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Chapter Text

Danny often wondered what his gravestone would have looked like. Wondered who would have been at his funeral. If kids from school would come and fake cry, telling stories about good times. If his parents would have stopped obsessing over ghosts and dismantle the portal. If Jazz would have moved away sooner, unable to bear staying in the same house her little brother had died in. What flowers would there be? He heard stargazer lilies were beautiful, big and white, alive.

But it had been three years since The Accident, and he began to wonder if he would ever get a funeral.

Danny Fenton was just fourteen when an interdimensional portal opened through him, just fourteen when enough electricity to power a city block coursed through his veins, leaving permanent lichtenberg scars. Just fourteen when he knew what it was like to die.

Against all odds, Danny Fenton was now 17, going on 18, heart still slowly beating unnecessarily in his chest. He was three weeks into his senior year when everything changed. In some senses it was the beginning of the end for him.

Early September in Illinois was when the temperature started to drop, the leaves began their last colorful stage of their lives before winter set in. It was almost poetic that his life also started changing with the season, like it was the only natural next step in his existence.

It started off like any normal day. A ghost fight around three in the morning, an alarm going off way too soon, forgotten homework still stuffed into his backpack. Honestly, if you had asked Danny he wouldn’t have said anything was out of the norm. 

He walked up the steps to the front door of Casper High, making his way towards his two best friends. In the three years it had been since The Accident, they hadn’t changed much. Sam still sported her goth style, only now her hair hung freely down her balck, curtain bangs constantly in her face. She had threatened to chop them off almost daily. Tucker was literally just a taller version of himself. Like, Danny could have sworn he had all his clothes altered to continuously fit him through the years. The only real difference he made was the almost monthly upgrades to his PDA and other various technology he carried around with him.

Danny though? He had changed quite a bit. His dorky ‘my mom dressed me’ look was traded with a more punk style, black jacket thrown over a dark colored shirt, ripped jeans with the bottoms folded up. He had let his hair grow out, and was now supporting a white streak in the front, a permanent fixture from his ascension onto the Ghost Throne. Really the only thing that hadn’t changed was his signature red sneakers.

“Hey Danny!” Sam greeted as he joined them walking through the front doors. “You look tired, Skulker?” 

“Nah,” Danny shook his head and sighed, “Ember.”

Tucker looked up from his phone (“Her name is Julia and I love her.”) “What did she want?”

“Honestly,” Danny sighed and rubbed his face, “I have no idea. She was yelling something but I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

“How long did it take?” Sam’s brows furrowed, concern bleeding into her words.

Danny shrugged, he wasn’t really paying attention. “Longer than it should have. You guys can watch the footage from my suit.” Adding that camera to his belt had been the best decision he had made, beaten only by also keeping EctoShots on him at all times. It had helped him compile a detailed list of all the ghosts he encountered. Jazz had called it his Pokedex, and it almost made Danny want to gag. 

“I’m already downloading it,” Tuck said, not looking up from his phone.

“Great.” Danny sighed again, this time slumping against a locker and closing his eyes. Sure he needed less sleep than a normal human, but two hours? That’s just cruel. He’d need to have another talk with the local ghosts.

When he had first found out he was King, after a conversion with Clockworth (Read: Temper Tantrum), a lot of the ghosts came to talk to him about it. Apparently him being king came with perks like getting days off every now and again. Of course he assured them that they could keep fighting him, as long as no humans got hurt and they let him sleep most days, then they were fine. However, lately, they seem to have forgotten that.

He was cut off from his thoughts when the first period bells rang harshly. With a sleepy goodbye to his friends he made his way to physics, hoping maybe Mrs. Barron would let him take a nap.

-=-=-=-

Unfortunately, none of his teachers had let him sleep, but it was lunch time, so he could probably take a nap while Sam and Tucker argued about meat or something. 

He sat down at his normal table, Tucker was already there, headphones in, watching something he was very concentrated on. When Danny looked over his shoulder he was unsurprised to find Tuck going over his suit video from that night. In all honesty, they shouldn’t really be watching things like that in such a public space, but ever since Paulina moved away they hadn’t been bothered much by anyone. 

“Anything?” Danny prompted as Sam sat down opposite the boys.

“Oh is that the video?” Sam’s lunch was much too green for Danny to even consider trying. Granted he ate ectoplasm on a daily basis, so maybe it was the knowledge that it was healthy and not the color.

“Yeah.” Tucker paused it and sighed. “Nothing unordinary, just a very tied Phantom.”

Danny sighed and dropped his head onto the table. “I need a vacation.”

Sam and Tucker shared a look while Danny continued to mumble something about Hawaii. There was no denying that Danny was overworked, but there wasn’t much they could do. It was his obsession, if he didn’t have anything to protect he would fade painfully. They knew that he could ban the ghosts from attacking, but it would kill him. They also knew he didn’t think about it because he was allowing them to put Amity in harm's way for his benefit, and it made his insides, his human part, the part that had come back, knot itself and twist in shame.

But Danny was unaware of what his friends were thinking, his mind drifting, falling into a short nap. He was hoping that nothing else would happen today, crossing his fingers that when he got home he would be allowed to sleep.

But luck had never been on his side.

-=-=-=-

When Danny got home his parents were rushing about, an alarm was blaring from the lab and various FentonWorks inventions were thrown about in a panic. Danny threw all his hopes of getting sleep out a window as he watched his parents yell back and forth to each other.

“Uh, Mom? Dad?” He tried getting their attention, when that didn’t work he raised his voice a little, “Guys!” That got both of them to stop and look at him. Their hair was disheveled and his Dad’s hazmat suit was only halfway zipped.

“Danny!” His mother said loudly, “good! You can help us pack!” She started to move toward the kitchen again, but Danny held up his arms. “Wait wait wait, what? Pack for what? Where are you going?”

“Gotham!” His Dad said proudly, not expanding on whatever the literal fuck that meant.

“Uh,” Danny panicked, “why?” He had a bad feeling about what was going on.

“Bruce Wayne wants to see our inventions! He reached out to us about a rise in ghosts in Gotham!” His father continued, smile never leaving his face. “Bruce Wayne wants to see our inventions!”

“We’re meeting with him in two day, so we want to leave tonight! Jersey is quite the drive!” His mother finally rejoined the conversation after she got whatever it was she was looking for in the kitchen.

“Say Danno,” oh Danny did not like the sound of this, “why don’t you join us with that list of ghost types you’ve been compiling?” No, Danny did not like this one bit.

And just like that, the beginning of the end of Danny’s life was set in motion.

~*~*~*~

Darkness was an omnipresent state in Gotham. Even the days were dim, the sun unable to reach the streets because of all the smog. On the best days the sky was a dirty blue and you could feel small rays of sunlight hitting your face. 

Tim often wondered how different it would be to live in a place like Metropolis, where the sun was always shining and you would actually see the moon at night. But then again, B had that whole ‘I am Vengeance. I am Darkness’ thing going on, so Tim doubted he’d last very long. 

It was the average patrol for Tim. Swinging his way around the southwest side of Gotham. He could see the towering frame of Wayne Tower as he passed another run down park. After stopping two muggings and escorting a nurse home, he was summing the night up to be as normal as it could be considering he was a masked vigilante with a grappling hook and coffee addiction.

Honestly, Tim should have expected something to happen, what with the influx of ghosts (that were apparently very real and usually not this much of an issue). He probably jinxed it, believing the night would be easy, because, really, when did things ever go his way?

And that’s how he found himself staring down a translucent ghost with blue skin and red eyes. This particular ghost was very talkative and wanted Tim to know that they were going to kill him “like the city had killed me!”

Tim found himself dodging and trying to escape the punches the ghost was swinging. They were wearing boxing gloves and Tim could have sworn they looked familiar. But that wasn’t the priority, he just needed to focus on not getting hit. 

“I am Cage Fight, and I’ll take you down with me!” They called out as Tim grappled up to the roof of the building next to him.

“Hey!” Tim yelled into his com, “we have another ghost just south of the One Gotham Center!” The ghost followed him up there, hands raised as if they were in the ring. “I'm being pursued, bringing them towards the Tower.” 

He tried to ignore how the ghost was gaining on him and Oracle told him Nightwing was on the way to the Tower with some tasers. So far the only thing that seemed to hurt the ghosts were electricity and Jason, who was very happy to find out he could physically punch a ghost. 

Tim ran and jumped off the roof of the building next to him, the ghost flying to keep up. But he misjudged the distance down and ended up having to go into a shoulder roll to avoid breaking his legs. This unfortunately gave Cage Fight the chance to grab him. 

“I’ve got you now!” The ghost pulled his hand back, and Tim tried kicking at their stomach. But, they were a ghost, so it just went right through. 

Suddenly there was a bright light and the ghost was knocked back. Cage Fight dropped Tim, who fell into a crouched position. 

“Hey!” A new voice called, now standing between Tim and the ghost, “didn’t anyone ever tell you to keep the fighting in the ring?” 

Tim looked up and saw something he was not expecting to see, a familiar face. Due to the ghost issue, Tim had been looking into all things ghost related, trying to cipher through the false report and the crazy people, when he had come across a town called Amity Park. An ironic name considering it had a very large ghost problem, bigger that Gotham’s. So yeah, Tim was a little confused to see Amity’s local ghost vigilante sassing a ghost roughly 1,000 miles away from his normal haunt.

“And didn’t anyone tell you not to jump into a fight you’re not in?” Cage Fight roared and flew towards Phantom.

Phantom just sighed, “maybe you forget,” the temperature dropped a couple of degrees and Phantom’s voice started echoing despite being out in the open. Tim involuntarily shivered and Cage Fight stopped, looking at Danny with dawning recognition and horror. “I am your king.” A crown of blue fire had appeared floating above Phantom’s head, flames high and casting an eerie glow onto the roof.

Cage Fight turned and tried to fly away but Phantom grabbed them by the tail, rolling his eyes. Then, he opened up the air . Like, he just pulled apart the sky with one hand The rift glowed green, Lazarus Pit green, and Phantom chucked Cage Fight into the tear in space and closed it by pressing the two sides back together.

Tim decided that was something to deal with later and put that away into the recess of his mind, because right now he needed to talk to Phantom. “Uh…” he said intelligently.

Phantom turned around surprised, “oh! Hi, I forgot you were there.” He turned his tail into legs and crossed them, sitting casually and looking at Tim. “Sorry about not getting here sooner, Gotham is a lot bigger than Amity.” He flashed Tim a smile, “I’m-”

“Phantom.” He said, gaining his composure. “Amity Park’s local hero.”

Phantom gave him a calculating look. “So you’re who recently broke past Amity’s firewall.”

Tim was a little shocked to learn Phantom knew that the wall had been breached. “Yeah. With the ghost issue Batman wanted me to gather whatever information I could.”

“Hm,” he shrugged, “yeah, that makes sense.” He smiled again, obviously not regarding Tim as a threat. “And I know who you are, so it’s even.”

Tim gave a half-smile but was distracted by Oracle speaking to him. “Red Robin? Who are you talking to?” 

Tim lifted his hand to his com, noticing how Phantom seemed to have heard his com go off. “I’m fine. The ghost is dealt with, I got some help.”

It took Oracle a second, probably checking where Tim was on the Batcomputer. “From who?”

Phantom just raised an eyebrow and Tim’s pause. Fuck this was going to be a long incident report when he got back to the Cave. “Phantom.”

“As in, Amity Park’s Phantom?” Nightwing asked, apparently having tuned into the channel sometime since Tim was getting chased.

“Yep.” Tim was looking at Phantom, who had propped his elbow on his knee and rested his head on one of his hands. He made a quick decision Bruce was going to hate, “I’ll explain later.” Then he turned off his com. He knew if he was needed Oracle could hack it open.

Phantom gave him a lopsided smile, amusement dancing in his eyes. Tim briefly wondered how old Phantom was. He looked older than some of the images taken when he had first appeared, but Tim remembered finding the carvings from ancient Rome that definitely depicted a Phantom-like figure in them (along with a vampire looking dude but that was a mystery still unsolved). “Wanted to get me alone?” 

Tim ignored the innuendo, way too used to Dick’s antics. “I wanted to ask why you were in Gotham without someone talking in my ear.”

“That’s fair.” Phantom just shrugged. “And I’m here because there have been some weird Spectral Movements towards Gotham, and I would like to know what my subjects are doing.”

“So the rumors that you’re the Ghost King are true?” The flaming crown was now making sense.

“Unfortunately.” Phantom said tiredly. In fact he just appeared tired in general. Tim didn’t know if ghosts needed sleep, but maybe they did.

“So you’re here to figure out why.” Tim said to confirm he understood Phantom.

“Yeah.” Phantom sighed, “and fix it if I can. Usually Movements like this prelude a major Spectral event and I'd rather avoid that.”

“Maybe we can work together.” Phantom just gave him a look. “Batman and all of us know this city better than anyone, we could help you.”

“You know what?” He gave Tim a Done™ look, “I’d appreciate that.” Then he smiled, “but it’s not like I have much of a choice.” Tim titled his head, trying to figure out what that meant. “Batman always gets his way,”  Phantom just shrugged.

Tim smiled and nodded, “he doesn’t really take ‘no’ and ‘can’t’ very well.”

“Welp.” Phantom uncrossed his legs and they turned back into a tail, “I best be off. Got things to see, people to do,” Tim rolled his eyes knowing Phantom couldn’t see it. 

“How will I be able to contact you to discuss the details of working together?” Tim asked, knowing Batman would kill him if he didn’t get away to contact Phantom.

“How about we meet up here, tomorrow around midnight?”

Tim smiled and got his grapple out, ready to make it back to the Cave and fill everyone in with the night's events. “Sounds like a date.” Phantom didn’t have time to respond as Tim swung off towards the Manor. Phantom wasn’t the only one who could joke around.

Tomorrow. All his questions would be answered tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Bruce Wayne has put them up in the “safest and nicest” hotel in Gotham, which really said something about the state of Gotham. Like, damn, it hadn’t even been an hour since Danny got back form his little chat with Red Robin when a high speed police chase ended right outside the hotel. But hey, it was free, so don't look a gift horse in the ass.

Speaking of Red Robin, Danny wondered if he had made a mistake agreeing to meet up with him. Their ‘date’ as he had claimed. Maybe he should have specified he wasn’t interested in an open relationship, meaning he would be dealing with Red Robin and Red Robin alone. Okay and maybe Red Hood, but that was because he was super cool.

But anyway, that wasn’t the most pressing issue. That was the fact that in a couple of hours he would be meeting Bruce Wayne and presenting his Ghost List. Okay, maybe he didn’t like billionaires all that much, and maybe he was worried about what his parents would say, and maybe he was freaking out about showing people his list. But, what could you do?

Danny took a breath and got up from his bed. He had gotten maybe three hours of sleep last night thanks to whatever was bringing ghosts to Gotham. So, better than two nights ago, but worse than he wanted. 

While contemplating whether or not he could ask Clockwork for a little untimed nap, he got dressed and ready for the day. Luckily he hadn’t forgotten his toothbrush like he did last time his parents had dragged him on an impromptu trip, unfortunately he did forget to bring a nice shirt, whoops. Danny just shrugged and threw on his black space shirt. It was one of his favorites, having stars and planets dotted around a white Hubble Telescope. Besides, it’s not like he really cared to impress billionaires, he knew too many for that. 

His parents were making a ruckus in the little kitchenette the room had, the microwave beeping loudly. Danny stepped out and sighed at the mess they had made while trying to cook a semi-safe breakfast. He wondered briefly how they had managed to burn breakfast sandwiches in a low watt microwave, but his parents were scientists, it came with the territory. 

“Danny! Good, you’re up!” His mother turned to him, not even bothering to try and reprimand him for his lack of nice clothes. She was in a hazmat suit, she had no room to talk. 

“We‘ll be leaving soon kiddo,” he dad placed a charred Jimmy Dean sausage sandwich in front of him and Danny was very thankful for his ghost stomach. 

Danny ate the ‘food’ as fast as possible, doing whatever it took to not actually taste it. He kinda wished he could add a little ectoplasm to it, but it would be a little weird to add a highly corrosive interdimensional substance to his meal. 

“Alight Dann-o!” Jack bellowed, grabbing the GAV keys, “Let’s go.”

Then one very fast, very reckless drive later, the three Fentons stood at the front doors of the Wayne Tower holding as many weapons cases they could. Which, in the case of his father, was a lot. Man, getting through security was going to be a pain.

His mother smiled up at the 92 stories of the gothic building. “Well, no time like the present.” Then she threw open the doors and confidently walked into one of the most guarded buildings in Gotham armed to the teeth with homemade weapons.

When they weren’t immediately shot at, Danny figured the staff had been warned of the incoming guests. His assumption was proven right when a sharply dressed woman strode her way over and greeted them with a professional smile. “You must be Dr. and Dr. Fenton,” she turned her smile towards Danny, who could see it was strained. Whether it was tense because of the sheer amount of guns they were holding or their attire, Danny wasn’t sure. “And Daniel Fenton.”

“It’s just Danny,” he said before thinking. He glanced up to judge her reaction, but to his surprise that seemed to lighten the tense lines around her smile.

“Okay Danny. I’m Mr. Drake-Wayne’s Secretary, Susan Bones.” Fun name. “If you’ll follow me, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Drake-Wayne are waiting for you on the City Business Floor.”

And follow they did. His parents were both looking around the building. Someone who didn’t know them would think they were admiring the place, but Danny knew they were already thinking of how to Ghost-Proof the stories in the most effective way. The four of them made it to an elevator, which thankfully was big enough to fit not only his dad but also the rest of them with their weapons. He wondered it if it was a flaunt of wealth to have such large elevators, or if it was to accommodate large groups of people. Probably a little bit of both. Jazz would be so proud of him for psychoanalyzing a potential threat.  

The elevator dinged on the 75 floor, and Danny was glad to get out of the thing. He hated elevators, they were small metal death traps that he had no real use for considering he could fly and walk through walls. 

“Just this way,” Mrs. Bones said, confidently walking off towards a pair of double doors to their left. She opened them and held them open for the Fentons to walk through. The room was large, with a full length window looking out over Gotham. They were about the same height as the tallest buildings around them, and Danny marveled at the view. Everything was so short in Amity. Maybe if he got some free time he could take a leisurely flight through the skyline. 

The two people in the room turned to look at them. They appeared to have been in deep conversation before the Fentons walked in and interrupted them. 

“Dr. and Dr. Fenton,” Bruce Wayne said, walking over and giving them his most dazzling smile. Susan left after shooting Danny a smile, whatever that was about.  “And you must be Daniel.” He turned his smile at Danny, it was so obviously fake.

This time Danny didn’t regret correcting him, “it’s Danny.”

But Bruce just raised an amused eyebrow, “of course, Danny.” Okay, maybe his smile was fake, but he was so far better than Vlad, so Danny counted that as a win.

“And just call us Jack and Maddie,” his mom said, smiling and standing up straight. 

“It's great to meet you Mr. Wayne! We’re a big fan of your work in engineering!” His father had literally no chill.

But to his credit Bruce took it in stride. “Oh please, if we’re all going by first names, call me Bruce.” To his parents the act must have been enough, because they visibly relaxed. “And my son, Tim, is just over there.” He gestured towards the other person in the room and, fuck Danny really didn’t need this.

He was lean, dressed in a smart gray suit with the jacket unbuttoned and shirt neatly pressed. His hair was longer than Danny’s by a bit and hung around his face as if purposefully framing it like balck curtains. He had intelligent, dark blue eyes, flickering back and forth between Danny and his parents. His eyes briefly darted to Danny’s hair and the prominent white streak in the front. Danny felt his face grow hot and fuck he was so fucking bi, shit.

“-and Danny brought with him a list of all the ghosts we have encountered with some great information on them and their weaknesses.” Oh, shit, his mother was saying something and everyone was looking at him.

“Uh,” he knew his cheeks were reddening, “yeah, um,” he looked around for a place to put the FentonWorks weapons, his list was on a USB in his pocket.

“Oh!” Bruce stepped out of the way, “here, you can put all that stuff on the table,” he waved his hand at the long business table he had been standing in front of. 

Danny and his parents unloaded themselves quickly. “It’s on this.” He dug out the Drive from his front pocket, holding it up.

“Great!” Bruce thought for a second, then his eyes found Tim’s. A silent conversation passed between them. When Bruce turned back towards Danny, he had a feeling Bruce was about to say- “How about you show Tim the list while I talk to your parents about all the gizmos and gadgets.” 

Fuck. “Okay,” he hoped his expression was steady. 

Tim smiled light at him, and holy crap his heart skipped a beat. Literally, he could feel it stop in his chest, and was really glad that he was part ghost and didn’t immediately die. That would be embarrassing to read on his tombstone: Here lies Danny Fenton. Died because he was simply too gay.

“Let’s go.” he brushed past Danny like he was trying to kill him and jerked his head towards a side door, “we can view it in there.”

And Danny couldn’t have said no if he wanted to.

~*~*~*~

Tim was exhausted. When he had gotten to the Cave last night he was drilled by his siblings about his meeting with the Ghost King. Then he had to write an official report and then had to text Constantine about it. He didn’t get to bed until like, 5 A.M.. All too soon his alarm went off, signaling he had to get ready for his meeting with Dr. and Dr. Jack and Madeline Fenton. Tim had not only read every single one of their papers but also every police report and complaint against them. He had scoured their social media and concluded they were smart, yes, but also so biased it was painful. 

But, they needed Ghost Weapons, and it was either them, a shady government agency no one knew existed, or Vlad Masters. The choice was obvious. (The League had been informed of the GIW and were currently investigating further.)

So here he was, up way too early on a Wednesday, being assaulted by the fashion disasters the Fenton parents were. Who wears a hazmat suit to meet Bruce Wayne? At least their son seemed to at least acknowledge he was meeting one of the most well known men on the planet. Not that Tim usually cared about looks and attire, but he had decided he didn’t like the Dr.’s Fenton. He was going to give their son, Danny, a chance, but that was because he knew that kids didn’t always see eye to eye with their parents.

He escorted Danny into the side room as Bruce had instructed, walking immediately to the coffee maker in the corner. “Coffee?” He asked the kid (he knew he was only like two months younger than himself, but whatever). “Or,” he interrupted, reaching for the secret stash of Monsters Steph kept in there, “Battery acid.”

Danny smiled and reached towards the can of chemicals, “Battery acid.” 

Tim could see the bags under his eyes, probably rivaling his own. Which was a feat, really, Danny must be an insomniac or something. He made a face at Danny’s choice, who in turn just snorted and opened his Death In A Can. “You can plug the USB into the computer over there,” he jerked his head towards the already open desktop on the desk by the window wall.

Danny glanced over and nodded, doing as Tim prompted and he poured himself a cup of black coffee. “You drink your coffee black?”

“Yep,” he, to prove a point, took a swig of it. Sure, it wasn’t professional, but Danny was about his age, so, fuck it. Danny then pulled a face and Tim raised an eyebrow, “you are literally drinking straight jet fuel.”

“Coffee will stunt your growth.” Oof, low blow. Not cool Danny, not cool.

“And that will kill you.” Tim pointed out.

And for a brief moment, when Danny smiled at a joke Tim was unaware he made, he reminded Tim of Jason. It was weird, by all means he should have already made a connection between them, because on paper they probably sounded similar. Black hair, blue eyes, a white streak of mysterious origin, but really, there was something about Danny that was just so different from Jason. His face was thinner, skin paler, eyes greener. He was intriguing. There was a power lurking beneath his tired expression and it almost was like something Tim had felt before. 

“I got it up and running,” Danny interrupted Tim’s spiral. 

Tim went around the desk and started the screen on the opposite wall. It connected to the list on the computer and handed Danny a laser pointer. “The screen is a touch screen,” he gestured towards the now projecting list. From what he could see it was long and detailed well. This must have been quite a bit of research.

“Okay,” Danny took a breath and walked over to the screen, swiping towards the left a few times until a page full of what looked like analog pictures of various green animals. “First, the easiest type of ghost to deal with: animals-”

Danny talked for what seemed like forever about Ghosts. But Tim never got bored. This was more information on ghosts than all the research he had been doing for the last few weeks. Danny went in order of what he called the ‘Bitch Scale’, meaning the easiest to deal with were discussed first, then the ghosts slowly got more and more powerful. So much information was thrown at Tim he felt he was going to explode. 

Then Danny swiped left and a page dedicated towards Phantom appeared. He seemed shocked that it was there, and grew red in the face, “oh, sorry, I forgot that was on there. I’ll just-” he started to try and get off the page but Tim stopped him.

“Phantom? Isn’t that the ghost your parents discuss in one of their papers?” Tim tried not to show too much interest or knowledge of the Ghost King.

Danny bit his cheek and turned towards Tim, “so you’ve read their papers?” Suddenly the light hearted person he had been grew cold and Tim could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped. 

Tim knew he was walking a very thin line. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And?”

“What did you think?”

Oh, Danny wanted to know what Tim thought. One wrong word and the last hour he had spent building a report with Danny would be all for naught. Tim took a breath, trying to guess what Danny wanted to hear. But then decided that if the kid agreed with his parents, Tim didn’t really want to know him. “It was so terribly biased towards their prejudice and I found their desire to ‘tear it apart molecule by molecule’ disgusting.” 

Tim held his breath, but Danny released his. The room seemed to warm up again and Tim determined that maybe Danny was someone he wanted in his corner. “What do you think of ghosts?”

This felt like one last test Tim had to pass. “They’re just like people, aren’t they?”

Danny smiled, “yeah,” he breathed, “yeah they are.”

Tim matched his smile but nodded back towards the page on Phantom still up. “So do I get to hear about the ‘menace?”

Danny once again grew red and Tim read some of the information on the page and understood why. It seemed less formal than the others, almost like- “Sorry, I let Phantom write this one.” 

“You know him?” Now that was interesting.

Danny bit his lip. “Yeah. Uh,” his face was still slightly red, “I know my parents hate him,” his face flashed some emotion Tim didn’t have time to identify, “but he’s okay.” Danny looked back up towards Tim, and Tim wondered what color his eyes really were, green or blue? They couldn’t seem to make up their mind. “A bit of a nerd,” he joked.

Tim read further down the page, and couldn’t help but smile. Maybe the Ghost King was really in Gotham to help.

A knock sounded at the door, making them both jump. Danny quickly changed the page as Bruce opened up the door. He glanced briefly between them, and Tim gave him a small nod, informing him Danny was okay. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re finished in here.” There was a strain in his voice that Tim recognized as the stain talking to irritating business partners caused. 

Tim smiled and finished his coffee, “we just wrapped up the list. We’ll be out in a second.” 

Bruce smiled and closed the door with one last glance at Danny. “Man,” Danny said, checking his phone, “it’s already been an hour?”

“Time flies,” Tim smiled but then grew serious, he put on his Business Face, “do you mind if I download a copy of this? At least the section on power ranking?” This was good information and could really help them in the future.

“You can just keep the USB, but,” Danny’s face was serious again, eyes hard, definitely blue, “do not let this information out. Ghosts are dangerous but there are people out there who would kill for a detailed list like this,” so he must know about the GIW, “I’m making the choice to trust you,” Tim normally would have been happy to hear that, but there was an edge to Danny’s voice, “don’t make me regret it.” Tim shivered and felt small, like he wasn’t the one in charge anymore.

Danny Fenton was so unlike anyone Tim had ever met. He was a mystery waiting to be solved, and Tim couldn’t help but to be intrigued by him. He was hiding something and Tim was going to figure out what it was.

Fuck, he should have gotten his number.

Chapter Text

The rest of Tim’s day was filled with business nonsense. The one thing about being a CEO was having to deal with people. Lots and lots of people. And sure, this was the lesser of two evils (it was either this or college), but it still sucked. If he had it his way, he’d spend all day in a lab or crime fighting.

But he didn’t. So he sat through two board meetings, a lecture on Drake Enterprises’ carbon emissions (which he was already working on), and way too many people asking if he was a bit young to be the CEO of a major company. He felt like Phineas and Ferb whenever someone asked him his age. He was running this company better than they ran theirs and they could suck his ass.

But whatever, that wasn’t the point. The point was, he was bored and tired and still reeling from his conversation with Danny. He scared him, just a bit. His too blue eyes clouded with a green mist. He acted as if he knew he was the most powerful person in the room and it intrigued Tim. By all means, Tim should be the powerful one. He was the vigilante, the billionaire, the engineer. But Tim couldn’t help but believe him. Danny was a force to be reckoned with, and Tim couldn’t wait to learn more. 

Of course that would have to wait until after his meet up with Phantom. Tim got dressed in his suit, checking the clock. It was still a while before their ‘date’ and Tim wanted to make sure he had time for a part of his normal patrol. Thanks to the ghosts, the other rogues seemed to be taking some time off to plan. Which honestly, probably wouldn’t end well, but hey, what could a vigilante do?

If he left now he would have time for a swing through Old Gotham and check up on The Reservoir. So he started to head out towards the Cave exit when Dick interrupted him. “Hey Timbers! Heading out?” 

“Yeah, I have that meeting with Phantom.”

Dick hummed and looked back up at Tim. “Do you think all that information Danny gave us on Phantom is true?”

Tim bit his lip, “we kinda have to, don’t we? I mean, it’s the only information we have.”

“Yeah but,” Dick frowned, “if you were to write a power sheet on yourself, would you be 100% truthful?” 

Tim really didn’t know. He supposed it depended on who was going to read it. But he could help but feel like it was all mostly accurate, because Danny had vouched for it, and so far he seemed trustworthy. “I have to get going.” 

He left the Cave, the conversation only added to his questions about Phantom and Danny. 

-=-=-=-

After an uneventful swing through the city’s dark sky line, Tim made his way south of the Tower. It was a few minutes before they were supposed to meet, but, well, being early never hurt anyone. He landed on the roof, glancing around the buildings and turning on his thermo lenses. They had all learned very quickly that while ghosts were invisible, they still left impressions on the temperature. Most of the time it was a cool spot, but there had been a few that were actually warmer.

Tim’s eyes quickly glanced around the roof, he didn’t notice any odd temperatures so he figured he was alone. He switched back to the normal lenses, the thermo always ended up giving him a headache. 

Very suddenly Phantom appeared to his left. “You’re here early.”

Tim did NOT jump at his surprising appearance, thank you very much. “Uh,” he took a second to regain his composure. Not that he lost it. “Yes.” He sure was articulate tonight huh? “And so are you.”

Phantom just shrugged. He looked different tonight, less of the King Of The Infinite Realms and more Phantom The Overworked Hero. His crown was just a small silver circlet mostly covered by his hair and his clothes were more reminiscent of a hazmat suit than last time. He also looked more well rested, so that was something. “There are less ghosts out tonight.”

Tim’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?” Spectral Behavior was confusing at best, and Tim wanted to know if there were any patterns to track.

“It’s about to rain.”

Tim blinked. “What?”

“Most ghosts can’t cross over running water. And the Gotham irrigation system is spotty at best.” Phantom explained.

“Oh.” Tim cataloged that as something to talk with Constantine about. “So there will be no ghosts out when it’s raining?”

Phantom frowned, “well, there will probably be some. The more powerful ones can. But they shouldn’t cause too much of an issue. Think of rain like the last thing of the physical world that can still affect a ghost.” Phantom looked up to the sky, a somber air about him, “it’s nice to feel the rain every once in a while.”

Tim bit the inside of his cheek. “So we shouldn’t worry too much about ghostly interference?”

Phantom seemed to shake himself out of his sadness, frown replaced with a tired smile. “Nope. I’ll still be in town investigating, so I’ll keep an eye out for anything.”

“How long do you plan on being in Gotham?” Tim lowered himself onto the roof, crossing his legs. 

Phantom sank down nest to him, leaning back on his hands. “Just a bit longer. I have to get back to Amity soon, the ghosts have been restless lately.” Phantom had a thoughtful expression on his face, nose scrunched up.

“Does it have something to do with what is going on in Gotham?”

“Yeah,” He sighed, “I asked Ember, this local ghost about it, but she was vague.” He paused, “which is weird, she is usually helpful.”

Tim leaned forward, “then why wasn’t she?”

Phantom bit his lip, “I don’t know,” he took a deep breath, “but if I had to guess, she’s been silenced.” A dark shadow passed over his face, and the air grew cold.

Tim shivered slightly. “Silenced?”

“Yeah.” He sounded angry, it was almost frightening. “If a ghost sees something they shouldn’t have you can force them to never speak of it. But I banned that magic from the realms…” He lost some of his anger. 

“So it was someone on this plane?” Tim was trying to piece together the half-picture he had from Phantom.

“Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”

“Yes, that means I don’t have authority over them, so I’ll have to fight them the old fashioned way.”

“You mean punching them.

“Yeah I mean punching them,” Phantom agreed quickly, nodding his head.

Tim gave him a small smile, “You have Batman and his clan behind you.”

Phantom flashed him a lopsided smile, “thanks, I’ll probably need it.” Phantom paused then- “Oh! I almost forgot!” He sat up straighter, “the Fentons are in town with ghost weapons.” The air, which was starting to warm up, dropped again at the mention of the Dr.’s. Honestly, mood.

“Should they not be?” Tim would be so down to have them leave. Bruce had told him about his meeting and they were just as bad face to face as they were on paper.

Phantom took another deep breath (why he was breathing was baffling to Tim, he’d have to ask Constantine about that too). “No, if you can get weapons from them, or at least a crash course on how to make them, it would probably help a lot. The Spectral Movement is picking up pace and after the rain water clears out, you’ll have a full on infestation.” 

“Is there anyone else who you trust to make ghost weapons?” Phantom gave Tim a confused look at the request. “Well,” Tim could feel himself starting to blush, “I’ve read their papers, and they seem to… hate you.”

Phantom gave Tim a sad smile, “they do.” There was something about the way he said it, like it shouldn't be that way but there was nothing he could do to change it.

“So is there anyone else? Someone not so biased and set on harming the ghosts completely?”

Phantom thought about it, then his face lit up like he had just had a great idea, “yes!” He smiled, “their son, Danny, is also in town. He knows their inventions inside and out.” 

“And you trust him.” Interesting development.

“As much as I trust myself.” Phantom smiled like he knew something Tim didn’t.

“So I should get in contact with him.” Tim almost smiled at that. Looks like Danny would get the pleasure of meeting both of his personas.

“Either that or the Waynes, the Fentons were there today.” Phantom didn’t even know how funny that idea was.

Tim managed to keep a straight face. “I’ll look into it. Anything else Danny Fenton could help us with?”

“He had this ghost list he made,” Phantom smiled proudly. Very interesting.

“What’s on this list?” Tim kind of enjoyed playing dumb, trying not to get caught.

“It’s a power ranking, along with every ghost he or I have ever faced.” 

So Phantom really did have a say on what was on that list. It seemed like Danny and Phantom were friends, at the very least. “Are you on there?”

“Oh,” Phantom then did something Tim would have never thought a ghost could do. He blushed. His cheeks colored a dark green, highlighting freckles Tim didn’t even know were there. “Yeah, I’m on there, but,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I wrote my own page, so it’s kinda off.”

This grabbed Tim’s attention. “How is it off?”

“I mean, it’s not totally accurate…” He was avoiding the question. Tim raised an eyebrow, but it lost its effect due to the domino mask he was wearing (he was so thankful he stopped wearing that fucking cowl, it was very sexy of him to switch to a domino mask. At least, he thought so). “Okay, maybe I left some things out but that was a precaution. Like, what if m- the Fentons get a hold of the list? Or the GIW? Or Plasmius?” He fake gagged at the last one and Tim recalled a ‘Plasmius’ the list Danny had given to him.

“No, I get it.” Tim shrugged, “if I had to write out a list of my talents, and I knew Scarecrow could get a hold of it, I’d leave some things out too.” Well, that answered Dick’s question.

Phantom just gave him an apologetic smile. “After you read it, and you have any questions, I might answer them.”

“Might?”

“Well, I have to have some air of mystery to me.” The joking Phantom was back, and Tim felt like the conversion was coming to an end.

“That’s fair.”

“Anyway,” Phantom floated back up and Tim stood. Tim noticed that Phantom was slightly taller than him, but had the same lean muscle that spoke of years of acrobatic crime fighting. Did ghosts get muscles? “I have to get going.”

“Thank you so much for meeting with me.” Tim put on his best diplomatic voice. It was weird, he hadn’t felt like he was in the presence of a King. Phantom felt like his age, a teenager with too much on their shoulders. “How can I contact you if I need you?”

“Oh, uh…” he rubbed his chin in thought. “Normal communication methods don’t really work with me. You wouldn’t happen to have an ectoplasmic fueled phone?” Tim just gave him a look. “Yeah, didn't think so.” He hummed. “How ‘bout this, talk to Danny. He can make you one easily. He can give you my number then.”

“You have a phone?”

“Yep!” He excitedly pulled out a dinosaur of a PDA. Tim wanted to cringe, it was so old. “A friend of mine, someone Danny introduced to me, made it! It even gets signal in the Ghost Zone, which is nothing short than a miracle.”

Tim mentally noted that Danny apparently introduced Phantom to his human friends. “After that, would you be willing to meet with more of the vigilantes? All of us have different patrol routes and routines and I think it would be beneficial to all work together on the ghost issue.” It felt like Tim was trying to sell something.

Phantom hesitated a second, biting his lip. Eventually he responded, “okay. Okay, but I want to meet Red Hood first.”

This kind of took Tim by surprise. No one ever wanted to meet Jason. “Why?” He asked before he could stop himself, confusion evident in his voice.

Phantom just smiled, “because he’s cool.”

And before Tim had a chance to ask anymore questions, Phantom disappeared and Tim felt like he had a lot more questions than he did when the conversation started.

He needed a conspiracy board.

~*~*~*~

The rest of Danny’s night was uneventful. Thanks to the coming rain, not only were other ghosts resting, but he found himself more relaxed than he had been in a while. It was odd what rain did to ghosts, but he figured it made sense with how many ghosts had water cores.

It was nice to be able to get to bed at a reasonable time. Amity only really had a few good rainfalls a year, and Danny always forgot how nice they were. It had started just before he reached the hotel, and he had half the mind to just sit in the rain on the roof, but decided against it. 

He was going to have a busy day tomorrow if Red Robin went through with his suggestion. It felt kinda weird, having to talk about how cool he was or whatever, and he really hoped neither Tim nor Red Robin picked up on it.

That would be the worst way to get his secret found out. Discovered because he was a nerd and didn't know how to talk about himself.

But that was all something to deal with in the morning. For now, it was bedtime.

-=-=-=-

Danny woke up later than he had in months. It was almost noon and it felt nice. He was refreshed and he couldn’t recall if he had dreamt. It was still raining out and he almost fell back asleep. He wanted to catch up on sleep, sue him.

He did end up getting out of bed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching his arms above his head. It gave a few good ‘pop’s and he stood with a groan. The cold floor felt nice beneath his feet and he got ready quickly.

For some Ancient forsaken reason he felt like going out. He remembered seeing a coffee shop a few streets down, and coffee sounded great. Or, well, any hot drink. He was a man of simple pleasures, all he did was fight ghosts, drink coffee, and die. 

He walked out of his room, which was a great perk about the Hotel room, and noticed a distinct lack of noise and bad smells. His parents must be out then. They were probably trying to collect Ecto-readings. It was almost funny that they had spent years researching ghosts and yet they knew so little. He supposed bias would do that to you. 

Off to the coffee shop it was then. He put on a hoodie and debated grabbing an umbrella, but ultimately decided against it. He was glad he didn’t when he stepped out of the lobby and was met with pouring rain. Almost immediately he was drenched from head to toe, and it was nice. He knew that everyone around him was miserable, cold and wet, but he was just fine. Besides, he could just go intangible and let the water fall off of him at any time.

He finally got to the café and opened the doors. It was warm inside and smelt like freshly ground coffee beans. The place was mostly empty, but there was an ambience of welcomeness that he enjoyed. There was the low hum of conversations and he couldn’t help the smile that took over his face as he approached the counter.

The person at the register, whose name tag read ‘Moss’. They smiled up at him, “how can I help you?”

“Uh,” Danny paused and glanced up at the menu. They had a lot of options but one caught his eye. “I’ll have the Expresso Death Mix.” 

Moss blinked and rose an eyebrow, “alright,” they tapped a few times on the screen in front of them and looked like they were about to ask him something when the bell chimed and-

“Danny?”

Chapter Text

Valerie Gray had changed in the two years it had been since Danny saw her. Her hair was in a high, tight bun, and she was now the woman she had always tried to present herself as. She was dressed in a smart, pastel yellow pantsuit, neatly pressed and well taken care of. She looked like her mother. 

Danny didn’t really remember Mrs. Gray all that well, but he did have a few memories of a striking young woman with intelligent eyes and a kind smile. After she got sick, Val had drifted. They had become friends again, in high school. 

Then she moved, sophomore year. Something about her dad's job. They had promised to keep in touch, but well, if the awkward air around the two of them had anything to show, it was how big a lie that had been. 

“So,” she started, taking a sip from her cup of hot chocolate, “what are you doing in Gotham?”

Danny tightened his grasp around his Expresso Death Mix. “Just some… ghost stuff.” The air grew a little tenser and Danny took a breath. 

Her mouth made an ‘oh’ shape and she looked back down at her cup. 

“My parents were asked to come,” Danny filled in the silence, “Bruce Wayne noticed the rise in Gotham’s ghost population.”

“So that’s what Mr. Wayne has been up to,” she mumbled to herself. 

Danny’s eyebrows drew together, “do you work for him?”

Val looked surprised that he had heard that, but then remembered what she had learned that day she had left. “Yeah,” she didn’t look up at him, eyes remaining downcast, “me and my dad. He’s a good guy. Pays well.” Danny swallowed a sip of his coffee. He grimaced and added more sugar into it. Val scoffed, “you still drink it like that?”

“You don’t even drink coffee, you have no room to talk.” 

Val rolled her eyes, “just because I don’t usually drink coffee doesn’t mean I don’t know that you are adding way too much sugar.”

Danny stuck his tongue out at her and took a sip to prove a point. It was so sweet his teeth began to ache. Good. “Listen, I’m just more refined than you.”

Val raised an eyebrow and looked at his wet baggy clothes over. “Uh huh.” She gave him a look.

“Uh- rude.” He jokingly clutched his chest and gave her a dramatic sad face. “I’ll have you know that my clothes are very proper.”

She paused, “sure.”

Danny just giggled. The air around them became less tense, and Danny took that as a win. They… hadn’t left off on the best of terms. But this was progress, and it was nice. Having Val as a friend, back when he was still figuring out high school, was great. She was one of the strongest people he had ever met. 

Val gave him a soft smile. “I’m glad I ran into you Danny.” She took a breath, “It’s been too long.”

“Yeah,” he grimaced, “sorry about that.”

“What?” She pulled a face, “it was my fault. I should have reached out after…”

“I had your number too,” he said a little more forcefully than he intended. 

“Yeah but-”

“No Val,” he stopped her, “you needed time but I should have opened that door. I was the one to drop that bomb on you the day you were leaving .”

She sighed and looked at her drink, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, actually.” Her voice was quiet.

Danny held his breath, then prompted, “and?”

“I’m sorry.” She jerked her head up, eyes hard, serious, “I’m sorry that I hunted you and that I wasn’t a better friend.” Danny opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she continued. “No. No, I was in the wrong. I let my anger get in the way of our friendship and confirmed your worst fear.” She bowed her head again, and Danny hated to see her so timid. “I’m sorry.”

Danny sighed and reached his hand out to her. “Val,” she looked up and allowed him to cover her hands with his, “I dropped a bomb on you. I challenged your world view and you didn’t have time to talk to me about it.” He squeezed her hands, “I should have told you sooner.”

She gave him a sad smile, “thank you.” It was softly spoken, like she had never imagined he would have forgiven her for something that wasn’t even her fault.

“Thank you. ” A lopsided smile made its way onto his face and she returned it. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

“I will, if I think of any.” She took a steading breath and gently removed her hands from him. She was never one for touch and Danny understood. “Got any more world shattering news,” she joked.

“I also became the Ghost King.” He smiled behind his cup, almost laughing at her face. 

After she finished going through all five stages or grief she sighed, “you have to tell me that story.”

He laughed, “I will, I will.” He rolled his eyes at her pointed look. “Also-”

“Oh my gawd,” she leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

“I’m bisexual,” he could feel his heart stop a little. It was irrational, that fear he felt every time he came out. But, well, it was always a little nerve racking.

“Oh my gosh!” Her face lit up and he felt his worry disappear. “Congrats dude! Good for you.” 

Danny blushed a little, but he was smiling.

Valerie really hadn’t changed all that much.

~*~*~*~

For two nights in a row Tim’s normal patrol was going to be neglected in order to get answers. Not that he was receiving all that many, but he was trying, okay. And maybe he didn’t get a lot of sleep that night because he spent it going through every piece of information he had on both Danny and Phantom, but, well, that was what coffee was for.

“Tim,” Bruce sighed, “are you okay to go out tonight? I’m sure both Danny and Phantom would understand.”

What a hypocrite. Tim couldn’t count on both hands the number of times Bruce had gone out on patrol while tired or sick or injured. “They are both expecting me. Plus,” he gave Bruce a face, “the Fentons are leaving tomorrow morning.”

Bruce just sighed again. “Alright, but I want you to keep your comms open.”

“Okay, B.” He got ready to leave. “I’ll see you later.” Then he made his way to the hotel the Fentons were staying in.

It was in the center of Gotham, just west of the Tower. They had checked in a few days ago, apparently scaring the staff with how eccentrically they were dressed. Tim had briefly wondered if he could ask B to let them stay longer, in order to get closer to Danny and maybe get him to help them with the ghost issue, but then he remembered how Bruce had looked coming out of that meeting. Their science was sound, however, as B had put it, ‘They only considered their point of view and their rhetoric was similar to the rhetoric used when people had tried to deny Meta humans rights.’ 

Yeah, Tim wanted them out of Gotham as soon as possible. Danny, on the other hand, was not at all like his parents. He was smart and funny and not biased towards ghosts in the terrible sense Jack and Maddie had been. And he seemed to have a close relationship with the ghost his parents were obsessing over.

As he swung over the towering buildings he taught more about Danny. After digging into his school history (he was not stalking, just investigating) he determined that Danny must have known Phantom for quite some time. Evident in the fact that when Phantom had first appeared, not only did he use FentonWorks tech, but also it seemed that Danny missed school in a pattern corresponding with attacks Phantom was a part of. Tim had needed a bigger conspiracy board once he had gotten past the Amity Firewall again. 

Of course, after he did he was messaged by the person who had built it. 

‘Back again, RedRobin?’

‘Ah, so you must be KingTuck.’

‘The one and only. Phantom had said you had been the one to break my code.’

‘Well, it wasn’t easy, if it makes you feel better.’

‘I’ll be fixing that soon.’

‘Then I’ll just have to hack it again.’

‘We’ll see.’

Yeah, KingTuck, whoever they were, were really good. It had taken Tim nearly three hours of nonstop decoding and several ‘You’ve been caught by KingTuck, the best hacker ever.’ messages, until he had finally gotten past the first firewall. Yes, the first. There were several. 

It was nice though, finding someone to challenge him. He would argue that even Oracle would have a fun time with KingTucks’ encryptions. But that was a thought for another time.

Because right now Tim was approaching the hotel, and there was somebody sitting on the roof. The figure was laying down on their back, gazing up at the stars, and as Tim got closer he saw that it was Danny.

He landed with a soft thud, as to alert Danny that he was there. Danny jumped a little but calmed down when he saw it was Red Robin. “Are you Danny Fenton?”

“The one and only.” He said, sitting up and facing Tim. “Phantom said you needed a few things?”

Okay, right to it then. “Yes. He mentioned something about an ecto-powered communications device.”

“Yeah, okay,” he stood and walked over to a discarded backpack to his left. “I can do that.”

Tim followed him, curious as to what he was doing. “Is that all you need?” 

He pulled out a vile of a glowing green substance and an older phone. “Yup. It’s simple enough to do,” he paused, “if you know what you’re doing.” He gave Tim a small smile, “I’ll show you.”

He set the things down on the roof and took off his hoodie. He was wearing a dark coloured tank top, gray lettering faded across his chest. He had more muscle than Tim had expected, more toned and defined than most people were. Maybe he worked out? Another thing to add to his ever growing list of things he wanted to know.

Then he sat down and waved Tim over, “I won’t bite.”

Tim smiled and sat next to him, “well, in Gotham, you never really know.”

Danny shrugged and got to work. He began to take apart the phone. “It works best with older versions, because there’s more wiring to work with,” he explained and Tim almost pouted. Old phones were gross if you were the one designing the new ones. “Then,” he carefully removed a circuit board, “carefully,” he opened the vial of what Tim assumed was Ectoplasm, “dip it in, not letting it drench it,” he gently placed it in the ectoplasm and immediately removed it. “Now,” his eyes were pulled together in concentration, “set it back, do not not let it drip onto the pieces of hardware that electricity doesn't flow through.”

“Why?” Tim glanced back down at the now slightly glowing circuit board.

“Because ectoplasm is highly corrosive. I’d advise you wear gloves when handling it.” 

“But you didn’t,” Tim noted as Danny carefully whipped his fingers on an old towel, effectively getting the excess ectoplasm off of them. 

“Exposure.” He answered simply, shrugging. Before Tim could comment on that, he closed the vial and changed the subject. “It has to dry before we can reconnect everything. It’s easier to do with phones than weapons, but the idea is the same. Take whatever is closest to the power supply and coat it in ectoplasm.”

“And this will be able to contact Phantom?” Tim gestured to the phone, thinking about trying to make another, newer version.

“Yeah, unless he puts it on silent. Which,” he conceded, “he has a habit of doing.”

Tim didn’t like the sound of that. “What if it’s an emergency?” 

Danny thought for a second. “Call me. I’ll be able to get a hold of him.”

“Even if his phone is off?” 

“I have my ways,” he said cryptically. Another thing to add to his board. He might have to upgrade it again .

“Okay, well,” Tim pulled out his vigilante phone, “what's your number?”

“Oh wow,” he started jokingly, “it’s not every night a young, handsome vigilante comes to sweep me off my feet.” He finished with a flashy wink.

Tim rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I already have an ongoing relationship with the Ghost King,” he gave Danny a look like he was Jim from the Office.

“Oof,” he clutched his chest, “once again Phantom steals my game.” 

Tim gave him a small smile, which was matched by Danny who was trying to keep from laughing. He looked tired, but less guarded than when Tim had met him as ‘Tim’. There was something about Danny that just intrigued Tim. “Again?”

“Story for another time,” he waved his hand through the air, brushing it away, “anyway, my number?”

“Oh yes!” Then Danny told him his own number. “Thanks. I’ll try to keep my intrusions to a minimum.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Danny gave him a conspiratorial look, “it’s senior year, might as well have a forbidden relationship with a vigilante in Gotham.”

