Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t the first time Kon has felt eyes on his back.

He felt it every time he has to pass by Clark in the space station, or when he has to walk between classes. Apparently, a lot of people have never seen a clone with dark black hair and blue eyes but it wasn’t his fault they didn’t get out much.

The team was currently out on a bonding trip, it was M’gann’s turn to choose what they did, and she decided she wanted to experience the old teenage tradition of going on a shopping spree at the local mall. Robin had agreed wholeheartedly and even agreed to pay for everything, how he has so much money Kon has no idea. He’s been trying to work on leaning on his teammates so he agreed to allow Robin to spend money on him, however, this may not be what Canary meant by working on his teamwork skills.

They were in a clothing store; Wally was with M’gann and Zatanna in the Men’s section. Apparently, Wally needs a complete upgrade in his clothing if he’s going to impress anyone, let alone Artemis. Kon was currently with Robin, Kaldur, and Artemis looking for more comfortable clothes for him. He noticed he wore a lot of superman branded merchandise and didn’t have a lot of clothes that suited his newly forming tastes.

That was when he felt it. Eyes staring him down, through his back. Kon’s head must’ve looked like it was snapped with how fast he turned, out of the corner of his eye Robin seemed to notice their audience.

A kid was not what he was expecting. If Kon had to guess, this kid had to be about 3 to 5 years old. He had black hair, worn-out jean shorts that seemed a bit long on him, a shirt with a planet at its chest, and what looked like a black hoodie too large for this small child.

What caught Kon off guard was the kid’s eyes. They were the brightest green he’d ever seen in his life, the only thing he could compare them to was Kryptonite.

Kon must’ve been staring for a while as he was startled by Robin asking, “Friend of yours Kon?”

“What?” He quickly looked to his friend before looking back at the kid, “No, I’ve never-wait where did he go?” The group all looked to the empty spot that the child once occupied. There was nothing to suggest that there was even a child there in the first place.

“Maybe his parents called him back?” Artemis supplied in an awkward attempt to fill the air, but it made sense. Kaldur agreed as he said, “It’s possible he confused Kon for someone he was familiar with, you did share some similarities.” Kon couldn’t help but nod along with his leader, that had to be the truth, it didn’t help that there was something at the back of his head nagging him. It didn’t feel right, why would the kid chance it? He could’ve been dangerous or something, why watch him so carefully?

He didn’t have the chance to continue that thought process as his attention was caught by M’gann’s laughter. He looked up to see Wally in the most ridiculous suit that could ever be designed. It took all his concentration to not join M’gann, but it was a fight that he wasn’t going to win as he joined the laughter of M’gann, Robin, and Zatanna. Kaldur chuckled as Wally shouted, “You all are the worse! I disown you all!” His cries were only answered by the thuds of his friends falling to the ground.

---

Danny had no idea what he was doing. Why did he just stare at that kid? It must’ve been so weird for a 4-year-old to be just staring at this 16 or something-year-old. It wouldn’t have been so weird if he understood why he was put into such a small body!

Okay maybe it still would’ve been weird, but it wasn’t his fault he was in this situation.

He didn’t even remember how he got here! All he remembered was Clockwork telling him that he needed to take a break! Next thing he knew, he was 4 years old in a big city that he didn’t recognize at all.

“Next time I see him, I’m putting him in ghost time out”, the child mumbled as he continued his trek to the food court, the reason he was at the mall in the first place. He struggled to pick out what stand to buy from, none of them looked like they could even compare to Nasty Burger. A pout came onto his face as he begrudgingly walked over to the Bat Burger, if he couldn’t have his favorite burger, he was going to have a new toy to mess with.

Danny looked at the little wallet he had woken up to, apparently, it would spawn the exact amount of money that he needed according to the sticky note that was attached to it. “If this doesn’t work, I will debate on if I can fight a god.” Danny joined the line of 3 people each looking at him with questions in his eyes, “What? I just want a toy,” he said with a bite. That was all it took to make wandering eyes go back into their heads.

The line didn’t take long and Danny had to cheat and float up a bit to give his order to the cashier who cooed at his cuteness. “Aww, hey kiddo! What’re we having today?”

“Can I have a Bat Burger please?” Even in his hunger, Danny was trying his best to remember his manners, and apparently, he was the only 4-year-old with manners the cashier had seen as she held a hand over her chest as if she had been having a heart attack. What? Was she expecting him to be a brat? Danny was a little offended but tried to shrug it off and get his food.

The Cashier, Marsha according to her name tag, smiled as she typed in his order and continued with “What toy are we looking for?” “Well, what do you have?” Marsha motioned to a clear box behind her, a row of what looked like heroes in a little plastic prison.

The little boy king pointed out the toy and Marsha smiled, “Oh! I should’ve guessed that you were a Super Boy fan!”

“Super Boy?” Marsha nodded as she got the toy and handed it over to Danny, he looked over the toy quizzically. He could see the resemblance between him and the toy, maybe she assumed he likes him because they were similar. He shrugged as he paid for his food and picked up his food bag.

“I guess it works…now if his summoning circle would work that would be fantastic.” The dramatic bite on his fry only accented his anger.

Chapter Text

It wouldn’t be such a strange sight to see a child at the park playing with chalk on the pavement. In fact, a parent would be cooing as such a child, admiring their artistry over their shoulder as they attempted to figure out what the child was drawing.

It would be strange once that adult realized that the child was not drawing cats, cars, or clowns but was instead drawing a summoning circle for the god of time. It would be even weirder when they realized it was too late for a child to be out all on their own, and get even stranger as they noticed that the child who was making the circle was doing so angrily with glowing green eyes.

Danny pouted as he thought about the scenario which would have been funny had he not currently been in such a situation.

He was on his hands and knees as he drew out the last remaining symbols of Clockwork's summoning circle. He was covered in chalk dust wondering if his anger was normal or if he was cranky from not napping after he ate.

The clapping of his hands as he floated up slightly to ensure he had done the circle correctly was the only sound a human could easily identify. He carefully placed a box of chicken nuggets and fries that he had bought on his way to the park, while he knew that it wasn’t a traditional sacrifice it would have to do. “Why he had to have the head of a chicken for his summoning, I will never know. I would’ve been happy with a milkshake.” Danny mumbled as he floated to the edge of the circle.

Danny allowed his voice to echo across the empty park as green and white light began to be his only companions in the night. The rustling of the leaves stopped, and the birds moving across the sky paused, as humans, monsters, and creatures alike came to a halt as he spoke of the ritual of his teacher.

His transformation came over him as his words reached their peak, his hair turning from black to white, his eyes shining brightly and his white ring transforming the boy into a prince. Smoke and fog began to roll in from the circle itself before the circle gave off a last green shine before dying off.

“After all those theatrics, YOU DIDN’T EVEN SHOW UP!” Danny pouted as he gave a little stomp of his foot, as he tried to wave his hand in front of his face to disperse the smoke and fog. As the wind started up and time began to pass again, the prince noticed that his head didn’t feel as light as it did before.

His clothes didn’t feel right either, Danny quickly looked down and was surprised to see that his hazmat suit was changed out for a onesie version of it. His symbol was still at the front but he noticed that the black of his suit was decorated with embroidered glow-in-the-dark stars.

He reached up to his crown, bringing it in front of him, and stared in shock. “I. I’ll admit this is cool” Danny giggled as his crown now mirrored the original burger king crown. It was still made of steel and would probably be taken away by an adult given how sharp it was but there were little planets floating above the peaks that moved like a baby mobile. He placed it back on his head before checking to see if the ring of rage had changed and it did!

The ring now resembled a mood ring that one could buy at the dollar store coin machine. Its face was now a little Saturn with what looked like stars that were given angry faces all around the band. “Ya know, maybe I can keep you like this. Much cuter.” Danny smiled as he looked back to his failed circle, only now realizing that there was a sticky note where the nuggets had once been.

He floated over it and read out, “Dear Danny, I believe that a vacation is meant to be uninterrupted but I can see you are restless. Find this boy and you will find your adventure in this land. What?! I’m not restless I’m mad! Wait isn’t this the kid from earlier?” Danny picked up the photo and recognized the boy he had been staring at before. He admits that he was staring as the teen looked very familiar in a way he couldn’t exactly explain. The teen felt so lonely.

Danny sighed as he destroyed the chalk circle with a quick scream, it’d be a disaster if someone found it and decided to try to summon CW. “Guess I should try to see if I can find him again.” With that, the 4-year-old flew into the night in an attempt to find the teen in the photo. A yawn did make its way out of the prince's mouth as a little fist tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

“Maybe I’ll sleep first though. Trying to summon god takes a lot outta me.” Danny stretched out his arms as another yawn coming on. He found a small building on top of a skyscraper that seemed to be for storage and the like. There was a small room with an even smaller room attached to it, a bathroom he would soon figure out.

Making his way in was easy, there was even a few emergency blankets that he was able to use to make a makeshift bed in a big fridge box. “Damn…I’m really small for my age.” The ghost child observed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. After washing his face and getting himself as ready for bed as he could, he tucked himself into bed with another yawn as his eyes began to flutter. His crown began to float above him and turned upside down, allowing itself to lull the ghost prince to sleep with the echo of a lullaby whispering into his ears.

---

Kon could swear he had seen him again. It had been a week now since he had last seen that kid at the mall and yet he could swear he was seeing him every time they had a battle somewhere in the city!

It started when they were helping out Captain Marvel with a powerful winter storm. They were transporting supplies, and food, and helping those who needed it to shelter. Kon could’ve sworn he had seen the kid peeking out from behind a car when he was helping clear out the roads. He had tried to approach the kid but as soon as he tried to, it was like there wasn’t a kid there at all! Robin had teased him that the kid just left an impression on him but he could swear on Mama Kent’s pie that the kid was just right there in the same clothes he had been in before.

Robin decided to check on him during dinner that night. “You okay big guy? I know I’m usually all about feeling the aster but this feels a bit different.” Kon turned from his seat at the table to Robin, who was leaning against the door frame with a nervous smile on his face. The clone seemed to think for a while before he motioned Robin over to the table so he could sit, “I don’t know Robin. I…I could’ve sworn I saw that kid again! He was in the same clothes and everything.” Kon began to play with his bowl of soup as he let Robin think about his next words, “Well. Maybe you did see him. He could’ve been moving with his family to the storm shelter.” He shrugged as he tried to think back to that moment, was the kid even wearing a proper winter jacket? Robin could tell that this was bothering his teammate so he placed a hand on his back and offered a solution, “Tell you what, I’ll keep an eye out for the kid! If we see him, we can check in on him, okay?” Kon was surprised but smiled and nodded, thanking him for not throwing his concerns away.

The second time was when Kon and Zatanna were up against Klarion, who for some reason thought it was a great idea to try to cause everyone in the country to start fighting one another. Zatanna had said that it was his way of throwing an ancient tantrum, but right as she said that Kon noticed him again!

This time he was behind some of the trees in the forest they were fighting in. He was watching the fight so closely that Klarion almost got the kid with a floating tree. Kon was able to jump over and catch it, throwing it back before whipping around to ensure the child was alright but there was no one there.

After the fight, Zatanna came to his room to check on him. “I mean, I noticed you were kind of distracted out there Kon. Is there something wrong? I know we’re not super close but you can talk to me.” She offered, the hybrid let the sorceress in as he began to explain the incident at the mall and how he saw the child during the fight. “He could’ve been an illusion Kon, you know how Klarion is!” “I know. I know Zatanna but the look on his face…that fear was real. Besides, why would Klarion use a random kid to distract me?” Kon allowed himself to flop onto the bed as he groaned in frustration, Zatanna joined him on the bed and gave him a comforting smile. “Kon, Klarion knows that you’d do anything to protect people. You’re a good guy, you’ve got an anger issue but you’re a big softie under all that rage,” She poked his chest where a human heart should be which caused him to chuckle. Perhaps she was right, Klarion was simply using his memories to distract him from the actual fight. Kon is pretty sure that that night was the first time he and Zatanna really had a heart-to-heart chat. She hugged him as tight as she could and Kon hugged back gently, she stayed until Kon felt comfortable being alone and left to go to bed.

That calm was interrupted the next day when a series of robots were sent out into the city. Kon was already angry as he had to leave a test in order to help with this mess. He was following behind Wally on Sphere to make sure that the speedster wasn’t going to be targeted on his way to turn them off, and then he noticed the child again! This time Robin noticed as well as he heard the boy wonders voice echo in his head, “Oh lord Kon! The kid’s 50 clicks from the robot’s mainframe!” Wally seemed to be confused but joined Kon as they changed their route to find the child. He was surrounded by the enemy and that caused both Wally and Kon to panic.

“Why is a four-year-old all alone in this chaos anyway?!” Wally asked as made his way through the robots to the child, picking him up from the ground and running back to Kon.
He was so much smaller than Kon had been assuming, his clothes hadn’t changed but now he had a paper crown on his head and what looked to be a mood ring on his finger. Those green eyes were staring up at them as Wally checked for any injuries, “Looks like you’re all good champ! Why don’t we get you back to your..” before Wally could continue the robotic army began to try to attack them again.

Kon started throwing hands and throwing machines into machines to allow Kid Flash to live up to his speedster legacy. Wally ran away with the child in his arms, setting him close to a police station where he asked a deputy to watch the child so he could go join the battle again. After the dust was settled and the day was saved Kid Flash and Superboy made their way back to the station only to be told that the child disappeared. “Again?!” Kon dragged his hands down his face in frustration as Wally’s face contorted into confusion as he heard his teammate's concerns, “Again? Wait what do you mean again?”

As they got onto the ship to travel back to the mountain Kon began to explain everything to Wally, the incidents of seeing the child, the feeling of eyes on his back, and the original mall incident. The ship had been listening in with Zatanna and Robin giving their own recollections of the incidents and Artemis and Kaldur bringing up how strange it was for the kid to just be staring at Kon. “He could be looking for his original” Wally offered which silenced everyone on the ship. “What do you mean?” M’gann asked as all attention was on the young man, he shrugged as he continued, “I mean, the kid did look a lot like you Kon! If he’s a clone, he might be trying to figure out if you’ll help!”

The thought stayed with Kon and the rest of the team throughout the night. Could he have a clone? Why would anyone need a child clone? Did that mean he was out there all alone?

His mind was running a million miles a minute, was there a child out there that needed him? Kon thought back and decided he'd help out his clone.

His clone didn't sound right. His brother? No, that doesn't fit either. Whatever the kid would be for him, he'll help him in any way he can. He'd be given a better welcome than he had.

