Y'all know that thing where you try to think of an animal/bug encounter from it's perspective rather than your own?
Danny doesn't always remember what it's like to be human.
He's been half-alive for far to long for that, but he remembers that he was born as one!
So when he peeks into a human realm for a routine check in, he forgets how unnerving it is to be plucked from reality by a being thousands of times your size.
It's not that Danny's big! He just, forgets what form he's in sometimes. The Eldritch equivalent of standing on a chair to reach the top shelf and inspecting what you have before you step off. So when the starving, sick, malformed halfa he grabbed it take a closer look at started getting pissy (read, started shooting him and struggling in his hold), he knew he had to make this quick before he stressed the poor guy too much. Maybe he could give him some ecto for the road? At least until he could stop by and help him properly.
Meanwhile,
RedHood had been minding his own business, going through a case with the other Bats when a neon green portal opened under his feet. He fell, opening his eyes to find himself in a dimension made of Lazarus water, with swirling purple, black and white.
A being of pure Cosmos stared him down with black holes ringed in blue, cocking it's head as he stumbled to his feet. Jason was beyond alarmed to find himself standing in the middle of the beings hand, shooting before he could think better of it.
The being didn't react.
He was helpless as the being picked him up with two clawed fingers, turned him this way and that. The pits were terrified, his weapons did nothing and he was THIS CLOSE to shitting his pants from the eight or so different realities fracturing his mind every time he looked at the damn thing (Danny using a pen light to see his core better). Until all at once it was over, Red Hood feeling himself getting gently picked up by his jacket as he's lowered through another portal. He lands on his feet, guns and flattened bullets clattering to the floor.
He stands frozen in a fighting stance, almost like a cat that dropped from really high up. He scurries like one too when a giant finger nudges him forward, fleeing to the far side of the cave and blowing right past his family in the process. He watches, back pressed against the wall as the clawed digit made of literal galaxies retracts, the portal shutting quietly behind it.
The room is silent. At least until Spoiler spoke up.
"So what the FUCK?"
Sam: *slams hands on table* You're a YA protagonist!
Danny: *confused* I'm.....not?
Sam: *points at Jason reading in the corner* That's your boyfriend?
Danny: Yes?
Sam: Your Crime Lord Boyfriend?
Danny: That doesn't mean that I'm a-
Sam: Your crime lord boyfriend that is also the child of this citys billionaire and could buy you anything you wanted?
Danny: *flustered* Well, i-
Sam: Your crime lord boyfriend that's loaded that's also a revanant, and constantly around you because he "feels himself when he's around you"?
Danny:....
Sam:.....
Danny:.....Oh Ancients, I'm a YA protagonist.
Sam: Glad you've noticed.
Sam:..
Sam: Also he growls alot.
Danny: *flustered* Sam!
Just imagine: Forever teen Danny adopting a post-JJ Tim. I just think it would be fun.
[Pt2: coming soon]
Danny has looked 14 for 26 years. It's literally the worst case of baby face in the world. He's not 14 emotionally or mentally, and when he's in human form, his scars and joints ACHE. He FEELS his whole 40 years of his fucked up life, even if he's stuck looking like a child. Thank Gods for Gotham's loosey goosey with child labor and Crime Alley Apartment background checks. Otherwise, he would have been homeless. He bounces between several jobs every 5 years, legal job or not, doesn't matter to him, so long as he's not outted to the flying furries.
He doesn't fuck with weirdos that have child soldiers that he replaces like tissues. He doesn't even seem to care about them. He was here when the Bat kicked out the first Robin. And while he seemed genuinely distraught over the 2nd's death, he didn't go to therapy. Instead, a 3rd Robin had to come and correct his shit, like a goddamn security blanket instead of a child. Danny seriously thinks the Bat should be in Arkham with the rest of the crazies, but since he's the only one willing and able to stop the Rouges, Danny won't fuck with it for now. Let the crazies fight themselves.