Tim laughed at that, “alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good, I’m too good looking to be forgotten,” he joked. Then he put the phone back together. “Put both of our numbers into this as well, just in case.”

After getting Phantom’s number Tim stood and was joined by Danny. To his chagrin Danny was also slightly taller than him, more filled out though. “Well, I have to plan a meeting with Phantom and Red Hood, so I have to get going.”

“Good luck with that.” Danny gave him a smile and Tim wanted to die because it was kind of cute and that would imply that Tim was having emotions and well, no thank you.

“Bye.” He quickly turned before the blush he knew was forming could be seen.

Then he grappled off, cursing himself. He always was a sucker for muscles.

Chapter Text

Tim refrained from contacting Phantom for all of one hour before his need for answers overwhelmed his need to stay professional. He pulled out the old phone Danny had fixed up, it felt blocky and heavy compared to what he was used to. But, he supposed, it wasn’t as bad as Phantoms. That fossil would more likely be referred to as a PDA than a cell phone, and Tim almost felt bad for him.

Phantom, it’s Red Robin

Yum

Bruh

What? I am a man of culture.

No, you are a nuisance.

I prefer the term ‘menace’, thank you

Tough luck kid

You think you’re older than me???

I actually don’t know how old you are

Well, if you look hard enough, you can find cave paintings of me.

Really???? I’ve only seen the ancient Roman ones…

Lmao yeah, I was there too

Bruh

Bruh yourself you absolute child.

Okay okay okay

But like, if you had to give me years…

How old are you???

 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

You are no help

???

I have a ~conspiracy board~ about you and need to know

Lol, good luck. I don’t even know all about me.

But what CAN you tell me???

I can take off my head.

…

What?

Yeah.

…okay.

Lol, anyway, what’s up???

You’re just gonna leave it at that?

Yep!

Alrighty then. I wanted to see if you’d be willing to meet Red Hood tonight?

YES! OMA YES!

Oooookay… OMA??

Oh My Ancients

They are like the gods of the Infinite Realms.

Oh! Constantine mentioned them.

John Contantine?????

Yes?

OMA I also need to meet him oh my god please

You want to… willingly… meet Constantine????

Yes!

But… why?

He’s the sad man in the trench coat!

That answers none of my questions actually.

Where were you thinking about meeting?

You really need to stop changing the subject.

Technically I’m getting us back on to what you texted me about in the first place.

… I guess…

Anyway, how does Aparo Park sound?

Sure! When?

30 minutes?

Coolio

Too-da-loo Kangaroo

See ya soon racoon.

Now, Tim didn’t have time to unpack all of that, but his suspicions of needing a bigger board was confirmed, so, that was something. Anyway, no for the hardest part of this, calling Jason. Tim switched out the Ghost Phone with his vigilante phone, and dialed his brother.

It rang three times before, ‘What do you need, Red Robin?’

“What? I can’t just call to say hello?” Tim transferred the call over to his earpiece and started his way to Aparo Park. It was a little ways out of his normal routine, but it was closer to Crime Alley.

‘Uh huh.’ Tim could practically hear the eye roll from here.

“Okay,” he conceded, “I need you to meet me in Aparo Park in 30.”

‘No.’

“Rude,” Tim sighed and continued, “Phantom requested to meet you and I figured you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to question him.”

‘Phantom? As in the Ghost King?’ He questions, surprise apparent in his voice. ‘He wanted to meet me? Specifically?’

“Yes to all of that.” Tim briefly landed on the roof of an office building, looking out over Gotham. He still had his comms open, but no one was on his channel.

Jason sighed. ‘In 30?’

Tim smiled, “yup!” 

Then Jason promptly hung up, and Tim couldn’t help but feel like this was a win. His and Jason’s relationship was… rocky. He had apologized for trying to kill Tim, but also made it clear that it would take him a while to accept him. 

And Tim kind of understood. It wasn't easy to die only to come back to find you’ve been replaced, even if that wasn’t what happened. It hurt though. Tim could remember when Jason had become Robin, he was 10 and thought the new Robin was so cool. Jason didn’t take anyone's shit and Tim had looked up to him.

Jason was the reason he wanted to be Robin so bad.

He never had the chance to meet him before he was crushing Tim’s windpipe, yelling something, eyes shining a sickening green. It hurt.

But, they were on a better track now. Jason had stopped calling him ‘Replacement’ and even willingly answered his calls. Tim still felt like a little kid when he watched Jason fight, like that little boy at age 10 who snuck out of his house to try and get to see the Robin that said ‘fuck’.

That, also, was for another time. Because he was nearing the park and still had ten minutes before either Phantom or Jason made it. 

He landed with a slight ‘oof’ at the wrought iron gate of the park. It creaked open into the decrepit park, hinges protesting the entire way. Man, Tim sure was good at picking meeting places that weren’t depressing and creepy! 

He walked into the middle of the park where an old water fountain stood, crumbling and out of use. What was once a smiling angel was now weeping. Her hand, that reached out to the sky, was broken off, unable to reach the heavens she had fallen from. If Tim wanted to, he could probably compare her change to Gotham. The despair that broke the city and left it in ruins. But he didn’t, because he was one of the idiots trying to save it.

“So,” Tim whipped around to find Jason leaning against a nearby parapet, watching him, “where is your ghost?”

Tim rolled his eyes, “Phantom isn’t ‘my’ ghost.”

“And yet,” Jason stood and came closer, hands in his pockets, “you’re the only one he’s talked to.”

“That was because I ran into him first.” Jason just stared at him blankly. “Besides, he’s agreed to talk to everyone.”

“But specifically me?” 

“Yes. He said he’d meet everyone as long as he met you first.” Tim knew Jason was giving him a ‘are you shitting me’ look from under his helmet.

“I would also like to meet the sad man in the trench coat,” Phantom’s voice came from behind Tim. He turned to see him sitting at the feet of the now weeping angel, leaning against her legs.

Jason whispered, “Castiel,” but both Phantom and Tim ignored him.

“I still don’t understand why you want to meet Constantine.” Tim crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Phantom.

Jason stepped forward, “so you must be Phantom.”

“Yeperuno!” He smiled at Jason.

There was a beat of silence and Tim wondered what Jason was thinking. He didn’t have to wait very long because Jason replied, “and you wanted to meet with me?” He sounded skeptical and guarded. 

“Correct again! Red Robin, tell him what he’s won!” Phantom said in a funny voice, holding his hand up to his face like a microphone.

Tim smiled and played along. “He’s won a lifetime supply of tangerines!”

Phantom giggled a little at Jason's groan, “oh my fuck there’s two of them.”

Tim just rolled his eyes, “you know, it could be worse.”

Jason was probably raising an unbelieving eyebrow at him. “How?”

“Nightwing could be here.”

Jason took in a harsh breath. “Small mercies.”

Tim nodded somberly, noticing Phantom was watching the two closely. “I fear the day you meet Nightwing.”

“Why?”

“Because you both are fucks.”

“Because both of you have an affinity for bad puns,” Tim said, shooting a pointed look towards Jason.

Phantom gave him a lopsided smile, “I mean, technically we don’t have to meet to make your lives terrible.”

Tim went through all five stages of grief and sighed, “don’t.”

Phantom laughed at his face, “no promises.”

“Wow,” Jason cut in, looking between the both of them, “Oracle was right.”

Tim gave him a confused look and Phantom asked, “about what?”

“You two really are flirting.”

Tim felt his face flush and could see Phantom’s cheeks color green. “Uh,” Tim said intelligently.

Phantom gave a small, almost panicked laugh, “I mean, we have already been on a date.”

Tim threw a Baterang at him and turned to Jason, “he’s like, a million years older than me.”

“I do have a few cave paintings of me,” Phantom added on, picking up the Baterang that had sailed through him and hit the weeping angel.

Jason huffed, “sure.” 

“But, I mean,” Tim said, throwing Phantom a smile, “we would be a power couple.”

Phantom considered that. “You are absolutely right. The world would never be the same.”

Tim nodded sagely, “we’d have too much power.”

Jason cut in again, “as much as I love hearing this,” Tim knew he was smiling a little, that bastard, “I have some questions for Phantom.

“Yeah, shoot.” He shrugged and crossed his legs, leaning forward a little.

“Oh, so he gets to ask questions and get answers but every time I try I have to get a bigger conspiracy board.” Tim said sarcastically.

“Hush now,” Phantom replied, also sarcastically, “the grown ups are talking.”

“I’m an adult!”

“You know,” he made a thoughtful face, “I don’t think I am actually.”

Jason seemed irritated to be interrupted again but asked, “what do you mean?”

“Well, when I died, I was like, fourteen.” 

Tim couldn’t help but think about how that was the same age Jason died. “You don’t look fourteen.”

“Yeah,” he thought for a second, “I think that’s because I want to age. Like, I want to know what I would have looked like if I hadn’t had my Key Lime Gogurt Blood Infusion Extravaganza.”

Tim closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to three in his head. “Your what?”

“Do you prefer ‘The Radioactive Nickelodeon Slime Time’?” Tim and Jason stayed quiet, staring at Phantom. “Or, ‘The Time I Became A Glowstick’?” Tim took another breath, “okay what about ‘My Edgy Hero Backstory’? ‘The Reason I Don’t Like Pikachu’? Oh! I know, my ‘White Haired Anime Boy Awakening’?”

“Wow, we don’t have time to unpack all of that.” Tim said, blinking up at Phantom. Screw the conspiracy board, he needed a whole ass wall.

Jason snorted, “can I ask my questions now?”

“Sure,” Phantom sat back and shrugged, “I am obligated to listen to all dead men’s tales.”

Jason tilted his head, “so you know that I’ve died.”

“Yes,” Phantom nodded, “I can tell you are one of my subjects.”

“But I’m not a ghost.” 

“Think of it like dual citizenship,” Phantom replied, “you died, but came back, so in order to not have to fight, both Life and Death have a claim to you. Or at least, that’s how Frostbite explained it.” Phantom rubbed his chin, “I have ‘claim’ to anyone who has ‘died’. Like, you know how people's hearts will stop but then paramedics will restart it? I technically have a claim over them as well.” Phantom propped one of his legs up, resting his forearm on it. “Yours is just more… potent because of how long you spent dead.”

Jason nodded like that made sense to him, and Tim decided that he’d rather not interrupt anymore. “So, what? Do I have to listen to you?”

“None of my subjects have to listen to me,” Phantom reassured. “And I usually don’t mess with them unless they’re causing issues.”

“So I don’t have to worry about you grabbing me and chucking me into a tear in reality.” 

“Ah, you heard about that,” he gave a bashful look. “Yeah, I don’t usually do that either but… there are no opened portals in Gotham, at least none I have domain over, so I just… made one.”

Tim couldn’t help himself, he was a detective after all, “so you can make your own portals into the Ghost Zone? I thought that was impossible.”

“It’s not impossible. My friend Wulf can make them, and the Fenton's have a permanent one in their basement.”

“But it’s really hard.”

“Yeah,” he breathed (seriously, what was up with that?). “It takes a lot of energy but I have enough ectoplasm on me to be okay. It also helps that Gotham has a good amount of ambient ectoplasm.”

“Wait,” Tim was a little confused, “why do you keep ectoplasm on you?”

Phantom just shrugged, “think of it like an energy bar, or adrenaline shot. It keeps me going when I’m worn out.”

“Okay, so,” Tim counted off with his fingers, “ectoplasm can power electronics, sustain ghosts, give you energy, is highly corrosive, and can be ‘ambient’.” Tim looked up at Phantom, “Am I missing anything?”

“It can also heal wounds and do anything I tell it to.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked, probably giving Phantom a confused look.

“Well, think of pure ectoplasm like stem cells. It goes anywhere and does anything. After it’s been used it's only really good to be used like that again unless it's… cleansed.”

Tim opened his mouth to ask more questions when his comms kicked in and Oracle's frantic voice came from his earpiece. He looked to Jason to confirm he had gotten the news too. And while Tim couldn’t see his face, he could see how tense he was, like a loaded bow string. Jason had gotten the news.

The Joker escaped Arkham.

Chapter Text

Tim immediately started trying to get information out of Oracle. He switched over to a private comm line and began to ask questions.

“When did he escape?” Detective rule number one, establish a timeline.

“About fifteen minutes ago, there was a riot.” 

“Where is he heading?” Rule number two: triangulate potential threats and active zones.

“Current projected heading is Wayne Botanical Gardens.” As soon as Babs said it Jason was speeding off towards where Tim assumed his bike was. “One of the guards mentioned him yelling about Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, that is unconfirmed speculation.”

He began his way towards the park entrance, towards tall buildings he could grapple off of. “Do we know his plan?” There was good old rule three. He glanced at Phantom, who appeared to be following him. He must have heightened hearing, because he was quietly watching Tim with a grim expression.

Babs paused and Tim’s heart spiked. “Robin was able to confirm traces of explosives and…” she took a deep breath, “anthrax.”

Tim stopped dead in his tracks, fear coursing through his body. This was worse than he thought. Phantom also paused, eyes widening. “I can help.” He said as Tim regained his senses. They both started to move again, this time running. Or at least Tim was running towards the buildings nearby, Phantom was flying.

“I’m switching back over to the main channel,” he informed Babs, hoping that Jason had been listening to that part. He may be stronger than a normal person, but he still had to breathe.

The main comm channel was almost silent, everyone waiting for Bruce to start giving out jobs and planning.

“Is Red Robin here?” B’s voice said after a second, probably having heard the line add in.

“I’m here.” He said, then looked back over at Phantom. “I also have King Phantom with me. He said he could help.” Tim was now grappling towards the Botanical Gardens trying to get there as fast as possible.

“Hn.” Bruce said, thinking. “How can he help?”

Holy fuck, this must be bad for Batman to accept someone's help. Someone that he had never met nonetheless. Tim felt Phantom get closer, the cold radiating off of him making him shiver. “I don’t have to breathe and can generate never melting ice. I also have a device with me that can create a small localized vacuum.” His voice was serious, a frown etched onto his face. His crown was back, and Tim noticed a glowing ring on his finger.

There was another pause over the comms. “Red Robin,” he stared, “proceed with Phantom but do not engage until told.”

“Copy that,” Tim responded after getting a small nod from Phantom. He then muted his mic while Batman told the others what to do. “Have you ever dealt with anthrax?”

Phantom shook his head, “no. But a while ago there was a ghost that could create a gaseous substance that when inhaled caused the afflicted person to convulse and speak in tongues.” 

They neared a building that overlooked the Gardens, and stopped. Tim couldn’t see the Joker near, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there. Everyone confirmed they were stationed nearby, except Dick and Steph, who were evacuating the people inside the Gardens. 

Tim could help but look over at Phantom again. His now glowing green eyes were sweeping back and forth, scanning for threats and people. Tim almost forgot that Phantom helped defend Amity Park from ghosts almost daily. “The plan will be to take down Joker as quickly and quietly as possible,” he informed Phantom, already knowing what B will say. “We can’t risk him triggering explosives or releasing anthrax so most likely stealth will be the first step.”

Phantom nodded, letting Tim know he was listening. “Who will that most likely be?”

“Batman and Black Bat.” Bruce was good, but Cass could put him to shame. Damian was also very light on his feet, but there was no way Bruce would let him close to joker.

“Okay,” he let out a huff of air. It almost looked like he was breathing out snowflakes.

“So,” Tim couldn’t help himself, “you don’t need to breathe but you do.”

Phantom hummed, “I forget sometimes that I don’t need to. I spent my entire life breathing, and well, old habits.”

Tim wanted to ask another question when his comms exploded.

“Joker spotted!” 

“Red Hood is approaching him-”

“Red Hood, stop-

“What are you doing?”

“Explosives confirmed-”

“You’ll make him set them-”

“Red Hood!”

“Hood this is an order!”

“Stand down-”

“The gardens are clear.”

Everyone was talking at once and Tim’s stomach dropped. He saw Jason running towards a cackling Joker, who had a small box that looked like a detonator on him.. “The anthrax will release with the explosion,” Tim breathed in horror.

“Red Hood is in the blast zone.” Phantom’s voice was echoey, worried. He seemed to be unintentionally floating, manifesting his more kingly look. There was the start to a cape made of the galaxy, armor made of Lazarus Pit Water. 

Tim was trying to keep calm. Bruce was now trying to remind Jason of the anthrax and all the people that would be in danger if he continued. Tim’s heart began to beat again when Jason paused. It was hard to fight the Madness, the Rage. But maybe there was enough of Jason left for him to stop.

Suddenly the Joker’s voice was broadcasted. “Hellllooooo Gotham!” He sang, twirling the bright red detonator around his fingers. The comms grew quiet as everyone stopped to listen, even Jason, who was now holding a gun. “It’s me! The Joker!” He laughed, “and I have come to tell you all that I have a little issue!” His grin was reopening his cheeks from where Arkham was trying to heal them. “You see a little birdy told me that Poison Ivy-” he spat her name. Bruce and Cass mobilized, trying to get closer. “-convinced Harley that I was CRAZY!” Tim shuddered, the Joker was manic in a way he hadn’t been in a long time. He was lashing out at Harley and Ivy, and making it Gotham’s problem. “So!” He clapped, almost hitting the red button, “I have decided to gift the general Gotham Public, with ANTHRAX!” He was now cackling and Tim saw Jason start to move again, pistol aimed at the Joker, who didn’t even notice him. The Joker pulled on a gas mask. “But this time Gotham! This time!” All the blood from Tim’s face drained. “There will be no stopping me!”

It was like watching in slow motion. The Joker moved to press the detonator, Jason was sprinting towards him, Cass and Bruce both fell from the sky line.

The Joker was going to hit the button.

Then Tim saw a streak of white light fly towards Joker and a large dome of ice surrounded the blast zone. The ground shook with the force of the explosion and Phantom was no longer on the rooftop next to him.

~*~*~*~

Danny didn’t really think about it. One second the Joker was yelling about anthrax and the next Danny was forming a large dome of ice around the both of them. 

Instinctively he stopped breathing, his body recognizing a threat in the air. He could only hope he was able to contain all the anthrax. But considering the horrible haze in the air, there was enough anthrax to kill the entirety of Gotham. There was also smoke in the air from the mass explosion. 

From deeper in he could hear Joker’s laughter stop abruptly. “What!? What happened?!” He looked around frantically, taking in the ice dome. Danny touched down and reformed his legs. “No! No no no!” He growled, and then his eyes landed on Danny.

He then smirked, and the manic look in his eyes was only intensified by the gas mask he still wore. Danny just stood there, locked into a staring contest with another crazy clown. He really needed to rethink his afterlife choices if this was not the first, not the second, but the third crazy clown that had attacked him in as many years.

“Well well well,” Joker stepped closer, menacingly, “Batsy is working with a new meta. How interesting. And now,” he took another step, “you’re stuck in here with me and no gas mask.” He began to cackle and Danny frowned.

Danny didn’t like the Joker at all. He reeked of suffering and death, but it wasn’t only his death that surrounded him. Hundreds had lost their lives to that man. Danny returned his grin and chuckled, “I’m not a meta,” he began to float, allowing his form to become more wispy, “I’m a ghost,” he was now transparent, “and you’ve got it wrong,” his voice was echoing and the temperature dropped, “ you are stuck in here with me.”

Danny’s grin grew wider and wider, with too many teeth and sharp points and something began to ooze out of his mouth, red and green. It got darker as his eyes became brighter, the green casting a sickly light on the Joker, who had stopped smiling and stepped back. He let out another laugh but it sounded like screaming. His body also started to leak and decay, head lulling to the side limply. Danny’s hair was now a white mess, floating everywhere and growing and growing and burning. He knew his crown had spikes and the red jewels in it cracked and fell to the ground.

“J̸̧̧̛̜̥͚̘̥̮̱̜̖̗̖͂̿̿́͂̋̃̄͠ͅo̶̯̱͔̪̜̬͛͋̿͊͂͌̿̍̽̂͜͝͝ͅk̴̛͉͓̙̘̲̽̋̊̀̿̈́̆̑̋̓͠ë̷̛̠̞͐̐́̈̂̽͠͝͝ṟ̵̨̢̧͇̮̜̤̯̦̳̻̟̭͈̍͒̀,̶͖̌̂̈̿͌͘ ̶̘̟͔̬͇̔̀̓̉͐͜ỳ̸̝͇͉̳̰̳̦̣̗͇͙͒͊̒̒̇̃̅̾͊͒͊̀̾͘ô̸̞̖̠͔̘̮͇̩͈̬̦̼̻̑͜ṵ̴͎̪̗̜̗̩̿͋̀̿̃̉̈́͝ͅͅ ̷̡̱̃͐͆̓̈́̃̃͂͌͛͗̓̕͘͝b̴͉̠̪̫̮̳͈̝̼̺̈́͑́̐̇̈̍͗͂͘e̶̡̗̘͈̫̿̈́̀͌̇̋̉l̷̢͖̰̺̙̻̪͙͇̦̖͂̈̿͌̈́́̂́i̸̡̺̲̎̅̀́e̵̱̬͎̪͉͚̾̅̓̅̅̉̎͂̇̃v̸̢̺͉̯̳͍̗͖̲͉͔͐̆͐͂̓͜͜͜ͅe̴̗̯̜̞̮͎̫̖̦̘̮̭̓̀̃̔̚͘ ̸̧̡̯̘̲̣̝̝̼̩̈͋̾y̵̨͕̦̖̣̙̪̬̍͘ơ̵̫͋̑͋̓ų̸̧̰̤͉͎̘͚͖̤̱̄͑͌̿̌͋̾̈́͊̔͘͠ͅͅ ̸̧̮̖͔̝̲̋̔̅̓̎́͠a̷̡̡̛͓͍̻͍̪̠̦̙̤̬̞͌̐̔̂͗́̏̋̓͜ͅŗ̷̨̢͚̥̱͎̳̭͕̹̩̰̥̒è̸͍͉̫͕̹̟͚͓̫͓͉͆͊͐̓̆̚͠ ̶̨̡̛̛͕̭̘̀̔̿̊̂̉̈́̂̍̈́̔́̕à̶̢̛̛̙̹̰͌̽́̍̓͗̆͊b̴̦̦̟̐̈́́́̅̽̏̈̒̎̄͒̈͘̚ö̸̡̟̦̼̺̖̖̣̥́ͅv̶̞͔̗̝̟͍̣̻͗͊̊̽͘è̶̡̡͓̫͕͍͚̫̠̯͕͇͚̤̂ ̶̦̬̲̳̭͚̟̬̈́͒̓́̍̒̾̓̑d̶̙̣̭̮͍̙̪̤̦̬̙̜̤̀̋͋̂e̵̫̥͈̟͎͔̳͎̲͉̐̿̿̀̂̈́̊͛̈́̀̓̅͠ȁ̵̢̛̩͖͇̘͙̞̳̣͈̈̏̓̀̎ͅt̶͇̖̬̻͎͖̘͍̰̗̖̲͓̰͠h̶͈̯̳͉͗̀̆͂͆͝ͅ.̴̟̥̋̀̿͛͘ ̷̛̘̩̼̎̎͋̌͗̀̃̽͋͌̒͊̚ͅB̴͕̯̰̂̈́͠͠ú̵̠̦͍͈͎̻̳̹̼̳̞̼͇̓̓̍́͛̉̊̋̎̈́t̸͔͗͘ ̴̧͚̳̥̣̗̰̘̲̯̠͔͒͒̍̊Į̴͕͎̣͙̪̳̤̙̀̓̽̔̓́̃̈́͂̏̚͝͝ ̵̨̟̿́̅͑̉̋͛͂̒̿̇͘͝ǎ̵̜̯̭̐͒̃̾̐̆͛̿̔͋̾͜͝͠ͅm̸̨̨̤̹̺̖̻̹͉̜͓̰̀̋́̈́̇͐̾̈͜͝͠ ̵͓̣̣̑̀̎̓̈̋̌́̚͠͠t̵̛̟̗̹̯̮̬̟̞̓̀̇̀̈́̃̔͌͊̂͜͠ĥ̴̞̼͓̝̠̤̲͖̮͎̻̬̼̂͒̇̓͑͜͝e̷̹̣͎̘̙̽̈̅̊̓̒̒̑̋͘ ̶̨̰̟̘̻̤̗̥͇͆͒͜ͅG̶̢̧͇̺͉̣̮̱̝̳̳͇̣̈͒̃͑͑̂̽̎̿̈́̽͜͝h̴̢̤̺̺̯̞͂͛̎̉̿̚͠ơ̸͕̞͓̇͑̋̂̀̽̏̀̋͜͝͝͠s̴̢̡̺̟̰̞̫̲̺̝̳̝̽̈͗̍͌̑͑̔̚͠t̷̪͕͔̍̀̐̍̔̚̚͝ ̴̢̯̪͎͍͍̯̽̎͆̂̆̀̅K̷̛̜̣̤͍̟̪̟͙̻͋̋̉̄͆̑ͅi̶̱̫͂ņ̴͔͇͖̈́̀̋̏͆̍͛̐̅̓̕͝͝͝ģ̵͕̟̤͖͖͖̰̞͇̹̭͔̄́̀̊͑̐̇̕̕͜ ̷̬͎̓̍̔́͒͛̔́̌͒̂̊̏͘ȁ̶͙̟̫͌̎̔̆̇̃̂̈͆͌͂̀̀n̸͈̝̈́̽̀̔̔̆̓͛͆̎̐͝͠d̸̡̤̰̯̂͆͒́̅̔̀ ̸̧̬̃̉͆̏̀͑̅̒̽͊̚͠͝Ȋ̶̥̩̮̪̬̞͔̝̦͉͓͛̄̆͐͘ ̸̟̣̞̦̠̦̂͊̒͂̉̈́̍̒̌́̅͋͂̀͝ḩ̶̛͇̞̗̟̗̝̹̗̱͑͒͌͒̿͑̚ͅą̴̡̨̞̰͓̣̩͔̖͐̌́͆́v̵̞͓̮̅͒̓̏̀̽͊̍̒̋̚͘͝͠͝ȩ̶̛̛̫̲͉̹͚̾̎̌͒̾ ̸̳͎̽̂̅̈̽̿͝c̴̢̨̪̮͇̤̖͚͓̟̥̗̾̈̔̂̈́̔̒̕͜o̸͎̅͐̂͗͆̃̐̑̕͜͝m̶͚͎̜̮̫̟̹͔̺̭̫̻͈̭̫̑̈ę̶̛̙͕͉͔̜͈̩̠͔̯̊̉͒̒̾̏̈́͗́͂̃̕͝ ̶̡̲̬̮̞̙̮̹͑̉̀̈́̚ṱ̸̨̺̻̣̰̰̆ȯ̶̘̥̪̖̬̍͗̍̎͝ ̷̡͍̯̒̃̒́̉̆͑͝c̶̢̟̖͓͇̥͙͖͑̉̈́̈́͋̾͘̚ô̸͓̙̮͖̳̙̝̏̐͋͝l̵̨̢͕̻̱̼̝͔̦̎͂͒̈́͋̋l̸̰̍̊̃̌̉̎̒̍̊̇̀͘͝͠ḙ̴̛͖̪͇͓̳̪̱͙̜̫͂c̶̛̝̼͉̮͔͈̳̤̀͐̀͊͜ͅt̵̞̭̙̀͗͂͋̀̐͒̏̌̊̌̀̈́͝͝ ̶̛̛͍̱̦̭̘͎̳̻̟̙̒̍̈́̈͛͒́̒̊̈̾̚y̴̡̨̡̜̰͔̼̠̳̦̪͈̭͓͆͝o̵͍̭͊̈́̄̓̂̽͛́͘u̴̢͇̩̤͎̤͍̳̲͇͕͍̮͋̃̍̎̈́̇̋̆͑̚̚͝ŕ̵̛̺͆͛̂̐̑͆̑̍͌̉̅͜͝ ̷̡̓́͘s̵̢̨̢̪̳͚̻͚̠̺̯̿͒̒͆ơ̴͉̹̞̤̙̇̀͛͒̑̔̿͘ȕ̴̼̹̗̣̕l̷̠̓̒̈́̀̈̓̍͆͆.̶̝̩͊̇̒͆̋̓͗̈́̈́̅̕͠͠”

The Joker began to cower and backed all the way up to the dome. Danny continued to stare the man down. 

“N̷̮͎͉̱͈̰̼̼̮̻͔̠̐̌̋͒̅̚͝ờ̷̦̯͖͎̭̠̣͍̗̭͉͚̰́͗̌̓͌̓͆̉̇̉̋͆w̵̨̦͓̎̿͠ ̸̢̠̜̹̯̜̫̺̟̘̍̀͊͋̋̒̓̉̈́͌̊͆b̷̛̮̗̻̬̺̘̐̿̽̄̈̈́͋̔e̷̟̪̱͈͎͔͍̓͑ ̷̛̲̯̂̌̌̉̅͜å̴̢̨̰͇͎͕̺̰̫̲̟͈̟̋̅̈́̉̏̀̎̄̓̔̊͊̏͘ ̴̪̞͎̣̥͕̠̳͔̇̓̑́̄̈̉͂̿͌̚͘g̴̢̛̜̖̣̪͆͌͑̒̃̌̀̋̕͝o̷͍͎͚͉̦̥͈͈̪̪̖͇͈̖͕͆̃̇ö̷̜̪̯́̾͐̾̿͐̕͝d̴̹͇͖̰̿͋̿̈ ̴̢̦̭̤̜͕̳͊̅̍ͅb̴̨̡̥̣͕͚̲̤̻͍͉̤̰̩̈́̑͒͒̑̿̈́̊͗ͅơ̵̧̙̳̙̑͊͋̈́̅̿̆̕͜͝y̷̡͉̤̥̦̦̙̠͖̪̙̬͙͗͜ ̶̙͉̼͓̺̳͚̗͗̎͑̉̀̏̇͊̈̽͘͝a̵̢̢̛̻͔͔̝͕̮̰͈̭̯͓̎̍̇͒͌͑͝ṅ̴͕̏͑̈̅̚d̵̡̤̳̤̙̟̯̗͇̳̮̐̈͂̑̚͝ ̵̢̬͇̞̻͙̻͉͑̄̎̂͂̀̐̅̊́̿̚̕͠͠s̵̡̼̭̭͍̹̱͍̠̙̮̩̰̜̃͂̏͂̄̑̿̽̊̿̆̒ͅi̷̳̲͉̼̥͎̭̟̼̽̑̆̋͒͂̔̽̉͑̏̕t̵̨̢͔͎̜̗̲͓͔̼̰̯͙̙́͋̅̀̊̈́̓̌̍͗̅͊͌̚ͅ.̸͇̠́́̄”

Joker didn’t move and Danny felt some vindictive pride that he had scared The Joker into submission. Slowly he pulled out the thermos and switched it into ‘vacuum’ mode. After he fought Spore he and Tucker spent an entire summer trying to come up with something that would suck in all the particles in the air but not the air itself. After some ghost magic and a lot of tears, the Fenton Thermos 2.0 was deemed safe to use.

As soon as he opened it all the air in the dome rushed into it and exited the back while leaving any foreign contaminants in the thermos. The Joker looked like he briefly couldn’t breathe and Danny felt as though maybe that should be his permanent state of being.

But, Danny could now safely say that all the anthrax was out of the air. However, he thought as he started to retract his form into something humanoid, he and Joker were probably both still covered in it. 

He sent one last glare to Joker, who was shaking. Danny almost forgot he could do that to someone. It didn’t help that sometimes ectoplasm felt like Fear Toxin, but Joker deserved it. He then pulled out his phone, glad he had Red Robin’s number.

It only rang once before Red Robin picked it up. “Phantom?”

“That’s my name,” he couldn’t help but smile a little, turning away from the Joker. “Anyway, Joker is subdued and there is no anthrax in the air.”

Red Robin- he would have to think of a nickname for him, ‘Red Robin’ was too formal and not nearly as entertaining as it could be- paused before sighing. “How the fuck did you manage that in five minutes?” Someone in the background chided him with a ‘Language!’.

“Oh you know, the ‘ol one two,” he said in a dumb accent. Danny knew that he was flirting, but hey, what could a bisexual do?

“That’s not-” He was cut off by someone on his end.

“Hey Phantom! Nightwing here,” Danny could hear Red Robin trying to get the phone back, “I just have a few questions.”

Danny rolled his eyes, “okay, sure.”

“One:” he said enthusiastically, “why did you choose to see Red Hood before me?” Danny started to respond but Nightwing continued, Red Robin now saying something about cookies and movie night, “I mean! He’s okay, and sure, you both died, but like, I’m cool! Super cool! Hey! Red Robin-” 

“Sorry about that,” Red Robin now had his phone back apparently. Danny smiled at their antics, it reminded him of Jazz. Maybe they were brothers? “So, why is the ice dome still up?”

“Oh, well,” he looked at the dome again, thinking, “I got all the anthrax out of the air but me and Joker are probably still contaminated. So I’m gonna keep it up until someone decontaminates us.”

Red Robin hummed, “that’s probably the best course of action. I’ll tell Batman and call you with an update.”

“Hang loose mongoose,” Danny said.

“Hasta mañana piranha,” he responded back casually and hung up.

“Well, he smiled brightly and turned back to the Joker, “looks like you’re stuck with me for a while longer.” Danny could still feel his crown and for once was thankful for the tacky thing. Joker seemed to have calmed some but was eyeing the crown like it would grow legs and attack him. So Danny settled in the air, making sure the small ambient ectoplasm around him formed a vague throne, relaxing into it. “Just me and you.” 

Now to think of nicknames for Red Robin.

Chapter Text

After the dome was thrown up and Tim realized the streak of white he saw was Phantom, a horrible feeling crawled its way into his heart. He could help but worry that Phantom wouldn’t be able to handle the Joker. It was irrational, Phantom was an ancient immortal being, King of the Infinite Realms, defeater of Pariah Dark, Hero of Amity Park. But he acted like he was a teenager. Like he was just a kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

His thoughts were cut short by his comms once again becoming active.

“What was that?”

“There’s a dome-”

“Remain calm-”

“What happened?”

“Can anyone-”

“FUCK!”

“Language!”

“Everyone, quiet-”

“-it appears to be ice-”

“Keep the comms clear-”

“No anthrax is in the air.”

“The explosion was contained-”

Tim took a deep breath and interrupted the chaos Bruce was trying to get under control, “it was Phantom.”

Babs must have muted everyone but Bruce because Tim heard him grunt, “how do you know?”

“Because he can generate ice and is no longer floating next to me.” Tim started his way towards the dome, where everyone else was starting to gather.

When he landed everyone turned to him expectantly. “What happened?” Dick asked, his voice held a little bit of wonder in it. He was looking at the towering dome of ice in the center of the gardens. 

Tim walked closer to it, almost wanting to touch it. “I don’t know. One second the Joker was about to press the detonator, the next Phantom was gone and this was up,” he gestured towards the dome. It had a green shimmer to it, like Phantom did. This close to it Tim thought he would have been able to feel the cold radiating off of it, but it wasn’t that cold. The coolness was barely able to make it through his gloves when he touched it.

“Hn,” Bruce said, very articulate as usual then.

“So he just…” Steph gestured with her hands, “did this? No plan or warning?”

Tim furrowed his eyebrows, the distrust in the air was surprising. “Give him some credit,” Jason said, stepping out of the shadows still holding his handgun.

“He’s dealt with something like this before,” Tim continued. Jason leaned against the dome, uncaring of how everyone was looking at him.

“Tt.” Damian huffed, crossing his arms. “It is still unprofessional to not tell us.”

“There wasn’t time for that,” Tim said, noticing how no one else was coming closer to the dome.

“He also didn’t have a comm so,” Dick trailed off, shrugging.

“Hn,” Bruce said again.

Jason checked the magazine of his gun, counting the rounds even though he hadn’t fired it. “I trust him.”

Everyone was quiet for a minute. Jason did not trust easily, he was guarded and tended to keep to himself.

Cass stepped forward, signing ‘we haven’t met him’.

“He’s an unknown,” Steph added and shivered. Then she looked at him, “how are you not cold, standing so close to the dome?”

Tim frowned, “the ice isn’t that cold.”

“Sorry to tell you this Red Bird,” Dick said, “but it’s pretty cold. I can feel it from here.”

Tim glanced at Jason, who just shrugged, then back at the other bats. He hummed and turned back to it. He started walking along it, fingers brushing the smooth surface. The green in it swirled towards him and he took a step back. He could hear the rest of his family start planning and call for decontamination equipment. 

“So,” Tim almost jumped at Dick’s sudden appearance, “tell me about this Phantom guy.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “nothing much to tell. He’s the Ghost King.”

“But I haven’t met him. Only you and Hood have stumbled upon him! I want to know what he’s like.” If Tim didn’t know better he would think Dick was jealous.

“We didn’t ‘stumble upon him’. He saved me and chose to talk to Red Hood.” That was apparently the wrong thing to say because Dick gasped dramatically and opened his mouth to probably express how offended he was when Tim’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered it within one ring. “Phantom?” He asked, to both answer Dick’s questioning look and to say hello.

“That’s my name,” his voice was slightly staticky, but Tim could tell he was smiling. “ Anyway, Joker is subdued and there is no anthrax in the air.”

Tim paused and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “How the fuck did you manage that in five minutes?” 

“Language!” Dick said, stepping close to him.

“Oh you know, the ‘ol one two,” Phantom said in a stupid accent. If Tim wasn't so caught up in the fact that Phantom was able to take down the Joker in five minutes he would have laughed. 

Instead he rolled his eyes, “That’s not-”

Dick grabbed his phone from him. “Hey Phantom! Nightwing here,” Tim tried to get his phone back, cursing how short he was, “I just have a few questions.”

Tim could hear Phantom say something and Dick continued. “One:” he said enthusiastically, “why did you choose to see Red Hood before me?” He didn’t let Phantom answer and Tim started to tell him about how terrible his cookies had been at the last movie night, “I mean! He’s okay, and sure, you both died, but like, I’m cool! Super cool! Hey! Red Robin-” 

Tim was able to grab his phone back and shove Dick away. “Sorry about that,” Tim sent a warning look towards his oldest brother but turned his attention back to Phantom. “So, why is the ice dome still up?”

“Oh, well,” his voice paused, seemingly unconcerned, “I got all the anthrax out of the air but me and Joker are probably still contaminated. So I’m gonna keep it up until someone decontaminates us.”

Tim hummed, “that’s probably the best course of action. I’ll tell Batman and call you with an update.”

“Hang loose mongoose,” Phantom said, a smile creeping back into his voice.

“Hasta mañana piranha,” he responded back casually and hung up. Tim ignored Dick raising an eyebrow at the goodbye and walked past him. Bruce was going to be ecstatic at the news.

“So,” Dick interrupted, “what does Phantom look like?”

Tim tried to keep his blush down at what Dick was insinuating. “You’ve seen pictures.”

“Yeah but, they can only be so accurate.” Tim knew he was grinning, but he elected to ignore him. Dick laughed and Tim frowned at him. “It’s okay Red, we all get crushes.”

Tim shoved him into the dome's side, grinning when he yelped and shivered.

-=-=-=-

The Joker was shaking. Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, the Jester of Genocide, was shaking in fear. Tim almost didn’t believe it. Phantom had broken the Joker, in five minutes. 

Phantom caught his eye from where he was in the decontamination tent, and gave him a smile. Tim felt his heart skip a beat and immediately considered jumping off of a bridge. Because fuck that.  

Then the medical personnel in the full hazmat suit- not unlike Phantoms actually- gave him the ‘all clear’ and he fazed through the clear flap straight towards Tim, Phantom was grinning and it made Tim a little nervous. He just gave him a questioning look, one hand on his hip. “What?”

“Oh nothing just,” he eyes were brighter for a second as he looked Tim in the eyes, “I had a lot of time to think while in the dome and, I have come up with a list of nicknames for you.”

“No,” Tim said immediately, leveling a glare at the now cackling ghost.

“Come on, Reddit-”

Tim promptly turned and walked away, but he could tell Phantom was following him.

“What about Brirdie?” Tim didn’t even justify that with a response. “Little Red? Scarlet?” Tim just kept walking, eyes forwards. “Hey, Reddington, that’s no way to treat your friend!” Phantom was giggling, floating alongside him, unable to keep himself from grinning.

Tim took a deep breath and thanked Bruce's lessons on keeping a straight face because it was a little funny. But he would rather die than let Phantom know that, so he remained calm and seemingly unfazed as Phantom called him ‘Tweety’.

“So, you must be King Phantom.” Damian’s little demon voice came as he emerged from the shadows like a creep.

“That’s me!” Phantom said, waving. “And you’re Robin.” He was giving Damian a smile, and Damian in return glared.

“Tt,” he crossed his arms, “observant aren’t you.”

Phantom raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, you were the one to state the obvious first. I mean,” he shrugged and smiled wider at Damian opening his mouth to protest, “how many other ghosts do you know of with such dashingly good looks?”

Damian seemed unamused, “Someone has been lying to you if you think that.” Tim could see a small smirk on his usually angry face.

Phantom just laughed, shoulders shaking, “Oh my ancients.”

Damian’s smile dropped and he scowled, “what?”

“Nothing, nothing just,” he took a breath to steady himself, he had been floating off, “you remind me of my younger sister.”

“You have a sister?” Tim interrupted, slightly taken back. 

“Oh yeah,” he waved a hand through the air dismissively, “I have two. The younger one is a menace though.”

Tim’s brows furrowed. “Are they also ghosts?” Damian said after a second, he was less intimidating and more inquiring.

Phantom just gave them both a smile, “one of them is,” he seemed sad at that. But then again, why wouldn’t he be sad? One of his sisters was dead.

“Not the other?” Damian demanded, and Tim frowned.

“This isn’t an interrogation,” he reminded the demon brat.

“It’s alright,” Phantom shrugged, “the dead one was technically never alive to begin with.” A dark look crossed over his face, and the air got cold. Then he shook his head and smiled, “but that’s not my story to tell. Maybe you’ll meet her and she’ll tell you.” He looked at his phone then and cringed, “holy fuck, it’s late. I gotta go.”

He turned as if to fly away, “wait,” Tim called. He turned and raised an eyebrow, “you’re leaving Gotham right?”

Phantom gave him a smile and Tim’s breath caught. He looked kingly, handsome and strong, powerful. “Yeah, I’m leaving tonight.” He then threw Tim a wink, “don’t worry,” he started floating away, “I’ll call you.” And with that he vanished into the air.

Tim stood, staring at the space he had just been, the Gotham smog was thin there and he could see a few stars shining through. He hadn’t seen the stars in Gotham in a long time.

“Wow, you are whipped,” Dick said. He was now standing next to Damian.

Tim didn’t answer, too busy thinking about all the information he was going to add to his conspiracy board.

~*~*~*~

“Daniel James Fenton!” His mother yelled furiously, “where were you? We were calling you all night!” He shrunk back a little, crossing his arms over his chest protectively.

“Gotham is dangerous! The Joker was out tonight!” His father implored. Jack’s worried look made him feel guilty.

“I’m sorry-”

“Sorry!?” Maddie screeched, throwing her arms in the air. “‘Sorry’ doesn’t cut it young man!” He couldn’t help but to flinch. He knew his parents would never hurt him. At least, not when he looked like he did then.

“Dann-o,” his father started, voice quiet. “We’re glad you’re okay.” His father gently placed a hand on his shoulder and for one wild second he thought about telling them. Telling them everything. He felt so safe, near his father. Like he could be okay, if they knew.

But then his mother grabbed his other shoulder and he no longer felt safe at all.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hating himself. His mother loved him, he knew, but sometimes it felt like it wasn’t as unconditional as it should have been.

White hot guilt made its way through him, settling uncomfortably in his stomach. 

They loved him. They loved him. He just needed to keep telling himself that.

Chapter Text

As much as Danny liked Gotham, he was glad to be back in Amity. He took a step out of the GAV and took a deep breath, the ambient ectoplasm gently settled on him and he felt calm. Amity, with all its issues and flaws, seemed to welcome him back lovingly.

“Danny!” A red blur rushed at him, crashing into his chest, arms wrapping protectively around him.

“Jazz!” He yelped and laughed, hugging her back. “What are you doing home?”

She leaned back and patted his cheek, giving him a look like he was dumb. “Because your birthday is tomorrow?” Danny felt his stomach drop and it must have shown on his face because Jazz laughed obnoxiously. “Did you really forget it was your birthday?” 

He bit his lip, trying to repress a smile. “Maybe?” 

“Oh my god,” he shook her head and ruffled his hair, “you’re helpless.”

Danny laughed, shoulders shaking. “That’s why I have you.”

Jazz rolled her eyes and started dragging him into the house. “Sure,” she threw him a look over her shoulder, “but first, tell me about what’s been going on.” Her tone shift was sudden, and he took another breath, feeling Amity’s ectoplasm fill his lungs.

They made it to Jazz’s room, slightly dusty and untouched from her stay over the summer. Danny sighed and started, “the ghosts have been acting up. And when I poked around, trying to figure out why, I got a whole lot of nothing.” She frowned at that but didn’t interrupt. “Then, Ember attacked Amity for the first time in like, six months, but she wasn’t acting like herself. It was like she was under mind control, and I was worried it was Freakshow,” he shivered at the thought of that lovely memory, “but it wasn’t. When I was finally able to capture her, she seemed relieved, like that’s what she wanted all along.” His brows furrowed, thinking about Ember. “When I questioned her, she could only answer some of my questions.” Danny sighed and rubbed his temples, “Jazz… she had been Silenced.”

Jazz took in a sharp breath, “I thought you banned that magic from the Ghost Zone?”

“I did,” he huffed and it sounded almost like a growl. “And then Gotham started having a Ghost problem. Mom and dad were called out by none other than Bruce Fucking Wayne, and invited me along because of my Ghost List-”

“Pokedex.”

“-so I had a chance to look around.” He frowned, “the ambient ectoplasm in Gotham was off, and Val noticed-”

“Wait, Valerie Gray?” Jazz interrupted, leaning forward.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “she and her dad apparently work for the Waynes now. I bumped into her at a coffee shop.”

“And?” She was trying to see if he was okay, if that accidental reunion went well.

“And,” he couldn’t help but smile, “she’s cool with it.”

There was no need to clarify what ‘it’ was, and Jazz smiled, “that’s great Danny!” She squeezed his shoulder. “How does she fit into this though?”

Ever the detective, his sister. “She confirmed that the ectoplasm readings in Gotham have been rising. She left the ghost hunting life when she left Amity, but old habits die hard.”

“It’d be good to have the Red Huntress in our corner.”

“Yup. Anyway, before that we met with Bruce Wayne, who is a much nicer billionaire than Vlad, so, score. And I talked with Tim- Timothy Drake-Wayne- and showed him my list while Bruce had to put up with Jack and Maddie and all the weapons.” She gestured with her hands as if to say ‘what happened there?’. Danny rolled his eyes, “I’m getting to it! Anyway, Tim liked my list and so I let him keep the copy I had on me-”

“Wait wait wait,” she interrupted again, “you, Danny ‘I Will Guard All Information On Ghosts With My Half Life’ Fenton let someone you have just met keep a list that holds most of your weaknesses?” 

“Don’t sound so surprised he was trustworthy-”

“And hot?” Danny’s cheeks heated up and he glared at Jazz’s knowing look.

He huffed and crossed his arms, willing the red coloring his face to fade. “Okay he was cute- but! But! He also had read all of mom and dad’s papers-” she grimaced at that- “and told me he disagreed.”

She looked worried, “that doesn’t-”

“He told me that he thought it was highly biased-”

“So? People can say something-”

“And that he believed Ghosts were like people.” That got her to be quiet, at least, for a second. “Jazz, I know you’re worried about it, but I trust him. He seemed to genuinely think that ghosts were sentient.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, okay,” she conceded, “I trust your judgment.”

“Thank you,” he huffed. “But before that I saved Red Robin from this boxing ghost.”

Jazz pinched her nose, “why can you never just tell a story in chronological order?”

Danny rolled his eyes and just continued his story, “after I saved him, I talked to him again, flirted a little-”

“Really?” She seemed unimpressed.

“-and had him meet up with Danny Fenton, me, and gave him an ecto-phone to contact Phantom with.” Jazz’s eyes twitched but she kept quiet. “Then I met up with Red Hood who is super cool, like, total badass. 10 out of 10, would talk to again. Answered some of his questions, saved Gotham from an Anthrax attack-”

“WHAT?!”

“-I’m getting to it! Jeez! Let me speak.” She made a wounded noise, not liking this story at all. “As we were talking- me, Red Robin, and Red Hood-”

“Red Robin, Red Hood, and I,” she corrected.

“-Whatever. Anyway,” Danny said forcefully, just wanting to finish his story, “The Joker escaped while we were talking and had some bombs and anthrax. I offered to help because you know me and Tucker made that mode on the Thermos that can ‘cleanse’ air of foreign particles. Man that took all summer, it sucked-”

“Danny,” she sounded Done™.

“Sorry, right, on topic,” he ran his hand through his hair. “Long story short I kept all the anthrax in a dome and scared the living shit out of the Joker.”

“Wait, Danny,” there was that worried look again, “were you in the dome full of anthrax?”

“Yes?” He gave her an embarrassed smile.

“Danny-”

“I know, okay! But he was about to kill all of Gotham, and I don’t technically need to breathe for like, three hours, I was fine.” Jazz closed her eyes and let out a huff. “Besides, it took five minutes. Red Robin was impressed and everything.”

“I need a nap,” she declared suddenly, getting up from her bed where they were both seated and walked over to the duffle bag Danny just noticed, and opened it. “Out,” she pointed to the door, now holding a pair of sweatpants.

“Okay, okay,” he walked out the door. “Enjoy your nap,” he called as the door closed on his face. “Sisters,” he muttered under his breath. But he was smiling and could help but be glad Jazz was home. 

Now to bug his best friends.

-=-=-=-

“TIMOTHY DRAKE-WAYNE?!?!” Tucker yelled with enough concussive force to tip over a cow.

Danny rubbed his ears, “Yes, I met Timothy Drake-Wayne.”

“And a few Bats,” Sam added in between bites of her salad.

“Okay, sure,” Tucker's hands were flying every which way, “but Timothy Drake-Wayne, creator of the last three generations of WayneTech phones! Inventor and Genius, youngest CEO of a major company ever. Did you know he’s working on trying to clear up all the Gotham smog and switch  all of the Wayne associated companies to renewable sources of energy?” There was an excited glint in his eye, and if Danny didn’t know better he’d say Tucker was in love.

“Since when do you care about that?” Sam asked, raising an unbelieving eyebrow.

“Since Timothy Drake-Wayne started caring about it!” 

Danny laughed and rolled his eyes. “You can call him Tim, that’s what he wants to be called.”

Tucker looked like he was going to explode. Sam huffed, “yeah, but we haven’t met him, so it’d be a little weird.”

