#danny droop

[its-ya-girl-phoeni]

Danny's announcement ( @awesomegamer1 + @dragon-install-activate )

"I've come to make an announcement: Downbeat is a bitch-ass motherfucker! He pissed on my fucking wife! that's right, he took his grey fuckin' nonexistent dick out, and he pissed on my fucking wife, and he said his dick was 'THIS big!', so I'm making a callout post on my Twitter.com: 'Downbeat, you've got a small dick! It's the size of this walnut except WAY smaller!' And guess what? Here's what my dong looks like! (mimics explosion sound) That's right, baby! All purple, no grey, no pillows; look at that, it looks like two balls and a bong! He fucked my wife so guess what, I'm gonna FUCK THE EARTH! THAT'S RIGHT THIS IS WHAT YOU GET: MY SUPER LASER P I S S ! Except I'm not gonna piss on the Earth, I'm gonna go higher! I'M PISSING ON THE MOOOOON! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, DOWNBEAT?! I PISSED ON THE MOON, YOU IDIOT! You have 23 hours before the piss drrrrroplets hit the fucking Earth, now get outta my fucking sight before I piss on you, too!"

[clockwayswrites]

Danny in Metropolis, ch4 p1

aka: Kon is so gay and so gone for this disaster twink

masterpost no concrit/editing please. very headache, very sleepy, very hand hurty <3

For the first time since Kon had started bringing them for him, Danny wasn’t finishing his lunch. It was extra worrying because Danny hadn’t even touched the dried mango slices, which was one of his absolute favorite lunch time items. Kon hated himself a little for knowing that and noticing, but he did and had. He noticed a lot of little things about Danny.

That day Kon was noticing how pale Danny was, that the circle under his eyes were darker, that his eyes were a little glassy. All Kon could think of was that conversation were Clark had asked if Danny had been sick and a list: Gatorade, jello, broth, fake cherry flavoring.

With their other friends at the table, Kon couldn’t even ask about Danny if he was feeling sick. He was sure if he had tried that Danny would just laugh it off. He always tried to laugh things off. Which meant for the rest of the day that Kon just had to worry and notice.

Notice Danny growing more fatigued. Notice how he drooped. Notice the bit of blood crusted around Danny’s nose after he got back from the bathroom in last period.

Kon picked up Danny’s backpack when the bell rung and they stood to leave. Danny looked at him with furrowed brows, but Kon just slung it on his front and raised his chin with a jut. “I’m walking you home—mine or yours, whichever.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but even that motion didn’t have any heart in it. “Don’t want to be a bother.”

“For like the hundredth time, you’re not a bother. My parents love you and Jon can’t wait to bug you about more space facts.”

Danny blushed faintly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “They do not love me.”

“They love you,” Kon said confidently. “You’re a good influence on my or some shit. They think you’re all polite and adorable.”

Danny gave a little snort. “I am polite and adorable.”

Kon gave a little shrug, which was hindered by the two backpacks he had on. “Never said they were wrong.”

Danny sputtered at Kon’s easy response and blushed a little deeper.

“My place then? Lois is making walking tacos which is like, the one thing that she can reliably make and not mess up. I think it’s because it’s just adding taco seasoning to ground turkey. Oh, are you up for meat tonight? We can do chickpeas for you if you aren’t,” Kon said. As long as he kept talking he knew that Danny would just follow. It was a little underhanded, but Kon figured sometimes Danny needed that to take care of himself. “I talked to Jon’s little demon friend and he said that chickpeas were a really good substitution for meat a lot of times. But also there will be baked beans cause we always have those with walking tacos so maybe you don’t want anything else? Anyways, the option is there. Do you even like chickpeas?”

“Chickpeas is humus, yeah? I like them like that,” Danny said after a beat where he was clearly trying to catch up with Kon’s stream of words. “But what the hell are ‘walking tacos’?”

“Oh, ah, Frito salad? Taco bowl? Taco salad? Taco meat, beans, and cheese over lettuce and Fritos. M—Lois will have salsa and sour cream too,” Kon explained.

“Oh. Yeah, my old school used to do those for lunch sometimes. That seems like a weird thing to be good at making,” Danny pointed out.

“Lois says it’s because of the walking part, it’s good to eat on the road between stories,” Kon said. “Convince store food and things you can make in a hotel room are her specialties.”

Danny chuckled at that (the first laugh Kon had heard from him that day). “That’s almost hard to believe. She seems so…big.”

“Big?”

"Danny shrugged. “Larger than life. Big city. Powerful. She’s a whirlwind, like you are.”

Kon blinked. “You think I’m a whirlwind?”

“Yep,” Danny said, popping the P. “I mean, like, where even are we? I don’t know how we got here, I was just caught up in whirlwind Conner.”

Kon snorted. “We’re taking a short cut back to my place so I can make you take a damn nap.”

“Nap. A nap sounds really good,” Danny said dreamily.

[confessedlyfannish]

Writing Prompt #16

"Aren't you curious?" Sam asks. "You gotta check it out!"

Danny is not, in fact, curious. He's watched everything his adoptive parents have done for the past six years wildly oscillating between amused and apprehensive.

The Fentons are eccentric, to put it mildly; obsessive, to put it insultingly. But when he's flipped through their papers, the formulas—while far beyond his comprehension—don't look like those of crackpots.

He wouldn't be here if they were merely that. He's not that lucky.

"We should go," he repeats, hands rubbing at his upper arms as a sudden chill works its way down his spine. And then, just as he recognizes the sensation, the world goes eerily still.

"Hello, Danny."

The creature steps forward from behind him. It passes by Sam's motionless body without a glance in her direction. It makes sense. In this silent, stationary world only the two of them truly exist.

The creature looks different this time. Its visage is that of an elder on the brink of death. So decrepit is it that the fluidity of its movement is the most unnerving aspect of its being. But its eyes are unchanged from the child that once came to Danny when he was at his lowest, piercing and red as blood.

Danny bows deeply at the waist. "Creature," he says, as politely as one can when using such a moniker.

The thing cocks its head.

"To receive such a greeting. I am honored."

Danny winces. "I am grateful," he admits. "You have done me a great—...you helped me. Thank you. And uh," his shoulders droop. "Sorry. For before."

They both pause to recall the eight-year old who once hurled curses and daggers alike.

"I have made grown men fear anew what lies in the dark." The Creature says. "You need not apologize for the actions of a scared child."

His eight year-old self would've bristled. He would've demanded retribution for such an insult. He was no average child. He had been raised to surpass the tolerance of any grown man.

His eight year-old self had been scared shitless, yes, but he would've died before admitting such a thing.

Danny isn't that person anymore.

"Yeah but. It was pretty rude." He rubs at the back of his neck. An easy tell. He's allowed that now, to tell and have it be easy.

The Creature seems to be cataloguing these differences. Whether or not it is displeased by these changes, it is difficult to tell. It would be rather ironic if it were upset, considering its technically the creature's fault in the first place.

Danny considers pointing that out, but the Creature is as unconcerned with small talk now as it was six years ago.

"I did you a favor, Danny."

Danny swallows. "Yes," he acknowledges.

"And now you will do one for me."

Danny closes his eyes. Just for a moment.

He'd known the second the Creature had re-appeared. He'd buried the knowledge of the deal he had made only so far as he could enjoy this new life without mourning its inevitable end.

He was built to be a weapon, and his decision had only been to trade the hands of who wielded him. A desperate choice, made by a desperate child.

I wanted to say goodbye! Danny Fenton wails, pushing his hands into his hair. I wanted to hug my Dad. I wanted to hug my sister. I wanted to hug my Mom. I wanted to hug my Mom. I wanted to hug my Mom. I want to hug my Mom—

Danny's hands are trembling.

Oh, he thinks. I did not bury it far enough.

Still, he opens his mouth and answers what has not been asked:

"Yes."

The Creature raises a hand and points past Sam, past Tucker. He points at the portal to the Ghost Zone. His parents' magnum opus.

"Go."

Danny nods, automatically. "I will go to the tunnel."

"You will enter."

"Yes," Danny agrees, blankly. The Creature provides no further instructions. Instead it watches him.

It doesn't work. Does the Creature not know it doesn't work?

It watches him. It waits.

So Danny approaches.

Confusion and fear keeps his steps slow, but the curiosity he never could quite kill keeps them steady. He's ashamed at how fast his heart beats, not because he is nervous but because some part of him, the part that never quite settled in this quiet midwestern town, is excited.

He spent the first eight years of his life fighting to keep it, and the sick part of him that trilled with delight at every blade ducked in the nick of time, every cliff he scaled bare-handed, every time he held his breath for deeper and longer than before—

goes abruptly silent as he reaches the mouth. He places a hand at its lip and peers into the yawning darkness before him.

There was a system of caves he regularly traversed, in the life before this. It was in those caves that he made the deal with the Creature, who brought him here.

"Wait," it says now. It hovers beside him, its purple cloak just skimming the floor.

"What are you?" Danny asks, staring into the tunnel.

"You know what I am, Danny," it murmurs. "Answer her."

"What?" Danny turns.

"I said," Sam exaggerates, "Aren't you curious?"

Danny's mouth is dry. The jumpsuit crinkles in his hands.

"Go."

"Danny?" Tucker asks. Sam lowers her camera.

"Go."

"...You know what?" He pastes a smile on his face. "You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome super cool—" too much, tone it down "—things exist on the other side of that portal?"

It's his idea. Whatever happens next, it was his idea.

His choices. His fault.

He pulls the suit on, letting Sam yank the sticker off. His friends stand together, and he lets himself look at them, take them in, just for a moment.

He steps inside.

Maybe. Maybe this isn't the end. Maybe he still gets to have this. Maybe maybe maybe.

In a previous life, he thought the caves would be his tomb.

But he made a deal. He escaped. He became Danny Fenton.

This is not the cavern of his childhood. He learned the crevices of those walls twice over; once by torchlight, then with the tips of his fingers and a cloth tied over his eyes.

Danny Fenton has a family. Danny Fenton has friends.

He trips on a wire. He feels the chill of unfamiliar metal even through his gloves.

Danny Fenton has hope.

The wall gives way under his palm. Something beeps.

And Danny Fenton dies.

[nanenna]

Detective Work on the Other Side

We getting into my own HCs now, enjoy the lore!

Sleep King Master post (it should actually work this time)

---

It felt weird sitting in the Specter Speeder as Phantom with his parents. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d finally told his parents himself, but just like Jazz had said they’d loved and accepted him as is. Danny was still getting used to it.