Or at least that was Danny's plan. All it took was phasing through one wall to change his stance.
He admits to noticing Batman and Batgirl frantically searching the city for something. It was easy to piece together that Robin #3 got kidnapped. And they haven't found him in nearly 3 weeks. So any "positive vibes" he might have had for Mr. Doom-and-gloom die a cold death.
Anyways, Danny decided to break into a warehouse. He likes to explore what weird shit is in them. It's an entertaining break from his day to day and he occasionally gets to sabotage Rouges' shit.
Danny instantly turns invisible when he steps through the wall of what he assumed was an abandoned warehouse, only to find it isn't as abandoned as it looked. The occupants don't notice him. Mostly because two of them are Joker and Harley, who are occupied with each other. Joker is beating the shit out of Harley, and Harley is fawning. The last occupant is a suspiciously Robin #3 sized child being electrocuted and isn't aware of the world outside of the pain he's currently experiencing.
Danny sees enough. He figured out how to transform without a light show years ago, and if he's about to out himself as a meta, then he's going to do it while looking the part. Once in ghost form, he floats behind the Joker, phases a hand into his chest, absorbing any ectoplasum in the guy's blood before he crushes his heart. The last thing he needs is this fucker becoming a ghost. He drops his invisibility so Joker can see his pissed off face as he dies.
"Wha-?"
"Shut up, you clown school reject. Die knowing no one thought you were funny and no one will mourn you." Danny growls at him. Danny completely ignores Harley screaming her head off and grabbing "her puddin'" as he falls. Danny instead destroys the machine shocking Robin #3 with extreme prejudice.
Robin #3 starts giggling deliriously between sobs. The kid mumbles, "D'n't wan' be Joke Jun'r"
"Then don't be." Danny tells him, unstrapping the kid from the dolly tilt table he's obviously been tortured on for weeks. Danny has to catch him when he flops bonelessly off. "Whoa, there."
"WHO ARE YOU??" Harley shrieks, but makes no move to leave the Joker's body.
"Someone who will be your worst fucking nightmare if you don't shape up, Dr. Harleen Quinzel." Danny growls at her, letting his eyes glow in a way he knows scares the unaccustomed. "But you may call me Phantom. I'll be taking the kid."
And with that, he zooms home with the kid in toe. The kid is barely conscious, but Danny needs to look over his injuries. He sets him on his ratty couch and quickly grabs his med-kit.
"Hey, kid, I need you to stay awake a little longer. I need to check you over to make sure you're not about to kill over." The kid mumbles something and shifts to sit up straight. He helps Danny remove the blood and mystery fluid stained clothes. Joker must have forced the kid into them at some point because they're thin bullshit that no one would be caught dead in in Gotham. "What's your name, birdie?"
"Birdie?" The kid slow blinks. Danny is mildly concerned about a concussion on top of the electrocution after effects.
"Yeah. You're the 3rd Robin, right?" Danny ignores the kid jolting, more focused on cleaning and stitching a shallow stab wound.
"I can't go back.." The kid whispers.
"Hm?" Danny pauses and looks at his face. The kid is staring off.
"I became Robin to fix Batman. I'm too broken now." Danny has to swallow his anger.
"Kid, he's a grown ass man. It's not your fucking job to "fix" him. You're what? 10?" That gets the kid to react. He twitches at the first part, probably to protest, but ends up pouting at the end.
"I'm 13. And Batman would have died if I didn't step in."
"Maybe he should have if he can't help himself without a child soldier security blanket." Danny tells him and cuts off the kid's protest. "I understand he does a lot of good for this shit hole. At least if it isn't Crime Alley. But the dynamic I've seen between him and you Robin's isn't right. You deserve a mentor or whatever that actually cares about you and not just what you can do for him."
"Batman needs a Robin!" The shout triggers a giggle fit. Danny pauses his stitching, waiting it out.
