Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Let This Be a Normal Field Trip
“You’re kidding me.”

Danny stared down at the toddler version of Vlad Masters, gently holding his small shoulders. The little guy could barely keep upright, let alone avoid danger.

Vlad, for his part, blinked at him with big eyes and nibbled his hand like a teething puppy.

“Badger!” he squeaked.

Danny picked him up with a sigh and perched him on his hip. “Same Vlad... just tiny.”

He could handle this. Probably.

Danny studied the changes: the obvious size difference (the guy didn’t even reach his knee!), the reduced vocabulary, the general baby energy. If this went on longer than a short-term shenanigan, he’d have to start teaching him from scratch.

Vlad babbled something, flailing a tiny closed fist.

“—And then I take the dollars!”

Danny snorted, gently guiding the fist down. “Let’s not act out your hostile takeovers in public, Ferret. Murder plots need to stay secret, remember?”

Vlad nodded sagely, giving Danny’s chest a light smack.

“Murder plots stay secret for max-i-mum eff—eff—”

He struggled with the “f,” nearly turning it into a raspberry.

Danny cut in, amused. “Effectiveness?”

Vlad nodded enthusiastically, a tiny bobblehead of chaos. “Yeah! That!”

Danny's heart melted a little. He shifted Vlad more comfortably on his hip. The toddler needed somewhere safe, away from the GIW. Maybe Jazz’s place?

Sure, it was Gotham—but how different could it really be from Amity?

He brushed Vlad’s hair into some semblance of order, kissed the top of his head, and smiled.

“Hey, Vlad? Want to go on a trip?”

The toddler lit up immediately. Of course he did.

First Day in Gotham!
Danny set down his single suitcase and a Lightning McQueen backpack full of toddler essentials.

“You sure you don’t need help?” Jazz asked, bouncing Vlad in her arms.

“I’m good,” Danny said with a shrug. “Just the one bag and a few baby clothes.”

“I still can’t believe you’re doing this. You traveled with Dani for a while, and now you’re... here,” she said, booping Vlad’s nose. He giggled.

Danny took Vlad from her. “And I still can’t believe you willingly took a job at Arkham.”

Jazz smirked and raised her hands. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Just remember, I’m a street away.”

He shut the door behind her and took in his new place.

Ancients help him—this was going to be a ride.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Next Day in Gotham!
Danny woke up to a familiar, uncomfortable sensation—something small and solid flopping on top of him with all its weight.

“Badger! Badger, Badger, Badger!”

He groaned as Vlad bounced on top of him like a trampoline. The toddler was practically vibrating with excitement.

“What is it, Vlad?” Danny asked, catching him and lifting him gently off his chest.

“Park, please!” Vlad beamed, reaching for Danny’s face with sticky fingers.

Danny chuckled and set him down. “Well, we need to get ready first, don’t we?”

Vlad pouted but nodded, then took off, a blur of toddler energy.

Danny got up, washed his face, and changed into some decent clothes. He checked his essentials—keys, phone, wallet, ghost-repelling emergency snacks—then headed to check on Vlad.

In Vlad’s room, he knelt to help him with his shoes and straighten out his shirt.

Vlad beamed up at him in his tiny polo and vest. Just a little guy. Danny felt his heart give a ridiculous little flutter.

“Alright, teeth brushed?” Danny asked.

Vlad nodded and raised his arms. “Uppies!”

Danny obliged and lifted him onto his hip, heading to the kitchen. He poured a bowl of cereal—Froot Loops, fittingly—for Vlad and grabbed some toast for himself. After breakfast, he cleaned up and booped Vlad on the nose.

Vlad giggled and bapped Danny on the cheeks. “Park!”

“That’s right! Time to go!”

He helped Vlad down from the chair and took his hand as they headed out the door. The little ferret dragged him toward the park like a man on a mission.

The streets of Gotham opened up to a quiet neighborhood park. Vlad sprinted ahead, then turned to check that Danny was following before continuing on, laughing wildly.

Danny smiled and jogged after him, careful not to pass him up. They eventually slowed, grinning at each other. Vlad reached up, took Danny’s hand, and pointed.

“Badger! Badger! Can I go to the playground?”

“Stay where I can see you, Ferret,” Danny said.

Vlad nodded quickly and bolted toward the playground equipment, joining a small group of kids.

