up in the cave in the medical bed. Confused about how he managed to get here when a memory rushed him.
“Sleep Pollux”
Damian sat up too quickly, and a sharp sting of pain shot up from his side. He checked to see that his injury was bandaged; luckily, he hadn’t reopened it. He tsked at his weakness, trying to ignore the flicker of hope that he wasn’t imagining the pale figure of his deceased twin brother, Danyal. There had to be a logical explanation for what he saw. Determined to get off the bed and access the bat computer to review the camera feeds, he was interrupted by a cough. Turning towards the entryway, he saw Alfred with a plate of sandwiches. The butler's stern gaze made him hesitate; he had learned early on that no one crossed Alfred. Disappointed, he sank back onto the bed and began to eat the sandwiches, wondering how much Danyal would have enjoyed them.
A short while later, he received a visitor in the form of one Richard “Dick” Grayson. “Hey, baby bat, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Grayson. I don’t need to be cuddled like a child.” Damian huffed. They were the last person he wanted to deal with, since when it came to him, the older man made it his mission to get Damian to confide in him. Their relationship improved after he became Robin at the wake of Father’s disappearance through time, becoming an emotional pillar for the younger boy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for him to tell the older man about Danyal, even now that he knew that his twin was here in Gotham. Making it harder was that he was starting to take note of how his Castor would ease into the family chaos, especially that his twin had powers. Even if their father had a no-meta rule for reasons, he would make sure that Danyal would have a place here once he was found.
“Hey, B wanted a report about what happened, but luckily I volunteered to talk to you, so that way it would prolong the lecture of going solo again.” Dick happily continued.
“Tt I would like to inform you that there was no other option than “going solo” as you say. I do recall that I was placed to investigate the docks.” Damian crosses his arms, being cautious of his injured side. With a sigh, he started his explanation.
In this case, the entire family was involved in an investigation into a new meta-trafficking ring. They were still in the early stages of their inquiry, so the family split up to monitor various locations of interest. Damian took the docks, with Tim acting as his backup. However, Damian arrived earlier, proving he was the superior child when the warehouse exploded.
“Yeah, it was caused by one of the meta kids.” Dick passes him a folder with information about the kid. The kid’s ability gave him the power to produce a compound that helped them convert any object into an explosive. Putting him next to a fire meta was the worst idea. Luckily, both of them survived by some miracle, with only some burns, but the hospital was confident that they would be able to make a full recovery. Damian then continues to say that he entered and broke the kids out of the warehouse, and then started to fight the goons until one of them got a lucky shot.
The older man remained quiet for a moment. Damian felt that something else had been discovered.
“The feed was glitchy during the fight. Babs managed to scrub some parts, but by the end of the feed, it had become too corrupted and wasn’t salvageable.” Dick calmly started as he stared at him. That was both good and bad. Good since they hadn’t found out about Danyal, but bad since that meant he had no way of seeing if he could see where his Castor went.
“From what we could see, something was tripping them. Then there was a wail when B was reaching you. It was stronger than a Canary scream, and Dinah is off-world on a JL mission.”
“Tt how would I know, Grayson? I was too busy dodging bullets to notice anything.” Damian looked away. He knew it would be a matter of time before the truth came out, being part of a family of detectives. It wouldn’t be surprising if the image of his twin appeared, though in what capacity was to be known. And by the look of the man’s eyes, they have Gordon on the case. Dick was about to continue when someone entered the medic bay.
“Hey Dickibird, Alfred is calling for dinner. I volunteer to bring demon brat’s, hurry, or replacements, and Steph will eat all the Bulz.” Jason came in carrying food for Damian. Dick stood up with a sigh not before ruffling his hair. Damian glared at him in return.
“Ok, Jaybird, just because you asked me nicely.” After another failed attempt to hug Jason, he leaves.
That left two ex-leaguers alone. After a while, the oldest fake coughs.
“It was Danyal, wasn’t it?”
“How did-”
“I saw a pixel of a person but knew it was him by instinct, and the ice that covered your injury calmed down the Pits. Don’t worry, it melted the moment you were placed down on the medical cot. More like evaporated into the air, that caused quite a commotion.” Jason laughed, remembering. After another moment of silence, Damian nodded.
“It was him, but…” he paused, unsure how the other would react.
“Different.” Jason finished tilting his head. He emphasized by looking up to his white streak, which was a prominent feature since his revival. If anyone understood what Damian meant, it would be Jason.