Chapter Text

The team quickly set up a meeting time outside of the mountain the next morning. Zatanna had been able to reserve a table for them to have breakfast, saying that it would be a good way to relax after such a grueling week. At least, that’s what she told Canary so that she would give them permission to leave the mountain.

They waited till they were served, Zatanna casting a silencing spell around the group as the team began their meeting. Kaldur nodded as he addressed the table, “Alright, now that we have all been made aware of the clone situation, what should we do?”

Kon took a sip of his orange juice before he explained what had been plaguing his mind all night, “I want to help him. If he’s really trying to see if we’ll help then I want to help! He’s too little to be all alone.” The table seemed to share the sentiment as they nodded in agreement, apparently, Kon had not been the only one thinking about how to help this kid as Robin took out a small binder of notes on children. “Okay, now that I know what we’re doing, I got some information on how kids will usually act when approached. I asked around to some parents I know too and it seems that approaching the kid too suddenly may make him think of danger and get him running.”

The table passed the binder around to see what information they had, M’gann scratched her head as she attempted to absorb as much information about children as she could. If Kon would be taking in this child, she wanted to be able to help as much as possible. Artemis bit her lip in nervousness, worried she may be revealing more about herself than the child, “Maybe we could start by offering him things he needs?”

The idea seemed to click with all of the teens as ideas of what to present the child came up, “It’d be good to get him a better coat. With how weird the weather’s been, he’ll need one that fits.” “Oh! We should make him lunches! When I was carrying him, he was really light.” “Maybe some toys too? I know it’s good for child development to have a few.” Robin began to write down the suggestions in the binder as they spoke. Kaldur was nervous, where would the child even be staying? How would they get these things to him?

His thoughts reached his team and brought them to a halt. How would they get these things to the kid?

“He’s been hanging around our battles, maybe we can try to leave them nearby?” Kon suggested as he thought back to the kid’s sort of clinginess. He may not want to be attacked if approached so that could be a solution. Robin seemed to brighten up at the idea, “We could include notes too! Just so he knows who we are! I doubt whoever made him knows he’s out here so he might not be done cooking.” Heads snapped in his direction as his words caught up with him, Robin shut his mouth and seemed to sink to the floor out of embarrassment, “I made him sound like a soup...I’m so sorry Kon.” Laughter was his answer as Superboy stood to help his friend from the floor. It was settled, they would spoil the child from afar until he felt comfortable with them.

---

Although the child needed a temporary name, in Artemis’s words, “It’s kind of weird to just keep calling him the kid or the child you know?” Temporary names were thrown about, Connie, Case, Kol, Cody, but a small joke became his temporary name. The team had been circling name after name until Wally blurted out, “Why can’t we just call him Super Baby? He’s basically Kon if we shrunk him!”

Silence filled the room as they looked each other in the eyes, it was unanimous. They would call the child Super Baby until his name was revealed to them.

---

Danny wasn’t sure what to make of these heroes. He wasn’t being as sneaky as he could’ve of course, but how is he supposed to approach his target like this? He was a four-year-old! He had a baby face when he was a teenager sure but dang it, it was not fun to practically be a baby! He was sloppy, and he was found out, but instead of getting weirded out or even reporting it to authorities, these teenagers were taking a different approach.

When he flew over to observe the fights, Danny noticed a small Flash-themed lunchbox filled with food and snacks fit for someone his age. He was going to return it to the owner when he noticed the note that had been taped onto it. “ 'Hey kid! We’ve noticed you hanging around our fights and wanted to make sure you were okay. You were a little light last time I picked you up so I thought you’d do good to eat something!' Signed Kid Flash” Danny mumbled as he observed the picture the messenger had drawn for him. To say he was touched was an understatement as the ghost prince hugged the note before opening the bag again and beginning to eat what had been packed.

These were the best burgers Danny decided as he bit into a slider. The rest of the lunch had some fruit snacks, veggie sticks, an apple sauce cup, water, and a little thermos of soup. He could tell that each was made with care as he tasted the love and affection in the food. Ghosts were comprised of emotions so it was easy to detect what the cook was feeling at the time, and Danny felt insanely warm and fuzzy inside.

Kid Flash, as the drawing and note suggested, looked down at him as he ate and gave a wave to him from the top of the robot they were currently trying to dismantle. Danny couldn’t help but smile and wave back as he finished his lunch. It felt wrong not saying thank you so the little ghost boy disappeared to find a paper and pen to write his own note.

With his supplies found, he quickly jotted down his thank you note, before sealing it in the lunch box and getting away from the fight. He had to figure out a way to talk to this Kon, sure but he could always do that when his little hands weren’t covered in ketchup.

Who knew eating with such small hands was so difficult, was his thought as he disappeared into the city leaving behind a broken robot and a certain redhead announcing that he would marry Kon if it meant this cute kid was his.

---

“’ Thank you so much for the food! I enjoyed it very much! Thank you for your hard work, signed Phantom.’ Oh my lord, he put a little crown over his name, Kon I’m going to have to marry you.” Wally had exclaimed upon reading the note to the child, Phantom, had left for him. There was even a little doodle of him in the corner of the page.

Phantom. The kid called himself Phantom.

The dramatics in the mountain could only be written off as teenage attitudes as they all cooed over the letter that was given to Wally. Artemis looked as if she was fighting back the urge to find the child all by herself, with Zatanna and Robin being the only things holding her back as they basically were laid on her on the couch gushing over the child. “He’s too cute. I’mma spoil him. I’m giving him so much stuff.” Robin promised as he and the others began to plan out the child’s room jumping the gun for the sake of cuteness.

Kon kept rereading the note alongside Wally and Kaldur, for his age Phantom was intelligent. “It only adds to the theory that he’s a clone. He could have been put through accelerated learning like you did Kon,” Kaldur observed as he looked at the child’s grammar and writing, the drawing was quite cute though. “I don’t care what anyone says, I’m framing this. When he’s here it’ll be a good memory. I’m still gonna call him Super Baby though. Baby Phantom. I’m too attached.” Wally said as he zoomed out of the room in order to find a frame with M’gann following after him to help look. Kon could only smile as he looked at the note, his clone had manners and seemed very kind.

---

It happened again the next time Danny popped up to see a fight, it was closer to a city called Starling City. Danny didn’t really understand the difference between the cities but apparently, this one was home to someone called the “Green Arrow”, he honestly believed that this was a living arrow, not a man dressed like a green bean.

He flew close to the warehouse to be able to see the team in action, he had to admit that it was so cool to watch them fight like a well-oiled machine. They seemed to be fighting some sort of ninja cult or something from what Danny could hear from the other building. It seems that villains monologue no matter where you are.

It was easy to see how much they all cared about one another in their battles, it made him also envious. He wanted that. Someone to watch his back and care about him like that.

Danny sat at the side of the building, his head in his hands as he watched them fight. He barely noticed the arrow that flew past him, if a yelp escaped his lips, he would never admit to it. The prince turned to look at the arrow and noticed that there was a little Superman backpack attached to it with another note.

“’ Hey Phantom! I noticed that you didn’t have a proper jacket and it’s going to be cold tonight! Make sure to put this on, can’t have you catching a cold.’ Signed Super Boy and Artemis.” Danny took out the jacket, noticing that it was made in order to look like a little astronaut. He was quick to take off his original jacket and put on the new one, a little flap of his arms in order to ensure that it fits correctly. It was a little bigger but not as big as his own jacket, which got put to the side since there was more in the bag.

 The little prince pulled out a new toy, a little star wand that lit up if you pressed a button on the hilt. Another little note made him think that this was from Artemis specifically, “ ‘Light this up if you see us so we know where you are’. Oh! I guess they can’t see in the dark.” Danny shrugged as he looked over the ledge to see if the fight was over.

There were bodies all about the warehouse and it seemed that the police had been called based on the sirens he was hearing. He looked over at the other roofs and spotted the team's silhouettes. He pressed the button and waved the wand, surprised that it gave off a fainter light than he had assumed. The archer noticed and waved back to him, acknowledging that she’d seen him. Superboy seemed to notice too and waved as well to which Danny responded by flying up a little so he could see that he’d put on the jacket.

Kon was doing all he could not to leap over to his clone and scope him up like a baby. He was adorable! He seemed to like the jacket they’d picked out and the wand that Artemis made him. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, why the wand?” Kon looked over to his teammate who was just watching as the boy seemed to again leave a note and disappear. Artemis felt a blush rushing up to her face as she tried to answer, “Well, if we’re in a fight I don’t want the villains to see him but if we don’t know where he is he could get hurt! So I thought it’d help us keep track of him.” “Wait is there a tracker in it?” Robin asked, almost scandalized, the blonde whipped around shaking her head, “Of course not! I don’t want to lose his trust! I thought it was a good compromise!”

M’gann cooed at her friend, flying over to hug her, “Aw Artemis! That’s so sweet! You’re so thoughtful.” If anyone thought that she resembled a tomato more than she did a person, no one said anything. Wally had gone to collect the notes and came back to the team, all boarding the ship before reading out the note to the others.

“ ‘To Superboy, thank you for the coat! I will take good care of it. I hope you don’t mind if I take the backpack, I thought it was cool.’ This kid. It sounds like they didn’t give him much whoever made him.” Kon mumbled as he read between the lines, what kid was excited about something to carry his stuff in? Sure it was themed but to be excited about the backpack was a little worrying. He must be moving more than they had assumed.

Artemis was smiling at the note as she read to herself, only sharing it out loud after noticing that all eyes were on her. “‘Artemis, thank you for the wand! It’s very cute! I’ll use it a lot I swear. You’re really good with your bow! Thanks for delivering my bag to me.’” There was a little doodle of what she assumed to be her during their battle, she passed it around which had them all smiling along with her. They had to get this kid soon, who knows what could happen when he’s alone.

Chapter Text

Apparently, Robin was determined to keep his promise to spoil Phantom.

In their next fight, Robin and Zatanna teamed up in order to surprise their little friend. Once they spotted his star wand waving in the distance, the plan was put into action. Robin began to call the attention of their opponent by making fun of his uniform, they were against a goon squad near Riddler’s newest scheme in Canada of all places. With the distraction, Zatanna was free to summon their wrapped gift and cast a spell that would allow the gift to disappear into the snow and appear next to Phantom as a snowman handing it to him.

Zatanna threw herself back into the fight after seeing the star disappear into the night, knowing that their little boy had received his gift.

---

Danny was taken aback by the snowman appearing beside him. He wasn’t that big, barely reaching to Danny’s waist, and he was holding a comically big present out to Danny having a big coal smile on his face. The ghost prince giggled as he took the present from the snowman making him disappear, Danny was quick to transform and turn invisible to hide from the fight in order to see what was in the box. It was wrapped up in black wrapping paper with white ribbon and a giant bow on top of it.

He was giddy, when was the last time he’d been so excited about a wrapped gift? His birthday was barely celebrated back home and don’t get him started on Christmas, so he didn’t really remember till now.

Opening the present the first thing Danny noticed was the bear at the top of the pile. It was a dark blue with little glitter furs sprinkled around in order to make it look like the night sky. It was dressed up in what looked to be a black and white variant of Superboy’s uniform, the bear was wearing a little jacket like Danny’s and even had its own little wand. Danny gave the bear a little squeeze before noticing that the bear had a note on its back.

“‘Hey Baby Phantom! I noticed that none of us really know what you like and we’re kinda guessing so you should tell us so we can get you things you’ll like! This bear works like a wand, if you press its left paw it’ll send out a distress signal to us! Press the right paw and you can send a message to us! Signed Robin’ Baby? How old do they think I am?!” Danny whispered, annoyed that they assumed he was that young, but he couldn’t be mad at them. He honestly assumed his body was four-years-old, he wasn’t completely sure but it was what he was going with.

He set the bear in his lap, floating up to reach deeper into the box. The next thing he pulled out was a set of notebooks based on the core members of the Justice League, with a set of crayons and colored pencils tied to them with another white ribbon. Putting that to the side the little prince looked to the bottom of the box where a very plush blanket sat with its own note attached to the top of it.

“’ Hey Lil’ Guy! I thought you’d enjoy this blanket! It’ll adjust to the temperature you’re comfortable at if you ask it! Keep warm Super Baby! Signed Zatanna’ Superbaby?! I am not a super-oh wait this blanket feels good.” The blanket had risen up from the box and wrapped itself around the young prince, tucking him into a small pile of plush and stars. It wasn’t hard to lose himself in how comfortable the blanket was as he snuggled into the living blanket with his arms wrapped around his new companion.

The blanket seemed to understand that the little prince was becoming sleepy as it bundled him up and brought him into the big box, with his crown returning to its place over its lord spinning to lull him into a deeper slumber.

---

Robin had sent Kid Flash to see if their friend had left a note, but now he was getting worried as the group watched his face morph from shock to looking as if he was dying. M’gann was quick to fly over to check on him, only to fall to the same fate. “What in the world did he leave?” Robin mumbled as the rest of the team hurried to Phantom’s last location, only to be met with what could be only be described as the cutest scene he had ever experienced.

There was little Phantom swaddled in the blanket Zatanna, holding the bear he had customized close to his chest, in the box they had used for the gifts. It explained why M’gann and Wally were currently on the floor, both attempting not to gush so they wouldn’t wake up the sleeping child.

What surprised Robin was the fact that Phantom looked as if he had swapped his color palette, his hair was no longer black but bleach white, the same with his clothes although he noted that it was more of a onesie. His ring was glowing and there was a mobile that looked like a crown over him playing a lullaby that Robin didn’t recognize.

“Maybe he’s not fully Kryptonian..” Robin whispered as he watched Kon get closer to the sleeping child, kneeling and gently picking him up. The child sleepily reached a hand up to the clone’s cheek and gave him a gentle pat, “Safe?” Robin felt almost frozen at the word, their boy had said it so casually, had he been in danger beforehand? How damaged could he be? Kon smiled as he held Phantom’s hand, it was small compared to the hybrids, he watched as the child was brought close to the symbol of the House of El as he heard Kon whisper “Yeah Kiddo, you’re safe.”

The Gothamite felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look over at their leader who had a gentle smile on his face from the sight, “Let’s get back, we have a new member to introduce to the league.” The team seemed to perk up at the order, it was as if they’d done this before, Robin took his place with Kaldur at the front of the group Artemis and Zatanna at the sides of Conner, and M’gann flying behind them Wally running in front of everyone.