Danny sank onto a bench, watching the chaos with half-lidded eyes. The swings creaked lazily in his peripheral vision. Vlad was playing well with others. Everything was calm.

Surprisingly calm.

A little too calm.

He shouldn’t jinx it… but he couldn’t help thinking:

What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

Chapter 3
Meeting the King of the Playground
Jason walked the path to the small neighborhood park, steel-toed boots thudding against the pavement with every step.

He yawned and checked the contents of his bag: snacks, phone, book, highlighters—essentials for a relaxing morning.

Finding a bench facing the jungle gym, he sat down and pulled out his book of the day. The sounds of birds chirping faded into the soft, constant ringing in his ears—always there, always familiar.

He shrugged mentally. It was just part of life now. You take a clown to the face, you pay the price.

The pit rage bubbled quietly at the thought, then slipped away again like it always did. He breathed through it, settled, and opened his book.

He was halfway through Macbeth, with Hamlet on standby, when something small moved into his peripheral vision. His heart stuttered in his chest.

A kid.

A little one, dressed like he belonged in a Gotham Academy catalogue. Polo shirt, sweater vest, shiny shoes. Oddly charming.

The boy plopped down beside Jason and leaned over, peering curiously at the open book. His mouth moved like he was reading aloud.

Oh, shi—Shoot.

Jason flicked on his hearing aids and tuned in.

The boy was repeating himself patiently, waiting for Jason to catch up.

“Is that a murder plan?” the kid asked, pointing to a passage on the page. Jason blinked, then decided to roll with it. Gotham kids, man.

“In the story, yeah. This is the dagger scene—Duncan’s dagger. The dagger meant to kill Duncan. The dagger of doom.”

The kid let out a delighted giggle, clapping like Jason had just announced dessert for breakfast.

Gotham native confirmed.

“What’s your name, mister?”

Jason chuckled. High-pitched kid voices meant if he looked away for even a second, he’d miss half the sentence—even with the aids on.

“I’m Jason. What’s your name?”

“I’m Vlad! My Badger calls me Ferret!”

Jason blinked. “Badger?” Unusual nickname for a guardian.

“Neat. Does your Badger know where you are?”

“Nope!” Vlad popped the “P” proudly, then reached up and patted the white stripe in Jason’s hair.

Jason let him.

The kid leaned against him as Jason returned to reading, occasionally clapping gleefully at mentions of murder and betrayal.

Yep. Definitely Gotham-raised.

Not long after, a tall, slightly frantic man jogged over. He crouched in front of Vlad, who beamed up at him.

Jason took in the guy’s appearance—inhumanly tall, blue eyes sharp enough to cut, and hair tied in a loose bun that defied gravity. Something about him pulled at Jason’s senses, settling the Pit’s constant churn like a lullaby.

The guy was radiating something. Something... right.

“Vlad,” the man said, voice low and worried, “why did you wander off? I thought you were going to conquer the playground.”

“I did!” Vlad grinned. “It was boring. But I found something else!”

“Oh?” the man raised a brow.

Vlad pointed at Jason, bouncing on his toes. “He’s like us!”

Jason frowned. Us?

The man’s eyes flicked up to Jason’s hair stripe, then locked onto Jason’s eyes with a sharp, amused look that made Jason feel like he’d just been x-rayed.

“Sorry about him,” the man said lightly. “You know how kids are. He sees me with bleached-blond hair and thinks anyone with a dyed streak is ‘just like me.’” He gave a laugh that would’ve made Brucie proud and extended a hand. “I’m Danny. Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

Jason shook it. “Jason. No problem. You might want to invest in one of those child leashes, though. If a kidnapper doesn’t grab him, the Waynes might.”

Danny huffed out a real laugh. Vlad and Danny exchanged a look that said they were in on a joke Jason didn’t know.

“I don’t think we need to worry about that,” Danny said, glancing up—Jason just now realizing how tall he was. A solid half-foot taller than him.

That was just unfair.

“Thanks, Jason.”

Jason nodded. “No problem.”

Danny took Vlad’s hand, and they walked off, laughing together. Jason returned to his book—but the words made no sense now.

It was like his literacy left with them.

He looked up again, spotting Danny in the distance, carrying Vlad.

And damn, that man was built.

Jason groaned and buried his face in his hands, cheeks burning.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Minute Hands and Dark Horses
As soon as they were out of normal human hearing range, Danny turned to Vlad and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re saying Jason is also a halfa?”

