Ranch 2 has infected my brain and I blame u lol
LMAO WELCOME TO THE CLUB, it really does just do that. Someone needs to get this boy some ectoplasm I am so serious rn.
prompt | pt 1 | pt 2 | (inspo)
You inspired me to keep going for a bit, so here's a direct continuation from what I posted in pt 2!
“Did you see that?” Tim asks. “Uh, yeah,” Duke replies, unthinking. Tim is suddenly in his space, eyes wild. He grabs Duke by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Duke. Duke, you have to tell me what I just ate.” “I dunno, man!” Duke is at a loss for how to deal with this. He has the training to handle freaking out civilians, but it's somehow different when it's Tim. Tim's the one with the plan, the one who's supposed to know what's going on. But he doesn't, and Duke is embarrassed to realize that it's leaving him floundering. “They're just- I mean- there's these little pockets of energy, I see them floating around Gotham sometimes, I don't really know what they are! How did you grab it? How did you eat it?” Tim goes still and serious, and grips Duke's shoulders harder. “I don't know either,” he admits, “but that was it.” “That was what?” Duke asks, still feeling unbalanced by the manic gleam in Tim's eye. “That was ranch 2.” Duke gapes. “You're messing with me.” Tim shakes his head. “That was it,” he says emphatically. “It had the spark, the zing feeling I was looking for. Whatever sort of energy that is, my soulmate needs it.” Duke gulps, then nods. “Okay. Okay,” he says, trying to calm the both of them. “Then we'll get it for them.” Some of the tension falls out of Tim in what looks life relief.
It was no secret that Danny had a rocky and awkward relationship with his rogue gallery, especially after his coronation to become the Ghost King. Imagine the faces his enemies made when they learned that baby half-ghost they used to brawl with was now the Eternal Majesty and effectively their boss.
That was mostly how Danny, in a display of abuse of authority, made Nocturn agreed to help him enter a specific person's dream. More specifically, the dream of one Timothy Drake-Wayne.
It all started when Danny got his scholarship to Gotham University after finishing high school. Finally leaving his ghost-fighting life in Amity Park behind, although he still had to fulfill his duty as the Ghost King.
In his first year at Gotham U, he met none other than the Tim Drake - local celebrity, son of billionaire, genius - as his classmate.
Here's the thing, Danny made Tim extremely sleepy for some reasons.
For one, the air around Danny was chill. Unlike the biting cold of winters, this felt more like the cooling of an air conditioner on a summer day. Which made thing way too comfortable, his body just kept dozing off whenever this strange boy was around, like an animal ready for hibernation.
For two, being the Ghost King meant that Danny had the traces of all the Ancients on him. Including Nocturn's trace as the Ancient of Dream, which induced sleep. This was usually unnoticeable when you were awake, but if you were someone who overworked themselves to the limit of consciousness and survived purely of caffein and energy drinks like Tim did, it got much more effective.
So from Tim's perspectice, Danny was just one big sleep-inducing spell. And this was really ticking him off. He kept falling asleep in the middle of classes, or when he needed to concentrate on a vital case during study time. It was almost impossible to focus when Danny was around, everything was just so relaxing.
The batfam was overjoyed thinking that Tim had finally fixed his broken sleeping habits. In reality, this just made Tim even more paranoid and drank even more caffein than before.
Danny, being someone who had listened to Jazz's rants about the effect of lack of sleep on the mind for all his youth, immediately recognized Tim's worsening symtomps when he saw them. Strangely, whenever he approached Tim to give some advice, the boy just paled and skedaddled away as if he'd seen a ghost (hehe).
So, in true Danny's fashion, he asked Nocturn for help putting a poor classmate to proper sleep. He even manifested himself as the Ghost King in Tim's dream to ease the boy through the process.
This escalated when Tim accidentally developed a crush on Danny in his dreams and was now concerned if he had just developed a crush on a supernatural being in his dream. Or if he had just developed a crush on a figment of his imagination (he couldn't decide which was worse).
Danny was completely unaware of this and patted himself on the back for helping someone while Tim had a crisis.
