De-Aged Danny, Gesturing To A Dazed Bruce Inside Wayne Manor: And This Is Bruce! Otherwise Known As The

Of all the problems Danny thought he'd have fleeing Amity to another universes version of Amity, called Goth Ham or something, he didn't think the first big one was gonna be a fricken clown. Yes he was technically, but not really, homeless, had no money, had no forms of identification and was by now considered legally dead by his home government, and non existent by this one. But he could handle those with relative ease. But a clown? To be honest he was surprised he hadn't run into a clown themed psychopath until now, well... if he didn't count Vlad.

Once upon a time Danny would have felt bad about stealing but he was over taking the moral high ground with such petty things. He was only half dead, he needed to eat. And he thought he'd done enough good deeds in his short life to be allowed to just take what he needed without money. Besides he was never caught on camera or by security systems, they always 'mysteriously' shorted out. No one ever got hurt cause he just went after closing. And he never targeted small mom and pop operations, only large corporations who logically wouldn't miss the products taken by one small 15 year old. So ... Well maybe he was still sort of taking the moral high ground but come on he wasn't heartless.

He'd set up a tent in one of the only alleys that weren't overtaken with homeless people already, he supposed even a city with a millionaire as generous as Bruce fricken Wayne not all issues could be solved. He'd learnt a neat trick from Desiree, who's haunt in the GZ was stereotypically a lamp, to make a space much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, eat your heart out Doctor Who. Technus had designed a generator that could produce energy from a small piece of highly concentrated ectoplasm, which Danny could form by compressing his ectoblasts into crystals. A single crystal lasted months. And the tech savvy ghost also rigged a system that connected to the cities water and waste systems so he had fully functional plumbing. So from the outside it looked like he was living in a medium sized tent. But on the inside he had a full multi bedroom apartment. He was quite comfortable, and the shield around it was designed to keep out ghosts and deter humans, playing on that sensation they naturally had to avoid something weird.

So when a clown walked straight into his home he was caught a little off guard. Since his home was sound proof he hadn't heard anything from outside, and had been walking from the kitchen to the unliving room, his little inside joke to himself, cradling a bowl of popcorn wearing pyjamas he was startled enough to blast the weird thing wearing a purple suit right the feck back out.

Joker hadn't expected to run into a young meta human that night. But as the only Batling that actually used guns was on his ass like a mouse on drywall he had just ducked into a tent intending to take whomever was inside hostage. He hadn't known what to expect inside but a teenager in the threshold of a high scale apartment wasn't exactly it. And the he was shot by something bright and green, even though the brat wasn't armed.

A pale face emerged from the tent looking down on him, a young boy, looked like he could have been one of the little projects that Wayne guy was always taking on, as the clown lay sprawled on the filthy ground of the alley slightly winded. "You startled me." He said with slight concern. "You alright?" The joker laughed. A crazy laugh. Crazier than usual. Someone in Gotham asking the Joker if he was alright? Hilarious.

"You're not from around here are you kid?" He wheezed between cackles, the concern seeming to grow on the child's face making it funnier. The brat shook his head, stepping out from the tent fully and crouching by the man, who was now laughing so hard nothing but a wheezy rasp was getting out. He was examining the scorch marks left on Joker's suit, even reaching out and patting the man's chest.

"No physical wounds, but maybe you hit your head?" He mumbled. Joker took a deep breath and laughed even louder. "Dude, that's distracting, quiet, I'm trying to make sure whatever's up with you isn't my fault." He then, with sheer audacity placed a small, freakishly cold hand to the man's mouth. He yelped and jerked back when Joker lurched upwards into sitting, a few strands of his usually slicked back green hair falling into his face as he gave the kid a wide grin, eyes wild. "Mmm... No I think your kind of crazy has been brewing for a while." He decided, the Joker gave an unnerving giggle.

"You've never heard of me? Surely I've been on the news." Joker said feeling generously social. The kid eyed him wearily as he stuck out his hand. "Name's the Joker, last name Joker, first name The."

"I feel like you've got a buzzer on your hand." The kid said, not taking the handshake. The Joker raised his hand revealing the buzzer with a way too many teeth grin.

"Guilty. Listen, kid, think I could hide out in your little abomination of space in there?" The Joker leaned really close to the boy, watching the youths nose crinkle with disapproval of the invasion of personal space.