“He was different, his older, paler, his colors inverted. The only thing I recognized him by was because of the scar. He then confirmed it by calling me Pollux; no one calls me that except him. And Sirius… Jason… he just left me. He protected me from the attacks and then left me before Father got here.” By the end, he was breathing heavily as the crushing realization that Danyal didn’t stay. He knew that it would be a long and hard conversation to have with their father, but Damian was confident that his twin would be brought home safely. He felt his eyes water as he looked at the other.
“Was I not worth staying?” he tearfully asked. He refused to cry in front of Jason, of all people.
Damian was surprised as he was wrapped in strong arms as Jason embraced him.
“Demon- Damian, I don’t think it's that simple. One thing is for sure: Danyal cares about you enough to let you know it was him. That was more than what I did when I came back.” Jason sighed in regret, something that he would never tell the others besides Damian.
“Besides, if Danyal is here in Gotham, then we can look for him before the others get to him.” Jason let him go and proceeded to hand him his dinner. As Damian ate, they planned on dividing the job of looking for the ghost. Jason would use his gut instincts, while Damian would not only sabotage the family’s effort while recovering but would also keep an eye out while patrolling. They both agreed that if they found Danyal, they would take him to one of Jason’s safe houses before easing the family into the information.
Dick be damned.
That eventually came too soon for Danny.
After a couple of days of him walking to the library, chicken out before he even steps up those stone stairs, he finds himself again bright and early in front of the large building. Like the other morning before, most of the patrons who come and go from those large doors consist of college students looking to study and office workers wanting to use the free Wi-Fi to answer emails on the go. Letting out a breath, Danny taps into his League training as he enters, noting the exits and good hiding spots. He is so on guard that he overlooks a red-haired librarian in a wheelchair (not a threat) sneaking a peek as she sends a group text.
By either luck or coincidence, only two people see the text.
Danny spoke to one of the librarians and was directed to an available computer. Once logged on, he began his research. It was easy to look up Damian; the search engine's autocomplete feature filled the screen with links and articles about one Damian Wayne. He is the son of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, the sole heir to Wayne Industries, who mysteriously appeared at the age of ten.
A month after the “Test”, his mind supplies.
As Danny continued to read about his twin brother's early years, he felt a pang of sadness in his core. Images of Damian grew before his eyes, displayed in photos from galas, events, and even candid paparazzi shots. Sometimes, he paused not just to look at his brother but at the tall man beside him. Broad-shouldered but not as bulky as Jack, this man had a physique indicative of someone who followed a “unique” training regimen.
What captivated Danny was the man's face—specifically, his eyes, which shared the same color as his own. This man was his father. It surprised him that no one had realized that the "Prince of Gotham" and the "Gotham’s Dark Knight " were essentially the same person. Danny couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of how Sam would react upon learning this revelation. She would likely rant about how he could have joined her in enduring those galas. Tucker, on the other hand, would badger him into getting his hands on the latest Wayne tech.
Now, with all that information, Danny had to formulate a plan to meet his twin. It wasn’t like he could stroll up to him and be like, “Hello brother, it is I, your dead (not really) brother. Sorry, Pollux, for not looking for you, cause you see…” and go straight to a long elaborate telling of what happened. Damian is a Wayne of all people. One cannot expect to find the Little Ice Prince of Gotham, something he is saving as “teasing material” for a rainy day, walking around among the people. If Danny wanted to see his twin, he had to make preparations and concessions in case shit hits the fan in the reunion.
Believing that he had time, he started to write down plans on paper that he stole from the nearby printers. Not knowing that it was pointless, this is now swim or sink for the young half-dead monarch.
One thing that Damian didn’t expect on his way to school was a message from the Batfam group chat. As he checked his phone casually, he couldn’t help but flinch when he saw a picture of his deceased twin in the library. There was no mistaking those eyes that were just like their father’s. Gordon was requesting assistance in handling a potential Damian clone. Fortunately, the only family members available in the group chat were Damian and Todd, since, for some reason, the rest of the family was too busy to check their phones, and Father was in the Watchtower for a meeting. He quickly sent a message back.
“Pennyworth, it looks like I have to head to the library for a book I forgot to get.” Damian started casually.
“Is it about what you and master Jason were always talking about?” Alfred didn’t bat an eye as he changed directions.
“How do you kno-”
“Master Damian, one thing you should know is that I will always know what happens in the manor. Though an explanation will be required, and I promise I will handle the rest.” Damian nodded as they reached the building. There, he could see the familiar form of Jason Todd waiting for him.
“Hey, Demon Brat, didn’t expect the nicer twin to show up too soon.” Jason started as they both walked into the building. Damian ignored it in favor of looking for Barbra, who happened to wheel her way to them.