Vlad nodded vigorously, curls bouncing. “Yeah! Badger, he feels both wrong and right.”

Danny sighed, scooping the little ferret into his arms. Vlad didn’t protest, resting comfortably against him as they made their way home.

“Elaborate,” Danny prompted.

“Jason feels like you do—comfy and warm and stuff—but he’s bigger. And he’s missing something… important.”

Danny hummed thoughtfully, walking up the apartment steps. “Missing a core,” he muttered under his breath.

He phased them through the front door, gently laying Vlad down in his bed for naptime. As soon as the boy drifted off, Danny sent a message to Frostbite.

“A coreless halfa… terrifying.”

With that unsettling thought lodged in his brain, Danny dropped onto the couch, only to groan as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He slid it open.

Instead of the usual lock screen, a blinking clock icon greeted him.

“Of course,” he muttered, letting the omen slide. He tossed the phone aside.

Clockwork didn’t tell him things. He just let them unfold.

A faint whimper broke the silence.

Danny sat bolt upright, the sound coming from Vlad’s room. He rushed in and eased the door open.

Vlad tossed and turned, caught in the throes of a nightmare. Danny sat on the bed and gently shook his shoulder.

The little boy bolted awake, eyes wide and wet with tears. He reached out and buried his face in Danny’s side, clutching at his shirt.

“Hey, hey,” Danny soothed, voice low and soft. “You’re okay. You’re safe. What happened?”

Vlad hiccupped. “You—you were stuck on a shiny table. And there was green everywhere! You weren’t awake, and I was—I was next—”

He broke into sobs, his voice cracking with the beginning of a ghostly wail.

Danny pulled him into his lap, running a hand through his sweaty hair and humming with his core. Gentle, soothing, safe.

“Can you tell me what’s different now, Ferret? What’s real?”

Vlad sniffled, pressing his face into Danny’s chest. “You’re up. You’re awake. We’re moving. No green. No tables.”

He exhaled, tension melting from his tiny frame. “We’re okay.”

“That’s right, kid,” Danny murmured. “We’re okay. That was a dream—a nightmare.”

“What’s a nightmare?” Vlad asked, still clinging.

Danny smiled gently. “Well, ‘night’ is like dark, and ‘mare’ can mean horse. So, it’s like a dark horse. A bad dream. One that scares you.”

Vlad gasped. “A dark horse?”

“Exactly. And what do you do when you’re scared?”

Vlad bounced slightly. “I come to you!”

“Right again. And I’ll always do my best to chase the nightmares away. Want me to stay with you tonight, or do you want to try sleeping alone?”

Vlad rested his head on Danny’s chest. “Stay.”

Danny nodded. “Then stay I will.”

He laid Vlad back down and crawled in beside him. The little guy curled up against him like a sleepy kitten.

“Night, Ferret.”

“Night, Badger.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5
Early Mornings and Fishies
Danny woke up to small, toothpaste-sticky hands squishing his cheeks.

He cracked one eye open—and found himself nose-to-nose with Vlad’s bright, smiling face.

“Hey bud,” Danny croaked, voice scratchy with sleep. “Whatcha doing?”

Vlad beamed. His cheeks were streaked with dried toothpaste, the faint minty smear catching in the early morning light.

Danny turned on the desk lamp and sat up. Vlad climbed into his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world and rested his head against Danny’s chest.

Danny checked the clock.

7 a.m.

Way too early for a toddler to be this awake.

He sighed fondly. “Alright, alright,” he muttered as Vlad bounced away, already zipping around the room on toddler fuel alone.

Time to start the day.

He got Vlad into his usual little polo and shorts, taking a moment to braid his hair into two stubby space buns. Vlad giggled and kicked his feet while Danny worked, clearly delighted with the process.

Once the kid was ready, Danny pressed a kiss to the top of his head and went to get dressed himself. He threw on a NASA hoodie and a pair of jeans, tying his own hair back in a half-up, half-down bun.

He munched on a breakfast bar while watching Vlad skip across the room like a miniature warlord.

When Danny finished eating, he poured coffee into his thermos—an old, sticker-covered thing. Most of the decals had been stuck on by Dani when she was in one of her “we survive with vibes” moods.

He slung the strap of his bag over one shoulder and took Vlad’s hand.