"I suppose..." He murmured. The Joker leapt to his feat with a loud 'Great!' and didn't even wait for the boy before stepping inside to inspect the property inside. He picked up the discarded popcorn and made himself at home, vaguely aware that the child had also re-entered the tent.

After a moment he looked over his shoulder to see the boy standing awkwardly, watching him with confusion and concern. He liked concern, it meant he could manipulate that. "You just gonna stand there like the world's scrawniest scarecrow?"

The boy shuffled his feet remaining where he stood, clearly uncomfortable about the Joker being there, but he sensed it wasn't because he was a clearly psychotic clown who'd barged his way into the kids home. As he studied the kids expression trying to discern what exactly it was that made the kid weary, cause the clown thing was usually enough, he noticed faint scaring across the boys face. Mostly the left side, fanning out in jagged lines from a pinpoint somewhere under the collar of his shirt. He turned away mulling this information over while flipping through the channels of a massive tv, how did the kid get better reception in this impossible tent than the system rigged up by that cable Guy he'd kidnapped a while back?

Eventually the kid sat down, granted it was as far away from him as possible, this was a normal response to sitting with the Joker. "Wanna know something kid?" The boy's wide eyes glanced away from the screen, where a tasteful documentary on common bats was playing, curiosity evident though he remained silent. "I'm not a good guy."

He expected a bit of fear maybe, but the withering look he received was far from that. Icy eyes seemed to say in a snarky tone 'No kidding?' "Didn't really expect a man dressed like Ronald McDonald's lesser known cousin oozing criminal King pin energy to be an upstanding citizen." He responded looking back at the tv. "I'm not exactly a good guy either."

The Joker's grin grew, this kid was interesting, he'd been around the block if he could note that Joker wasn't just any old psycho. "Is that so?"

"I mean I had my moment of vigilante justice and all it got me was the hatred of my parents, homelessness and being declared legally dead. But you learn to pin point the dangerous ones." The boy grumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest and staring intently at the screen. "You're a dangerous one."

The Joker laughed. "Got a name or are you just dead teen walking?"

"Danny."

"Not a very heroic name."

"Not a very heroic guy."

"You've been in the hero business and you've never heard of me?"

"Purple and green Court Jester named Joker? No."

"Cuts deep kid. I'm a little insulted. Bet you know Batman. That's not fair."

"Batman? You think that instead of some grape and apple looking dude I'd know a furry?"

Joker wheezed, a furry, he'd have to add that one to his routine, bats would love that. "You must be from outta space or somethin kid."

"Or something. How long did you need to hide here?" Danny asked now watching the Joker as the man hunched over imagining the glee of calling the stone cold Batman a furry.

"Not really hiding when I threw a tracker on him."

Danny and the Joker whipped their heads around to see who Joker recognised as Red Hood, and who Danny recognised as another madman in a silly costume. He really needed to figure out a lock system. But something about the man also gave Danny a sense of interest. Something that felt familiar. "Ah, well. When you put it like that." Joker grabbed the kid, noting idly that the jagged scars were down his arm as well. "What we have here is a hostage situation."

Danny glanced at the 'weapon' he was supposedly being held hostage with, a small hand held canister, painted green and purple with a sinister grin painted in the centre. "What's that?" He asked, though honestly he assumed it was a gas of some sort, which didn't really affect him since he could just turn off the need to breathe when it suited him.

"Laughing gas, lethal laughing gas." The newcomer growled. While the Joker rambled about this guy, Red Hood he called him, ruining the punch line Danny simply turned invisible and intangible. The Joker and Red Hood were both understandably surprised. Red Hood muttered something about a 'Meta Human'.

"Okay, well, I felt bad for hitting you earlier but you officially overstayed your welcome." Danny said reappearing to the side, he then glanced at Red Hood. "And you weren't even invited. So...."

And like that he was gone. Not just him. His entire home, the tent it was crammed into, everything. Every trace of the kid was gone. Joker stared at Red Hood who was temporarily thrown off by the magic trick of the century. So naturally the Joker started running, dropping the canister behind him as a treat. It had been a weird day. Even for him.

Meanwhile Jason Todd stood wondering if he should be worried about this new Meta Human in Gotham who seemed to, even if temporary, been chumming it up with the Joker. If the deranged clown managed to get a Meta Human in his arsenal there'd be trouble. And Danny? Danny had relocated behind a local fast food restaurant, he deserved a burger and fries as a treat for dealing with Goth Ham City Crazies.