Getting on the ship was a quiet endeavor, with the ship constructing a small bed for Phantom to comfortably sleep in next to Kon’s seat. If M’gann flew the ship in a way that wouldn’t disturb the child, none of the team mentioned it as they were too busy trying to subtly check on their new passenger.

Chapter Text

Danny started to wake up with a yawn and a little stretch of his arms. As he began to sit up in the bed, he began to look around only to see that the team was asleep in their stations near him. The young prince untangled himself from the comfort of his blanket allowing himself to float up to get a better look at his surroundings.

He had to be honest that he felt very nervous, he was in a ship if the view outside the window was anything to go by. Danny could feel the tears prickling his eyes, why did he want to cry? He could only assume that his emotions were too big for his small body. How did he get here? Why was he on a ship? Was he in danger?

The tears began to flow as his panic began to take over his common sense. He could hear himself start to hiccup before a soft voice broke through the silence of the ship.

“Oh, you’re awake! Did you have a nice nap?” His head whipped around towards the green woman that seemed to be manning the ship he was in. She gave him a soft smile as she floated over to him, “HI! I’m Miss Martian but you can call me M’gann M’orzz or Megan.” She whispered to him, trying her best not to disturb her teammates. Danny could feel waves of comfort coming from M’gann, it was as if she understood how overwhelmed he was, how confused he was, and was trying to show that he was safe.

The hero held out her arms to him, Danny picked up his bear before flying into her arms looking for comfort. She reminded him of how Jazz used to soothe him as she rubbed his back, humming a song he was unfamiliar with. It seemed that they were like that for hours, with Danny having to take deep breaths and M’gann floating around the ship.

“Where are we?” Danny questioned once he had calmed down as he rubs his eyes. “I think we’re over the Canadian and American border. We’re heading back to Happy Harbor.”

“Happy Harbor?” M’gann seemed to giggle as she pulled up a map to show Danny their flight path. “Happy Harbor was the city we first met you at. It’s also where our main base is at.” The little ghost traced the path with his finger trying to understand how long it was going to take them. It wasn’t until then that M’gann’s introduction caught up with him.

“Wait, did you say you were a Martian?” His head swiveled on his shoulders as he stared in awe at the woman holding him. She smiled as she nodded, “Yes! I came here with my Uncle Martian Manhunter to learn about Earth.” The curiosity in Danny’s eyes almost began to sparkle like the stars as he began to ask her questions about Mars, what it was like coming to earth, questions about the ship, and the stars.

---

M’gann flew up to have Phantom on her lap as she spoke about the television show that inspired her to come to earth in the first place. If the rest of the ship was listening in, M’gann said nothing about it as she told stories of the stars to her little star child.

---

“Now you see the two boys leaning against each other? The black-haired one is Robin, the boy who gave you your bear, and the redhead is Kid Flash or Wally. The blonde boy with the black tattoos is Kaldur’Ahm or Kaldur, he’s our leader. The blacked haired girl is Zatanna, she gave you the blanket we wrapped you up in. The blonde girl with the bow is Artemis, she gave you your wand! She made that you know. You know my name now and that boy that was next to you is Superboy or Kon or Conner, he doesn’t really mind which you use.” M’gann was pointing out each sleeping body on the ship as they finally started to near the edge of Happy Harbor. Danny nodded as he tried to have the names and faces to his memory.

She had to take back control from the autopilot, and she had placed Danny into a smaller child seat next to her so he could watch as she drove.

Danny was having fun watching her from his seat, “This is so cool! So, it responds to your emotions?” M’gann shook her head, “Not exactly, it responds to how I think. Ship and I have formed a mind link, so it responds to me.”

“So only you can drive it?” The ghost prince had thought that the concept, while interesting, would be a disaster if she was incapacitated. What would happen if M’gann was out of commission? Would they be stranded? “No! Others can drive of course! It just takes a lot for a human to drive it, a lot of focus.” A sigh of relief left the child as he leaned back into his seat, that was a concern that had popped into his head as they had been talking.

As they began their descent, M’gann had Danny fly around and gently wake up the others. He was careful to nudge them awake, with Kaldur smiling at him when he noticed who was waking him up. “Did you have a good rest Phantom?” Was met with a cheerful nod as the little ghost flew over to Kon, having left him the last.

“Superboy! You gotta wake up! We’re almost to the mountain!” Danny shouted as he shook the clone with a surprising amount of strength. Kon had been slow to wake up but was quick to pick up Danny to stop his ‘attack’, “I’m up! I’m up! How’d you nap?” Phantom was a giggling mess as he tried to shake out of the clone’s grip, “It was good! I was a little nervous but M’gann told me stories about the stars!” Kon brought the child into his chest as he looked over at the named party, “Ah! So, she kept you company? That’s good.” Her blush gave away her emotions, with the team smiling over at her.

The mountain was interesting to Danny, he hadn’t even thought to go into the mountain as he was too busy exploring the city. It was in plain sight! He would’ve never thought there was something there if he hadn’t been shown the entrance. Danny allowed Conner to carry him out of the ship as he was busy waving goodbye to the ship, it was as if he could understand that the ship appreciated his acknowledgment.

Kaldur, their leader if he was remembering correctly, lead them into the living room area and began a sort of impromptu meeting. “Now that Phantom is here, we should bring him to meet the league.”

“The League?” Danny’s voice seemed to surprise the group, but Wally was quick to recover. “Oh! I guess you might not know the league, here! We’ll show you!” The redhead took him from Conner and brought him to a giant computer room with Robin hot on his trail. Robin logged into the computer and brought up pictures to show Danny all the core members of the league, they seemed to be viewed like gods rather than heroes in Danny’s opinion.

“So, I think there are about 16 members of the Justice League right now. We have 2 Green Lanterns, The Flash, Red Tornado, The Atom, Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Dr. Fate, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman.” Robin explained, motioning to the hero he was speaking about. Danny had to admit that he was surprised when Superman was shown. He looked almost exactly like his father; the thing was that Superman may have been smaller than his dad.

Could this be what CW meant?

It honestly was freaking Danny out and it did not go unnoticed as Wally seemed to rock him a bit to bring him back to reality, “You okay little guy? You kind of left us for a bit.”

“I’m not little!” Danny pouted crossing his arms and turning away from Kid Flash. “But you are little!”

“I am not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

Robin seemed to be laughing at his friend’s expense as he reached out to Danny. “Sorry about that Phantom, KF can be a bit mean, but he’s a good guy! Here, why don’t I show you around while he repents for his meanness?” Danny could hear the teasing tone in Robin’s voice but took his pettiness in stride as he allowed himself to be taken from Kid Flash, and as the Boy Wonder turned around Danny stuck his tongue out at the yellow hero.

Wally gasped, offended on all accounts but did nothing to follow them, instead running to join the others to plan how to tell the league about Phantom.

---

The rest of the team met up in the training room, Connor was walking in circle in the middle of the seated group as he thought of the impending meeting and how it could go. Kaldur had sent a message to their mentors to come to the Mountain with his only explanation being that a situation needed further assistance. The team watched as the clone stressed himself out though before any of them could intervene, Wally burst into the room, “Okay! Phantom is currently getting the tour from Robin, what’re we doing?”

The surprise caught Connor off guard, he’d been so in his own thoughts he wasn’t listening to his surroundings, “Oh, is Robin going to try to-?”

“’ Try to' ? Don’t insult my friend Kon, Robin will get the DNA sample then we can prove that Phantom is another Super clone!” Wally had full confidence in their friend which put Connor at ease, he knew the adults of the League wouldn’t believe them if they just presented their theory. Zatanna called attention to herself as she raised her hand and asked, “Doesn’t that still mean there’s a chance that Phantom isn’t a clone? What do we do then?”

While the thought had passed through Kon’s mind, he couldn’t explain it, but he knew for sure that he and Phantom were connected. When he saw him, that feeling of familiarity bloomed and only continued to grow as they interacted with him. There was little doubt in his mind. “Even if Phantom is not a clone of Superman, I still think he should stay with us. He has no guardians, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving a 4-year-old alone in the city.” Kaldur stated as he walked to Connor to rub his back to comfort his concerned friend. The action brought a smile to Kon’s face, their leader was kind.

M'gann seemed to brighten at the statement as she floated up happily shaking in anticipation, “Yes! He should stay here at the mountain! We could help train him! I can help with flying, Wally can work on his speed, and Kaldur you can help with swimming! Oh! Artemis you can teach him how to shoot!” The scenarios would’ve continued had they not all heard Robin’s call for someone to help him cook something for Phantom.

In Robin’s own words, “If I cook for him, I think we’d be in a world of trouble”, so Connor and Zatanna went to the kitchen where they found Phantom had been placed on the counter as Robin looked for something to give the child as a snack.

“Hey, guys! Sorry but Phantom’s hungry and we all know I can’t cook to save my life.” The boy wonder admitted as Phantom giggled at his despair, “You can’t be that bad!” Phantom had attempted to comfort the Gothamite, crawling across the counter to the boy so he could pat his head.

Just remembering the last time Robin had attempted to cook brought shivers to both Superboy and Zatanna’s spines. That had been the worst day as the team had all gotten food poisoning, it made Kon stay away from any sort of stew for a good month afterward. Phantom seemed to notice their reactions as he hissed and asked, “That bad?”

Zatanna at least had the decency to attempt to lie to the child, but Kon couldn’t as he said, “Yes it was, I wouldn’t eat a sandwich offered by this boy.” Robin seemed to pretend to collapse to the floor as he yelled at Connor for his betrayal. With a roll of her eyes, the sorceress whispered a spell that whisked robin from the floor to what Kon could only assume was the lab to do the DNA test. Connor scoped up Phantom from the counter, smiling once he noticed the child still had a firm grip on his teddy bear, “Well, what’re we thinking champ? Z’s pretty good at most dishes and Momma Kent’s been teaching me how to cook like a proper southern bell.”

Phantom kicked his legs a bit in thought until his answer came with stars in his eyes, “Could I have pie?” Connor chuckled as he nodded, thanking Momma Kent that she’d shared her apple pie recipe with him. Handing the child off to Zatanna Connor got to work finding the ingredients needed for their kid’s snack.

Their kid?

When did Phantom become their kid?

But it sounded right.

It felt right.

The clone looked to the island where Zatanna was showing off her powers to the white-haired child, making floating stars that he would fly up and chase to collect. The scene made his heart swell in a way Connor was unfamiliar with, his smile turned to a chuckle as he brought his head down from the stars back to the pie.

---

Kaldur couldn’t decide whether he wanted to admit to what he was seeing.

He had his suspensions sure; he had been one of the first to agree with the theory that Phantom had been a clone but it’s harder seeing the facts to a theory that seemed almost impossible.

Phantom was a clone, but he wasn’t specifically a clone of Superman. He was more closely related to Connor than to Clark. Judging by their DNA the only thing missing from Phantom’s DNA was Luther’s. Both Connor and Phantom had similar DNA that a father and child would share, with the mother's DNA being not from a human but from a Lazarus pit.

Judging by the thud behind him, Kaldur had to assume that either Wally or M’gann had fainted and admitted that he wasn’t too far behind.

When had someone collected Connor’s DNA in order to make Phantom? Was there still a batch of Connor’s DNA in Kadmus? Could that be who made Phantom?

Could that be why Phantom had two different sides to him? One was Kryptonian while the other was a form associated with the waters.

There were so many questions running through his head. So many that didn’t have answers yet, and he didn’t know if he wanted them.

He took a breath, he couldn’t panic. Kon would be getting the news soon and while he understands how kind Kon is, he knew that he would need someone there for him. Kladur wanted to be there for his friend, he understood he couldn’t be there if he was panicking alongside the rest of the team.

He turned to see the reactions of his teammates. Surprisingly it wasn’t M’gann on the floor, but Artemis had lost her footing in shock and Wally was on the floor next to her staring at the screen with his mouth agape. M’gann was holding onto Robin’s shoulder as if to steady herself with Robin’s arm around her waist to keep her up.

Kaldur stood straight as he addressed the team, “Now that we have proof, we can get ready for the League. Robin, I want you to look at Phantom’s DNA closer. I want to know if the Lazarus water is affecting him, negatively or positively, I don’t care.” Robin nodded as he returned his attention to the computer, beginning to isolate the Lazarus Water from the rest of Phantom’s DNA.

“M'gann, I want you and Wally to receive the League. I need you guys to ensure that they don’t leave the computer room until we get there.” That seemed to snap them both out of the trance the computer monitor had them in. Both looked at each other before disappearing to the door. While the computer would alert them to their arrival, both needed to ensure that they weren’t even a moment late.

“Artemis, I want you and Zatanna to look after Phantom until we’re ready. I don’t want the League to scare him. I’m going to talk to Connor.” The archer nodded as she joined him on his walk towards the kitchens though both were taken aback by the delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

Kaldur couldn’t stop the smile on his face when he came into the kitchen. It seems that Phantom was being treated like a little prince with Connor having baked him an entire pie which he was eating with the comically big shovel spoon M’gann had purchased a while ago. Zatanna was right next to him, wiping off the pie that didn’t go into his mouth and Connor was barely taking out a secondary pie from the oven.

Artemis chuckled and moved closer to Zatanna and Phantom, “Well, it looks like the little King’s been fed his own pie! If you keep going at it like that Kid, you’ll give Wally a run for his money.” Phantom seemed embarrassed as his cheeks turned bright green, “It was good! And Connor said I could have it!”

Zatanna shook her head at her friend as she came to Phantom’s aid, “You leave his majesty alone Artemis! It’s only natural that a growing boy needs all the food he can get!”

This descended into a playful squabble between the three with Phantom using his spoon to defend his pie from Artemis trying to take it and Zatanna aiding with little harmless magic blasts.

Kaldur moved to his friend who had been watching the scene unfold with admiring eyes, he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he leaned in to whisper, “We have to talk.”

Connor nodded, setting the Pie down to cool and taking off the additional apron. They walked into the hallway, trying to be as far and as close to Phantom as possible. Connor seemed to be concerned but Kaldur had his friend sit with him on the training grounds. “Robin ran the tests. It seems that Phantom is a clone.”

“I told you guys!”

“But he isn’t just Superman’s clone Kon.” This stopped his friend from cheering as he stared at him with confusion. Kaldur took another breath and launched into an explanation of what their teammate had found. “While yes, he shares DNA with Clark, he is closer to your DNA than his. He lacks Luther’s genetic input though, it seems that whoever made him, made Phantom with Lazarus water. I have Robin checking to see if it’s affecting him in any way.” Kaldur was afraid to say anymore, fearful that he had broken his friend. Connor was staring at the floor, digesting the information.