Danny pointed out the windshield, “That island there should be good.” It was little more than an oversized boulder with some grass on it, but it was big enough for the speeder and was pretty close to Johnny and Kitty’s lair, so it would do. Once they landed, the three Fentons disembarked so Danny could let the lovers out of Soup Time.

“Ugh, finally!” Johnny griped once they were set free.

Danny crossed his arms, “How do you keep getting into Amity? We put extra protections on the portal, no one should be able to get through.”

“Your dinky portal isn’t the only one in the whole world,” Kitty said with an eye roll.

“You just gotta know where to look,” Johnny added with a wink.

“Well stop it! I don’t want to have to repeat a grade!”

“Then stop chasing us. Jeez, no one’s forcing you.”

“Danny, sweetie,” Mom interrupted, “ask them about the summoning.”

“Summoning?” Kitty asked, perking up.

“It’s really concerning,” Dad said while scratching his head.

“Yeah, I was asleep so I don’t really remember it but I got summoned last night.”

“How’d you sleep through a summoning?” Kitty asked incredulously with a sneer.

Johnny just nodded, “Damn, wish I could sleep through a summoning.”

“I don’t know!” Danny threw his hands up in the air. “The really weird part is they were trying to summon Pariah!”

That got Johnny and Kitty to stop laughing. “Oh shit, really?”

“Johnny! Don’t cuss around the baby!” Kitty smacked his arm lightly.

“You owe the swear jar,” Dad boomed eagerly.

Johnny just rolled his eyes.

“That’s what we were told,” Mom cut in. “There was a cult that was trying to summon the Ghost King and somehow got Danny.”

“Wait, were they trying to summon Pariah by name or the Ghost King title?” Kitty asked eagerly.

“Ghost King,” Mom said decisively.

“Oh no,” Danny said. His grades may be in the toilet, but even he could put two and two together. “No, there’s no way I’m the Ghost King!”

“Maybe,” Kitty said while looking Danny up and down.

“Not like it means anything,” Johnny said airily.

Danny thought the matter over, “How does it not mean anything?”

“Well Pariah just declared himself the Ghost King one day, others only listened because he forced them to. And it’s not like we need a king, we’ve had the council ever since.”

“Ugh, stupid eye balls,” Danny griped. “But yeah, if he just decided to make himself king I guess it doesn’t really mean anything.”

Mom sighed deeply, “You mean like Alexander the Great? Or Ghengis Khan? Or William the Conquerer? Or anyone else from history who declared himself in charge and then killed anyone who didn’t listen?”

Danny drooped, “Okay, so maybe it does matter. But how would that even work? Why am I the Ghost King now?”

“Dunno,” Johnny said with a shrug. “It’s not like you even have the crown or ring.”

“No, Pariah still has the ring and last I saw the crown Vlad had it.”

“Good old Vladdie,” Dad boomed eagerly, “holding onto a powerful artifact like that to keep it safe!”

“So shouldn’t Vlad be the new Ghost King?” Danny asked with a shudder.

“Well the summoning circle thinks you earned the title somehow, so I guess it’s you now.” Johnny snickered as he got on his bike, Kitty quickly hopping on behind him. “Anyway, see ya ‘round, your majesty.” Johnny sneered the last part, then the pair both laughed like Johnny had just told the best joke ever as he zoomed off.

“Well I’m proud of you!” Dad slapped Danny’s back so hard he face planted. “Fighting that nasty Ghost King was really brave of you, and look at you now! Our boy, the Ghost King!” Dad wiped away a tear of deep paternal pride.

Danny had already floated himself up off the ground and dusted himself off, completely unharmed. “Thanks Dad, that means a lot.” And it really did! He was used to his parents being proud of him, not for his grades obviously, but just… in general. Or something. To have his dad say he’s proud of things Danny did as Phantom just… hit different.

“Is there anyone we can ask about this? The council that ruffian mentioned?” Mom looked thoughtful.

“Ugh no, the council hates my guts for some reason.”

“Well… if they’ve been in charge since Pariah was put in the sarcophagus and you’re the king now, maybe they feel threatened?” Dad asked, rubbing his chin.

“That’s probably it, sweetiepie. They’re just threatened by you.” Mom gently pat his arm.

“That’s so weird! I don’t even want to be king, I’d probably be a terrible one anyway.”

Dad gasped, “Danno! That’s just not true! Sure, you’re a bit young to be king now, but in a few years I bet you’d be a great king!”

“Pass.” Danny did not want to add a crown to his disaster of a life. Especially if it meant he’d have to be a bully to make others listen to him anyway, it’s not like anyone listened to Pariah.

“So honey, anyone else we can ask about the Ghost King? Or summoning circles? I’m really worried about you randomly getting summoned by creepy cults.” And boy, did Mom have a point about that! Yikes!

“Uh… maybe Frostbite?” The yeti did keep calling him “Great One” and that had to mean something, right? And if not he could hopefully point them in the right direction.

“Wonderful!” Mom chirped as she started herding Danny back into the Speeder. “And along the way you can answer a few small questions about your fight with Pariah.”

“I’m sorry about taking the Ecto-skeleton without asking,” Danny blurted out, face turning green as it grew colder.

“It’s alright, baby boy,” Mom pinched his cheek, “we understand why you did it and why you felt you had to at the time. But never do it again, okay?”

“Yeah,” Danny said miserably as they got back into the speeder. Once Danny had pointed them in the direction of the Far Frozen, he sat criss cross applesauce in the air. “So uh… questions?”

“Oh yeah! What questions did you have, fudgecakes?”

“Well…” Mom started but hesitated before continuing slowly. “This sounds like it might be a right of conquest situation.”

Danny had no idea what that meant. Well he knew what the words individually meant, and he had a pretty good idea what the phrase meant generally, but he had no idea what the rules or details were.

“Was this an official challenge?” Mom asked when Danny only stared blankly at her.

“Uh… maybe?” Danny tried thinking back to the fight, “What would make it an official challenge?”

“Did the Ghost King say he accepted your challenge? Or challenge you?”

“He uh…” Danny tried to remember the times he’d bantered with Pariah. “He said he accepted my terms,” Danny said with a squeak near the end.

Mom just nodded, “Right, so it sounds like a challenge. And did you take his crown at any point in the fight?”

Danny tried to remember the end of the fight, and well… “Yeah, I knocked it off him right before shoving him back into the sarcophagus. But Vlad had the key that actually locked it, and then he had the crown the last time I saw it.”

“Danny, sweetie, Vlad didn’t challenge the Ghost King to single combat, and he didn’t take the crown as part of that challenge.”

“Oh,” was all Danny could say as the realization of what he’d unwittingly done sank in. “Well… shit.”

[nutmegtales]

Fucking Clowns - part 6 coming to

Danny felt himself slowly waking, the smell of fresh coffee and something chocolatey baking near by hung in the air. He rolled the flavours round his mind for a while letting opinions about each one float to the surface of his mind. He liked coffee. He liked chocolate. These were good smells. Comforting smells. Not the smells of an unsafe lab or a sterile cell. As he thought, he recalled more smells he'd sensed most recently. Of warm linens fresh from a dryer, of old books, and garlic and onion and butter cooking on the stove, of baking, and fresh flowers, of grease and machine oil and leather.

It was nice. Danny took a deep lungful of air, savouring the comforting smells.

The next sense to come back to him was hearing and he listened to the rumbling rhythmic noise that was happening close by as it slowly coalesced into words. Someone was reading aloud, taking their time, their words slow and soothing. He couldn't figure out yet what the words meant, but they sounded comforting.

Danny realised he felt safe, and it was such an unfamiliar feeling he wasn't sure what to do with it. No ghosts screaming at him to kill kill kill, no shouts and jeers from others interned going through their own personal strangeness, no whirring of power tools in a lab filled with weapons designed especially to kill him, no parents plotting gleefully of how to hunt him down.

He felt safe, and he let himself enjoy that feeling for a long time before braving anything more.

Eventually Danny opened his eyes to see soft rays of sunlight streaming through a big glass window. Through it was hues of green and blue, too blurry for him to make out. A blink and the skies were painted in orange, great clouds lit up with the colour of the setting sun. There were different smells and sounds now, but he didn't want to think about them, he just wanted to think of the sky.

Another blink and Danny could see the stars brilliant and bright the way they were back home before he'd had to hide in the city. He loved those stars, he loved those skies. They made him want to reach out and touch the clouds, to leap up and soar through the window and feel the breeze in his hair. They made him want to live.

The smell of coffee was strong again and Danny breathed it in deep, tasting the scent of it on the air. He let his focus shift from the beautiful stars to search his surroundings for the familiar smell. On a table next to the bed he lay in was a still steaming mug, and beyond that in a chair across from him sat someone sipping at a mug of their own. Another glance showed another figure lounging on a couch near by and the sounds drifting through from another room made Danny think there might be someone else too.

He felt... How did he feel? Two, maybe three strangers were with him. Did he feel scared? He tried to muster up the energy to feel fear but couldn't manage it. No, he didn't feel afraid, he felt nothing. Mostly nothing. Maybe something.... Maybe curious "midnight... Coffee?" His voice was feeble and scratchy to his own ears and he wasn't sure if he'd been clear enough to be heard. His eyes drooped closed from the effort of grinding out those few simple words and he felt a wash of exhaustion come over him. He couldn't make out the response as sleep reclaimed him, but he thought it sounded playful like hearing your friends banter in a nearby room. He felt safe, and curious, and exhausted.

The welcome smell of coffee and the sight of the stars became a familiar routine. He'd stay awake just long enough to take in the beauty of the sky, to savour the smell of a fresh coffee (how was it always fresh?), and to see the three people that kept him company.

There was one that sat in the arm chair, always with a mug of his own coffee, and a laptop or file on his lap. Maybe he was why there was always a fresh mug when Danny came too.

There was one that would lounge on the couch and just talk, or who would drape themselves over the other two.

And there was one who sometimes just leant against the wall, sometimes he'd sit on the couch and read aloud, sometimes he'd be sat on the floor at the foot of Danny's bed saying things that sounded sweet and comforting. Danny remembers the times where that deep steady voice tells him he's safe now most of all.

Today he feels awake enough to hear the words of the others, and to try and talk again himself. "Hey" he hesitates, unsure of what else there is to say, the words refusing to rise to his mind.

"Hey Danny" comes the reply. It's the deep voice of the one that reads, the one that tells him he's safe. "It's good to hear from you".