To be continued maybe?

DCXDP Young Justice and Phantom

I love Danny Phantom and DC crossovers but I think there is a very overlooked possibility there would be so good and I don't think I ever saw it being done. Danny being in the og Young Justice from the 90s. He would just fit there so well and match their own brand of chaos perfectly. And they share the same lack of respect for authorities and lack of adult supervision.

We have a teenager ghost hero who was kidnapped by the USA government for experimental purposes. I Really need to see Secret and Phantom bond, maybe they were held in the captivity by the GIW and the DEO at the same time and meet there, maybe they can runaway together.

LOOK AT THIS! it look like it was made so they can have a crossover! I KNOW I'M NOT CRAZY

The DEO saying Secret has no rights because she is dead, the potential for angst.

Secret having a hard time because she was the only one there without a mentor or being a legacy, but here she could bond with Danny because they have so much in common, and they can understand each other.

I just want to see Danny being besties with Secret (maybe even more? I can see they have a more romantic relationship too)

Is just... There is so much potential and Danny and I couldn't stop thinking about it

---

Part 4.5: all night

After HG mess, Grian had to pull an all nighter to finish his job

(Clothes inspired by @schwepsee fanart!)

---

Baby Fenton and Wayne Enterprises

It all started when Danny learned he was to be Vlad's heir for VladCo. And he needed to learn how to be a CEO.

But Danny needed help! He needed a way to help the employees and be a good CEO.

So he asked Clockwork who had the best idea. He threw him through a portal and told him he would be a great CEO once he was out.

In Gotham

Danny landed in Gotham came out of Wayne Enterprises as a toddler. And I just followed the employees on their day to see how they were doing it.

The Wayne employees didn't really do anything when they saw the black hair blue eyed toddler. I was just thinking that Bruce Wayne adopted a new child.

Danny had already spent two months helping the people at Wayne Enterprises. Before Tim notices the toddler in the company, and was pretty confused.

And that was how the company learned he wasn't an adoptive child of Bruce. But that changed as the CEO Bruce saw him.

Welcome to the family of Danny Wayne.

BONUS

A FEW YEARS LATER.

Bruce had already been crying for two hours. Jason: " Why is he crying?" Tim:' Danny said he doesn't want to be an icky Hero but a cool CEO. " Bruce:" I didn't do anything wrong this time…"

Bruce was super happy!

For Danny he already had been a hero and was very happy, as he didn't need to be one any more in Amity Park. Forget it; he will be the best CEO in the world!

---

Nightwing gets a sidekick introducing: "Batboy"

Continuation of this post: "Danny has Bat wings"

|Next|

Dick tries to tell himself that he's better then Bruce. He's not going around taking young orphaned boys with unique abilities willy-nilly. No, he very careful. Besides this is first- well second sidekick.

He's doing a public service anyways. You can't have a kid with giant bat wings just falling from buildings. If Nightwing hadn't stepped in to stop those goons trying to catch the kid and sell him then who knows what would have happened. What if they tried to cut off his wings and turn the boy into a bloody trophy for the Bats?

There are many villains in Bludhaven who'd take the boy out or take him in. Dick already had a sinking feeling that Heartless would try his hand at killing the kid after all he targets the weak and helpless like a coward.

It was easy enough to convince the boy to be his friend. Dick did have natural charm and charisma after all. All it took was a meal from batburger and a fruit cup to get the kid to open up.

Danny (apparently his family gave him a normal name) didn't live with his family anymore due to ideological differences. That difference was that they thought he shouldn't exist anymore and wanted to turn him into an experiment. Poor kid didn't even get to finish his freshman year of school before he had to leave. He was a small town vigilante for a few months before the incident.

Dick saw an opportunity but was subtle about it. He invited the kid to live with him until he got his education. Its also totally ethical because the kid was a vigilante already.

Everything kind of went by quickly. Dick had done everything possible to hide Danny until he could come up with a plan of how to tell everyone.

True Dick didn't "need" a sidekick but come on, look at him! He's a boy with bat wings! Dick could put a little cowl on him and dress him up like Batman. I mean he's not a dog but it would be funny. The irony there, the bird-themed hero now had a bat-themed sidekick. That is the universe's way of sending a message.