The Atlantean moved closer to his teammate and opened his arms to comfort him, Connor took up the offer as they gently held each other in an embrace. He could hear Connor begin to cry as he heard whispers of “I’m not alone anymore”, which only caused his arms to tighten around his friend. How long had Connor thought of himself as alone?

How long had Kaldur allowed his friend to think that?

They both stayed in the embrace for what seemed like forever.

Artemis and Zatanna had reported that Phantom was safely napping on the couch. M’gann and Wally had practiced to their heart's content with what to say to the league once they arrived.  Robin had information he’d share with everyone once the meeting was in session.

None of that was important to Kaldur now as he looked down to his shaking teammate. Everything was taken care of. All Kaldur cared about was Connor as they sat on the training floor, knowing that the next few hours would be the most important and grueling of their lives.

---

Zatanna watched as Artemis rocked little Phantom to keep him asleep, the child returning to his other form. The blanket she’d given him dutifully wrapped around the tired child and his bear which he seemed to refuse to be detached too.

“I never knew how good with kids you were.” She mentioned, surprising the archer judging by the blush that seemed to be creeping onto her friend's face. Artemis looked down at the child she was carrying with a smile, “Before this, I would offer to babysit neighbor's kids for extra cash. I wanted to help my mom. I guess you could say I’m experienced with kids.” Zatanna had to admit she was happy that her teammate trusted her with such information.

She got up and offered to take Phantom from Artemis, “Here, Let me hold him for a bit. You should go actually get a piece of the pie.” The blond smiled as she passed their little kid over to the magician. Zatanna wondered if this warmth in her chest was what her mother felt when she held Zatanna as a child.

However, something had been bothering her.

It could be the Lazarus waters, but she couldn’t unsee the image of death following Phantom around. It wasn’t as menacing as she would have expected but it was concerning, nonetheless. She didn’t have a direct description of the figure she saw when they picked up Phantom, only that it was a living shadow that didn’t look friendly. It looked like a knight if she had to guess but it didn’t answer her questions.

Why would such a young boy have death following him around like an old friend? Maybe it would be worth telling Kaldur to invite Constantine, this was more his realm of magic, and he probably knew more than the other leaguers.

She sent a mental note to the team that she wanted to ask Constantine for a consult on their new member. Although there was confusion sent her way Kaldur agreed, “If you believe that he will be a useful asset, I say he should be here.”

Zatanna summoned her mirror to her and wrote Constantine’s number on the glass, one she had memorized thanks to her father. She knew that they didn’t see eye to eye but he was one of the few people that her father truly trusted.

Constantine’s face appeared in the mirror moments later, he blinked at her but gave a gruff smile, “Well! What does the great Zatanna want with lil’ ol’ me?”

It took everything in the magician not to roll her eyes.

“Constantine, I need a consult on something important.” That seemed to at least pique the interest of the Brit as he gave his full attention to her. “What do you need?”

Zatanna moved the mirror down so that the sleeping boy she was holding could be seen by the sorcerer, “My team and I found him a few weeks back. From what we’ve found he’s made of Lazarus waters.”

The elder seemed confused as he looked over the sleeping babe, something was strange for him if his face could be trusted. “What’s that he’s got on his hand?” Constantine motioned towards Phantom’s mood ring, Zatanna breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t going insane and something magical was happening with their kid.

“It’s hard to explain. How fast can you get to the mountain? We’re having a meeting and I think it’s easier if you see him.” Zatanna knew the ring had felt strange as did his crown, it felt familiar but not in a way she could explain. It was like she’d seen the items in a dream or some reality that didn’t exist anymore. She could only hope that her elder had the answers she and the others needed.  

“I’ll be there soon. I’ll even bring your little babe a gift.” Constantine teased as he disappeared from the mirror, showing he’d hung up. The mirror returned to her bedroom in time for the computer to announce to the mountain that their mentors had made it to the mountain. The dark-haired girl could feel Phantom squirm as she looked towards Artemis who had reentered the living room. Zatanna brought Phantom closer to her to soothe him, almost as if to hide him from the computer’s voice.

It was time for them to argue their case.

She pleaded with every god she knew for the patience that this meeting would require, for if she had strength, she wouldn’t give them the choice.

---

The group of Leaguers consisted of Batman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and surprisingly enough, John Constantine. Wally and M’gann got the go-ahead from Kaldur to allow them into the main room, with their leader, Robin and Connor coming in to greet them.

Superman was looking at Constantine with curiosity as they had not known he had been called to help. Batman opened his mouth to ask what was so urgent but was cut off by Constantine asking, “So where’s the lil’ tike? I wanna see what all the fuss is about.”

The team was surprised but Zatanna calmly informed them that Constantine could see Phantom in their mirror call.

“Well that leaves less for us to build up to but it’ll do,” Robin mumbled as he turned on the computer allowing Kaldur to explain again who they had found and what they were.

“Thank you for coming so quickly. We wanted to inform you all that we’ve recently met a new clone child. From what we’ve gathered, he’s more of a clone of Superboy rather than Superman. He hasn’t exhibited many of his Kryptonian powers but we think that it could be because he seems to be crossed with Lazarus water.” Kaldur was doing his best to keep a straight face as Robin brought up the DNA test as well as footage from some of their fights.

“I first noticed Phantom, the name he’s given us when we were at the mall. From then he’d follow us to our battles watching from a distance. Our initial thought was that he was trying to find me looking for help.” Connor explained, trying his best not to look at his own original. The adults in the room were surprised as they looked over the information the team was able to gather.

“This has been going on for weeks?” Black Canary asked, astonished at how this had been going on under her nose. She was supposed to watch over them, it made sense she was so shocked.

“How do you know he’s closer to Superboy than Superman?” Batman questioned, looking over the DNA model in an attempt to figure out his own answer. The Flash was quick to understand as he pulled a string of RNA from the three samples given to them, “Because their RNA is too close for him not to be Superboy’s clone. Luther got close to Superman’s sure, but this is almost identical. Something usually not seen outside of twins.”

“Where is this boy Kaldur’ahm?” Aquaman asked with Constantine agreeing as he looked at the gaggle of teens, noticing that a certain sorceress and archer were not among them. The team looked to Kaldur who nodded, signaling to their friends to enter the room with their ward.

 To say that Superman looked astonished was an understatement, he was looking at Phantom as if the child had insulted his very existence. It was different from how Constantine was looking at the sleeping child, he seemed both fearful and confused.

Green Arrow, Flash, and Aquaman were looking between Superboy and Phantom as if comparing their looks would debunk the evidence in front of them. J’onn smiled as he looked at Phantom, seemingly noticing his multiple space-themed gifts. Batman was stoic, Robin staring at his mentor and father to understand what he was thinking. It was like the room filled with only the sound of his mind.  

Until the sound of a yawn cut through the room, with their little boy grumpily waking up from his very peaceful nap. His eyes seemed to still the adults who looked into them, two pools of kryptonite looking at the group with confusion. “Phantom, this is the Justice League! Remember the heroes Robin and KF showed you?” Zatanna asked as she adjusted her hold to have Phantom on her hip.

Those eyes hadn’t moved from the group, with it finally clicking with Constantine what they were looking at, “Oh bollocks. That…I heard they could be young but not that young!” His voice startled the other heroes out of their trance with their attention turning to Constantine.

“What do you mean? Do you know him?” Superman asked with a tone that reminded Connor of how horrible he was at the beginning of his existence. Already he was treating Phantom as if he was a ticking bomb just waiting to go off.

“Well, it’s pretty much unheard of but not impossible for a new eldritch child to be born. I would reckon that the waters turned him into one, how old is he anyway?” Constantine looked over the child again, a child who was currently looking at him like he’d destroyed his favorite toy.

“I’m four!” Phantom announced with a pout, obviously angry that his pie-induced nap was interrupted by a group of brightly colored strangers. The flash of neon green was not lost on the group, that seemed like something the Lazarus pits powered but it could also be laser eyes developing.

“So, he’s dangerous?” Superman asked as he tried to understand the knowledge that the sorcerer had just dropped into the meeting. Batman looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow before looking at the child Zatanna was holding. He approached the two, kneeling to Phantom’s eye line before asking, “Well? Are you dangerous?”

“Wake me up again and I will be,” Phantom announced, his voice echoing in a way that reminded the group of how powerful the child in their care truly was. He switched back to his white-haired transformation, his crown, and ring signifying his power as they flashed with green fire, forcing Batman back but not harming the sorceress holding him.

The adults and kids had been blinded by the light but Kon had been quick to recover, going to Zatanna to ensure that both Phantom and she were alright. Phantom did fly into Connor’s arms, mumbling that he wanted more pie after all this. A statement that served to ease the elder’s worries.

“We want to keep Phantom here at the Mountain. We could take care of him here and teach him how to use his powers! He’s four and a growing child that needs actual care.” Robin stated, unmoving in his stance with the team following suit. Batman stared into his son’s eyes in an attempt to see if he would back down, but all he had to stare at was the determination each one had to keep this child with them.

“But do you really think you’ll be able to take care of him all by yourselves?” Canary was of course concerned about the children and the roles that they would be taking on but that concern shifted once she heard Superboy’s response.

“We at least have the decency to call him proper pronouns. I don’t think loving him is going to be any harder.”

The shot had met its mark as Superman backed away from the team with a wince. He’d been attempting to atone for his crimes against Connor, and though it seems that he was forgiven, his transgressions were not forgotten.

The League looked at one another; however, one had already made up his mind as John opened a portal to his left, pulling out what looked like a big plastic children’s car, “Well we’re not going to let you go at it alone. I’ll help out any way I can but maybe this will get me on our new friend’s good side.”

Phantom seemed surprised by the gift, and although it did take some reassurance from Zatanna and Connor, he flew over to the plastic car and began to play with the battery-powered car. It was black and white much like this form’s clothes and reminded them of the speed runners from Star Wars. It was charged and a second later, Phantom was riding around on his new toy, going through the halls with laughter being left in his wake.

Green Arrow followed Constantine’s example, walking up to Artemis and placing a comforting hand on her should, “I trust you in your decision kiddo. If you need anything for the kid, give me a call and I’ll get it. No questions.” To say Artemis was shocked was an understatement but she nodded, with a smile as she placed a hand other her mentor’s, “I appreciate that, Arrow.”

Canary smiled at the man as she went to Connor, wrapping her arms around him and giving the boy a squeeze, “I know this is going to be a lot but I’ll be right here for you okay?” Kon breathed a sigh of relief as he returned the hero’s hug. He knew that this was going to be a new development but it felt nice to have an adult in his corner.

If Superman had attempted to get closer to Connor, no one noticed.

Aquaman approached his protégé and gave him a proud smile, “I know that you will look after this child well. Should you need help teaching him our ways, let me know! I’ll be here to help however you need.” Kaldur smiled and bowed to his king, knowing that he had just been given permission to teach Phantom the ways of Atlantis.

J’onn and M’gann seemed to be communicating telepathically but to anyone who could sense their feelings, it was clear that it was a very emotional conversation. M’gann had even begun tearing up as she flew into her uncle’s arms. It seemed that he approved of Phantom staying with them but what was said may have been better left unsaid.

Phantom had stopped by Robin, who happily picked him up out of the motorcycle-looking toy and placed him on his hip. “That went better than I could’ve hoped. No more threatening Batman though okay Superbaby?” The Gothamite scolded as he tickled Phantom, his boy attempting to fly away from his tickle attack. “Okay! Okay! I won’t!” Phantom promised as he tried to squirm away, too focused on laughing to get away.

Batman approached his son and his new ward. Robin stared down the dark knight with a lifted brow, as if daring the man to even attempt to take their boy. “You know if you say no, you’re being a hypocrite right?” Robin accused, holding Phantom closer to him as if to protect him from his father. Batman let a small smile appear on his face as he shook his head, “I couldn’t stop you if I tried. Phantom, if you need anything just let me know.”

The child stared at the man, completely surprised he was being addressed but he nodded, grabbing Robin’s cape to hide under to hide the green blush on his face. This had both heroes watching him chuckle at his antics.

Chapter Text

While Phantom was being distracted by the others, all going to choose a room for the child, Zatanna and Constantine stayed back in the Computer room. Constantine had them move to the House to chat about the child. He lit his cigarette, causing Zatanna to cough as he let out the smoke.

“You-You said he was an eldritch child. Is that connected to the ring? What about the crown?” Zatanna questioned as she watched the elder magician sit on his couch, offering the seat in front of him to the younger. She was quick to sit, hating how far away she was from the situation.

“I recognize them. He’s wearing the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. I’ll be honest, it makes sense that he has them.” Zatanna must’ve let her confusion be seen on her face as the smoker chuckled.

“What I mean, is that you have a baby king on your hands. For whatever reason, you’ve got the heir to everything, and you’ve been chosen to take care of him. You and your team if I had to guess.” Constantine dropped the cigarette stomping out the rest of the butt, letting Zatanna take in what he had told her.

“’ Chosen’? What do you mean chosen?” Zatanna tried to think back about her interactions with Phantom before remembering the shadow she had seen. “Is that why he’s being followed by a knight? He’s being protected?”

At some point, John had moved to lay down on the couch as he lit another cigarette. “’ Fright Knight’, the king’s right-hand man. I wager, and I am not a gambling man, that he stayed with the heir until he knew that he was safe.” The room filled with silence as Constantine let out another cloud of smoke from his mouth.

The sorcerers’ eyes met as they came to an understanding of how heavy this situation was. Zatanna could feel herself start to tear up as she thought of something that had been bothering her.

“What did he need protection from? What am I supposed to protect him from? He’s a baby John. He’s too little.” She whimpered out, wrapping her arms around herself as her mind was filled with the possibilities of what her little boy could’ve been put through. Constantine looked at the younger sorceress, moving to place a hand on her back and comforting her the best he knows how.

The two stayed like that for a while, with Constantine thinking of what to say next.

“I’m not sure but I know one thing.” Zatanna met his eyes again confused by his pause. He smiled at her as he continued, “The knight made a great decision trusting you lot. His past might come back for him, I know you won’t let it hurt him.” He brought up a hand to wipe her tears as she nodded, understanding that Phantom may grow up to be king, but he’d be her little boy first.

He had the right to have a good childhood, and she’d protect that right with everything she was.

She’d make her dad proud.

---

Something had been bothering Danny since he’d woken up in this city.

 It wasn’t the fact that the team was spoiling him, he had to admit that he really did enjoy the attention they were giving him.