“Nah, he and Bruce are pretty chill,” Danny shrugged and continued to eat his ecto-infused Nasty Burger. (It was actually pretty easy to make a burger an Ecto-Burger, simply treat the corrosive otherworldly substance like ketchup and enjoy!)

“I physically cannot do that,” Tuck whispered quietly, looking stricken.

Danny laughed again, Tuck was something else. But that did remind him- “I also ran into Val.”

Sam paused and looked up, “what she say?” There was no need to clarify what Sam was referring to. The way Val left was a constant topic.

Danny smiled and watched his friends relax. “I told her I’m bisexual.”

“Wow, that conversation must have gone really well then considering you didn’t even tell us until we caught you-”

“Okay!” He interrupted and stood up, “I gotta get going! My birthday is tomorrow, did you know that? Crazy, oh my goodness, look at the time, I have a party to plan.” They both watched him stumble over himself to throw away his trash and leave. Sam was smirking and Tucker was full on laughing, the traitor. “You’re both invited!” He called as the door to the Nasty Burger closed and he booked it back home.

He did not need to be reminded of that lovely instance. On the bright side, he has since changed the lock on his door to actually work to avoid anything similar.

Though, it was getting late and he did kinda want to swing by Frostbite tonight. He flew home, wanting to use the portal in the basement. He had made so many portals lately it was starting to wear on him and well, the one in the basement was more stable anyway.

The GAV was missing and so were his parents, so they must have gotten a ghost call while he was out. He didn’t feel any dangerous ghosts in Amity, so it must be a false alarm. At least that meant he could get to the basement without getting caught, small mercies.

The bright swirling green of the Fenton Portal was a welcome sight after a full three days of having to use his own. He could practically taste the ectoplasm radiating from it, fresh and pure. Danny took a deep breath and flew into the portal. 

The Ghost Zone greeted him gently, pulling his crown and cape into view. He wanted to roll his eyes, but it wasn’t like he could ask an entire realm to stop. Ever since head been crowned the Zone had started to try and make him look more and more like a king. Danny didn’t really mind, but sometimes he wished he didn’t have to put energy into making himself look normal. Or as normal as a dead teenager in a hazmat suit could look.

Pushing his lament aside he started the journey to the Far Frozen. It was a short flight, shorter than it was usually. That wasn’t completely unusual, the Zone was fluid and tended to shift around, but it had only been this short a few times. Frostbite must have been waiting for him.

This was confirmed when he touched down on the snowy tundra and Frostbite's deep voice boomed over the growing winds. “Great One!” He called, making his way to Danny. “I have been expecting you.”

“Hey Frostbite,” Danny smiled at the yeti, “I have some questions.”

“Of course my King! We can come into my hall, there is a lot to discuss.” Frostbite gestured for Danny to follow, and he did.

Frostbite’s hall was really just a glorified igloo, but it was cozy and Danny always felt welcome when he was there. Frostbite sat on a big chair in the corner and Danny sat across from him. Nothing about the Far Frozen was warm in any way, but if he had to call somewhere the ‘warmest’ it’d be Frostbites igloo.

“I assume you know what is going on?” Danny started, getting serious.

“Yes, Great One, I do.” Frostbite sighed, “there is something going on in the living realm, a spectral movement that should not be happening.”

“In Gotham,” Danny supplied, and the yeti frowned.

“That does not bode well. Gotham has always been…” he paused, “uniquely tied to the Infinite Realms.”

“Like Amity?”

“Yes but in a more malevolent way. Amity is tied to the Ghost Zone because it has a naturally weak barrier. Gotham is tied to the Zone because of forced weakness in that barrier. So many people died horrifically in Gotham that eventually the barrier gave out.” 

Danny frowned, “are there other places like Amity? Or Gotham?”

“A few are like Gotham, mostly larger cities. Fewer are like Amity.” Frostbite frowned but continued, “a place like Gotham having a Spectral Movement is not a cause for concern usually, but there is something about this one.”

“Yeah, Gotham feels off, like someone was calling the ghosts to it and making them violent.” Danny furrowed his brows.

“Someone with more power than they should have,” Frostbite added in.

“I don’t suppose you know who it is?”

Frostbite gave him a small smile, “I am sorry my King, I don’t. But I do have something that could help.” The yeti stood and Danny followed him out of the igloo and to a larger compound Danny had only been inside there a few times, but it was always nice. It opened up to a sort of mall or central plaza. It was full of other ghosts, some of whom stopped and offered pleasantries, but they made their way to a library of sorts. “I do not know how much this could be of assistance, but it could not hurt to look through it.” Frostbite pulled out a large red tome with faded yellow lettering on it.

He handed it to Danny and a cloud of dust rose from around it. Danny sneezed then eyed it wearily, “what’s this?”

“A tome of most if not all ghost pulling spells. It should give you some insight on the ‘how’ and even the ‘where’.” Frostbite gave Danny a smile and started walking back out of the compound. 

A blizzard was beginning and Danny turned to Frostbite before flying off. “Thanks! I’ll keep you updated with what I find.”

“You are welcome, my King.” Danny started flying off when Frostbite called out to him, “Great One!” Danny turned and frowned in confusion. “Happy Birthday.”

Danny smiled and flew home. He had a book to read through.

~*~*~*~

The aftermath of the Joker's attack on Gotham lasted hours. Debrief after debrief, one government agency after another and Tim wanted to bang his head against a wall. Because of the Joker’s use of fucking anthrax Tim felt like he had to talk to every single FBI and CIA agent that walked the planet.

But that wasn’t the part Tim hated. Listen, he could deal with all sorts of people, and many of them didn’t like Tim’s nighttime work, but he drew the line at the GIW. They were very obvious, in their pristine white suites, and when they introduced themselves as fucking letters of the alphabet Tim wanted to hit them with his bow staff.

And then they started talking and Bruce removed him from the conversation. Something about their rhetoric made his blood boil. It was blatantly biased! How the fuck could they claim an entire group of people were not sentient?

He landed on a nearby rooftop with a huff, clenching his jaw. His fists were balled and he felt like screaming. Some of the things they had said, about ghosts, sounded like what he had heard people say about Kon, or really any meta or alien.

Tim had tried to gaslight them into thinking Phantom wasn’t involved, but they had just scoffed and told him he was ‘too young’ to understand. Too young his ass, he had half the mind to march back over there and punch them.

He kicked a beer bottle that was on the roof and it shattered in the small wall along the perimeter of the edge. “Whoa there,” Steph said, holding her hands up in mock surrender, “you okay?” 

“Ugh!” Tim dropped to the roof and sat down with a huff. He had a look of pure contempt, eyes angry.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” Steph sat next to him, sighing. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”

Tim huffed again, “the GIW,” he spat.

“Ah,” she said, as if that all made sense.

“It’s just,” he continued, letting his anger speak for him, “they are so fucking biased and disgusting! The stuff they're saying! Goddamnit, it makes me so mad! Who are they to determine who is and isn’t sentient? And now their saying Phantom is just manipulating us! Who believes this shit?” He was practically yelling at this point, and he jumped back up and started pacing. “They claim to be ‘experts’ but they can’t even tell me what ectoplasm really is! They probably couldn’t tell the difference between their ass and a fucking octopus and they expect me to believe they know about ghosts in anyway?” He let out a growl of frustration and gripped at his hair. “And the Anti-Ecto acts! They are worded like all the Anti-Meta acts that fucking racist assholes tried to pass a few years ago! How did we not catch it sooner?! I just wanna…” he paused and mimed choking someone before letting out a scream.

“I agree,” Steph said calmly, standing up. She gave him a look, face hard. “The question isn’t if the laws are fair, the question is…” she paused, “what are you going to do about it?”

~*~*~*~

Crime Alley was unusually quiet. And if the fucking Joker hadn’t just attack, Jason would have found it suspicious. But Jason was fucking tired, and honestly couldn’t give two shits about petty crime.

The Joker had been right there, right in shooting range, and he didn’t pull the trigger. A part of him argued that the Joker was holding the detonator and shooting him would have resulted in mass casualties. 

But that part was drowned out by the fucking rage churning in his chest. The Joker was so close! He could have killed him! Killed the Joker like the Joker had killed Jason, all those years ago. Fuck the civilian casualties! Fuck Bruce and Dick and all of his supposed family! Fuck everyone!

Jason took a deep breath and tried to remind himself that he did care about the civilians. He did care about the other people who could have gotten hurt. Because he did care, that’s why he still fought crime. That’s why, for better or worse there was a bat across his chest.

He tried to remember the sense of calm that he had felt, when he was talking to Phantom, but it was a mute point. He had probably imagined the still warmth Phantom gave off, because as soon as he heard about the Joker it had vanished. 

He took another deep breath, steadying himself. He was so fucking tired.

Just so tired.

Chapter Text

Danny groaned as his alarm blared from his phone. He fumbled blindly for it, irritated with himself for not charging it or leaving it somewhere he could find it. It was only after shaking his blanket three times and angrily tossing his pillow off from his bed did he find it. 

With a sigh he turned the offending alarm off, flopping back down in his bed. You know, he could just drop out of high school. Did he really need his GED? He could become a f-boy online and make thousands of dollars by posting thirst traps. He could, he had the body for it.

With one last woeful moan he rolled out of his bed and onto the floor. He stood and popped his back, stretching his arms above his head. Danny let out a small huff as he dropped his hand to his side. He was halfway to his dresser to grab some clothes when his door slammed open.

“Happy birthday!” Jazz yelled, then blew into a noise maker. She was wearing a blue and gold party hat that gave Danny a headache to look at.

“No,” he said, voice heavy with sleep.

“No?” Tucker asked, walking into his room, also wearing a party hat, though his was pink and silver.

“Yeah Danny,” and there was Sam, “you can’t just ‘no’ your birthday.” Her hat was black and Danny wondered if she had actually spent the time making it like that. Knowing Sam, probably.

He groaned and hit his head against his dresser. “What are you guys doing here? It’s like…” he sighed, “too early.”

“We wanted to wish you a happy 18th!” Jazz was way too chipper for him.

“It’s not every day you can claim to have adult friends,” Tucker added.

He hit his head again, “bruh.”

Sam patted him on his back, “it’s not your fault you were born so early in the year.”

“It is literally September.”

“You know what I mean,” Sam rolled her eyes. 

Danny just huffed, “can you guys get out of my room? Unless you want to see me get dressed.” That cleared the room pretty fast, and Danny smiled. 

It was nice to wake up to birthday wishes from the most important people in his life. And sure, it was kind of sad he didn’t really have more friends, but Sam and Tucker and Jazz loved him more than he deserved. 

As he was pulling up his pants his phone buzzed. He picked it up from his dresser and smiled at the message waiting for him.

Happy Birthday!!! I can’t believe the nerd I knew in middle school is now the nerd I know in high school. 

It was from Val, who obviously thought she was funny. He sent her the sunglasses emoji, because he is super cool. 

Then he headed down stairs, the smell of pancakes making him hungry. Jazz was at the stove humming to herself while Sam and Tucker were whispering conspiratorially at the counter. Their voices were low enough he could hear them without straining his ears so he figured it was something to do with his birthday. 

“What shape do you want?” Jazz asked and he started towards her. 

It was a tradition for one of them to make breakfast for the other on days like this. Danny smiled, “do you really need to ask?”

Jazz smiled back and continued on, knowing exactly what he wanted. He had had the same shape since he was five. 

“Hey, Danny,” Tuck called and waved him over, “I have a question.” He looked very serious. 

Danny furrowed his brows. “Okay?” There wasn’t much that Tucker and Sam didn’t know about him. 

“Well,” Sam bit her lip, “we were just wondering…”

Without warning both of them pulled out a can of silly string and sprayed him directly in his face.

Danny let out a yelp and both of his best friends laughed loudly. He gave them a look and they both ran away at the same time. The next few minutes were followed by Danny chasing them and dodging streams of silly string. At one point Jazz threw him a can and he grinned. Then, Tucker in a frenzy, sprayed Sam, who paused. Tucks eyes widened comically and he began to apologize but it was too late. 

Both Sam and Danny jumped into action, emptying their containers onto Tucker's face. He was shrieking like a small child when Jazz announced that the pancakes were done. 

Danny laughed and let the silly string fall through him. Sam held her hand out expectantly.

He hummed, “I don’t know… you did spray me in the face.”

“Danny,” she whined, “silly string is not goth!”

He just smirked as he helped Tucker up and turned him intangible. “Thanks man,” Tuck was also smirking. 

Sam made an offended noise, “I can’t believe you would betray me like this!” She shrieked dramatically, placing the back of her hand on her forehead. “On my birthday no less!”

“It’s my birthday,” Danny said, sliding into his seat at the table. 

“Smh,” Tucker said, spelling it out loud like a nerd. 

“Eat,” Jazz waved at the food on the table, “we have to leave soon because you guys are still in school.” 

The four of them dug into the breakfast. It was nice to eat in the morning for once. And yeah, Danny knew he needed to eat more, but he could last on ectoplasm for the most part. 

Danny smiled at his pancakes, perfectly cooked into the shape of a bat. It was kind of ironic, now that he had met some of the bat clan. But he remembered loving Batman and Robin and Nightwing when he was young. He had a small phase where he wanted to be a superhero, funny how life works like that. 

“Alright!” Jazz said after everyone put their dishes into the sink. “Let’s go.” She grabbed her keys and everyone filed out after her. 

Danny briefly turned Sam intangible, earning him a smile. He may be petty, but she was right, silly string was not goth.

-=-=-=-

Danny’s day was pretty normal up until he walked into his last period of the day and felt his ghost sense go off. With a sigh he placed his bag down at his desk and walked past his teacher, muttering about having to use the bathroom, only to notice how still Mr. Owens looked. He furrowed his brows and looked around. The rest of the class seemed to be stuck mid-action and Danny let the worry seep out of him.

He turned and smiled. “Clockwork,” he said pleasantly.

The purple-clad ghost smiled, the wrinkles in his old face deepening. “Hello Daniel.”

“What’s up?” Danny relaxed against his teacher's desk, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets.

Clockwork, who was leaning on his staff, just shook his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday.”

Danny raised an eyebrow, voice edging disbelief, “that’s it?”

The Master of Time’s smile wavered slightly, and he grew younger, turning into his adult self. “No,” he sighed, smile falling fully, “that is not all.”

Danny stood up straight, frowning, “what’s going on.”

“I can’t tell you-” Clockwork started.

“Of course you fucking can’t,” Danny bit harshly. 

Clockwork’s shoulders sagged minutely, and Danny almost felt bad. “You know I am not allowed to tell you things before you should know them.” Danny just clenched his jaw tightly. Yeah, he knew, but it didn’t make it any easier. “But I have come to tell you what I can.”

Danny took a deep breath. Over the years he had grown to like Clockwork, spending time with him in his tower, enjoying having him around to talk to. After all, who else could understand the stress of being in a position of great power than the being who single handedly made sure the timestream didn’t collapse on itself? “Okay.”

Clockwork sent Danny an almost smile. “You have more people you can trust than you think.”

With that Danny could feel time start again and Clockwork disappeared from view. He sighed and continued his way to the bathroom, needing time to think. He turned a corner sharply and ran into someone. With an ‘oof’ he glanced up to see who it was. 

The air grew a little tense when he made eye contact with the person he ran into. “Dash,” he greeted after a second.

“Fenton,” the footballer responded stiffly.

Danny just moved to walk past him. Dash hadn’t really bothered him much since Paulina moved away, not seeing the appeal to bully when he didn’t have a girl to impress. Then there was that little… thing that happened last year that ended in a very upsetting conversation, and well, Danny had better things to do than to talk to Dash Baxter.

“Wait,” Dash called from where he had been left standing. Danny, against his better judgment, turned. “Just… happy birthday, Danny.” With that, Dash walked away, heading out towards the field house.

Danny took a deep breath and sighed. He couldn’t wait for the day to be over. Maybe he’d go for a fly, to clear his mind. 

Later he would realize how terrible of an idea that had been.

~*~*~*~

Most people would find standing in front of the most powerful people on earth terrifying. The idea that they would have to look at beings who could snap their spin in half like a KitKat bar was enough to even make the bravest think twice.

But Tim was not nervous at all. In fact, he couldn’t help but smile. That wasn’t only because he had been around the Justice League for years, but also because he was confident in what he was going to say.

Tim had always been an eloquent speaker, often times knowing what to say to people to make them do what he was asking. And this? It was no different. Besides, he knew the League would agree with him.

So with a deep breath he started his presentation. “Thank you all for joining me today,” he inclined his head at the people around him. “This is a meeting to inform you of the recent developments involving the Ghost Investigation Ward and King Phantom.” He clicked the remote in his hand, and a slide show popped up on the screen. It was titled ‘Why The GIW Sucks and Phantom Deserves Better’ and Tim smiled. “Let’s begin.”

-=-=-=-

The presentation went as well as Tim had hoped. The Justice League agreed that immediate action was needed in regards the the issue of an entire fucking species being considered non-sentient. As he suspected, Arthur had been the most outspoken in his rage, having to deal with issues about Atlanteans rights as well. 

They had agreed that first thing tomorrow they would reconvene and determine a game plan. Tim for one wanted to beat the living shit out of the entirety of the GIW. He knew that the Justice League would probably take the diplomatic approach first, though. The GIW didn’t deserve even that much courtesy, in Tim’s expert opinion.

Thinking about the GIW still made his blood boil in righteous furry, and Tim knew that he would never be able to get to sleep after having to relay the horrible things to the League, so he went out. It was technically his night off, but, well, no one could stop him.

He made his way towards the Reservoir, knowing that Cass’s route wouldn’t take her that way for another hour. Tim spotted a few assholes slinking around an alley, obviously waiting to jump a man who was practically running home.

Tim smiled and landed in the dark alleyway behind them. It was nice, being able to take his anger out on low lifes. He had recognized two of them, the blond and redhead, from a bust he made a few weeks ago near the docks.

The fight went well, and Tim hoped the rest of the night would run as smoothly.

That hope shattered when his phone rang.

Chapter Text

Danny had always loved flying. Even before he was a ghost, the idea that he could take to the sky like a bird and leave everything behind was enticing. And now that he could, he took every opportunity to enjoy his time in the air. 

It was like, when he was in the air, nothing that happened on the ground mattered. Nothing that was said to him, nothing that hurt him, could reach him up there. 

Sometimes, he’d spend hours just floating above Amity, looking up to the stars like they held all the answers. And sometimes, he'd fly up further and further until the air got so thin he would stop breathing. Until the temptation of flying into space became so great he almost listened to it. 

Then Danny would come down, trying to remember what it was that he was doing it all for. He knew, he really did. He was doing it for us family and friends and classmates. For all the people who couldn’t defend themselves, humans and ghosts alike. 

As much as he wanted to go to the stars, his Obsession caused him to stay within Earth’s gravity. He needed to stay and protect, it was the least he could do with the powers he had been given.

He never really thought much about his Obsession, if only to avoid thinking about his death. He could joke about it, sure, and he knows that he died, but… Sometimes, late at night, he would lay awake and remember what it was like, to feel his skin blister and heart stop and throat go raw with his screams. Sometimes, when he could hear his parents in the lab, creating things meant to destroy him, he would force himself to remember.

He continued to look up to the stars, mapping constellations in his mind. Orion was big and bright, his belt shining and allowing for him to easily see the rest of him. His shield and sword raised forever in defense. Danny wondered if his arms ever got tired, holding up the heavy metal of his weapons.

He was distracted, completely in his own world. He was distracted, he didn’t even feel it at first. There was a searing pain in his side, the ectoplasm in him hissing angrily, mimicking to it’s best ability the boiling sensation of being burned. He quickly turned and ducked out of the way of another ecto-shot. 

He came face to face with three GIW agents, their white suits harsh in the moonlight. They were leveling more weapons at him, and one was wearing a boastful grin beneath her large sunglasses. She must have been the one who shot him.

He ignored his protesting side as he dodged another quick succession of hazardous green energy. “Hey,” he called wincing, “watch where you’re aiming those things!” A couple of shots hit the wall behind his head, “you’ll shoot your eye out kid!”

None of the agents laughed, but one did respond. “Don’t drag this out, ghost!”

“I have a name,” he quipped back, turning tail and flying as far away as possible.

“Come back here!” Another yelled, and then, to his horror, shot up into the sky on a hoverboard like Val’s.

That wasn’t good. His side was screaming at him to slow down, his core not able to heal it fast enough while he was using his energy to dodge and weave and go intangible. He knew he should have eaten some ectoplasm before he went for his fly. 

The three agents continued to chase him in the air, and he began to panic when he couldn’t shake them when he turned invisible. They seemed to be tracking him, picking up on his ectoplasm levels. 

He furrowed his brow, the hoverboards were one thing, but tracking? Since when did the GIW have technology like that?

He was distracted again, and was barely able to duck under a blast that came from in front of him. He felt trapped as he looked around and two more agents made themselves known with warning shots near his head. 

“Isn’t this a party,” he laughed nervously, not sure if he could continue his ‘flight’ plan.

“Stop running!” One yelled, pulling out a net-launcher.

“Technically I’m flying,” he could help but to argue.

Another charged up both of their blasters, “you are under arrest!”

“You and what army?” He knew he needed to get out of here, he was feeling trapped and as he was hit again in the shoulder he had the terrible idea that he would have to fight his way out.

All five agents fired at him with no mercy. He threw up a ghost shield to his left and shot a wave of ice to his right. The agents jumped out of the way and he took the opportunity to send ecto-blasts at them. 

He hit one, who grunted in pain, but the other regained her senses quickly. He put out another shield, this time in front of him, while one of them tossed a fucking grenade. Seriously, where were they getting these things?

The blast caused him to be pushed backwards, but against the wall of a nearby building. He tried to phase through it and found he couldn’t. His stomach dropped and he was filled with a sense of dread, making his arms feel heavy.

“You have nowhere to run,” he could tell they were smirking, and he began to panic.

In a frenzy he iced the ground and shot out a full spray of his green ecto-blasts. He heard some of them hit, and a few thuds and grunts, but it wasn’t enough. 

Another fucking grenage was sent his way and he was barely able to stop it from exploding on him. His ears rang and his vision blurred. He threw shards of ice towards the five agents, who were slowly getting closer. They weren’t sharp enough to pierce, but they had enough force to knock people over, maybe break a few ribs.

He heard two bodies hit the concrete and felt sickening glee when the shots coming at him lowered in number. They would be fine, he told himself. Those shards wouldn’t be able to kill them.

With an outraged scream another agent shot the net at him and he dropped all the way to the ground to avoid it, remembering the burns it had given him last time he had been so unfortunate to touch it. He was breathing heavily, and the air was cool. His core and Amity were trying to heal and protect him, but he was tired, oh so tired.

“Give up, Phantom,” one spit out, obviously tired of fighting him. 

“So you do know my name,” he couldn’t help but smirk at them. The three standing agents were growing irritated quickly, and he knew antagonizing them wouldn’t help, but he had a brand and ancients help him if he couldn’t stick to it in danger. 

“Phantom!” A familiar voice came from the entrance of the alleyway they had backed him into. 

He looked up and grinned at Sam and Tucker, who were now racing towards him, their own weapons drawn. 

One agent growled like a fucking wierdo (unlike him when he growled, that was cool and a ghost thing) and pointed his weapons at them. 

Sam’s gun, which looked like a shotgun and packed the hardest punch of all the FentonWorks weapons, was already firing at the agent. It hit him square in the chest and he was flung back. Ghost weapons usually didn’t hurt civilians, but anything with that amount of kick would hurt, he supposed. 

Tucker was taking care of another agent, whose sunglasses were knocked off her face. His gun was recharging and he quickly went for hand to hand combat. Danny was glad his mom had been teaching the three of them self defense for the last year or so. Tuck faked a jab at her face and when she dodged he sent a right hook into her abdomen. Tucker had taken a shine towards boxing, though Danny could never understand how he didn’t find Tae Kwon Do more fun. 

With that agent being dealt with, Sam and Danny tag teamed the last one, quickly sending him into the pavement.

When all five agents were out cold on the ground Danny felt himself relax. He smiled at his friends. 

“You okay?” Tuck scanned him over, taking in his injuries.

Danny winced as he walked forward but flashed them both a fake smile. “I’m fine. A little battered up, but I’ll live,” he smirked at his pun and his friends rolled their eyes. 

He opened his mouth to say something more, he was distracted again, so distracted. Unlike with his side, he felt it immediately. The burning, cutting, stabbing sensation of being shot. He could feel it all, in slow motion, the pain in his back, how it ripped through him, the feeling of it blasting out from his chest. He felt cold. Colder than he should. In his fingers. 

But his chest was hot. It was burning. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t swallow, couldn’t feel his heartbeat. 

Sam was saying something, and he was pretty sure she was the reason he wasn’t lying on the concrete. He could tell where Tucker was, in fact, he could tell much of his surroundings. He couldn’t hear over the ringing in his ears, and his mouth tasted like ash and ectoplasm and blood. 

Another pair of arms wrapped around him, and he could see the color of Tuckers shirt change from yellow to a gross green and brown. Was that his blood? Was he bleeding that much?

Danny slowly felt himself go numb, starting with his fingers, creeping up his arms, his legs felt weak and he wondered if they were in tail form. 

“No, no, Danny,” he knew they were probably yelling, but it sounded like he was hearing them from under water, or through glass. That was it. He felt as though he was in a glass box, cut off from the real world. 

“Danny, listen to me,” he was, he was, “you can’t transform here.” But he was tired. He wanted to sleep. 

“It’s not safe here,” who was talking? He couldn’t tell. Why wasn’t it safe? Sam and Tucker were here. They were safe. 

He was tired. So tired. 

~*~*~*~

It was midnight when Tim’s phone rang. He paused his fight with a few thugs to bring out the ringing device. “Red Robin speaking,” he said as he continued to beat up the criminals one-handed.

“ Red Robin,” it was Barbra. Tim frowned at her tone. Something was up. 

“What’s wrong?” Babs would never just call him while he was out. 

“You know how I have been looking into the GIW files and databases, trying to hack in?” He could hear her sigh and he made a noise of affirmation. “ I was able to get in an hour ago, and I found something .” 

“What? What did you find?” He didn’t like this. Anything having to do with the GIW ever ended well. He focused fully on Babs, and the criminals he had stopped sulked off into the night to nurse their wounds. 

“They have a file in here, on Phantom. And it contains a,” she paused and took a breath, “Capture and Experimentation plan.” 

Tim felt his chest grow heavy. Those words made his blood boil and he swallowed down his anger. He didn’t need it right now, it was productive. He took a breath, trying to ignore how he wanted to throw up at those words. “Can you see how many agents are in Amity right now?”

He heard her keyboard clack and he tried not to think about the word ‘experimentation’. She took in a sharp breath. “There are three groups of five patrolling different parts. One group sent out a signal about 15 minutes ago, saying they had,” she paused again, “trapped him in one of the designated anti-ghost spots.”

Tim took another breath. He needed to calm down. His anger wasn’t going to help Phantom. His anger wasn’t going to get anything done. He needed to make sure he was okay. Tim needed to call Phantom. 

He hung up on Babs, and pulled out his ecto-phone. He ignored how his hands were shaking as he called the only number programmed into it. 

With each ring his heart sped up and his stomach grew more and more tense. “Come on. Come on, come on,” he was whispering frantically to himself. “Pick up the phone,” he willed. 

It took six rings for the phone to be answered. Six excruciatingly long rings before he heard it click as it was picked up. 

He let out a sigh of relief, but immediately tensed when the voice on the other end was not Phantom. 

“ Hello? Red Robin?” It sounded like a girl, her voice was shaking and she sounded unsure of herself. 

“Who is this? Where is Phantom?” His jaw was clenched so hard he was sure he’d break his teeth. 

The girl on the other end took in a shaky breath, “ I’m one of Phantom’s friends. I uh, he’s- he’s, ” she swallowed loudly and took in a steadying breath, “ he’s stable and here with us.” Her voice was a lot more sure that it had been. She was trying to calm herself, she knew she’d be no help if she was emotional. 

“Okay,” Tim let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “There are groups of GIW agents in Amity. Three groups of five. Are you somewhere safe?” He allowed himself to breathe and try and remember what to do when dealing with civilians in danger. 

“We took out one group, we’re heading somewhere now.” Her now steady voice reassured him somewhat. 

“Good. How bad is he?”

She paused. He didn’t like how she paused. The seconds ticked by and Tim bit his cheek. She had said he was stable. He was okay. 

“He, um, he's been shot.” The waver in her voice was back and Tim felt adrenaline race through him. He felt useless, so far away. He’d never be able to make it to Amity to help. 

“Where is the shot?” He needed to know. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to hear it. 

“We think he was shot in the side, before we got there, there is another in his shoulder, and,” her breath hitched and had to take in a few breaths before she continued. “One of them shot him from behind. It, the shot, it,” she swallowed and Tim didn’t want her to finish. “It went right through him,” she let out a sob and Tim felt the blood drain from his face. 

His stomach dropped as she hiccuped. His own breathing was unsteady. “Listen,” he needed to stay calm. She needed someone calm, Phantom needed someone calm. “What’s your name?” He tried to keep his voice soft, and tried to sound sure of himself. 

“Sam Manson,” her voice was a little more steady, and her name sounded familiar. Manson, the millionaires. He had met her once, at a charity gala. He tried to remember what she looked like. Uncomfortable and gloomy, dark hair up and dark lipstick frowning down at her bright dress. Okay, he could work with that image. “Okay Sam, you need to take a deep breath and try to keep your mind clear.” He paused and heard her breath for a second. “Good, can you tell me where you are taking him?”

“The Fenton Portal. He needs to heal surrounded by ectoplasm.” 

“Okay, okay, good. You know what to do. Is he awake?” He already knew the answer. 

“No, he, he wasn’t able to stay awake.” Sam's voice was laced with panic he was trying to hide. 

“Is there anything that can tell you if he’s still-“ he paused, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t alive to begin with, so he couldn’t ask that. 

“His core is pulsing and a thin layer of ice is coming off of him,” a new voice said. This one was deeper, probably a guy, and was steadier but strained. 

“Okay, that's good. What’s your name?”

“Tucker,” as in KingTuck, the friend who had designed the ecto-phones. Tim was glad he knew this person, even if it was all online.

“Nice to meet you.” He sighed and forced himself to breathe. “You two know what you are doing. Be careful, there are still ten agents out there. One group sent out a message that they had cornered him.”

“How do you know?” Tucker grunted out. He must be carrying Phantom by the sounds of it. 

“Oracle was able to hack into their database.”

One of them whistled, most likely Tucker. “That’s impressive. They forced a techo-ghost to make that for them. I’ve been trying for nearly a year to break it.”

Tim hummed, “Oracle is the best hacker I have ever met, it took her weeks to even begin to crack it.” Then a heavy silence settled over them. Tim could hear Tucker grunt every now and again and Sam was murmuring things to herself, he felt like he was intruding. They had been his friends for a long time, and Tim had just met him. But that all left Tims as something occurred to him. “Where’s Danny?”

The silence grew and grew until Tim felt like it would swallow him whole. 

“We need to tell him,” Sam said after a while. 

“Sam-“ Tucker started only to be cut off. 

“Danny was saying he wanted to tell him.” She spoke with sucky authority Tim wondered how anyone could say no to her. 

“But he should be the one to say it!” Tucker sounded irritated, voice raising. 

Sam responded in a whisper, voice breaking, “he might not get that chance.” 

Tim grew more worried as Tucker didn’t reply. Why wouldn’t Danny be able to tell him? 

“Fine,” Tucker huffed, still angry, “but when he wakes up you have to deal with it.”

“Okay,” Sam sighed, she took a deep breath. “Danny and Phantom,” she started, hesitant, “they, they’re the same person.”

Chapter Text

Tim’s life had never been simple. It had always been one major event after another and Tim couldn’t remember a time his life hadn’t been hectic. Maybe when he was younger, before his parents decided that their jobs would take president over him, maybe it wasn’t so crazy then. But that was in the past, a past he could barely remember at this point, so the fact still stood, Tim Drake’s life had never been simple.

But this? This was a whole new level of crazy.

“The ghosts call him a halfa. Half-a ghost, half-a human,” Sam explained quietly. She was whispering so softly Tim was afraid he would miss what she was saying if he breathed too loudly. “It’s a rare phenomenon, and there are only three in existence.” 

Tim didn’t know how to respond. It was like his world view had shattered. Which didn’t really make any sense. He knew ghosts were real, and he knew people could come back, like Jason, but hearing that Phantom was actually Danny’s alter-ego seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Sam took his silence as an invitation to continue to talk. “You can’t tell anyone that they exist. Not even Batman” He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind and answer her. “Do you understand?” She said it harshly, a threat buried underneath her words.

“Yeah,” Tim breathed quickly, copying her whisper, “yeah I understand.” He could keep this from Bruce, if he really wanted to. 

“Good,” she sounded relieved, like she was expecting more of a fight. “I can’t really tell you more-”

“What?” Tim interrupted louder than he had been.

“It’s not my story to tell. All you have to know at the moment is that Danny and Phantom are the same person and that he’s safe,” she paused, “or at least will be when we get him to the portal.”

Tim took a breath and filed all of his questions away. He vowed right then and there that when Danny was better Tim was going to kidnap him and force him to answer every last one of his questions. At the moment, though, there wasn’t anything he could do. So with a sigh he responded, “okay. That’s probably for the best. Danny should be the one to tell me what he wants me to know.”

“Thanks, for understanding.” He could tell she was supporting a small smile, and it made him feel a little better. Anxiety was still steadily pumping into veins, but maybe everything would be okay.

“We’re coming up to the Fentons now,” Tucker said, relief coloring his voice. “Stay on the phone while we throw him into the portal, and we’ll talk logistics.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he sighed and grappled up to a nearby roof, sitting down and settling in.

The muffled sounds of Sam and Tucker dealing with an out of commision Danny filled his ear and for some reason, he felt himself begin to believe that the night was coming to an end.

“I’m glad we were able to convince him to stay ghost.” It sounded like Tucker was mumbling to himself.

Sam let out a little laugh, “he’s much lighter like this.”

Tim let himself smile at their conversation while ignoring the implication that they had needed to carry Danny in other situations. He had to remind himself that Sam and Tucker had been doing the gig almost as long as he had. As much as Tim hated the idea that other people his age had to deal with the life of a vigilante, he was glad Danny had friends who knew how to deal with all the complications it brought with it.

The noises over the phone suddenly quieted, and Tim’s shoulders subconsciously tensed. 

“Did you hear that?” Sam asked Tucker, whispering harshly.

“It sounded like-”

“FREEZE!”

“Put your hands up!”

“Get to the portal!”

“-under arrest-”

“We’re almost there!”

A cacophony of noise erupted from the little speaker of his phone and Tim’s heart restarted. He felt so powerless, in a way he hadn’t felt sense before he was Robin. 

Over the phone he could hear yelling, the panic of Sam, Tucker shouting angrily, voices of unnamed people rising and filling his head.

Tim tried to focus on what was happening, and he caught pieces of conversations, trying to place it all together.

“The basement! Follow them.”

“Faster!”

“Put him in!”

“Sam!”

“NOW!”

“Let go-”

“Stop struggling!”

“Grab-”

“Turn it off!”

“We’ll shoot!”

“TUCKER!”

There was a horrible sound that came through and Tim felt all the blood in his face drain. It sounded like a dozen city blocks all threw a fuse at the same time.

For what felt like an eternity, there was only the continuous ringing of whatever disaster had struck in the Fenton basement. It was terrible, to just sit there and listen, to be quiet and not call out for Sam or Tucker. But Tim knew that it was a bad idea to make himself known, that would only cause more trouble than it was worth. 

The noise started again, abruptly cutting into the ringing and Tim’s thought. There was a few hacking coughs and Tim held his breath. 

“Tucker,” Sam's voice was strained, and very panicked. Tim tried to control his own panic as it threatened to choke him. 

“Grab the girl,” a man ordered and Tim wanted to scream, to jump through the phone and try and help. 

“Hey!” Sam had regained some of her voice, “get off me!” A few more voices were heard, most of them sounding like they were trying to subdue her. 

Tim felt his heart stop when a person, who was much closer to the phone, called out, “check the boy, see if he’s still alive.”

“Tucker!” A few thumps were heard as Tim assumed Sam began to fight in more earnest. “Let me go! No!”

Tim felt so useless. Just sitting and listening as Sam struggled and Tucker was unresponsive. 

“He’s still breathing, sir.” Tim could help the breath that escaped his lungs. Okay, Tucker was alive, that was good.

“Pick him up and bring them both with us.” The man’s voice sounded again, and Tim had no idea who it was but he already knew he hated him. 

“You’ll pay for this, you white suited bastards!” The sounds of struggle had stopped, and Tim's heart was still beating way too fast. “People will notice we’re missing!”

“You two,” the man ignored Sam, “stay here and wait for the Fentons. Get them to get this portal up and running. Phantom can’t hide from us forever.”

“Hey Asshole! I’m talking to you! You fuck-“ Sams yells we’re suddenly muffled, and Tim didn’t want to think about the fact they must have gagged her. It made his stomach turn and knot and he wanted nothing more than this to all be some terrible Fear Gas induced nightmare.

“Sir,” this voice was much closer to the phone and Tim tried to quiet his breath again. 

“What?” With bated breath Tim waited for something to happen, for someone to say something. 

When it did Tim wanted to vomit. “Phantom has you in his contacts as Pretty Bird.” He couldn’t breath all of the sudden, the roof he had landed on felt like it was swaying and Tim clenched his jaw so hard he heard something pop. “I don’t know who you are, but I’ll find out.”

With that the line went dead. 

~*~*~*~

Jason knew the minute Tim called him something was wrong. Maybe it was because of the meeting Tim had given the JL, or maybe it was some sixth sense older brothers had, or maybe it was just the feeling in the air, because as soon as Tim’s name on his phone popped up, Jason knew. 

“Red Robin.” He answered on the second ring, bringing his phone up to his still mask-clad face. 

“Something happened.” And if that didn’t sound like a panicked 18 year old, Jason didn’t know what did. Even over the phone Jason could tell the kid was breathing too fast to be good. 

“Alright, calm down.” He moved over towards the railing of the fire escape he was standing in and buckled down for a long conversation. “Tell me what happened and why you can’t go to Nightwing about it.”

“Phantom was attacked in Amity,” fuck, “Oracle made me aware. I tried to get in contact but instead of Phantom answering it was his associates.” It was interesting to hear Tim try and remain professional while also battling a panic attack, and Jason would have teased him about it if what he was saying hadn’t made his stomach drop. 

“Is Phantom okay?” He couldn’t help but to worry. So he cared about Phantom, sue him.

“I-“ Jason could hear his swallow, “his associate, Sam, said that he was stable.” 

Okay, wow, he really hated the sound of that. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“Okay, okay,” Tim was trying to steady himself, taking deep breaths and everything Dicky-bird would have told him to do. “I can’t tell you everything-“ Jason huffed and rolled his eyes, he was never trusted with things, “I can’t even tell B, okay.” Well that was interesting, Timberina was growing a backbone. “That means you also can’t tell anyone, got it?”

Jason looked up towards the rusting grate of the landing of the fire escape above him and sighed. “I promise, cross my cold dead heart and all that jazz.”

Tim huffed, “I can’t tell you everything,” he stressed again and Jason hummed in affirmation, “okay, about 20 minutes ago Oracle called me…”

So Jason listened. Tim explained the last half hour and he could tell the kid was worried, and he couldn’t blame him. Because holy hell, Jason knew the GIW would do just about anything to get Phantom, but kidnapping civilians?

That seemed like real vilain shit to Jason, and he was an expert at all things villainous. 

Jason paused when Tim finished, standing up and already checking all of his holsters. “Well Timbers,” he said nonchalantly, fingers itching to pull out a cigarette, “sounds like we got some teens to rescue.” He really hated the fact Alfred had asked him to stop smoking, because, damn could be use a fucking smoke. 

“We don’t know where they were taken.” 

“Yeah, well,” Jason was already pulling out another one of his burners and dialing Dick, “I didn’t say we’d be alone.”

“What-“

“I mean,” Jason couldn’t help but grin, “sounds like a Brothers Bonding Night.” He hung up on Tim’s questions and rang Dick.

“Hey Hood, what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well Wing,” Jason started towards the old clock tower in the center of Gotham, running across rooftops like he’d been doing since he was 12, “I’m glad you asked. Ya see, the GIW decided to kidnap the civilians working with Phantom,” Jason could hear Dick take in a sharp breath, but continued without letting him to butt in, “and, on behalf of Timmers, I’m calling a Brothers Bonding Night.”

Dick paused while Jason was swinging between skyscrapers. “Okay,” his voice was serious, usual happy demeanor dimmed, “I’ll send out a text, meet you there.”

Jason could still remember the Brothers Bonding Night Dick had called back when he was still Robin. They had made two promises that night. One, to never speak of what happened, and two, if one of them called a Bonding Night, there would be no questions, but most importantly, no Bruce.

Chapter Text

When Tim got a text from Dick to meet him at the old Gotham Clock Tower, he knew he was in for quite the night. With a sigh he abruptly changed directions and headed towards Gotham’s center.

The old Clock Tower was only still standing because the Mayor had decided that it was a tourist attraction. Tim wasn’t sure if anyone came to Gotham to see it, but he was glad it was still standing. It had become a sort of meeting spot for Bruce’s kids, and Bruce pretended that he didn’t know about it.

It was tall and made of crumbling bricks and rotting wood. It spoke of decades of attacks and crime and destruction, stains from fires and holes from bullets littered its sturdy frame, and Tim couldn’t help but to love it. He liked to read while sitting on the roof in the summer, the height allowing for all the sounds from the ground to fade away. 

When he got close enough he could see someone sitting on the clock face. The large glass panels had long since been removed, its wrought iron frame tarnished and every so slightly bent out of shape. The roman numerals were mostly intact, but the six had lost its ‘v’ and the nine had completely fallen off. And there, perched on the three, was Nightwing.

With one last large jump Tim landed on the minute hand which had been stuck pointing in between the two and three for as long as Tim had been alive.

“I assume Hood called you?” Tim tried his hardest to keep the tremble out of his voice, not wanting to feel as weak as he felt.

“Yeah, he called a Brothers Bonding Night,” Nightwing’s own voice betrayed his own emotions. It was odd to hear him so serious.

“What is a ‘Brother Bonding Night’?” It obviously had meant something to Dick and Jason, so he could only assume it was something they did before he was around.

Dick smiled lightly, “I’ll explain when everyone arrives.”

It only took another few minutes before Damian dropped from the roof onto the two. Tim rolled his eyes, knowing his younger brother was only sitting there because it was higher than where he was.

“Nightwing,” he said stiffly, “for what reason have you called me here?”

Jason landed next to Tim, and the minute hand groaned lowly, threatening to move. Jason ignored Tim’s glare and answered for Dick. “I called a Brothers Bonding Night for Red Robin.”

“Okay, will one of you explain what that is?” Tim was not in the mood for dramatics, he needed to do something, anything, to make himself feel useful again.

“Well, now that everyone’s here,” Dick started, “I’ll explain.”

“Thank you,” Tim said, exasperated.

“Brothers Bonding Night is something me and Hood came up with when he was still Robin. If someone calls for a Brothers Bonding Night, there are only two rules: everyone helps, no questions asked, and under penalty of death, no one tells B.” Tim would have dismissed it, it sounded childish, but Dick had said it with such seriousness, he knew he wasn’t messing around.

“And I called one for Red because he didn’t know it existed,” Hood added. He was still standing, arms crossed across his chest.

“Tt, why does Red Robin require a Brothers Bonding Night?” Ah Damian, always so snarky.

He could feel his three of his brothers eyes on him and he sighed. He was calmer now, so maybe he could actually get through the explanation without wanting to vomit. He took a deep breath and started, “I got a call for Oracle earlier tonight. She had been trying to hack into the GIW database, and was finally able to. Unfortunately, it showed that they had already set in motion a plan to capture Phantom. A team of them were engaging with him when she called me.” He took a deep breath and pushed away his feelings of panic. “When I attempted to contact Phantom his friend, Sam Manson, answered-”

“Sam Manson? The Manson daughter?” Dick interpreted and earned a glare from Tim.

“Yes,” he sent him a pointed look, keeping him quiet. “Phantom and his friends had been able to take down a team of agents, but Phantom-,” breathe, Tim, breathe, “Phantom was hurt and unconscious. Sam and Tucker were trying to take him to the portal in the Fenton basement so he could heal when they were ambushed.”

Damian was glaring harder than he had been and then ground out, “do you know how bad King Phantom had been hurt?”

Tim almost didn’t believe it, the Demon Brat actually cared for Danny. “Sam had said that he had been, uh,” he closed his eyes briefly and bit his cheek, “he had been shot from behind, it, it went straight through him.” He tried, tried so hard to keep his voice steady, to keep his explanation professional, like Bruce had taught him, but he couldn’t. His brothers kept quiet as he swallowed and forced himself to continue. “The GIW found them just before they had put him in the portal, and I think they were able to put him in because Tucker did something that broke the portal. He was left unconscious and then taken, along with Sam, by the GIW.” Okay, okay, he had gotten through it. That was all they needed to know and Tim tried to keep from biting clear through his cheek.

“They kidnapped civilians?” Damian sounded furious and Tim just nodded.

“Thus the Bonding Night being called,” Jason said, and Tim could hear the pent up rage he was fighting. At least it was directed at him this time.

“Alright,” Dick said, “we need a plan.”

“We must first find where they were taken,” Damian stated.

Tim hummed, “Oracle might be able to help, she’s broken the firewall.”

“Okay, then we go there and save the day,” that was an oversimplified way of putting it, but Tim guessed Dick was right.

Jason scoffed and shook his head, “alright, lets go.”

“Now?” Tim asked, standing nonetheless.

“Yes now,” he responded forcefully, “the quicker we get it done the less likely B finds out.”

“Actually,” Dick smiled suddenly, as if he just had an idea, “what if we get someone to distract him?”

“Tt,” Damian rolled his eyes, “and who would do that?”

Dicks smile was almost scary, “Black Bat and Spoiler.”

Oh, oh no, that was evil. Sicking both Cass and Steph on Bruce? Cruel. Tim couldn’t help but smile too. 

Somehow his brothers had made him feel better by just being there. He could feel his lungs start to work normally and his shoulders began to relax, anxiety and panic dimming. They weren’t the most functional family, and two of his brothers had tried to kill him, but at the end of the day, they were family. A family that loved and supported each other through whatever their crazy lives threw at them.

And as all four of them made their way through Gotham and to Babs’, Tim was finally able to stop thinking about how useless he felt while listening to Sam and Tucker fighting alone. He wasn’t useless, he was getting something done. He was a hero, he just had to remember that.

When they landed on Babs' apartment building Dick turned towards them, “alright, I’ll call Spoiler while you guys get the information we need.”

“We’ll be out in five,” Jason left no room for argument and Tim just nodded in agreement.

Babs' apartment building was nothing special from the outside. It had the same wear and tear most things in Gotham did, chipping paint and rusting hinges. 

The three of them dropped onto the fire escape outside Bab’s living room and Tim quickly opened the flimsy lock. Damian stepped in after him, leveling an unimpressed glare at Jason as he climbed in noisily.

The light from the kitchen flicked on, blinding Tim briefly. He blinked rapidly, vision clearing. Near the hall Bab’s was in her night clothes, holding a gun pointed directly at the brothers.

“Oh,” she said, lowering it, “it’s just you guys.”

“We could still be a threat,” Jason mumbled but walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder in greeting. Babs was probably the only person Jason was consistently nice to, and Tim figured it was because he knew she could beat him up if she wanted.

“I guess,” she gave them all a tired smile and Tim felt bad about waking her up. “Anyhow, what do you guys need?” Damian and Tim also made their way towards her, and when she caught sight of him she frowned. “Are you okay?”

Tim swallowed, “the GIW took some civilian hostages, we were wondering if you knew where their base was?”

Babs eyes widened in shock and she immediately turned her chair around and led them to her computer room. “It’s somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin, I can pull up the exact location, just give me a second.” She powered on one of her monitors and signed into it.

Tim watched silently as she quickly pulled up what they needed and all three of their communicators lit up with the incoming information.

“Thanks,” Jason said, nodding his head towards her.

She smiled back at him, “of course. I also sent it to Nightwing.”

“How did you know he was accompanying us?” To anyone else that might have come across as harsh, but Tim knew Damian also had a soft spot for the red head.

“Because I just know,” she shrugged and turned towards Tim. “The base isn’t guarded too heavily. For how much they like to think they know what they’re doing, the GIW is wholly under prepared to be infiltrated.”

“Thank you,” he gave her a soft smile, hoping she knew he wasn’t just thanking her for the location.

“Alright, we’re nearing five minutes. Let’s move out,” Jason began to walk down the hall and towards the window they came in. 

Damian was the first to leave, quickly grappling up to the roof. Tim stepped out before Jason, who had turned back to Babs. “You should get a stronger lock on this,” he gestured to the window, “anyone could get in.”

“Like three vigilantes?” She raised an eyebrow and Tim knew Jason was smiling. 

He left, allowing Jason and Babs to say goodbye. He knew they had had a great relationship before he had died, and she was probably the only one Jason hadn’t blamed for what had happened.

But none of that was important, because he had a shady government base to break into. He made it to the roof and saw Dick smiling. “I guess Black Bat and Spoiler agreed to keep Batman busy?”

Dick continued to grin, “yup.” He sounded way too happy about that and Tim couldn’t help but match his grin. 

“Alright,” Jason swung over the parapet of the roof and clapped his hands, “to Wisconsin we go.”

Tim blinked and frowned, stomach dropping, “how the fuck are we supposed to get to Wisconsin?”

~*~*~*~

Wes Weston was many things. He was stubborn and rude and too much to handle at times, and he could even admit to being a little obsessive. But he was not a bad person. 

He had few people who tolerated him and even few who would call him a friend. And that was mostly his fault. Sure he was on the basketball team, and a pretty good player at that, but he had never really found solace in the Jock scene. It also didn’t help that most people in Amity considered him crazy due to his insistence that the local hero Phantom was actually resident nerd Danny Fenton. 

Now, of course those accusations had stopped just as quickly as they had started, partly because Phantom was a pretty good guy, but mostly because everyone stopped taking him seriously. And for the most part Wes laid off of Danny, opting to allow him to save the day and stay as far away from him and his friends as possible.

But now all of that was coming to an end because the fucking GIW decided to go from sorta crazy to full on manic. 

So when he witnessed a few white-suited agents dragging Sam Manson and Tucker Foley into their shady white vans, he groaned and hated himself for having a plan in case something like this had ever happened. Okay maybe he was also a little crazy, but all of his obsessive planning had paid off.

Wes should probably take a step back and think about the fact that he had a plan in case something happened to Team Phantom (as he had taken to calling them), but he was sure Danny knew he had these kinds of plans so, it wasn’t completely weird. 