After training Danny Dick learned that the kid had an endless supply of energy and ADHD that rivaled his own at that age. The kid also couldn't fly, it was actually closer to gliding which was still useful but he kind of looked like a flying squirrel when he jumped off ledges.

The term issue with taking Danny in was that Dick was still a Wayne and while he could hide the kid while he was swinging through Bludhaven, Dick Grayson could not.

Danny could hide his wings like they weren't even there whenever he wanted to look human. Which was a start, next he needed a new identity. One that wouldn't tip anyone off.

Dick needed to pull some strings without alerting Barbara or Tim. A new name was forged: "Daniel Nightingale" (Dick patted himself on the back for that one).

With that Dick was ready to let Danny out in the field. For the most part, Danny was as reliable as any Robin if not a bit crazy. Danny was way too charming for his own good but also completely feral. The public adored the domino-masked kid in his green and black costume. Danny didn't wear a cape because of his wings so he used them as a cloak.

When citizens saw them in public they'd offer the kid fruit cups and candies just to get close enough to see his wings. The people of Bludhaven were also excited to have their own version of Robin since Gotham had so many. Also, the kid was so marketable. Look at the way his wings flapped when he was excited.

Danny's or more specifically "Batboy's" presence would not go unnoticed.

Well, this can't end well.

Welp. Dick should have expected this. He couldn't even be upset. He doesn't regret anything that he's done.

Danny was still in bed, actually it was a hammock which was more comfortable for a bat. Dick wondered if he could sleep upside down. The kid was comfortable here and probably better off here than in Gotham. Once the adoption goes public however things will get complicated. Danny may end up Bludhaven's sweetheart or outcast. He'll probably end up fine...probably.

---

Please let me do my job

Danny somehow manages to get a job working as a server during a gala event. The uniform sucks, but he wasn’t about to complain when he was desperate for any job right now. He had to flee from Amity after his parents discovered that he was Phantom with almost nothing, but the clothes on his back. So the uniform was definitely worth it with how much he was getting paid. 

What wasn’t worth it though was the amount of rich fruitloops that have approached him. Everytime he turned around someone was there and wanted to ask him questions. Asking things like why he was dressed as a server, and calling him by the name of Tim. It wasn't hard to figure out that everyone thought he was Tim Drake-Wayne. 

He knows that the Waynes are known for black hair and blue eyes, but for him to be getting this much attention for it is just getting ridiculous at this point. Danny would have just brushed it under the rug as it being a rich people are just weird thing. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Dick Grayson, the oldest Wayne child, had grabbed him coming out of the kitchen and into a secluded area. 

“Tim, what are you doing; why are you dressed as a server? Everyone here knows your face, now is not the time to be going undercover!” Dick whispers while looking for anyone that might be watching them. “Go change back into your normal clothes. Well talk about whatever this is back in the cave ok?” 

The fact that Tim Drake goes undercover was probably not something Danny was supposed to know. Also, did he say cave? As in the Bat-Cave? A rock settles in Danny stomach as he realizes that the Wayne's are the bats. Which is definitely not something he should know.

Before Danny can think of anything to say that will get him out of this situation without any problems a voice is already calling out, "Dick! What are you doing back here?"

The owner of the voice is of course none other than Tim Drake himself. This wasn’t going to end well Danny thought to himself as he watch Dick looked between himself and Tim.

How did this become his life.

Uther: You gave my wife’s sigil to a servant?!

Arthur: Ah, but he’s my favourite servant :D

Gemini Guy

When Danny is in Gotham, he falls into the habit of duplicating himself to avoid suspicion from his peers. A duplicate would be out being Phantom (and fight off the ghosts that had followed him into the city). Meanwhile, he'd be trying to win over the internship at Wayne Industries.

Danny didn't account for the duplicate to be instantly adopted by the Red Hood.

when in metropolis ; a not fic

Quiet day in Metropolis with clean up almost complete from the latest alien attack where a scout group of warring aliens got spit out a black hole into the Milky Way and somehow honed in on Superman specifically to make his life worse.

Clark is enjoying a cup of coffee during a break, chilling on the roof while Lois texts him for help spelling words which he answers promptly because he’s a good husband.

He hears something strange. Something like… whirring? Buzzing? Like if bees were getting electrocuted on a dance floor next to a washing machine that’s breaking down mid-load.