Oh? It is? That's good. Danny is glad they want to hear from him, glad that he's not just a burden or a bother. "Good to be heard" he tries to put some good humour into the words, he's not sure he manages it.

"yeah, I'll bet" he hears the other say "we're listening Danny, we're listening now".

Oh, Danny thinks as he drifts back off to sleep again, that sounds nice.

--

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[idekwthmuistb]

Okay but what if Little Baby Man Danny has really shit eyesight and everything is tinted in Ectoplasm Green and when he (bc it's a DCxDP ofc) arrives at Wayne Manor and sees a tall, lean-built, man in black-n-white clothing and white hair, Danny, in all his tiny brained might, fully believes that a weird older version of his phantom self just happens to live with the waynes.

Like, I know it'd be a stretch but just imagine!

Danny is...waiting. Patiently. He wants food but Tall-Weird-Phantom won't give it to him, even though he asked really really nicely (All Alfred saw were two big eyes sparkling up at him). So now he sits ontop his fruit bed staring down the other-him as the Not-Not-Phantom chops something brown and fuzzy into neat bright green slices. Danny drools.

When Danny had first arrived, squirming and chirping under the Tasty-man's brown, heavy jacket, he had wanted nothing more than to find a cold, dark, corner and hide forever and ever! Then a lyrical-like voice spoke and Danny could see see see and what he did see froze him solid. There, in the middle of the huge (huge) room full with shinies and patterns, stood a man wearing a full-body black suit. Squinting, Danny could tell the man had white hands, a splash of white on his chest, and though he had no white feet there was definitely white hair on his head...is. Is that. No, no no no there way no way this man was and older him. Not possible!

....but.

If Danny were older, he'd might want to change up his appearance. Just a bit. And sure this guy's hair is a little flatter, a little neater, a litte oddly shaped in his blurry vision. However, even if he were living in a place as fancy as this, he would never–

OH.

OH NO.

Did Vlad succeed!? Is this an older him that got stuck under that fruitloop's thumb!? Danny has to help him, there's simply no choice. Determination sealed and no plan set, Danny tilts and bobs his head, gauging the distance and wiggling around to get the right grip. The arms around him seem to tighten minutely with would've been met with more squirming previously but were now juuuust right to– Danny leaps.

The background chatter of the two men breaks off with Tasty-man trying to catch him with a yelp but Danny is faster than his long arms. The Possibly-Older-Danny seems to already know what Danny was planning, his arms outstretched perfectly for Danny's little front legs to latch onto his forearms while the spindly black tail curls up in the man's hands.

This close, he can see that the guy has a mustache. Weird. Danny flexes his paws a little, careful to not shred the oddly-soft clothing beneath him, and let's out a little trill, ear perked for a response. He has to really listen but there, a quiet soft chirp back and the faint smell of lemons and bleach.

The Maybe-Him pulls him in close, tucking his gently but firmly into the–oh–buttoned vest he wears. Danny's ears droop a little, and his eyes feel cold. What did Vlad do to him, for his core to be so muffled?

Light touches drag their way from the top of his head fluff down to his haunches(?). Yeah, Danny is going to do whatever he can to protect his maybe older self.

[demonic0angel]

Danny trying and utterly failing to sneak up on members of the Bat family, even with his ghost powers.

Danny was silent. He slowly crept forward, floating in the air as he approached Jason’s back.

Before he could dart forward and scare him, one of the All-Blades shot out and aimed at his throat. Jason didn’t even turn around, still looking at his papers with his other hand.

“‘s there a reason why you’re trying to sneak up on me?” Jason asked lazily.

Danny groaned. “Ugh!” He cringed away from the All-Blade. “I just wanted to scare you a little!”

Jason smirked. “Try harder.” He paused, and then asked, “By the way, do you know what Jazz is wearing for our date tomorrow—”

Danny fled before he had to answer.

————

Bruce was busy signing paperwork and working on his computer, his back turned to Danny.

Danny grinned and began to float forward again. This time, he made sure to stop breathing and also go invisible, sure that he’d be able to surprise and scare the Batman.

Bruce didn’t even turn. “Danny? Since you’re here, I need your help with something.”

Danny popped back into existence, sputtering. “How’d you know I was there?!”

Bruce hummed. “I learned a trick to detect ghosts from a coven of monks in Tibet—”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE MONKS TEACHING YOU?!”

————

Danny spotted Cass and with a smirk to himself, he also began creeping forward, this time trying even harder to hide his presence.

Her head swiveled in his direction, eyes on his invisible form accurately. “What are you doing, Danny?”

Danny let go of his powers, revealing himself as he drooped in dejection underneath her sharp gaze.

“… nothing…”

————

When Damian walked across Danny’s vision, he had a faint sense of hope.

Surely, since Damian wasn’t blessed with the All-Blades, trained by Tibetan monks, or Cass, then surely Danny could catch him by surprise?

Damian was the youngest and didn’t have skills like the older members of his family. Danny would definitely be able to use his powers on him and give him a good scare!

He began to inch forward, hands reaching out, still invisible with an even tighter control on himself.

Before Danny could even scare him, Damian whirled around, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Daniel? What are you skulking around for?” Damian asked with a judgmental frown. “I know you’re here somehow. Just come out before you embarrass yourself.”

Danny couldn’t help but give a muffled scream through his hands.

[aealzx]

_______________________

Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous

_______________________

“DANNY!”

The moment Danny arrived with Jason at the meeting site Jazz and Danielle were immediately wrapping him in a hug. Which was only somewhat unexpected. But after a moment of being surprised Danny found himself holding his sisters tightly, lowering his head between both of theirs’.

“I’m okay. Just… had to blow off some steam,” he assured quietly, taking in their scent and reminding himself that they were still there. He did feel a lot better than yesterday. But there was also an uncertainty if his reprieve would be short lived. And as he lifted his gaze to his friends, and caught sight of their uncertain expressions, he let his mask fade so they could see the half smile he gave them.

That tiny smile was enough to motivate Sam to speak. “...Danny, I-”

 “They have a really good burger joint here,” Danny interrupted. “We should go some time.” He knew what she wanted to say, but he didn’t think he could handle hearing it just then. He didn’t want apologies. Couldn’t handle sympathies. Let him just focus on what he wanted to do at the moment.

It was a simple pair of sentences, but it held just enough behind it that Sam and Tucker’s shoulders both drooped in some relief. Their friend was okay for now, and wasn’t upset with them. And even still wanted to hang out with them. It was more than they could ask for, but they would accept it all the same.

“Sure dude,” Tucker accepted.

“Only if they have vegetarian,” Sam half agreed. Her usual response.

None of them were okay. But they were hanging in there.

“You didn’t puke from it?” Danielle half joked, trying to make the mood lighter now that there was some faint semblance of normalcy among the group.

“No. I’m fine,” Danny half snickered, reaching up to squish his hands against her round cheeks. “Let’s just get you taken care of so we don’t end up having a repeat of this past mess. And then I can take you to go get a burger too. Okay?”

He already seemed to have a plan. Already falling into his forced role leading the people from Amity. Bruce’s frown under his cowl grew, but he didn’t comment. There were more of them there than necessary for the proposed task. They all knew from Jason’s texts that something wasn’t quite right. But they didn’t have enough information to motivate any of them to do more than watch. So watch they did as Raven stepped forward.

“...I’m sorry for your loss,” Raven began politely, also uncertain how to address the mixture of emotions she was picking up. “I had no idea-”

“Let’s save talking about that for later, yeah?” Danny requested, interrupting the girl before she could stir too much of the hurt back up from where he had it buried. He knew it wasn’t healthy, but he told himself it was just temporary.

“...Sure,” Raven relented, figuring she didn’t need to delay any longer in getting to the task she’d been asked to do. “I’ll start with showing you how I accessed the Liminal Realm while walking you through the process. Just watch and listen for now, and we can discuss any questions you have after. Okay? Also, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work.”

Danny nodded easily, eager to watch how this had been done. They had already warned him there was a chance the ritual would fail this time. But there was also a chance that it would be more stable with him there. Raven had mentioned that he appeared to have a stronger connection with the Realm then even Danielle did, and at this point he was hoping it was true. He needed a good thing in his life right then.

As Raven started her demonstration the rest of the group moved back to give them some space. It was a little smaller scale than before, with the ritual area being isolated to just Raven and Danny. Each motion she made she explained the reason for. As well as any non visual elements that Danny wouldn’t be able to pick up on. Focus of intent, recital of inscriptions in her mind, directing certain energies in which manner, and which energies specifically.

Honestly Danny hadn’t been expecting to understand any of it. He was used to science, not magic, and even then science was a struggle. Or perhaps not, if Tim was still correct. But as the portal between realms was gradually pieced together Danny found he seemed to understand more at a subconscious level than he’d thought he would. He knew that energy. He knew this feeling. He knew this pattern. He knew these demands. This was his realm. And without his home realm to vie for half possession of him it was even more prominent now as a small rift opened in the space in front of Raven, barely visible from where Danny was standing mostly behind her.

This. Was. His. Realm.

And it owed him.

He was right.

“That’s enough Raven, I’ll take it from here,” Danny spoke up suddenly, an unexpected confidence lacing his tone as he reached out to grab Raven’s shoulder and pull her back. She sputtered slightly not only in confusion, but also because pulling her out of the central point caused the tiny connection she’d built to the Liminal Realm to flicker. At first Raven thought that the realm was irritated about the ritual being disrupted. But as Danny became the central focus for that tear to see, for whoever was beyond that tear to see only him, Raven noticed a distinct sense of uneasy anticipation. Everyone that was there could feel the air shift from the same  absent eeriness from before to feeling like they had millions of eyes actively staring through them. Eyes from people, from things they didn’t know had turned on them, watching as Danny took Raven’s place and gently shoved her away.

There was something watching all of them that seemed borderline angry, but Danny didn’t seem to care. He’d thought it would take longer than one afternoon for him to get the connection to the Infinite Realms that he needed. But this was enough. And both sides knew it.

And it was good it was angry, because Danny was too.

Reaching his fist back Danny ignored the others’ cries for him to hold on and smashed his hand through the tiny gateway, shattering it and the surrounding area of this realm in a crashing cascade of glass. The others felt their realm lurch around them, breaking away and tilting just enough to feel wrong and disorient their sense of balance as they were dumped into the connecting space between realms. There were short cries and curses from the crowd brought to the weightless realm that Jazz and the others from Amity immediately recognized, expressions going slack as they realized what happened.