Anyway, back to the plan. Step one was the easiest, all he had to do was make a call. It was also the hardest because he had to call someone that had no reason to believe him or know why he had their number.

Wes sighed and picked up his phone. He might as well get this over with. His phone rang for a while, pressed up against his ear, as he psyched himself up for the hard conversation that was sure to be difficult.

“Hello?” She answered, voice unsure.

He sighed again, “hey Valerie. It’s Wes Weston, from Casper High.”

Chapter Text

Sam was angry. And tired and scared, but anger was the strongest emotion she felt as the GIW agents (U and S as their badges said) quite literally tossed her and an unconscious Tucker into a cage. A fucking cage. 

As soon as the gate closed and locked she rushed to Tuckers side and laid him on his back. She tried to force all her anger down, now was not the time to abandon logic in favor of screaming. They had just, just, threw him in like he was a piece of fucking garbage and Sam knew she had been spending too much time with Danny when she let out a growl of frustration.

Tucker was still breathing and as far as she could see he wasn’t bleeding, so he would probably be okay. Unless he had gotten a concussion and was slowly slipping into a coma because of it. God, please don’t let Tucker go into a coma. 

“Tucker, Tuck,” she whispered to him, trying to stop herself from crying. She shook his shoulder and said a little louder, “if you don’t wake up right now I’m going to kill you.” He didn’t stir. “Fuck, Tucker, please ,” a sob tore out of her chest and she angrily wiped at the tears that were trailing down her cheeks. “Tucker I will destroy every last one of your PDA’s and delete your Doom progress,” her threats cut through the otherwise silent room. She used her sleeve to try and scrub her tears away, “please Tucker,” she was whispering again, “ please. ”

He was still breathing. He was still alive. Sam sat next to Tucker, hating, hating the fact that he wasn’t getting up. God it was like when Danny- when he- fuck.

But Tucker was breathing. Tucker was breathing, he wasn’t dead. Sam couldn’t go through that again. She couldn’t .

Her sobs echoed in the dark caged room. She felt so alone. 

But Tucker was breathing.

~*~*~*~

Ellie had felt the Zone constrict and stretch uneasily around her. Green swirls distorting, an almost whine emitted from somewhere unknown and her own core thrummed with an emotion she couldn’t place. It was like… worry? But less intense.

Then she felt a gentle tug on her core and she knew she was needed somewhere. It was odd, to be guided by the Zone, but considering she was a clone of the half-dead Ghost King who was still in high school, it wasn’t the weirdest thing to happen to her. But as she flew towards where she knew Amity was, the feeling in her core grew stronger, and a little bit of panic began to rise in her throat. 

Ellie put more speed into her flight as she raced to the Amity Park section of the Zone. Haunts and lairs blurred by her, everything swimming together as her core tightened in her chest. She tried to figure out what was going on, allowing the Realms to whisper to her in hopes she could discover what was going on. 

Something didn’t feel right. The closer she got to Amity the more she felt… off. Like something massive changed. It was like the ectoplasm was thicker, or there was more to it, like the Fenton Portal had closed-

The Fenton Portal was closed. 

Ellie could feel the way the ectoplasm which usually slipped into the Fenton Basement was gathering and staying in the Zone. 

But that made no sense. Why would the Portal be closed? Danny always made sure it was open so that Amity maintained a healthy amount of ectoplasm for the ghosts that decided to cross over.

Danny would have let it be closed for no reason, especially without telling her. She hadn’t quite mastered her own portals yet and she didn’t like the idea of being trapped in the Realms. Danny wouldn’t do that to her, he knew she hated feeling trapped, feeling out of control, feeling-

Then she saw him. Floating quietly around where the Portal should have been, looking as if he was asleep. 

The Zone groaned and Ellie could see the way it was cradling its King. She came to an abrupt stop a couple of yards away from him, almost afraid to get closer, to see why the Zone was weeping.

“Danny?” She called gently, moving slowly towards her older brother. He didn’t stir, he just laid there, on his back, eyes closed. A terrible anxiety built in her throat as she continued her snail like pace to him. “Danny?” Her voice cracked, Ancients she sounded pathetic.

When she was finally close enough to see all of him, she immediately wished she wasn’t. Because in the middle of her older brother's chest was a gaping hole. 

Ellie had never understood why people said they felt like vomiting when they saw gruesome things. Being created in a lab, watching other versions of you destabilize in front of you, their blood covering everything you touched, desensitized you to violence.

But now, seeing the first person in her life to ever accept her as a person, her own person, laying still with a deadly wound in his chest, she understood the feeling. It was like all the things in her stomach came alive, bile rising in her throat, nesting itself next to the now nauseating anxiety.

“Danny?” She reached out to him, shaking fingers inching forward to touch him. She was afraid of what would happen when she made contact. Worried that he wouldn’t react.

Her gloved fingertips gently landed on his arm and she let out a sob of relief when a thin layer of ice raced up to her shoulder. 

If he was making ice he was gone. Not yet.

Fueled with the knowledge he was still existing, she made a plan. It was fairly simple, but she didn’t think she’d be able to handle anything complicated with Danny wounded like that. 

She grabbed him as softly as possible, and took him to the only person who could help. Frostbite would know how to help him, to heal him. 

Then, once she did that, she knew she needed to investigate what the fuck had happened to her big brother. So Ellie promised herself that once Danny was under Frostbite’s supervision, she’d be calling Sam and Tucker and Jazz to figure out why he had a hole the size of her fist in his chest.

~*~*~*~

Jazz was halfway to Chicago when her phone rang, showing Ellie’s name. With a smile she answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Hey Ellie-”

“Jazz, something happened to Danny,” the sixteen year old interrupted, panic laced into her words.

Immediately Jazz knew something terrible was going on. In the three seconds it took her to pull over and ask Ellie to explain, she made conclusions based on the fact it was Ellie that was calling her.

One: Danny was hurt, two: Sam and Tucker were MIA.

“Ellie, calm down,” she tried to be the good older sister she was always trying to be, tried to maintain a steady heartbeat. “Tell me what happened?”

“I- I, don’t know,” Ellie stuttered out, “I felt the Zone get all weird and then I tried to get to Amity and the portal was closed and then Danny was just floating there and there was a fucking hole in his chest and now Sam and Tucker aren’t answering and-”

Jazz cut off her rapid speech, “Ellie, where are you?”

“Frostbite’s, he’s helping Danny.” She could tell the teenager was doing her best to not cry.

“Okay, I’m on my way to Amity now.” She took a second to make a U-Turn, reaching the speed limit and then some, driving away from her college.

“I also can’t get a hold of Sam or Tucker.” Ellie whispered, as if anything louder would shatter her.

“I’ll try and call them,” she bit her lip and clenched her jaw, “I’ll also call my parents.” It wasn’t like she thought they would know, but, well, it was their portal that was down and their weapons could… hurt Danny like that…

“I’m scared, Jazz.”

Jazz was scared too. So scared and angry. Angry at her parents, at the portal, at Danny, at life, at Sam, at Tucker, at herself-

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered, like a prayer, “it’ll be okay.” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, but it wasn’t working. 

Jazz felt like a failure. Like she was a terrible older sister. She shouldn’t have moved away, should have trained Danny better, shouldn’t have let him die in the first place. She was always trying to protect him, trying to make sure her baby brother was okay. But now, with her little sister crying to her over the phone, and a horrible feeling nestling into her gut, she felt like she failed.

“Okay, okay,” Ellie took a deep breath, “call me back if you have an update.”

“I will,” her finger hovered over the End Call button, “Ellie, I love you.”

Ellie paused, a sob hiccupping from the speaker of her phone, “I love you too.”

Jazz tried to not think about the fact they had never told each other that, that it had taken something terrible for them to admit that they cared about the other.

She was able to remove the thought from her head as both Sam and Tucker went to voicemail. She tried both several times, the mantra of ‘come one, please pick up,’ filling the car as she sped towards her hometown.

Then, after trying for the better part of an hour, she sighed and called her mother.

Three rings and fifteen seconds later her mother answered in a chipper voice. “Jazz! I can’t talk long, we’re helping the GIW fix up the Portal!”

Jazz felt dizzy, “do you know where Danny is? Sam? Tucker?”

“Umm, no,” her mother seemed too calm for a woman who didn’t know where her kid was. 

Jazz forcibly stuffed down the red hot anger that threatened to spill from her. “Why are you helping the GIW with a portal? I thought you didn’t like them.”

“Well, I don’t but,” she got excited, “they were able to wound Phantom and drive him into the Zone! They arrested two of his associates and want to get into the Zone to arrest him!” Jazz swallowed bile. “They even said if we help we can get our hands dirty during Phantom’s dissection!”

Jazz’s vision blurred and she almost swerved off of the road. She slammed her finger onto the End Call button and she clenched both of her hands onto the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

She felt sick, so sick. 

God fuck, she was fucking pissed and disgusted and she fucking needed to call Ellie back but over her cold dead body would she tell her the fucking shit Maddie had just said with fucking excitement.

~*~*~*~

To say Val was shocked to hear from Wes Weston was an understatement. But that was nothing compared to the surprise that Wes knew that Danny was Phantom, and all of that was drowned out by the anger and panic that took over upon hearing what the GIW had done.

She had left the Red Huntress behind in Amity, trying to turn over a new leaf. But now she was glad had kept her suit tailored to her and her hoverboard in working condition.

She pulled on the red and black suit, pulled down her visor, and flew out of the window of her apartment into the dark Gotham night. 

Val knew she was asking for trouble going out in a spandex suit in fucking Gotham. That was just asking to be intercepted by a Bat. Thank god that’s what she wanted. 

She flew around the rooftops slow enough to be noticed, trying to stick to the areas with a known Bat presence. Val crossed her fingers that it wasn’t Batman she ran into though. Danny had said he was meeting with the Bats occasionally but even if he hadn't said it, it was implied that Batman was not who he was talking to.

When she had asked which one he was meeting with he shrugged and said the ‘Hot One and the Dead One’, which was pretty easy to decipher. The Dead One was Hood, obviously, and the Hot One was most likely Red Robin. Nightwing was too old, Robin too young, and Danny didn’t strike her as someone who’d be into Spoiler. Of course that left Black Bat, but she was utterly terrifying and Danny would more likely be more respectful when referring to her. So she set out hoping to bump into either one.

Her wish came true much sooner than she had thought. 

On her third lap around the middle west side of Gotham she was almost taken out by a well aimed Baterang. She dodged and turned towards her assailant and almost sagged in relief when she saw all four of the Bat Boys. They were all facing her, calculating stares and drawn weapons.

Val raised her hands in surrender, muscles taut with brewing anxiety and adrenaline. “Who are you?” Nightwing questioned.

Val took a breath, “I’m the Red Huntress,” they all tensed at the name, which, fair, “I’m a friend of Phantom’s.”

Now that got their attention. “Tt. Why should we believe you?” Robin crossed his arms over his chest and pulled a face that looked like Ellie when she was irritated. It almost made her smile, almost.

“Phantom is in danger,” she said instead of explaining who she was.

Red Robin leaned forward, “what do you know about that?” 

There was a heat behind his words, venom heavy on his tongue. Val narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about that?” By all means he shouldn’t, Wes had only just called her and there was no way Wes had any of the Bats in his contacts.

“First prove you know Phantom,” Nightwing butted back in. His posture was looser but that didn’t fool Val, she knew how dangerous any of these guys could be.

She scoffed, “how the fuck am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know, but you better think quick,” Red Hood spoke for the first time and a shiver ran up her spine.

“Fine okay,” she huffed, “Phantom is a disaster bisexual with a bad pun obsession. He’s a fucking nuisance and by all means need more sleep.”

Nightwing responded, “anyone could know that stuff.”

Val growled in frustration, “I don’t need to prove myself to you! He’s in danger and so are both of his best friends!” They all seemed taken back by her outburst, “now will you assholes help me or will I have to break into the GIW base by myself?!”

There was silence for a second, all four boys opened their mouths to say something but the first one to actually speak was Red Robin, “I trust her.”

There was another second of silence as the others looked between the two. Red Hood sighed and rubbed a hand up his helmet, “great, we still have no way to fucking get to Wisconsin.”

Val smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, cock-sure attitude covering her fear, “I might have a way to help with that.”

Chapter Text

Wes had been keeping an eye on the Fenton household for the better part of two hours when something of note actually happened. It was a little after two when a blue car pulled up to the driveway, jerked to a stop, and out climbed Jazz Fenton.

Wes couldn’t say he’d ever actually spoken to the oldest Fenton offspring, but he had always thought she was (at least compared to the rest of her family) much more level-headed and kind. That idea was challenged when she stormed into the house, hair trailing behind her in a righteous flurry of red.

Wes furrowed his eyebrows. It seemed as though she knew what had happened in the Fenton household, and Wes wondered how she knew. Maybe it was Danny? They still had no idea where he was, though if he was well enough to call his sister, Wes could hardly imagine he’d just be waiting around and not trying to rescue Sam and Tucker with a half-assed plan. So how did she know?

The answer probably was that Dr. and Dr. Mad Scientist called her, most likely to boast, and explained what had happened. And by the looks of it, she wasn’t happy about it. 

Only one way to really know though, so with a sigh he pulled out his phone and redialed Val.

“Any updates?” There was a crackle of static that made him cringe back, her audio coming in slightly fuzzy.

“Jazz just stormed home.” He paused to see if she’d respond or explain that she had contacted the red-head.

Instead she hummed, “I don’t suppose you are the one who called her?”

Wes sighed, “nope, I was hoping it was you.”

“Negative Ghost Rider.”

He snorted at the reference, “so we have no idea who called her. I was thinking maybe her parents.”

“Doubtful. Though, before I forget, I was able to meet up with the Bats Phantom managed to haunt. They have some more information.”

“And? What is it?”

“I’m gonna patch you through to Red Robin, he seemed to know the most.”

Wes sighed, something he had been doing a lot lately, and heard a soft low tone as he was undoubtedly patched into Red Robin’s communicator. Why Red Robin had on a communicator that Val could access, he had no idea.

“Umm, Red Robin speaking?” He sounded confused as to why his communicator was active. He also sounded much younger than Wes would have thought, though to be fair he didn’t exactly keep up with the Bats.

“Hey, I’m an associate of Huntress’. She said you had more information on the situation. I’ve been staked out in front of where Sam and Tucker were taken.” God, he was tired. He really just wanted this to be over.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I have more information.” Red Robin cleared his throat and took a deep breath, Wes stayed quiet and focused fully onto what he was saying. “I got some information from Oracle who had been hacking into the GIW database. She told me there were GIW teams in Amity but when I called to warn Phantom his friend Sam answered.” He took another breath and Wes frowned, “Her and Tucker were trying to get Phantom to the Fenton Portal when the GIW ambushed them. Huntress said you saw Sam and Tucker taken?”

Wes pursed his lips, “yeah. There was a big power surge here, could that have been the portal?” 

He was really thinking out loud when Red Robin responded, “I think Tucker broke it or something because there was a loud noise over the phone. They were able to get Phantom in.”

“That explains why I haven’t seen him,” Wes hummed.

“How long have you been staking out the Fenton Residence?”

“A few hours, the older sister just arrived so I called Huntress.”

“And how long have you known Phantom?”

Now that was an interesting question. There was a curious tone to the vigilante's voice and Wes thought for a second. “A while,” he finally responded, “basically since he showed up. He was annoying at first, but, well, he was trying his best. Saved a lot of people, got a lot of hate, decided to leave him be.” 

“He’s still a little annoying,” Red Robin huffed.

Wes smiled, “Yeah, he can be.” Then it was Wes’ turn to ask a prying question. “How’d you meet Phantom?”

Red Robin let out a short laugh, “He saved me from a ghost.”

“He tends to do that.”

“Yeah, well, I was thankful. Then it turned out he was pretty cool .”

Wes groaned at the pun, “god.”

“Hey, it could be worse, I could be as bad as him.”

Wes huffed, “what a nightmare that would be.” It was odd, the banter was easy, familiar. It made Wes smile a little. “Well, I need to get back to the Fentons, tell Huntress to call me before you guys save Goth and Nerd so that I can keep things over here under control.”

With that he hung up and turned back to the house. It was quiet on the outside and Wes wondered what was going on inside. It wasn’t the first time he had thought that, considering Danny was half dead and always covered in bruises, but well, he just had to wait. 

Wes smiled to himself. He couldn’t say he was friends with Danny, but he was glad the ghost boy was branching out. Trusting Red Robin was a big step in the right direction. Though that could be because no doubt Danny found him hot and was a total mess around hot men. Wes rolled his eyes remembering the Substitute Incident.

But he had things to do and thinking about the fact Danny couldn’t hide anything would only distract him.

~*~*~*~

Sam had managed to calm herself down enough to actually assess her situation. First she made sure Tucker was comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be on the cold floor of a cage. Next she realized that none of the agents were smart enough to actually pat either of them down for weapons.

Sam was really glad that while the boys were working on the new thermos design, she was looking into ways to hide more weapons. Like, for instance, the knife she hid in a compartment in her shoe.

With a grin she reached down and quickly pulled out what was effectively a small dagger. It was about five inches long with a leather wrapped handle, dark and sleek and perfectly fitted into the compartment in her Docs. It had actually been an impulse buy a few months back when she was trying to learn more about weapons in general. Tucker had always been a hand-to-hand person, and Danny had his powers, but Sam knew her way around several of the FentonWorks weapons. 

She was disappointed she didn’t have more on her. She had rushed out of the house after the Phantom and GIW sighting was posted, so she didn’t have time to grab her thigh strap or hip holster, but at least she had something.

With one last look towards Tuckers prone figure, she stood and tested out her now throbbing foot. Somewhere along the way she had sprained it (hopefully just a sprain) and she grimaced when she put weight on it. But that was okay, she could stand, she could walk, she could get them out of here.

Sam made her way to the cage door, scanning the room and noticing no cameras. She couldn't tell if that was really good or really bad, but nonetheless it spurred her into action. She reached out and gently touched the bars, checking for any electricity and whatnot. Satisfied that she would not be getting fried, she turned to the lock. Sam had never attempted to pick a lock before, with a knife or otherwise, but she had to try.

She stuck her arms through the bars and turned the knife in her fingers, careful to not cut herself. She honestly had no idea what she was doing, but that had never stopped her. She was nothing if not persistent.

Not being able to see the lock made things harder and the more time passed the more frustrated she was. It was a simple fucking lock, she should be able to just fucking open it! It wasn’t like she was useless, why the fuck was it taking so long? Why did the GIW have to throw her and Tucker into a cage? Why the fuck wasn’t Tucker waking up? Why did she have to-

“Fuck!” Her fingers slipped down the blade and she cut her palm on the shape edge. The knife dropped to the floor along with thick drops of the blood now gushing out of her hand. Sam pulled her hand towards her chest and cradled it against her.

She sighed and untied the silk sash she had been using as a pseudo belt, wrapping the black fabric around her hand in a practiced and sure way. For once she was glad Danny was always getting hurt, it had trained her well.

Sam huffed and looked down at the blood that had fallen to the ground. She felt herself smile and wondered briefly if she was going crazy. Barely two hours in a cage and she was already losing it, how pathetic. At least now she might be able to write an award winning book with thinly veiled metaphors hinting towards her psychological damage.

A sudden jarring sound made her jump and rush to grab her knife again, holding it firmly in her left hand. It took her a second to realize it was an alarm, loud and obnoxious. Her heart refused to settle and she wondered if the alarm blaring was good or bad for them.

She clenched her jaw and focused solely on the door to the room the cage was in. It was heavy and made of dense metal, it had no window and offered no noise from the outside world. Whatever was going on, she was completely blind to it. 

Backing away, closer to Tuck, she readjusted the dagger. It was uncomfortable in her non-dominant hand, but it was better than not having it. Sam knew she could put up a fight, no matter what came through that door, she would not allow herself to become weak. Not when Tucker and Danny needed her.

The door burst open and startled her, she separated her feet and glared into the darkness, trying to make out the shape in the flashing light.

It came into view and Sam wanted to cry. “Red Robin!” Sure enough, the Gotham vigilante stood in the doorway, bo-staff out and ready.

“We need to get out of here quickly,” he rushed forward and another person followed behind. If she had to guess it was Red Hood, but it was a lot harder to find pictures of him online. Not that it mattered exactly who it was, he had a bat across his chest and she felt herself sag with relief. “Stand back,” Red Robin said and she allowed herself one more step towards Tucker.

Five seconds later there was a small explosion from the lock and the cage door swung open. She could have cried right then, but she stayed focused. “Tucker is out, someone will need to carry him.” 

Sam stepped out of the cage, limping slowly past Red Hood who ducked in and picked up Tuck like he weighed nothing. If she wasn’t in a hurry to get out she’d be more impressed with that.

“Can you walk?” Red Robin’s domino mask was furrowed with worry and he cautiously reached out for her.

Her foot was hurting more and more every time she put weight on it. “I’ll be okay, it’s just a sprain,” there was a strain in her voice hinting towards the lie, but Red Robin nodded and threw her arm over his shoulders anyway.

“We gotta get going,” Hood grunted, Tucker now securely in his arms.

Without further ado the four of them made their way out of the room with the cage into the empty hall. “Where are all of the agents?” Sam asked, not at all trusting how quiet it was, underneath the alarm.

Red Robin huffed out a laugh, “Nightwing and Robin are handling them while Huntress is sweeping the rest of the compound for any other hostages.”

“The Red Huntress?” Sam could help the disbelief that colored her voice. 

“She helped us get here,” Red Robin supplied, turning them down another hallway.

Sam really hoped he knew where he was going, she did not want to be lost in a fucking GIW base. “How did you guys get here?”

“She stole a jet from VladCo.”

Sam couldn’t help the sudden laugh that escaped her, she leaned more onto Red Robin as her shoulders shook. It wasn’t necessarily that funny, but she needed something to laugh about. “Of fucking course she did,” she was smiling and the laughter subsided.

Red Robin was also smiling, he looked like he was about to say something when a low groan came from the limp body in Red Hood's arms. Sam whipped her head around to see Tucker scrunch his face and blink up a couple of times at Hood.

“You’re not a GIW agent,” he said, confused.

Hood chuckled, “nope.”

Sam grinned and let a huge weight fall off of her shoulders. Tucker was not in a coma and Sam counted that as a win.

Tucker then placed a hand flat on Hood’s chest and patted it reverently, “wow, you have a really nice chest.”

Sam laughed again, noting the smile forming on Red Robin's lips. Hood also huffed out a laugh, “Thanks kid,” his voice was oddly modulated from his helmet, but Sam could tell he was smiling.

“Why are you laughing Sam,” Tucker turned his head to face her and squinted, “and Sam’s twin.”

“You have a concussion, Tuck,” she smiled at him.

“Ah, that explains the flashing lights.”

“No, that’s the alarm,” Red Robin clarified.

“And who the fuck are you?” Tuck frowned and squinted further, eyes practically closed.

“Don’t you care about who’s carrying you more?” Red Robin questioned, slightly amused.

Tuck made a movement that was probably a shrug, “he’s my handsome guardian angel,” he said matter of factly.

Hood snorted, “I’m not sure angel is the right word.”

“Shush,” Tucker held a finger up to Hood’s mask, “the real people are talking.”

Sam snorted again as Red Robin finally introduced himself.

“Ah, so you’re Phantom’s stupidly embarrassing crush,” he said sagely, “If I were attracted to men I would also probably think you’re hot.”

Sam tried to keep her laughter in when Red Robin’s face flushed and he gaped like a fish. Hood did not try to keep himself from laughing, though.

“Shut up,” Red Robin was finally able to push out as they neared a door that looked like it led outside.

Sam kept her eyes focused on the door that was getting closer. The alarm was still blaring but it had become white noise at this point. They were almost out and Sam became desperate to feel the fresh air on her skin.

They pushed through the door, not slowing, but Sam took a deep breath and closed her eyes, allowing the moonlight to wash over her face. She could practically taste freedom and she wanted to cry again.

There was a large jet a couple hundred yards in front of them and they all pushed a little faster towards it. It was still idling and Red Robin pulled out a small remote and clicked a few buttons. A door opened and a ramp descended, the welcoming darkness of the jet was so different than the stale black of the cage that Sam found strength to walk herself aboard.

Red Robin walked over to the controls and pressed a few more buttons, “We have Sam and Tucker, it’s time to go.” There must be some sort of communicator he was using, but she didn’t really care to figure out the finer details.

Instead she followed Hood as he placed Tucker into a seat near the back. He walked off towards some small storage compartments and she sat down next to her best friend.

“Are you okay?” Tuck asked, eyes unfocused but directed towards her.

Sam smiled and gently maneuvered her for sure broken ankle in front of her, “yeah Tuck,” she breathed, “I’m okay.”

Chapter Text

Jazz had just stomped up upstairs from the Lab when there was a knock on the door. Her anger was barely contained, a simmer just beneath her skin ready to boil over. With more force than necessary she pulled open the front door to tell whoever was knocking at three AM to fuck off when she saw who it was.

Wes Weston stood on her doorstep, hands in his pockets looking more tired than Jazz felt. “Can we talk?” He said giving her no time to question him.

She looked over her shoulder at her dad, he was sitting quietly in the kitchen, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. She turned back towards Wes and stepped outside with him. “What’s up,” she asked, arms crossed in front of her chest defensively.

“Where’s Danny,” he questioned, but something told Jazz that he already knew.

“Not here,” she challenged, the anger before threatening to seep out of her pores.

Wes narrowed his eyes briefly, “but he’s safe right?”

There was a worry to his tone that had Jazz relax. “Yeah,” she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, “he’s somewhere safe.”

“The Zone.”

It wasn’t a question and Jazz honestly shouldn’t have been surprised. Wes was clever and scary good at knowing things he shouldn’t. “Ellie has him,” she decided to say.

“The clone sister,” this was phrased like a question and Jazz nodded. “Good. Huntress and some of the Bats are on their way to rescue Sam and Tucker-”

“What?!” Jazz cut him off, voice raising and echoing in the quiet night.

“I saw Sam and Tucker get taken,” Wes explained and Jazz felt her heart squeeze. Here was another fucking child having to deal with this bullshit. “I called Val and she met up with the Bats- Red Robin, Red Hood, Nightwing, and Robin, if I’m not mistaken- and they just called me to let me know they were about to head into the GIW base.”

Jazz took a deep breath and processed the information. “I have to call Ellie,” she said finally, already taking out her phone. She paused and looked at Wes searchingly. He seemed to be dead on his feet, rivaling Danny, and she sighed. “Sit down,” she gestured towards the front steps, “we’ll talk some more after this.”

With that promise Wes plopped down onto the top step and placed his head in his hand and let his shoulders slump. Jazz figured that was the best she was going to get.

The phone only rang for three seconds before Ellie answered frantically, “any news?”

“Val and Danny’s Bat friends are on their way to rescue Sam and Tucker while we speak.” 

“Oh thank fuck,” Ellie breathed in relief and Jazz was too caught up in her own easing worry to reprimand her for her language.

“Apparently Wes Weston saw them being taken and called Val who got in touch with Danny’s Bat Brood,” she couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her lips. She knew that Ellie not being able to help Sam or Tucker was causing her a lot of stress, and now Jazz was helping her get rid of it.

“I’m going to need more details than that,” she said, sighing dramatically and if Jazz had to guess she was throwing herself back onto whatever surface she was currently resting on.

“I’ll tell you when I have them,” Jazz paused and looked back at Wes, whose eyes were drooping but stubbornly kept open, “How’s he doing?”

There was no need to clarify who she was talking about. “He’s out cold, but Frostbite said he’ll be fine.”

“Good,” Jazz sighed. Then she took another grounding breath, “I need to go, Wes is still here so I’m gonna see if I can interrogate him for some more information.” 

“Goodbye, love you.”

“Love you too.” Then Jazz hung up and sat down next to Wes.

“How’s Danny,” he asked, eyes lazily scanning the street, as if looking for threats.

Jazz frowned, “healing. Ellie said that he’s asleep right now but the ghost that’s looking over him, Frostbite, says he’ll be okay.”

Wes nodded and took a breath. He continued to look out to the street and they fell into a comfortable silence. Jazz could say she had never actually spoken to Wes, but she had heard about him from Danny. 

Danny didn’t have many friends, after the whole Val disaster and then that fling he had with Dash that ended in smoke, he found it hard to trust people. Jazz understood, sort of, he had a very dangerous secret and, well, it was safer to keep it to himself anyway. But if she had to label Danny and Wes’ relationship, she’d call it something like friendship. 

“You know,” she started lazily, “when Danny told me that you had figured it all out and at first were trying to tell people, I was very ready to find you and tell you off.” Jazz saw Wes raise and eyebrow but stay quiet, allowing her to continue. “But then he told me how you stopped going around and saying shit, how you walked up to him and said-”

“‘You may be Phantom, and you may be an idiot, but you’re a good idiot,’” Wes quoted himself, a smile now lifting his tired eyes.

Jazz laughed a little and hit her shoulder against his, “yeah. Danny defended you, even said you started to eat lunch with them-”

“Like, once every other week,” Wes interrupted, brushing off his change of heart.

Jazz just smiled at him like a big sister, knowing and unbelieving of his bullshit. “Still, he was happy. Because not only were you not outing him, you accepted him.” Jazz sighed, “he gets so worried about what people will think, so scared, so you changing and befriending him, so…” Jazz trailed off and looked up at the sky, stars reminding her of a little Danny excitingly pointing out constellations. “Thank you,” Jazz finally settled on.

Wes huffed, “yeah well, he’s saved my life enough times, I was just doing the bare minimum.”

It was a deflection, Wes trying to make it seem like it wasn’t important, like he wasn’t a good person. Jazz smiled again at him but didn’t call him out. Wes was a good kid, in time he’d see it too.

Then she settled in for the wait, because no way in hell was she leaving until Val called back with how the rescue mission went.

~*~*~*~

Jason squatted down in front of the tried goth with an ace bandage and some pain killers. He had just finished looking over Tucker, confirming there were no external injuries, and now he was attempting to help the girls’ probably broken ankle. Read: trying.

“It’s not that bad,” she complained, scooting closer to Tucker.

He rubbed his face, helmet having been replaced with a domino mask ( “Whoa, you have a face?” Tucker had asked, eyes widening comically) . “Listen-”

“Sam,” she butted in like he wasn’t aware of her name, like Tim hadn’t been saying it constantly over the last hour and a half.

“ Sam, even if it’s not broken, we still need to wrap it.” It was like he was trying to explain to a three year old why the ocean was blue.

“I can do it myself,” she argued back, glaring in his direction.

“Come on Sam,” Tucker added tiredly ( “Don’t fucking fall asleep.” “Watch your fucking language.”), “let the totally-not-an-Angel-made-of-fucking-marble-like-hot-DAMN help you.”

Jason rolled his eyes and passed Sam the pain killers. At least this time she accepted it, washing them down with the water bottle he had set beside her. “Still not an angel,” he told Tucker for what felt like the millionth time.

“Prove it,” he challenged, gesturing with the ice pack he was resting on his head.

“How the fuck am I supposed to prove to you that I’m not an angel?”

Tucker opened his mouth to probably say something else equally as dumb when Damian materialized from the shadows. “Tt, Red Hood is not an angel, Christian or otherwise,” his arms were crossed over his chest like that child he was.

Tucker startled and screeched, looking at Damian like he was the Harold of the apocalypse. “How did the brightly dressed child form from the shadows?” There was a hesitancy to his voice, a fearful waiver, and Jason could tell Damian was loving it.

“Perhaps I am a demon,” the Devil Spawn said, adding fucking lighter fluid to the fire.

Tucker gulped and grabbed Sam’s hand. The girl just rolled her eyes and used the fact that he was distracted to take the ace bandages from his hand and start wrapping her foot. “He’s not a demon, he's Robin,” she told the concussed nerd fondly.

“He’s a bird?” There was less fear and Damian scowled.

“Who's a bird?” Dick walked up from where he had been, probably talking to Tim.

“The brightly dressed demon child,” Tucker clarified, clearing nothing up.

Dick just laughed, hand coming to rest on top of Damian’s head. The Brat huffed and shrugged him off. “Man, you hit your head pretty bad, huh?”

Tucker squinted at Dick, looking him up and down, “hello Mister Blue Blur Slightly Tilting To The Left.”

Jason sighed and stood from where he had been squatting near Sam, running his hand over his face again. “You’re going to be the second death of me,” he told Tucker.

Sam snorted, finishing up her foot, “if you think this is bad, try seeing him high on ghost truth serum,” Sam added like that wasn’t the strangest fucking thing he had ever heard.

There was a potent pause. “What?” Dick asked, blinking at her.

“A while back there was this ghost that could like, excrete this fume that made you very very high, and very very truthful.” 

Dick nodded like that made sense to him and Jason decided he wasn’t paid enough to deal with that, so he didn’t.

“Tt,” Damian said, obviously not getting the memo  to drop it, “lowering inhibitions does not mean it’s a truth serum.”

Sam opened her mouth to argue when Huntress walked into the jet. She interrupted what Jason was sure to be a riveting argument, “I just called Wes, he was with Jazz, we’re good to get you guys home.”

“But where should we actually drop them off?” And there was Timmy, the whole party, “Their homes won’t be safe once the GIW get back up and running.”

Sam sighed, “I know a place.”

And that reminded him of hw Huntress had stolen a jet from VladCo after saying something similar. These teens were fucking wild. 

Jason was going to need like, 15 hours of sleep after this.

Chapter Text

The way Val saw it, Vlad owed them from all the times he had attempted to kill Danny. So really, them barging into his Wisconsin estate at fuck-all o’clock was just something he would have to cry about later. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Nightwing asked, looking around the overly showy sitting room they stumbled into.

Sam smiled from where Red Robin was supporting her off to the side, “we’ll be fine.”

That, of course, did very little asway Nightwing's doubts. “That didn’t really answer my question.”

“What’s the worst that could happen? Masters is just some shady billionaire,” Val shrugged, “from my experience the rich are pretty harmless.” Which of course was not true, but Val figured he needed to be placated and not told just how dangerous Vlad actually was.

The Bats all shared a look and Robin huffed, “I don’t understand how monetary status correlates to threat level.”

“Well,” Val smirked at him, “none of the rich assholes I’ve run into have been able to beat me so far.” She shrugged again, “except maybe Sam.”

Sam rolled her eyes as she lowered herself onto one of the many couches, “stop worrying, the worst Vlad will do is come down here and investigate the noise.”

Tucker shuddered as if recalling a bad memory. “How can that be the worst thing?” Red Hood questioned.

“Let’s just say his pj’s aren’t exactly school appropriate,” Sam winced.

Val threw her a questioning look but she just waved it off. “Okay,” Val said after a second, “I’m gonna tear through his kitchen, anybody want anything?”

“Oh! I would love some of the Dairy King’s cheese,” Tucker pleaded, wide eye’d.

“The Dairy King?” Red Robin asked as Val turned and headed further into the house. Sam and Tucker could explain that one, she had some food to find.

The one benefit of having worked for Vlad was the fact that she knew how to get around the place. Not that it was very difficult in the first place considering all the doors were always unlocked, but it did save time.

The kitchen was close enough to the sitting room and Val was quickly able to grab a couple of charcuterie boards and enough water bottles for everyone. After placing all of the food stuff onto her hover board and setting it to ‘follow’, she made her way back to the sitting room.

“So you’re telling me,” she heard Nightwing say as she turned the corner, “that Vlad Masters is in love with Maddie Fenton and has been trying, in increasingly dramatic ways, to kill Jack Fenton for years ?”

“Yup,” Sam confirmed, nodding her head like that wasn’t odd or concerning.

Val sighed and placed the charcuterie boards on the glass coffee table in front of Tucker. “Huntress,” he said seriously, “you are amazing.” And with that Tucker devoured an entire board in ten seconds flat.

“Why are there so many charcuterie boards?” Red Robin wondered, frowning down at the coffee table. 

Sam shrugged, “gotta put Dairy Kings cheese on something.”

Robin huffed as everyone, save Sam, tentatively started eating. “You don’t want any?” Val asked him. 

Robin crossed his arms and turned his nose up, “he’s a vegan,” Nightwing explained around a piece of salami. 

Sam perked up from where she was slumping against Tucker, “oh, really?”

“Yes,” Robin said defensively, obviously not noting Sam’s smile. 

“So am I,” she said while Tucker groaned. 

Robin peered at Sam as if studying her. He nodded once, as if deciding something, then pulled a package from his belt. “Here,” he said shortly, as if making it seem like he wasn’t being kind. 

“Oh! I love these!” Sam unwrapped it and took a bite as Robin pulled another for himself. “This is my favorite one too!”

“Yes, the banana chocolate one is the highest quality,” Robin huffed. Val could have sworn he was blushing though, which was an odd but utterly hilarious thought. 

The other three Bat Boys shared a look and Nightwing grinned. Val could only guess what they were thinking. 

Red Hood opened his mouth to say something when the door that led to the upstairs slammed open, and a very scantily clad Vlad Masters stood framed in the doorway. 

There was a tense three seconds when no one moved. Vlad's eyes darted from one person to the next before settling on Sam. 

Then Vlad sighed loudly and turned around, walking back towards what Val assumed was his bedroom. 

“Well,” Sam said after a second, “at least he had pants on this time.”

~*~*~*~

“Are you sure we should just walk in?” Wes asked Jazz as she hurried around the mansion, stopping at a large door. 

“Yup,” she answered, trying the door handle and making a happy noise when the door opened. “They must already be here.”

Wes just shrugged and followed Jazz inside, figuring that she knew better than him. A little ways down the hall there was a light coming from what Wes assumed was a living room. There were voices coming from the room that paused when the two of them walked in. 

The four Gothamites eyed Wes and Jazz cautiously, but didn’t make any moves towards them. 

“Jazz!” Sam jumped up and staggered, leaning on the couch. Wes noticed her bandaged foot as Jazz walked towards her and pulled her into a hug. 

“Oh my Ancients! I was so worried about you and Tucker when Ellie said she couldn’t get a hold of you and then when I got home I saw the lab and Maddie said the GIW-“

“Woah, hey, slow down,” Sam laughed, “we’re okay.” She pulled back from Jazz and shot her a smile. 

“Yeah,” Tucker said, “we are A-Okay.” Wes saw the ice pack resting on his head and the dazed look in his eye. 

Jazz gave him a once-over and sighed, “what happened?”

“Maybe story time can wait until after introductions?” Nightwing butted in, reminding Wes of the vigilantes. 

“Oh, yes,” Jazz shook her head and turned to them. “I’m Jazz Fenton, Danny’s older sister.”

“She is also an angel,” Tucker added. Wes looked at Val in a silent question, but she just snickered behind her hand and waved him off. 

“And you must be Huntress’ friend,” Red Robin cut in before any more questions could be asked.

Wes nodded, but otherwise stayed silent. On his best days he wasn’t good with strangers, and at the moments he was sleep deprived and the strangers in question were fucking Bats, so yeah, all he could being himself to do was nod. 

“Well, as Nightwing so wonderfully put it,” Val said in order to disperse the growing awkward energy, “story time?”

Sam snorted and plopped back down next to Tucker, Jazz sitting on his other side. The Bats piled on the couch across them and Wes sighed. 

“Okay,” Sam stared as Wes finally lowered himself onto the arm of the couch by Jazz, “I’ll go first…”

=-=-=-=

It took almost an hour for everyone to finish, and by that time Wes had gotten a good feel for the Bats. He could without a doubt say Red Robin was his favorite, mostly because he was (currently) acting the least dramatic. Followed closely by Red Hood purely because he seemed just about as tired as Wes was. 

“Tt, do you really expect me to believe that you are not related to Jasmine?” Robin was his least favorite. 

Wes rolled his eyes, “just because we both have red hair doesn’t mean we’re related,” he explained to the literal child.

“The shade of red is too similar to be a coincidence,” he insisted, crossing his arms moodily. 

“We aren’t related,” Jazz said softly, “not as far as I’m aware.”

“As far as you’re aware,” Robin challenged. 

“Robin,” Red Robin warned, “if it really means that much to you, you can look into it when we get back to Gotham.”

Robin pouted, “I will,” he promised, sending Wes a sour look. 

Nightwing smiled, “sorry about Robin, it’s a bit past his bedtime.”

“I do not have a bedtime!”

“So you don’t Demon Brat,” Red Hood smirked. 

“Little Wing-“ Nightwing started, causing both Robin and Red Hood to glare at him. 

“I’m taller than you-“

“That’s my nickname-“

“It was mine first-“

“But I’m better than you-“

“Could both of you-“

Wes’ eyes flickered back and forth between them and Jazz started to laugh. Her laughter caused the three Bats (because Red Robin had just silently been watching) turn to the sound and Nightwing sent her a puzzled look. 

She waved her hand, “it’s nothing, just,” she smiled at them, “younger brothers, am I right?”

Nightwing blinked and immediately started to deny that they were siblings. “Brothers? Us? Of course not, that’d be so crazy, why would you think that?“

Jazz raised an eyebrow, “sure,” she said, clear that she didn’t believe them, “you guys aren’t brothers and I’m the queen of Genovia.”

“Tt,” Robin scowled, “Genovia is not a real country,” he dismissed, the point flying over his head.

Jazz smiled at him, amused. “It is getting late though. We should head out soon.”

“We could just crash here,” Sam said with a shrug. She had put her hurt foot up on the coffee table sometime around when Red Robin was recounting how Val had sought them out.

“And wake up to Vlad’s face? No thank you,” Tucker mumbled, eyes drooping.

Jazz frowned, “do you feel up to the car ride back though?”

Tucker sent her a weak glare, an answer enough in itself. “Fine,” he sighed eventually.

“I’m down for a Masters’ sponsored sleepover,” Val said, her voice was heavy with sleep and Wes knew his own voice was just as bad.

“We need to get back,” Nightwing said, gesturing to his brothers (because there was no way in hell they weren’t siblings).

“You can just take the jet back, I’ll explain it to Vlad tomorrow,” Val yawned and waved off their concerns.

Wes leaned towards Jazz slightly, a thought suddenly occurred to him. “You should update Ellie.”

“Oh! Yes!” Jazz’s eyes widened and she hastily pulled out her phone.

“Who is ‘Ellie’?” Robin demanded.

“Phantom’s younger sister,” Sam supplied from where she was attempting to stand. Wes rolled his eyes and got up to help her. She sent him a thankful smile while Jazz put her phone on speaker.

Everyone went silent as the phone rang. Wes watched as the four Bats stared apprehensive at the phone, like they were waiting for it to jump up and attack them. It would have been funny if Wes wasn’t fading fast. The entire day seemed to be weighing on him like an oppressive summer heat and he found himself wanting to lay down on the couch and sleep for eternity.

“Hello?” Ellie answered the phone, effectively startling Wes awake.

“Hey, Ellie, you’re on speaker,” Jazz said quickly, “we’re with Phantom’s Bat Brood and Sam and Tucker-”

“How are they?!” She interrupted, voice pitching up worriedly.

“We’re fine Ellie,” Sam smiled down at the phone.

There was a sigh from the line, “thank the ancients! I was so worried! First the zone was acting up and then the Fenton portal was down and then Phantom was hurt and then I couldn’t get a hold on you guys-”

“Woah, slow down, they’re okay,” Val cut her off and Wes almost missed the fond smile she was sending the phone.

“Huntress?” The question was asked tentatively, like she couldn’t believe that Val was there. Which, from what Wes had gathered, wasn’t all that surprising. Jazz had mentioned that Danny told Val after she had a run in with Ellie and just before she moved and that it hadn’t gone well.

“Hey Ellie,” she said softly, a silent apology.

“Where are you guys?” She asked forcefully.

Jazz bit her lip, “Vlad’s.”

There was a pause and Wes could see the concerned glances Sam, Val, and Jazz were sharing, as if they knew that Ellie would say, “I’m on my way.”

“Are you sure,” Sam stressed, a worry line creasing her brow.

There was a huff, “yeah, I mean, it’s just a house,” but she sounded unsure.

“Ellie-”

“It’s my decision Jazz,” she cut her off, “besides, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve been there.”

There was another pause, this time from everyone else, when Tucker finally spoke up from where Wes thought he was asleep. “If we tell her she can't, we're no better than him.”

Wes was effectively lost. He was the only one from Amity that had never met Ellie and he only really knew that she was apparently a clone. Sure he had seen her from afar, but more often than not she was traveling or whatnot, so he had no real idea what was going on. But all that was a question for another time because he had the brain capacity of a small goldfish.

“I won’t stay for long, Phantom is still out but Frostbite says he might be waking up soon.” That was all it took for Jazz to sigh and let her shoulders slump.

“Okay,” she started, “but you can leave at any time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know,” Ellie was probably rolling her eyes if her tone had anything to say about it, “be there in a few.” 

Then she hung up and Wes helped Sam back to the couch. He sighed and rubbed his faced, steeling himself for at least another hour of being awake.

“How long have you been up?” Red Robin asked while everyone else started discussing leaving after Ellie arrived.

Wes shrugged, “not sure, almost 30 hours? I don’t sleep much anyway though,” he added on, not sure why he felt the need to defend himself. He could tell Red Robin was giving him a face but the effect was lost due to his mask. For a brief second he wondered who was under there, but that was an issue for future Wes. 

Red Robin looked at him for a moment and Wes wondered what he was thinking. “Thank you,” he said suddenly, taking him by surprise.

“For what?”

“Without you we would have no idea what was happening, D- Phantom would be missing and Sam and Tucker would still be with the GIW.”

Wes was taken back by the sincerity of his voice, and for a second he sounded too young to be a vigilante.  Wes shrugged and looked away, “it was the least I could do. Phantom’s saved my ass more times than I could count.”

Red Robin paused again, lips pursed in thought. “Just,” he sighed, “thank you.”

He watched as the vigilante walked away, frowning at him. He couldn’t really grasp all of his thoughts, so he let them leave. He put all of his focus on staying awake, waiting for Ellie.

Chapter Text

Ellie stared at the swirling vortex in front of her, its calming spiral seemed to mock her. She was lucky she didn’t have a heartbeat in this form, because she knew it would be pounding. She felt a little silly, being so worked up over a portal. 

Portal that led into Vlad’s house.

She huffs and flies a bit closer, not thinking about Vlad’s house, not thinking about the lab she’ll step out into, not thinking of the green stain he had eventually given up cleaning, not thinking about the feeling of being trapped in a small glass tube ready to be used-

The lab was dark and empty. Clean. Sterile. Like it had never been used. She felt bile rise up her throat, choking her, pulling at her in ways not even gravity would dare to. She took a deep breath, screwing her eyes shut tightly, feeling her limbs begin to shake and tremble.

Ellie clenched her jaw and forced another unsteady breath into her uncooperating lungs and with more effort than it had ever taken, floated up a few feet onto the first floor.

It was like someone switched the panic lever in her mind to ‘off’ again and a swell of fresh air bombarded its way into her body, forcefully removing the stale air from the lab. She gave herself five seconds to relax, five seconds to take back control of her body. She was stronger than this, stronger than a room.

With one last shake of her head she started  towards where she assumed everyone was. There was a doorway with light spilling out of it not disimular to the soft voices that came from it. Despite the setting, she could help but feel welcomed into the gentle light. 

When Ellie floated through the doorway the conversation stilled and all the eyes in the room landed on her. She stared back for a second, assessing the room in a way she knew a 16 year old should never have to do, but well, that’s life. 

“Ellie!” Jazz jumped up and pulled her into a crushing hug, the remaining unnecessary air in her lungs was punched out with an ‘oof’. 

“Hey Jazz,” she said, rolling her eyes. Jazz worried too much about her. 

“You must be Phantom’s sister,” Red Robin said from where he was positioned from between Red Hood and Nightwing. 

Ellie looked him over critically, “and you’re named after a restaurant.”

There was a split second of stunned silence then a roaring laughter that erupted from Nightwing, who quickly started wheezing and doubling over. Robin was snickering behind his hand and Red Hood was laughing with a smirk. 

“Ellie!” Jazz repeated, but this time she was the one rolling her eyes. 

Ellie smirked and Sam smiled up at her, “you’re a menace.”

“At least you’re aware,” she said drily, placing a hand on her hip and looking Sam over, making sure she really was okay. 

As far as she could tell it was only her hand hand foot that seemed hurt, and something in her chest eased knowing Sam was okay. She wasn’t as possessive as Danny, she certainly didn’t consider any of them ‘hers’ in the same way he did, but they were still her friends and she never liked seeing them hurt.

“You are definitely related to Phantom,” Red Hood commented after the majority of Nightwings laughter died down.

Ellie rose an eyebrow, “that wasn’t already obvious? I look like this,” she gestured to herself and her very similar appearance to Danny’s. “I could practically be his clone,” Sam snorted which caused Tucker to jolt awake and blink slowly at her.

“Hey Ellie,” he muttered while sitting up further, “what’s up?”

“Nothing much, Tuck, just introducing myself to our guests.”

He eye’d her, “don’t scare ‘em off, Phantom enjoys haunting them.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, “I’ll have you know I have been perfectly well behaved, and absolute angel you could say.”

Tucker gave her an unimpressed stare, “ya know? I have a hard time believing that.”

Jazz snickered and effectively grabbed her attention again. “Thank you Ellie, for your wonderful commentary.”

“I still don’t understand how you are named ‘Ellie’ whereas your brother’s name is ‘Phantom’.” Robin huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ellie gave him a once over and narrowed her eyes at him before shrugging, “that’s just how the cookie crumbled I’m afraid. Though I do have a more ghostly name if that’d make you feel better.”

“I also don’t understand the name situation,” Red Hood added in, arms crossed in a similar way to Robin’s.

Ellie opened her mouth the answer when her phone vibrated from her pocket. Pulling it out she saw that Sam had texted her, which was odd considering she was right there and could talk to her. 

Red Robin knows about Danny, and so does Wes

A few thoughts crossed her mind such as ‘why’ and ‘how’ and ‘did Danny approve of that?’ but the most prominent was ‘who the fuck was Wes’. That was of course when she noticed the sleeping redhead on the chair next to Sam. He looked like shit and his brows were scrunched together even in sleep. 

Oh! Wes Weston! The conspiracy theorist! Oh, oh ho ho, she was going to have a fun time with that one. She grinned to herself and stored that information for later.

But, right, back to the matter at hand. “Anyway,” she said completely smoothly and NOT as a topic change, “Phantom!”

“Yes, how is he,” Red Robin spoke for the first time in a while, worry painting his face.

“He’s stable,” she said, steeling herself for the horrible conversation that was to come. “Frostbite said that he’ll make a full recovery in a couple of days and should wake up soon.”

“Who is this ‘Frostbite’ person?” Robin demanded, arms still firmly planted over his chest.

“The King of the Far Frozen,” Ellie responded, “he’s a Yeti.”

Nightwing blinked (or Ellie assumed that’s what his pause was, considering she couldn’t see his eyes) and asked intelligently, “what?”