‘Please No,’ thinks Clark, who doesn’t wanna do shit on his roof coffee break.

‘Lol Yes,’ says the universe and a section of the sky above Metropolis splits open. This gaping maw of dizzying green swirls and crackling electricity can only mean Bad News.

Clark is gone. Superman is in his place in 0.2 seconds. He sends one last text to Lois, correcting her spelling of catastrophe followed by a quick explanation of why he’s disappearing.

That explanation being gotta go check out the hole in the sky brb

CLARK???? she texts back but it’s too late. Clark’s gotta go.

He flies up to the area around the hole, which is large but has stopped growing. He can probably rule out the possibility of it trying to eat the city below him, but better to be safe than sorry.

Below him, Clark can hear people shouting in alarm, cars honking as people come to abrupt stops to stare up at the sky. There are multiple shutter sounds of photos being taken. When he glances down, he can spot Jimmy leaning almost all the way out of the window of the 13th floor of the Daily Planet, two seconds away from falling to his death. Luckily, behind him is Cat who is holding onto the back of his shirt, swearing up a storm as she tries to pull him back in before he breaks his own neck for a good shot of the hole in the sky.

He makes a little mental note to get her a nice pastry as thanks for saving Jimmy while he’s otherwise occupied. She could definitely use it, given how her week’s been going.

The hole makes more strange noises. Like it’s gurgling. Like someone’s stomach when they’re really, really hungry. It’s kinda gross, honestly. Clark backs away from it a bit, eyeing the hole warily.

Abruptly, the hole glows brighter, hisses, and spits out a boy.

Oh Shit, thinks Clark but he’s already moving, swooping down to catch the boy before he can plummet into Metropolis.

A quick look at his face tells him that this boy is Queasy to a dangerous degree and Clark quickly flies him just outside city limits and sets him gently onto the ground. Out of danger for now, and the hole closing up quietly and disappearing, gives Clark time to properly look at the boy and process what he’s seeing.

So. This kid is probably an alien, right?

He’s got white hair that’s moving around like he’s underwater. His eyes glow green, he’s semi-translucent, wearing a skin-tight hazmat suit with a symbol on it that looks like a D and P stuck together, and most importantly, Clark can’t hear any organs inside the kid’s body.

Like. None at all. No heart. No lungs. Not even any blood.

“You alright, kid?” Clark asks, because even if this kid is an alien, being spit out of a hole in the sky is probably upsetting for anyone.

The kid doesn’t answer because he looks green in the face, expression twisted up into a grimace, eyes slightly glazed over. “Mrph,” he manages to mumble out, then claps a hand over his mouth.

Alarmed, Clark moves to the side so he’s not about to get puked on, and rests a hand on the kid’s back. “Easy now, head between your knees and take deep breaths for me.”

The kid follows his instructions well, so he probably knows English. That’s good. Clark pats his back as the kid takes deep breaths that make his thin frame shudder. It’s a few minutes before he’s able to sit up, looking much more composed and less likely to hurl on anything that bothers him.

“Feeling alright now?” Clark asks.

The kid gives him a weak smile. “Yeah, thanks. That sucked. I’ve never felt so motion sick in my life.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“Not really? I got sucked into some kind of…. Ecto whirlpool, I think, but it kinda rattled my brain and I am having so much trouble focusing right now. Where am I?”

There’s a lot Clark wants to say to that, but he holds it back. He’s got a question to answer, after all. “We’re just outside Metropolis. A hole in the sky spit you out then closed right back up.”

“Metropolis?” the kid repeats doubtfully. “Isn’t that just calling this place ‘City City’?”

Clark has no idea how to respond to that. 

The kid doesn’t care. He looks at Clark, properly takes him in, and tilts his head. “Nice costume?”

“...Thanks.” 

He’s about to explain that he’s Superman™ and the costume helps people be less afraid of him when he arrives to help in disasters and other such situations but the kid has already moved on.

“I hope I can get enough signal to call my parents,” he mutters, pulling an old, clunky flip phone out of his chest. Clark blinks and tries very very hard not to react. “Nope. No signal. Oh well, my parents will come pick me up eventually. Sorry for crashing into you, and thanks for catching me!”

The kid gets up and flies away. 

Clark quickly flies after him.

“Hey, kid!”