Danny had brute forced his way into taking over the ritual, bending the intent to his own and ripping open a gateway whether it wanted him to or not. Because he knew it couldn’t tell him no. He may not be the Ghost King, but he was something else. He was their connection between realms. Their servant- their slave - their soldier, their hero, their icon. Kept obedient and easily manipulated through ignorance that no longer applied. He would not be kept out of his realm. And he’d even selected the specific place he’d wanted them to be brought to.

As soon as Danny’s hand had passed through the barrier between realms he’d opened his fingers just long enough to grab a fistful of fabric before he could even see who it belonged to. It was only when the barrier fully broke away, a moment of blinding white and residual glimpses of the other realm’s sky lingering in their sight, that the owner of the purple cloak was visible. And said owner seemed incredibly unconcerned with Danny holding him in a borderline chokehold.

“...There you are, Danny,” Clockwork chose as a greeting.

“Clockwork?!”

“Danny! What are you doing?!”

“Who?”

“Oh this is bad!”

Despite the commotion of those, admittedly accidentally, brought to Clockwork’s tower with him, Danny just narrowed his eyes at the ghost he’d grabbed. “Put. Them. Back,” he demanded, not bothering to elaborate since he knew Clockwork had already seen everything that had happened.

“I can’t do that,” Clockwork denied easily.

“Yes you can! Turn back time! Send me back alone! Just do something!” Danny protested, his irate front breaking slightly into desperation and causing him to have to force his grip to tighten.

“And why should I?” Clockwork asked, prodding.

“BECAUSE YOU OWE ME!” Danny burst, bringing his other hand to also grip the fabric at Clockwork’s throat and shaking him slightly. “All the damn errands I’ve run for you! Every mess I’ve helped you clean up! Every damn mistake you’ve forced me to correct- even when it wasn’t my fault! I took out Pariah for you! Vortex! Undergrowth! Myself! I helped you rewrite the future so you didn’t have to deal with me! You. OWE. Me!”

“You speak as though the tasks given to you aren’t outweighed by your own mishaps we’ve had to clean up,” Clockwork pointed out, knowing that Danny had personally caused his fair share of trouble with the Infinite Realms.

“YOU STARTED THIS IN DEBT TO ME!” Danny roared, eyes flaring bright with a flash of ice.

Despite the outburst, Clockwork seemed almost pleased with the accusation, a strange glint in his eye despite his smile from the beginning having never faltered. “...That’s a rather bold claim,” he pointed out, eyes shifting momentarily away to look at someone who wasn’t there. “Care to elaborate?”

Despite his anger, Danny still caught Clockwork’s motion, and understood what he was getting at. They were being watched. And while the watchers knew what Danny meant, apparently he had to say it. Had to show them he knew they had broken their own rules. That they had stolen his right to choose. He drew a breath to steady himself, but his voice still shook with borderline rage when he answered. “You told me before that I always have a choice. When I tried to change the past to save my friends. And again when I beat Pariah- you told me then that the Infinite Realms run on people being able to make their own choices. That it’s a law here, and that they couldn’t force me to take the crown if I didn’t want it.”

“Yes. I did. What’s your point?” Clockwork confirmed, prodding again.

“And you can confirm that those choices are honored. For example: my decision to not accept the title of Ghost King is still in place.”

“Correct,” Clockwork confirmed, then repeated his previous prompt. “What’s your point?”

“You broke that law when I became half ghost,” Danny finally exposed. He didn’t mean Clockwork specifically at this point, but he wasn’t sure exactly who were all involved in this matter, his gaze momentarily scanning the space around them. He’d only ever dealt with Clockwork, who always seemed stuck in the middle of whatever disastrous mishap was going on.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Clockwork prodded once more, a slight smirk betraying that he did know, but once again needed Danny to say it. 

The response wasn’t specific enough. And while it was frustrating to have to play this game Danny had learned by now that Clockwork was only playing this game to lead him into saying what he needed to say. “I became half ghost by opening the portal to the Ghost Zone - to here- that was in my parents basement. And I learned in that realm we ended up in that it was only possible because this realm requires payment. Payment that was taken on that day.”

“Yes. Your parents paid the price of succeeding in opening a permanent portal to the Infinite Realms in the form of losing their only son. Despite years of failure, they made the choice to continue to pursue the portal, even though there was a risk of catastrophic failure,” Clockwork confirmed, giving him a break by filling in one of the facts for him.

“They chose to continue their research, but I didn’t choose to DIE!” Danny snapped, unable to keep himself calmer. “They paid a price, but I also paid for a debt I didn’t owe. You took my choice away!”

“You walked into the gateway.” Clockwork pointed out.

“I fought Pariah!” Danny countered.

“You didn’t know defeating him would allow you to take the crown.”

“I didn’t know walking into a hunk of metal that hadn’t worked in ten years was going to kill me!” Danny shouted, shaking Clockwork again.

“People die from danger they’re unaware of everyday, Daniel.”

“But how many of them are from a direct action from the Infinite Realms?” Danny hissed, pulling Clockwork close. “I know now that someone else was there, on this side of the portal, to offer me a sacrifice to open the portal and keep it open. I know that someone chose me as a pawn, and didn’t give me a chance to accept or not. I know that someone here broke the law at my expense, and I know that The Observants are involved despite claiming they never act. And therefore I demand that my family, friends, and anyone else I care about be allowed to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives. Or else you’ll have to deal with something worse than Dan.”

There wasn’t a response this time. At least, not from Clockwork. The age shifting ghost simply allowed Danny to maintain a hold of him, letting his words ring into the aether and allowing those watching to consider their actions. Consider the consequences to the events they had allowed to happen. That they may or may not have manipulated into reality. And after a horrid stretch of stagnant time the very environment seemed to shift. The anger that permeated the Realm faltered, then faded. Sliding away into what could more accurately be described as frustrated, and somewhat shameful acceptance.

It made Clockwork laugh.

Which in turn made Danny falter slightly, his grip on Clockwork’s cloak loosening enough to allow the ghost to pull his hands away. “So, you figured it out,” Clockwork eventually chuckled, resting a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “You are correct. There are many in the Realm who owe you recompense for taking away your right to choose the life you have now. So let’s see if we can figure out how to meet your demands without using up your little pool of debt, or breaking the other realms, shall we?”

It was enough. That was finally enough for the relevant people to understand that Danny knew exactly what was going on. What had happened. There was a glimmer of proof that Danny’s idea from the night before on the couch might actually work. That he could force The Observants, and any other necessary party, to bring his realm back because they owed him more than he could probably cash in on. To break such a fundamental law of their realm put them in his debt, and they were only safe because he hadn’t known until now.

He hadn’t known until a certain ghost of time made sure he ended up in a realm where someone would be there to tell him.

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Danny let his head sag forward to thump against Clockwork’s chest, fingers loosely gripping his friend’s cloak. “...Thank you,” he breathed, ignoring the mild shake in his tone.

----------------

Hhhhhhhhh I got excited and ended up drawing this one real fast because I realized there was a lil trick I could try (that I'm really hoping worked) with the image @ v @ People on dark mode won't get to see the trick because dark mode spoils it, but people in light mode click the picture (or drag or open in a new tab) to see something extra.

Also I'm so excited for this part because I actually had the part with Clockwork typed out since around the part with Raven telling them what Danny was. There's a lot about Ghost King Danny, or new Ancient Danny, but what if Hero of the infinite realms was already something more than those?

And shout out to Rainbow_Sneks on AO3 for being the only person to comment guessing The Observants were involved 8'DDD Well done!

___________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep, @paranoid-ira, @nomaru666

[littlemoonglow]

Warning: Long post?

—

Jason did not expect his ghost form to feel…like this.

(Oh, dealing with his body randomly phasing through the ground and smacking his face onto hard concrete was not fun, but Jason dealt with that just like with every other hurdle in his life. By being more stubborn than the problem itself.)

It felt like something… settled into place. That was the best way he could describe it.

He felt as if spite and anger were finally not the only things keeping him awake and running. 

He felt calm, almost. Stable, at least. Whatever pent up energy that was stuck in his chest cavity now flowed freely throughout his body, redistributed, instinctually easier to manage.

It's almost like he could breathe a little bit easier.

(After much… ranting that Jason decided to ignore for his own sanity, Danny said that his case ectoplasmic corruption was probably due to the fact that Death, as a concept, doesn’t let go of things easily, time shenanigans notwithstanding.)

(Becoming a half-ghost was seemingly the only working compromise.)

—

Danny once told him that broad strokes of a ghost’s personality could be guessed by looking at their physical appearance. 

Despite the cool powers, this was a slight downside. Jason dealing with the filth of the Earth meant that being to hide his emotions and who he is was kind of important. Life saving, even.

He realized later on that his ghost form was way too easy to read.

—

He looked at his arms covered in bandages, and got reminded of the amount of times he had to patch himself up in the last month.

His jacket was ripped in place he knew that would have been sewn together when he was a living breathing human (well, as much as he could be).

He always looked slightly on fire?

(Danny told him it's probably related to his... core?)

(He know he died in an explosion but really?)

And then, there was his… veil? Shroud? Cloak?

It looked really nice.

But on the other hand…

It drooped when he felt under the weather. It flicked and thrashed around when he’s either irritated or barely holding back his urge to headshot someone.

And—

(No Danny, my cloak was not fucking wagging when you brought me fresh ectoplasm last week, you’ll have to get your goddamn eyes checked—)

He'll deny it until the day he dies (a second time).

And then his cloak could sometimes just…grow bigger. He figured that it acted as an extension of his own body, and had a nice add-on of allowing him to sense things he couldn't see. Hell, he could even make a hand out of it (wacking Danny with it - gently - never gets old). Jason had to also admit it looked cool, with the wispy bits and with one of its sides becoming a bright yellow.

(It reminded him a bit of his time as Robin.)

—

Being a ghost had a lotta perks.

Dealing with targets was so much easier when no one could see you. Inflitration was so much simpler when walls became optional. Cameras will glitch out when he's around, he left no traces visible to the naked eye and, combined with his training, to say that it was useful would be an understatement.

But, sometimes, he feels like he’s changing as well the more he transforms. Not drastically, but enough for him to look back and notice.

He usually was someone who prided on being efficient and straight to the point.

But now he’s starting to… have fun.

He started using his claws whenever he could. Don't het him wrong, he still uses his guns plenty, but there was just something deeply satisfying about vaulting over things, scaling a wall or crawling on the ceiling with bare hands. 