He was currently in his own room now, right next to his clone dad. The ceiling was decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars, that were accurate thanks to J’onn putting them up. He’d been so excited, blabbing on questions to the older Martian, asking about their sister planet. J’onn didn’t seem to mind as he answered each question with patience.

He had a giant bed since this was all that the room had in the first place but he was happy that his comforter was so fluffy. His blanket was fluffier, of course, but the comforter was nice. It was decorated with Batman’s symbol since Robin had some extra themed bedding.

He was currently tucked in with his new teddy bear in his arms. He got a goodnight from every member of the team which felt very comforting. The last person to tuck him in was Jazz, so getting six times the loving felt great if a bit overwhelming.

 He wasn’t even bothered with being a clone himself! It made sense and did explain why Dani and all other clones came out with defects and deficiencies. It was like printing an image and trying to photocopy the photocopy, less and less of the original picture would be shown. It could even help Dani!

What was bothering him was that he couldn’t remember why he was sent on a vacation in the first place. He’d barely finished off Pariah Dark, sealing him back in the coffin he’d come out of. He remembered going home but from there he didn’t remember what had happened.

He figured that CW had sent him here to figure out that he was a clone but that didn’t feel like that was it. Was he being hidden? Was he being protected? Why was he this little? Hell, he’d tried looking like his original age, but nothing was working.

It felt like there was a strain on his core, but he couldn’t explain why. It hurt, it was like phantom pains that he couldn’t place.

Danny felt himself tearing up, but instead of trying to calm himself down, he let it out. He was scared, he didn’t understand why he was taken away from his friends and family. Just what happened that he would be forced away from them?

His grip on his bear tightened as he let out a scream out of frustration, the mountain echoing his own fear back to him.

---

Connor woke up with a start, his ears letting him know all too well that someone was crying. It was echoing, he saw his desk rattling and the rest of the building following suit. He quickly got out of bed with his mind on solely one thing, Phantom. Something had to be wrong with Phantom.

He nearly ripped Phantom’s door off its hinges as he came into the room.

His heart felt like it broke when he saw the scene in front of him.

Phantom was curled up in his blanket, with his teddy bear in his arms as his tears rolled down his cheeks. The rooms looked completely destroyed, which he assumed was because of Phantom’s wails.

He’d considered them lucky that they’d agreed to save going shopping for the next weekend since they all had school the following day.

Connor looked at the crying child, barely registering the pain his ears were in as he got closer to the eldritch child. Crawling into the bed, he scooped Phantom into his arms, holding him close as he rocked them back and forth. He’d remembered seeing mothers in TV shows do something similar to their children, he was praying that it’d work for his own.

“Hey buddy, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” Kon asked quietly, beginning to rub Phantom’s back as he heard the child starting to hiccup. He felt Phantom shake his head ‘no’.

“Did you get scared? Did something happen when we left?” This seemed to be correct as Phantom’s cries started up again. He’d started to get off the bed and walked around the bedroom, he’d tried thinking back on what Robin’s binder had said about calming down a child.

“You don’t have to talk about it. If you want, I can stay with you tonight and we can talk about it tomorrow. How does that sound?” His offer was met with little hands coming up to grab onto his sleeping shirt. Connor smiled, walking back to the bed and laying down dramatically, his body jumping as he settled Phantom onto his chest.

It seemed to amuse the kid as he heard little giggles as they bounced. Kon didn’t have to reach for the blanket since it tucked them in of its own accord, “Ya know I never asked Zatanna where she got this thing. I would’ve asked for it for Christmas.”

The blanket didn’t seem to like that as it smacked him in the face with its corner. Phantom laughed as he watched, whatever was troubling him vanishing to laugh at Kon’s expense. Connor started laughing alongside the child as he gently hugged him.

“Okay, let’s get to sleep. I’m pretty sure the girls are still asleep but let’s not test it.” Phantom shifted to his left with Connor still holding him close. The blanket must’ve forgiven him quickly since it kept them both at a comfortable temperature. Connor ruffled Phantom’s hair as he noticed that the younger was slowly succumbing to sleep.

“Now you little eldritch, you got to get a lot of sleep to grow bigger, okay? No staying up.” He tickled the child a bit, poking his stomach as the black-haired child tried to smack away his hand. A smile reached his face as he started to close his own eyes.

“Goodnight Phantom.”

“Danny.”

“Huh?” The confusion was a shock, his eyes flying open as he looked toward his ward. The child snuggled into his own chest, with a fuzzy feeling blooming as he watched.

“My name is Danny.” Blue eyes looked up at him as if looking for anything that would prove whatever he feared. Kon could almost see himself in his clone, which would be given but this was different. He saw what he felt the first time he’d looked at Clark for guidance. He smiled at the child, giving him another tussle of his hair.

“Goodnight Danny.”

“Goodnight Kon.”

The two clones held onto each other with the younger being shielded by the former. The crown did its job, floating over them both and playing lullabies from a home planet they would never be able to meet. The next morning there may be a commotion, or there could be a stressful mission awaiting them but at this moment, there was nothing but peace and love filling the room as they slept.

Chapter Text

When the sounds of pans and plates clanking sounded through the mountain, Kon knew it was time to get up. He let himself stretch out his arms before opening his eyes and realizing that he wasn’t in his room. The night before flooded back into his mind as he looked around the room, seeing that the damage to the room was repaired. It looked as if the night had never happened.

He looked to his left and saw another cute sight that made him wish that he had a camera. Phantom, no, Danny was cuddled into his side and softly breathing, obviously still sleeping. He had a death grip on his teddy bear and had a bit of drool going down the side of his face.

The older clone chuckled as he reached up and used his shirt to clean off the other boy’s face which lead to the younger clone groaning and attempting to wave him away. Kon laughed as Danny’s eyes fluttered open with a pout on his face.

“Good morning Superbaby. How’d you sleep?” Kon asked as he sat up on the bed and picked up the child, resting him on his chest as he woke up. 

Danny didn’t respond with words but strange noises that reminded Kon of the Kryptonian language. He quickly put that into his mental folder of things that Danny knew.

Kon had received Kryptonian language lessons from Kelex so he understood the language but for Danny to know it surprised him.

How did he know it?

Where did he learn it?

Who taught him?

The black-haired teen shook his head as he got up from the bed and headed toward the bathroom to get both ready for the day. These were questions that should be brought up with the team in the future, but right now, he had to figure out if they had clothes for Danny.

If he remembered correctly, from Robin’s binder notes, most parents bathed their children until at least the age of 7 or so. Connor was able to find a big bucket and used it as a tub in order to give Danny a bath in the team bathroom. It was funny to watch Danny wake up during the bath and start to splash around in the bucket. Giggles and laughs could be heard throughout the bathroom and probably the hallway as the two clones splashed each other.

‘Batman must’ve gone shopping,’ Kon thought as he went over to the sink so they could brush their teeth. There was a kid’s toothbrush, toothpaste, towel and everything a young child could need for the bathroom. The only reason that Kon knew it was from Batman was that everything was Batman themed. The towel was even batman themed; it was one of those towels that had a hood that made the child look like Batman.

The two got dried and were about to walk around and see if they had found some clothes but were met in the hallway by M’gann.

“Good morning, Connor! Good morning, Phantom! I have a little gift for today.” The Martian said as she presented the two of them with a gift bag.

Kon watched as Danny reached out for the gift bag and brought it closer to them. It was filled with new clothes that were decorated with stars and planets. Kon could see the smile on Danny’s face brighten up as he looked through the bag.

“Why don’t we try them out?” Connor offered as Danny looked back at him and nodded hurriedly. The two teens chuckled as the older clone moved to go over to the room.

Danny was dressed in a black and white star-covered hoodie, with a t-shirt under the hoodie that had a big red star in the center of the white shirt. His jeans had little multi-colored planets embroidered on the bottom of the pant legs. He had little black top Vans shoes that had multi-colored laces with little star charms on the lace holes.

If Connor got a few pictures and put them into the group chat, only the squeals of the girls would serve as proof.

Sometime later, the two went down to the kitchen to find the girls, Zatanna and M’gann, sitting at the table with a table full of breakfast for them all.

“That’s a lot of food...” Danny whispered as Connor walked over and sat him down on one of the chairs next to M’gann. He looked around the table and it was clear to Connor that the younger clone was fighting the urge to stand on the chair to look over the spread of food.

“Z, did you sleep at all or were you cooking enough for the whole of the Flash Family?” Connor teased as he sat down next to the magician, being handed a cup of coffee by her.

“How do you know I didn’t cook it?” M’gann asked teasingly as she prepared a plate for Danny, giving him a healthy helping of pancakes, fruit, toast, and eggs. Kon smiled as he and the others watched Danny’s eyes light up as he started to eat.

“Because none of it is burnt,” Connor responded as he took a sip of his coffee, M’gann gasping dramatically as Zatanna laughed.

“I slept. I just thought it would be a good idea to have a full breakfast before school today,” The magician responded as she took a bite of her toast. The girl smiled before she brought up a question that seemed to plague her, “So, Who’s skipping school today? Because I don’t think we can just take a 4-year-old into class without some questions.”

“I can take care of myself!” Danny claimed as he looked up at them. Connor had to admit that the thought was terrifying to him. He knew that Danny could take care of himself. He was alone for a while sure, but Kon didn’t want Danny to have to take care of himself by himself anymore. He didn’t want Danny to ever be alone like that.

“Danny,” the name surprised M’gann and Zatanna but he ignored them for now, “I know you can take care of yourself, but I don’t want you to have to do this. I don’t want you to need to, does that makes sense?” Connor said as he looked at his clone.

---

Danny was completely caught off guard. It honestly took him a second to fully comprehend what his clone dad was telling him.

The concern that the elder had could be felt coming off him in waves and it surprised Danny. Why was Connor so concerned about him? He knew that Danny could protect himself, he even admitted it. So why was this emotion so foreign to Danny?

‘Is…Is this the first time someone’s been concerned about me like this?’ Danny thought as he looked back to how his dad and mom would leave the lab free, equipment left broken, and chemicals all over the place. There was never an air of caution with his parents. It was simply known that ectoplasm and ghosts were dangerous. There were a few times they protected him, but they never gave off waves as Connor did.

It was overwhelming but comforting.

Danny nodded as he picked up his juice and drank the entire cup. He didn’t know what to say. This was new to him.

“Then who’s going to stay with me?” Danny asked as he looked around the table, but as if hearing his question, the computer rang out to announce the presence of new people.

“Aquaman 06 recognized”

“Aqualad B-02 recognized.”

The computer said as the four looked up from their breakfast feast to their new guests. Danny liked Kaldur, he was a caring person or at least he’d been very kind to him for as long as they had known each other.

Danny allowed himself to transform and fly over to the other boy, being picked up in his arms and was happily greeted with a smile.

“Good Morning Phantom. Did you sleep well? Were there any problems?” The team’s leader asked as he playfully bounced Danny up and down, his own giggles filling his ears as he was played with.

“I had a bit of a tantrum but I’m good now! I even got new clothes!” Danny replied as he pulled away from the dark-skinned teen, landing on the ground and transforming back in order to show his new outfit. He even spun around a bit to show off the stars and planets of the outfit.

Their leader chuckled as he kneeled and ruffled Danny’s hair, “Very cute little one. I hope you’ll be happy to get more clothes. His Majesty has agreed to help me look after you in Atlantis for the day!” Kaldur explained to him as Arthur chuckled behind him.

It took Danny a second to register what the other had said.

“ATLANTIS IS REAL?!?” He screamed as the others in the room laughed at his reaction.

Oh ancients, maybe he should’ve asked Wes to make notes of his conspiracies. Danny had just assumed that Atlantis was in the ghost zone! But now that he thought about it, he did remember a vague floor plan of Atlantis in his parent’s lab.

He was starting to question a lot of things, but he couldn’t voice any of them as the King of Atlantis scooped him into his arms with a hearty laugh.  “Your Majesty, with all due respect, give me back to Kaldur! I don’t know you and I don’t like your vibes!” Danny cried out as he struggled against the others’ grip, reaching out to said leader.

Kaldur looked surprised but reached out and took Danny from his king as quickly as possible. Danny was pretty sure that the king was also surprised but he didn’t acknowledge it as he basically attached himself to Kaldur’s chest. ‘Ain’t no way any of y’all are touching me without consent. I vibe with them, not y’all,’ Danny thought as he looked up to the king with a slight glare in his eyes.

The slight stifling of laughter made Danny giggle as he turned back to the others and gave a small wave. “I guess I’m going to Atlantis today! Have fun at school!” He called out with a smile.

Zatanna did something with her magic before his little Superman backpack appeared in her hand. She calmly walked it over to her leader and the now eldritch child, handing it over to Danny.

“You may want to take your things with you, never know what could happen all the way down there,” Zatanna warned as Danny looked into the bag. She’d packed him (or her magic packed him?) his teddy bear, his star wand, his blanket, his notebooks, and coloring supplies as well as a few snacks. He even had some food in his Flash lunchbox! He always had a sort of bottomless stomach, so he was excited to see what was in the box.

‘Oh cool! It’s like going on a little field trip!’ Danny thought as he put on the bag after taking out his bear. He had to admit that he was attached to all the gifts they’d given him, they made him feel so protected and loved that he didn’t ever want to part with them.

---

“Goodbye, Phantom! Have a safe trip and remember to always stay near Kaldur!” M’gann called out to the child in Kaldur’s arms as she transformed into her more human appearance. She came up and placed a little kiss on Phantom’s head before flying out of the room to go get her things for school.

The Atlantean watched as Phantom gave a small wave as he called out as loud as a 4-year-old can, “Okay! Be careful at school! Stay safe!” His voice carried through the halls to the girl before he turned his attention back to the other two.

“Bye Phantom! Remember to let Kaldur know if you need anything okay?” Zatanna said softly as she gently patted the boy’s head, his giggle and nod acting as a promise to do just that. Kaldur could almost see the reluctance in Zatanna to leave the boy’s side.

‘I will take care of him Zatanna, don’t worry,’ Kaldur called out to her mentally, soothing her worries as a smile crossed her face.

‘I know. Call us if you need us, okay?’ The magician said in his mind as she patted his shoulder and hurried to her room to collect her bag. The mess and trash in the kitchen magically cleaned itself as Kaldur turned to look at Connor.

He knew that all of this must’ve been a challenge for Connor, but he was determined to not allow his friend to go through this endeavor all alone.

He didn’t want Connor to ever feel alone again.