“Frostbite is a Yeti, and the King of the Far Frozen,” she repeated like she didn’t understand why he was confused (she understood completely but it was fun to mess with people).

“Sure, sure, yeah, but,” he said, “what?”

Ellie huffed for show, “The Far Frozen is a kingdom in the Ghost Zone where a bunch of ice powered ghosts live. Frostbite is like, super old, and a zillion years ago or something he was made king sorta against his will.”

“Wow, thanks, that clears up nothing, actually,” Nightwing stated.

Ellie smiled innocently and didn’t elaborate. “But you trust him?” Red Robin once again got them back on track, and Ellie’s smile slipped away.

“With my afterlife,” she said seriously, ignoring the fact that she couldn’t have an ‘afterlife’ if she never had a life to begin with. (She was not going to think about that, not now, not here).

Red Robin nodded once and the worry that was carved into his face eased and Ellie felt herself relax further. She prided herself on being able to read people, and well, Danny had chosen a good one.

She slowly eased her way onto a chair and sat down, getting as comfortable as she could, as everyone else continued to talk. They talked about Phantom and their plan and other, less important things, and Ellie figured they were all pretty good people. Her heart unclenched more than it had since she found Danny with a hole in his chest, it seemed like for once, everything was going to be okay.

~*~*~*~

Danny could vividly remember what it felt like to die. If anyone had asked him, he would tell them that it was over so quickly that he hadn’t really felt it, but that would be a lie. Time slowed down, as soon as the first bolt of electricity entered his hand and danced across his arm to his heart. He felt every antagonizing second of it.

This didn’t feel quite as bad and Danny supposed that was a good sign. He couldn’t really move his limbs and his chest felt like he had gone through top surgery for a second time without any pain meds, but overall, not as terrible as his little date with the portal.

He attempted to open his eyes but immediately regretted it and closed them again. Then he tried to move his fingers and toes and to his great delight, he could. He would not claim to have much medical knowledge, he was dead after all, but being able to move meant at least there was no irreversible damage. Probably.

As far as he could tell there was no one else around, but the temperature and the feel of fur beneath his fingertips informed him he was in the Far Froze. The real issue was figuring out how he had gotten there, and Danny felt uneasy when all that surfaced in his mind was waking up to Jazz, Sam, and Tucker telling him happy birthday. 

He tried not to panic at the loss of memory, more than likely it would come back to him. Until then he needed to remain calm. Frostbite would walk in soon and tell him what he needed to know and everything would be fine.

He lasted approximately thirty seconds before reopening his eyes and sitting up. Or, well, trying to sit up. The movement felt like it was causing his chest to light on fire and with a huff he fell back down onto the furs.

He steeled himself to try and sit up again when the door opened and someone came in. 

“Danny! You’re awake!” Ellie said, wide-eyed, racing towards him. “Oh my ancients Danny! You had me so fucking worried! The zone was all messed up and then you slept forever and Sam and Tucker were taken by the GIW-”

“What?!” He interrupted, his entire being thrumming with fear. His mind began to race and he heaved himself up, adrenaline pumping through his half-dead body.

Ellie surged forwards and pressed his shoulders down onto the furs, “Danny, lay down! They’re safe! We got them out,” she said quickly, worried eyes frantically scanning his face. “We got them out.

The words hit Danny and the panic left him just as quickly as it set in. He took a deep breath and ignored the way it shook in his lungs. They were okay, Sam and Tucker were fine, Ellie was fine, he was fine. Everything was fine. “Tell me what happened,” he said after another breath, finally looking at Ellie, really looking. 

Her hair was distressed and the bags under her eyes rivaled his own, but she was smiling at him softly and she seemed relaxed. “Okay,” she said, crossing her legs in the air and hovering near his bed, “I’ll tell you everything,” he sighed and settled further down into the furs, Ellie was a good little sister, and Danny was glad she was here. “But first, you have to tell me what’s up with you and Red Robin.” 

Danny groaned and covered his face with his hands. Nevermind, Ellie was a terrible little gremlin and he wanted her gone immediately.

“Well,” she sang, and Danny peaked at her from between his fingers.

“Well nothing,” he shot her a look, wanting to drop this topic faster than his dad dropped hot metal after forgetting that he had just finished welding it together.

“So saving Sam and Tucker without a plan and asking about you every three seconds means nothing to you?”

Danny jerked his hands away from his face and stared at her for a solid ten seconds before saying, “tell me everything right the fuck now or I swear to every god that I’ve fought-”

“Whoa there Danny, watch your language!” She joked, but then continued once she saw his glare, “okay, okay, don’t get your undies in a twist.” Ellie blew a harsh breath out of her mouth and a seriousness took over her features. 

The look on her face sobered him up, and he knew that whatever she was about to say, he wouldn’t like it. But he needed to know, he needed to know that all of his friends and family were safe. 

Then he would tear down the GIW brick by fucking brick.

Chapter Text

It took three days for Danny to contact Tim. Three days of hearing the same update from Ellie: Danny was still asleep and Frostbite said he’d be awake soon. Tim began to question what the yeti meant as ‘soon’. 

The first day was spent getting lectured by Bruce and being forbidden from patrol the next night, a punishment he shared with Damian but Jason and Dick got out of because they weren’t ‘under his roof’. Of course the fact that none of them were willing to tell Bruce exactly what they got up to did not help much.  The second day, after Tim had stayed up all night staring at his phone willing Danny to call him, passed with too much coffee and Alfred telling him that if he didn’t get some sleep he would tell Bruce that Tim couldn’t patrol, he spent sleeping with his phone notification volume turned up loud enough to wake the dead. The irony of that statement was not lost on him.

On the third day Tim was half convinced he would need to go back to Amity to get some answers when his phone rang. Tim, who had been sitting at his computer pretending to work jumped up and flung himself to his bed, where his phone was charging. He almost didn’t want to look at who was calling him. It could have been anyone (save Dick who had changed his ringtone in Tim’s phone to Boss Ass Bitch), and honestly, Tim didn’t feel like answering if it wasn’t Danny.

When he saw that it was Danny, he had a split second of unadulterated fear of what Danny would say to him. It was ridiculous, Danny was probably just calling to tell him that he was fine and he appreciated the help with saving Sam and Tucker. Tim was sure Danny wouldn’t tell him that he didn’t want Tim to know his identity, and that he never wanted to see Tim again.

With a deep breath he answered.

“Hello?” Hello? Hello ? That was what he went with? Tim was an idiot ! ‘Hello?’ as if he didn’t know it was Danny, as if he hadn’t been hovering over his vigilante phone like a crazy person waiting for this call. God, he was such a disaster.

“Hey Rosy,” Danny sighed into the phone. Tim’s heart quite literally stopped dead in his chest, the air punched out from his lungs and his mind making the dial up internet noise.

“Hey,” he strained, because how the fuck was he supposed to respond to that? Like, was Danny trying to kill him?

Danny sighed again, “sooooo…” He started and let out a little awkward chuckle. “Crazy week,” he joked.

And Tim? He laughed. He fucking laughed because it had been a very stressful, horrible week, but Danny was okay. Danny was okay and talking to him. “You can say that again,” Tim said after the laughter died down.

“Yeah, not what I was expecting for my first couple of days being an adult.” 

“Adult life is pretty insane,” Tim agreed, flopping down onto his bed and sighing.

Danny paused and Tim bit his cheek, knowing it was best to let him think. “I guess we should talk about it.”

Tim swallowed, “if that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“Okay,” Tim sat up and leaned against his headboard, “where do you want to start?”

Danny huffed, “Well first, I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yeah,” Danny sighed, “without you Sam and Tucker would have been in a lot more danger. You were there for them when- when I wasn’t.”

Tim frowned, “you did your best. You can’t expect yourself to always be perfect. You’re not invincible.” You’re not invincible, Tim, he could still recall Dick saying that to him when he first became Robin. Funny how life always seemed to bring things full circle like that.

“I know,” he said softly, sadly. But before Tim could say anything else, Danny jumped to the next topic, “so, now that you know about me, I figured you have a few questions.”

Tim wanted to call him out, have him talk about what was upsetting him, but they weren’t really that close were they? They had met, what? A few weeks ago? Spoken a couple of times? It wasn’t Tim’s place, and as much as it hurt, he figured Danny wouldn’t appreciate a glorified acquaintance digging into all of his personal business.

Tim cleared his throat, “oh, uh, yeah. I have,” Tim paused and glanced up at his conspiracy wall, “just a few questions.”

“Okay, shoot.”

Tim took a deep breath to stop himself from rapidly asking the thousands of questions that lived rent free in his head. “Firstly, how the literal fuck did you end up in ancient roman carvings?”

Danny laughed, “well, it’s actually kind of funny…”

~*~*~*~

After the whole GIW fiasco Jason felt like sleeping for a week. He was, to put it lightly, exhausted. Unfortunately his sleep schedule- like most things in his life- was put on the back burner for whatever bullshit Bruce needed him for.

“Listen old man, if you’re going to interrogate me I’ll save you the time,” he said as he strode into the cave a little after four in the morning, “because I’m not telling you shit.”

Bruce looked up and watched him approach, arms crossed and face in a trained neutral position. “This isn’t about what happened yesterday,” he turned towards the Bat Computer and started pulling up files and media clips, most of them grainy and likely from security cameras. 

Jason step forward and frowned, recognizing one of the streets, “isn’t that-”

“From Crime Alley?” Bruce cut him off, looking over his shoulder with a small, almost unnoticeable strain around his eyes, “yes, it is.”

“What the fuck are you doing canvasing my turf?” Jason all but growled, glad he still had his helmet on so the voice modifier was in full effect.

“Language,” he said out of habit, “I was following a suspicious shipment of occult items that crossed into Gotham a few days ago.” He pressed play on one of the videos.

It was grainy and obviously from an old traffic camera, the ones that really should have been replaced before Jason was even born. A truck rolls into view, headlights dimmed. It stops just before the warehouse driveway, and sits there. Three unassuming men in t-shirts and work jeans walk up and start unloading without talking to the driver. They all grab a wooden box and leave. Then the truck drives off back the way it came. It was all over and done within two minutes. Whoever this was, they knew how to be efficient and lay low.

“I tracked both the truck and the men for as long as I could,” the video minimized and a few images came up, mostly of the truck. “The men went into a warehouse a few blocks down. The truck was abandoned just outside of the Gotham city limit a few hours later, wiped clean.”

Jason leaned forward and studied the images. The truck was most likely stolen and would probably be a dead end, but the men could lead them somewhere. “Where did they go after the warehouse?”

“They didn’t,” Bruce said, sighing.

“They’re still there?”

“They were shot and the boxes emptied.”

Jason turned towards Bruce and frowned. Good, quiet, workers were hard to come by, and these three were killed. “Someone really wants to keep this under wraps,” he muttered mostly to himself.

“There are no cameras that cover the back of the warehouse. Nothing is known about who and why they were killed.” Bruce leaned forward and tapped the escape key and pulled up a list. “The residue in the boxes was very telling, however.”

Jason scanned over the document; candle wax, sage, black pieces of fabric, chalk powder. “All your basic occult necessities.” Bruce hummed and Jason sighed. “But,” he added, taking off his helmet to rub his face, “if they went through the hassle of wiping the car and finding a place to exit without cameras, then why would they leave evidence as to what they were bringing?”

“My thoughts exactly.” Bruce cleared the screen and handed Jason a USB, “this is all the information I’ve gathered so far.”

Jason took it hesitantly, feeling oddly exposed without his helmet. “You’re just… giving me this?”

Bruce smiled, “all this is happening in your territory, and I want you to keep an eye out.”

Bruce never just handed over information. Not since Jason came back. Not since he lost that trust. Jason’s jaw clenched and he curled his fist around the USB. He felt wrong footed and Bruce watched him leave quickly, helmet finding its place back over his features.

Jason hated the fact that his chest felt off. Like hope was growing in the cavity around his heart, winding and wrapping it’s way through his ribs and choking him. He took a painful breath and shook his head to clear it, forcing his feet to move further and further from the man that, at one point, had been his father.

Bruce’s eyes never left his second son’s retreating frame, and eventually they gazed at the spot he had last been. Bruce knew he hadn’t been the best father, before and after Jason’s death. But he wanted to try. A little late, but he wanted to try.

~*~*~*~

“Wait, so you’re telling me you spent two hours on the phone with Red Robin and it never crossed your mind to ask him about his secret identity?” Sam asked, exasperated and really fucking tired of Danny’s bullshit.

Danny gave her a small smile that looked more like a grimace and rubbed the back of his neck, “I mean, I figured if he wanted to tell me he would. It’s not like he owes me anything,” he grumbled.

“But you don’t know that for sure because you didn’t ask .” Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath, praying to all the gods she knew personally for patience because if she prayed for strength she’d be sending Danny right back to Frostbite.

“I’m sorry that it didn’t come up!” Danny threw his hands in the air, “how was I supposed to bring it up without sounding awkward? Like, ‘hey BTW, who are you under that funky little mask because you know who I am and I want to know if you’re hot.’?”

“Danny that’s ridiculous-”

“Exactly!”

“That doesn’t mean-”

“Y’all,” Tucker cut in sharply, glancing up from where his head was buried in his arms, sunglasses eschew.

Danny and Sam winced and quieted down. “Sorry,” they mumbled, but Sam sent him a look saying they’d continue the conversation later.

Tuck grumbled something and Sam stood, “I’m going downstairs, want anything?”

“Something to munch on,” Danny said, then sent a pointed look at Sam and gestured to Tucker’s ducked head. Sam nodded, understanding what Danny was trying to say then quietly went to the kitchen.

They were currently gathered in Sam’s room because it was the largest and safest from prying ears considering her parents were rarely home. Danny frowned at Tuck with worry. He knew his concussion was bad, and he knew because of the whole Hotep-Ra fiasco that head injuries meant that he was also battling with keeping a dead Pharaoh contained, but this was the worse he’d seen Tucker’s concussion get.

“Hey man,” he said gently, getting a grunt in response, “how are you feeling?”

“Hot,” Tuck said shortly, never lifting his head. Danny rolled his eyes at Tucker's short responses and lowered the room temperature slightly, smiling when Tucker made a content sound.

Sam walked back in holding an array of sorted snacks and placed them near Tucker's head on the desk. Danny leaned over from where he was floating in the air to grab the (vegan) chips. 

Sam shivered, “are you sure you don’t need a blanket Tuck?” He grunted what they assumed was a negative and Sam settled under one of her many comfy blankets.

“You’re not going to ask me if I want a blanket?” Danny asked with mock offense, frowning playfully at the goth.

“If you’re cold, stop making the room the temperature of the Antarctic,” she dead-panned and Danny laughed to himself.

Tucker lifted his head to examine the tray, pleased to find water and painkillers. “Duul Aman says that Danny should have asked Red Robin about his identity,” he said nonchalantly, as if a centuries old Egyptian Pharaoh wasn’t providing unhelpful commentary in his head.

“See!” Sam exclaimed and Danny laughed again.

But then something tugged on his chest, surprising him and making him choke on a half-eaten chip. He coughed violently and waved off his friends concerns, “went down the wrong pipe,” he said with a straining voice. 

He rubbed at his chest, where the pull came from, and frowned. No, not his chest, his core. It was like something had just sunk a hook into his core and pulled . He took a breath to confirm the feeling had left, and released it heavily. It wasn't there anymore, but Danny couldn’t help but feel off-kilter. 

He frowned and vowed to himself he’d tackle the rest of Frostbite’s book when he got home. But for now he had friends to beat in Doom.

Chapter Text

Wes really wanted to say he hadn’t been worried about Danny for the last couple of days and that said person calling him didn’t make him feel better, but well, he’d never been able to lie to himself. 

But he could lie to other people. “Hey,” he answered the phone calmly. 

“I almost died and all you can say is ‘hey’?” Danny joked, voice coming in a little staticky. 

Wes rolled his eyes, “you’re fine. Your sisters kept me informed.” At least Jazz had, Ellie had been vaguely unhelpful and a menace. 

Danny hummed, “so you weren’t worried enough to call Val, talk to Jazz, break into Vlad's house, and sass a few Gotham vigilantes?” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Wes supplied in a haughty tone. 

“Sure, yeah, of course.” Danny agreed, a smile evident in his voice. 

“I was just enacting the plan I had made in case that specific scenario ever occurred.”

“And you made those plans just for fun and not because, deep down, you care about us,” Danny was definitely smiling. 

Wes bit back a grin, “exactly, I’m glad you understand.”

“But seriously Wes,” Danny said after a second, “thank you.”

Wes smiled to himself, “that’s what friends are for.” It was rare for Wes to be sincere, and he had a hard time opening up to people, but Danny was easy to talk to. 

Danny must have caught on to Wes’ thoughts and changed to subject, “I also wanted to get your opinion on something.”

“Okay sure,” for what? Wes had no idea. He wasn’t exactly the person people came to in order to get advice on really anything, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

“What did you think of the Bats?”

Wes blinked. Danny was coming to him? Asking him what he thought of the Gotham Vigilantes, like he was a part of Team Phantom, like his opinion mattered in the grand scheme of things. Like Danny would take what he said seriously. Wes spared a glance at his Just In Case Plan Wall and tried to ignore how good it felt to have friends again.

“Well,” Wes said, sighing, “Robin is a tough person to please, but frighteningly loyal. If you could manage to get him to like you there is nothing he would not cut through to insure your and yours safety. He tends to remain quiet and observant but becomes more talkative as you gain his trust, however if you were to break that trust, he wouldn’t hesitate to make you regret it.

Nightwing is loud and distracting. He pulls all the attention onto himself in order to let other people slip by unnoticed. But that shouldn’t put you at ease, he is just as, if not more so, deadly as all the other Bats, and knows how to make your life miserable. I have no doubt he knows how to, and will without question- make your death as long and drawn out as possible. He’s also very very good at reading body language and can pinpoint the number of weapons you have on you and where they are without blinking. He should definitely not be underestimated, no matter how lively and kind he may seem.

Hood has a similar approach, but instead of welcoming, he’s intimidating. He uses the fact that he knows you're scared of him to push a persona and make you so anxious you mess up. Anyone that’s being watched by Hood knows their days are limited, they just don’t know just how long he’s going to allow them. However, once he considers you his, there is nothing that could stop him from protecting you with his life. He will both kill and die for you, and expects little in return. He had a deep sense of justice and will not tolerate breaking that.

Red Robin’s a little harder to read. He is terrifyingly smart and I have no doubt he could track you down armed with nothing but a smart watch and an internet connection. He doesn't trust easily, but there are very simple ways to earn his trust that most people, unfortunately, don’t do. He also tends to want to see the best in people, but is realistic in a way that the other Bats tend not to be, one way or another. But I would not want to fight him. Everyone overlooks him because he chooses a bow staff and seems more intellectual, but he knows, without a doubt, how to kill you in several different ways at any given moment. Give him enough clues and five minutes and he could unravel even the best kept secrets.” Wes pauses and blinks. Wow, that was… in depth. Like, jeez Wes, Danny didn’t need an essay.

“I knew Robin was a Hufflepuff,” Danny muttered mutinously, causing Wes to laugh at the absurdity of that.

“Of course you heard all of that and all you gathered was that Robin is loyal,” he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Okay listen!” Danny tried to defend himself, “I was just trying to put that into normal English because someone said a monologue to put Shakespeare to shame.” 

“Sorry for being thorough! ” Wes responded to that slander, “you wanted my opinion and I gave it to you!”

“You gave me an essay with your sources cited!” Danny cackled over the phone, static getting more aggressive.

Wes moved to the phone further from his ear, “yeah, yeah, laugh it up. One day that information will come in handy and you’ll be worshiping the very ground I stand on,” he huffed sarcastically.

Danny snickered, “of course your Majesty, forgive me for my offense.”

Wes sniffed. “Well I suppose I can let you get away with it this time,” he said in a poor British accent, “but next time I’ll have you beheaded for treason.”

“Yes your Majesty, thank you your Majesty,” Danny said in a matching accent.

They were quiet for all of three seconds before both boys bursted out laughing. It had been a terrible last couple of days, but in the end, they were friends, and that’s all that mattered.

~*~*~*~

Jason had gone through the files Bruce gave him. Three times. And found both too much and too little information.

Too much in a sense that most if not all of the transactions were recorded, and the residue inside the boxes gave away a long list of seemingly cult related items. But too little in the fact that not a single lead actually led him anywhere. The people were all nobodies with hardly any criminal record, the vehicles were all stolen and whipped, and the warehouses were apparently random. Each and every drop-off went the exact same as the first one, and Jason wondered where someone found so many disposable good workers.

It was unnerving and more than a little irritating and Jason wanted to find the asshole responsible and punch them in the face. Not only were they obviously up to something sinister, they were too fucking good at creating false trails and covering tracks to not have done this before. 

And on top of that fucking lovely cake what the goddamned GIW who decided Crime Alley was the perfect place for midnight strolls. And it wouldn’t be half as irritating if they were at least competent at their jobs!

Jason rubbed his face and took a few deep breaths to stop himself from personally beating the shit out of every single white-suited waste of space that came into his territory. It would do him no good to kill the agents if only because more would swarm into the Alley like fucking ants. He wasn’t sure how Phantom- and all of Amity for that matter- dealt with it. 

What made it worse was the fact that the GIW activity increased and decreased corresponding with the occult shipments, which did not bode well. Because if those two things were related, Jason had a terrible feeling about what they would be working together on.

He couldn’t pinpoint when exactly he started to consider Phantom a part of his crew -though it was probably around the time he was able to scare the living shit out of the Joker- but the idea of someone wanting to hurt him made him angry. Very angry.

So here Jason was, 3 A.M. on a Tuesday morning, canvasing the warehouse district, hoping to get lucky. He knew that the shipments, as random as they seemed, usually, took place around this time. Jason had spent years doing detective work both before and after his death, and this was all it could get him. An undetermined place and vaguely specified time.

Jason sighed and settled in to wait. This was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~

Frostbites book was, actually, an interesting read. Danny had no idea there were so many ways to summon a ghost, and a lot of them were pretty funny.

Place three blocks of cheese, all of different types, in the center of a circle of half-full wine glasses, and chant the Latin phrase Hic puer pulchellus huc venisti, vinum habeo tibi in order to summon the best looking ghost in a three mile radius.

Like, Danny was 90% confident that would not work. Because, like, that seemed so dumb? There was no way just chanting ‘come here pretty boy, I have some cheese for you’ worked. Right? Right.

Anyway, he was finally able to finish it Monday night. He knew of summonings before hand, and a few years back Clockwork had told him he could change his summoning preferences to whatever he wanted them to be so that not every offering would work, so he could say without a doubt that the pulling feeling he felt the other day at Sam’s was a summoning. 

However, two things: One, they definitely were not offering coffee or Root Beer Barrels (which were what he had set his preferences to after Clockwork told him he had to have at least two things due to some ghosts law), and two, that was not at all what a specific summoning should feel like. 

Because he was the ghost king he got a few special privileges. First off, he could not be summoned by anything else than a Specific Summoning, and he could refuse them even if they fit his preferences. But there was something off about the feeling, and it made him uneasy.

It was like all of the sudden he had to go to it, like it was very important and he had no choice. He worried at his lip as he closed the book. He was really fucking hoping there was something in there that would explain it, but well, the book wasn’t written for ghosts and probably didn’t have every type of summoning.

With a sigh Danny flopped back into his bed and shut his eyes, hoping to get some rest before school the next day. Then his ghost sense went off and he sighed, so much for fixing his sleep schedule.

~*~*~*~

Everything was going according to plan. Every single minute detail was turning out perfectly and she could almost taste her victory. Phantom was recently injured, the GIW was complying, the Machine was working, and Red Hood had taken her bait.

Now all she had to do was sit back and watch as the world crumbled at her feet. It really was quite the pity, she thought to herself as she gazed over Gotham, that Red Hood wouldn’t be able to watch the world burn. But, well, she figured there were other toys to play with.

She gave the order and a dozen grunts mobilized from where they were told to wait, converging on the single red dot near the warehouse district.

What a pity indeed.

Chapter Text

Danny was having a no good, very bad day. Nothing had gone his way and as the clock ticked slowly to 8 A.M. he had a horrible feeling it would get worse. It was like the world itself was preparing for something big and Danny hated it. Hated the fact that he could not get a break. 

His fears were confirmed when his ghost phone rang. 

"Mister Fenton-" his teacher started, clearly irritated with the interruption. 

Danny paid no attention to her, his heartbeat spiking as Red Robin's ringtone played from his backpack. On a normal day that wouldn't be an issue, but today? Added with the fact he was calling from his ghost phone meant something had happened. 

With some half assed apology he grabbed his phone and walked out of the classroom followed by a sigh from his physics teacher. 

"Hello?" He asked cautiously, looking around the hallway. 

"Phantom we have a problem," Red Robin started, sounding more serious than Danny liked. 

"What happened," Danny held his breath, really really wanting Red Robin to say that it had solved itself and everyone was okay. 

"Hood's been kidnapped," is what he said instead. 

Danny took three seconds to comprehend what Red Robin was saying before responding seriously, "I’ll be in Gotham in an hour."

"How-" He began but cut himself off. Danny heard him swallow thickly and release a shaky breath. "Thank you."

"Gotta sail, blue whale," Danny murmured, mind moving at a million miles per hour.

“Take care Teddy Bear,” Red Robin responded before hanging up.

Danny tried to calm himself down as possessiveness reared his ugly head. Logically he knew Hood wasn't his to protect, but well, he was one of his subjects and (most likely) Red Robin's brother. He couldn't help but feel a horrible sense of desperation fill him. 

He steeled himself. He had to contact his Team. 

~*~*~*~

Sam was in art when she got the S.O.S text from Danny. Her stomach dropped and she quickly texted the Team Phantom Girls Chat. 

SOS, Hood in danger.  

She bit her lip as the three other people in the chat responded. 

Danny-with-an-i: what happpend

Jazzercize: Where does he want us? He must have something planned. 

Vacuum: should I suit up and find a Bat?

"Samantha," Mrs. Ramirez interrupted her thoughts, "phone."

Sam looked up at her and put on her best distressed face, "I'm sorry, I just- I-"

"Sam?" The art teacher stepped closer, "Are you alright?" 

Sam swallowed exaggeratedly, "I'm sorry," she stuttered out, really trying to sell it, “my friend, he's been-'' she took a breath and looked imploringly into her teachers eyes, "I need to go home, please, he's been taken and I don't know what to do and I'm so worried!" Sam said quickly, letting a few tears fall. 

Mrs. Ramirez blinked, "oh my. I'm sorry, why don't you head to the office and sign out, I'm sure they-" 

Sam didn't even let her finish her sentence before she was rushing out the door and wiping away her fake tears. 

She texted out what Danny had told her to inform the girls about.

Gamgee: Danny plans to have us all in Gotham in an hour. He was contacted by Red Robin and has no further info. Ellie, he wants you to meet us at NB. Jazz, he said he'll pick you up on the way. Val, stay put, he's gonna land wherever you are. 

~*~*~*~

Tucker was, admittedly, not paying attention in class. Whatever his teacher was going over was probably something he had mastered freshman year, so he didn't really see the point. Granted how he had learned half of it was illegal, but he had still learned it so his CompSci teacher could go fuck himself. 

Then his phone started going off. That in itself did not bode well considering he knew he had his ringer turned off except for emergencies. He pulled out his phone and really didn't like the fact Danny was calling him in the middle of first period. 

"Foley!" His teacher yelled like a banshee in his direction, "pay attention! We have a test in less than a week and while you may be okay with failing, other people are trying-"

Tucker's eyes widened as he read through his texts from Danny. He stood up and quickly packed his backpack. 

"Foley! Are you even-"

Tuck turned towards Wes who was watching him curiously, "we gotta go," was all he said before Wes stood and grabbed his own backpack. 

"Wait, where do you think you two are-" his teacher (if he could be called that) made a scene. 

"Family emergency," Tucker supplied, cutting off the man's rant. 

He huffed, "do you really expect me to believe that?" He was still way too loud for 8 in the morning. 

"Why wouldn't you believe that?" Wes challenged, knowing that if they got him distracted enough they would be able to leave without getting detention. 

"You two are obviously not related-"

"Obviously," Tucker said, playing innocent, "what do you mean by obvious Mr. Whaler?"

"It's 'Waller'!" He fumed, then continued, "and there is no way you two are related."

Tucker narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what his teacher meant, "do you want to elaborate on that?"

And by god he looked like he was about to, but he suddenly became aware that all eyes were on him and what he was hinting at was being recorded by at least three people. Mr. Whaler stuttered out some lame excuse and both Wes and Tuck left the classroom quickly. 

"Let’s go,” Tucker rushed down the hall, Wes quickly following.

Wes turned to him as they continued towards the parking lot, "mind filling me in?"

"Hood's been kidnapped."

Wes sighed, "we just can't catch a break."

"Nope," Tuck agreed, opening the door.  "Danny wants us to meet him at Nasty Burger so we can head over to Gotham and help.”

Wes blinked a couple of times in the daylight, "do the Bats know Phantom is coming?"

"Well, Red Robin knows, so yes?"

"And he's bringing guests?"

Tucker paused and looked to the side, "...no."

Wes smiled and Tucker noted a bit of manic filling into his grin. "So," he said, looking around the parking lot, "your car or mine?"

~*~*~*~

Val sat on the roof of an apartment building in downtown Gotham, suited up and looking at the smog filled sky. The news about Hood seemed to have seeped into the city, the usual hustle and bustle dimmed into a tense whisper. Whether or not his disappearance was confirmed was still up in the air, but Val knew for a fact everyone in the city knew he wasn’t in any of his usual spots.

Valerie couldn’t claim to be a true Gothamite, she’d only been in the city for a few years, but she knew a thing or two about how the city worked. She wasn’t there when Hood first popped up from the shadows of Crime Alley, a violent and angry protector of those who often found themselves in the crossfire of the bigger threats of Gotham. Val knew a few people who had Hood to personally thank for their lives.

Gotham was holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe drop. She had only seen it get like this once, just after she arrived. The Bat had gone missing, and no one knew what happened. The city waited for him to come back while also praying none of the Rogues would take the situation for themselves. It was the first time Val had seen the Joker and the then unreformed Harley Quinn.

Needless to say, the city was worried that without Hood something would happen. It didn’t help that the Bats had been sparse. Everyone knew that Hood had a tentative (but improving) relationship with the Bats, and while there was a Bat across Hood’s chest, he made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with their ‘conceited and holier-than-thou bullshit’.

It was approaching midday in Gotham and on any normal day at least one Bat (usually Nightwing or Black Bat) would make their presence known to the city, but so far, nothing. In Val’s opinion there needed to be a Daylight hero, one that only worked during the day and was out and about while the sun was up, but well, it wasn't like she had any say in what went on in the dark of Gotham nights.

Her phone dinged and she glanced at the text from Danny. She stood and released the Ecto-Flare. Tucker and Danny would never cease to amaze her with their inventions. The Ecto-Flare was nearly undetectable to the average human but sent a sort of beacon out into the ambient ectoplasm and created a flux that would be felt in the Zone. Those two could literally take over the world if they wanted to, the government was really lucky Danny was reluctant to rule the realm he legally had to and Tucker… was focusing on school.

Val didn’t have any more time to think about the fact Tucker might be swayed to take over the world because a green portal opened and several people stepped out. Danny and Jazz were talking quietly to themselves while Tucker was helping Wes get his Earth legs back and laughing with Sam about something and-

“VAL!” A white and black blur slammed into her, thin arms wrapping around her torso.

Val smiled down at Ellie, hugging her back, “hey girl,” she said fondly, looking down at the younger half-a.

Then Ellie pulled back and punched her in the arm, “you bitch!” And there was the Ellie Val knew and loved.

Val laughed, “what did I do in the few days since you've seen me?” She knew Ellie wasn’t all that angry, she still had complete feeling in her arm.

“Oh, nothing,” she smiled, “I just couldn’t do that at Vlad’s ‘cause the Bats were there.”

Val snorted, “sure, makes total sense.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know everything I do is perfect.” She stuck her nose in the air with fake importance.

“Alright, alright, Princess,” Val rolled her eyes, “let’s listen to what Danny wants us to do.” And both girls turned back to the group just as Danny called for everyone's attention.

“Okay Team Phantom, we have a hero to rescue.”

~*~*~*~

Tim honestly didn’t know what to expect when Danny texted him to tell him to meet him at some random point in Gotham, but half a dozen determined mid-westerners was not it. The group watched him and the other Gotham Vigilantes approach in silence, all standing in a semi-circle around Phantom.

The ghost himself grinned at Tim as he got closer. His teeth were longer and sharper than normal and there was a tightness in his face that told Tim just how he was feeling.

“King Phantom,” Tim greeted, giving him a small but genuine smile.

Phantom’s face relaxed minutely, “hey Pretty Bird.”

Tim rolled his eyes and kept himself from blushing. Now was definitely not the time to flirt with the half dead king of another realm. Instead he turned slightly to the other Bats and started to introduce them. “You guys know Nightwing,” Dick offered a tight smile, “and Robin,” Damian was glaring daggers at Phantom, “and this is Spoiler,” Steph waved and smiled at the group. “And lastly we have Black Bat,” Cass stood still, eyes scanning each person before nodding once.

“Nice to meet all of you, sucks it has to be like this,” Jazz said, stepping forward slightly. “For those who haven’t met us, I’m Jazz,” then she pointed at each person. “Sam and Tucker are over there,” Tucker nodded at the group and Sam raised an eyebrow and scanned the Gothamites critically. “Wes is the other red-head, who is not related to me,” she said pointedly at Robin who scoffed. “And Ellie and Red Huntress are the two to my right,” Val’s helmet was on and Ellie was grinning with the same expression as Danny.

“Great! Now that that’s out of the way,” Steph said, clapping her hands together, “let’s head over to where Oracle is waiting for us.”

Tim nodded at Danny as he walked over. “Is it just me or does Spoiler not like me?” Danny joked and Nightwing gave the address to Team Phantom.

Tim sighed, “we’re all just stressed, she’ll warm up to you guys quickly.”

“I hope so,” Danny hummed.

Whatever Tim was going to say was cut off by Val unfolding a hoverboard and the rest of Danny’s friends and family getting ready to go. He watched in stunned silence as the group- save the three already in costume- fiddled with a watch all of them were wearing and a suit similar to what Val- or he supposed Red Huntress- was wearing. The suit just… popped out of the watch… like… poof. Tim blinked and turned to Danny who was smiling at his reaction.

“Hey Phantom?”

“Yes Starlight?”

“What the fuck?”

Danny laughed and floated slightly in the air, “is someone jealous they don’t have my tech?”

Tim attempted to punch him but his fist went straight through his arm and felt like it had been dipped into a bucket of ice. “I have been trying to figure out a way to do that for years! How does it work?!”

Danny grinned at him, “you like them?”

“Like them? Like them ?” Tim looked at him like he was crazy, “how the fuck did you get them?”

“Oh, it’s just something Danny and Tucker came up with,” he said, shrugging as if he didn’t invent something that engineers have been trying to do for years.

Tim stared at him for a few seconds before turning away and starting the journey to where Babs had hunkered down, knowing Danny would follow him anyway.

The heroes started towards their destination, and Tim let himself hope that maybe they’d be able to get Jason back before it was too late.

Chapter Text

The building Nightwing led them to was an unassuming wearhouse on the edge of the shipping district. Most people probably wouldn't give it a second glance. But Wes wasn't most people. 

So far he had counted 7 security cameras and at least three infrared sensors on the sides of the building. It almost seemed obsessive, but well, the Bats were known to be paranoid. 

The group landed on the roof and Spoiler knocked a pattern on the door, which promptly swung open by itself. Black Bat went in first, motioning for all of them to follow. She then signed something that could have either been 'Waiting for us downstairs' or 'Slowly eat the watermelon', Wes didn't really know, his ASL was rusty. His money was on the former though, as they all began to descend into the warehouse. 

It was dark, but his helmet (custom built for him (maybe he really did have friends)) switched into night vision without him having to do anything. These suits were state of the art and he could tell Red Robin was salivating at the idea of getting his hands on them (and maybe on something else).

The stairs led down to a large labyrinth of catwalks that Wes was sure ended in sudden drops on more than one occasion. Not that that was needed, because all the Bats dropped from the rafters without hesitation. Wes shared a look with Sam before each of them did the same in their own way. Danny and Ellie simply floated down, the assholes, and Val jumped only to be caught by her hoverboard. It was very obvious which of Team Phantom jumped from high places regularly. Sam leaped over the railing and landed in a- somewhat shaky- shoulder roll, while Jazz lowered herself down to the ground with what appeared to be some sort of grappling hook built into the arm of her suit. Wes scanned though some of the things his suit had while Tucker did a quick handstand in the railing and fell towards the ground only to bounce once he hit it.

Wes rolled his eyes when Tuck muttered “Bumbles bounce.” Then he jumped. 

When he hit the ground his suit absorbed the shock and he landed with his knees bent and one hand touching the ground.

He had always wanted to do that.

Robin huffed and crossed his arms, “you all are clearly untrained.”

“And you’re clearly a child,” Tucker responded immediately.

“Tt, says the one who just quoted a children's movie.”

Tuck fake gasped, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a very grown up movie! It covers heavy topics like dentistry and Christmas Magic.”

Robin opened his mouth to respond when a voice cut through what Wes was sure to be a very thrilling debate. “Welcome to one of the Bat Out Posts.”

A woman in a simple black suit and a wheelchair was stationed at the wall of large computer screens, eying Team Phantom up and down.

“I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances, but I am glad we get to work together,” she continued, “I’m Oracle, I run most of the behind the scenes work and will be the one coordinating the communications today.”

And suddenly the reality of the situation dropped itself into Wes’ stomach and wrapped a clawed hand around his heart. This was, very likely, a matter of life or death.

Phantom stepped forwards, reaching out a hand towards Oracle, “as I’m sure you’re aware, I am Phantom, thank you for allowing us to gather here. What can you tell us about the situation?”

Realistically Wes knew that Danny was the literal King of another dimension, but it was something else entirely to see him adopt a whole other persona. However odd, though, he was glad for it. It drove home the fact that while Danny and Phantom were the same person, just like every other vigilante in the room, they were separate masks. 

“It’s a pleasure Phantom,” Oracle shook his hand firmly and then turned back to the computers, flipping her fiery red hair over her shoulder. (Wes found it odd that redheads only made up 6% of the population in the US and yet there were three currently in the room.) “Last night I was asked by Red Hood to canvas a couple of warehouses for him,” she pulled up a few files and pictures, “it was mostly basic stuff, ownership records, utilities, possible surveillance cams, nothing that I found as odd at first. However,” she clicked a couple of times on a grainy photo of an old building, “when Hood sent out his last transmission seven hours ago, it was near this warehouse.”

Everyone leaned a little closer, and Wes scanned the photo intensely, trying to make sense of the static. “I don’t see anything significant,” Val muttered, frowning.

“There,” Wes said, pointing towards the lower left of the screen where there seemed to be the reflection of headlights in one of the windows, “the window is reflecting light that is facing it almost directly.”

“So?” Ellie asked, matching Val’s frown.

“So,” Wes turned towards her, “a completely abandoned building wouldn’t have a first floor window still intact, not with the level of wear and tear on it.”

“Exactly,” Red Robin said, stepping towards the group, “and Hood must have connected this building to a case he was working.”

“And what case was that?” Probed Tucker, the visor on his helmet pushed up.

“Possible cult activities,” a deep voice echoed from the rafters.

Before anyone could so much as let out a confused sound, a dark hulking shape dropped from the ceiling. He was covered in black, cape covering his hunched shouldered. From where he was crouching Wes could feel the danger seep out of him like a fog, rolling onto the floor and covering the feet of everyone present, adding a deathly weight to their movements.

And then the Bat stood, and Wes began to understand why everyday homicidal maniacs cowered beneath a single glare.

Danny was, again, the first one to speak, moving a few steps forward, “Batman.”

“Phantom,” the Bat grunted out, unmoving from his spot in the shadows.

“What cult activities?” Phantom inquired, keeping his face neutral and eyes trained on Batman’s face.

The Bat took a moment before answering, “shipments of cult necessities that involved the murder of the workers involved.”

Phantom’s eyes then moved to the shadow around Batman, tracing over it and possibly seeing something no one else could. And then he gave Batman a small smile, posture relaxing. Something he saw in the shadows must have reassured him, to which Wes could confidently say nothing he has ever seen in a shadow would in any way calm him, but to each their own. 

“So he was investigating some murders? Could I see the details on them?” Phantom turned towards Oracle, who looked at the Bat for confirmation.

Now Wes was not very apt at reading social situations, most of the time he couldn’t even tell what he was feeling, much less the other people in the room. However, if he had to make a guess- and this might be a long shot- he would say that every single person in the room was about to shit their pants at the fact that Danny had just turned his back to Batman. Fucking Batman.

Honestly, Wes could hear the aneurysm Jazz was having from besides Sam, whose left eye was twitching.

But then- but then, Batman nodded, gave the okay for Phantom to know the details of the case, and stepped out of the shadows. Obviously something went down between the Ghost King and the Dark Knight, and that was way above Wes’ paygrade, so like any sane person he chose to ignore it, tuning back into what Danny was saying.

“Are you sure the times of death are right?” Danny was looking at several pictures of corpses and accompanying information. 

“We got them directly from the police reports,” Nightwing broke the silence, coming up behind Phantom.

“Hmm,” Danny hummed and squinted, “and the cause of death was a gunshot wound?”

“That’s what they said,” Nightwing shrugged. 

“What are you thinking?” Tuck asked, leaning forwards to look at the photos.”

“Overshadowing?” Sam suggested, the three of them now all combing the photos, looking for something Wes wasn’t yet trained to see.

Danny frowned, “most likely.”

“I’m sorry,” Nightwing interrupted, “but what is ‘overshadowing’?”

“Possession,” Red Robin answered, “right?”

Wes nodded, “that’s what the ghosts call it.”

“And these people,” Oracle gestured to the men on the screen, “where overshadowed?”

“Possibly,” Danny sighed and rubbed his face, “it’d be impossible to tell without seeing the bodies.” 

“We don’t have time for that,” Spoiler said for the first time in a while. Wes glanced over to where her and Black Bat were standing, the latter was leaning over and typing rapidly on a computer.

“Why do you believe these men were ‘overshadowed’?” Robin tutted from Batman's side, the only person in the room standing remotely close to the legend.

“How else could you get thirty odd people to do exactly what you want them to quietly, and then not worry about having to find more?” Danny shook his head, “I’m not entirely sure, but considering all the evidence, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine they are controlling a few ghosts to do your bidding.”

“And this possession,” Spoiler frowned, “would it kill them?”

Ellie huffed, “no, but you could use it to control corpses.”

“Hence the altered time of death,” Red Robin concluded.

“Do we have to worry about being overshadowed?” Nightwing looked towards both Danny and Ellie, his confused face making his domino mask contort.

Danny shook his head, “there's some anti-ghost tech that can prevent it, we brought extra bracelets with us,” he gestured towards Jazz who was holding most of the ghost tech.

“We don’t usually trust other peoples tech without proof,” Spoiler commented as the bracelets were laid out.

“We can demonstrate,” Phantom grinned, and Wes barely refrained from snorting.

Red Robin, who was practically salivating at the sight of the tech, smiled, “please do.”

“Well the idea is pretty simple,” Danny started, “if the tech- in this case a bracelet- is in touch with your skin or something on you skin, it activates,” he waved his hands over a bracelet Sam was holding and a green dome suddenly appeared, stopping Danny from getting any closer. “That means no ghost- not even me- can get through.”

“We all have one built into our suits,” Tuck explained, “but we have to physically activate ours.”

“Otherwise Phantom and Ellie wouldn’t be able to get near us,” Val smirked. To prove a point she pushed a button the the wrist of her suit and Ellie, who was standing close to her was immediately thrown away from her. Ellie let out an offended ‘hey’ and caught herself mid air, “see,” Val added unnecessarily. 

“What does overshadowing look like? How can we tell?” Red Robin asked Danny, examining one of the bracelets.

“We can demonstrate that too,” Phantom turned his grin towards Sam.

She groaned, “can’t Tuck do it?”

“Sorry Sam,” Tuck smiled, not at all sorry, “I’m occupied,” he tapped his finger against the side of his helmet (confirming Wes’ theory on hosting an ancient Egyption Pharaoh in his head).

“Aw come on,” Danny’s grin grew impossibly cockier, “I’m not that bad.”

Sam shot him a deadpan look, “‘not that bad’? How is getting possessed by a god -”

“I am not a god-”

“No, you just rule another dimension-”

“If he’s a god then by proxy I am-”

“-and that does not mean-”

“I think it’s pretty clear-”

Wes rolled his eyes, “guys!” He interrupted the bickering and immediately all of Team Phantom turned towards him, “we have more important things to do. Phantom can demonstrate overshadowing on me.”

Phantom shrugged, “alright, this might feel a little odd.” And with that Wes was falling asleep.

It was like he was suddenly laid down on a soft but cold mattress. He knew nothing other than the fact that he wasn’t conscious. It was almost peaceful, and somewhere in his mind he made the connection that Danny was in control at the moment, but the soft coldness began to spread over his body, cooling him gently.

And then his consciousness came slamming back, his body grew hot and he stumbled, feeling the last jolts of electricity leave his skin.

“You good?” Danny asked.

Wes took a breath and straightened, shaking his head and the remaining odd feeling fell away, “not bad, cold,” he joked and Danny smiled at him.

“Alright, so we’ll wear the bracelets, but what happens if we get to Hood and he’s being overshadowed?” Nightwing picked up a few of the bracelets and looked as though he wanted to juggle them. Wes filed that information for later.

“If you find Red Hood, put a bracelet on him, the activation of it will expel any lingering spirits,” Jazz answered simply.

Black Bat signed something with the word ‘death’ or ‘dead’ and Hood’s name, and Sam answered that question, “while it’s possible his previous death could mean the bracelet may be a little uncomfortable, unless Hood is actually a ghost-”

“Which I can confirm he isn’t,” Danny added.

“-then putting the bracelet on him won’t hurt.”

“You should all also have at least one ghost weapon on you, if you don’t already.” Wes took the bag he had and placed it next to the bracelets.

“For any blunt force objects me and Ellie could make them ghost affective, but for anything electronic, you should probably just grab a ghost gun and call it good,” Phantom shrugged, “I know you have a ‘no gun’ policy, but to humans these would be nothing more than a lazer tag blaster.”

“Observe,” Tuck smiled and shot Sam in the face.

She just gave him an unimpressed look, “you are one of the most annoying people I have ever had the displeasure of knowing.”

Oracle’s eyes scanned each person in the room and then the weapons, nodding to herself. “Okay, I can work with this.”

Nightwing gave them all a proud smile, “she’s our planner.”

“First things first though,” Spoiler clapped her hands, her previously cold demeanor warming up, “if you guys are going out into the field, you’ll need aliases.”

“You mean we get superhero names?!” Tuck sounded so excited it was almost painful.

“Oh don’t act like we don’t all have one already thought of,” Sam rolled her eyes. “I’ll be Nevermore,” she said.

“Edgar Allan Poe, a great author,” Robin commented his approval, obviously fond of the goth girl.

“I’ll be Wraith,” Ellie added, grinning.

“Girl you don’t need a nickname,” Val sighed.

“But I want one,” she responded immediately, crossing her arms.

“I’m Reign,” Jazz cut off the bickering pair, “and I think we all know what Tuck will choose.”

“Pharaoh!” The nerd in question responded immediately, grinning.

“Pharaoh?” Red Robin rose an eyebrow, “is that because-”

“I’m hosting an ancient Egyption Pharaoh in my head? Yes, yes it is.”

Nightwing frowned, “what?”

Sam- or Nevermore shook her head, “you don’t want to know.”

Nightwing looked as though he very much so did want to know, but Spoiler cut him off, “as interesting as I am sure that is, we’re still one name short,” and suddenly all the eyes in the room were on him.

Wes blinked and clammed up, “I-” he swallowed, “I’ve never really thought about it.” Because he hadn’t even considered that Team Phantom would allow him to be near, much less around enough to need to use a cover name.

“Well get to thinking quick basketball boy,” Val laughed, “or we’ll have to think of one for you.”

And that idea was terrifying, because while he trusted these people with his life, there was no way he would thrust this with something like his public moniker. He frowned and thought for a second. He needed a name to represent him, something that made sense. He thought about the suit Danny and Tucker made for him, and then he remembered that each and every suit had a specialty.

Then it came to him, his suit was designed for fire, it was not only fireproof, but also fire making. And maybe it was a little cheesy, and unoriginal, but it just seemed right. “Prometheus,” he settled on, grinning up at Danny, “my suit’s made for fames right? Might as well play on that.”

Then Batman spoke and Wes was immediately reminded that the literal Batman was in the room with them, “now that that’s finished,” he rumbled, “we should focus on the plan.”

“I think I have one,” Oracle smiled, and began to explain.

-=-=-=-

Wes wasn’t quite sure where the plan failed, but smoke was filling the building rapidly, seeping into the rooms and halls, sticking to the ceiling and spilling into the space below it. Wes knew he didn’t have much time before the building collapsed but no one had confirmed that they had located Red Hood, let alone got him out.

The comms were filled with the sounds of fighting and evacuating. There weren’t many civilians in the building, and most of the attackers were overshadowed corpses. Wes ran into a few, beating them and then watching the ghost leave the bodies like gusts of wind. There was something off about the ghosts, like they weren’t fully formed, like they lacked a core. 

Wes tried to clear his mind as he continued to search the basement. He knew he’d have to leave soon, but the idea of potentially leaving behind the Gotham anti-hero left his stomach in knots. Being in the basement meant that he was furthest from the fire that had erupted from the top floor immediately as they breached, but that also meant he would be buried beneath the most rubble in the instance of the warehouse crumbling down.

Wes spotted a door down the hall and carefully approached, watching out for any remaining zombies. The door was locked but made of wood, and Wes quickly kicked it down, thankful for the added force from his suit. It splintered and Wes ran into the dark room.

It was cold and small, and the only thing in it was a form slumped in a chair in the middle. He approached the form and didn’t know whether he should be relieved or worried when the form shifted.

“Come to finish me off finally?” The man spoke in a hoarse voice, never lifting his head.

It was Red Hood, Wes almost laughed in relief, “not your time yet,” he said and got to work cutting through the ropes keeping Hood tied. Wes turned off his comms after sending out the alert that he had Hood.

“Who are you?” He questioned aggressively, tense.

“Don’t worry, we’ve met,” Wes said instead of answering, moving to the ropes around his legs now that his hands were free. He quickly pressed one of the bracelets to Hood’s wrist, confirming he was not hosting any unwanted spirits. 

Hood reached down and started working though the knot on his other leg, but his fingers were clumsy, weak, and Wes tried really hard to ignore the bruises and blood on the man. “That didn’t answer my question.”