(Punching people is still the most satisfying by far, though.)

That one time hunting down the Joker wannabes was fun too.

(Danny said he’d get along great with Skulker? Did Jason want to find out? No.)

Fading in and out of invisibility, he picked them off one by one, watching as panic and dread slowly but surely creeped up on the remaining ones.

(After all, he has no respect for those trying to emulate the dead clown.)

—

(Yeah, the Joker was dead.)

(Surprisingly, that has not been a good day.)

—

One of the favorite things he liked to do was rooftop parkour. The… bendability of gravity is… fun, not gonna lie.

(Not flying though. Jason is used to having feet in regular contact with solid ground, thank you very much. No offense, Danny.)

But he gets why ghosts love to fly. When he’s jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Gotham in the at night, watching the city light fly by, cloak spread behind him, it’s as if nothing else matters. 

(No Joker, no petty criminals to beat up, no avoiding the Bats so they don’t find out about his existence—)

He can just enjoy, even just for a little bit.

—

(Somehow the Demon Brat and Orphan could sense him. Will keep and eyes on those two, and also the more reasons to avoid them.)

(The real problem was the new Bat in town. Bruce, what the fuck, another one? Again?)

(The yellow one, Signal. No time to check his profile yet, but probably a meta or something.)

(First night out and the guy almost managed to actually fucking see him —looked at him straight in the eyes and all, then did a double take. Jason never phased into the pavement so fast in his entire fucking life.)

(And so far no Bats on his cloak tails yet.)

(He did help the guy incognito, just a couple of times.) 

(And he also did steal his escrima sticks for fun, and once the guy went out looking for them, he’d put them right back where they were.)

(Turns out, he discovered later, that being a little shit runs in the ghost community.)

—

(Sometimes he also wonders what happened to Danny before they met.)

(He wasn't a Gothamite, that was obvious. He doesn’t pry, but it doesn’t take a lot to piece two and two together.)

(He just wonders who he has to kill this time.)

—

(Jason could not believe he forgot and underestimated just how fucking persistent every single one of the Bats could be. Of course it had to run in the family.)

He gazed down, thought the agony, at the gaping wound under his right armpit.

(The Bats have been chasing him relentlessly for a while now. He got more injuries than he can count, especially from Bruce.)

(They know. Oh, they know.)

(It didn’t go well.)

(He knows the others are there surrounding him to prevent him from escaping, he knows that Dick is right behind him, but at the moment he couldn’t care less.)

It has been a long time since the last time he got shot.

(It felt like someone set his right side on fire.) 

What was flowing out in abundance was a neon, toxic green.

(The Pit Waters, ectoplasm, he didn’t even know that he could fucking bleed in ghost form—)

(Danny—)

He looked back up at Batman, holding a (frankly) ugly gun, white casing and highlights in the same shade of toxic green. 

(A gun that Danny warned him about. And everything behind it.)

Jason felt something in him... snap.

(Why did it have to be you, Bruce.) 

His mouth opened—

(waitsincewhenhecoulddothatthroughtthe mask—) 

(Jason could see the billows of neon green smoke—)

(He couldn’t see Bruce’s expression.)

(Every. Single. Goddamn. Time.)

— and wailed.

---------------------------------------------------

I am genuinely delighted that my last post got that much attention! Thank you so much, to all who liked, rebblogged and commented, it really does mean the most. 💕

This AU may be continued? No guarantees, tho.

For those interested: Part 01

@fandomnerd103 @phoenixdemonqueen @satisfactionbroughtmeback @ascetic-orange @apointlessbox @bathildaburp @fisticuffsatapplebees @aisforanonymity @phandomhyperfixationblog @help-i-need-a-cool-username @hashtagdrivebywrites @did-i-miss-anyone-tagging-is-a-monk's-job-first-time-doing-this-aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[lilliezzzzz-fics]

Domestic life was never quite my style,

pairing: daniel ricciardo x reader author's note: alternate title: eating waffles and reminiscing. has any one of you noticed i love fluff,,, because i have. i love fluff. post-retirement!danny how i would love u. no use of y/n, song that inspired this fic: dear theodosia from hamilton warnings: if you squint there's a mild anxiety mention, light identity reflection(?) word count: 1.0k

Daniel had always been attracted to chaos. To life, to the cheers, to the buzzing energy of anything and everything. So when he awoke in the night, gasping for air, and looked around and found you by his side. It was new.

Your still body lying facing him, your serene expression—unfamiliar, yet it was comforting. He felt his racing heartbeat slowly soothe as he shifted closer to you, pulling your body closer to his―he felt calm for the first time in a while; and he thinks he needed that.

Daniel wakes up to the sweet scent of syrup and waffles that morning. The sun glimmers like a prism through the window beside him, accompanied by the sound of the morning birds chirping. And for a moment, he just lies there, taking in the beauty of peace, of quiet. If he were honest, he would stay here forever—he’d let himself sink into the soft, comforting mattress beneath him. And he’d be happy with it. In reality, though, he could never really let that happen.

He shuffles out of bed, letting the sheets remain a mess as he exits the bedroom. It’s far colder out in the living area—almost a sense of sterility flows through the open space, at least in comparison to the warmth left in the bedroom.

A little begrudgingly, he drags himself to the kitchen—to the sound of sizzling, and the thick, sweet scent of syrup, and there stands you. Focused, soft smile, happily cooking—you. He almost felt a little guilty as he slowly laid his hands around your waist. But you didn’t flinch, didn’t even scare—you just hummed. 

Like his arms were molded to fit around you.

“Good morning, Daniel.” You smile.

“G���Mornin’,” he mumbles into the crook of your neck as he presses a soft kiss there, “whatcha makin’?”

You laugh, not loudly nor disruptively. Just a light huff—he already knows. But you still answer.

“Waffles ‘n bacon. I could fry some eggs too, if you’d like?”

“Mmm.” He lets out a complacent hum, nodding a little.

“Alright. Could you get the dinner table ready, then?” Although he can’t see your face, he hears your smile. “Sure.”

His arms droop down to his sides as he lets go, sleep still weighing on his shoulders. Sagging, just slightly, he leans over your head to open the cabinet filled with your plates. He winces at the clanking noises they make as he picks up two of them, dragging them almost lazily out of the cabinet. 

As he put cutlery on the table, it didn’t even cross his mind that this was just another task. Monotonous, repetitive—boring, even. But it didn’t feel that way. Not when he listened to your humming, and just knowing you're there—feeling your presence.

“You gonna sit down, Danny?” You ask, a laugh underlining your words.

“Oh, yeah- shit, sorry, zoned out.” He replies with a half-hearted laugh.

He exhales softly as he sits. You’re still at the counter, plating food and talking—telling him there’s more waffles if he wants. But he’s not listening to the words. He’s too busy looking at you.

When you finally find your place in front of him, there’s a wide, goofy smile plastered on Daniel’s face, one you’re not quite sure what to make of, so you only smile back. 

“What’s got you in such a smiley mood, Ricciardo?” You ask, poking around in your food—eyes still trained on him, smile still present.

“Can’t I smile now?” he lets out a bark of a laugh, “I‘m just admiring ya. You know, you look real pretty when you’re focused.”

“You smooth-talker,” you tut, shaking your head, “just eat your food.”

His smile turns into a grin, one bearing his teeth in that signature Daniel way—but he complies. The breakfast was nice. Better than any he’d have in the hotel or team hospitality. What was that one saying? Food always tastes better when shared, or something. And god, is it corny, but it feels so impossibly true. When sitting, even in silence, with you, it tastes better than any meal he’s ever had.

Before he knew it, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and it had shifted into the afternoon. An orange color painted the sky, and you’d left to do some errands—leaving Daniel all alone in the still of your shared apartment. He decided to pass the time watching something on TV, letting himself sink onto the couch, and hearing the click! as the TV turned on. 

He let himself scroll through the Netflix home page for a while, eyes scanning over the recommended series and movies, nothing really catching his eye. His limbs spilling over the couch, eyes lazily scanning the screen, he saw it—Drive to Survive. The show that’d been a constant in his career, or well, from 2018 forward, at the very least. Hovering over the show, it auto-played the beginning of the newest season's episode.

Former colleagues, friends, people he never wanted to see again. 

He didn’t move. He let the familiar sound of roaring engines fill the room, the all-too-familiar voices spill into the air like static in an otherwise still apartment. It felt odd, watching this when he wasn’t still a driver. Faces he knew, moments he quite literally experienced—but they weren’t really his, not anymore anyway. It’s a different version of him, One that still chased podiums and adrenaline—who chased wins. Not thinking about the casual things in life. 

He would say he misses it, because he does—but, not in the same way. He misses driving a little, misses messing with teammates and having fun. But not the sport. Not really. 

His finger flexes as he holds the remote, debating to switch show—but he lets it continue to play for just a while longer.

It was kind of funny, actually. Seeing himself through a lens, edited and dramatized, was like watching a character he used to play. And now, here he was—on a worn-in couch, in a shirt he hadn’t raced in, surrounded by the scent of you and maple syrup, and not a single thought about racing.

Eventually, he paused the show. Let the screen dim down, its reflection in the glass of the coffee table. He leaned back, arms stretched across the cushions. He hadn’t realised how much he’d tensed after it started until he let himself breathe again.

Then he heard the front door jingle open. Your voice calling out a casual, “I’m back!”

And he smiled.

“Hey, babe,” he called back. “You missed the most dramatic episode of DTS yet. Didn’t even throw a punch.”

©lilliezzzzz-fics: please don't copy or distribute my work on any platform

credits: @/cafekitsune for the dividers <3

taglist: @toodeepintofandoms

[letoasai]

dp x dc Chronos part 5

Part 1 - Previous - Master list

Diana was furious. 

She’d known her young uncle for only a handful of hours but here she was, ready to go to war for him. Perhaps that was what her grandfather had meant earlier, his words still ringing in her ears. 

I have a task for you, Diana. One i do not think you will turn now but i’ll give you the illusion of choice.

Perhaps it was less an illusion and more her grandfather merely knowing ahead of time how she would react. If Danny was to be believed – and he did seem such a trustworthy boy – his Clockwork knew every path one could take. 

She knew there were still questions to be asked, but Danny had been able to tell her a great deal before his eyes began to droop and she insisted he try to sleep. The curtains to the room had been left open and she watched as his eyes happily glazed over at the sight of open space before him. It had only taken minutes for him to fall asleep. 