“Is this something I need to know?” she asked, staring at the younger Wayne. He could tell that she had figured something out and likely already noticed the differences between a Damian clone and Danyal. Damian let out a sigh. “I’ll explain later, but first… where is he?”
“Babs, we’ll explain everything, but please don’t tell the others until Damian is ready,” Jason said, placing a hand on Damian’s shoulder to stop him from wandering off. Barbara let out an exhausted sigh.
“Linda sent him to the computer an hour ago. I haven’t hacked his monitor yet. This will be a one-time favor for Jason, so just don’t damage the library.” With that, she wheeled away. The two vigilantes quickly made their way to the computer section. It didn’t take long for them to spot a lanky teen crouched on a table, scribbling and erasing on printer paper (how did he get that?). Damian recognized him right away; he looked different from the last time they saw each other, but there was no mistaking his identity. Damian had a lot of questions for his twin: Where had he been? How was he alive? How did he escape the League? Why didn’t he come back? And what was going on with his powers and form? As far as the ex-assassin knew was neither parent had the meta gene. As Damian contemplated these questions, he focused on the first thing he wanted to do.
Danny was taken from his plans when he felt eyes on him. Trying to be unnoticed, he scanned his surroundings and was startled as he saw familiar emerald green eyes belonging to Damian Wayne, who should have been in school at this hour.
“Shit” he whispered as he saw the properial shit hit the fan. He wasn’t ready to deal with his twin, so he decided to do what he was best at, whether as Danny Fenton or Danyal Al Ghul: running away.
He casually stood up as he stretched his body to distract and prepare. He walked to the nearest aisle. He was in luck when he saw those small steps for someone to reach the top of the bookshelf. He used it to climb to the top and silently reach the nearest exit. Unfortunately, one thing that the halfa forgot was that his twin had bat training and knew right away what his plan was and proceeded to chase him along the bookshelves, herding him even with the disadvantage of still being injured.
Jason held back a laugh as he saw the two baby former assassins playing a silent game of parkour cat and mouse. He could have helped catch Danny, but instead, he walked away to beg Babs to hack the library cameras to save the video as future blackmail.
The game was over when Danny almost fell. Damian reached him and pulled him back to safety. They took a moment to catch their breath.
“Seriously, Pollux, can a guy make a plan without somebody messing it up?” Danny silently whined as he dramatically dangled himself from the edge.
“Tt Castor, you should know by now that I will always know what you are planning,” Damian said while he kept his hand on his Castor’s arm as a way to keep his twin steady and to prevent them from making a run for it.
“Curse the Fe- my luck that the moment I plan to meet you, you just walk in. If there is a god, then I guess I’m their favorite toy.” Danny wasn’t going to tell his brother that he knew who he was referencing, but he swore to the Ancients he knew that they were probably there in their haunt watching this with a bucket of popcorn.
“Akih, one thing you should know is that Gotham has eyes.” And by eyes, he means Oracle.
“No way, Oracle is real?” Danny whisper/ shout. He had heard rumors of the hacker, but no one knew if they were real. He wouldn’t be surprised if Dami knew them personally because of his nightly job. Tucker is going to flip and beg him to let them meet.
“Yes, they are a close family friend of ours, both in civilian and vigilante life. I will introduce them later.” Damian said as he led his twin back to the ground without being detected. He led his twin by the hand as he went to find Todd, who happened to be on the front desk, still holding in laughter next to a smiling Gordon.
“Sirius…” He heard his Castor whisper. Glaring at the older man who didn’t help at all, wanting to kick him in his grinning face, but priorities.
“Danyal is coming with us. We're going, Todd,” he clipped as he led Danyal to the main door. Jason soon followed, confirming that this was the real deal, with the Pits being quieter in the younger boy’s presence.
Once outside, Danny saw that there was a familiar black car belonging to the family with an old butler waiting to open the doors for them. Danny clocked something about the man that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he did sense the slight shock the moment he saw him. A slight moment of nostalgia passed the old man’s eyes before he quickly moved to open the door to the twins.
“I presume that this is what you wanted to keep from the family, master Damian,” he spoke in a British accent. Of course, we have a British butler, Danny thought.
“Pennyworth, this is my twin brother, Danyal. Danyal, this is Alfred Pennyworth, our family butler and grandparent figure,” Damian introduced. He encouraged his twin to enter the car first, and followed soon after. Once inside, Alfred took the driver's seat and followed Jason, who sped away on his motorcycle, to one of Jason's safe houses.
As Danyal watched the world blur past outside the car window, he felt as if everything that had happened in the past few days was nothing more than a dream. He still felt he could wake up and find himself back in his room in Amity, but the sensation of his twin's warm, calloused hands made it all feel real. Those hands grounded him more than Jazz’s and his friends’ hugs and reassurances ever could. A hum of happiness stirred within his core, and he held back a purr that threatened to escape. Instead, he squeezed Damian’s hand quickly, which was immediately returned.