“It’s Danny!”

“Okay, Danny! Can you stop for a second?”

Danny stops and Clark floats in front of him. “Do you have someplace to stay while you wait for your parents? Any family friends are guardians around here?” It’s a long shot, since he really doubts someone that got spit out of a green hole in the sky has any connections on Earth, but he’d like to believe that something could be easily resolved for once in his life.

Clark should have punted his hopes out a window because Danny shakes his head. “Nah, I was just gonna fly around and pass the time until my parents get here.”

He bites back on the concerned question of what if your parents can’t come and you’re stuck here for the rest of your life?

Don’t freak the kid out Clark, that’s a terrible way to be a Responsible Adult.

“Why don’t you stick with me until your parents get you? It’s a dangerous world out there, especially to people who aren’t human.”

“...I am human.”

“Humans can’t fly like us Danny.”

 “Well, what does that make you, then? A ghost?”

Why a ghost, of all things? What a strange comparison. Clark shakes his head. “No, I’m Kryptonian.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“I’m a refugee alien from the planet Krypton. One of the last of my kind.”

Danny Lights Up. Literally, he glows and gets really bright. “An alien!” he shouts, as if he, too, is not an alien.

This leads to a long back and forth where Danny shoots off questions about space and alien culture that Clark really isn’t fit to handle, having grown up on Earth, and Clark struggling to get the conversation back on track, which Danny doesn’t care for at all.

This is somehow more exhausting than a physical fight. Teenagers are stressful.

The impromptu Interrogation On Aliens comes to an end when Danny winces and puts a hand on his stomach.

Clark is on High Alert. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just hungry,” Danny says. Which is strange because as far as Clark knows, this kid doesn’t have a stomach. Or any other organs.

“Want me to buy you a sandwich?”

Danny squints at him. “I feel like I’m not supposed to accept food from strangers.”

“I don’t think you have a choice when everyone on this planet is a stranger to you.”

“Fair point. I’m in the mood for chicken wings. Know a good place for that?”

Clark and Danny get chicken wings. He’s sure social media must be having a field day from the amount of people snapping pictures of Superman babysitting an alien teenager. Lois is never gonna let him live this down.

In fact, when he focuses, he can hear her talking to Perry about where he is.

“Yeah, he really shouldn’t try new types of coffee,” she’s saying. “It really messes with his stomach. Smallville’s gonna be on that toilet for days.”

I Love My Wife, he tells himself firmly. I Love My Wife And I Am Not Stealing All Her Left Socks When I Get Home.

He is going to eat the pudding she’s been saving because, frankly, Clark deserves it more right now.

Chicken wings can only occupy Danny for so long. As soon as he’s had his fill, Danny’s up and flying around, eyes wide at the skyscrapers that make up Metropolis’s downtown area. He looks like any other tourist, if you take out the flying, glowing alien boy part.

Sighing, Clark follows along.

This is what Superman does. He saves the world and then babysits easily distracted teenager aliens. 

He bets Batman never has to do this.

Batman has to raise gleefully destructive teenagers who like to wage psychological warfare on him to pass the time, so you know what? Clark’s happy to babysit Danny.

A few times, he hears a cry from help and grabs Danny to fly over. Danny is given strick instructions to stay in the air and not interfere while Clark helps people. 

This means stopping a mugging, scaring off a group of low level gangsters who cornered a doctor on her day off, and stopping two car accidents. 

Danny polite applauds him when he flies back up to join.

“You’re like a real superhero,” he says.

“I am a real superhero,” Clark replies. 

It doesn’t matter, Danny’s moving on already.

Danny starts asking more and more questions about Metropolis. He’s fascinated by the big city, from the high rises of corporate hell to the gritty underbelly where gangs roam and weapons pass through too many hands. There are places all around being rebuilt after the last alien attack, and the hospital they pass by has a bunch of pictures of Superman, drawn in crayon by the children on that floor, all taped to the windows facing out so he can see them.

Clark is a grown man who’s seen a lot of shit. He’s died once. And come back. Been brainwashed too many times to count and stopped the end of the world multiple times. He can handle a lot.

But that does make him want to curl up and cry because it’s so sweet.

Danny starts comparing Metropolis to where he’s from. Clark listens carefully and tucks all that information away to pick through later.

Oddly enough, everything Danny describes sounds rather… midwestern. Very American.