Now she had a lot of work to do and she planned to get as much done while Danny slept as she could. 

She entered the conference room with a quick stride, many members already present for the meeting she had ordered via text. They’d learned that some equipment didn’t work well around Danny. Visuals were blurry at best and audio crackled into something indistinguishable. Diana had instead been texting information to Bruce and Kal to look into while she focused on the boy. 

“Were you able to find anything?” She asked immediately, not elaborating on which fact she was talking about. She’d sent them so many little snippets that she didn’t really care where they started. 

Batman just grunted, and despite wearing his cowl, she could see just how unhappy he was. 

“You’re not going to like it, but you expected that.” Superman said, papers laid out in front of him. He wasn’t the only one doing his research. 

Green Lantern and Flash were still there, the latter looking like he was having an existential crisis over the topic of ghosts. 

Martian Manhunter had also arrived, his frown informing her that the others had caught him up on what had been happening. 

“Can we confirm the truth as Danny has laid it out for us?” She asked, taking a seat. 

“Oh, yeah.” Hal muttered, rubbing a hand down his face. “Constantine will arrive later, but he could confirm the new High King of the Infinite Realm went by Phantom. Never heard him sound so horrified as him learning that someone had punched a hole into another realm in their house though. Inter-dimensional war crimes on our end are stacking up.” 

“Our end?” She asked. 

“The GIW…” Bruce began, sounding a mixture of exhausted and livid. “Are completely out of their depth and did not have the authority to just name a species unidentified to the rest of us as non-sentient. If the Infinite Realm retaliates, and John thinks it’s a possibility, it won’t just be aimed at the GIW alone but the entire dimension. That makes this more of a mess for us to clean up than it already was.” 

They’d already decided to help, that was what they did. But there was a difference in lending a hand and righting a wrong and taking responsibility for someone else’s fuck ups because they had to. 

“Can we prove it?” Diana asked. 

“Absolutely.” Kal nodded. “Honestly, for a government agency, their security is a joke. There was a backdoor already in place. We can ask Danny about that later.”

Diana nodded, certain the information would be good in his hands. She turned her attention back to Bruce. “The Fentons?” 

There was a certain level of disgust that tried to choke her out in that situation. Danny had been so hesitant, the betrayal fresh and painful. She had lived in the World of Men for a long time now and it had as many delights as it did drawbacks, but to learn what Danny’s parents had attempted to do to him left her burning to seek them out herself. 

His mother had lost her privilege to refer to herself as such.

She didn’t care what the circumstances were. Capture and torture with the intentions of vivisection was inexcusable. The target being a child made it all the more heinous. Diana knew Batman would understand without her saying a word. 

“Run of the mill mad scientists. They might have been onto something once when it came to energy but their bias took over. Even if they had been correct about ecto-entities, their language is incredibly inappropriate. No licenced and competent science journal would be associated with that.” He stared at her unhappily. “They’re lunatics. The fact that their children grew up in their home is outrageous.” He hit a button on the remote and a location appeared on the computer screens. 

A bricked house on a street corner, enormous Fenton Works sign taking up most of the front. It was an eyesore, but not as much as the sci-fi looking shuttle sticking out of the roof. The OHSA violations alone should have had the building condemned and there was no way permits had been granted for any of that construction. 

It was a supervillain's dream and not the least bit subtle. It should have been a crime in itself for the town to allow it to remain in a residential area and was shocking that no calls to Child Protective Services had been made. 

Yes, Danny was an exceptional being, but Diana understood now all the likely scenarios where he could have died in that house. Danny had called his death an accident, but she wasn’t so certain about that. “They were the ones to hurt him.” Diana said, hating how her throat was tight. She was already emotionally compromised. 

“Yes, i know.” 

Diana’s attention snapped back to him. “How?” 

“Simple reasoning. They are unstable ghost hunters with questionable science. Danny was removed from his home for his safety. Chronos said he needed a guardian. That doesn’t paint a pretty picture.” Bruce muttered. “Either his guardians couldn’t care for him, or shouldn’t care for him.” 

She felt her shoulders relax somewhat, knowing that such a logical conclusion should have occurred to her too. She really was worried about Danny’s recovery. “We can add it to the file i know you’ve created, but i’d prefer if no one asked him about that at this time. This last attack only happened several days ago and it is still fresh on his mind.” 

Bruce’s eyes narrowed, always a hound when it came to sniffing out abused kids. “This last attack?” 

“They’ve been after him for a while.” Diana hummed, though she’d only had a vague example or two since Danny hadn’t wanted to get into it. She couldn’t imagine how he’d just returned home every day to parents who tried to capture his other persona. 

“We must factor in his identity.” Martian Manhunter approached them, having been listening. J’onn had been doing his own research the last several hours. He laid down a startlingly clear picture of Danny in his white haired ghost form. A print out of an Amity Park newspaper article. 

“What is that?” Bruce frowned, sliding it closer to read. 

“The hero of Amity Park. Phantom. The articles are biased and unfavorable, but that is not the current accepted public opinion. Phantom protects the living from ghosts. He also protects the ghosts from the ghost hunters.” J’onn explained, voice carefully neutral. “Phantom appearing other places, perhaps shouldn’t coincide with where Daniel Fenton ends up.” 

“A name change could be warranted. If that’s what he wants.” Bruce adds. 

J’onn gave a single nod. “It’s a great deal of pressure on one teenager's shoulders. Being a king of a realm on top of that…” 

It was silently agreed upon that Danny deserved this break and Diana was going to get it for him.

“It was only a matter of time before something had to give.” Diana said, turning enough to speak to everyone in the room. “Well he won’t be dealing with all of that alone now. We start with dismantling the GIW, appealing the Anti-Ecto Acts, and smoothing over our relations with the Infinite Realm.” 

“Only that much, huh?” Flash muttered, trying to wrap his head around the science of ghost hunting. 

“Why not get some of the kids involved. Young Justice, maybe?” Hal was rubbing his eyes, not looking forward to the consequences of this mess. “Once he heals it might do him some good to be around others closer to his own age. People he wouldn’t need to hide half of himself from.”

When put like that, Diana could only agree. 

“I’ll mention it to him.” “I’ll get the information i have to Lois.” Clark said, sliding his papers into a binder. “If public opinion of Phantom is already decent in Amity Park, then we’ll up the exposure to put pressure on our oblivious government.” 

“I’ll take a few of the GIW facilities.” Bruce muttered, but he had that familiar tone that said he was about to let his children go buck wild. “A little recon…” he added vaguely. 

Before anyone else could put in their own two cents, the sensors went off, exactly how they had before Chronos had arrived. A paranormal knock of sorts before the very air seemed to split in two, a glowing green portal building around it. 

“Here we go again.” Barry muttered, each of them surrounding the portal as they’d done early for safety’s sake but they were less inclined to fight immediately. 

As J’onn was seeing it for the first time, he remained near Diana, keenly watching the portal manifest. It wasn’t Chronos who stepped out though, it wasn’t human at all. 

From the portal stepped a creature that Diana didn’t have the name for. Bipedal, humanoid, but beast like in appearance. Horns on his head and spikes from his tail made of ice were noticed secondary to his arm of ice that still encased his bones inside. His fur was white, his claws could easily kill and he was covered by a kilt and cape. 

What gave Diana pause as the bag slung over one shoulder, the tell tale signs of a medical cross across the front. 

“Who are you?” Superman asked, more polite than their earlier run in with her grandfather. 

The creature, a ghost presumably, held himself rigid. He was doing a great deal to make himself appear smaller then he was but his gaze was assessing. He was ready to fight if necessary. 

“I am here for His Majesty, the Great One.” Was his response. 

Diana stepped forward, deciding this was exactly what she suspected. “I am Diana. Granddaughter of Chronos who Danny fondly calls Clockwork. You are Frostbite, come to check on Danny, yes?” 

All of his attention was on her now, but he seemed to see what he wanted in her after locking eyes. “I am. Frostbite, Ruler of the Infinite Realm’s Far Frozen. I have come to see Our Savior the King, as his primary physician.”

“He’s a doctor.” Flash whispered. 

“Fascinating.” J’onn muttered, sounding a little winded by whatever he was sensing. “He is who he claims.” 

“I’m relieved.” Diana muttered, approaching him with a smile this time. “Please come with me and i will take you to Danny. I’m afraid we did what we could but his unique biology left us questioning our choices. He is resting in a private room.” 

“Did something happen to setback his recovery?” Frostbite asked, serious over the care of his charge as he followed Wonder Woman out of the conference room without so much as a glance back at the other heros. 

“Excitement, i believe.” Diana offered. “He may have been a little too excited to show off his alternate, living form and seemed to forget his condition.” 

Frostbite actually snorted. “Sounds like him.”

“I did not realize how badly wounded he was. We had been talking about our arrangements and he was answering my questions about ghosts. He appeared sore, but fairly pleased to speak with me. Given what he had just been through…” 

Frostbite grunted his agreement. “His heart is soft, but his will is unlike anything i have ever known. Many of us saw this tragedy coming, but he insisted on seeing it out for himself, hoping for a favorable ending.” 

Diana cracked her knuckles out of habit, that anger still simmering. “He will be safe in my care, i assure you.”

“The Great One is the rightful King to our realm, but many forget he is still just a child.” Frostbite said, eyeing her even as she led him through the Watchtower. 

“It is not something i am likely to forget.” Not after she’d seen how small he was in their medbay bed. “He’s resting but weak, you can help?” 

“As long as he has not taken more damage, i’m sure i can.” Frostbite said, a gentleness to his voice as they stopped at Danny’s room. Diana went in first to prove the area was a safe one but that may not have mattered given how quickly Frostbite followed her. 

He was at Danny’s bedside in an instant, having somehow moved passed her without knocking into her. He could have gone through her for all she knew. For all he seemed to be a hulking beast, Frostbite was nothing but gentle as he examined Danny. He looked over any and all work that had been done to Danny since his arrival, and checked the bandages across his torso. He went as far as to grab the clipboard on the foot of Danny’s bed to read, having no trouble understanding the medical jargon. 

From his medical bag, he pulled out several small bottles, all of them growing a toxic green. Injections were given to the teenager, and it didn’t seem to matter that he was in his living, dark haired form. 

“Has he explained to you what it means to be a halfa?” Frostbite finally asked, breaking the silence. 

“Only in vague, teenager terms.” Diana said. She’d been quite sure that Danny’s flippant attitude was more a coping mechanism than anything.