It takes a minute, but the giggles subside. Danny continues the first aid. "Okay. But do the Robins need Batman?"
"What?"
"The first Robin seemed to be fine without the giant furry breathing down his neck, it wasn't until the second Robin died that Nightwing seemed to spiral." Danny prods a bruised area on his ribs, checking for a break. "How many times have they called you his name?"
"I... How do you know they do that?"
"An educated guess." The ribs are only bruised. "I can smell the guilty consciouses wafting off them, especially when I see them interacting with you in Gotham proper. They need therapy."
"They won't agree... and I don't know if I can because of Mama Harley.." The kid grimaces. "I mean Harley Quinn."
"That's fair. Would you be willing to do zoom meetings with my sister? She's a therapist, but is chill. She specializes in childhood trauma and veterans." Danny wraps bandages around a swollen ankle. "I'm Danny, by the way."
"...Tim.."
"Nice to meet you, Tim." Danny cleans and slap bandaids on some scrapes. "My sister's name is Jasmine Kronoskori. Think about looking her up when you're up for it."
"..okay.."
"Do you have family outside of the flying furries that I can drop you off with?" Danny asks gently.
"My parents won't be home for another month.." Tim giggles nervously. Time will tell if that particular conditioning will stick.
"Would you be okay with me taking care of you? I can't just leave you alone with the shit you've been through the last, what, month?" Danny quickly grabs a clean shirt and pajama pants from his room. "I can't in good conscious leave you alone."
Tim lets Danny dress him. The clothes absolutely drowned the kid since he's practically skeletal.
"Can.." Tim swallows more giggles, looking sad and guilty. "Can I stay here? I... I can't face Batman... Not yet.."
"Kid, I know barely anything about you and I'm fully willing to fist fight the furry and adopt you." Danny informs him. He adopted his murderous clone when he was actually 14. He'll adopt this tiny child with a savior complex.
"You Can't Do That!" Tim's eyes are wide and a little wild. "You're the same age as me!"
"I'm 40. I died and stopped aging at 14." Tim chokes on his own saliva. "And I adopted the kid that tried to kill me when I was actually 14. No one can tell me not to at least emotionally adopt you."
"Uh! I have so many questions!" Tim flails. Danny finds it adorable.
"I might answer." Danny says while heading towards his kitchen. On the plus side of being broke, he has plenty of foods that should be easy on Tim's stomach. He'll skip adding all the seasonings he usually adds for flavour. Even if Tim can handle the flavour, his stomach wouldn't be able to. "Any food allergies?"
"Um, coconut? I'm also mildly fructose and lactose intolerant?" Tim admits curiously. He twists to look over the back of the couch, watching Danny putter around the kitchen.
A quick internet search later, and Danny has a simple potato soup made up. Tim doesn't speak the whole time, but Danny explains what he's making and why. Danny hands Tim a bowl and sits with his own. "Eat slowly. You'll throw up if you don't, and that's the worst."
"You've thrown up because of eating too quickly when suffering starvation?" Tim asks.
"Yeah, I was in a dark place... I think it was 15 years ago. Tried to starve myself to death, didn't work obviously, but the recovery period was the worst." Danny shrugs, "Means I know how to help with that at least. Don't even have to give you the "you deserve to eat" speech Jazz gave me."
Tim shoots him more curious looks while following the advice of pacing. Once they're done eating, Danny takes and cleans the dishes. After that, he picks the kid up and tucks him into his bed. It's not the best, but it's clean and beats the couch.
"Get some sleep, kiddo. We can continue talking after you get some real rest." Danny smiles sadly, "I'll be checking on you periodically to make sure you don't take a turn for the worse."
Tim konks out near instantly, between being fed, bandaged up, and made to feel safe, kid never stood a chance. Danny can only accept his obsession isn't going to let him leave this kid alone.
Original idea coming from @the-witchhunter and then added on to by many others.