This was not at all even the fifth time that Danny Fenton had been kidnapped, but usually it was just Vlad kidnapping him so he had never really needed to be all that concerned about it. The thing was that since he had gone with his sister on her small journey to look at colleges. It had been going fairly well, Jazz was pretty excited. Even better Dan and Dani had opted to join them and make it a Family Road Trip. He was so happy to spend time with his children and sister away from Amity Park that he could admit he got complacent.
Things might have been fine if he hadn't been taken by a group of weirdos with makeup caked on and thus unable to slip away without revealing himself. He was quite annoyed, especially with the cheap clown knockoff that he was at least 99% sure wasn't even licensed to be clowning. He was obnoxious and talked a lot about bats, games, and making everyone smile despite clearly having no talent. Danny could have probably waited this guy out, but it seemed his children noticed his sudden absence before this idiot wrapped up whatever stupid show he was trying to put on. Danny couldn't transform or use his powers while they were recording as his existence was still illegal.
Danny really didn't have to worry about exposing himself though, his two wild natured clone children had not taken his kidnapping well and even less so the recording. Dani's ability to create portals for travel had been utilized to transport herself and Dan, already fully transformed, to his location thanks to their familial soul bond. Dan was all fury and fire as he tore through the portal and practically mauled the clown like a feral badger.
"DON'T TOUCH MY MOM!!" Dan shrieked in a somewhat trauma induced haze.
Danny could almost taste his fear. Dan had already violently and suddenly lost one family, it had taken him so long to allow himself to form new familial bonds and build what he had with Jazz, Dani, and Danny himself. Sure the direction of those bonds had been unexpected, but he had been more than happy to accept the new bond not just between he and Dan but Dani as well whole heartedly. Danny hated to see his sweet son so distraught.
"Tear his soul out! Rip it up!" Dani shouted, just as violently angry and shaken as her physically younger but mentally older brother.
Dani had been just as violent in tearing through the group of thugs that had been present. There were only about seven of them and a few tried to shoot the two ghost children, but obviously you can't shoot a ghost without the right equipment. Dani was fast and Dan was merciless.
"Wait! Wait stop!" Danny shouted suddenly, desperately trying to stop their decent into what he knew would be a painfully dark path for them.
"But he hurt you! They stole you from us!" Dani flinched a little her tone a little miserable as she yanked the ropes from his body setting him free.
"He deserves to be ripped apart molecule by molecule!" Dan snarled slamming the clown's mangled body into the concrete floor of the warehouse.
"Come here, you don't need to ruin your whole life over one no-name thug with zero taste and his little brainless pets." Danny spoke softly to them and held out his arms.
Dan grit his teeth his eyes flaring red as he dropped the shattered clown. He rushed into Danny's arms, Dani also throwing herself into the hug. Danny could feel Dan and Dani feeling out their bond to ensure his health and mood, he resonated all his love and adoration to his children, grateful for their presence. Dan's breath shuddered and Dani sniffled a little, Danny kissed each of their foreheads gently.
"It's alright my starlights. I'm still here, I won't leave you." Danny spoke to them softly. "C'mon, let's get out of here before the cops come to try and dissect you for being illegal."
The two nodded and all three went invisible before vanishing from the warehouse completely. Of course the bats arrived only a moment later.
Danny is panicking.
Not to say that he isn’t usually in this state of mind but it has became very clear that he had fucked up as he looked down at the two unconscious vigilantes in his living room.
He had just moved to Gotham for a scholarship.
He can’t go to jail!
Glancing around Danny threw the creep stick behind the sofa.
‘Think Danny think! Fuck who to call?Should I even call?? I can’t loose my scholarship, I’ll have to move back to amity!
“Uuhhh-“
Dragging two unconscious men into his bedroom was not how is Thursday morning would go.
But here he is!
He gently plopped the two on their sides and closed the door.
“Fuck.. fuck.. ah fuck.”
Grabbing his phone he scrolled through his contacts and pressed call.
“Pick up pick up come on don’t be the first time you sleep in-“
“Yo man what’s up?”
“Hey- Tim! This Danny from film class!”
“Kinda figured man, caller ID and all. Why are you awake anyways you said we would continue our call tomorrow?”