The two of them headed out, Vlad swinging from his arm like a kid-sized pendulum.

They walked until they reached the local aquarium. Vlad spotted the sign, gasped like he’d discovered Atlantis, and immediately begged to go in.

Danny caved.

Inside, Vlad pressed his nose to every tank, standing on tiptoe to get his face as close to the glass as humanly possible. Danny trailed behind, watching with a fond smile.

Eventually, they reached a quieter side section with smaller tanks lining the walls.

Two betta fish approached the glass where Vlad stood.

One red.

One green.

The green fish hovered cautiously, watching him with deliberate curiosity.

The red one, on the other hand, practically threw itself against the glass—enthusiastic, determined, and more than a little chaotic. It mimicked Vlad’s every motion, zooming and spinning.

Vlad laughed, his palms flat against the glass.

Later, he asked Danny for plushies of both fish. They left the gift shop with a red and green betta in tow.

It felt symbolic.

Like something had been sealed.

But whose fate was being written?

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Playing and Plans for the Future
Danny lounged on a bench, laughing quietly as he watched Vlad wreak havoc in a sandpit.

Nearby, Jason sat under a tree, reading from a Waynetech e-reader. Predictable as ever—Danny had started clocking his routine. Jason usually showed up around lunchtime, sometimes with one or two others in tow (siblings, maybe?). He didn’t always interact with the kids, but somehow, like Danny, he attracted them.

They climbed him like a jungle gym.

It was adorable. And familiar.

Danny had been the same back in Amity, a magnet for the neighborhood kids. Curious little chaos goblins who didn’t care about personal space or boundaries, only that you looked like a solid climbing frame.

Parents always ran up, apologizing profusely. Danny hated the apologies.

Pretty sure Jason did too.

Jason looked up from his reader, and Danny waved. Jason quirked an eyebrow and smiled in return.

Danny studied him for a second.

Tall—almost rivaling his own height. Solid build hidden under that leather jacket. That voice—deep, rough, and soft in strange, addictive layers.

He was handsome.

Like... stupidly handsome.

Danny’s heart did an embarrassing little flip.

No. Nope. I am not thinking about dating right now. I have a toddler Fruit Loop and possible GIW agents breathing down my neck.

Still...

If Jason wanted to pursue something, Danny wouldn’t stop him. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to woo him. But he had bigger priorities—like making sure Jason didn’t explode from Lazarus madness or coreless halfa instability.

He gently wiped the sand out of Vlad’s eyes as the little guy squealed, flinging fists of sand into the air.

Jason glanced over at the scene with a barely-suppressed smile.

If anything happened... it would happen naturally.

But for now, Danny was not catching feelings.

...Right?

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Ectoplasm Stained Schemes

Danny hovered over his workbench, carefully collecting a sample of ectoplasm from the Ghost Zone. Frostbite’s advice echoed in his head.

Too much would hurt.

Too little would be useless against tainted ecto.

Balance was everything.

Back at the apartment, Vlad practically launched himself at Danny the second he phased in—tiny hands gripping onto every hem and strap he could reach. The toddler latched on like a baby koala.

Danny caught him with a soft laugh and held him close.

Vlad was a child. A literal toddler.

He wasn’t supposed to be. He was supposed to be older—wiser. Arrogant.

Now? He was just a kid. A little guy with bright eyes and tiny fists full of crayon drawings.

And Danny had no idea how—or if—he could ever turn him back.

So he took things one day at a time. Memories, tantrums, breakthroughs. Some tears. Mostly hugs.

He could handle that.

He and Jason started seeing each other more.

It started innocently—just casual, everyday encounters.

The post office. The local café. The 7-Eleven.

Jason became part of Danny’s daily rhythm. A fact of life.

Danny walked Vlad to the park, keeping an eye out for him.

Jason, that is.

Thoughts of him had been creeping in at night, uninvited and persistent.

At first, Danny brushed them off as physical attraction—Jason was objectively hot. The kind of handsome that made you consider reckless decisions.

But then he started wondering more.

What was this feeling?

It was... more than a crush. A curiosity. A draw.

He wanted to know Jason, not just look at him.

And speak of the devil...

There he was, walking up the path. No book bag. No plan. Just... existing. Strolling like a normal person.

Danny chuckled as Vlad bolted straight at him, arms out, hair flying. He hadn’t wanted it braided that morning—too tired to sit still. Fair enough.