He could feel the same reluctance from Zatanna coming from Connor. Kaldur smiled as he realized how attached Connor had truly become to the child in his arms as he watched Connor take Phantom from his arms and give him a full-body hug.

“Be careful, don’t be afraid to use your powers to protect yourself, and remember to mind your manners, okay?” Connor reminded the child as he adjusted the other’s hoodie, putting the hood over his head jokingly as Phantom giggled and squealed.

“I will! I’ll be careful! I swear!” Phantom laughed as he tried to take the hood off his head as Connor smiled at his younger counterpart. Kaldur smiled at the two and watched as they said goodbye to each other.

He couldn’t help but compare them to the sons and fathers he’d seen in Atlantis and in the city as they walked around. It was clear that Connor was already fulfilling his promise of looking out for Phantom and it was time for Kaldur to do the same.

“I’ll watch over him, Kon.” ‘With my life,’ Kaldur promised as he took Phantom from his clone father’s arms, settling him on his hip as he looked at Connor.

His teammate smiled and nodded, ‘I expect no less from you,’ Connor thought back as he looked down at his (their?) son.

“I’ll see you when you get back. Have fun, Danny.” Connor pressed his forehead to Phantom’s (Danny’s?) as they seemed to calm down and relax in the situation. The clone walked out of the kitchen towards his room to grab his things.

Kaldur looked back at the child in his arms and noticed how he seemed to be trying to hold back a sad face. “It’ll be alright Phantom. We have a fun day planned for you and if you miss the others, we can always call them.” He reassured Phantom as he wiped away the small tears that formed on his little cheeks.

The black-haired child looked up at his face and gave a small smile before leaning on his chest.

Kaldur looked towards his mentor, who was looking at him with a proud gleam in his eyes, with the embarrassment of the child’s rejection having disappeared. “Shall we go boys?” His king asked as he motioned for Kaldur to follow him through the mountain.

The trip to Atlantis was quiet, save for Danny’s curious chirps at the windows as the ship dove deeper into the ocean. It was quite adorable as he continued to observe the fish swimming around the ship, pointing out the ones that looked interesting to him and making faces at the funny-looking ones.

Kaldur didn’t remember how he was when he was younger, but he could almost imagine that he was the same when going into new environments. The wonder and curiosity that shined in his eyes was something so innocent that it almost convinced Kaldur that Danny was a normal child.

He wasn’t though.

He’s gone through something. Just like how they had all gone through something, and he didn’t know if that endeared him to Danny or made him worry more for him.

Watching Danny go through the small ship was his only distraction as his thoughts drifted off to what they had all gone through. Memories of his teammates entrusting their life stories to him flashed through his mind.

Could Phantom trust him as the others trusted him?

It was up to Father Time to tell him.

With that thought, the ship finally made it to the outskirts of Atlantis which was announced by Phantom’s squeal as he looked out the window. Kaldur quickly made his way over to the child and picked him up so that they could exit the ship.

“Phantom, as Atlantis is underwater, we’ll be giving you a water suit and a breathing mask that you must keep on. If you want, we can practice a bit of swimming here at the entrance of the ship before we go deeper into the city. Does that sound okay?” Kaldur attempted to explain as he walked over to where his King was holding a child sized breathing mask as well as a full-body swimsuit.

“Can we practice a bit before we go in?” Phantom asked softly as he looked down to the entrance, something that reminded Kaldur how young the child before him may truly be.

“Of course, Phantom, are you alright with the King helping into the suit while I prepare the entrance?” The younger Atlantean asked as he set the child down on the floor of the ship. With a small pout, he watched as Danny walked over to his king so he could help him. It was quite hilarious to see the eldritch child glare at the king with such suspicion and watch as his King struggled to keep a calm face when facing the child.

He was able to set up the entrance to become a sort of underwater child pool so that Phantom could practice. He wondered if it would’ve been easier to have Phantom start swimming on the surface rather than start underwater.

Before he could voice his concerns to the King, he turned to see that Phantom was already dressed in his little water suit and his breathing mask. He had chosen a suit that was a similar green to Danny’s eyes when he was in his other form with black accents around the waist. It seemed that Danny was at least enjoying it as he was flapping his arms in order to test his mobility.

“Ready to try now Phantom?” He asked as he reached out to the child to help him into the mouth of the entrance.  

---

Danny had to admit that the King of Atlantis wasn’t all that bad, but in his defense, he was still a random adult when he tried to pick him up. That’s called attempted kidnapping in court, so he felt justified in his reaction.

Apparently, the King’s name is Arthur, and he was sorry that his aura was concerning to him. He was nervous as he wanted to make a good impression which Danny could understand, there were too many stories that he could tell of when he fumbled something because he was nervous.

Danny allowed King Arthur to help him dress in the water suit. He didn’t notice the look of concern that crossed the King’s face as he was distracted by the feel of the water suit. It almost reminded him of his original suit.

The breathing mask felt a bit strange, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. The no-talking was going to be annoying, however.

He took Kaldur’s hand and was gently brought into the water by the teenager. It felt so weird to swim when his limbs felt so small but he was making progress!

“That’s great Phantom! You’re doing very well!” Kaldur encouraged him as he helped Danny swim underwater. It was easy, which should be a little concerning but he’s pretty sure it’s because he had Kryptonian blood in him so he’s a little less squishy than he should be.

The no-talking thing was starting to get on his nerves though.

He wanted to talk to Kaldur, to thank him for the support at least, but he needed the stupid mask to breathe!

Wait….

Ghosts don’t need to breathe!

But he didn’t want his little footie pajamas to get wet….

Maybe…if his suit could change with his age, maybe it could also change to match his environment?

He let his transformation overtake him, with his thoughts being on the suit he’d been wearing and on how Atlanteans breathe underwater. He focused on Kaldur and his presence as the light beamed through the water, changing his form.

When he opened his eyes, he looked a bit different than normal. He could feel that the crown of Rage returned to its place above his head, although instead of planets, there was now little ghostfish swimming through the peaks of the crown. He looked down and noticed that the ghost tail he usually had during flight was there, but it looked more like a fishtail.

His tail was white and green, glowing in the water as if it was made of a radioactive cloud. His fins were sharp with little balls of light on the tips that reminded him of the Lantern Fish.

His top was still similar to the body suit he’d been wearing with the addition of his symbol, although it was in silver now as if to mimic Kaldur’s belt symbol.

His breathing mask was gone, and he now had little gills on the sides of his neck like Kaldur.

He looked at the teenager who seemed to be looking back in shock, and he didn’t blame him. Could he always influence his form like this? Why hadn’t he tried till now?!

“Do I look okay?” Danny asked in a soft voice as he looked at himself over again, moving his tail a bit to test it out. It felt much more natural than the swimsuit he had to admit.

“You look great Phantom, does this feel better than being in your other form?” Kaldur asked as he took Danny’s hands again and began to swim back a bit, helping Danny get used to his new form. The king joined them in the water and looked just as surprised as he noticed Danny’s new form.

“It does!” Danny chirped as he followed Kaldur’s lead, allowing the teen to swim them in circle as he used his tail to keep up with him. A thought occurred to Danny as he realized that the team’s leader was still calling him by his code name. “Kaldur? Why do you still call me Phantom when Kon told you my name?” He asked as they began to practice without Kaldur touching Danny.

“I didn’t want to assume I had permission to call you Danny. Names are very special, and there are some names that are only shared with specific people, like how the team called you Super Baby.” The teen explained as they swam around, and Danny could understand where he was coming from. It was like how Jazz got called Jazzicess by their dad or Danny got called Danio by him.

“Well…you can call me Danny too. I..I also don’t mind being called Super Baby but for the record I’m not a baby!” Danny exclaimed with a laugh coming from Arthur that reminded him that the elder was there. They were on better terms now that Danny understood that the bad vibes were just nervousness. He looked to the King and called out, “You can’t call me Super Baby! That’s only for them! You can call me Danny though!”

Another laugh erupted from the King as he nodded his thanks to Danny. “Well then, Danny! Let us introduce you to our home.”

Danny was handed his backpack, which he quickly put on. Apparently, Zatanna had put some kind of waterproof charm on everything! Who knew?

Both Atlanteans took one of Danny’s hands as they swam toward the city and Danny had never been so grateful to have an escort. He was looking every which way at the city. The buildings were beautiful, as was the city itself. The waves of contentment, happiness, and excitement filled him with glee as he looked toward the people of Atlantis. They greeted their King and his protégé with respect and even waved and bowed to Danny!

He was incredibly excited to get to know this amazing city!

This was going to be an adventure! He was sure of it! 

Chapter Text

Danny was amazed by the city of Atlantis. The buildings felt like they would be sky high had they been on the surface. The lights of the city dancing in the waves were beautiful and just showed how gorgeous Kaldur’s people were. There were multitudes of different sea creatures interacting with each other, peace and happiness coming from them in ways that Danny found comforting.

It felt so nostalgic, his time in the ghost zone coming to mind as they swam through the city. He could feel the emotions of the city wrap around him as the King and Kaldur led him through the waters.

“It’s so pretty here! How did I never know this was down here?” Danny asked as he looked around at the people and buildings. Some buildings were going down into the trenches which caught his eye. His curiosity peaked as he saw the glow some of the citizens gave off like he did.

“While Atlantis is widely known on the surface, it could be that your creators didn’t think it was important information.” Kaldur offered as they came up to what Danny could only assume was the castle of Atlantis.

The King and his apprentice were welcomed into the castle by guards bowing to them both. Danny was kind of sandwiched between the two, so he assumed that the guards didn’t see him as they didn’t question his presence. ‘Or they don’t question their King,’ Danny thought as they made their way through the castle.

He was surprised to find that the inside of the castle was dry instead of filled with water like the rest of the buildings they’d passed. He floated through the castle, swimming in the air as the two Atlanteans pulled him along the corridor.

“This is my Castle Danny. The heart of Atlantis and home to the love of my life.” King Arthur explained as they approached the throne room, a red-haired woman seated on her throne remained Danny of his mom. She had the same aura of power that he felt from Pandora when they first met with a hint of curiosity aimed at him.

He watched as Kaldur’ahm bowed to his queen and quickly mimicked the other, he wasn’t about to disrespect the Queen. He was told to mind his manners after all.

“Hello, your majesty. This is Danny, he is the ward of the Young Justice team. He’s the child that his majesty and I plan to train in our ways. He goes by Phantom,” Kaldur’ahm said as he placed a hand on Danny’s back, gently nudging him closer to the Queen.

He looked up at the Queen and admired her as she walked down from her throne. She was dressed in a green body suit that was accented with gold armor, which reminded Danny of how both the King and Kaldur wore their suits. ‘Maybe it’s like a uniform for the protectors of Atlantis? She looks like she could kick anyone’s ass.’ Danny thought as the woman bent down to his eye level, looking over his form and outfit.  

The Queen smiled at him as she began to introduce herself, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Phantom, I am Queen Mera. I have heard much about you from Kaldur’ahm and Arthur.” She offered him her hand to shake, giving him a bit of pause.

‘Do I shake it? Is this a test?’ He thought anxiously as he looked over to Kaldur, only to see the teen smiling back at him. The ghost took the Queen’s hand and gently shook it.

“Kaldur’ahm, why don’t you show Danny around the castle? I have something I need to speak with Mera about.” Aquaman said gently, leading Kaldur to take Danny’s hand again and lead him away from the two. The small ghost looked back to the couple as they came together, straining his ears to try to hear them but couldn’t make out their conversation.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t use my powers to eavesdrop. That’s a little rude.’ Danny thought as he looked back to Kaldur, paying attention as the elder began to explain what he would be learning today.

---

“Arthur? What’s wrong?” Mera questioned him as they watched Kaldur’ahm lead their new little guest to the training rooms. It would be better if the little one was distracted while they talked, there was no need for him to overhear.

“He had scars, Mera. Markings that I have only ever seen on our soldiers.” He explained as he thought back to when he was helping Danny into the wetsuit, they had prepared for him. Burns that could only be explained as the remnants of blasts and cuts from blades of multiple kinds. There were scars that he knew could only come from being struck by lightning thanks to the Flash.

“He’s so young Mera. From what the team concluded, he’s only physically 4 years old. He shouldn’t have so many...” Arthur trailed off as he looked to where the boys once had been.

His Queen attempted to comfort him by bringing him into a hug, allowing him to lean on her. “Worlds can be incredibly cruel to their own, and if the crown he wears is any sign, his journey may not be over. I am assured that Kaldur’ahm will help him protect himself from future scars.” Mera said as he looked back to their lives and how many hardships they had to face before they were crowned King and Queen of Atlantis.

“You’re right, you're always right. We must trust that Kaldur’ahm and his team will train him to wear his crown with pride,” Arthur smiled as they parted and watched as his wife brought her hand to his cheek.

“Between the team, Kaldur’ahm, and us, that young king will grow happily before he takes his throne.” His wife reassured him with a smile, putting his concerns at ease. She placed a gentle kiss on his head and he placed a kiss on her hand. She took him by the arm and led him towards the weapons room.

“If we are to help him, we should give him options for training!”

Gods he loved his wife.

---

Kaldur’ahm had to admit that he was excited to share his city and culture with Danny. They had gone to the castle’s training room, one that was specifically open to those being taught by the King and Queen. It was filled with training dolls, weapons, and all a student could need to perfect their craft. It would be beneficial to first test if Danny had the capacity for Atlantean magic.

“Come here, Danny! I want to test if the waters will listen to you.” Kaldur watched as Danny swam up to him, amazement in his eyes as he led them to the middle of the room which had a crystal in the middle.

“This crystal, when it senses magic, will glow to show your magic’s strength,” Kaldur explained as he waved his hand over the crystal, watching as it glowed just as it did when he was younger. The blue light filled the room and just as quickly as it came, the light disappeared. He could see the nervousness in Danny’s face as he looked on to the crystal.

“What happens if it doesn’t glow?” He heard Danny whisper. Kaldur smiled as he reached out a hand and ruffled the small child’s hair.

“If the crystal doesn’t glow, then we’ll start teaching you hand-to-hand combat. There is a lot I can teach you, whether you have magic or not.” He reassured as he brought Phantom into his arms, giving him a gentle hug to comfort his small charge. Kaldur felt Danny tuck his head under his chin as he tried to calm his nerves.

‘How long has he had to comfort himself?’ Kaldur wondered as he watched the eldritch child look at the crystal then at his hand and back again.

Danny slowly put his hand out to the crystal and for a second, the briefest second, it didn’t react.