“Yeah.. about that uh this going to sound a bit odd but I’m a transfer so I don’t really know much about Gotham rules and stuff so there might be a code for this or something but-“
“Danny, you’re rambling. Just spit it out and-“
“IMAYHAVETWOOFTHEVIGNETTESONMYBEDPLEASEHELP!”
.
.
“Come again?”
Danny took in another deep breath,
“I was getting a glass of water, and someone broke into my apartment so I knocked them out. Turns out it was a vigilante. And he was not alone. So now I have two vigilantes in my bed. Please help.”
There was another pause and Danny heard what he thought was a snort through the speaker before Tim cleared his throat.
“Ok, don’t panic, I know a guy. He’ll come over and take them out of you hands. Just need an address.”
~~~~~~~~
There was a tap at his fire escape half an hour later.
Danny unlatched the window to let in Batman and Red Robin.
“Birdy retrieval system; you bag em’ we drag em’. How may we help you?”
Danny scuffed his slippers against his rug with a weary chuckle,
“I am so sorry I-“
Batman gently rested his palm on Danny’s shoulder,
“The two of them were supposed to do surveillance in the area and had the wrong complex. You did nothing wrong, this entire situation is on their fault and they will be properly dealt with for their actions.”
Before swiftly walking into Danny’s bedroom and slinging Red hood onto his back.
Red Robin for his part was holding back laughter as he shouldered the larger nightwing like nothing.
“Yeah man, it’s not everyday someone gets the jump on one of us let alone two.”
And before he could even begin to comprehend how weird his life was, the four left Danny to his own.
With a shake of his head, Danny grabbed to creep stick and leaned it against his radiator before locking his window once more and headed to bed.
“It’s too early for this..”
~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile in the batcave:
Danny starts a YouTube channel where he sings and does covers of songs. He never shows his face in the videos to keep some form of privacy about his identity. Using his wail, he also makes his voice sound different. He goes by the name Electric Siren in reference to the mythical creatures. He doesn't realize his wail combined with his singing voice has a similar hypnotic effect that Ember's does, just to a lesser degree. Tucker made his channel untraceable, which is good for when Tim Drake, fresh from a space mission with his team, comes home to find Jason clearly in a good mood. He asks what he's listening to, and when Jason shows Tim the song and he starts to relax. Tim immediately panics and clocks it as some sort of mind control
Part 2, Part 3
Tim marched through Wayne Manor, determined to get to Bruce and tell him of Jason’s possible mind control.
Electric Siren was a dangerous individual who could sing many songs with no limit on the styles he could replicate and use. If even Jason, an avid punk and metal music fan, was delightedly listening to pop music without a care in the world, then something was definitely wrong.
“Drake?” A voice called out. Tim stiffly paused in place and turned. Damian stared at him, his eyebrows dipped downward on his face. “What is the matter? You’re walking quite urgently.”
Tim wanted to go straight to Bruce, but knowing Damian, he’d just follow him anyways. Tim sighed and began to explain.
“I have reason to believe that Jason may be getting brainwashed.”
Damian’s eyebrows rose sharply before he snorted. “Hah! Serves Todd right. How pathetic.”
Damian was very lucky that he was small and adorable and that the person standing in front of him wasn’t Jason because that definitely deserved a knock on the head. Tim rolled his eyes and said, “Yes, which is why I need to talk to B.”
Damian, predictably, followed him as they walked to Bruce’s office. “How is Todd behaving? What is the medium used to brainwash him? Or is it a person?”
Tim told him about Electric Siren and then showed him a video. In this one, the singer was making a cover of a country song, strumming a guitar with low, smooth vocals.
Damian silently pressed play. Tim sighed again but allowed it. All the more people who could understand why it was a little concerning, right?
And right in front of his eyes, Damian relaxed from his stiff posture and looked at the screen with a small smile.
“I’m not sure I see the problem,” Damian said, his tone much more relaxed and even lacking that formal intonation he liked to give to himself to sound more mature. “It sounds fine to me.”
Tim’s jaw dropped.
Oh no.
Damian had been brainwashed too. And even worse, to country music!