Dead Man's Diner
---
Danny was tired okay? It may very well be his own damn fault but he can't keep waking up during daylight hours, while yes, he can fully be up and sitting at a desk, the likelihood of him waking up getting shouted at by his boss for sleeping on the job was astounding.
So at 19 years old, freshly jobless, Danny said Fuck it and moved away from Amity Park, Valarie was more than willing to handle the few ghosts that still came through the portal since he became the King.
You might be wondering, why isn't Danny filthy rich and rolling in it as the ghost king? Two words, the Observants.
Those flouting eye bastards had moved in and said that unless he was the king full time, he was unable to access the vaults of the Infinite Realms.
So once again, 19, freshly jobless and wanting to get out of Gotham? Danny was very lucky to have friends that love him far to much, Sam and Tucker both pitched in to move him out to where they had chosen to do collage.
*Gotham* oh Sam was in love with the place, the architecture, the people, (and maybe a certain green supervillian that was determined to make the city better) and Tucker was obsessing over being in the same city as Wayne Enterprises, trying his best to get into their internship program by his own merit rather than just hacking himself into it.
And Danny? He was loving it for a slightly different reason.
While the death rate was unfortunately high in Gotham, that also meant that the amount of passive ectoplasim generated by the deaths was massive, it was almost as rich as back in Amity Park with the portal into the ghost zone!
(Oh and the many job opportunities but Danny was a little less worried about that.)
---
Letting out a sigh, Danny scrubbed at his eyes as he leaned back into his chair, another job he had to turn down due to it being shady as all get out.
4 hours and he was getting payed 200 bucks? Major criminal vibes from that...
Taking a moment to get himself balanced, Danny leaned back and looked to the clunky laptop that Tucker had given him, it was modified to hell and back, so it still ran quickly, but it sure as he'll wasn't pretty.
Clicking on yet another job listing, Danny paused as he felt a shiver run down his spine, and a blue mist pass through his lips, blinking, he twisted around to look at the spare room of Sam's apartment, Ghosts tend not to get close enough to him to trigger the ghost sense in Gotham...
Seeing nothing, Danny turned back to his laptop only to find a piece of paper stuck to the screen with tape, freezing at first, the dark haired man sighed deeply, peeling it off he held it close as he read it.
[Help wanted at Big C's Dinner! Looking for a night cook that knows their way around a kitchen!]
There was a few more lines that Danny's eyes skimmed over, picking up the location that it was at, it even had a decent pay, but he paid more attention to the scribbled on note at the bottom of it.
[Daniel, head to this place at 12 am tonight. While the Observants said that you may not touch a single coin in your vaults, they side nothing of your properties.]
---
So Danny knows how to handle himself, he has fought many, many people and still came out half alive, but even he felt a little on edge coming down to the railroad tracts in Gotham, because apparently that was were Big C's dinner was at...which he apparently owned? Clockwork works in mysterious ways that Danny was so done trying to figure out.
Stepping up to a bit of abandoned tract, he blinked a few times at the site of Big C's.
It was a decent sized Dinning Car, with a ramp that attached itself to a proper street, it had peeling green paint and dirty white accents with charming rusted steel connecting it to the tracts, the only thing new looking on it was a bit banner stretched across it, stating the name "BIG C'S ALL DAY EVERY DAY BREAKFAST CART! OPEN 24/7!"
The windows were close off by tinted yellow blinds, but he could still see light coming through them. Stepping up the ramp Danny felt the cart under him shudder and something inside of him fluttered, and by the time he was opening the door he could feel the reason why.
The very cart was *alive*, taking a quick breath, Danny could practically taste the energy from it, there was a buzzing undercurrent of excitement that rung through the whole cart.
A little unprepared for his, Danny just smiled warily, "Uhh, hey there? Anyone around?" In response to his words the cart shuddered, the blinds dancing up and down and he could hear the squeel of the wheels.