It was just for that second because after it started to glow softly. It wasn’t so bright that it lit the room as Kaldur’s did, but it illuminated the water around them. Danny gasped as they watched the light taper out, returning to the crystal and leaving two smiling faces behind.

“We’ll start with something simple today. Moving with the water is always the best basis for our magic.” Kaldur explained as he set Phantom down, leading the child to the mats so they could practice.

It was difficult to teach Danny to allow his movements to flow like water. The movements came easy to Kaldur, something he’d been taught since he was young.

Moving with the water was a simple task. Kaldur had created a small current to push the two of them gently. The objective was to move with the current rather than against it.

The young king moved like he was ready to take hits head-on like he was preparing to fight for his life. It brought up more questions that Kaldur pushed to the back of his mind as he went to Danny to help fix his form.

It took Danny a few times to get the hang of moving with his body rather than forcing it, by the end of it Danny was following Kaldur’s movements perfectly. If Kaldur noticed the little dance moves Danny added, he didn’t mention it.

It got to the point where Kladur was able to show Danny how to move the current around his own body. A small pocket for them both formed as they used their powers together to move through the self-made current. Kaldur noticed how Danny’s eyes and jewelry gave off a glow like his tattoos did. Once Danny was old enough, maybe Kaldur could ask their majesties if they could have a ceremony for Phantom as well.

“Boys! We have something for you!” He heard his mentor shout, making his way into the training room with what looked like a bag over his shoulder.

Kaldur quickly stopped the training session as both his and Phantom’s attention were on the bag on the king’s back. Someone else could’ve carried them but he knew that his king would rather do it himself. It was one of the things Kaldur’ahm respected about his mentor.

He noticed that Queen Mera took the bag from the king and laid it down flat on the floor, showing that it was an arrangement of weapons fit for a child.

“Wait! Are these for me?” Danny questioned as he swam up to the arrangement, looking them over in interest.

There was a spear, a sword, a trident, a magic bow, and a staff.

Along with the weapons, there was a pair of forearm guards fit for a young child. They were silver and had some Atlantean runes of protection sculpted onto them with gold. He recognized the symbols around the edges as a spell for repelling enemies with the main forearm having a spell that would help the wearer summon a shield.

As his King was helping Phantom put the armor on, he looked up to Queen Mera who motioned him closer.

“Arthur noticed some markings on the little one’s body. Hopefully, the runes will do their job when he switches between forms.” Her majesty whispered to him. He sighed in relief, a weight on his shoulders lifting. He knew that while the Queen wasn’t fond of surface dwellers, she had a soft spot for those who had magic within them.

Kaldur had his attention ripped away from her majesty as Danny’s squeals filled the room. He watched as Danny flapped his arms, attempting to get used to the new armor before he swam up to him to show them off.

“Look! They glow like the crystal thing!” Danny exclaimed as he showed off his new present.

“That they do Danny. Remember to thank the King and Queen for their gift.” Kaldur said softly with a smile as he watched Danny quickly do just that before the Queen motioned to the weapons still on the ground.

“I understand that you’ll be training with the team, but I believe that a weapon should work with all that the warrior is. You are a prince that must grow into your crown. Your weapon should be the same.” Queen Mera explained gently as she showed that each weapon reacted to the magic she fed into them.

Kaldur kneeled next to the weapons watching as Danny looked at them cautiously.

“Danny, even if you don’t know the weapon, we will teach you. It’s okay to let your magic guide you.” He never knew how gentle his voice could be, trying his best to mimic the memories of his mother.

He allowed his magic to flow through him, helping Danny do the same as he gently led him to hover his hand like he did before.

“Just let your magic flow through you,” Danny mumbled as he closed his eyes.

The three Atlanteans watched as the boy’s crown and ring began to glow their respective red and green flames before it slowly combined with the blue light they were all so familiar with. The flames slowly wrapped around Danny’s new armor, infusing it with his form before the tendrils of magic reached out to the array of weapons before him.

They watched as the sword and staff seemed to almost battle each other for the right to rise to their new warrior. In the end, the staff rose to the occasion as it flew into Phantom’s hand.

That's when Kaldur heard a crash and suddenly the world was black. 

Chapter Text

Danny always hated the headache that came with being knocked out, he could equate it to being hungover with how disoriented it made him. It was worse when the room was still spinning when he opened his eyes. It took a second to realize that he wasn’t in the castle anymore unless there was a room he’d missed on the tour.

He also wasn’t in his ghost form anymore; he must’ve gotten hit hard enough that his body changed back on impact.

His cell was barely big enough for an adult to walk around in which made him thankful that he was so small. He was on a bed which wasn’t so bad, but it wasn’t comfortable either. He wasn’t chained to it, which was a plus.

He had a mirror, a sink and there was a waterproof door but there wasn’t a toilet so the bathroom had to be somewhere he couldn’t see.

Danny got off the bed and looked around the room trying to find his things, hoping that maybe his captors weren’t smart enough to take his bag. He found it on a chair with only his star wand, lunchbox, blanket, and his teddy bear. The scepter he’d received was noticeably gone from the pack.

He was distracted away from the bag by the sound of the cell door opening, the creek of the heavy door hurting his ears.

“Good, you’re awake.” A deep voice announced as he entered the room. The man’s armor wasn’t anything to scoff at, but it did kind of make him look funny. The guy was decked out in all black with red eyes being the only thing of another color.

“Who’re you? Where am I?” Danny asked, making himself sound as fearful as possible. The less this man knew about him, the better for Danny. He held his bear to his chest, trying to make his body smaller by curling up around it.

“You may call me Black Manta. You’ll be a captive on my ship for the time being.” The man, now Black Manta explained as he walked toward Danny. He surprisingly kneeled to his level and helped him up from his place on the floor. “You were a captive of opportunity, just a tool for me to draw out Aquaman. You will be treated as such, understand?” The voice was a bit robotic, but Danny could tell someone was living in the armor. He nodded his head as another entered the room after Manta, a guard of some sort.

“If you behave, we won’t kill you. If you act up or try to escape, we will kill you. Understood?” All Danny could do was nod as he was picked up and placed on the bed again by his assumed guard. The man takes out a collar thing and places it on Danny’s neck, locking it in place. Black Manta seemed pleased as he left the room, leaving Danny and the guard alone.

“I’ll be just outside that door. Don’t make a fuss and it’ll be okay.” The man said softly, a look of regret on his face as he got up and left the room, locking the door behind him.

Danny tried to switch back to his ghost form, only for the collar to send a violent shock through his system. He bit back a scream as the electricity flowed through him.

Well, it's time for plan B.

Danny looked down at his teddy bear and pressed its left paw, sending a distress signal to the team.

“May the gods have mercy on these idiots.”

His eyes glowing green should’ve warned the security guards, it would’ve had any of the cameras been working.

“Because I have about 15 minutes to make this jerk’s life hell.”

---

Kaldur’ahm was barely holding onto his mortality.

The castle had received Danny’s distress signal and with the army of the kingdom recovering they had to send a message to the team to assemble.

He was normally very calm; he was collected and that had earned him the leadership position. It was difficult when his teammates were in danger, but those emotions were tenfold now.

He understood that Danny could protect himself, but he was untrained! He was in the hands of the man who wanted his mentor dead, and it was taking all his mental energy to not throw planning out the window. His team was on the way and just as angry as he was, but he’d be damned if the thought of swimming out and attacking Black Manta with no remorse.

Kaldur didn’t know he could feel this kind of fear. He’d given his word to his team to protect Danny and he had failed. He had woken up after the fight, having been knocked unconscious by the blast into the castle. It had brought tears to his eyes when he’d been told that Danny had been taken during the struggle. It had taken his King and Queen a long time to convince him to wait for reinforcements once he woke up.

He had to bring himself out of his mind when his team came into the room. M’gann flew straight to him and embraced him in a hug. He wondered if she could feel his remorse and fear coming off him as she held him tight. Conner was by his side as quickly as Wally was to hug his sides. The rest of the team joined them as they tried to soothe his concerns.

“You did all you could Kaldur’ahm! We’ll get our little star back!” M’gann called out in his mind as they embraced. He tried to remember to take a deep breath as he hugged his friends back, trying to quiet his mind as he focused on himself.

“She’s right Kaldur. We’ll get Danny back.” Connor reassured him as they parted, although M’gann was not letting go. He patted her head as he smiled down at her. It helped that he could feel her bring up her more positive memories of himself.

“You’re right. We’ll bring him home.” Kaldur’ahm separated himself from M’gann and brought up the plans that they had from a previous mission. Black Manta’s ship was well known to them thanks to the spies they had on his team. The projection in the middle of the room was immediately inspected by Robin.

“Luckily they don’t know that Danny’s sent us a distress signal, so we have the element of surprise.” The Atlantean explained as he pointed to the room that Danny was being held in. He could see Robin take a deep breath with a smile on his face. He could almost feel how proud Robin was of their little prince.

“Wait, ‘Danny’?” Wally questioned as he looked at Kaldur in shock. Connor was smiling at Kaldur before the question seemed to bring up another thought.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you guys. Phantom’s name is Danny, but I got permission to call him that and I assume Kaldur did too.” Connor explained as Kaldur nodded along with his explanation, his majesty quickly piping in to reveal that he had permission as well. He honestly forgot that his rulers were in the room with them, the slight embarrassment of having been comforted in front of them would be dealt with later.

“He also brought up that only those in your team could call him, ‘Superbaby’,” Aquaman explained with a hearty laugh as her majesty came over to the map to point out the entrances and their guards.

“We have the element of surprise but not for long. I would like your team to go in and retrieve Phantom while the armies of Atlantis fight against Mantas.” Her Majesty ordered as she brought up a weakness in their security for the team to follow. Robin was quick to input it into their server as they looked over the plans for the army.

They went over the Queen's plan quickly, because all were ready to lay siege on the man who was dumb enough to take their kid.

---

It wasn’t as hard to sneak out of the room as Danny had previously assumed. Luckily the room wasn’t exactly meta-proof, more kid-proof than anything. That meant nothing when Danny had a backpack filled with everything he needed.

The lock itself wasn’t complicated. With the little spork from his lunchbox and some audacity, he was able to break into the backing. It only took a little time for him to get it open from there, all that was left was the guard on the other side.

It was easy to quickly finish off his lunch. It was made by Kid Flash again, it felt like the emotion of love that had come from the sliders before. It was another cup of soup, tomato this time, with a grilled cheese sandwich and a little side salad. There was also a bottle of water which he was going to use to his advantage.

Danny took a breath as he focused on the water in the bottle, allowing his core to reach out to it and control it. He closed his eyes and let the water float out of the bottle, carefully making its way through the lock towards the guard.

Danny could hear the guard’s gasp before allowing the water to solidify into ice, covering the soldier completely. He could hear his body drop to the ground as he opened his eyes and forced the door open.

He peeked out and saw his victim on the floor as he tried to struggle out of the magic’s grasp. Danny smiled at the man as he moved him into the room, grabbing his backpack and bear before closing the door. “Sorry! It’ll melt soon, I think.” He called out quietly as he moved through the halls, trying to find his way through the confusing ship.

He was met with resistance when he accidentally opened the door to the break room. More guards were immediately up in their chairs, ready to attack him as he looked around. He took his wand out as the guards began to chuckle at what they assumed was his feeble attempt to escape.

“Okay kid, let’s get you back in your cell.” One had said as Danny pointed his wand to the light switch. The lights quickly turned off, with the light from his wand being the only thing anyone could see.

“Sorry guys! I hate to do this!” He called out into the darkness before he began swinging at anything that came near him. It was easier to let himself focus on the magic coming from him when he used any liquid made of water as a weapon.

When the lights were back on, the room was groaning with Danny happily running out of the room with a map of the ship now in his hands.

He quickly made his way to the weapons room, where there were so few guards and none who expected a child with a wand to jump them.

Luckily, he still had his memories of taking apart his parent's weapons so he was able to make quick work of the guns and things he’d found. Who knew that a spork had so many more uses than just being a funny utensil? Danny sure didn’t and he would always in future carry one on his person.

Next, he made his way to the ventilation system, never had he been so happy to be this small. The vent was pretty spacious when you were as small as he was. He was able to find the control room easily, but the question was how to distract the security away from their controls.

He opened his backpack and took out his coloring supplies, quickly doodling as much as he could for his plan to work.

He left notes in broken English all over the ship, the guards quickly being called from their posts to locate him. The crew on the consoles were even called out of their chairs by a scream from one of their own, having found one hidden in their room.

Danny quickly got out of the vents and messed with their wiring, preparing it to misfire and send the ship into darkness at any moment. Just to be creative, Danny quickly found their main hub and disabled autopilot, only allowing the ship to be manually driven or not at all.

He went back into hiding when he heard the footsteps of the guards coming back into the room. He decided to rinse and repeat what he did to the break room, turning off the lights as he jumped the guys. If he had known how amazing it was to bring a room of adults down with a light stick and some magic, he would’ve asked for one earlier.

Danny heard the voice of Black Manta as he barked orders to other people just beyond the door and decided to go into the vents to crawl back to his room. He came out the wrong vent initially, coming out into the hallway but it was easy enough to catch the group by surprise by aiming at their ankles.

He went running as fast as his little legs could carry him afterward though. He had his fun, he was ready to leave!

---

Dick had seen a lot in his time as Robin.

He had seen multitudes of villains fall to their feet after a good fight. He’d seen gods rise and fall.

Never had he seen a toddler run through the halls when he was sneaking over to his room.

“Phantom?! What are you doing out here?” He whispered as the toddler looked up at him with his bright blue eyes that looked so much like Connor’s. The kid seemed to have his backpack on with his little star wand out almost acting as a weapon. He smiled up at him and quietly ran over to him, Dick quickly bringing him close to look him over.

Those bastards put a collar on him.

Phantom began to explain himself as the lights of the ship turned off, the light from his Star wand becoming their only source of light. Dick resolved to take the collar off of Phantom when they were in a safer location not wanting to risk his safety. Robin picked up Phantom carefully as the toddler began to whisper, “Yeah I got bored waiting and decided to mess with these guys.”

Robin looked down at the child before making his way through the hallway reaching the turn Phantom had taken. Swarms of Manta’s soldiers were down on the ground with star marks all over their bodies, meaning that his kid had beaten them with his wand. He smiled and placed a small kiss on the top of Phantom’s head before letting the Team know via their mind link.

‘I have Phantom and I have never been prouder.’ Was all he thought before turning around and running through the corridor, going towards the meeting point where he was to rendezvous with Kid Flash.