Damian, on the other hand, felt like he could finally breathe again now that Danyal was back by his side. He was content to hold back his questions for the moment; he just wanted to bask in the feeling of completeness as they headed to a safe place until the time was right to talk.
Behind the steering wheel, the old man watched the twins through the rearview mirror as they held hands in comfortable silence. In all his years working for the family, both in their daytime roles and at night, Alfred Pennyworth was rarely surprised. However, today marked an exception. He had noticed a pattern over the last six years since the youngest Wayne had joined the family.
He observed the frequent early mornings that seemed to occur around the same time each year, the way the boy hesitated to celebrate his birthday, and how he received two of everything. Alfred had initially attributed the boy's slight interest in space to Martha’s influence or his closeness to a certain half-Kryptonian.
At that moment, his gaze fell upon the worryingly thin teen who stood shyly behind the younger Wayne. For an instant, he saw a mirror of a teenage Bruce Wayne blended with them, with subtle differences that were characteristic of Talia. He had a feeling that Bruce would have a hard time once the truth came out, but he was willing to help ease the meeting so it wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened the last time Bruce met a bio child. Alfred did frown as he looked at his latest charge's thin frame. Well, that won’t do , he thought as he made a mental note on what to bring next time he visits.
The car eventually stopped when they reached an apartment building near Crime Alley. Danny stepped out immediately, recognizing the building across from where he was staying. “Of course, Lady Gotham has a sense of humor,” he chuckled.
Jason gave Danny a puzzled look, noticing the halfa’s reaction. Danny silently tilted his head toward the building that Scarecrow had attacked. The older boy remembered purchasing it after the attack, as the previous owner had decided to leave Gotham City.
“Seriously, of all places…” Jason muttered, face-palming. Damian glared at him in confusion, while Danny simply smiled at the irony.
“Seems he was closer than we thought,” Jason explained, pointing at the other building. “Do you want to pick up what you left behind?” Danny nodded and quickly scanned the surroundings for onlookers before crossing the street and phasing through the door, much to the surprise of the others. It took a while before Danny returned with two bags. Jason quickly grabbed one before Damian could react. Ignoring the younger boy's glare, he led everyone to his floor.
“Here we are! Mi casa es tu casa,” Jason declared, opening the door and bowing as if Danny were an honored guest.
“Tt dramatic as always, Todd.” Damian scoffed but entered first, followed by Danny. Alfred didn’t join them since he had errands to run, but promised to visit later and help them hide Danny’s existence until the right moment. Danny felt relieved with the promise, he wasn’t ready to meet their father yet. Looking at the place, Danny could tell that it was bought as a place to shelter injured or tired vigilantes temporarily.
“You can stay here for now while the demon brat and I handle everything else,” Jason said as he led Danny to the bedroom and placed the bag he was carrying on the bed. “Don’t worry about the others or B; they don’t know most of my safe houses and understand better than to come near Crime Alley.” Danny felt a sense of relief at that statement as he began unpacking his bags. He was confident that Sirius would keep his promise, especially since the revenant, which Danny had noticed the moment he reunited with the older man, was powerful enough to protect him, even with the gunky ectoplasm known as Lazarus water in his system.
“Ok, little prince, Demon Brat, I’ll start making lunch so you can finish unpacking.” No one noticed Danny flinch at the nickname. The halfa relies that Jason is dead adjacent, in an instinctual way, he would treat Danny with the reverence that comes in meeting royalty. Before he could spiral into a tangent about liminals and denizens, Damian continued to take things out of his bags, humming in amusement at the NASA coffee mug. Ah, Damian still remembers his love for the stars that made him flush with embarrassment. Damian just scoffed in amusement, placing it softly in the bed. Danny joins in putting everything in its place. There was a tense moment when Damian found the photo album, but much to Danny's relief, Damian ignored it in favor of grabbing a soft blue and star pattern blanket that Jazz got him at his first birthday.
Damian, in his part, enjoyed the moment of silence as they set everything up. He was tempted for a moment to open the photo album, but after his time with his father and learning from his mistakes, he decided to let his Castor be the one to bring it up in his own volition. His question can wait until his twin is ready to answer it.
By the time Jason called them for lunch, everything was in their place. Damian was the first to react as he softly clasped his twin by the hand. Looking at each other, Danny couldn’t help but be the first to smile at his twin, which the other reflected. Both left the room together, more than ready to face what comes next together, just like before.