When the sun starts to set, a whole chorus of gasps catch his attention. Clark whirls around to see what new crisis is occurring only to spot the green hole ripped into the sky appear once more.

Danny brightens and goes flying over. 

Clark follows, Stressed As Fuck.

He has a dreadful vision of a whole horde of teenage aliens tumbling out of the hole trying to rescue Danny. And he’s gonna have to look after all of them. Lois better come up with a really good excuse for why he can’t come in the next few days.

It’s not a teenager that comes out of the hole, but a whole ass space ship.

“My parents are here!” Danny announces cheerfully as a small white vehicle that resembles a space shuttle drops out of the hole and hovers above Metropolis. 

‘Please NO,’ Clark thinks despairingly.

The universe doesn’t have to say anything in response because Danny’s parents do it for him.

The top hatch of the ship pops open and a large man (bigger than Clark, who the hell is bigger than Superman™????)  gets his whole upper body out and waves his arms in the air with a grin on his face. “Danny, my boy!” he bellows.

Danny wastes no time and zooms over to crash into the giant, who easily gathers him into a hug.

Clark floats over slowly, cautiously, testing the waters. He doesn’t need to because Danny’s already talking him up, but a little caution never hurt. 

The giant man lets go of Danny, then disappears into the ship. He’s quickly replaced by a normal sized woman, pushing a pair of red tinted googles up her forehead. She also hugs Danny and Clark hears her say, “Well, at least we know the tracker works!”

He’s just. Not going to think about that. Thanks.

Then she asks more questions that he’d expect from a mother: what happened, are you okay, how are you feeling, did anyone try to hurt you, etc.

Danny assures her that he’s fine, he was just motion sick from being sucked into an ecto whirlpool and his head’s still a little fuzzy but that’s normal after he hits his head.

“Oh, honey, that sounds like a concussion,” the woman says.

“It’s fine, it barely hurt!”

“It’s still brain damage, Danny.”

“Oh yeaaaaaaaah.”

Then attention is suddenly on Clark and the sharp light in her eyes feels distinctly threatening. But her smile is warm as she extends a hand and Clark was raised with manners, okay, he has to return a handshake.

“Thank you for looking after my son,” she says, giving his hand a firm shake. “I’m Dr. Fenton.”

“Call me Superman, and no trouble at all, ma’am,” he replies. “I’m glad you were able to come pick him up.”

“Yes, Jack and I had prepared to face this possibility, so we knew just what to do when we lost track of Danny. Now that we’ve got this tunnel on the map, we can visit in the future, so if you ever need any help, call for the Fentons!” Then she looks down in the ship, yells, “Jack!” and a thick walkie-talkie looking device is tossed up into her waiting hand.

She gives it to Clark. He takes it to be polite.

“We have to get going now, but it’s nice to meet you!”

Danny floats into the ship. As in, he density shifts and just. Goes in through the wall. Good for him. Dr. Fenton ducks back down into the ship and the giant replaces her to give him a hearty pat on the shoulder. 

“Give us a visit if you ever end up in our neck of the woods!” he says brightly. “Any friend of Danny’s is a friend of ours!”

Clark nods and that’s enough for the giant to duck back into the ship. A moment later, he sees all three of them waving to him from the cockpit, and then the ship turns and flies back into the hole in the sky, which closes up after them.

Clark looks at the device in his hand. He looks at the sun setting on Metropolis. He goes home. He deserves a nap.

Pudding first, though. Lois will forgive him if he tells her all about what happened.

And the next time Brianiac attacks, she’ll shout something into the walkie-talkie and a hole will rip open in the sky above Metropolis ten minutes later, dropping Danny and Dr. Fenton, dressed in some sort of cyberpunk astronaut suit armor, right on top of Brainic to help him finish up the fight much faster and with much less property destruction.

He gets them both a slice of Ma’s apple pie as thanks.

And as Midwesterners, they return a day later with some absolutely delicious fudge.

Clark is a man of honor. He gets to planning on what he’ll need to make the best berry tart this side of the Mississippi has ever seen to give to the Fentons.

All in all, life is pretty good in Metropolis.

“What the hell kind of name is Superman?” Sam asks.

Clark, in the middle of talking to Perry, sneezes so loudly half the office turns to stare at him.

Part 6: Cub’s Lab

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