Wes cut through the other rope, effectively freeing him from the chair, “I know,” he grunted as he helped pull Hood up. “We met a few days ago at Masters’,” he continued, throwing one of his arms around Hood’s waist and practically carrying him towards the exit.

“You’re that tired redhead,” he grunted out eventually, breath uneven and laybored.

Wes frowned at the state he was in, trying to take in any major injuries. As far as he could tell one or both of Hood’s legs were hurt, one definitely broken, and he was holding his ribs with the arm not wrapped around Wes’ shoulders. “That’s me,” he said conversationally, “I have a superhero name now.”

“Oh, do tell,” his speech was beginning to slur and Wes began to panic, knowing nothing good ever came from letting the injured person fall asleep.

“Prometheus,” he answered, hoisting Red Hood up the stairs, they were almost out of the building and Wes grew more and more desperate as the flames spread and the temperature increased.

Hood huffed, “you the reason the building’s on fire?”

Wes laughed, “no, that was a welcome gift from whoever’s running this show.”

The exit was so close Wes could practically taste it. Hood was getting heavier and heavier by the second and he allowed a dangerous helping of hope made its home in his esophagus. A beam fell from the ceiling, causing the pair to stumble, Hood was taking in heaving breaths and Wes duly noted that he wasn’t wearing his hood and the skin around his face looked like his domino mask been ripped off.

“We’re almost there,” he grunted out, at this point supporting most of the hero’s weight.

“Thanks kid.”

“Not a kid, old man,” he retorted, taking the last few steps towards the door, bursting through them into the fresh air. Red Hood took heaving breaths and Wes silently thanked Danny and Tucker for making his helmet with a respirator in it. “Alright, just a bit further, just gotta keep going.”

Hood chuckled weakly, “got great bedside manner.”

“As if you’d ever allow yourself to be talked to like that.”

“Damn straight.”

Wes dragged the man towards a nearby alleyway, sliding both of them down the wall. He pulled out his med kit and pulled off his helmet, sweaty hair plastered on his forehead. “Sit still, I’m going to wrap a few things.”

Hood groaned and straightened his legs out, favoring the left one, “you’re supposed to leave the helmet on,” he hummed, closing his eyes.

“And you’re not allowed to fall asleep,” Wes placed some gauze on a sluggishly bleeding wound on his forearm.

“Not asleep, just…” Hood sighed, “resting.”

Wes took a bandage and wrapped the hero’s wrist with an odd protruding lump, “past your naptime old man?”

“If you're not a kid, then I’m not an old man,” Hood smiled at him, his dark blue eyes cracking open.

“You literally have gray hair,” Wes joked, trying to keep him awake, aware.

“It’s white, actually.”

“Sure it is, Hood-”

“Jason.”

Wes stopped his wrapping and looked up at the man, brows furrowed. “What?” He croaked out, mouth parted in shock.

“I know your name, Wes Weston,” Hood said tiredly, “figured you should know mine.”

Wes blinked, and frowned, opening and closing his mouth, trying to think of what to say. Eventually he settled on, “doesn’t that go against Batman’s rules?”

Hood- Jason- huffed, “yeah well, he’s not the boss of me.”

Wes just hummed and got back to finishing up Jason’s wrist, “well then, Jason,” the name fit so perfectly to the man in front of him, “this is all I can do for now, how are you feeling?”

“In the wise words of your friend Tucker, ‘absolutely banger dude’.”

Wes joined in Jason’s laughter, the panic of the day wearing off, shedding like a snake skin and falling loosely to the ground. He took a deep breath, “time to face the music,” and then turned his comms back on.

Only a deafening scream sounded from the burning building, telling Wes that the day wasn’t yet over.

~*~*~*~

Danny knew immediately something was wrong when the top floor erupted into flames. He was on the ground level, searching through the vast room, arranged like a maze.

He heard the tone that meant that someone had found Hood, relaxing a little. And then he found a civilian, she was beaten and bruised, her dark hair flattened on her face with blood. “Have a hostage, taking her out,” he said into his comms.

“Go ahead, I’m canvassing the ground floor as well,” Sam answered.

“I also have a female hostage, in pretty bad shape, extracting now,” Red Robin added, then going radio silent.

Danny slowly approached the woman, hands out non-threateningly. “Hey,” she flinched at his voice and cowered back. “Hey,” he spoke again softer, “I’m here to help you.”

She looked up at him and swallowed, “who-” her vice was weak, “who are you?”

“My name is Phantom, and I’m going to get you out of here,” he reassured her. He walked a bit closer and slowly reached out, she flinched again but allowed him to grab her restraints. “This is going to feel a little odd,” he told her and then phased the duck tape off of her wrists.

She rotated her hands and looked up at him tearfully, “thank you.”

Danny grinned, “now let’s get you out of here.”

She gently took his hand, letting him pull her up. She wobbled a little and Danny tried to stabilize her, taking a few more steps forward. 

And immediately Danny knew something was wrong. 

It was like one moment he was fine, then the next he was so fatigued he felt his knees buckle. He took a deep breath, his vision blurring and dimming at the edges. His head filled with cotton, and he lowered himself to the ground. 

The woman stood and glanced at him, a horribly proud smile on her face. “You know,” she started circling him slowly, “for a god,” she came back into view, “you are surprisingly easy to capture.”

“Who-“ he tried but a wave of pain crashed through him, causing him to gasp and fall lower. 

“Now now,” she grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulder, “try not to talk, it’ll only hurt.”

Danny glared at her and she chuckled, “oh I can’t wait to make you my bitch.”

“Fuck you,” he was able to ground out before his lungs contracted. 

That only made her smile more, “feisty little thing,” she caressed his face, “unfortunately your cage isn’t quite ready.” She stood back up and pulled out a spray bottle and a syringe, “I’m sorry about Red Hood, he was so fun to play with, but,” she sighed, “sacrifices must be made. Now,” she aimed the spray bottle right in his face, “try not to scream, you still have friends in the building.”

And then he was burning. His skin was boiling and his lungs were collapsing and he couldn’t see and he wanted to scream. A ghostly wail welled up inside his throat, tearing and clawing its way towards his vocal cords but he swallowed it with the blood that had pulled in his mouth. 

After all, his friends were still in the building. 

He barely registered a small sting of a syringe pricking him and the woman leaned over his tense body- he wasn’t sure when he laid down but at every point his body touched the concrete it burned. 

“I’ll see you soon, Phantom.”

Then he was alone and Danny understood what torture felt like. He had been beaten and bruised, cut, shot, burned, punched, and torn, but only once before had he felt pain like what he was feeling at that moment.

For what felt like hours his skin burned and he kept the scream firmly held in his deflated lungs, every inch of his being was boiling and crying and bleeding as the blood blossom oil seeped into his skin and bones. 

His comms came to life then, the noise almost drowned out by the roaring in his ears. “Phantom status report.” Came Oracle’s calm voice. 

“I swear to Hotep-Ra if you don’t answer-“ Tucker's voice said. 

“Phantom, Hood got out, everyone else evacuated, come in.” Red Robin spoke, a slight waiver to his voice. 

But all Danny could think about was that everyone else was out of the building.

So he screamed, the pain boiling over in a horrid release of tension. 

He screamed and the building came crashing down on him. 

Chapter Text

The scream that echoed from the collapsing building shook Tim down to the bones. It was a horrid wail, guttural and filled with pain. His stomach dropped so far down he was sure he’d have to scrape it off the floor, and his heat spiked with whatever adrenaline his body could muster. 

He had just gotten the civilian he found out of the building when Oracle signaled that most of the wear house was clear. Everyone save Prometheus and Phantom were gathered in the rendezvous point, and Oracle had confirmed Prometheus had Hood and was out of the building administering medical care. 

So that left Danny. 

Tim tried not to think about the fact that less than two weeks ago Danny had had a hole shot through his chest, that maybe he wasn’t as healed as he could be and that maybe he was hurt somewhere in the building, the building that was on fire and collapsing. 

And then there was the scream.

It was like nothing he had ever heard before, loud and high. He covered his ears and tried to stay on his feet as the scream shook the ground with the weight of its horror. The burning wearhouse crumpled as if it was made of cards, piling in stacks of smoking debris. 

The warehouse Danny was still in. 

Thinking back on it, Tim understood that what happened only took a couple of seconds, but in the moment, it stretched for years. 

He remembers vividly that Ellie was the first to recover. She bolted through the wall, flying towards the ruble, a frantic look in her eyes. (This would be the second time she almost lost her big brother that month.)

Next it was Dick, who got up and started attending to the civilians they had extracted. There were only a few, and Tim had no idea why there were living civilians in the first place considering how the organization operated. 

He was the third to stand and regain his thoughts. He took a deep breath and looked around, trying to see where he was needed (if he was needed). 

To his left Sam and Tucker were crouched together, holding on to each other as if they’d disappear if they didn’t. Sam had tears running down her face and Tucker's face was painfully blank, as if he simply couldn’t allow himself to feel anything at the moment. Tim turned away quickly, feeling like an intruder, barley ctaching as Sam muttered brokenly, “I hate that fucking scream.”

In front of him Huntress was at the window that overlooked the now destroyed wearhouse, watching, waiting, hands gripping the seal so tight Tim thought he heard it creak and bend. Her chest was heaving, and while he couldn’t see her face he knew she was wearing a worried expression. 

It was the person to his left that caught his attention. The only other person on this floor of the warehouse was Damian- B had taken the upper floor and had started setting up a watch post almost as soon as they had evacuated, while Cass and Steph left for the Cave a few moments ago, hoping to prep the Med Bay for any injuries and to fill Alfred in. 

And Damian was still crouching, eyes squeezed shut and hands over his ears, mumbling to himself. Tim remembered that Damian was only 13 and it hit him like a freight train. Sometimes he forgot how young his brother was. 

How young they all were. 

He stepped towards Damian, lowering himself down and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Robin,” he murmered, “hey, what’s going on?”

Dami took a breath and didn’t shake Tim’s hand off, which immediately sent warning bells clanging in his head. 

“That was a Pit Scream,” he swallowed his accent thickening like it tended to do when he was feeling off centered. 

Tim frowned, “a what?”

But before Damian could answer Jazz’s voice flooded to comms, calling out for Phantom and Ellie, both of whom weren’t answering. 

How had it all gone so sideways? The plan was simple: they would split into groups and each group would be tasked with a floor. On Oracle’s count they would breech, then search for Jason. Jazz had stayed behind with Babs, keeping an eye on the infrared while Damian stayed out of the building and looked for movement outside (partially because he had excellent vision but mostly because B wanted to keep him out of harm way). 

As far as plans go, that was one of the most tame and easy to understand ones him and his siblings had come up with. How did it go so wrong?

Suddenly his comm crackled to life, static burning into his head, “I have-“ Ellie’s voice sounded, she gasped in pain and panted, “I have Phantom.”

“What’s going on? Are you hurt?” Huntress practically yelled into her comm, so Tim could hear her from his ear piece and from across the floor. 

“I’m,” Ellie took in a sharp breath and let out a small sob. “ Blood blossoms,” was all she was able to get out before she cut herself off with a whimper.

“Me and Hood are on our way,” Wes spoke, voice calm and sure. “Huntress, clear an area for Wraith and Phantom, be prepared to deal with Wriath when she lands. Red Robin,” Tim jumped a little being called on, “you’ll tend to Phantom,” he commanded easily, “I would do it but Hood still needs Medical Attention and I don’t know how long it will take us to get there.”

“Copy,” was all Tim could bring himself to say. 

“Hope you’re prepared to handle some burns,” Prometheus sighed, and a heavy silence blanketed the wearhouse, smothering all other thoughts except for a silent prayer to any god listening that Danny was okay.

He helped Huntress set up a make shift cot and arrange the medical supplies, making sure they had plenty of gauze. He wasn’t sure what ‘blood blossoms’ were, but he knew how to treat a burn. Tim took a grounding breath and as he released it Ellie crashed into the room, carrying Danny in her arms. 

Tim could see angry red burns on her hands in on her chest where Danny was cradled agasint her. She was also crying, her face morphed into a painful grimace. She fell to her knees and sobbed, gently placing Danny on the cot and then collapsing into Huntress’ waiting arms. 

And then Tim saw Danny. 

It was as though someone had poured acid onto his face, the skin on his face and neck was melting away, the liquid seeping onto the muscle down into his bones. Tim could barely stomach the sight of his wet and dissolving flesh, but that was nothing compared to the tension in his body. He looked as though he was trying to stop himself from screaming- then Tim remembered the harrowing scream that shook the Earth and he understood why.

He got to work. 

He watched as Huntress gently poured clean water over Ellie’s burns and he did the same, breathing speeding up when Danny thrashed and a high pitched whimper escaped his deteriorating lips. His hands shook as he tried to clean away all of the seeping oil, as he pat Danny’s face and neck dry, as Danny let out a sob and opened his eyes. 

His eyes-

Tim felt himself shudder at the sight of Danny’s eyes staring unseeingly up at him. They-

His eyes-

And then he smelled it. 

Flowers. 

Danny smelled like flowers. 

Blood blossoms. 

Tim’s hands shook as he carfully wrapped Danny up. Danny had stopped trashing, and his body released its tension with a sob, and his eyes contiuned to bore greyly into Tim’s. 

And Tim shook. His friend- because that’s what they were, right?- lay on a makeshift cot in a condemned wearhouse, covered in soot and gauze, his eyes-

He heard a gasp from next to him and he flinched. Sam had made her way from Tucker to kneel by Danny’s side, reaching out hesitantly.

Danny turned towards her, frowning, “Sam?” His voice wavered, and Tim felt guilty at feeling relieved that he was no longer under Danny’s scrutiny. 

“Sam,” Danny’s voice broke, a small sob escaping his lips, his body trembling, “Sam I can’t-“ he gasped and took in a large gasping breath, “I can’t-“ He could even bring himself to say it, to speak into existence what they all knew. 

His eyes. 

Tim couldn’t stop looking at his once colorful eyes. Couldn’t stop looking at their milky film and knowing- he could stop knowing - 

“Sam,” he reached out towards her, his hand searching for hers, “I can’t see you,” he sobbed, chest heaving and tears flowing freely from his sightless eyes. “I can’t see anything, ” he broke down then, horrid intense sobs wracking his body, clawing their way from his chest. And he cried. 

~*~*~*~

Wes had dragged Hood into the meetup spot as Nightwing was escorting the remaining civilians from the building into waiting ambulances. He had covered Jason’s face the best he could but the paramedics weren’t paying attention to the two vigilantes, more worried about the people on their stretchers. 

But Nightwing saw them and rushed over, looping his arm under Jason’s other shoulder. “Hey baby bird,” he said softly, “how you feelin’?”

Hood scoffed then grimaced, “been better.”

Nightwing hummed, “at least you’re safe now.”

Wes felt a little uncomfortable hearing the gentle affection in Nightwing’s voice. He knew it was none of his business what was being said, between the lines of their conversation, but he could help but to hear it. 

“Mostly thanks to Prometheus here,” Jason nodded towards Wes, who would have rather been shot in the chest than brought to Nightwings attention. 

To his credit, Nightwing took Wes’ awkward silence in stride and didn’t point out the glaringly obvious intrusion he was. It was almost like Wes could believe that the worst of today was over, that everything from here on out would be okay. 

But Wes knew as they approached the doors to the warehouse it was time to face the music. He braced himself for any number of possibilities (Danny wasn't dead, Danny wasn’t dead, Danny wasn’t dead) and helped shoulder Red Hood into the building. 

They were met with the echoing sounds of crying when they entered, and Wes felt his stomach plummet. The three of them paused in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of them. 

There was a loose circle of people around Danny, who was clinging to Sam, hiccuping sobs jerking both of their bodies in tandem. Tucker was kneeling beside them, trying to keep his composure while rubbing circles on Danny’s back. Ellie was being held up by Val, both of them looking grim. Ellie’s hand and chest were covered in angry red burns and that spurred Wes into action. 

He and Nightwing brought Jason forward and Wes helped him to the ground before stepping in between Red Robin (who was staring at Danny with wide, sad eyes) and Robin (who was as stiff as a board and about as emotional as one too). 

“Sam,” Wes spoke, snapping her attention towards him, her make up was running from behind her mask and Wes almost didn’t want to look at Danny’s wounds, see why they both were crying so hard. 

“Wes?” Danny’s broken voice sounded from below him and when Wes glanced down he took in a sharp breath and swallowed. 

“Hey Phantom, mind if I look at your injuries?” God his voice was shaking, and he almost felt like vomiting at the carnage that was once Danny’s face. 

Danny hiccuped and then nodded, allowing Wes to lower him to the makeshift cot. Danny’s hand held onto Wes’s shoulder as if he would float away if he let go. And Wes knew why. Knew why everyone was so quiet. 

He avoided looking at Danny’s face, first tending to his neck and chest, where the white bandages were beginning to stick to the open flesh. They looked clean enough but they wouldn’t hold up for much longer. It also didn’t help that Danny's blood tended to eat through most medical products. 

Then he moved to Danny’s mouth and chin, wincing at the exposed bone and teeth. He figured Danny maybe had 30 minutes before his advanced healing would give out and he’d be left with irreparable damage. He rewrapped his chin and slowly looked up towards Danny’s eyes. 

His once green eyes were almost completely destroyed, tears mixed in with the liquid flesh, pouring down his cheeks, leaving trails of red down his face. Wes knew that the majority of the damage was centered around his mouth, which was where the blood blossoms were exposed to the most, but Danny’s eyes…

“He needs immediate medical attention.” Wes looked up to Ellie who had staggered closer, shaking with the effort of not breaking down. 

She took a breath and looked up from Danny, who had begun to calm down. “Frostbite?”

Wes shook his head, “no ghost would be able to work on him without hurting themselves.”

“So we need a human doctor,” Ellie but her lip and frowned. 

Wes sighed, he knew that Danny had rarely if ever visited a doctor for actual medical emergencies. He knew for a fact that Danny had literally died and proceeded to avoid doctors as if they were flea infested carriers of the Black Death. 

“Agent A,” Robin said suddenly, eyes trained on the carnage of Danny’s face. 

Red Robin nodded, “the Cave is fully equipped for medical assistance and Agent A has been patching us up for years. He’d be able to help.”

A hulking shape dropped from rafters and the already quiet room silenced even further. 

“Hn.” Is all Batman said but Red Robin immediately shot up. 

“B,” he pleaded, “he needs medical help and you and I both know why a hospital is out of the question.”

Batman sighed and pinched his nose, the most amount of emotion Wes had ever witnessed from the man. But before he could say anything else Robin also turned to him, “Father,” he said simply as if that was all that needed to be said. 

For a moment the room grew heavy and Wes glanced from Batman to Robin trying to read their emotionless faces. 

They didn’t have time to reach an agreement because Danny gasped and tightened his grip on Wes’s shoulder. He started coughing, blood hitting Wes’s chest, and he had a horrible feeling his previous estimate of 30 minutes had been too long. 

A white light flickered from Danny’s waist and that only confirmed they needed to go, now, regardless of whether or not Batman was going to trust them enough to help. 

“Bruce,” came a forceful shout from over Wes’s shoulder, and Wes had never before in his life been more glad to have a gang leader in the room with him. Jason was no doubt sending Batman- Bruce? Was his name really Bruce? Like the shark from Nemo or Bruce Wa- Bruce Wayne a death glare and Wes placed all of the information he was gaining into a vault in the recesses of his mind to be dealt with on a later date. 

Batman, Bruce fucking Wayne, stiffened, but Wes could have jumped for joy at what he said next. “The Cave would take too long by foot.”

But Wes had already come up with a plan. That’s what he did, he was the plan guy. 

“Okay,” he pulled everyone’s attention to him and began to speak quickly, “Ellie, how are your portals?”

She winced, “50/50.”

“Well, now they’re 100 percent because you are going to portal us into the zone and then the Batcave. Phantom and you will benefit from the Realm. Red Robin, you’ll carry Phantom,” he ordered but no one interrupted, so he continued, “I’ll help Jason through, he also needs immediate medical attention because I have a feeling he wasn’t being honest about his head injury.” He noticed that all the Bats present stiffed, and spoke before any of them could protest, “I understand your concern about being outnumbered but unless any of you know how to navigate the Infinite Realms and can deal with the two overpowered rulers of said Realm, I’m going to go with them.”

No one argued but Wes could tell that the Bat did not like being commanded one bit. But that was tough shit, because they needed to get moving. Danny began to cough again and this time the white ring around his waist stayed, slowly and erratically moving up his torso. Red Robin (who was probably Tim Drake if Batman was Bruce Wayne and Jason was actually the late Jason Todd) dropped to his knees and gently gathered Danny into his arms, leaning his head in close and tried to sooth him. 

Everyone watched as Red Robin whispered to him, “it’s okay, we’re getting you help, you’re safe, you’re safe,” and the white ring reached Danny’s face, revealing him, “you’re safe Danny, okay? I got you.”

Wes ignored the stunned silence from the Bats and the quiet weeping coming from Sam as he turned to Jason and hauled him up, nodded to Ellie who extracted herself from Val. 

“We’ll meet you at the Cave,” Tucker promised as Ellie frowned and pulled all the power she could muster into her hands, slowly and painfully ripping open time and space just wide enough for them to squeeze through. 

Red Robin and Danny went first, disappearing into the green haze. Wes practically carried Jason through, feeling the usual unease of the Zone settle on him. Ellie followed, the rip snapping shut loudly, echoing in the air around them. 

From behind him Ellie took a deep breath, but Wes could only stare at Danny, cradled in Red Robin's arms, breathing raggedly, bleeding. The Zone swirled around him as if the entire Inbetween was nothing but a cape upon Danny’s shoulders. A layer or ectoplasm formed over his wounds, the thickest part wrapping around his eyes in some sort of blindfold or maybe the mimic of a bandage. A silver crown entrusted with emeralds and sapphires solidified on his head, forming from a fog that dispersed into snowflakes. 

Wes heard a groan from the Realm, snapping him back to the present. He turned to Ellie, glad for the antigravity, making it easier to hold Jason, who was now painting painfully. “You ready?”

Ellie swallowed and nodded, looking at Red Robin, who was staring fixedly at Danny. “I need the location, or an anchor. Something to direct me to the Cave.”

Red Robin snapped his head up and blinked, “what would count as an anchor?”

Ellie frowned, “anything death touched. Preferably by someone I know.”

He matched her frown but it was Jason who answered. “B keeps the suit I died in somewhere in the Cave.” Red Robin winced but didn’t dispute that. Wes wrinkled his nose and Jason huffed out a laugh, ”yeah I don’t like it either.”

Ellie however, seemed relieved, she nodded, “that will work.”

And then she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, and Zone’s green swirls ebbing and flowing around her, and Wes wondered if she knew she too had a silver crown round her head.

In a quick move she sliced through the air, commanding it to open to her, and a portal sparked to life, growing in size until Wes and Jason could easily walk side by side into it. 

She grunted at the power strain and Red Robin started forward, “Agent A should be waiting for us.”

Then they walked through in the same order. 

On the other side was a wide and dark cave, filled with all sorts of paraphernalia and glass cases. A man stood a ways away, looking remarkably fancy and put together. 

“Alfred!” Red Robin cried and Wes watched as he ran over to the waiting man (Doctor? Butler? Lawyer?). Most of the ectoplasm had dispersed but Wes could still see a thin layer over Danny’s eyes. 

Spoiler and Black Bat swung in then, passing Alfred as he took Danny from Red Robin’s arms and rushing him towards the lighter part of the cave. 

“Ellie?” Spoiler kneeled next to the Princess, double checking that she was okay. 

Ellie’s head was hung and she let her transformation wash over her, “I’m alright. I just need, need to-“ and then she fell forward into Spoilers waiting arms. 

A hand touched Wes’s shoulder and he jumped, turning to see Black Bat, nodding towards where Alfred had just disappeared. She got onto Jason’s other side and together they brought him into the light, where a well lit room was waiting for them. 

Wes saw Red Robin go into a door next to the one Black Bat was guiding him, and he assumed that was where they had rushed Danny. He spared a thought to send a prayer to a God he no longer believed in and then focused on helping Jason onto one of the beds in the room. 

He laid him down and helped him swing his legs up. Wes tried to move away before Jason shot a hand out and grabbed onto his wrist. 

He frowned and looked at him, his blue eyes were boring into Wes’ soul, earnest and a bit dazed. “Thank you,” Jason swallowed and then slowly let go of his wrist, relaxing back into bed and breathing heavily. 

Wes blinked and continued to make eye contact with him as he lowered himself into a chair and let himself take a breath. “Anytime.”

They weren’t out of the woods yet and Wes tried not to think about Danny’s chances, but he allowed himself to breathe for the first time all day.

Everything was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

Tucker watched as the portal snapped shut behind Ellie, the echoing clap of time and space righting itself wasn’t a foreign sound to Tuck, but it had been a while since Danny mastered closing portals soundlessly. 

I’m glad these Bat People agreed to help, Hotep-Ra murmured inside his mind. 

Tuck agreed silently, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. At this point, as much as he hated it, it was out of his hands.

Perhaps now Sam will stop crying.

“Hotep,” Tucker hissed, frowning.

Sam took a deep breath and tried to steady herself, her tears drying on her cheeks. Tuck reached a hand out and pulled her up, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as he politely ignored her cleaning her face. He’d seen her cry enough times that he didn’t care much, but he knew she wanted to present herself as put together in front of Batman.

“Is he giving you trouble,” she murmured quietly, voice hoarse.

Tucker rolled his eyes, “always.”

Tell Sam her make-up smeared, Hotep huffed, and Tucker knew that if he was visible he’d be turning his nose up and crossing his arms like a child.

To Sam’s credit she gave him a weak smile, dimmed by her tear stained cheeks and runny nose. And holy fuck, Tuck thought, she deserved to cry. Because Danny, god, Danny was in mortal danger, again, and Tucker wanted to scream and shout and tear the world down. 

Breathe, Tucker, the Pharaoh reminded him, anger is the folly of clear thoughts.

Whatever, toilet-paper sack, Tuck shot back, but calmed himself none the less. As much as he wanted to rage, there were more important things to do. He felt Hotep’s pleased smugness, and rolled his eyes again.

Nightwing clapped, bringing the attention of the room back to him. “Alright, first order of business,” he pointed at Robin, who tsked, “you need to bring the BatMobile to us.”

Rubin huffed and crossed his arms, and Tucker was struck with the similarities between the kid and Hotep. “And why must I be the one to get it?”

“Because,” Nightwing sing-songed, “ someone decided to program my mini-map to play ads every 3 seconds and I doubt B will go and get it.”

Robin smirked smugly at Nightwings misfortune, way too proud to not have anything to do with it. “I suppose if I’m the only competent son, I should do it,” he pulled out his grappling hook and started towards one of the windows.

“Set it to Taxi mode,” Batman told him, his voice never rising but carrying all the same. Robin nodded and shot his grappler out the window. “And Robin,” Batman made him pause, “you will fix Nightwing’s maps when we get to the cave.”

Robin huffed out a disgruntled ‘yes Father’ before swinging out of the warehouse and towards wherever the BatMobile was currently parked.

Children.

Tuck just ignored the pointed comment and turned back to Nightwing who seemed to be assessing the people he was left with. His gaze landed on Tucker after scrutinizing Sam and Val’s despondent faces. “How are you feeling?”

Tuck sighed, “I’ll let you know after we get to the Bat Cave.”

That’s a stupid question, Hotep felt the need to inform Tuck, obviously you’re feeling terrible.

Tuck’s eye twitched, thanks, he taught with enough sarcasm to curdle milk.

“What’s he saying now?” Sam asked, and Tuck could see Nightwing tilt his head in confusion.

“Nothing important,” Tuck shrugged.

Excuse you, everything I say is important!

“Sorry to pry,” Nightwing interrupted, “but who are you two talking about?”

Tuck blinked, “I did tell you guys about Hotep, right?” He tapped his temple in emphasis.

“So like,” Nightwing frowned, “he’s always just… talking?”

“Mhm, he’s the never ending horrible commentary of my life.”

My commentary is amazing, actually.

“And- again, sorry to pry- you just let him stay in your head?” Nightwing looked relatively baffled and Tuck almost felt bad for him.

But before he had time to inform Nightwing of the many reasons why it’s better to keep Hotep somewhere close, Batman spoke up. “The Batmobile is here.”

Tuck looped his arm through Sam’s and started to guide her out. Val fell in step with them, staying silent. Tuck knew that she wasn’t one for physical touch, so walking next to them was her way of showing support.

At least Valerie is showing some decorum, Hotep snarked. Usually Tuck would have immediately jumped to Sam’s defense, but he knew exactly what Hotep was doing. And while usually he’d be thankful for the distraction, right now he couldn’t bring himself to focus on anything but Danny.

“Agent A has confirmed that Phantom and the others are at the cave,” Nightwing told them as they all piled into a surprisingly comfortable BatMobile.

Sam sagged in her seat and Tuck felt Val release a breath form where he was sitting in the middle. Robin was upfront, moving to the passenger side while the Bat lowered himself behind the steering wheel. Nightwing was perched on the center console and didn’t appear to be moving anytime soon.

Robin looked back at them and briefly paused on Sam before informing them, “we will be there promptly.”

And so Tuck took a deep breath and relaxed as much as he could, trying and failing to ignore whatever bullshit Hotep deemed important to comment on.

Hey! Counting the unlabeled knobs in this sorry excuse for a chariot is important.

Tucker blinked and didn’t dignify that with a response.

Nightwing was silent for all of three seconds before he began to ask more questions. “So, about the Pharaoh,” he started and Tuck eternally sighed, “ why does he live in your head?”

Tuck shrugged, “would you rather he be free to roam around?”

“So you’re like, a glorified cage of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh?”

“Yup! His sarcophagus was broken and I was a suitable host so…” Tucker gestured to himself, “here we are.”

Nightwing stared at him for a second and nodded once, “got it. Next question, what’s up with Prometheus?”

“Um,” Tuck paused, “you’re gonna have to be more specific.”

Nightwing nodded in understanding, “why does he have a plan specifically for Phantom going missing and the two of you,” he nodded towards Sam and Tucker, “being taken by the GIW.”

Sam snorted, “he’s just like that.”

Tucker nodded, “he has a plan for everything, I think.”

“Most of the solutions are to call me, though,” Val spoke up for the first time in a while.

“It’s a good plan,” Tuck defended, “even Hotep agrees.”

No I don’t.

“No he doesn’t,” Sam said at the same time.

Tuck paused and turned to her, “I hate the fact that you two are so alike.”

“We are not,” Sam insisted.

Not in the slightest, Hotep agreed.

Tuck’s eye twitched.

“Right,” Nightwing hummed, “what other things does he have plans for.”

Tuck just shrugged, “who knows, probably everything.”

“You should see his conspiracy board,” Sam added.

NIghtwing grew stiff and Robin abruptly turned towards him, “we cannot let Red Robin and Prometheus become friends,” he said with such urgency Tuck was already halfway to agreeing.

Nightwing paled, “oh god.”

“We’re here,” Batman grunted, effectively ending the conversation.

As sure enough the BatMobile came to a stop and everyone stepped out and into the Bat Cave.

The fucking Bat Cave.

If Tucker didn’t have more to worry about, he would have probably would have taken the time to look around and take in all the strange things in front of him. As it was, he caught sight of Wes talking with Red Hood while Black Bat was taking care of Ellie in the next cot.

Danny was nowhere to be seen and a heavy pit settled itself into his stomach.

It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~

Danny woke quickly, panic lacing his veins and causing his hands to shake.

He couldn’t see anything.

Not darkness, not pitch black. Nothing.

His breath sped up and he lifted one of his hands to his face, where what felt like bandages were wrapped around his head. And holy fuck, he could’t see.

He remembered what had happened, the woman with the blood blossom oil, Ellie rescuing him, his eyes, his eyes burned. He had felt a thick liquid flow down his face, melting his cheeks, scorching his skin. 

He- he was- he couldn’t- the world was so- where- where was he? He had heard Red Robin before- before blacking out, and maybe- maybe he remembered the Zone, but- 

“Danny,” a familiar voice spoke from the void that was once the world. He flinched when a hand gently wrapped around his wrist, “Danny, it’s Red Robin,” the hand- Red Robin’s hand- pulled his hand away from his face slowly.

Danny tried to calm down, tried to slow his breathing, tried to stop the panic that was still telling him there was danger. 

“Danny,” Red Robin called again, “I need you to take deep breaths for me, okay.” He was trying - “Breathe in, you can feel yourself breathing in,” the air moved in his lungs harshly, burning, burning- “Breathe out, you can feel yourself breathing out.” Oxygen left his airways, pushing out from his nose. “You’re doing good Danny, breathe in. You can feel yourself breathing in.” And yes, he felt himself breathe in. “Breathe out, you can feel yourself breathing out,” he blew the air slowly from his mouth, centering himself. “Okay Danny, you need to keep breathing. Remember that you can feel yourself breathe, okay?”

Danny tried to nod but his head but pain raced from his temple down to his neck. He took in a sharp breath, grimacing. “Okay,” he croaked instead.

“We didn’t have any painkillers that would work on you,” Red Robin said apologetically, moving his hand from Danny’s wrist.

Danny quickly reached out and tried to grab his hand, suddenly feeling completely lost in the nothing. He wasn’t able to find it, his hand reaching out towards something he couldn’t see only for a hand to grasp his own. “Red Robin-” Danny started, but was cut off.

“Tim.”

Danny frowned, turning his head towards the sound, “what?”

“My name is Tim.”

Danny paused, processing for a moment. And then it clicked. “Drake-Wayne?!”

Red Robin- Timothy Drake-Wayne- chuckled, “the one and only.”

“That means- holy shit, I should have known,” Danny lamented, briefly forgetting his pain and placing his palm on his head.

“Now you know how I felt,” Tim joked, gently squeezing Danny’s fingers.

Danny sighed and lowered his hand from his forehead to the bed he was resting on. “Well is fucking obvious now,” he grumbled.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Tim said and Danny got the impression he was waving his hand through the air as if to dismiss what Danny said, “we take our identities very seriously.”

And then- and then it clicked - “Is Batman Bruce Wayne?!”

Tim laughed at Danny’s shock, another hand wrapping around his forearm, and Danny could almost picture Tim leaning forward, laughing with his shoulders. It hit Danny again, and he reached over to hold onto another part of Tim, to keep himself grounded. “I can’t see anything,” he whispered when Tim’s laughter began to slow, effectively silencing him.

He heard Tim breathe in, probably thinking about what to say. “The blood blossom oil was centered around your eyes,” he reported solemnly. “The rest of your face is already healing but-” Tim swallowed and Danny tightened his grip on his hands, “but we weren’t able to get to your eyes on time.” And the next thing Tim said just confirmed what Danny was fearing. “Agent A wasn’t able to save them.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry Danny,” Tim whispered.

Danny took a shaky breath, taking a moment to gather every horrid feeling he was experiencing and stuffing it away for later. “How long have I been out?”

Tim hesitated and Danny wondered if he’d call him out for compartmentalizing. “About half an hour,” Tim told him. “Jazz arrived a few moments ago. Alfred, Agent A, went out to meet her. We figured she should be the first to know.”

“How’s Ellie?” Danny pivoted the conversation, his need to protect flaring up.

“She’s fine. The portals took a lot out of her, she passed out when she arrived, but she’s awake now,” he added quickly. “Everyone else is here. I think B is letting Hood spill the beans on our identities.”

“I bet Wes already knows.”

“Danny,” Tim said in a tone that he didn’t quite like. “We have to talk about your eyes,” he prodded softly.

Danny swallowed, “okay.”

“Right now your sockets are empty,” his voice was so gentle and still Danny felt like vomiting, “it’s not safe to leave them like that. You’ll need prosthetics.”

Danny fingers clenched, nails digging into Tim’s hands. “Okay,” he sounded choked, like the words had to be forced from his throat.

“Danny,” Tim removed one of his hands from Danny’s, only to press it down on his chest gently. “Danny, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this, alright?”

And what else could Danny do, but believe him?

Chapter Text

Wes watched as his friends piled out of the Batmobile and looked around. Tucker spotted them immediately and gently guided Sam towards him, while Val bee-lined for Ellie’s cot.

Ellie had woken back up about five minutes ago and had almost blasted through the door to where Danny was being worked on by Agent A (Red Robin had called him Alfred) before Wes was able to calm her down. Currently Black Bat (who Wes assumed was Bruce Wayne’s adopted daughter Cassandra) was finishing cleaning the rest of her burns.

“There is no way you actually believe that ‘critic’ is the best word Shakespeare invented,” Jason said, effectively bringing him back to the conversation they were having.

“It’s an important word,” Wes argued. In all honesty he didn’t actually care, but Jason did. Immensely.

“He literally came up with the word ‘jaded’ and you think ‘critic’ is better?”

Wes rolled his eyes, “sure, but how often do you actually use the word jaded?”

“All the time,” Jason insisted like a child, “it’s my favorite word.”

“Jaded is your favorite word? Really?”

Jason sent him a glare, “okay mister judgmental, what’s your favorite word?”

“Horrid,” Wes answered immediately, holding back a grin when Jason just huffed and flipped him off.

“I see you two are getting along,” Nightwing (most likely Dick Grayson) joked, sending Wes a small smile.

Jason flipped him off too.

“Oracle is on her way,” Spoiler called from the front of the med-bay. Wes wasn’t 100% sure who she was, considering all of Bruce’s kids were already accounted for, but he figured he’d find out soon enough. “She’s bringing Reign with her,” she added.

“How far out are they?” Val asked.

Spoiler glanced at the clock, “about five minutes. Maybe a bit longer.”

Val nodded to herself and settled in. Sam turned towards Wes in the silence. “How is he?”

Wes took a breath, “Agent A is still working on him, but Red Robin was out here a little bit ago. He said Danny should be fine.”

Sam swallowed and bit her lip. Tucker placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, mostly for her but Wes could tell it was for himself too.

“Agent A is doing everything he can,” Nightwing spoke gently, sitting in one of the many chairs scattered around. There were so many chairs Wes would have been confused if he didn’t already know they were for this very purpose. He really couldn’t imagine a Bat getting hurt and everyone not sitting with them.

Before anyone else said anything there was a slight chime that echoed throughout the cave, signaling someone was entering. Or, at least, that’s what he assumed considering it had made the same noise just before the Batmobile pulled in.

And sure enough there was a car driving in through the waterfall. Wes looked at the time and was almost surprised to see it had only taken four minutes. Then Jazz stepped out of the driver's seat and he wasn’t all that shocked anymore. She rushed towards them, immediately zeroing in on Ellie.

Ellie looked as if she was about to get up when Jazz frowned, “you lay right back down Ellie Jane Fenton or so help me-” but her threat was lost when she pulled the girl into a fierce hug. “What were you thinking? Going into a collapsed building?”

Ellie, to her credit, just rolled her eyes. “And you wouldn’t have done the same thing?”

“Do as I say, not as I do,” Jazz poked Ellie on the forehead.

Ellie smacked her hand away and looked like she was about to respond when someone cleared their throat. Wes jumped a little and ignored Jason’s amused glance. He turned towards the sound and his chest suddenly constricted, his heartbeat rising. Alfred was standing there, his shirt sleeves uncuffed and rolled up to his elbows. 

“Jasmine?” He asked, already knowing, but imploring all the same.

Jazz jumped up so suddenly it was almost like she teleported. “Danny! How is he?!” She sounded so frantic Wes was briefly convinced they were back at the warehouse watching it collapse. 

Alfred held up his hands in a placating gesture, “he’s stable and in recovery.”

The entire room seemed to release a breath all at once and Jazz slumped into the cot Ellie was in. “How bad was it?” She asked quietly. 

“Most of the damage was to the face, however he had inhaled some of the fumes which caused bleeding in the lungs. Luckily his advanced healing ability cleansed it from them in a timely manner.” Alfred paused and Wes knew he was about to say something no one would like. “His eyes, unfortunately, were not as lucky. The damage to them was extensive, and I removed what remained of them in order to stop the spread of the acid, which had pooled in the recesses.”

Wes felt like vomiting. Holy Fuck, that was- That was horrible . 

He felt something on his arm and looked over to see Jason sitting up, his hand a firm weight. He was comforted, just a bit. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily, stuffing all his feelings (uselessness and horror and anger and sadness) away for later.

“I’m sorry,” Alfred spoke softly.

Jazz shook her head, letting her tears fall freely, “you did everything you could. Thank you,” she said with such ernesty Wes was sure she held no anger towards him.

Alfred nodded in acknowledgement, “when he wakes I’m sure he’d like to know you’re here.”

“For now, we have something important to discuss,” Batman said, materializing from the shadows.

“Identities,” Wes guessed and the Dark Knight simply nodded. “I think I’ve figured most of them out anyway.”

“How?” Nightwing frowned, a little baffled.

Wes shrugged and was so fucking thankful for the distraction. “It only took two names.”

“Really?” Tucker questioned. “Wait, whose names?”

“Bruce,” Wes pointed at Batman who remained stoic, “and Jason,” he jabbed a thumb towards Hood.

“You figured it out from that?” Spoiler was rightfully confused, most people didn’t actually connect the name Jason to Bruce Wayne considering he had died half a decade ago.

Wes just shrugged again but before he could elaborate Val gasped. “No,” she said emphatically, her hands going towards her forehead. “No,” she insisted again, turning towards Batman. “ No, please,” and Wes almost laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Sorry Val,” Wes said, confirming that yes, her boss, playboy philanthropist Bruce Wayne, was indeed the scourge of the Gotham crime world, Batman.

“Oh my god,” she sounded like she wanted to cry.

“Wait,” Sam spoke up suddenly, turning to Black Bat (for some reason) and gazing at her wide eyed. She signed something rapidly and Cass signed back.

Tuck frowned, “I’m still lost.”

“Yeah,” Ellie agreed, “me too.” 

Jason rolled his eyes and sat up a little further. “He’s fucking Bruce Wayne,” he gestured tiredly at the man in question, sounding tired and grumpy. 

Ellie blinked and then looked at Batman, “oh.” She shrugged and seemed overall unperturbed.

“Oh my god,” Tucker groaned, “really?”

“Really,” Nightwing confirmed. 

Tuck sighed and sat down, “I can’t believe this.”

Wes snickered, “you gonna be okay?”

“No,” Tuck whined, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t think I'll ever recover.”

“Is it that big of a shock?” Spoiler asked, taking off her mask. (Wes still had no idea who she was.)

“No,” Tucker sighed, “but I owe Danny so much money.”

NIghtwing, in true Nightwing fashion, frowned and asked, “why?”

Wes rolled his eyes and tuned out the conversion. He turned towards Jason who looked to be fading fast. “I still don’t know who Spoiler is,” he whispered, hoping to keep him awake just a little bit longer, “or Oracle.”

“Spoiler is Stephanie Brown, one of the ex-robins,” Jason whispered back, “and Oracle is Barbra Gordan, previously Bat-Girl.”

Wes blinked, “does the Commissioner know his daughter has been hanging out with Batman for a decade?”

“I believe he is willfully ignorant,” Jason shrugged. 

Wes nodded, “probably for the best.”

Jason let out a low chuckle, “probably,” he agreed. His eyes were sagging and Wes really wished someone would clear him for sleep.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Wes poked his side, making him flinch.

Jason groaned and tried to squirm away from Wes, “I’ll shoot you if you do that again.”

Wes jabbed his finger back into his side, “please do, I need a nap.”

“One helluva nap,” he muttered, but seemed to be putting more effort into staying awake.

“Don’t worry old man,” Wes bumped their shoulders together, “you’ll get your nap soon.”

Jason shoved him lightly, letting their shoulders rest against each other, “I’m not an old man, kid.”

“I’ll be 19 in a few months,” Wes defended.

“Aren’t you in high school?” Jason probed.

“I was held back in Elementary School.”

“Dumbass.”

“Hey,” Wes glared, “It’s not my fault my teachers didn’t know how to accommodate my dyslexia.”

“Dumbass,” Jason reiterated.

Wes rolled his eyes, “do you even remember my name?”

“What? Of course,” Jason answered, waving his hands through the air as if to dismiss Wes’ question.

“Then use it,” he challenged.

“Why should I?” Jason shot back.

Wes narrowed his eyes, “you totally don’t remember my name.”

Jason seemed to be holding back a smile, “maybe you just don’t have name privileges.”

“Oh yes, of course, my bad,” Wes deadpanned, figuring if Jason really forgot he didn’t deserve to know Wes’ name anyway. (Though it was unlikely that someone raised by Batman forgot his name.)

“You just gotta do something deserving of my care.”

“Saving your life isn’t enough?” Wes joked, elbowing him (gently) in the ribs.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason lied like the lying liar he was.

“Oh, well, in that case,” Wes started to stand, when he was pulled back down.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jason said as Wes landed rather dramatically in his chair, “with a name like Prometheus I am not letting you wander around alone.”

“I won’t set anything on fire,” Jason gave Wes a look, “probably,” he added on.

Jason was about to retort when Red Robin came into the room, and that thing- the thing- Wes had been trying to ignore returned full force. He really didn’t want to think about Danny right now. It seemed so selfish, but he wasn’t sure he could handle the fact that Danny- stupid, idiotically brave Danny- was hurt. Again. So he really, really didn’t want to think about him or his eyes or blood blossoms or the fact that Red Robin (Tim Drake) was telling them that Danny was awake and so he probably knew - knew that his eyes were gone-

“Hey,” Jason called softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “it’s gonna be okay.” Wes just frowned and bit the inside of his cheek. Jason lightly shoved his shoulders, “you should go see him.”

Wes only hesitated a second more before standing and joining his friends as they hurriedly made their way towards where Danny was.

~*~*~*~

Sam was… not okay.

Was she better than four years ago when Danny died? Yes. 

She was still not okay.

Danny was laying in bed, his head wrapped in bandages, obviously trying not to panic. His chest was stuttering up and down, jaw clenched in a way she knew must be painful. 

It was a bit odd to see Danny laying in a hospital bed. Not to say he hadn’t had numerous life threatening injuries, but the fact of the matter was that Danny had not been to the doctors since before he died. She tried to ignore the panic that seized her throat, threatening to choke her, but Danny was in a hospital bed and that made it all more real.

Without further thought she dropped herself into the chair next to him, reaching a tentative hand out. “Danny…” she trailed off, voice breaking.

“Sam?” God he sounded so tired, so lost .

“Danny!” Ellie practically screeched, launching herself at his chest.

He let out a muffled ‘oof’ but wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. “Hey Elle Bell,” he said softly, burying his face in her hair.

Jazz approached the pair, sniffling, “Danny,” she reached out her hand and lightly grabbed one of his arms that was still holding Ellie.

“Hey Jazz,” he smiled weakly but didn’t lift his hand. “Is everyone in here?”

“Everyone from Amity,” she answered, she didn’t move from where she was standing, continuing to watch over her siblings from above.

“We’re all here Danny,” Tuck murmured, coming up next to Sam, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Sam grabbed both Tucker's hand and Danny’s arm at the same time, her nails slightly digging into both of their skin, “we’re right here.” Tucker slowly reached out and rested his hand next to hers.

Val walked forward and laid a hand on Danny’s leg, “me and Wes are here too.”

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Wes told him, coping Vals move and gently placing his hand on Danny’s other leg.

All of them were touching him, confirming their presence. Danny relaxed minutely, taking a deep breath. “Is everyone okay?” He asked after a moment.

Sam almost laughed. Leave it to Danny to worry about them when he literally just lost his eyes. It was so absurd and baffling and so Danny Sam also almost cried. Again.

“We’re all fine,” Tuck reassured, his grip on Danny's forearm tightening comfortingly. “Everyone got out reasonably okay.”

“Ellie had some burns,” Sam could feel the way Danny tensed when Jazz continued, “but they were treated.”

“And I’m fine now!” The girl insisted, not moving from her spot curled up on Danny’s chest. Sam was sure it was uncomfortable for both of them, but neither moved.

Danny let out a harsh breath from his nose, sighing. “And Red Hood?”

“Has a head injury and a broken leg, possibly some hurt ribs, but alive,” Wes responded, and Sam wondered if she was the only one who caught the way Wes seemed a little too concerned for the crime lord.

Danny nodded, “good. I’m glad you were able to get him out.”

Wes smiled, “you and me both.”

Well, maybe Danny had noticed it too, Sam thought. Not that it mattered, considering Danny just had his eye removed but there was definitely something there.

The room settled into silence. The quiet wasn’t uneasy, but it wasn’t calming either. There was an elephant in the room and it was blind and purposefully burying its face into its little sister's hair. But Sam found herself unwilling to break the silence. Because then they’d have to talk about it, and have to plan a course of action. Make Danny relive what happened. She knew it was important to try and gather as much information as possible, and maybe she was a bit of a coward, but she really didn’t want Danny to have to face the music. Not yet.

In the end it was Danny that spoke up first, after five minutes (preciously short minutes) of just soaking in their contact, Danny sighed and leaned back, bringing Ellie with him as he laid back down. One arm was wrapped around her firmly, but the other- the one Sam and Tuck were holding- he let fall to his side.

“We need to talk shop,” he said quietly, and the words cut through the room like a bullet. “Someone needs to go back to Amity and protect it.”

Sam bowed her head and sighed, then looked up at Tucker, matching looks of determination on their faces. “Me and Sam can do that,” Tuck told him. 

Danny nodded, “and Jazz-”

“I’m not leaving you,” she interrupted, voice stern but face crestfallen.

“You have to,” he told her firmly. “It’d be too suspicious if you don’t get back to Chicago soon.”

Jazz shut her eyes and her shoulders dropped. “I know,” she admitted softly, reluctantly.

“You have to live like nothing's changed. You need to keep our parents and the GIW off my back.” Danny sounded so resigned Sam wanted to personally skin every single GIW son of a bitch out there and hand their corpses from the trees as Halloween decorations. 

“I don’t want to leave you,” she amended her first statement.

“He won’t be alone,” Val said suddenly, her voice filled with conviction. “I’ll be here.”

“And me,” Ellie said, giving Jazz a small broken smile.

“I’m also staying,” Wes said, “I can help out with the Bats investigation and no one really connects me to Danny anyway.”

“Wes,” Danny sighed.

“Sorry ghost boy,” Wes shrugged even though Danny couldn’t see it, “I already told my dad I was gonna be out of town for a while.”

“And he’s okay with that?” Danny asked, baffled.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Wes supplied and then didn’t elaborate.

Sam could see Danny wanted to argue, “let him help,” she implored. “He knows basically everything we do.”

“And he’s the plan guy,” Tuck offered.

Sam nodded. “Yeah, he’s the plan guy. Me and Tuck can take care of Amity just fine. Let him help out the Bats here.”

Danny bit the inside of his cheek, but Sam knew he wouldn’t say no. Out of everyone Wes was the best choice to stay behind because he was right: no one connected Danny and Wes. Sure they were friends, but Wes had this bad habit of pretending they weren’t and leaving him alone in public.