“Hey, Jason!” Danny called.

“Hey, Danny!” Jason waved, easily hoisting Vlad up onto his hip like it was nothing.

“You said you had something for me?”

Danny grinned and pulled out a Wayne Foods thermos, giving it a little wiggle.

“My first attempt at real cooking: tomato soup.”

He did not mention the small amount of ectoplasm infused into the recipe. The slight tang of battery acid would be buried beneath the tomato, hopefully.

Jason chuckled. “Alright. I know a good spot. Let’s have a picnic.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Foiled
They sat under a sprawling tree in the park, the shade cool and quiet. Danny watched with carefully hidden nerves as Jason took the first spoonful of tomato soup.

Vlad rolled in the grass nearby, shrieking with laughter at a bug he was trying to chase.

Jason paused.

He cringed slightly.

But—he swallowed.

"How did you mess up tomato soup?" he said, incredulous. He took another spoonful. "It’s edible, but the aftertaste is killing me."

Danny snickered, trying not to look too pleased with himself. That second spoonful had enough ectoplasm to stabilize a halfa for a month.

Jason took one more spoonful—just to confirm his opinion. Then, without warning, he scooped up another and held it out toward Danny’s mouth.

“I have to inflict this on you. What the hell, man.”

Danny obediently slurped it up without so much as a flinch. “Tastes good to me!”

“Bull—”

“You could always teach me how to cook?” Danny offered with a raised brow.

Jason gave him a long look. “Bet.”

Later…

Jason shook his head, exasperated, as they stood side by side at the stove.

“Screw this. I’m cooking for you. I don’t know how you and Vlad survive like this.”

Danny pouted. “Hey! I usually do instant ramen. Oatmeal. Sometimes broth if I’m feeling fancy.”

“You’ve been living here for three months.”

“Exactly. I’m thriving.”

Jason scraped charred food from the pan straight into the trash. “You are a house fire waiting to happen.”

“Fine,” Danny huffed.

Chapter Text

Danny leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching Jason scrub the last of the charred remains from the pan with a vigor that screamed personal vendetta. The kitchen smelled faintly of burnt garlic and regret, but Vlad, perched on a stool with a juice box, seemed utterly unbothered, kicking his little legs and humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like the Ghostbusters theme.

“Thriving, huh?” Jason said, tossing a dish towel over his shoulder and fixing Danny with a look that was equal parts amusement and exasperation. “You and the kid are one bad microwave burrito away from a disaster movie.”

Danny grinned, unrepentant. “I’ll have you know, instant ramen is an art form. I’ve got the boil-to-slurp ratio down to a science.”

Jason snorted, setting the now-clean pan on the drying rack. “You’re a menace. Both of you.” He glanced at Vlad, who waved his juice box like a tiny scepter, splattering apple juice on the counter. “Especially you, Ferret.”

Vlad giggled, undeterred, and Danny felt a familiar warmth settle in his chest. This—bickering in a cramped Gotham apartment, Vlad making a mess, Jason pretending he wasn’t charmed by it all—was starting to feel normal. Dangerously normal. The kind of normal that made him forget about the Ghost Zone, the GIW, and the fact that the toddler currently blowing bubbles into his juice box was supposed to be a middle-aged megalomaniac.

“So,” Jason said, breaking Danny’s train of thought as he leaned back against the counter, mirroring Danny’s pose. “You gonna let me save you from your culinary crimes, or what? I’m thinking something simple. Pasta. No fire hazards involved.”

Danny raised an eyebrow, pretending to consider it. “You’re offering to cook for us? Like, regularly?”

“Don’t push your luck, Fenton,” Jason said, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “I’m just saying, I’d rather not see you and the kid living off cereal and vibes.”

“Froot Loops are a balanced diet,” Danny shot back, nodding toward Vlad, who was now attempting to balance his juice box on his nose. “Look at him. Peak health.”

Jason laughed—a low, rough sound that did unfair things to Danny’s pulse. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you’re still here,” Danny said, his voice lighter than he felt. He wasn’t sure when he’d started noticing the way Jason’s eyes crinkled when he laughed, or the way his presence seemed to quiet the constant hum of Danny’s core, like a radio tuning to the right frequency. It was dangerous territory, and Danny was trying very hard not to trip into it.