‘Great! I was about to ask if you guys have noticed that none of the soldier’s weapons work. Their guns didn’t fire at all when they tried.’ Zatanna asked as Robin and Kid Flash met up in the control room, only to find that the soldiers there were also knocked out. KF looked towards him as he looked down at Phantom, who only met him with a sweet smile. He could see Wally’s eyes widen as he realized who was to blame for the free room.

With a sudden jerk of the ship, Robin lost his footing, KF scooping him and Phantom into his arms to shield them from the fall. The thud left them all groaning as they were thrown to the wall. KF and Robin held onto each other, quickly checking on Phantom who was looking at them just as worried.

“What was that?!” Phantom asked urgently as he waved his wand around, trying to find the source. Dick cursed under his breath as he pulled up the footage of the ship from the emergency cameras on his wrist computer. They watched as the ship was crashing into a nearby coral reef, the culprit being Black Manta himself as he fought with Aquaman and Aqualad.

“We have to go now. Aqualad has Manta covered.” KF picked the two up as he did his best to run through the halls of the moving ship, Robin keeping the feed open as he guided his friend through the battle. Phantom was lighting their way with his wand as he ran, a blessing as more bodies were revealed.

“Damn, Phantom you did a number on them.” Robin complimented as he patted Phantom on his head, KF could only roll his eyes as they got to the exit. M’gann had their ship ready to depart with Zatanna, Superboy, and Artemis acting as bodyguards to their exit point.

Robin could almost feel the relief coming from them as they approached, KF coming to a stop as they approached the three of them. “We have brought the little menace safe and sound!” Robin announced as Kid Flash let them down, Danny waving his wand happily as he greeted the rest of the team.

“Okay, we have to swim a bit to get to the ship then we’re home free, okay Phantom?” Artemis carefully explained as the toddler nodded, accepting the breathing apparatus the archer put on him. She took his hand so gently that it surprised Dick. He knew she could be gentle at times but it was something else to see how she acted with Phantom.

He smiled behind his air mask as Zatanna put a protective bubble around Phantom as they let themselves sink into the water, swimming around their kid.

Connor had broken off from the group to help Kaldur’ahm and Aquaman, their concerns going unanswered as he joined the fight with vigor.

Robin knew why Connor felt like he needed to fight with their leader and he wished he could help in that department. Phantom needed him more at the moment so he decided to focus on that.

As they got into their ship, Robin quickly picked Phantom up again and placed him on a table made by M’gann. He took out his tools as he carefully took off the other’s collar, not knowing if Black Manta put any precautions into it. Artemis and Wally started to distract Phantom, telling him how worried the team had been and making promises to not allow this to happen again.

Once the collar was off, Phantom yawned, the exhaustion from getting kidnapped probably weighing heavy on him. Robin watched as Wally picked the sleepy child up, cradling him as he went to his chair. Zatanna freed the blanket from his bag and they watched as it wrapped around the kid, tucking him in safely in KF’s arms.

Dick let his gaze wander to the fight in front of them, watching as Kaldur and Connor didn’t pull their punches. The rest of the team were preoccupied with Phantom so he let himself be the only witness to their fury.

Nobody else needed to see it.

Besides, if they went a little too far, who was going to stop them?

Aquaman?

He didn’t stand a chance against all of them.

Chapter Text

Getting back from the rescue mission was awful.

Connor had to admit that he didn’t hold back when beating up Black Manta, the thought of Danny being kidnapped was enough to boil his blood but knowing that he’d planned to get rid of his kid when everything was done set his anger ablaze.

He now was paying for not holding back though as he felt his muscles screaming at him as he got off the ship, Danny’s bag over his shoulder with Kid Flash walking next to him, a sleeping Danny in his arms.

The kid had a grip on Wally’s shirt and none of them had the heart to pry him off, especially when he started whimpering when Robin had first tried.

“You did good today Kon, but you two really need a day off together.” Wally whispered, adjusting his hold on Danny when they neared his room. The three entered with Wally speeding over to the bed to tuck Danny in. The same whimpering started again but stopped when Kon gave Danny his hand to hold.

“Thanks Wally, I think that’s what we’ll do tomorrow. I just don’t know what to do.” Connor sighed as he leaned back against the wall, looking down at his sleeping clone. Phantom hadn’t been theirs for long, but the attachment was still as strong as ever. He might never be able to cope with losing Danny, in any form really. This was his little boy, his clone, and it felt like it was his job to protect him.

“Maybe some shopping? I know we got him some stuff, but this room is still pretty empty Kon. He needs more than a blank room.” Wally offered as he sat on the bed, looking around the room. After Phantom’s screams, Kon moved anything that could break from his voice out of the room. He didn’t want to risk anything breaking and hurting Phantom, even though it took a lot to even scratch Kryptonian skin, clone or not.

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll ask Batman if I can take him out to the shopping center.”

“I’ll ask for you. Leaving the kid alone tonight might not be the best idea.” Wally explained with a smile before he got up from the bed and sped out of the room, presumably to go find Batman to ask for permission.

All Connor could really do was to look at his little clone as the child started to fuss, grabbing at the air before mumbling something about putting a clock in timeout? Honestly Connor didn’t question it, he was just happy that it seemed like Danny was having a nice dream.

He could hear Wally skid to a stop in front of the door before walking into the room with a medium-sized box and a little envelope.

“Batman says he’s cool with it! He gave me these things to give to you and Phantom for the day off!” The speedster whispered as he handed over the packages. In the medium box were two pairs of glasses, both black in the wayfarer style of glasses, and a small note to wear them out in public. The small envelope had a black credit card, with another note to ‘have fun’.

“How much money does Batman have?”

“More than the average hero, that’s for sure.”

Both heroes looked at each other and chuckled, Connor putting the items in the box, Wally taking the box and placing it on the desk in the room.

“You guys have a nice day tomorrow. Maybe buy something nice for yourself ‘kay big guy?” Wally suggested with a wink before he waved at Kon and ran out of the room, closing the door behind him as he did.

Connor smiled as he nodded, promising himself that he would at least try to find something for himself. He laid down on the bed, deciding that he’d listen to Kid Flash and stay with Phantom for the night.

---

Danny was so excited for the day today! Connor had promised that it was just going to be them today, so he’d get to know his clone dad better!

They got up and got ready for the day, dressing up in an outfit that Zatanna conjured up for him using some fabric sheets she’d found in the mountain. While Connor was in a simple black shirt and jeans, Danny was dressed in a star embroidered dark blue beanie with a matching t-shirt. He had on a yellow jacket, brown corduroy pants and his star shoes. Apparently, it was going to be a bit chilly if M’gann’s warnings to Connor were anything to go by.

After they ate breakfast, they were out in the town in a pair of stupid black glasses that he didn’t even need.

“Why are we wearing these things again?” Danny grumbled as he started to take off the glasses, his clone dad kneeling to place them back on his face.

“It’s to help hide our identities, and it makes it harder for people to identify us later.” He picked Danny up and carried him towards the giant shopping center. He’d gone to the mall in Happy Harbor, but they had gone to Metropolis where they had a bigger mall thanks to being a metropolitan area.

The place was filled with shops, cafes, restaurants, and other things that had Danny’s head spinning. It wasn’t too filled with people thanks to it being a weekday but there was still a crowd of people rushing around. From his place in Connor’s arms, Danny could look over the man’s shoulder and see that there were at least 5 levels to the building according to the map.

“What’re we buying?”

“Things for your room, some clothes, toys and anything else we could want. It’s being funded by a certain dark knight.” Connor explained to him with a smirk as he pulled out a black credit card that Danny recognized as a rich person credit card, which swayed any guilt he was going to have. If Mr. Batman wanted to fund his whims with his money, it was his fault for indulging him.

“Let’s try that place first!” Danny pointed to the most expensive children’s clothing store that he could see on the second floor. Kon just laughed as he walked over to the store, seemingly catching on to Danny’s plan.

“Alright, let’s do this.” The elder chuckled as they made their way to the store, with Danny pointing out things that he would like.

They had a little fashion show, Danny trying on multiple outfits and showing them off to Connor before adding them to the pile that kept slowly growing. Shirts with symbols of the Justice League, all except Superman which Kon seemed to find hilarious, stars, galaxies, even some plain ones. There were pants with patches that could be changed, overalls, shorts, joggers, really anything that he even remotely thought he’d wear.

The spending spree didn’t stop there as Danny insisted that his clone dad have his own little fashion show. They went from store to store for Kon, buying him everything from formal wear to pajamas to casual clothes. In one of the vintage stores they went into Danny ended up finding a very cool leather jacket that was Connor’s measurements perfectly.

“Oh Dad! Look at this! It’s real!” Danny shouted as he tried to move the rest of the clothes on the rack to show Connor the jacket. The little king could tell that his template was surprised and excited for the find but there were waves of nervousness coming off of him which made Danny pout.

“Oh, come on! At least try it on first!” Danny demanded as Kon chuckled, taking the jacket off the rack and putting it on, finding a mirror and checking himself out in it.

The nervousness turned to confidence as Connor looked at himself in the mirror with a smile, Danny happy that his clone dad was letting himself have fun.

They ended up buying the Jacket and Kon wore it out of the store, a few people turning their heads to look at the two.

That’s when Danny felt it.

It was a tsunami of anxiety, hope, curiosity, pride, and terror all coming from one man that Danny could pick out in a crowd too well.

Superman was in civilian clothes, in the mall crowd next to a black-haired woman who seemed to not notice that her companion was staring at the pair. Danny stared back into blue eyes with green, trying to make sense of the emotions he was battling through. He knew that the relationship between Connor and Superman was strained, he was distracted at the time, but he heard what the Man of Steel had said about him, he heard what Connor said in his defense.

He wasn’t about to let this fruitloop ruin his good day with his dad.

“Hey Dad! I’m kind of hungry, can we take a break?” Danny pleaded with Kon, making a scene of leaning his head on the other’s shoulder with a fake yawn.

“Sure kiddo, let’s try the food court.” Kon chuckled as he walked to the stairs, a comical sight really as he was carrying what looked like 10 bags worth of clothes with a small child in his other arm while looking like a biker.

----

Connor could swear that Danny was trying to lead them away from Clark. He’d heard the man’s heartbeat the minute he’d walked into the Mall and had readied himself to bump into him, even though he really wasn’t in the mood. However, despite all the elder’s efforts, Danny had been able to drag them away from the Man of Steel every single time.

“Come on Dad! We still need to get stuff for my room!” Danny shouted when Clark walked into the same shop they were in, Connor smiled as they left, noticing that Clark was with Lois who seemed a bit confused at Danny’s existence.

Kon had taken note of Danny calling him Dad and had to admit that he was beyond happy. It felt right! Maybe he was a little young to be a father, but it felt like he’d always been Danny’s Dad and Danny had always been his kid. He wondered if this was what it was like for normal parents, he’d have to ask around and see.

They ended up in a space themed store which was honestly typical of what Danny had liked so far. He let Danny down and let the kid run around the shop, picking up things that would look great in his room. He focused on the hum of the little one’s heart before turning to his donor.

Kon and Clark hadn’t really figured out what they were. It had taken time to understand that Clark wasn’t mad at him, but at himself and Lex. It was terrifying to him to have a child made from his DNA without his permission, that another Kryptonian was being subjected to testing and he hadn’t been able to do anything. Clark cared in his own way but it didn't wash away the pain of their first interactions. 

It didn't take away the look of fear he threw at a 4 year old that had done nothing wrong. 

“What do you want, Clark?” He sighed as he looked up to the man he could've seen as his father. Although, now that they've met and gone through therapy, he admitted that Clark wasn't his father. He wanted a father, a family but he was content with his team, Red Tornado and Black Canary being his self-made family. 

“Hey! Nothing! I just, well, I saw you and Phantom walking around and I wanted to say hi!” The nervousness in his voice was evident, barely cloaked by his Kansas accent. 

Connor sighed, before waving a tired hand towards his template,“Hey Clark. Now go back to Lois, she's probably looking for you.”

“Dad!” 

Both men turned around and watched as Danny barrelled into Kon’s side, hugging him as he glared up at Clark. 

“‘Dad’?” The Man of Steel stuttered out as he looked between the two, almost creating a small tornado with how quickly he was doing it. 

“Got a problem with it?” Kon had to admit that he put himself more in-between Clark and Danny, protecting him from their original. He brought down his glasses and glared, ready to fight for his child if need be. 

“Connor, I know that Phantom was made from your DNA but that doesn't make him your son.” The esteemed reporter really had the gall to try to approach him with so much concern, it sickened him. 

“No, it's the fact that I love him that makes him my son. I’d think that you, out of everyone, would understand that DNA doesn't make someone family.” Connor said through his sneer as he took a step towards Clark, the other already causing his anger to skyrocket. 

“But you’re too young Connor! There should be an adult taking care of Phantom, showing him how to be ‘normal’” Clark was just proving Batman to be the smartest in the league with how he was approaching Connor, putting his hands on the clone’s shoulders. It hurt even more that he had real concern showing on his face and in his gentle voice, whispering to keep their identities secret.

“You don't get to have an opinion.” Superboy had to remind himself to take deep breaths like Canary taught him. He could feel his anger growing, but he couldn't let it take a more violent form. 

“I see your mouth forming a word, save it. You don't get to abandon me and then tell me what to do. Who would you recommend to be Phantom’s guardian? You?” Connor pushed his original’s hands off of him, making some space in-between him and Clark. It was starting up quite the scene, from the corner of his eye he could see mothers of children start to become aware of their situation. 

“Connor I know I messed up with us but-” Clark was becoming aware of the scene they were starting too but at this point Connor didn't care, the man was interrupting his bonding time with his kid. 

“But nothing! Danny is my son, and you don't get to say what's good for him! That's for my team and I to decide.” He huffed before turning around and picking up Danny, sitting him comfortably in his arms with the bags and looking at the reporter. 

“Now, we have to go. We still have shopping to do. See ya Clark.” 

Danny was silent until they were out of normal earshot, looking back before looking back at Connor. “Are you okay Dad?” His boy asked gently, patting Connor softly on his cheek. 

“Yeah. I'm getting better. Let's go get some stuff for you to match with the others, yeah?” Danny giggled and nodded as they walked away from Clark. One day, maybe they'd be family but there was a lot of hurt that Connor needed to work through. 

Maybe he'd get an older brother in the future but right now he had a child to spoil. 

The squeals of his teammates were also a great reward, especially when Danny dressed up in some Halloween costumes that looked exactly like their normal uniforms. 

He had enough family with his team and his kid, he was happy where he was.