Danny frowned but relented, “fine.”

Wes smiled at the victory, “all according to plan,” he joked.

And it was so absurd, the joke and the situation and everything, so Sam laughed. Sam laughed with everyone else, the tension settling into something bearable because of Wes’ stupid joke because he was the plan guy . 

Sam knew Danny wasn’t okay. She knew that he was hurting and scared and blind but he wasn’t fully dead. She just had to trust that Wes and Red Robin could take care of Danny for her.

Chapter Text

Tim watched as Danny said goodbye to his best friends and couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. The familiar way Sam rested her hand on his shoulder and how Tucker easily pulled the first smile Tim had seen out of Danny since he was buried beneath the rubble made Tim feel like he was nothing but a footnote in their lives.

And maybe he was. Maybe all of this would come to an end and Danny would move on with his friends and family, slowly forgetting the tired vigilante he saved once upon a time. The vigilante who would never be able to forget the way he laughed and bantered and saved millions of people. Who put himself in harm's way for people he didn’t know, who seemed to be genuine and kind and had suffered more than anybody that wonderful should have to.

And yeah, maybe Tim was being over dramatic, just a bit, but he hadn’t slept since before Jason was taken and Alfred had cut him off from his coffee thirty minutes ago. Steph had always said his sleep deprived ramblings could put Shakespeare to shame- well, maybe not the Shakespeare, probably more of the online ‘I believe I’m the next Shakepeare’ types, but the sentiment was the same.

“You look like you need a nap,” speak of the devil and she shall appear.

“I’m fine Steph,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Cass materialized next to him and frowned. ‘You haven’t slept in three days,’ she informed him as if he didn’t know.

Tim rolled his eyes, “I’m fine,” he reiterated, swaying a bit.

Steph snorted, “and I’m the Queen of England.”

‘May she rest in peace,’ Cass signed solemnly.

“Tim,” Steph said, becoming serious, “you gotta sleep. I know,” she cut him off before he could rebut her, “I know it's been a stressful day, but you can’t keep running on coffee. We need you in top shape. Danny needs you in top shape.”

“Low blow Brown,” Tim crossed his arms and frowned, “low blow.”

‘Also B has been acting shady recently. You’ll need sleep before we have to deal with what he has been doing.’ TIm hated when Cass was right (which was pretty much all the time but the point still stood).

“We’ll watch over Danny,” god they were tag-teaming him, “you go to sleep before Bruce announces he adopted another kid or something.”

Tim glared at her, “don’t fucking jinx it, I swear to god- ”

Steph shoved him towards Danny as Sam and Tucker walked off towards Dick, who apparently had volunteered to drive them to New York, because it was decided that they should go through another airport than Jazz to avoid suspicion. “Go say goodnight to your boyfriend and go to bed.”

Tim rolled his eyes. Danny wasn’t his boyfriend, thank you very much. But he did want to say goodnight before Cass tranquilized him and dragged him off to bed again.

“Hey Danny,” Tim said softly (much softer than he would have used for anyone else). He gently laid a hand on Danny’s arm and squeezed lightly, “I’m gonna head to bed. Steph and Cass are still down here, and Alfred will check on you periodically.”

Danny turned his head towards Tim’s voice, “okay, as long as you get some rest.”

Tim groaned dramatically, “not you too,” he whined.

“You literally smell tired-”

“That makes no sense-”

“But it’s true,” Danny insisted.

“How can someone smell tired?” Tim laughed lightly, baffled.

Danny shrugged and smiled at Tim’s general direction- which made Tim’s heart flutter that bastard - “You just do.”

Tim shoved his shoulder lightly, “you’re crazy.”

“A little,” Danny agreed, “all the best people are.”

“Oh don’t quote Alice in Wonderland at me you motherfucker-”

“Someone mentioned Alice in Wonderland?” Jason interrupted, noisily dragging a chair into the med-bay.

Tim sighed, what a blunder, talking about one of Jason’s favorite books within earshot of the man. “I was telling Tim that I was insane,” Danny said, opening a can of worms he now had to lay in.

“All the best people are,” Jason agreed sagely.

Tim dramatically slapped his knees like a southern uncle who had been trying to leave the family dinner for the past half hour, “that’s my cue to leave.”

“Fuck off, Timberlina,” Jason spat lovingly.

Danny smiled at him again, “night, Tim.”

“Goodnight Danny,” he didn’t even bother to respond to Jason. Instead he turned around, ready to leave, when he saw something he never, ever wanted to see.

Bruce had entered the cave, bringing with him a young man, maybe 17 years old, looking lost and alone and curious.

And most definitely a new adoptee. 

Steph gasped, “I jinxed it,” and the cave when silent.

“Everyone,” Bruce started, ignoring the fact that Dick and Damian weren’t there and Danny definitely could not tell what was happening, “this is Duke Thomas.”

Tim buried his face in his hands and screamed. He looked up, suddenly feeling like he aged seven years and sighed. “I’m going to bed,” he informed the cave and walked off.

Absolutely fuck Steph for speaking it into existance.

~*~*~*~

When Bruce Wayne had walked into his parents hospital room, Duke immediately knew his life was going to change. Besides the fact that Wayne had a habit of adopting kids, and besides the fact they were in a Wayne funded hospital using Wayne funded medical treatments, besides the fact he knew eventually he’d have to go somewhere other than his parents room. He knew because Bruce Wayne’s aura was unmistakably Batman’s aura. The inky black and purple swirling into lighter and lighter shades of blue as it flowed down his shoulders and dispersed on the ground was familiar.

Because it was the aura he saw the night his parents were attacked. The night his life burned down around him. The night his mother’s aura stopped moving and his father’s turned gray. You don’t really forget something like that.

So he and Mr. Wayne ( “Call me Bruce, chum.” ) had a long talk after Duke learned he was in fact Batman. A talk that ended in an agreement that in a week’s time Bruce would pick him up from the hospital and take him to his new life at Wayne Manor- and also the Batcave which Duke was freaking out about, just a little.

So a week later Duke Thomas found himself entering Wayne Manor, greeted by Alfred Pennyworth, whose haze of orange was shimmering gold in regular intervals. 

“Ah, Master Bruce, I was wondering where you had gone,” he said, managing to sound both polite and completely done with Bruce’s shit.

“Alfred,” Bruce greeted, “this is Duke Thomas, he’s going to be staying for a while.”

“Very good sir,” Mr. Pennyworth sighed. “Welcome to Wayne Manor, Master Duke,” he said, a touch more warmly.

“Thank you Mr. Pennyworth,” Duke said, slightly embarrassed as he took their coats. Fucking rich people.

“Just Alfred, if you will.”

Duke nodded, “Alfred,” he agreed and managed to get a smile out of the man.

“Is everyone still in the Cave?” Bruce asked the butler as they made their way further into the grandest hall Duke had ever seen.

Alfred briefly raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Bat Cave - the Bat Cave- and Duke wondered if he was really all that shocked that Bruce had apparently gained another child who knew about his nightly activities . “Master Damian is taking care of his animals outside and I believe Master Dick just left with Mister Foley and Miss Manson a little under five minutes ago. Mister Weston left with Miss Grey and the younger Miss Fenton to see the older Miss Fenton off to the Airport for her flight.”

Duke tried to remember all the names and what was going on, but he got lost somewhere around the name Weston. Bruce however took it in stride. “So Cass, Steph, Tim, Jason, and Danny are all downstairs.” Their walking had led them into a large library filled with enough books that Duke was sure he’d never be able to read all of them. 

“Indeed,” Alfred said as Bruce walked up to an old Grandfather clock and moved the hands on it. A click sounded throughout the room and the wall opened like a cheesy mystery novel and Duke almost wanted to laugh because of course the entrance to the Bat Cave was behind a fake wall. “Though I do believe that Master Tim is being bullied into resting.”

“Thanks Alfred, I’ll be up for dinner,” and then he stepped into the elevator that was behind the fake wall and waved Duke in with him.

And yeah, Batman was Bruce Wayne, but holy shit this was the coolest thing Duke had ever done. He was in a hidden elevator going down to the Bat Cave to meet some of the coolest vigilantes he could think of. He doubted anything ever would top this. Probably not even the birth of his own kids.

The elevator came to a smooth stop and opened up into a cavernous area. Stalactites hung from the ceiling (or was that stalagmites?) and various odd things were displayed around the room, including a t-rex and a large penny (for some reason). Several eyes turned towards him and someone gasped. The blonde girl who was standing at a large computer looked positively devastated and whispered, “I jinxed it,” as everyone went quiet.

Duke looked around, the blonde girl next to the computer was closest, and another girl with black hair hovered by her side. Three guys were in what looked like a med bay, one had bandages on his face, another was sitting down with an irritated look, and the last one Duke actually recognized.

Tim Drake had on the blankest face Duke had ever had the pleasure of seeing. His liquidy caramel colored aura looked dull and the waves of reds and blacks seemed to be tugging along sluggishly, like he was totally exhausted and his very being was reflecting it. An inkling of a thought sprang up in his mind that maybe Bruce hadn’t told his kids that he was bringing another home.

Bruce shifted and introduced him. “Everyone, this is Duke Thomas.”

Before Duke could so much as say ‘hi’ Tim Drake screamed into his hands for a second and then looked up and promptly announced, “I’m going to bed.”

Which, first of all, rude, second of all, understandable. He left the Cave before anyone could say anything else, and the silence grew a touch more tense. Bruce sighed, “sorry about him, he’s been really stressed recently,” he apologized on behalf of his son (ward maybe?).

“Bruce,” the scary man sitting next to the-

“Oh Jesus Christ!” Duke yelled when he finally got a good look at the man in the hospital bed. He flinched back at all the light pouring out of him like he was some sort of off brand night light. “Who that fuck are you?” He asked, and then back peddled, “sorry, that was rude, but why are you so fucking bright?” He squinted at the oppressive aura, trying to catch sight of literally anything else inside his light.

“Is he talking about me?” The man (god) asked, tilting his head.

“Uh,” the blonde girl stuttered, “I think so.”

“He’d squinting at you like you’re the fuckin’ sun or something,” the scary man said.

Duke flushed, opening his mouth to apologize when the light went away suddenly, leaving behind a small green orb pulsing in the man's chest. “Sorry about that,” he said, his bandaged face turned towards Duke, “I forget some people can see that.”

Duke blinked and swallowed, “it’s okay.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Scary Man growled, sending Duke a very frightening glare.

“He’s an aura reader,” the man (actually he looked maybe a few years older than Duke at most), “right?”

Duke cleared his throat, “yeah. Uh, yes. I can. Read auras that is.” Wow he absolutely sucked . 

The man just nodded, “a couple of my ghost friends can too.”

“Ghosts tend to be able to see more than most people,” Duke agreed, remembering the ghost he had met a couple months ago that had talked auras with him for a while before continuing on.

The man gave him a small smile, “I’m Danny, by the way. And I’ll try to keep my eldritch abomination soul under control,” he joked.

Duke laughed lightly, “thanks. I’m Duke,” he introduced himself.

“Bruce,” the scary man said again, bearing his teeth. “What the fuck is going on.” His aura was more like a dark red cape that pooled at his feet in a dark purple puddle, spreading across the ground slowly. Duke couldn’t help but feel like the red was very blood like and the purple reminiscent of a black eye.

Bruce just sighed, “Duke is going to be staying at the Manor for a while.”

The blonde girl rolled her eyes, but threw an arm over his shoulders, “welcome to the family,” she smiled, “I’m Steph.”

Duke took in the could of gold that pulsed around her with blue polka dots and returned her smile, “nice to meet you.”

“Steph,” Bruce sighed.

“What? Even if you don’t adopt him, it’s not like he can be introduced to all of this ,” she waved her hand around the cave, “and then leave . I mean, look at me.”

The black haired girl appeared on his other side, making him jump. She waved and signed a name he was pretty sure was ‘Cass’. He waved back and fumbled through an introduction, his own hands clumsy. He copied her name sign and she nodded approvingly.

“Cass isn’t deaf, so you can just talk to her if it’s easier,” Steph said gently.

“Oh,” Duke blinked, “okay.” He just shrugged and decided to touch up on his sign anyway, just in case.

“Dinner should be done soon,” Bruce said, cutting through the conversation and grabbing everyone’s attention. 

“I’ll be staying down here,” Scary Man said, crossing his arms. Before anyone could protest he defended, “Danny’s stuck down here and I really don’t wanna deal with all the fucking chatter.”

Bruce apparently decided it wasn’t worth the fight and just turned and left, leaving Duke with Cass and Steph, who shared a look. “Come on,” Steph said, practically dragging Duke with her, “let’s go see everyone else’s reaction to Bruce’s newest escapade. Danny,” she turned towards him as they piled into the elevator, “make sure Jason doesn't fall asleep, he’s still a medical concern.”

Danny just saluted to acknowledge he had heard and the elevator doors shut with some sort of finality Duke couldn’t grasp.

“Now,” Steph clapped once, smiling predatorily at him, “you said you could see auras?”

~*~*~*~

The flight back to Amity was uneventful and oh so nerve wracking. Tuck couldn’t help but feel like they were being followed even though he knew the GIW would be easy to stop in their pristine white suites. But with everything that had happened recently, he figured it was better to be cautious than dead.

Sam placed a hand on his knee, “ stop fidgeting, you’re annoying the woman in front of us, ” she told him in Esperanto.

“ Sorry, just nervous,” he told her with a sigh.

She rolled her eyes, “ me too. But we can’t let it affect us. We need to get to Amity and assess the situation.”

“ Do you think the GIW was behind Hood’s disappearance?”

“ I don’t know,” Sam admitted, her brow furrowing, “ what I do know though,” she said with a small smile, “ is that whoever messed with him better hope Wes doesn't’ find them first.”

Tuck fornwed, “ what are you talking about?”

Sam just smiled condescendingly at him and pat his head, effectively cutting off the conversion and turning back to her movie.

Tuck worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he reviewed everything from the past few days. First and foremost, someone was forcing ghosts to overshadow corpses in order to get shipments of something , they had captured Red Hood, hurt Danny with blood blossoms as if they knew he’d come for Hood, and left him for dead in the rubble. Somehow the GIW had gotten better tech even though he and Technus launch weekly cyber attacks against them to stop that very thing from happening. Also Ember had been Silenced for some reason that Tuck still couldn’t puzzle together. 

It was like all the pieces were in front of him but he didn’t have the picture to put it together. He could guess but none of it made much sense. Then there was the Joker and Anthrax mishap that luckily Danny had been able to take care of because of the Spore incident last summer-

The Spore incident they solved after the GIW missed up. After which the GIW would know that Phantom could deal with air pathogens, such as Anthrax. And the abnormally quick response time to Gotham as if the GIW knew that something was going to happen.

Oh fuck , Hotep cussed, coming to the same conclusion Tuck had.

Someone in Gotham was feeding the GIW information about Phantom. The same person who knew Danny would rescue Red Hood and lied in wait with blood blossom oil. 

Something big was going on, something that ran deeper than Tuck thought. He looked around the plane and vowed to call Wes as soon as they landed to get his thoughts on the situation.

No that he got the chance, considering Jack Fenton was waiting for them at the airport, looking nervous and alone.

“Hey kiddos,” he said, fidgeting like he was hiding something, “I hope your trip to New York was fun.” Tuck felt his stomach drop but forced himself to calm down. There was no way Jack knew what was going on, he was probably the dumbest smart guy he knew. “The GAV is just down the road,” he waved them after him, looking around cautiously.

“Oh, there’s no need, Dr. Fenton-” Sam started but was cut off when Jack turned to her.

“Please,” he said quietly, “I just want to know if he’s okay.”

Tuck blinked and finally noticed the bags under the man's eyes and the fact that for the first time ever, Jack Fenton was not in his hazmat suit.

“Well, if you’re offering a ride,” Tuck said with a wide put on smile, “we’ll tell you all about New York. Did you know the Statue of Liberty wasn’t always blue?” He began to ramble useless facts about NYC while Sam followed his lead.

Something was going on and Jack Fenton knew definitely something.

Chapter Text

Dinner with the Waynes was an… interesting affair. Duke was dragged into a seat between Steph (who was Spoiler holy shit ) and Cass (THE Black Bat) , directly across the scowling face of Damian Wayne.

“Father,” he hissed, “what is the meaning of this?”

Bruce sighed, “I’ll explain when everyone settles in.”

“Master Dick and our other guests from Amity Park should be here shortly,” Alfred informed the group as he brought in a tray of glasses and several pitchers. 

Duke gave the boy a hesitant smile as Alfred placed the drinks down and left to the kitchen again, “I’m Duke.”

“Tt.” Was all the kid said.

“Aw come on, Demon Brat, that’s no way to treat the newest member of the family,” Steph teased. She turned towards him and stage whispered, “I bet his aura is piss yellow.”

Damian’s head shot up with a glare, “elaborate Brown,” his hand twitched towards his sleeve, “now.”

Cass signed ‘He’s an aura reader’, or at least, Duke was pretty sure what she signed, he didn’t actually know what the sign for ‘aura’ was.

“Tt,” Damian dismissed, “there is no such thing. Anyone who claims to read auras is nothing but a lowly conman.”

Duke couldn’t let that stand. He loudly whispered back to Steph, “there is yellow in his aura,” he informed her. And it wasn’t even a lie! Damian’s aura was a wall of green and yellow, faint traces of blue shimmered through it every now and again, like a sci-fi forcefield. 

Steph cackled and Damian looked ready to murder her when the dining room door opened and a group walked through. There were a handful of teenagers and a man who most likely was a Wayne considering he had the patent black hair and blue eyes. The teenagers were seemed normal enough- FUCK! That was another fucking bright ass god. Duke flinched and shielded his eyes, feeling them water. This aura wasn’t as bright as Danny’s had been, but it was pretty damn close. “Oh, um,” a man said, “I didn’t know we had company.”

“Dick, this is Duke Thomas. He’s going to be staying with us for a while,” Bruce said, not that Duke was paying much attention, he was blinking spots out of his vision, trying very hard not to look back at whatever being was at the door. 

“Hey Ellie, he’s an aura reader, could you turn down your whole,” Steph paused, presumably to gesture at this Ellie person, “thing.”

“Oh!” A younger voice said, “yeah, of course,” she agreed. “Sorry about that.”

He looked back and sighed in relief at the now normally bright aura. “It’s okay, you didn’t know.”

The girl grinned, sticking her hand out, “I’m Ellie,” she said proudly.

He smiled back, shaking her hand, “Duke. You look just like Danny, are you siblings?” Even her now manageable aura was similar, an ice blue orb of light centered around her chest that had waves of fog coming off.

“I’m an upgraded version,” she grinned as everyone settled down at the table. 

The man who Duke now recognized as Richard Grayson sat besides Damian and Bruce, and Ellie pulled a well put together girl down next to her. A tired red head slumped into a seat at the far end, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. “You’ve met Danny?” Richard asked innocently.

Duke just shrugged, “and Tim, but he went to bed earlier.”

Richard blinked, “really?” He sounded baffled, which really said something about Tim’s sleeping habits if his older brother was shocked to learn he had voluntarily gone to sleep.

“Yeah, he saw me, screamed, and then headed to bed.”

“Ah,” Richard nodded as if that made sense, “either way, it’s good that he rests. I’m Dick, by the way,”

“Nice to meet you,” Duke smiled politely, noting the light blue cloud that hovered around his head that streams of yellow passed through at times. He was, quite literally, a ray of sunshine. Though Duke did want to note that as the cloud got further out, the darker it got. There was more to him than meets the eye.

“I’m Val,” the woman next to Ellie said with a smile, “and the sleep deprived disaster of a human being next to me is Wes,” she gestured at the red head who saluted in response.

Duke looked between Val and Ellie as Val’s golden fog rolled up her body slightly blending with girls’ (ancient being of untold power) beside her. Okay, there was definitely something there. But before he could ask Alfred came in with several plates of food balanced professionally on his arms. Introductions came to a halt as he set plates in front of everyone.

“I do hope the Chicken Alfredo is alright with you, Master Duke,” said the butler, “but I do have vegan and vegetarian options should you wish for it.”

“Oh, uh, no! This is fine! Thank you,” he stuttered, feeling slightly embarrassed being served.

Alfred nodded and paused just before returning to the kitchen. “Do you have any food allergies I should be made aware of?” 

Duke blinked, “just coconut,” he told him. The man nodded and retreated.

“You’re allergic to coconut?” Ellie asked, digging into her own plate of Chicken Alfredo.

Duke nodded, “yeah. Not like, bad-bad allergic, but it makes me vomit and gives me headaches.”

“Oof,” Val said knowingly.

Duke nodded, thinking about all the time his mom had helped him with his hair before they figured out that little allergy. Judging by the sympathetic look Val was giving him, she understood the struggle. “Oof.”

“Sucks to suck,” Steph said conversationally, “I’m not allergic to anything.”

‘Bees’ Cass signed with one hand as she poured herself a drink.

Steph gasped, “narc,” she hissed.

Bruce cleared his throat suddenly, bringing the entire table to a stand still. “Duke is going to be staying for a while,” he reiterated. “I’m not officially adopting him, but I am having the paperwork done to be his legal guardian. His abilities are going to be helping us and track down any ghosts or other ecto-entities that may have had a role in Jason’s kidnapping.”

Dick blinked, “oh, he knows. ”

“And what abilities are those,” Damian bit, glaring at Duke who honestly was just sitting there. “Your ‘aura reading’?”

Duke rolled his eyes, “that’s a side effect of my photokinesis.” And one that wasn’t always on at that, not that he turned it off all that often, it was pretty useful.

“Father,” Damian frowned, “he’s obviously not trained enough to join on patrols.”

“Then we’ll train him,” Bruce cut in. “Until then he can still join us on the investigation side.”

“Have you considered making him a daytime hero?” Val asked, causally throwing a wrench in the conversion. At everyone’s flabbergasted expressions she continued, “it might be good to have a set hero for the smaller daytime emergencies so that everyone who works nights can get more sleep.”

“And it would help decrease crime during the day, if people knew a bat was out in the light,” Wes agreed, “besides, photokinesis would probably work better in the sunlight. Can’t exactly manipulate light if there isn’t any around.” Duke didn’t correct him that he could also mess with shadows 'cause he was not nearly as good at that.

“Hm,” Bruce hummed thoughtfully- at least Duke thought it was thoughtfully, he wasn’t exactly an expert in Bruce translator.

“He’d still have to train, and someone would have to patrol with him during the day for a while,” Dick said, mostly to himself but it wasn’t like any other conversions were going on.

“I could patrol with him,” Val offered, “Red Huntress could make her Gotham debut.”

“Hm,” this hum seemed less pleased.

“I know you’re all, like, territorial, but Huntress is probably the most qualified to deal with ghost threats out of everyone. She’s been dealing with inter-dimensional criminals for the better part of almost four years,” Wes defended his friend, his red haze alight with yellows and oranges. “Besides, with the GIW out there, I’m sure she’s going to be out and about anyway.”

Val nodded, “I live in Gotham now, I’d hate for the GIW to get its nasty hands all over my new city like they did Amity. I was gonna start to weed them out, and making my presence known would help that.”

“Okay,” Duke clapped, “this has been a lot of information, and I’m a little lost. What on earth is the GIW?”

Steph sighed and gently patted his shoulder, “it’s a long story.”

Cass nodded, her lavender shimmer flashed with gold streaks of lightning, she seemed amused by the whole situation. “Long,” she agreed.

“Well,” Wes stood, “I’m gonna go… be anywhere else.” 

And then everyone started to explain.

~*~*~*~

Wes sighed as he navigated his way through the Manor, hopefully towards the Cave. He smiled triumphantly when he opened the door to the library and manipulated the hands on the grandfather clock. It was a little morbid, he thought to himself, having the time code correspond to the day Thomas and Martha Wayne died, but well, it was Batman , so he wasn’t all that surprised.

He walked towards the voices coming out of the Med Bay, seeing Danny and Jason in what appeared to be a heated debate.

“There is no way that happened!” Hood huffed, throwing his hands in the air.

“It’s true!” Danny defended, facing Jason’s general direction.

“What’s true?” Wes asked, dragging a chair next to Jason’s.

“He,” Jason jabbed a finger at Danny, “is insisting that ghost mosquitoes gave an entire high school temporary abilities!”

Wes blinked, “oh yeah, I remember that.”

“What?!” Hood frowned, “there’s no way!”

Wes shrugged, “I still have the fangs,” he told him.

Jason paused and blinked at him. Wes bared his teeth, showing his sharpened canines. Not that those were from the ecto-mosquitoes, but Hood didn’t need to know that.

Jason made a pained noise as he stared at Wes’ fangs and Danny bursted out laughing. Wes closed his mouth and ran his tongue over the offending teeth. Honestly he hadn’t even noticed he had them until someone pointed them out a few months ago. Not that it mattered much, loads of people from Amity had small ghost-like qualities. He was pretty sure he saw Kwan pop a football with his claws junior year.

“I’m leaving,” Jason announced suddenly, standing up only to be immediately pulled back down by Wes.

“You still have 6 hours until Alfred cleared you for sleep and another 12 where someone should check on you every couple of hours,” Wes told him.

“You’re not my mom,” Hood huffed and Wes rolled his eyes.

“If you go, I’m coming with you.”

“No,” he growled, scowling.

“Or,” Wes shrugged, “I call down one of your siblings and have them tail you, your choice.” Hood glared at him but didn’t protest. “That’s what I thought. I’m gonna have Ellie come down and stay with Danny,” he said, pulling out his phone. Wes addressed Danny while he typed out the message and the clear instructions to not tell any bats. “Right now everyone is filling Duke in, so he might come down and ask some questions. Also Tim went to bed but I doubt he’ll be asleep long, so you’ll see him again soon.”

Ellie drifted through the ceiling, “you called,” she said as she made room for herself on Danny’s bed.

“Hood’s restless, so I’m gonna join him while he terrorizes Gotham,” Wes said and Jason huffed. Someone was in a huffy mood. “You okay with me leaving?” He asked Danny gently.

Danny waved him off, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Wes laughed and followed Jason deeper into the Cave. Jason was putting his suit back on, which was really just armored cargo pants and a kevlar vest topped with his reinforced leather jacket. “We’re taking my motorcycle,” he slotted his helmet back on his head and Wes admired him as he swung a leg over the bike and started up the engine.

Wes pressed his watch and his own Prometheus suit emerged and covered him. He really wished he knew how that worked, but he wasn’t nearly as science-y as Danny and Tucker, so he figured he’d never really figure it out. He pulled out his own helmet from where it was collapsed in his pocket, expanding in and fitting it over his head. It gave everything a dark tint and he wondered if anyone could see his eyes through the visor.

“Ever ride before,” Hood asked as Wes sat behind him.

“Nope,” Wes wrapped his arms around Jason’s waist, ignoring the way his heart rate spiked when Hood revved the engine.

“Hold on,” was the only warning he got before Jason flew out of the cave like a bat out of hell. 

~*~*~*~

As soon as the three of them piled into the GAV, an uneasy silences settled over them. Jack was fidgeting more now than ever, and Tuck saw Sam reach for the emergency burner phone Dick had given them on the way to the airport in case either of them needed to call Oracle who would be watching from her head quarters (which was apparently the library she worked at because none of the other employees asked questions).

Jack cleared his throat as they pulled out of the airport and headed towards Amity. It wouldn’t be a long drive, but Tucker felt like he was going to die from the tension building in the armored assault vehicle that the Fenton’s called a car. “Is Phantom okay?”

Tuck swallowed and watched Jack in the rear-view mirror as Sam smiled and lied through her teeth, “why wouldn’t he be?”

Jack glanced back at them, apprehension etched into his frown, “I overheard something about a warehouse collapse in Gotham.”

“Gotham?” Tucker asked, heart beating wildly, “we were in New York?”

Jack suddenly slowed down and pulled off the road onto the shoulder, forcibly putting his hazards on and turning to face the two teens in the back. “I just want to know if my son is okay,” he said in panic, causing the giant of a man to shake.

Sam stilled from where she was pulling out a knife she had somehow gotten through security, Tucker sucked in a sharp breath and stared the man down, getting ready to fight his way back to Gotham to warn Danny that-

“You know.” Sam stated.

Jack swallowed and then nodded, eyes welling with tears. “Please,” he gasped, slumping in his seat as if he was a puppet whose strings were cut, “please, is he okay?”

Sam and Tucker shared a look, several conversations passing between them before Tucker turned back to the now crying man. “He’s okay.”

Jack let out a harsh breath and sobbed harder, “he’s- he’s-” the man stuttered, “my little boy-”

“Mr. Fenton?” Sam asked gently, knife never leaving her hand.

“I shot at him!” The man yelled suddenly, snot and tears covering his face, “I shot at my little boy and I didn’t know .” Tucker almost couldn’t believe what was happening, somehow Jack had learned Danny was Phantom. “My little boy died and I didn’t know! ”

“Mr. Fenton,” Sam said more harshly, bringing the attention back to her.

“I could have- I could have Ended him,” the man mourned quietly, still trembling. “He’s- he’s my son and I- I called him- I wanted to-” He quickly took in a shuddering breath and clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down. “I let my prejudice win,” he whispered, “and I didn’t even notice my own son die in my home.” He sounded so broken, lost, in a way not many people could. He was feeling the grief only parents could feel, the one that settled so heavily over you it was like you were being buried alongside your child. “I hunted him,” his voice cracked and Tuck felt so far out of his depth, still unsure if Jack was safe. “I hurt him. I- I’m a terrible father.”

“Mr. Fenton,” Tucker said firmly, “are you a danger to Danny?”

Jack flinched back like he was hit, “no! No! Never- Never again! I-”

“How can we trust you?” Sam demanded, eyes harsh, face set in stone. Tuck could see right through her, could see her panic, her mind going a million miles an hour.

Jack looked at them pleadingly, “I don’t- I don’t know,” he admitted.

Tucker frowned, “what do you think about ghosts?”

“I was wrong,” he said immediately, tears still falling down his cheeks, “I was so wrong !”

Sam and Tucker shared another look, this time to see if they’d both come to the same conclusion.

Sam stuffed her knife back wherever it had come from, looking at the man with a fire Tuck was glad to see. She pulled open the door and all but shoved Jack into the passenger seat, “I’ll drive us back while you explain everything,” she commanded.

Mr. Fenton just nodded and Tucker listened as the man began to talk.

~*~*~*~

Danny settled into the MedBay bed as Ellie cuddled up to his side, the quiet of the Cave only broken up by his sister's breathing and water falling into a pool somewhere deeper in the darkness.

“Do you think Wes and Hood are gonna kiss?” The menace asked, wiggling her cold toes on Danny’s legs.

Danny laughed, “you noticed it too?”

“Well, duh,” she huffed, “Wes actually talks to him, it’s pretty obvious.”

“And you’re a Wes Expert?” He teased, gently elbowing her side.

Ellie shrugged, “you talked ‘bout him enough for me to get a good reading.”

If Danny had eyes to roll he would, “I’m sure.”

A soft silence descended on the siblings, and Danny let himself relax in the nothingness. Not being able to see sucked ass . “Are you okay?’ Ellie asked quietly, probably frowning in concern.

Danny sighed, “I don’t know.”

“What’s it like,” she asked, “being blind?” She sounded small, young. Danny knew she hated when people thought she was weak or young, but he couldn’t help the way he pulled her closer.

“Do you remember that movie we watched with Jazz, on Christmas?” They had decided to make their own tradition after Ellie was made, because they wanted her to celebrate with family in ways they hadn’t when they were kids. It was easy (too easy) to slip past their parents arguing and meet Ellie in the Zone for a movie and slightly questionable hot chocolate.

He felt Ellie nod against him, “the NeverEnding Story,” she recalled, “with the Luck Dragon and the princess.”

“Yeah. Do you remember the Nothing? The thing that was destroying Fantasia, that Gmork was working for?”

“The things the snail guy and his friends were running from.”

“That. The Nothing. Well, being blind is like that,” he told her softly, “everything is gone, with nothing left behind for me to see.”

“Will-” she paused, swallowing audibly, “do you think your eyes will grow back?”

Danny hummed, thinking about everything he knew about ghosts and halfa biology. “I don’t know,” he said again. There was a possibility, and it wouldn’t be the first time something grew back, but this injury was from blood blossoms, so there was no way of knowing for certain.

“You know,” she said suddenly, “you remind me of Morla.”

“The turtle?!” Danny gasped in faux offense, “how could you say that to me!?”

Ellie laughed, “it's true! You’re like, super old-”

“Old?!”

“-and very ugly-”

“We look the exact same!”

“-and smelly.”

“Oh you little-” he began tickling her, she shrieked and kicked and laughed but didn’t fly away, allowing his onslaught of tickles. He then fake sneezed, blowing snowflakes all over her, sighting his apparent allergy to children when she whined about how gross it was.

“Okay! Okay!” She giggled, “Stoooop!” 

He paused and smiled, “why should I? I- Achooo! I’m allergic to you!” He sniffed dramatically.

“I take it back!” She settled back down by his side, “you’re more like Bastian anyway,” she mumbled, smile evident in her voice.

“Not Atreyu?” He asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“They're the same person dumbass.”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Nuh-uh, remember the end? They’re both there at the same time,” he argued pointlessly, not caring about anything other than the fact that his little sister was okay, right there next to him.

“But he’s his reflection,” she argued back, no heat in her voice. She too, seemed to not really care about the fact they were talking about an acid trip of a movie from the 80’s.

Nothing was okay, but at that moment, Danny felt the last of his anxiety fade away. He knew that it’s return soon, and they had so many things to deal with, people were in danger and eventually he’d have to get up and learn to navigate the world without being able to see, but for now, he was content to lay there, in the Bat Cave, talking about movies with Ellie until they both fell asleep. For now, everything settled, and Danny let it.

Chapter Text

It took about another two hours for Tim to come back down to the cave. Considering how little he normally sleeps, almost 4 hours is pretty amazing. He knows that most patrols started a few hours ago, and for once he’s glad he’s not scheduled for the night, if only because now the cave is mostly empty and he doesn’t have to worry about Dick or Steph tampering with his coffee because ‘you need at least ten hours of sleep to function, Timmy’, whatever that meant.

The first thing he does is walk up to Duke and apologize. “Hey,” he starts, sitting down next to the newest addition to Bruce’s collection of strays, “wanted to say sorry for earlier.”

Duke blinks up at him for a second but quickly offers him a small smile, “no worries, man. I get it.”

“It was still rude,” Tim offers him the only most valuable thing he can think of– the second cup of coffee he brought for this very reason.

Duke gives him a more genuine smile, “yeah, it was pretty rude.”

“Do over?”

“Do over,” Duke agrees.

Tim sticks his hand out, “I’m Tim.”

“Duke,” he shakes his and they stare at each other for a second before breaking out into giggles.

“So,” Tim says after the laughter dies down, “how did you find out?”

Duke raises an eyebrow, but doesn't need any clarification at what exactly Tim is asking. “I have photokinesis,” he says with a shrug, but he eyes Tim wearily, looking for some negative reaction– and considering he just revealed he was a Meta, and considering the fact Batman has the whole thing about Meta’s in Gotham, Tim isn’t surprised. “A side effect of it is auras.”

“Auras?” Tim asked, intrigued and definitely going to write a comprehensive list about everything Duke tells him about his abilities later.

Duke nods, “I can see people’s auras. Everyone has a unique one.”

“And you recognized Batman’s,” Tim concluded. No doubt Bruce is already looking into ways to prevent that from happening again, with several contingencies and subplans.

“Yeah,” Duke gets a far away look in his eyes, “when Bruce walked into my parents hospital room I recognized his aura.”

And Tim really really wants to ask because information , but he knows the look on Duke’s face, he’s worn it enough to identify it immediately. He knows what it’s like, to watch your parents wither away in identical hospital beds, and no matter how much you try to convince yourself you don’t care (because they certainly wouldn’t have, if the situation was reversed), you can’t help but pray to a god you don’t believe in that they finally get up. So– with great effort– he whacks the detective part of his brain back into its box with a broom, and shoves it towards the back of his mind, giving Duke the privacy no one had extended to him all those years ago when he showed up in the Cave with a plan and more knowledge than any 13 should have. “Well,” Tim says, “for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.” And then he leaves Duke to get familiar with the comms system.

He makes his way towards the Med bay and notices an obvious lack of Jason, even though he knows he’s been grounded to bed rest with his broken leg and possible head trauma. He see’s Ellie curled up on Danny’s chest, sound asleep, but due to the bandages, has no idea if Danny is awake. Tim takes a second to reorient himself. He knows he needs to talk to Danny about a bunch of things, and most of them are going to be hard conversations, but he really can’t bring himself to even possibly wake him up.

Which makes no sense! He’s never had a problem getting answers and asking difficult questions! He shouldn’t care so much. Which sounds wrong, but it's true! He’s never had an issue separating personal feelings from his work, and everything that needs to be discussed is imperative to probably the safety of the world, and yet.

And yet, looking at Danny resting while Ellie is curled up on his chest, he can’t. He hates that he knows why too, but won’t say it because it’s one thing to feel it, but to admit it? To let himself think about it? It’d ruin the rocky semblance of control he tries to maintain.

Danny stirs, he begins to move but pauses, trying not to jostle Ellie. Tim swallows before making himself know, “hey.”

Danny startles slightly, “Tim?” His voice is heavy with sleep, and Tim ignores the way he flushes at the way he sounds saying Tim’s name like that.

Fuck.

“Yeah,” he forces his voice to remain smooth, “yeah, it’s me.”

“W’at time’s it?” He slurs out, stretching his arms over his head.

“Almost midnight.”

“Hmm,” Danny hums, settling back in, “is Wes back with Jason?”

Tim blinks, “I didn’t know Wes was with him.”

“Yeah,” Danny yawns and Tim swears he sees fangs which he hadn’t noticed before and oh fuck shit, that’s… something. “Jason was getting restless and Wes volunteered to keep an eye on him.”

Oh, right, they were having a conversion. “And Jason let him?”

Danny smirked, “you haven't noticed?”

Tim frowns and gives Danny a weary look, “noticed what?”

Danny just laughs at Tim, “you’ll see.” Cryptic as fuck, but whatever, there are more important things to focus on.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, instead of prying, starting with something easy.

“I’m alright,” he says at length, “been better.”

Well, yeah. Tim just sighs, “Alfred should be down soon to change your badges and get you a room in the manor proper.”

“Oh,” Danny frowns, “I’m getting a room.”

“Yeah? I mean, you’re going to be here for the foreseeable future, we’re not gonna make you and Ellie sleep in the Med bay.”

The way he pauses makes Tim think he’d be blinking if he didn’t have his eyes wrapped. “Okay.” He sounds a little lost and Tim really wants to ignore the fact that too many people in his life have hurt him enough that he balks at the smallest sign of kindness.

“D’ny?” Ellie slurred from where she was beginning to unfurl from her brother's chest.

“Good morning Elle Bell,” he said, gently poking at her until she swatted his hand away.

“Stop that,” she whined, blinking slowly and squinting in the light of the room. “What’s goin’ on?”

“It is time I change your brother’s bandages,” Alfred said, striding in. She nodded and got up, rolling off of the medical bed. “If you wait just a moment, after I am done here I will show you both the rooms you shall be staying in.”

“Alright,” she yawned in an eerily similar way to Danny and then plopped heavily into a nearby chair. He definitely needed to ask Danny if she was a clone, he always seemed to tight lipped about how Ellie showed up.

“Very good,” Alfred said in the same tone he said everything in. Tim settled down next to Ellie and watched as Danny patently allowed the butler to change the wrappings. There was no new blood and already it was beginning to scar, which meant it was unlikely infection would be a danger. Alfred still cleaned up the area and wrapped his face with new bandages, instructing Danny on how to do it on his own in case he wanted to shower after he settled in. Tim looked at the dried blood and ectoplasm on Danny, dry and flaking off, matting his hair, and knew he’d probably jump into a shower as soon as possible.

“Hey Danny, do you want to talk now, or when you wake up?” Tim asked, ignoring Bruce’s voice in his mind telling him to interview him now, not to wait, do whatever it takes to ensure they get all the information.

Danny hesitated, working his jaw. “I…” Ellie squeezed his shoulder gently, encouraging him to relax. “Can we just get it over with?”

Tim nodded even though Danny couldn’t see it, “of course. Do you want to talk in the Med Bay or somewhere else?”

Danny sighed, “here if fine,” and he settled back into the medical bed.

“I’ll show Miss Fenton where her room is, in the meantime,” Alfred said, smoothly guiding the girl from the room. “Master Tim,” he addressed, “Mister Danny’s room will be the third one on the left in the west wing.” Holy shit, Bruce must not know Alfred was putting them in the family wing, because he would never have allowed that, identities compromised or not.

“Mi revidos vin matene, frato,” she said in a language Tim didn’t recognize, throwing the words over her shoulders as she followed Alfred.

“Ne tro fuŝu kun ili, plago,” Danny responded in the same language with a smile.

Ellie just grinned wolfishly, “love you.”

Tim was sure if he could, Danny would roll his eyes, “love you too.”

“What language is that?” Tim asked as soon as the elevator door slid shut, unable to stop himself.

“Esperanto.”

Tim furrowed his brows, “can you teach it to me?” He fucking loved learning languages. He was pretty sure the only one in the family that knew more than him was Alfred, but the man refused to tell him just how many.

Danny shrugged, “maybe. The fact you can hear it and not just static is a good sign you’ll be able to actually speak it.”

“Static?” Tim asked, pulling out a small notepad and looking at Danny curiously, not worried about him seeing the way he wanted to pick about his brain and get all the answers out of it.

“Mhm,” Danny then changed topics, “you had questions about today?”

Tim blinked and decided they would circle back to the static thing later. “Could you walk me through everything that happened after you entered the warehouse?”

Danny nodded, “I entered in on the lowest ground level, per the plan,” be began, voice steady and clinical, “the fire had just started on the floor just above me, so I knew it was only a matter of time before the entire building caught. I quickly worked through the rooms and helped three civilians out,” all of that was already in the report, but Tim didn’t interrupt him, knowing Danny was working himself up to getting to the part everyone was in the dark about. “I approached a room towards the back, and found a woman bound and shaking. As I stepped forward I became trapped in a Bounding Circle.”

“What is a ‘Bounding Circle’?” Tim asked, jotting down a few points.

“It's an annoying piece of magic that can bind a ghost to a physical place for a while. I can break out of them if I focus.”

“So we’re dealing with a magic user,” he mumbled mostly to himself, but heard Danny hum in agreement. “One that knows how to deal with ghosts.”

“We already knew they could, and with the likelihood of them working with the GIW, it’s possible they found a couple books to help them,” Danny said, frowning in concentration.

“What did she look like?” Tim asked, bringing them back on topic. “Age? Height? Hair and eye color?”

“Maybe 35, about five-seven, she was blonde with brown eyes,” Danny worried his bottom lip between his teeth, “she seemed to be well fit, but I’m not totally sure.”

35, five foot seven, possibly blonde with brown eyes, fit. “Then what happened?”

Danny swallowed, “she sprayed me with the blood blossom oil, I don’t remember much after that.”

“You screamed, and the building collapsed,” Tim said softly, finishing up his notes. Not a lot was learned, but the description was better than nothing.

“No,” Danny said softly, frowning, “I remember waiting to Wail.”

“Waiting?” Tim took note of how Danny called the scream a ‘wail’, probably a recurring power.

“Yeah… Yes! She told me not to scream,” he seemed to suddenly recall something, “she knew about my Wail and told me there were still people in the building.”

Tim blinked, “you waited until you got the confirmation that everyone else was out,” and it clicked. Danny knew that if he had screamed there would have been loss of life.

“Yeah,” Danny was back to frowning, “I didn’t want anyone to be trapped in the rubble.”

“The rubble that covered up most of the evidence.”

“Shit,” Danny said with feeling.

Tim nodded, “shit.”

“Ugh! This sucks ass!” He buried his head in his hands and groaned. “I hate when my enemies know my powers.”

“And how many powers is that exactly?” Tim asked innocently, partially because he wanted to know, but also because he hated seeing Danny beat himself up over something that wasn’t his fault.

Danny smiled at him playfully, “too many.”

Tim chuckled and closed his notebook, “come on,” he stood up and walked over to the tired looking ghost, “I’m sure you’d like to shower.”

Danny sighed and touched his hair, greasy and covered in dust and blood. “Yeah, a shower sounds nice.”

Tim gently helped him up, letting Danny lean on him as he got his feet under him. He was pretty sure the other boy got a little paler as he swayed. Breathing heavily through his nose, Danny swallowed and waved one of his hands forward, “lead the way.”

Tim took his arm and slowly led him towards the elevator, “it’s about thirty steps from here,” he said softly, trying to allow Danny to get used to walking without sight. “We can get you a cane tomorrow if you want,” he said calmly. The ghost didn’t answer, though he did squeeze Tim’s arm gently. “We’re coming up on the elevator, in another three steps.” Danny’s head was angled down as if he was trying to see the ground under his feet. “Okay,” Tim watched the doors open, “take five steps forward and we’ll be in the middle of the elevator.”

And that's how it went, Tim giving small instructions; turn left, thirteen steps forward, 32 stairs, ect., while Danny silently listened, breathing never fully evening out. He couldn’t even begin to fathom not being able to see where you were going, not being able to look down and make sure the ground was beneath you. Danny was stronger than he’d ever be.

Eventually they reached the door to Danny’s room, and Tim didn't hesitate to open the door and lead him to the en-suite bathroom, gently grabbing Danny’s hand, “the light is here,” he said, moving the too cold hand to turn it on, “I know you don’t need it, but just in case.”

“Thank you,” Danny whispered, the first words he had spoken since they left the Cave.

“Of course,” he responded with a smile. He walked with Danny further into the bathroom and tried to ignore his slightly fluttering heart. “Here,” he took Danny’s hand again, “this is where the towels are,” it felt odd, using another person's hand like that, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave Danny to figure it out on his own, that would just be cruel. “And the shampoo,” he placed the bottle firmly into Danny’s hand and then let him put it on the right side of the tub, “and the conditioner,” this went on the left. “Body wash,” was placed in the middle. “How hot do you want it?”

“Scalding.”

And who was Tim to judge? He just guided Danny’s hand to the tap and adjusted to water. “Alfred left you clothes on the counter,” god, the butler was amazing, “sweatpants on the left, shirt on the right, both of them are face up at the moment.” Tim watched as Danny steeled himself and took a deep breath. “Are you going to be okay?”

Danny trembled slightly. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

Tim hesitated, his own hand shaking slightly, “do you want me to stay?” It wasn’t even like that, but he cringed at the question. He didn’t want Danny to feel trapped, but he also wanted him to know that if he needed it, Tim would be there the entire time.

“Please,” Danny sounded like he wanted to cry.

“Okay,” and nothing would happen, because Danny was hurt, and it would even be the first time he had helped someone like this. He turned around as Danny stripped, looking at the clothes on the counter, thinking about all the things Danny needed. Clothes and a cane and prosthetics and learning braille, and all the things blind people needed.

The shower curtain closed and Tim hopped onto the counter and hesitated to say anything, he didn’t want to make Danny uncomfortable. But he didn’t need to think about it long, because Danny rasped from behind the curtain, “Tim?”

“Yeah?” Holy fuck Danny was holding back tears. Tim didn’t know how to comfort people! Kon and Bart were always the ones to help calm people down. He was not equipped to deal with emotions on the best of days and-

“Talk. Please. I- I need-”

“Okay, “he could do that. He swallowed around his heart which had nestled into his throat and started to talk. “Did I tell you about the time Impulse smuggled a pigeon into the Titans Tower?”

Danny chuckled brokenly, “did he really?”

“Yeah, he named her Gloria, and then she got loose and ended up making a nest in Superboy’s room…”

Tim talked. He talked as Danny showered and politely ignored bottled being dropped or opened of how he knew Danny was sitting down from where behind the curtain his voice was coming from. Danny had asked him to help, and he did. I- I need- he had said. So Tim talked.

~*~*~*~

The screen in front of her finally flashed a result. A bright green ‘completed’ reflected off of her teeth as she grinned.

The new Ghost King would be no match for her. If he was as ancient as Pariah Dark, she wouldn’t have a chance. But according to the buffoons in white, Phantom had only entered the afterlife four years ago. A baby ghost with a big crown. That’s all he was. But the crown was a dangerous tool, and she couldn’t let an unknown wield it.

Harrow smiled as she inspected the data she had gotten from the test. Phantom’s ectoplasm was quite interesting. It would serve its purpose perfectly.

Chapter Text

Showering was much more difficult than it had ever been. And yes, part of that was the fact he was blind but a majority of it was the sheer panic that overtook him anytime Tim so much as took a break that was a little too long. Realistically he knew he’d eventually have to do things alone, navigate the void without someone holding his hand, but right now? Right now he couldn’t.

So he asked Tim to stay, and he did. Danny wasn’t sure exactly what that said about them, but he did know it meant Tim was kinder than he deserved. Ancients, Tim was fucking amazing, and Danny– though now unable to look in the mirror and see how he was lacking– knew he’d never compare.

Tim paused to think of another story and Danny dropped the conditioner bottle. He took a deep breath and reached a hand out, searching for it. He wrapped his fingers back around the hair product and poured out what felt like an appropriate amount. Tim had started to talk again, a story about Superboy having beef with a chihuahua and Impulse using that to his advantage, and Danny sighed as the water ran down his face.

Sitting in the tub wasn’t the most comfortable, but the idea of standing was worse than the thought of being strapped to a dissection table at the moment, so he’d deal with the slight uncomfortableness in his ass.

Eventually he found himself washing the last soap off of him, the water still boiling but no longer as nice. On shaky legs he stood and turned the water off, Tim called out, “finished?”

“Yeah,” Danny swallowed and opened the curtain, sighing a little when the cold air hit his skin blissfully.

“I’ve turned around, just, by the way,” Tim said awkwardly while Danny fumbled for a towel from the cabinet.

Danny couldn’t help but smile a little fondly like the simp he was. “Thanks.”

Tim hummed and then continued the story he was on, this one about Damian (Robin) and his menagerie. Danny dried as quickly as possible, leaving the towel hanging over his head like a weight, a reminder to keep his feet on the ground. He shuffled cautiously forward until his hand hit the counter, curling around the soft fabric of what he hoped was the sweatpants. It took a moment for him to confirm what he was holding was indeed the sweatpants, and then a longer moment to psych himself up enough to actually put them on. He felt a little bit like a toddler struggling to put pants on, but he figured after the day he’s had, he gets a free pass.

“Okay, I have my pants on, you can look now.”

He got confirmation Tim had turned by the little hitch in the vigilante’s breath. “No shirt?” He sounded a touch strained.

“Figured you could help me figure out which way was the front so I don’t embarrass myself,” Danny shrugged, totally not lying at all, in fact, Danny had never lied once in his entire life.