Before Jason could respond, Vlad slid off his stool with a dramatic thump and tugged at Danny’s sleeve. “Badger! Badger, can we have cookies? The ghosty ones!”

Danny froze for half a second, his eyes flicking to Jason. “Ghosty ones” was Vlad’s code for the ectoplasm-laced snacks Danny kept stashed in the back of the pantry, hidden behind a box of stale crackers. They were for emergencies—moments when Vlad’s core flickered too weakly or Danny felt his own energy dip too low. Jason didn’t know about their halfa nature, and Danny wasn’t ready to explain why his toddler ward sometimes needed snacks that glowed faintly in the dark.

“Uh, maybe later, Ferret,” Danny said quickly, scooping Vlad up before he could say anything else incriminating. “How about regular cookies? The boring, non-…ghosty kind?”

Vlad pouted, crossing his arms. “Boring cookies are boring.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly catching the odd exchange but not pressing it. “Ghosty cookies, huh? You guys got some weird taste in snacks.”

Danny forced a laugh, his core buzzing with nervous energy. “Kids, right? Always making up weird names for stuff.”

Jason didn’t look entirely convinced, but he let it slide, turning to rummage through Danny’s sparse pantry. “Alright, no cookies for now. But I’m serious about the pasta. You got any noodles in here that aren’t instant?”

As Jason dug through the shelves, Danny set Vlad down and whispered, “No more ghosty talk around Jason, okay, buddy? It’s our little secret.”

Vlad nodded solemnly, then immediately betrayed the secrecy by whispering back, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, “Secret ghosty snacks!”

Danny groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Ancients, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of boiling water, Jason’s surprisingly patient cooking lessons, and Vlad’s relentless commentary on how “Badger’s sauce is yucky” (it was canned marinara, and Danny took personal offense). By the time they sat down to eat, the apartment smelled like garlic and basil, and Danny had to admit, Jason’s pasta was a significant step up from his usual fare.

Vlad, predictably, got more sauce on his face than in his mouth, but he was happy, chattering about the aquarium and his betta fish plushies. Jason listened with a kind of quiet intensity, nodding along and asking questions that made Vlad light up like a tiny supernova.

Danny watched them, his fork hovering over his plate. Jason was good with Vlad—better than Danny had expected from a guy who looked like he could bench press a car and probably had. There was a softness to him, hidden under the leather jacket and the scars Danny had glimpsed when Jason rolled up his sleeves. It made Danny’s chest ache in a way he wasn’t ready to examine.

“So,” Jason said, glancing at Danny as he twirled spaghetti around his fork. “You never really said why you moved to Gotham. Most people don’t pick this city for the ambiance.”

Danny’s fork stilled. He’d been dodging this question since they met, and he wasn’t sure how much he could share without tipping his hand. “Oh, you know,” he said, aiming for casual. “Fresh start. New job. Figured Gotham could use a couple of weirdos like us.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he was trying to read between the lines. “Right. And the kid? He’s… what, your cousin?”

“Something like that,” Danny said, his voice carefully neutral. He’d stuck to the vague story of Vlad being a distant relative he was taking care of, but Jason’s questions were starting to poke holes in it. The guy was sharp—too sharp for Danny’s half-baked cover story.

Jason didn’t push, though. He just nodded, taking another bite of pasta. “Fair enough. Gotham’s got a way of collecting strays.”

Danny smiled, relieved. “Yeah, we’re fitting right in.”

Later, after Jason had left and Vlad was tucked into bed with his red and green betta plushies, Danny sat at his workbench, staring at a vial of ectoplasm. The faint green glow cast shadows on the wall, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. Vlad’s age-regression, Jason’s halfa-like nature, the GIW’s potential presence in Gotham—it felt connected, but the pieces weren’t clicking yet.

His core hummed, a low, anxious vibration. He glanced at the window, half-expecting to see a white-suited agent lurking in the alley below. Nothing. Just Gotham’s usual brand of chaos—distant sirens, the occasional shout, and the ever-present hum of a city that never slept.

He capped the vial and hid it in the safe under his desk. Tomorrow, he’d take Vlad to the park again, keep an eye out for Jason, and maybe—maybe—start figuring out how to tell him the truth.

Or at least part of it.For now, though, he’d settle for keeping his little ferret safe and chasing away the dark horses that haunted them both.“Night, Gotham,” he murmured, flicking off the light. “Don’t eat us alive just yet.”