Frostbite just hummed. “Then i will have to fill you in.”

[blackcoldcrackedheart]

Might write it out more.

Tommy isn't religious, but he's praying to whomever can hear him that the boy,who looks barely two or three years old, is okay.

He wants to desperately curse out the parents for being stupid enough to go hiking when the Santa Ana winds were getting stronger.

Tommy picks up the kid gingerly, waiting for his team to pull the parents first since they weren't responding. The kid had a horrible open wound that Tommy was betting was a fracture but the kid's eyes were open and he seemed alert- scared really.

Something about the kid's eyes felt eerily familiar- a sense of deja vu washed over Tommy. The kid's eyes were starting blue and so animated, that Tommy was sure he could read the kid's thoughts just by looking into his eyes.

He gently pushed back the kid's blond curly hair back, pressing against the wound as the kid's eyes could only look around in fear. "Hey, I'm Tommy. What you're name, kiddo?"

"Danny." The kid slurred, his voice barely a whisper. "Mommy and daddy hurt?"

Tommy nodded, "Yes, your mommy and daddy got hurt but my friends are gonna help, okay? We're all firefighters and we're gonna take you to the hospital so you can feel better." He explained gently. He looked up to the helicopter that Lucy was piloting l. The winds were harsh and he had covered Danny's face from having to see his parents sway in the wind as they were being pulled into the helicopter.

"Firetruck?" Danny's eyes were filled with wonder and excitement, of course the kid would love firetrucks.

Tommy laughed, " When we get out of here, we can go see firetrucks with your mom and dad. Okay?"

Danny's eyes drooped close, Tommy patted the toddler's face gently, "Hey buddy, I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake."

"I'm not tired, Tummy."

Tommy nearly snickered at that, the kid was such a cutie pie. "Hey, what if we sang a song? Want to sing me a song?"

He heard it before he heard his team yell.

The sound of the ground shifting.

"KINARD!"

-

Amir was ready by the doors for EMT to come through with the second party of the hill avalanche call.

The first set to come through was a couple, younger than Amir. Amir knew that they were able to get the name of the man since he had on a medical bracelet- Connor. They were both rushed to the OR due to being in critical conditions. Amir wasn't sure if either one would make it just based on the amount of blood he saw on the emt workers working on them.

He waited and saw his patient coming in.

"What do we have today?" Amir asked, taking control of the gurney that had the third adult.

"40 years old white male, lacerations on the back of the head, severe bruising on his back and legs, possible fracture on his left leg and possible crush hip." The rushed blond emt informed him, Amir's eyes followed the fourth gurney that was trailing behind them, this one carrying much smaller patient

"Is that his kid?" Amir asked, the kid looked rough and bloodied, with another nurse taking over the bagging for the kid's ventilation.

Another emt looked the blond woman worriedly, "No, he's one of ours, Tommy Kinard. The kid belongs to the parents who were rushed in earlier."

Amir sighed, "Noted, we'll take it from here guys."

-

The five mile run didn't do anything to calm Buck's nerves.

He still wanted to call Tommy.

More now than ever since he felt like he was losing his family again.

He wanted to be supportive of Eddie, of Maddie and Chim, and Bobby.

But a part of him felt like he couldn't.

Especially that part that saw a future with Tommy.

He chucked his headphones onto the kitchen counter and was ready to do the same with his phone when he saw a familiar number calling him.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Evan Buckley?"

Buck could already feel himself start to worry, no one typically asked that question unless it was related to something bad.

"Uh, ye-yeah, this is Evan Buckley." Buck replied roughly.

"I'm calling from Cedar-Sinai hospital, I'm calling about Thomas Kinard? You're listed as his emergency contact."

Buck felt his blood rush to his ears, he was sure words were said but he was on auto-pilot now. He understood a few words the nurse was telling him as he grabbed his keys and wallet: severe injuries, avalanche, helicopter rescue, kid.

Buck just needed to get to Tommy.

Part 2

[demon-at-peace]

DP+DC crime ally

This is slightly inspired by Bus to Nowhere and his relationship with the kids but barely. Basically Danny runs a shelter, well not an intentional one, just he started giving out meal and snacks to the kids, and inviting the kids in and now he's running a shelter.

it's not just for kids, sure Danny would kill for these kids, and not that he knows it but they would kill for him too. He puts effort into tutoring them, but doesn't bug them about their grades. but same for anyone else old young any age.

he buys them snacks and treats their injuries, he never asks, never buts in, and they do the same. Everyone acts like everything is the same when Danny beats the living shit out of one of black masks men.

Everyone knew not to talk when the odd biker came by and he and Danny fought and then spent the next hour giggling and watching TV. Everyone knew not to talk about the person who came by for Danny's pelt. He didn't ask, they didn't ask.

Regardless Danny's house is safe. That rule is prominent, he'll take everyone in for at least a night without judgement. He doesn't judge and you don't judge in return.

The vigilantes are suspicious but they don't visit, simply because they don't want to ruin it. Because Jason is so happy to finally have a place to walk the kids back to. But eventually one of them, I'll go with Red Hood because he's territorial and banned the others from crime ally.

So he gets shot but to not scare the kid walks her home, think like a nine year old, anyhow Danny sees the shot wound and with an exasperated sigh asks if he wants help. Now the bats have staking out and it's an open invitation.

So Jason is in shock when Danny expert ally removes the bullet and stitches him up like this happens every Tuesday. They talk mainly about the kid. People after that assume he's part of red hoods gang, he makes them know that shit isn't true.

The other bats droop in, black mask penguin even joker tries to drop by. if their greeting isn't friendly they get beat to hell and back.

Anyhow yeah kinda like bus to nowhere and maybe Danny's daycare but I imagine he's also protective of the adults too, everyone is welcome, just leave your shoes and guns at the door.

Also he's short in this because like this massive buff dude in some random gang and the rest of crime ally is just being mother henned by a Twink. Also I imagine he forcibly adopts civilian Jason too.

Also if you know anything else like this I'd love recs, bye!

[grimdarling69]

Ghosting Gone Backwards

"No. No, i can not go back." Damian spoke her voice echoey and distant, but her body was etched in drooping vines. She would not stand for this. She did not sacrifice years of a life she could have been living with her family, to be the Ghost Queen, wife to the High King of the Infinate Realms, Phantom Dark (her Danny) and mother of their children, Dante and Ellie just to run back to them with her tail between her legs. Because what? The Observants don't believe they are doing a good enough job? That they are to focused on their children and friends to run a kingdom? The Realms were doing fine before them and can wait just a little for them to raise their young children. But of course not, and now Clockwork wanted to send her and their children away.

She glanced at Danny. She couldn't bear it any longer, and her glowing purple eyes started to water. Her husband, since he had asked her to join him in the Infinte Realms in a borrowed dream. He needed her to save their children since he had fully died and was no longer the halfa he once was, but she was well on her way to becoming one. A starving and raging one at that. She would have died, or worse had he not taken her to Frostbite. She did not regret rushing her healing and straining herself to have the children at different times and being forced to marry Danny because those stupid eyeballs couldn't fathom losing their last bit of control.

She loved Danny if course, had since she was still Sam Manson, but she would have preferred not to marry at thirteen years old and the ghost equivalent to pregnancey with Dante, after a incident, both then and three years later she needed to have Ellie because of Vlads incompetence and stupidity.

And now here she is on the eve of her eighteenth birthday being told that she was being forced to go home to a family that she left behind for another.

To her Father. To Richard, her older brother, but always acted more like a father than a brother. To Alfred and his endless food. To Jason and his cruel jokes but soft voice that read stories to him from a very young age. To Cassandra, whom she respected heavily and found commederie with. To Timothy, a boy she once tried to murder many times but somewhere along the way they found family. To Stephanie and her laughter, her easy disposition that could lower his guard. To Duke and his bright way of always lighting up their darkness, litterly.

How could she return to them? Even if she did go back... what would they say? Would they believe her? Vansished mysteriously a boy and just as sudden reappeared a young woman with a barely five and almost two year old. The scandal!...she can hear her siblings laughing voices, exclaiming the word. Her baby girl, her sleepy little flower, with her little fingers intertwined with the vines that seemed to sprout from all over. They usually have flowers freshly and beautifully bloomed.

" Dame... I do not wish for you three to leave me either, but it is dangerous here for you. You three are the most vulnerable out of everyone here." Danny spoke, his worry and concern displayed in the swarming colors in his eyes. Yes, she knew how much they meant to him but she still hated it when he acted like she was all that much weaker than him just because she was only a halfa and an ancient still in the making. She never looked down upon him when he was in her spot, but she supposed she wasn't that powerful in either of her lives compared to her husband. She was once a Robin, weilding a katana and bringing justice to her father's streets, but she left that life behind.

He swiped a tear off her cheek and leaned his head in, resting on her forehead. She closed her eyes and she knew he was dog the same.

" I love you more than anything, Dami. You always supported me before, and I need to know you three are safe... even if it's away from me." He spoke without moving. He didn't breathe, but she did.

For her children... she would do anything even return to her old life.

She didn't need to speak for him to know her decision and simply kissed her and removed his sons laced fingers to place them in hers. She smiled softly at her sleepy little boy. He would have started kindergarten with Frostbite and the other neverborns this year. He smiled at her, but his eyes were clouded with fuzz.

"Your family can't see you like this." She hadn't detransformed in close to two years now. She had never felt the need to, being surrounded by things she needed to be a ghost for. Her children were still in their human forms, too young to have the ectoplasm to support their forms. She herself at one point was too deprived of ectoplasm as well. It was simply better for them both to be human before, and it was good they were still human if she were to go home with them like... she didn't know what would happen.

She breathed a deep breath that seemed to shake her lungs. Light emerged from her middle, and it stalled for a few seconds before spreading across her body. The vines disappeared, and her dress shifted into the clothes she recalled wearing at some point when pregnant with Ellie. They were comfortable so she wouldn't complain. For a second, everything seemed fine, then she tilted forward black toeing her vision.

"Danny..."

"I've got you."

She gained her balance after a while, and Danny, with eyes that watched like a hawk to make sure she's recovered. At some point, Wulf came and opened a portal to the place she described on the outskirts of Bristol. It would be in the woods, but close enough, she would have to walk for than a mile or so to the Wayne Manor front gate.

"Goodbye, Dante, Ellie, my lovely Dame." He spoke in a singsong voice, but she could tell it was a last resort to stop himself from breaking down into tears and begging her to stay. He couldn't do that because they both knew would stay.