Tim cleared his throat, “okay, here,” Tim got closer and must have picked up the shirt from the counter, because the next thing Danny knew, the towel over his head was being replaced with a soft shirt. “I can, uh, help you re-wrap your face once your hair dies some more.”

“Thanks,” Danny’s heart sped up a little, the traitor. Now, could Danny go intangible and get all the water off of himself? Yes. Was he going to? Absolutely not, that would mean Tim would leave sooner and Danny would rather chew off his own arm.

Not, of course, he’d say that in so many words, but he was not having a good time, so he gets a free pass with this one too.

“Let’s get you settled into your room,” Tim says softly, looping his arm gently around Danny’s waist, guiding him from the bathroom.

Danny felt the tile turn into fabric under his feet, the air grew colder, settling on his shoulders with a finality he couldn’t comprehend. He tried to picture the room he was in, the color of the walls, the design of the bed frame, how many windows there were…

Tim helped him onto the bed, a soft, thick comforter punching under his fingers. “You okay?” Tim asked softly.

“What color is the blanket?” Danny swallowed, wanted- needing to know.

“Blue,” Tim hums, “it’s a dark blue, though.”

“Like, navy?”

“More like the night sky.”

Danny nods and relaxes a bit. “Sorry,” Danny laughs humorlessly, “I don’t know why I care considering I can’t see it.”

Tim sits down next to him, “you don’t have to apologize, or explain it. I- I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. Anything that helps, I’ll do it.”

“Why?” Why. That’s the real question. Why would he help, why does he care, why Danny? Why, why, why. And Danny had dared ask it, broken and quiet, a whisper he half wished would be lost in the creaking of the wind outside.

Tim took a moment, going still, probably thinking of a million different answers to the dozen of questions Danny had just voiced, and he was afraid to hear any of them.

“Because you’d do the same for me,” Tim said, sighing. “Because,” he continued as if there was more to say, like every word wasn’t wrecking Danny a little bit more, “you deserve kindness even when you don’t think you do.”

Danny took in a deep breath, feeling horribly seen. More seen than he’s probably ever been in his life.

“Because, Danny Phantom,” Tim’s voice turned towards him, his hands coming to rest gently on Danny’s face, words weighed down with gentle vulnerability, “you’ve spent your entire after life protecting people who hate you, without pause, without hesitation. You risk your being every day being a physical shield for a world that has never once recognized you. You are amazing.”

And, fuck, Danny wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that he did hesitate, that he hated being a shield, that everyday he contemplated letting everything go to shit because he was so fucking tired. That he was Danny Fenton, not Phantom, because Phantom was a King, a god, a being of unimaginable strength and courage and honesty. But he didn’t say anything. He leaned forwards slightly, resting his forehead on Tim’s, breathing deeply, trying not to test if his tear ducts had survived the blood blossom oil.

There were no more words spoken, not as Tim helped him wrap his face, not as Danny hesitantly pulled Tim down next to him, not as they laid side by side and slowly fell asleep.Not as Danny slowly, softly, hesitantly pulled Tim towards him, into his arms.

Because, honestly, Danny didn’t want to say something only for it to pale in comparison. Sure it wasn’t poetry (or, it wouldn’t have been to anyone else) but Tim’s words were a confession he wasn’t ready to confirm. Because he’s never been good at saying things, and Tim- Ancients Tim deserve an entire dissertation on why he was so fucking perfect in every way and Danny simply couldn’t piece together enough of the English language– any language, to say what he wanted to.

So he did what he always did, he silently held the world, held Tim in his arms, and vowed to never let anything touch him. He promised himself to be Tim’s shield, Tim’s barrier. Tim’s in any way he’d find useful.

Danny Phantom, willingly malleable, lovingly firm. Only good when of use.

~*~*~*~

Jazz woke up to her phone ringing. She briefly, in a tired haze, contemplated ignoring it, but very few people could reach her when her phone was on Do Not Disturb, and none of them would be calling this soon after saying goodbye unless it was an emergency.

Her heart skipped a beat, begging that Danny wasn’t hurt again , and answered it. “What’s wrong?”

“Jack knows,” Sam said.

Jazz blinked.

Jack knows.

Knows.

“Tell me everything,” she demanded, sitting up and going to her kitchen. Partially to make tea but mostly because that’s where she kept her emergency supplies and she was debating hopping right back onto a plane, this time to Amity, and putting the fear of God into her unbelieving parents.

Sam sighed, “he picked us up from the airport. He said something about our trip acting all strange, Jazz, he, he wasn’t fucking wearing that god-awful hazmat suit. He was, troubled, asked us if Danny was okay. It was- fuck it was so weird. Then, in the car, Jazz- it was bad. He completely broke down, going on and on about his little boy and how he hurt him and he was sorry. I think- I think he-” Sam took a breath, forcefully having to stop the word vomit from spewing everywhere.

“Holy shit,” Jazz had paused mid step, thinking, contemplating, wondering. “Holy shit,” she repeated, mind going a thousand miles an hour. “What- what does Tucker think?”

“He thinks he’s being sincere,” Sam whispered.

“Fuck.”

Sam was many things, and Jazz couldn’t be prouder of her, but when it came to reading people, besides the ghosts of their group who could literally feel other people’s emotions, Tucker was phenomenal at it. Jazz tried, and once she knew the emotion she could help with it, but she and Sam sucked at being able to tell by just listening.

And if Tucker was saying Jack- saying that her father was legit…

“Tell me exactly what he said,” she demanded, pleaded, begged. And Sam did, she parroted the words back, telling Jazz about her dad’s breakdown. About the apologies. The vow to do better. “Put him on.”

“Jazz-”

“No, I- I want to speak to him.”

There was a pause and then a muffled, “she wants to talk to you.” Another pause, “Jazzypants?”

She took a deep breath, “dad.”

“How-” He started, voice shaky, “how did I not know?”

Jazz swallowed, mind still spinning, “he didn’t want you to,” she says gently. Three minutes ago she would have called it too gently, but honestly she’s been parenting her parents for as long as she could remember, and right now her dad needed gentleness.

“Why?” That was the million dollar question, and they both knew the answer to it.

“I assume you want to talk to him?” She changed the topic, the pressure of being the most mature was too much.

Jack pauses, and honestly to god hesitation from the man she once saw eat three month old cheesecake he found in the car. “Would- would he want that?”

Fuck. “I don’t know,” but she really fucking does. Of course Danny will talk to him, Danny would, and has, risked his life for their parents were actively hunting him across town. What she didn’t know really, was if any of the people who’d protect Danny with their entire being would let him. If she’d let him. “I’ll ask,” she says, “love you.”

Then she hangs up, legs shaky, lungs burning.

God fucking damn-it, nothing could ever be easy, could it?

She looked at the time and sighed, debating if it was worth it to potentially wake Danny up. Then, of course, she got the answer ‘duh, obviously, idiot’ because he’d hate the fact she even thought about waiting.

Because this was big. A big fucking deal. Life altering.

Jazz sighed and continued to the kitchen getting the tea started as she dialed Tim, not entirely sure if Danny had his phone. She filled the electric kettle as the phone rang.

“Hello?” Tim answered groggily, yawing.

“It’s Jazz, I need to speak to Danny. It’s important.” She pulled out a mug, the Wonder Woman one Ellie had gotten for her last Christmas.

“One second,” Tim sounded much more awake. Not that she had much time to think about his response time, because quickly– too quickly to not have been next to each other– Danny picked up the phone. “Jazz?”

“Dad knows.”

She could almost see Danny break. Almost hear it. “Knows?” He sounded faint.

“Sam just called. He- he figured it out.”

“Jazz-” there was so much panic in his voice she wanted to tear out her parents' spines and eat them.

“Tucker and Sam said he’s okay,” she quickly buts in, stopping the spiral the best she could. “He said he wants to talk to you.”

“Wh-what?”

“I spoke to him… just now.” She swallowed, watching the water boil but did nothing about it.

“Does Mom know?” He whispers.

If she did it’s be a different story. “No, at least, that’s what Jack says.”

Suddenly Danny sighed, probably slumping (maybe into Tim’s arms, considering they had been sleeping next to each other). “Okay.”

“Okay, you’ll talk to him?”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

Jazz nodded to herself, finally pouring the water into the mug, adding a touch of honey. “Okay,” she agrees. “Just figured you’d want to know. Go back to bed. Love you.”

And this time she waited until she heard, “love you too,” before hanging up.

Fuuuuuck. Today was going to absolutely suck ass.

Chapter Text

Honest to god, John hated his job. Hated what he had to do, what he was asked to do, and absolutely loathed the people he worked with. Okay, sure, Diana was a doll, and most of the Lanterns were fine, but Bats?

Its was always fucking Bats.

Gotham was this fucked up shithole with at least six different curses, and on top of all of that he was pretty sure Batman was actually insane. Not to mention his hoard of fucking annoying brats that seemed to grow in number every fucking time he had the displeasure of being called on by the Dark Knight himself.

And now, apparently, there was an issue involving the Infinite Realms. Because of fucking course Batman would be the one to have that problem. All of this on top of the fact that there was a new Ghost King he didn’t know about because for some reason a US government agency decided to play god with information. 

So sure, it took a few weeks for him to wade through calls from Oracle (who he would never say anything bad about because he enjoyed living) and from the League. Apparently they were already working on the GIW– the fuckwards that had tried to give him a cease and desist warning regarding the Realms– and had met the King. Which, wow, it wasn’t often he thought this, but he was glad they had lived to tell the tale.

Whoever the new King was, they were powerful, considering the fact they had defeated Pirah Dark in single combat in order to get the crown. And now John had to go meet them. Not that he was scared, because he’s faced bigger threats, and they were buddy-buddy with the fucking Bat Brood, but still.

They were buddy-buddy with the Bat Brood.

That in itself was probably the most terrifying thing about the entire situation.

So, yeah, sue him, he was purposely avoiding actually meeting the King. But really, it seemed like Bats had it all figured out by himself, so really, what good was John? Okay, and yeah, sure, maybe it fact the King specifically named him at one point and expressed interest in meeting him sent him into a pathetic tizzy, but, and John would like to stress this, no one good ever expressed interest in actually, honest to the Christian God, willingly meeting him.

So whatever Phantom was playing at, John hoped for the sake of his– very torn up and black– soul, it was good. Or at least, as good as John could get.

With one last curse towards whichever deity was laughing at him at the moment, he sent the– very late– reply to Oracle, telling her he was free to commune with the King of the Dead.

~*~*~*~

Barbra loved her job. Both the one at the Library and the Vigilante one. They both had their ups and downs, and yes, technically speaking one of them was illegal, but–

She loved every second of it.

From when she was a girl and first donned her cowl all the way to the present moment, she didn’t regret a single moment (except maybe the whole getting shot by the Joker thing and becoming paralyzed). She woke up every day maybe not happy, but content with where she was in life– though most of the time she was happy too.

But the biggest reason that made her stay in the Life was her family. From that very first day she had stepped into Batman’s hulking shadow as one herself, her family had expanded. First it was only Bruce, Dick, and Alfred. But eventually Jason came (and went and came back) followed rapidly by Tim and Steph and Cass and Damian and now, recently, Duke. That’s not even mentioning the League or Kate or the Fox’s or Silena or the Titans or-

Well, you get the point.

But right now? The cape was heavy, her fingers stiff, and her brain numb. Her eyes were dry, from crying and from the screens in front of her. The last couple of days had been… tough. Hard. A complete clusterfuck.

She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, trying to get focused back on her work. There were a few request from League members for help, ongoing correspondence with a hand full of capes throughout the country, the family group chat, a reply from Constantine, Black Gate visitor logs-

A reply from Constantine.

Constantine finally fucking replied that bastard.

Babs had been trying for weeks to get in touch with the magician and she had been this close to wheeling herself over to England and dumping the man’s spiked tea all over his head. For some god forsaken reason he had decided to fuck off to where ever sad lonely British men go when they aren’t bothering functioning members of society exactly when they needed him.

Fuck, he was on thin fucking ice. Again.

And sure, Babs knew he had his reasons and did tend to help save the world more often than not, BUT, fuck him and his sad man-baby vibes.

And then she read the reply and almost punched a hole through her monitor.

b there tmwr @ 5

Oh when she got her hands around his limp turkey neck-

Barbra took a deep breath. At least he was responding and giving them a heads up. Last time he had popped up in the Cave was just after Jason and B had had another fight (all said in Jane Austen references because they were fucking nerds) and Dick was trying to pick up the pieces while Damian and Tim exchanged the bet money. So yeah, a heads up was an absolute step up from that. 

She sighed and sent a message to the kids chat.

Batman’s Boss: Heads up, Constantine is coming tomorrow

Phallus: fuck

FUCK jane eyre: L

silent but deadly: when?

Batman’s Boss: 5

Phallus: am or pm??

Batman’s Boss: idk he didn’t say

The real Hair: I will not be greeting him, I have a prior engagement

The real Hair: and for the last time, stop changing my name

The real Hair changed their name to Damian

Phallus: awww, dames, your no fun

FUCK jane eyre: *you’re

Batman’s Boss: *you’re

silent but deadly: you’re

I’m yelling timber: *you’re

Duke: you’re

Phallus: et tu brute

Btephine Srown: you’re

Phallus: SHUT UP IM SORRY

Damian: Tt, do not make such plebeian mistakes Grayson, it is unbecoming

Duke: wowie he even types it

Btephine Srown: yup its rlly funny

FUCK jane eyre: did you just type ‘wowiw’???

Phallus had changed Duke’s name to wowie

wowie: okay first of all-

I’m yelling timber: nuh uh new kid, you need like, three near death experiences to earn ‘first of all’ privileges

wowie: how many near death experiences do I need to get ‘sleep in my boyfriends bed’ previlages???

Batman’s Boss: ooooooo

Btephine Srown: ahdkjshf

Phallus: dammmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Damian: Thomas you are now my favorite sibling, even if you did spell ‘privileges’ wrong

FUCK jane eyre: wow, wowie, that was good

I’m yelling timber: ok fuck you guys it’s not like that

FUCK jane eyre: wes says it should be tho cuz he’s tired of danny’s shit

silent but deadly: Wes? 👀

FUCK jane eyre has left the chat

Phallus: we’re learning to many things today

Batman’s Boss: back on track: who's gonna greet Constantine tomorrow?

Btephine Srown has left the chat

wowie has left the chat

I’m yelling timber has left the chat

silent but deadly has left the chat

Damian has left the chat

Batman’s Boss: sorry

Batman’s Boss has left the chat

Phallus: oh fuck all of you

Babs laughed and sent a quick text to Bruce about Constantine, to which she got a thumbs up emoji and nothing else. One of these days she was going to murder every single one of them without remorse.

God, she loved her family.

~*~*~*~

Tim put down his phone and sighed. The other’s patrol had just ended and he knew it was only a matter of time before Alfred made his rounds to check they were all in a bed. It didn’t necessarily have to be their bed, but either way Tim just hoped he’d fall back asleep by then so he could avoid the man’s knowing looks.

It really wasn’t like that.

Okay, sure, maybe he wanted it to be like that, but in this instance it wasn’t so his siblings could jump off a bridge.

Anyway, getting to sleep, that was the goal…

But Danny had been upset after the call with his sister and had pulled Tim closer and now he was resting on Danny’s chest and he was so fucking comfortable and slightly cool to the touch which was great because Tim ran hot and fuck Danny’s arms were wrapped around him and-

Dammit he had been gayed into uselessness.

His phone pinged, effectively distracting him from his horrible gay thoughts. 

Boss Ass Dick: hey, just wanted to make sure ur okay

Using ‘ur’ to avoid your earlier mistake I see

Boss Ass Dick: shut up :((

Just fucking use emojis pls

Boss Ass Dick: no

Boss Ass Dick: also you havent answered my question

I'm fine, okay

Boss Ass Dick: u sure?? Ur typing all sadly

How the fuck does one type sadly???

Boss Ass Dick: dont question me I just know

Boss Ass Dick: so r u gonna tell me or will I just have to guess?

              Something came up with Danny, okay? I'm not going to say any more until he does

Boss Ass Dick: okay, I just wanted to check in

Thanks

Boss Ass Dick: 💙 ofc

Boss Ass Dick: annnyyyywayyy,,, u and Danny???? in the same bed?????

         Did Constantine clarify five our time or British time?

Boss Ass Dick: motherfuckung SHIT bitch

Boss Ass Dick: plsss

Boss Ass Dick: ,,,tim,,,,,

Boss Ass Dick: timmy,,,,,

Boss Ass Dick: my favorite red robin,,,

Good night Dick ❤️

Tim laughed lightly before clicking his phone back off and sighing. He relaxed into Danny's hold, eyes drooping, clearing his mind as well as he could, knowing he’d be able figure everything out tomorrow with his siblings' help. They may be assholes and really fucking annoying, but if anyone could help Danny with his family issues, it was his own fucked up family. 

Granted half of them would suggest murder, but that was tomorrow Tim’s issue.

~*~*~*~

Diana reviewed the file the League had on the GIW and Phantom. When she had learned about the heinous laws that awful US agency had passed, she almost stormed into the White House and demanded it to be fixed. Of course this would have been a poor choice, and she made a point of choosing Diplomacy first, but it was a near thing. 

With a huff she closed the file and rubbed her eyes. She had already read through it, and unfortunately it did not get any better. The law in itself was a blatant violation of the Meta Human and Extra Terrestrial Rights Act. Not to mention basing the rights of an entire peoples on the claim they aren't sentient when simply speaking to one would disprove it was frankly a bad call on their part.

The case practically made itself. A rogue shadow agency claims an entire realm of people aren't sentient in order to systematically erase them and use them as experiments. The world would riot if they knew about it. As it is, they don't. Which is where Diana comes in.

In a few hours she was set to meet with a few UN representatives and explain the situation in hopes to get the law reviewed and repealed by the ICJ. Hopefully by this time next week the case will be underway and the Ecto Entities will be free to continue their afterlife within the laws of the land they choose to haunt.

“Any luck, my friend?” Arthur inquired from where he was entering the lounge.

Diana smiled at him, “a bit. I am meeting with friends of mine who work with the United Nations.”

The Atlantean King smiled, “that is good to hear. This whole ordeal is very irritating.”

Diana nodded tiredly. It was almost stupid how similar this was to the fight Arthur had for his own peoples rights. Diana could still remember the attempts to classify merpeople as animals to legalize hunting them. That, like the file in front of her, made her want to burn the world of men down. “The next step will be meeting this King Phantom himself and setting up our prosecution strategy.”

“Do you think him testifying will help?” After all, it was what Arthur did. 

“Yes,” she said decisively, “and perhaps a few other Ecto Entities. The more we can prove they are sentient the easier it will be to convince a jury.”

Arthur smiled faintly, “the Infinite Realms are in good hands. I will contact Bruce and set up a meeting with the Ghost King.”

Diana clapped his back in approval. Everything was going to work out fine.

~*~*~*~

Harrow stalked down the dimly lit stairs into the basement. A makeshift laboratory had been hastily erected when the DNA results from Phantom had come back with good news.

She beckoned one of the scientists forward, pleased with how things seemed to be running. “Any hiccups?”

“No ma'am,” the scientist answered, readjusting his coat, the badge flashing in the light as if to draw attention to the single letter printed on it. “Everything is running smoothly. This new batch is lasting longer, almost 13 hours without additional ectoplasm.”

She grinned, soon, very soon, the last step of her plan would come into fruition. In fact, so soon she would bet the whole world would be under her command this time next week.

Chapter Text

For a few seconds after Danny woke up he was confused why he couldn’t see anything. And then it hit him like a freight train on cocaine that oh yeah his eyes had melted out of his head the day before. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he could forget it, especially considering his head hurt, and he could feel every single centimeter of the bandages on his face.

He took a deep breath and almost immediately the panic was replaced with confusion because there was something warm on his chest. Scratch that, there was some one warm on his chest, and most of his lower body, their legs were tangled together and the person's arms were wrapped around his waist and oh, right. That was Tim. Tim was sleeping on his chest.

Hmmm.

Danny…

Hmmm.

He tried really really hard not to explode out of his skin because, wow, that was… hmmm…

Holy fucking shit bitch Tim Drake, Red Robin, was asleep on his chest after he had dragged him onto it the middle of the night and his hair was tickling Danny’s chin and his breath was ghosting over his chest and…

Danny tried not to move too much and dislodge the sleeping vigilante but he also really had to pee. It was kind of like when a cat decides to nap on you and you are by law required to sit there until it moves. Also he knew Tim didn’t exactly get enough sleep as is and waking him up would be counterproductive to getting Tim to take better care of himself.

He sighed softly and figured he could wait a bit to get up. And laying there did give him a bit more time to think about Jazz’s call from last night.

His dad knew.

Jack Fenton knew his son was Phantom.

He swallowed back panic that tasted like bile and took a calming breath. Danny sorted through his thoughts. Mostly he was just worried about the fact his dad figured it out, and if he was able to piece it together how long would it take for his mom to connect the dots too?

And Danny really hated himself for being relieved it was only his father who knew. If his mom knew, he wasn’t sure she’d stop hunting him. It made him sick to his stomach that he knew his mom didn’t love him more than she hated his other half, but really he’d always known that. His mom liked the idea of having a son, but everything other than that meant little to her.

“Danny?” Tim slurred, probably blinking adorably.

He hadn’t even noticed he had been waking up. “Morning,” he smiled, hoping Tim was looking at him and could see it.

“You okay?” Tim yawned and stretched against Danny’s side.

“I’m… fine,” he settled on.

The vigilante laid back down on top of him, “just checking, you weren’t breathing for a minute.”

Danny frowned, “sorry, that happens sometimes. I hope I didn’t scare you.” He took a big breath, partially for Tim, partially for himself because he needed to calm down before he had a full on panic attack first thing in the morning.

Tim shook his head, “I could still feel your pulse so I wasn’t too worried.”

“Sometimes that stops too,” Danny said conversationally.

“Oh?” Tim choked out, “that’s… fun.”

“Hmm,” Danny smiled again, this time for himself. “I’ll tell you all about it but first I gotta use the bathroom.”

“Oh,” Tim chuckled and sat up with a grunt, “you coulda woken me up.”

“I would’ve if it became an emergency,” Danny said like a liar, he would have laid there and gotten a UTI before even considering waking him up.

“Here,” Tim stood and helped Danny out of bed, half guiding half hindering his walk to the bathroom. Honestly Danny probably could have gotten there himself (with minimal bumping into things) but it was nice to have Tim helping him a bit needlessly. “You got it?”

Danny smiled, “yeah, I got it from here.” He was doing a bit better on the ‘I literally can’t see anything’ side of things, so for now, he was confident he could pee by himself without spiraling into the abyss.

“Okay, I’ll grab you some clothes for the day,” and then the door shut softly.

Danny fumbled his way to the toilet and had a brief moment of panic when he couldn’t find the toilet paper for a split second, but in the end he was fine. Like, sure, his entire world was turned on its head and he was left in the dark (pun totally intended, he was trying to cope), but at the very least he could fucking piss by himself with little to no real issue. A shit ton of things were about to change completely, and he knew that, but this? This was something that didn’t have to. Though he did belatedly remember that neither he nor Tim had turned on the light so technically speaking this was a bit different too.

He thought about all of this while pointedly ignoring the very large elephant in the room that was his father.

There was a quiet knock on the door when he was drying his hands (on his pants because at the end of the day he was a teenage boy) and Tim called through the door, “can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Danny called back, and smiled towards his general direction when he walked in and clicked the light on. Danny was a bit taken back when he realized he could hear the faint hum of electricity. Ever since the accident his senses had been a bit heightened, so it wasn’t like he couldn’t have heard it before his eyes liquefied, but it was always something he had had to focus on to hear.

Tim stepped forwards with louder-than-necessary steps, “I got you a Wonder Woman shirt from Jason’s old stuff, and a pair of my sweatpants, is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Danny shrugged, “can I also borrow a hoodie?” Did he need one? No. Did it make him feel better anyway? Yes.

“Sure, I’ll grab one after you dress.” Tim hesitated, “um, do you want me to leave, or?”

Danny tilted his head to the side in thought, “I don’t really mind, if you don’t.”

There was a pause, “oh, uh, no. Sorry, I was shaking my head for a moment.”

Danny snorted and teased, “it’s only been a day, how could you have forgotten already?”

“Okay, listen,” the insomniac defended, “I haven't had my coffee yet.”

“Mm,” Danny sighed, “coffee.” A cup of coffee honestly sounded so fucking good right now.

“We can get some with breakfast,” Tim said with a smile in his voice. Or at least, that’s how it sounded.

Danny sent him a grin and promptly took off his shirt. “Okay, give me the shirt with the front facing away from me.”

“Uh, yes, okay, yeah,” Tim stuttered and promptly handed said item over. “For the pants, do you want me to turn around or close my eyes or…” he trailed off awkwardly.

Danny laughed at his misfortune, “you can just close your eyes.” Though, if he was being honest, he didn’t really mind if Tim saw him naked. Tim had literally watched Blood Blossom oil melt away half of his face yesterday, at this point it didn’t really matter.

“You have a lot of scars,” Tim blurted out. It was cute how incredibly flustered he was, and Danny had half a mind to pinch his cheeks for it.

Instead he shrugged, “comes with the life.”

He heard Tim swallow, “yeah.”

Danny hesitated, wondering if he should say anything more. “Most of them are from my parents,” he admitted softly, bringing the overall mood of the bathroom down like a buzzkill. But unfortunately, the elephant was loud and wearing a bright orange hazmat suit.

Tim seemed to be digesting this, because he was quiet for a moment. Then he settled on, “not all of them are bad.”

Danny frowned for a moment, wondering which ones he was talking about. Then it hit him. His fingers ghosted over his top surgery scars and smiled lightly. “Not all of them,” he agreed.

“This is totally kind of rude,” Tim started, which did not fill Danny with confidence (but Tim wasn’t like Dash, he wasn’t , and Danny had nothing to worry about. Right?), “but when did you get top surgery? It wasn’t in your medical records and considering you just turned eighteen it would definitely be in there.”

Danny blatantly ignored the part where Tim had apparently gotten access to his medical records at some point and answered, “a ghost doctor did it when I was sixteen.”

The vigilante paused again, “what?”

“After I was crowned I gave myself the coronation gift of top surgery via ghost doctor.”

“No, yeah, I got that part but,” Tim let out a huff, “were they… qualified?”

Bless him he sounded so confused (which was better than hateful). “Probably not, but ghost biology is different from humans so it was fine.”

“But you’re part human,” he said, pained.

Danny just shrugged, “it all worked out in the end. It’s not that big of a deal.” He tried to ignore his stomach tying itself into knots with worry about if this would change how Tim thought of him. (But Tim wasn’t Dash, Tim was kinder and better and definitely saw him as a guy. Probably.)

“I’m happy that it all went well,” Tim said gently, “but you basically just told me you had the equivalent of back alley surgery from a being that may or may not understand how your biology works.”

“But,” Danny emphasized, “it all worked out.”

Tim just hummed flatly, “it’s too early of this,” he commented.

“What time is it, actually?” Considering Danny couldn’t exactly look at a clock anymore…

“Uh,” Tim must have pulled out his phone to check, “10:44 AM.”

“Nice, we slept in,” Danny grinned. “So, are you going to hand me the pants or not?”

“Oh! Sorry,” he said, thrusting the offending pants into Danny’s waiting hands. “I’m spacy without my coffee.”

“You’re good,” Danny laughed and finally was able to get dressed completely. As they were leaving the bathroom Danny bit his lip worriedly. “And, we’re, uh, good? About the trans stuff?” 

Tim walked back over to Danny from where he had gone (probably a closet judging the fact Danny had heard a door open and shut, which was a bit confusing because this was the guest room Alfred had put him in… why would there be things in the closet?). “Yeah,” he said softly, gently pushing something soft into Danny’s hands, “we’re good.”

For a moment he was confused about what Tim had given him, but then he remembered his request for a hoodie. “Help me put it on?” He asked, sounding a bit like a little kid.

“Of course,” Tim took back the soft fabric bundle and gently– because of Danny’s bandages– put it over his head.

Danny shoved it the rest of the way on, “thanks.” Ancients he was probably blushing because he was stupidly fucking useless.

And then, because apparently someone decided he needed to gay panic even more, Tim Drake fucking kissed his fucking cheek. And holy shit if he thought he was blushing before then now he was probably on fucking fire with how hot his face felt. Holy fucking Ancients how the fuck was he supposed to fucking respond to that? He, he just, and Danny, but then Tim, and fuck. Fuck. 

“Breakfast?” Tim asked, and that motherfucker was definitely smiling that bitch .

Danny, the idiot, tripped over his own two feet even though he wasn’t even moving , “uh, yeah, yes. Hmm, breakfast.”

Tim just laughed, taking Danny’s arm and started guiding him out, whispering directions to him.

Shit Danny was gonna vibrate out of his skin. He’d have to think of a way to get the bastard back for that. (Though it might have been payment for forcefully cuddling him last night).

~*~*~*~

Duke was frankly exhausted. He had stayed up last night until everyone had gotten back to the manor (for some fucking reason), so he’d only gotten about six hours of sleep. Not that he couldn’t function on less, he was a high school student afterall, but it still sucked.

Though Alfred’s cooking by far made up for it. Apparently it was kind of rare for everyone (or almost everyone) to be at the Manor for breakfast so the butler had gone all out. There were pancakes and waffles and eggs and toast and fruit bowls and even crepes, it was a little overwhelming.

Duke had finally settled on a stack of chocolate chip pancakes smothered in boysenberry syrup (which was fancy as fuck, literally who had boysenberry syrup just laying around?) and slices of banana. He almost felt embarrassed for eating so much, but Bruce had assured him he could eat as much as he needed for his metabolism when Duke had brought it up a few days ago.

At least Alfred didn’t seem fazed, and Cass was the only other person at the table at the moment– even though it was almost 11 and Alfred had made it very clear breakfast was at 11 AM sharp–, and Duke was pretty sure she couldn’t care less about how much he ate.

Then Tim and Danny walked into the dining room arm in arm. Duke smiled, “morning.”

“Morning,” Danny chirped back with his own smile and Duke wondered if he was smiling because he felt like it or for the other people in the room's sake.

“Coffee,” Tim said, which was not at all a greeting, but Duke figured it was good enough.

The two lovebirds sat down next to each other– Tim of course having guided Danny to a seat and then taking the one next to it– and Duke noted how their auras blended together. Danny’s aura was thankfully not as bright as last night, but Tim’s was positively glowing . This could have been from a few different things such as the fact he had gotten some sleep, but considering their auras were practically dancing together he'd bet it was on something else.

“Cass is here too,” Tim informed his maybe boyfriend.

“Oh,” Danny turned towards Cass with surprising accuracy, “Black Bat, right?”

Tim hummed in affirmation and poured two cups of coffee, “what do you want in yours?”

“What is there to put in it?”

“Uh,” Tim shuffled through the various saucers and pitchers and bowls that apparently held all the coffee things. “There’s sugar, milk, half-n-half, cacao powder, carmel and white chocolate syrup-”

“Is there any raspberry flavoring?”

Tim blinked, “...yes?”

Danny nodded, “could you make a white chocolate raspberry latte?”

“I- I don’t think I can.”

Danny smiled (this one definitely for himself), “are you telling me the coffee connoisseur Tim Drake doesn't know how to make a latte?”

“Oh, no, I do, I just don’t think it’s in me to desecrate coffee in such a way.” Tim informed him.

Duke almost started giggling at the affronted look on the ghost king's face. “Desecrated? No, no no no, made into perfection,” he insisted.

Tim just stared at him, blinking slowly. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

Danny bursted into laughter, and Duke snorted. “Trouble in paradise already?” The meta teased.

Both Tim and Danny blushed, though Danny didn’t stop smiling. “I do it,” Cass spoke up, which, honestly, Duke had almost forgotten she was there. She was so fucking quiet.

Danny sent her a warm smile, again surprisingly accurate to where she was, “thank you Cass. You’re my favorite.”

“Oh,” Steph said as she waltzed into the doors, “Danny is choosing favorites?”

“Tim won’t make my coffee for me,” Danny lamented, “but Cass volunteered. Therefore she is my favorite.

“It is way too early for you to be using words like ‘therefore’,” Dick mumbled as he (somehow gracefully) staggered to a chair and plopped down.

“Cass is now Danny’s favorite,” Steph told the older man.

Cass, who had finished making Danny’s coffee for him, gently placed it in his hands. Danny smiled up at her, “thank you.”

She grinned and sent Tim a triumphant look when she kissed Danny’s head in response. Tim gasped, “betrayed! By my own sister!”

Danny laughed as Dick made a thoughtful hum, “Danny might also be Cass’s favorite.”

“What can I say?” Danny shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, “I’m perfect.”

“No one is perfect,” Dmaian informed the room at large when he came in, completely dressed and ready for the day. (Shouldn’t he be in school? Bruce had allowed him a week to get settled in before shipping him off to Gotham Academy, but Damian definitely should be at school.)

“I am,” Danny told him, “even Cass agrees with me.”

Cass nodded vigorously, and Damian scoffed, “tt, Cassandra may have her opinion.”

The dining room was getting more and more full, but surprisingly Duke didn’t feel like it was crowded. It felt warm, cozy. Like a family having breakfast should. It made something in his chest feel tight, thinking about family, and by proxy, his parents. They would have loved to be here.

“Good morning, children,” Bruce said as he walked in. He too, was dressed, though a little less put together. “Duke,” the man smiled (fatherly), “how was your first night in the Manor?”

“Oh, uh,” Duke blinked, dispelling his thoughts from his mind, now was not the time to think about his parents. “It was good.” God he sounded too awkward.

Bruce just nodded, “good,” most of the table’s conversations petered out, “you’ll start your official training today, after I get back from some business at WE.”

Duke nodded, “okay.”

That seemed good enough of a response for Bruce, who turned towards piling his plate with various fruits and eggs. The conversation picked back up and Dick happily announced he’d gotten the day off from his police work.

“Acab,” both Duke and Danny said at the same time, and Tim snickered.

“Okay listen-” Dick started, probably trying to defend himself, when Ellie floated into the dining room from the ceiling.

She had been completely silent, but Danny turned to her none-the-less. “Ellie,” he greeted.

The girl yawed, “Danny.” Then settled into a seat next to Steph.

“Do you just,” Steph paused, “go through the walls all the time?”

“Hmm?” Ellie looked up from where she was making her breakfast, “oh. Yeah. It’s like, second nature for me.”

“I would argue it’s your first nature,” Danny told her.

“Har har, make fun of the dead girl-”

“Are you really dead if you were never alive to begin with?” What?

Duke glanced at Steph who (thankfully) looked just as confused, while Ellie snarked, “are you really dead if you didn’t do it properly?” Double what?

Danny huffed, apparently not noticing how everyone at the table stopped to listen to this bizarre argument, “I’m the King of the Dead, I kinda have to be dead.”

“And I am the Princess, which means I’m dead too.”

“No it just means you have to be not-alive–”

“Which is the definition of dead!”

“No, like a rock,” the King of the Dead (literally what the fuck), “you were never alive to begin with, so therefore, you are not-alive but not dead.”

Ellie, the Princess (Duke was going to have to have such a horrible mental breakdown after breakfast, they did not cover this last night when they were filling him in), narrowed her eyes, “are you callin’ me a rock?”

“‘Bout as bright as one-”

“Kids,” Bruce intoned exasperatedly.

“Sorry,” the siblings chirped at the same time.

“You are going to have to explain to me how Ellie came into existence,” Tim said tiredly.

Danny just shrugged, “not my story to tell.”

“I would also like to know,” Dick butted in, raising his hand like a child.

“Maybe one day I’ll bless you with the tale,” Ellie sniffed, holding her chin up.

Steph smiled softly at the girl, “whenever you’re ready.”

Cass nodded, “ready first.”

“Speaking of being ready,” Danny cleared his throat and looked nervous all of the sudden, “I got a call from Jazz last night.”

“Is everything alright?” Bruce asked immediately, and Duke frowned. They had literally just left yesterday before he arrived at the Manor, what could have possibly gone wrong in that time?

“My dad knows.”

Everyone paused, and Duke took probably a moment too long to figure out what  Danny’s dad knew. They hadn’t gone into much detail yesterday, but Valerie had made it very clear that the ghost’s parents were probably his main antagonists outside of the GIW. Duke knew that some parents didn’t unconditionally love their kids like his parents had (he had had too many friends kicked out of home for being metas or queer or a ‘disappointment’ to not know), but every time Duke had to ask himself ‘why’?

From what he’d heard and seen, Danny was a hero. He was kind, and caring, and didn’t deserve to be hunted down by people who were supposed to love him.

“I’m going to head to Amity soon to meet up with him.”

What?

“Is that a good idea?” Dick asked gently, while Steph and Cass shared a look.

Danny frowned, “Sam and Tucker are going to be there, and Jazz said they think he’s not a threat.”

“He’s been hunting you down for four years,” Damian stated bluntly, “how could he not be a threat?”

“He’s been failing to hunt me down for four years while I was actively living in his house ,” the ghost king argued. “He’s a terrible shot and with both Sam and Tuck there he won’t be able to do anything.”

“And me,” Ellie interjected.

“Ellie-”

“No, Danny. I am going to be there. Odds are he doesn’t know about me, so I can take him by surprise if he does anything,” her aura started to glow brighter and Duke looked away quickly before he got blinded.

“I'm not going to risk you being in danger-”

“But it’s fine if you’re in danger?!” The ghost exploded, “you don’t get to decide that you’re not worth protecting too!”

It grew silent again while the two eldritch beings started each other down. Duke was looking firmly away from them and focused instead on his half finished breakfast. Okay, look, he knew it’d be insensitive to eat while Danny and Ellie talked about one of their parents possibly trying to kill them, but he was hungry and the pancakes were so fucking good. He looked over at Cass and Steph briefly and saw Cass was calmly sipping on her tea so he decided that he could finish his meal without much backlash.

“You’ll stay completely out of sight,” Danny said firmly. “And if the GIW shows up you will leave.”

Ellie scoffed, “if Jack was gonna call the GIW he woulda when he figured it out.”

Because that totally inspires confidence. Duke took a bite– it was so good– and finally looked up. Thankfully the two ghosts auras had toned down enough he could go back to watching and not participating in the conversation in peace.

“Is there any risk to our secret identities?” Bruce spoke up, asking the question Duke really should learn to think of if he wanted to be a Bat.

Danny shook his head and winced (most likely out of pain), “no. He doesn’t know where I’m staying and even if he turns out to be safe, I don’t plan on telling him.”

Bruce nodded. “Would heading out to Amity tomorrow work? Constantine is coming by today and would like to speak with you.”

“Constantine?” Both ghosts immediately perked up. “He’s coming? Today?” Why… why did Danny sound excited to meet the man Duke only found out about last night but already had strong opinions about?

“Yes, he should be here at five.”

Danny grinned, “absolutely I will be here for that, I have so many things to talk to him about.” Duke knew if Danny still had eyes they’d be sparkling with mischief.

Ellie started cackling, “he’s gonna shit his pants.”

“Ancients I hope so,” Danny grinned and Duke could have sworn he didn’t have fangs earlier.

Bruce, who had also gone back to his breakfast, sighed, “please don’t give our Magic Expert a heart attack.”

Holy fuck this had been such a weird fucking breakfast.

~*~*~*~

Tim helped Danny to the cave after breakfast was done to get his eyes. Tim had ordered some last night and paid triple to ensure they got there as soon as possible, and thankfully he had gotten the drop off confirmation while Ellie and Danny were arguing about the Jack Situation.

“So you just, ordered high quality prosthetic eyes off of the internet, and got them shipped to the Bat Cave?” Danny asked, holding on firmly to Tim’s arm while the elevator descended.

Tim scoffed, “I got them shipped to one of the many automated drop off points connected to the cave. I know better than to send anything suspicious to the manor.”

“Mhm,” Danny hummed and then frowned thoughtfully. “I thought I was supposed to see a specialist about sizing and things?”

Tim shrugged knowing Danny would be able to feel at least one of his shoulders move. “Alfred took an advanced 3-D model of your head while you were out yesterday.”

Danny seemed to buffer. Then the ghost slowly turned his head towards Tim. “What?”

“Well, we both knew you’d need prosthetics-”

“No, I got that. I was just wondering when you’d tell me you apparently x-rayed my head yesterday.” The elevator doors opened and Tim quietly instructed Danny forward.

“Oh, never,” Tim grinned even though Danny couldn’t see it.

“Ancients,” Danny sighed exaggeratedly, “what’s next? Updating my vaccines while I nap?”

“Now that you mention it,” Tim started with faux seriousness. Danny shoved him slightly and started to laugh. Tim just smiled at him dopily, suddenly glad Danny couldn’t see the absolutely besotted look on his face. He noted to himself that he should double check Danny’s vaccines just in case anyway. “Ten more steps forward, then a turn to the right.”

“Also,” Danny added, “aren’t you supposed to ask the guy getting the prosthetics what kinda prosthetics he wants?”

“Why? It’s not like you can see them,” Tim joked.

“I’m leaving,” Danny said, turning around and heading vaguely towards the computer bay next to the elevator.

Tim rolled his eyes and gently pulled Danny back towards the med bay. “Oh I see, you can make jokes about it, but when I do it–”

“Just tell me what kind of eyes you got me before I die of old age.” Tim helped Danny sit down on the medical bed while the halfa complained.

“I got three different pairs,” Tim explained from where he was grabbing the box Alfred had put on the counter. “A blue pair as close to your original eye color as I could find, a green pair because sometimes they would flash green, and a ghost pair for shits and giggles.”

“Ghost pair?”

“They have little ghosties on them,” Tim elaborated, opening the box. “What pair do you want to have now?”

“You complete me,” the bastard said solemnly, causing Tim to blush fiercely. “The ghost pair, obviously.”

“Obviously,” the vigilante snarked, “don’t know why I bothered to ask.” Tim put gloves on and explained the process of putting in and removing prosthetic eyes while Danny thankfully listened attentively. “Okay, first, we have to take your bandages off,” Tim unwrapped his head and started gently wiping his face with a saline wipe. “Make sure your eyelids are clean, otherwise you’re gonna trap bacteria in there.” He tried not to show his nerves when he picked up one of the Ghost Eyes, holding it so that the little white ghost on it was facing out. “Wet the eye with a saline solution, then lift your top eyelid,” fuck this was kinda weird, “and push it in.” The eye slid in pretty easily, basically popping into place. “Finally adjust your lower eyelid to make sure it’s in there properly. Blink a couple times.”

The halfa blinked rapidly, the eye settled into place. The eye itself was black, with a white sheet ghost where the iris should have been. Honestly it looked cool as fuck. Tim put the second one in, taking a moment to evaluate how they looked in Danny’s face.

“Was the verdict, Doc? Am I gonna live?” The ghost king joked, hands twitching like he wanted to reach up and touch the prosthetics.

“Yes,” Tim said seriously, “but you’ll never walk again.”

Danny laughed, and Tim couldn’t help but laugh too. Danny had such a wonderful laugh.

“Anything else I should know about my new plastic features?” The halfa asked once he calmed down.

“Try not to remove them too often, and I have some eye drops for you in case they get dry.” He looked Danny’s face over again. The eyes were a bit odd, but that was probably because Tim wasn’t used to seeing them. The area around his eyes had scared already, and really brought the eyes into attention. “Other than that, not much. You can sleep in them and everything.”

Danny smiled up at him with surprising accuracy, “thank you.”

Tim blinked and looked away, blushing like a schoolgirl, “it was no problem.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Damian’s grating voice scoffed, “tt, the prosthetics are unrealistic.”

“I am literally a walking paradox, my entire existence is unrealistic,” Danny said casually.

“What do you want, Devil Spawn?” Tim lightly glared at his youngest brother. (No longer the newest, though, thanks to Duke.)

“Well, Timothy,” Damian said with an air of superiority, “I was coming to inform Daniel that his cohort Weston arrived.”

Danny grimaced, “could you just call me Danny? Daniel gives me hives.”

The brat frowned, “but it is your name, correct?”

“Not really,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. Tim furrowed his eyebrows, really really wanting to ask but not wanting Damian to overhear.

“How do you mean?” Poor Dami looked like someone had told him the Sun revolves around the Earth. 

Tim was about to give Danny an out because the guy looked so uncomfortable it was permeating the air around them, when the ghost sighed and answered. “When I, came out to my parents as trans, they were… very accepting,” he started, and Tim’s stomach flipped. He knew Damian would be okay– hell the entire family would be– but from Danny’s reaction this morning this was still something he worried about telling people. “Immediately they got on board with cutting my hair and getting me binders, and calling me Danny.” He laughed hollowly, “they even offered to get my name changed the next day. But,” he frowned and Tim hated where this was going, “my mom, she, uh, said that ‘Danny’ wasn’t a ‘proper name’, and I was still her son, so, she put Daniel on all the records.” He sighed again, “I was so happy they accepted me I didn’t make a fuss, but ‘Daniel’ isn’t my name. It’s not the name I chose, the one that clicked when I read it, the one I wanted to go by.”

Damian looked at Danny with rapt attention, soaking up the words like a sponge. Slowly his brother nodded, “that seems challenging. I will remember to call you Danny from now on.”

Danny broke out into a grin like he hadn’t just revealed his mother blatantly ignored his preferred name because it wasn’t ‘proper’, “thanks Damian, that means a lot to me.”

“Tt,” the demon child looked away in embarrassment, “it was nothing.”

Danny’s face grew serious, “of course,” he nodded solemnly, obviously used to people being obtuse. (Though Tim could see the small smile he couldn’t seem to smother.) “Anyway,” he changed to topic, picking up on Damian’s unease at revealing himself to be a respectful human being, “you said Wes was here?”

“Yes,” the brat nodded, “he and Todd arrived a few minutes ago.”

“Ohh,” Danny lifted his eyebrows, “he and Jason, huh?”

“According to the kids' group chat, they’ve been together all night,” Tim tells him, enjoying the mindless gossip.

The ghost grins, “mhm, well, then.” He stands and reaches a hand out for Tim without thought and Tim wants to kiss him so bad, “let’s go see how their night went.”

Damian scrunches his nose like he smelled something foul. “You two go ahead, I am going to train.”

Laughing, Danny tugs on Tim’s hand, silently telling him to lead them out of the cave. Tim grabs the box of eyes (something he never thought he’d have but shouldn’t really be surprised by considering he was a vigilante from Gotham) and complies. Most likely they’re in the library, because Jason was a nerd and Bruce had left for business so he’d feel more comfortable in such a public space without him around.

When the elevator doors closed Danny squeezed his arm. “Thank you, for the eyes.”

Tim glances over at him, the black the only thing he could really see. “Of course,” he says softly. He takes a breath and reaches up to kiss Danny’s cheek again, like he did that morning. He’s blushing because he’s useless, but smiling too because Danny’s also blushing.

“I want you to know that I hate you,” Danny grumbles, but he tightens his grip on Tim’s bicep.

Tim just laughs brightly, feeling lighter than he has in a long long time.

Chapter Text

Val had to physically stop herself from outwardly reacting when Bruce Wayne walked into WE that afternoon. 

Bruce Wayne. The Batman. Her boss.

She was… really fucking confused how no one had pieced it together, to be honest. Like, sure, she hadn't, but she had only been in Gotham for like, two years. But all these Gothamites? Come on, people.

The scars, the absences, Batman's tech, the horde children directly corresponding with the vigilantes…

Then she watched him trip on his own two feet, nearly face plant into a businessman, straighten himself out, run into the door and promptly apologize to it.

Ah yes, Brucie Wayne. That made a lot more sense. 

She'd only seen Brucie in action a few times (because she avoided celebrity news like the plague) but honestly, if someone had told her two nights ago that the man who asked if the animal chicken was the same kind of chicken you ate was The Batman, she woulda thrown hands.

The same could not be said about Timothy Drake-Wayne. Like, sure, he was tiny and obviously too busy running a company to also be spending his nights being Red Robin, but he was smart and ruthless and had once gaslit a journalist into believing he wrote the sports section and not the social section that he'd been in charge of for three years. 

In fact, even Dick Grayson and his playboy smile couldn't hide the fact he was an acrobat AND a very physically fit individual. All the times he'd shown up late ruffled and smiling like the cat that got the cream (there was definitely a cat getting cream that's for sure) only barely covered up the strange bruises and unexplained absences.

She wasn’t even gonna think about Damian Wayne.

And yet somehow, Brucie Wayne's personality covered up both of their public personas so effectively Val doubted she would have ever figured it out as a civilian. Maybe she could’ve, if Huntress was still active, but as it was, Valerie Gray hadn't pieced it together and probably wouldn't have.

All of that was of course a mute point because she had her 9 to 5 to be focusing on. She’d just have to ask Drake about it whenever they saw each other next. Which, according to the text Danny had sent her about that Magic User who sold his soul a million times, was going to be tonight.

At least Ellie was also going to be there. Maybe she should bring something for the princess, after all she did ghost (no pun intended) her for two years because Val was still mentally processing that fact InvisoBill was Danny. Honestly, she probably owed Ellie some flowers as well.

She felt her face heat up, the image of her bringing flowers to Ellie made her stomach swoop and her heart swell and god she was fucking useless.

“Earth to Val,” Alyssa waved her hand in front of Val’s face. “You good?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m fine,” she shook her head and tried to clear away all the sapphic thoughts she was having,

Alyssa eyed her, raising one of her eyebrows, “you sure? ‘Cause you’ve been staring off into space for five minutes.”

“Yeah, I’m good, I just-” Val bit her lip. Alyssa was one of the only people she actually talked to at work– mostly because she hated people in general– and was probably the only person outside of the Amity group she felt comfortable talking to about personal matters. “There’s this girl-”

“Oooh,” Alyssa turned full towards her in her chair, “do tell.”

“Shut up,” Val shot back but continued anyway, “she’s one of my friends younger sisters-”

“You have friends?”

“Do you wanna know or not?” Alyssa held up her hands in mock surrender and Val sent her a stink eye. “Anyway,” she said forcefull, “she’s really cool but we only recently started talking again and I’m worried I missed my shot.”

“Why’d you stop talking?” Alyssa grabbed her lunch and started eating again, her words muffled behind her salad.

Val looked away, “I moved and had a falling out with her brother. We’re good now, but,” she swallowed, “I coulda called, ya know?”

The other woman noisily took a sip of her soda. “Is she acting like it’s a big deal?”

“No, well, not really. I apologized but a lot has been going on and I’m not sure she’s not just pushing away her anger to deal with it all.”

“Is she the kinda person to do that?”

Val scrunched her nose, “not really. I mean, she’s like, super stubborn, but-”

“Listen,” Alyssa put down her fork down, “it sounds like you’re gonna sike yourself out. If she’s not mad at you outwardly, and you think she’d say yes, go for it. I’ve never seen you this worried about anything and I was here when Scarecrow took over our floor and held us hostage. This girl must be something special.”