"O-okay then, um my name is Danny Fenton...Clockwork sent me?" There was another flapingnof the blinds, and the small wooden flap that let people into the back lifted up suddenly before clacking down loudly.
Taking a steadying breath, Danny slipped through the bar and into the back.
It was surprisingly clean and orderly, the stove and fryer looked over than his parents but well maintained, the flat top was perfectly scrubbed and was already heating up.
As Danny looked around, he felt a familiar shiver run down his spine, looking around once more, Danny fell into a fighting position as he spotted the figure of a familiar foe
"Lunch Lady? Aren't you a little far from home? What did your order of fist not come in?" The bright rings of light around Danny's waist swirled into life as he went into his ghost form.
He got a thrilling grin from the older apparition, but she only crossed her arms, "While we can tumble later little King, Lord Clockwork sent me personally, said you need a bit of help learning how to cook? And ain't nobody better slinging food than me, dead or alive!"
---
Down in the dripping depths of the cave system deep under Gotham, one Bruce Wayne, still in his Batsuit sat in front of the Bat Computer, eyes glaring at a map of Gotham.
He had been tracking a strange energy pattern that made its way through Gotham, he had first thought it was some sort of layline, but the more that he tracked it the more he realized it was closer to watching a person's walking patterns, sometimes following roads, and sometimes crisscrossing through streets and alleyways.
But tonight that power signal tripled in size, off-putting energy that Bruce hadn't seen it done before, tapping the com on his ear, he spoke clearly "Nightwing, take Red Robin and investigate the coordinates I am sending the both of you, observe it, I just got a massive spike in an energy at that location."
There was silence for a moment before the com crackled and his sons responded "Got it B! Me and RR needed a little time together huh Babybird?"
There was a quiet hum from Tim, before the teen spoke "On route Batman, after this I am heading in, we have a meeting with a suspect in the morning B, Vlad Masters has been poking around Gotham."
Danny: *says concerning health things casually*
All of the Titans:
Wally, unseen and unheard by everyone: *motions dramatically* SEE?!? THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO LOOK AFTER HIM! HE'S A DISASTER. DICK, BABE, CUDDLE HIM!!
Just opened my mail and... @liminalmemories21 surprised me with a quilt. She's so fucking talented and I need to share it with people because. HOLY SHIT Y'ALL LOOK AT THAT THING!!!!!! I've been staring at it for 30 minutes and all the details still haven't sunk in.
Do you think Clark Kent's first few major articles were about the continued presence of lead pipes in parts of Metropolis' water system
I’ve hinted at it in other posts I’ve made, but the idea that Danny is just a little to non-human for people’s comfort is a head cannon I love. Which is half the reason he ends up in Gotham.
Gotham is cursed. Like full on, cursed the land the city was built on it’s imbedded in the brick and mortar of the buildings, cursed. But it leaves all Gothamites with a certain level of tolerability.
So Danny, who had the police called on him 5 different times during a college visit in metropolis because he was just a little too uncanny and everyone felt a certain degree of uncomfortable around him, learned that gothamites still pick up on the uncanny, but they can ignore it. At most he kinda get’s side eyed when he passes by, but most of Gotham gives off an odd vibe so they take it at face value and move on. Danny is not a registered rogue and is also not actively holding them up and they have better places to be.
That doesn’t mean it’s always ignored though. After Danny is admitted to the aerospace engineering program at Gotham U a Twitter account pops up that’s just called “Local GU Cryptid sightings.” It’s just pictures of Danny sleeping in the weirdest fucking places or security footage of him that keeps bugging out because they learn that they can’t take pictures of the kid without the footage going a little buggy.
The students in Danny’s cohort use the account to gauge Danny’s sanity level. They were not afraid to ask what was up with him, and instead of saying he’s a ghost he admitted to essentially living above a radioactive portal that contaminated him. His eyes glow and he has sharper teeth and ears. Also digital anything cannot capture his likeness.