Billy has embarrassed himself a lot in life. Whether it be through mundane things, or the fact that he even trusted Ebenezer to take care of him in the first place, he’s had a lot of embarrassing moments. That includes this one.
Music Meister: “Sing I say, SING!” *shoots a spell at them*
Shazamily: *all get hit*
Billy didn’t even know how it happened. One moment they’ve been hit by the spell the next they were wearing matching outfits. Not the normal matching ones they wear. The type of stuff one of those boy bands Pedro likes wears. Darla and Mary were wearing the outfits too, though for some reason, Mary and himself had the same outfit?
(There’s only five Backstreet Boys so because they’re twins they get to twin while the others get their own individual outfits).
Pedro: “Why’re we dressed like the Backstreet Boys??”
Marvel: “What in the world is a Backstreet Boy?”
Music Meister: “You’ll find out soon enough, Marvels! I made sure to put some extra bit of juice into this spell!”
Marvel: *horrified* “What?”
It was then music started playing out of nowhere.
It was also then that they started choreographically dancing to the tune of Everybody (Backstreets Back). The Music Meister ended up hitting a couple other people with his spells so they would be their backup dancers too.
The piece of shit (and Billy doesn’t use that lightly) made them spectacle. Everyone around them was recording them, taking pictures, and uploading it into the Internet. It was one of the single, most embarrassing things that had ever happened to Billy. Billy also didn’t know whether or not it was good or bad that they all did the dance pretty nicely, though that was probably the Meister’s magic at work.
Freddy later showed him a video while they were both in their Marvel forms. Billy literally sunk to his knees and started bawling.
That was uploaded to the Internet too.
Marvel:*curled up into a ball*
Junior/Voltage(?): “Hey, maybe we should do that aga—”
Marvel: “NO-WUH.”
I have an idea for a Merlin fic but life is chaos so I cannot write it:
So for whatever reason Arthur is away (probably visiting some Lord or Nobel House) and Merlin stays behind (who knows why).
Uthers manservant is ill so he requests Merlin (after all he’s the crown prince’s manservant he should be good enough for the king).
Merlin is now stuck as Uthers servant for a week and I really want to see Merlin try to wake the King up with “rise and shine!! :D”
He talks too much and is entirely too familiar with the King, taking liberties and speaking out of turn, mentioning Arthur by name and not title, is always late with lunch but somehow…
Uther finds him fascinating. He knows Merlin is completely loyal to Arthur (he said so himself in the show). He understands Merlin hears castle gossip like most staff, but he is actually able to understand the significance behind the rumours. Merlin is also trusted by the knights and has insight into the lords and ladies of the court. He sees things, he hears things. Uther can use this
As a physician in training, he is able to treat Uthers old knee injury, and he is clearly learned. He can read and write better than some of the noblemen he’s met. One day Uther enters his chambers and finds Merlin bent over the desk looking over the grain reports “did you notice Lord Chester had been underreporting his grain storage for three years and is selling it under the table to a foreign king?”
Merlin is a terrible manservant…but Uthers clothing had never been cleaner, his armour so polished, his bathwater so hot and his notes so organised. Merlin is continuously late and covered in mud or moss, but somehow Uther finds he doesn’t mind as long as Merlin keeps feeding him important castle gossip.
Arthur gets Merlin back at the end of the week, and Merlin can finally breathe (he’s been a nervous wreck for the last seven days). Uthers servant recovers and the King has a functional servant again as is befitting his station.
But Uther is now willing to overlook some of Merlin’s …ridiculousness and familiarity with Arthur…after all, he’s realised Merlin does have some uses, even though he’s always late with breakfast.
Scenes like this:
“You’re the clumsiest excuse for a servant I’ve ever met!”
“Yes, Arthur says I have the elegance of a newborn lamb”
“Why is there a twig in your hair? It’s unbefitting of your station as servant of the King”
“I fell asleep in a ditch, anyways have you heard Lady Carteret has been seen buying hemlock at the apothecary? I’m sure Lord Carteret is soon to be missing, poor sod”
“Can you never bring me my breakfast on time?!”