"Goodbye, beloved."She spoke, backing slowly into the portal, still carrying hope he'd change his mind and tell her to stay. He didn't.

Before long, they arrived in Bristol with heavy rain battering the trees. She clutched Ellie closer with one hand and, with practiced motions, picked up Dante in a piggy back ride and slipped into the night.

She walked a long time but finally reached the leering gate. It looked just the same as when he left all those years ago. Ellie was wet and grumblely but refused to wake. Dante was fast asleep, his hair sticking up every way, his drool and rain indiscernable stains on the light sweater. They would certainly be getting colds, Alfred would never not treat them even if he was mad at her.

She buzzed the doorbell barely seeing it between her long cascading dark and curly hair from the rain drenching it. She needed a hot shower as soon as possible.

"Wayne Residence speaking. We are quite busy. I'm afraid for guests at this moment." Alfred spoke, his voice was heavy and disinterested? Her almost grandfather would absolutely call that beyond rude.

" Not very polite of you, Pennyworth. You always tell me to be kind and here you are trying to turn us away in the rain. How the mighty have fallen." He playfully chastised the butler hoping he'd recognize him.

" Master Damian...? No it can't be but that voice... have you really returned to us?"

"Yes I have....and I was hoping we could save some tears for when I'm not on the verge of being swept away?"

"Oh! Yes..yes I will be there with the car right away. Just... just don't go anywhere. Please."

She didn't realize just how much she missed her psuedograndfather until he heard voice. Maybe this won't be as bad as she thought.

A/n this came to me in a very strange dream and I just need everyone to know this probably won't make sense but just so you know I was sick when I dreamed this up so blame my fever dreams if yall follow me for my Crack au it should be posted by tonight sorry for the delay I got really bad writers block and so o took a break to do some other things to get rid of it

[radiance1]

Damian landed with a small thud in the alleyway, standing up and walking forward while unsheathing his blade. It drew an elegant arc in the air, before it tips was placed at another's throat, forcing them to tilt their head upwards to avoid injury. "What do you think you are doing here?"

Eyes were peeled open slowly, and the wheezy that filled the alleyway took on a more amused edge. "I don't know, why do you think I'm here," Danny tried to tilt his head, before stopping with a wince and a sharp intake. "Can't I just visit my big bro, from time to time?"

Damian tilted his head slightly, eyes roaming over the various wounds over his brother's body and the amount of ectoplasm on the ground around him, before leaving Danny with the most unimpressed look he could make. Danny chuckled wetly, before devolving into a coughing fit, then smiling wryly. "Heh, ya got me I guess."

"Tt." Damian lowered his blade, enough for Danny to no longer have to strain his head upwards. "What brought you to this state, Daniel? Those inventors you keep around are certainly brilliant, but incompetent." Damian's eyes narrowed. "So who."

"Yea, wasn't them. Can't really do that when you're blown to smitheries, right?" Danny chuckled humorlessly, before falling silent with a pained wheeze. His head threatened to fall downwards, and his eyelids drooped. A slight press against his neck snapped him back into the waking world. "Right, right. Okay so, would you believe me if I said that a," Danny swallowed. "A government branch is currently chasing me after they found out about my half-dead status?"

Damian stared silently, then sighed. "I'm not surprised, you always were an idiot." Danny puffed up his cheeks indignantly. "Hey! It wasn't my fault this time!"

"Whatever you say, Daniel." Damian pressed the tip of his sword further against Danny's throat. "That still does not explain why you came here, of all places."

"Amity Park's compromised for me, and well." Danny gave a half shrug, or at least tried too before wincing. "This is one of the last places they would look, and I'm too," Danny gesture to himself. "You know, to go for another fly."

Damian nodded. "I can see that." Damian dissected Danny with his eyes, taking in his injuries, his ruined outfit, the blood running down his face over one of his eyes.

Hm.

Damian let out an annoyed sigh, before twirling his sword away from Danny's neck and putting it back into its sheathe. He lifted the edge of his cape. "Get in before I regret this."

Danny blinked in surprised confusion. "What?"

Damian scowled. "Get. In." He flapped the edge of his cape for emphasis, and Danny blinked again, before suddenly being hit with a wave of understanding. "Oh, oh! Really?"

"I will not be repeating myself for a third time."

"Aw! I knew you cared about me!" Danny flew into Damian's cape, leaving a trail of ectoplasm behind in his flight that was quickly taken hold of by gravity and splattered against the ground.

Damian pulled a face, because he already felt like he regretted doing this.

"Robin, where are you?" His father's voice coming from his comm snapped him from his regret. He jumped onto a nearby pipe and flipped himself up onto one of the buildings, gritting his teeth in annoyance as Danny clapped with his cape. He glanced back at the alleyway, before turning.

"On my way, father." And just like that, he was out into the night with one extra (annoying) passenger.

[five-rivers]

Cilia

A little ficlet I did for @jackdaw-sprite :3

Clockwork was observing Daniel out of the corner of his eye.  The boy had wedged himself into the corner of his couch - an artifact he had only acquired for Daniel’s sake in the first place - and looked like he was half asleep, although he was still in ghost form.  

There were a number of paths leading out from this point in time.  Some of them were so unlikely and would require Clockwork to act in such a reprehensible way that they were virtually impossible, and Clockwork barely glanced at them.  Others were unpleasant or unfortunate for a variety of reasons.  The rest had their positives and negatives.  

Clockwork would have to decide which pathway to take.  And whether or not it would be worth it, to take the one that would give him what he wanted.  

Already, he had been contemplating the dilemma for subjective days.  As Master of Time, he could contemplate it for subjective years, if he so wished, but that would likely be unhealthy.  

He wanted.  

He flew over to the couch and settled on the side across from Daniel, just close enough for their auras to touch.  

Daniel’s aura reached towards his, the tiny strands that made it up waving and stretching sideways.  The strands that could touch tapped and brushed and wrapped around Clockwork’s.  Clockwork could feel as their rounded, slightly bulbous ends curiously, and somewhat clumsily, nosing through the thicker field of Clockwork’s aura.  Where the auras overlapped, the air seemed to ripple with rainbow shades.  

Daniel stirred, reorienting himself slightly on the couch so that he was closer to Clockwork, a little bit more of his aura intersecting Clockwork’s.  

“‘M I in your way?” asked Daniel, blinking sleepily at Clockwork.  “Keeping you off your couch.”

“No,” said Clockwork, who had never used the couch before now.  

“What’s–”  He raised his hand, confused, and waved it through their combined auras, briefly making them flare even brighter as another part of Daniel’s aura passed through the area.  “What’s happening?”

“Aura intersection.”

“I’ve been close to other ghosts before,” said Daniel, waving his hand through their auras again.  “It didn’t, um, it didn’t do this.”

“Ghosts you trust?” asked Clockwork.  

“Um,” said Danny, frowning.  “Why does- Why does it do this?”  He was very obviously not fully awake, but he was as curious as his aura.  

“You know that your aura is made of small filaments.”

Daniel nodded.  “Like cilia.  On a cell.”  

“Yes, like cilia.  Your aura is interacting with mine.  If you look very closely, you will be able to see the strands.”

Daniel blinked slowly, then leaned closer.  “I don’t see anything.”

“Look at it like you would look at something invisible,” said Clockwork, adjusting his position slightly.  

“Hmm,” said Daniel, leaning even closer.  He lost balance and his shoulder bumped into Clockwork’s arm.  “Mm, sorry.”

“No need,” said Clockwork, patting Daniel’s back.  

It was the first time Clockwork had touched him so casually, and Daniel stiffened, but he was too tired, and too interested in the interactions of their auras, to keep that up for long.  Clockwork, meanwhile, let the strands of his aura brush through Daniel’s, projecting calm, moving soothingly.  

Daniel was not yet familiar with that kind of empathic, aura-to-aura communication, and he responded accordingly, mirroring the feelings and drooping further, curling slightly into Clockwork.  Clockwork nudged him gently, with hand and aura, until he was more or less lying on Clockwork.  

“It’s pretty,” said Daniel.  

“It can be, yes,” said Clockwork, extending his aura, wrapping Daniel in its embrace.  “You seem very tired today.”

“Lots of fights,” said Danny.  “Boxy, Desiree, Skulker–”  He yawned.  “Nocturne, even.”

“Oh?”

“He’s- He’s not so bad when he’s not feeding off like a million dreams or- or whatever he was doing that one time…”

“Indeed,” said Clockwork, stroking his shoulders and upper arms.  Daniel’s head was nodding up and down, his blinks getting longer and longer, and his aura was also starting to slow and grow quiescent, although it still expressed a sleepy curiosity.  

Clockwork let his own aura be more adventurous, questing through Daniel’s until it touched his skin.  Daniel shivered at the first touch, but otherwise seemed undisturbed, relaxing further as their auras became more intertwined.  

Cautiously, Clockwork began to feed him energy through their auras.  There was a small chance for rejection at this stage– But there was none, Daniel accepting the sustenance easily, his head lolling back against Clockwork’s chest.  

His eyes were closed.  His breathing slowed.  At his waist, his aura sparked, then rolled, forming a ring.  The ring split, moving in two directions.  Where the rings passed, Daniel’s aura pulled back into his skin and his clothing shifted, becoming his human outfit.  All very normal.  

Except that the parts of Clockwork’s aura that were tangled in Daniel’s were pulled in as well.  Not all the way, no, but enough.  It was uncomfortable at first, but Clockwork quickly got used to it.  

Daniel did not wake.

He did, however, turn to snuggle into Clockwork.  Clockwork, feeling indulgent, wrapped him in his cloak.  

Even when Daniel transformed again, Clockwork’s aura would still be tangled with his.  In fact, their auras would be even more tangled, to the point of being inseparable by normal means.  

Now, a ghost’s aura could extend for some distance, and the stronger the ghost, the further their aura could reach.  But even Clockwork’s aura could not extend more than a few dozen meters.  

In other words, Daniel would be bound to him until he could come up with a way to untangle himself.  Bound, for Clockwork to keep, at least for a while.  

Daniel would be angry at first.  Even if Clockwork didn’t have the ability to see the future, he could see that.  But his anger would fade quickly, and he would feel better if he had useful and interesting things to do - Clockwork was already planning what he would teach him.  As for sustenance during that time…  Clockwork sent another pulse of energy through his aura, and smiled as Daniel mumbled happily in his sleep and snuggled closer.  

He would savor this moment.