And this was fascinating to them. They started doing some research because they wanted to know why some images had more distortion than others. Turns out the more tired Danny is the more distorted the photo becomes. So every now and then you’ll see someone snap a photo of Danny and be like “go home!” (They refer it to it as Danny’s sanity level because one time he started laughing so hard they thought he’s been gassed, but turns out he hadn’t slept in a week).
Still, it’s sorta become a game. Like how there are accounts that post pictures of the campus squirrels. It’s just that but with absurd Danny sightings. Someone caught him asleep in a tree once. No one knows how he got up there but he was sleeping against a gargoyle in the middle of the night and for the life of them they couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t just go home (he likes sleeping under the stars sometimes, even if he can’t see them through the smog). A teacher sent a student to retrieve something from storage. Danny was also down there, and can apparently see in the dark since said student turned the corner to a dark hall and glowing green eyes. (Geezus Danny you scared the shit out of me. Now don’t move. I need proof this happened or no one will believe me.)
It’s all pretty harmless. The first time Danny gets caught up in a rouge attack his teenage vigilante instincts kick in and he decks the leader in the face knocking him out cold.
Bruce is concerned because footage of the fight is distorted but both Jason and Tim take one look and laugh. “It’s just Danny. We already vetted him. He’s good,l. Remember the GCPD’s request about that kid who disarmed a bomb and disappeared? That was Danny. He was tired and likes to canabilize machines for his projects.”
Danny not a born Gothamite, but he certainly feels like one so they accept him into the fold easily enough.
DP x DC Prompt.
Deadserious
.
>Danny had a problem. He thought he handled it well. He couldn't tell his civillian boyfriend of his half-dead status.
He definitely couldn't let him find out by being summoned by some culty wannabes who wanted to rule the world.
Easy solution: Volunteer to be the sacrifice, turn his eyes green, and act like a Royal prick and powerful being. Get rescued by one of Gothams 50 vigilantes. And claim no memory.
Boom, secret identity underwraps.
He didn't expect everyone to treat him so fragile after.
>
Damian also had a problem. That problem, being his civilian boyfriend, was obviously possessed by a spirit of the ghastly ghost king and was utterly clueless about it.
And it was all his fault.
Danny Fenton was the next June Moore/ Enchantress. Except he was hosting one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
And that lovable idiot had no damn idea about it.
Cal x Bode
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I'm getting in on this shit *cracks knuckles* I have a few different prompts I may post. Some may be all out story ideas.
This one is a mash-up of multiple prompts and fanfics I have read.
So basicly, the accident left Danny with a ton of issues, both mentally and physically. He stutters sometimes, has a few mobility issues, and sometimes he just aches so bad he can't get out of bed. That mixed with the slow heartbeat, shallow breathing, and pale skin of a halfa, he almost seems like one hella sick kid.
His secret gets revealed and instead of his parents hurting him they just tell him to leave and never come back (i love a good vivisection fic, but i personally like to imagine they can't bring themselves to do it). Danny kinda becomes homeless and lives in his car for a bit. He eventually (somehow) learns he is adopted and goes to find his birth parents.
His dad is... you guessed it! Bruce Wayne! He goes to confront him with multiple forms of evidence and Bruce just SHUTS DOWN. He rejects Danny (probably out of fear and regret for not being there for him, again this is based on multiple prompts). Danny, degected, goes back to live in his car. Unbeknownst to him though, the bat kids had been listening in and decided to make Danny part of their family one way or another. So they try everything to get him to stay in Gotham.
Eventually they start to notice the 'medical' issues, they learn of the accident, and see that his grades and attendence in school dropped. Naturally, as any bat clan member does, they connect the dots and think "holy shit, this kid is dying and he just wanted to know his birth family"
Now everyone is pissed at Bruce for rejecting him, Bruce feels worse and and hides away MORE, and Danny is wondering why his step siblings are suddenly far sweeter, but also more protective and worried about him.