“Sorry Sire, the poison tester died this morning after drinking your tea, so I had to brew it myself, and we’re in need of a new poison tester. And in totally unrelated news Lord Milder was seen fleeing the castle”
“Rise and shine!! The sun is up and you should be too!”
“Is this really how you wake your King? And where the hell is my breakfast!”
“Well Arthur usually throws a pillow at me even though it’s my job to wake him in the morning - that lazy arse!”
Danny going to Gotham and being mistaken for one of the Wayne children and just rolling with it. Better yet, he uses it to try and help the ghosts.
Reporter: Mr. Wayne! Can you tell us what Wayne Industries is working on now?
Danny: Wayne Industries is currently working to annul the law that was currently enacted by the GIW.
The Waynes are all at home, curiously wondering which one of them was the one on tv, and what exactly could this act be.
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.
Dcxdp prompt
Danny, a master of miscommunication, has somehow convinced the entire Justice League and Young Justice that he is four separate people; Phantom, the hero, Danny, the cafe owner who treats injuries with no questions asked, The Ghost Prince, a scary individual that beat pariah dark and is known to be extremely powerful, and Mr. Nightingale, the only mechanic who can keep up with both Red Robin and Cyborg.
Shenanigans ensue.
Rumpelstiltskin, a fairytale that many have heard at least some point in their lives, but if you haven’t, here’s a brief summary: a girl is confined to a castle to weave gold string from straw with nothing but a spindle. She has any normal human being cannot do that, so an imp named a Rumpelstiltskin offered to do it for her in exchange for her future, first born child.
That’s what the JL believes Marvel is.
As for why? Well…
Marvel: *watching tv in a rec room while on a spinning wheel, weaving gold*
Flash: *walks in* “Woah… Dude how are you doing that?”
Marvel: “Huh?”
Flash: “How’re you doing that?” *points to a couple rolls of gold string*
Marvel: “Oh. Y’know, magic. Wanna learn?” *stands up*
Flash: “I can?” *gets in his seat immediately* “I thought you said it needed magic?”
Marvel: “Yes, but there are ways for normal humans to do it.”
With that, Marvel started teaching him how to do it. Barry and gave up an hour in. It was just too difficult.
Marvel and Flash: *now chilling on the couch together*
Flash: “By the way, where do you get this whole ass spinning wheel from?”
Marvel: “I stole it back from a sorcereress I loaned it to a couple hundred years ago.”
Flash: “Oh ew. Was she one of those people that pretended to borrow stuff only to keep it?”
Marvel: “I guess. Honestly, I’m just more mad at what she did with it. I had to undo the enchantments on it because they were extremely dangerous.”
Flash: “What enchantments?”
Marvel: “She made it so that if you were to prick your finger on the needle, you’d fall asleep forever.”
Flash: “Huh. You know, that sounds a little familiar.”
or
Marvel: *walks into a meeting, looking grim, holding a newborn baby*
JL: *looking between him and the baby*
Supes: “Cap…? What’s with the baby?”
Marvel: “Uh… I think she’s mine now?”
Supes: “You thi—”
GL: “Who’s the mom?! You didn’t tell us you had a wife or a girlfriend??”
Marvel: “I don’t.”
*silence*
GL: “Is she your niece then?”
Marvel: “No.”
GL: “Cousin?”
Marvel: “No.”
GL: “Second cousin?”
Marvel: “Nope.”
*more silence*
Batman: “Captain, did you take someone’s baby?”
Marvel: “Wha— no. Well, actually now that I think about it kind of.”
Batman: “Pardon?”
Marvel: “See, I was joking around with the lady. I did something for her and I jokingly, emphasis on jokingly, told her that in return, I’d take her firstborn child. I didn’t think she’d actually give it to me, let alone so willingly.” *looking at the baby all sad*
JL: *horrified and disturbed*
Marvel: “She also wouldn’t take it back, no matter how hard I asked or told her it was a joke.”
That’s how the entire meeting got derailed and they all started focusing on the baby and who would take care of it. Marvel, because he was the one who got himself into the situation, opted to do it. So, that’s how Baby Marvel was introduced to all of them. It was such a cutie, and Barry was a ecstatic that it was a ginger.
Billy doesn’t even know of these allegations by the way.