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tricksovertreats · 1 month ago

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Dead Serious Creature Comforts

AKA "5+1 times Danny is touch-starved and plays Goldilocks with the Batfam to find his Cuddle Buddy" trope! (Spoiler, it's a certain assassin heir.)

I love the idea of Danny coming to Gotham, maybe by himself due to some mishap with the Infi-Map or a Reveal Gone Bad scenario; nonetheless, Batman is a total softie for a blue-eyed, black-haired, abused little kid. And Danny is also a Meta. Gotham's not really known for its stellar social reform programs - Danny would more likely be put into juvie as an underage Meta than placed in a foster home with a loving family. Assuming he doesn't "ghost" under the radar to avoid juvie or foster care altogether.

So, he gets unofficially-officially adopted by the Batfam.

Except he's surrounded by laughter, sibling rivalry, and edible food he doesn't have to smother in Ketchup. It's not... bad. It just feels so different. It makes him miss his parents, Sam, Tucker. Jazz. The Batfam are welcoming (aside from Damian, who's intense I-want-you-gone aura is through the fucking roof), but he's never felt so alone.

And it gets so much worse when he sees Barbara Gordon. Because she? Looks exactly like an older version of Jasmine, even when she's in her wheelchair and typing at the Batcomputer. It makes his chest ache and his stomach hollow out. Maybe it's two months in and Danny feels like he's dying again, can feel every little irritation dig under his skin and burrow in. Never leaving. And then he comes down to the Batcave (to be alone, somewhere dark and quiet, someplace he can curl up and comfort himself) when he sees Jasmine. Wearing a headband he's seen hundreds of times, her favorite bright blue one. And then she turns - wearing glasses, round nose, more narrow eyes - and says, "Danny? Are you okay?"

It's not his sister's voice. It's Barbara's. And Danny can't take it anymore. He starts sobbing, uncontrollable little kid sobs that feel gut-wrenching and heart-breaking. Babs spins her wheelchair around and then he's climbing into her lap, feeling every bit like the lost little kid that he is. Danny doesn't know how long he cries for. Just that through the entire thing, Barbara's there rubbing his back, softly saying, it's okay, Danny, you're okay. You're alright. I'm here for you, we're all here for you. And Danny does feel okay. The itchy, unsettled sensation in his body has lessened and he doesn't feel like any minor inconvenience is pulling at his frayed patience.

Barbara's still holding him close, hugging him tightly, when she says, "You can always come to us. Even if you just need a hug, okay?"

And Danny's actually pretty smart, okay? He may not seem like it all the time, but he can put two and two together. Hugging = feel better. Jazz may have some kind of psychological reasoning (and there's that pain again), but Danny can only go off of what he's feeling. A half-hour hugging section almost completely rewired his brain! It calmed his Obsession! So, clearly, he has to keep hugging Barbara. Except she has her own life with Dick in Bludhaven and he's alone in the manor with Damian, Tim, Bruce, and Alfred.

Alfred feels pretty unapproachable. Being called "Master Danny" doesn't really bode well for late night cuddles. Damian hates him. And Bruce is also incredibly unapproachable since he's very much a monosyllable-type and Danny is a talker; Danny would just feel like he's bothering the man. So, Tim it is. Except Tim is... kind of rude. He can give a hell of a tongue-lashing and Danny doesn't really want another emotional trauma.

The idea dawns on him when he sees a groggy, half-asleep Tim chugging coffee in a threadbare sweatshirt, joggers, and fuzzy socks. This Tim is approachable, soft, sort-of-scraggly. Tim sits down at the kitchen counter with his coffee (that he's squinting into with a befuddled, almost vacant expression) and Danny sits right next to him. Right next to. As in elbow-to-elbow. Tim doesn't even blink; Danny scoots closer. No reaction. It takes a couples minutes before Danny is actually wedged under Tim's arm, squished between his bicep and pec, wiggling around slowly as if a sudden movement would rouse the older boy.

Finally, Danny finds a somewhat comfortable position - his side squished against Tim's chest and back leaning against the edge of the kitchen island. He's turned around so he's facing away from the island. Maybe it's because of the uncomfortable position (he'll have to try his hand at cuddles while Tim's on the couch next time, maybe), but the unsettled sensation doesn't fully go away. He does feel kind of better, though. Danny goes intangible and sneaks away silently once Tim grunts, blinking blearily as if slowly rebooting.

So, Danny designates Tim his new cuddle buddy! (Tim's not awake enough to care if Danny squeezes in next to him and he'd let the damn Riddler out of Arkham if it got him a few more minutes of sleep. Plus, the kid's cute.) Except he's fucking gone all the time! Apparently Tim works as the CEO for Wayne Enterprise, even though he's barely eighteen, which means he's gone all day and patrols all night. The itching and irritation is back now, and it's worse. Almost like it knew Danny had a cuddle buddy who's forsaken him!

He's not desperate enough to go to Bruce or Alfred yet, though - instead, he waits until it's family dinner. He assumes Dick and Barbara (his Favorite Cuddle Buddy) will be there, but apparently there's an emergency in Bludhaven and Jason shows up instead. It's super awkward. Jason antagonizes Bruce with half-serious resentment, Damian and Jason insult each other in Arabic fast enough to make Danny's head spin trying to keep up, and Tim is in Germany for a conference or something. It's definitely not ideal but Danny tells himself he's doing this for his Ghost. To keep himself under control, to help with the anxiety and loneliness. He's gotta hug somebody at the end of the night and it definitely won't be Damian or Bruce.

At the end of family dinner, Jason's in the kitchen helping Alfred wash the dishes and speaking quietly. Jason has a little half-smile on his face and Alfred's eyes are crinkled with soft fondness. It's... nice, a good atmosphere, and Danny doesn't really want to intrude. Except they both notice him standing awkwardly in the doorway. Jason's eyebrow raises and he asks, "What's up, kid?" and Danny knows it's now or never.

"Can I... have a hug?" Danny's voice comes out painfully quiet. He feels like he's standing outside his parents bedroom door after a nightmare - waiting, unsure if he's welcome. He used to go to Jazz's room late at night instead, climb into her bed and grin as his sister curled around him and surrounded him with the sound of her open-mouth snoring. Except she's not here. He's alone.

His words make Jason and Alfred pause in their washing. He thinks maybe Jason will say no, since his face goes through several complicated expressions, before it settles on something almost sad. His arms open and he chokes out a gruff little, "'Course, kid." And Danny goes. It's not perfect - Jason's not soft like Barbara and Tim, but he hugs Danny with a sort of awkward gentleness that makes Danny's eyes burn. It feels almost like Jason knows how much he needs this. Alfred's hand squeezes on Danny's shoulder for a moment as he says, "Would you like some tea, Master Danny?" The way Alfred says Master Danny sounds gentler.

The rest of his evening is spent in the kitchen with Alfred, Jason, and a cup of chamomile tea. The unsettled itch dissipates slowly as he listens to quiet conversation and the sounds of dishes being washed.

It's another couples of weeks when the unsettled sensation comes back. Unfortunately, Alfred's tea and brief "Alfred Hug" as Danny dubs it (AKA, a fond hand squeezing his shoulder) can only go so far. He wakes from a nightmare. A really, really bad one - his vivisection scar on his chest aches, itches deep inside the tissue, and his has to stop himself from scratching himself bloody. Danny makes his way to the Batcave again because it's sort of become his go-to when not in use. And there's Bruce, sitting at the Batcomputer.

Bruce notices Danny immediately, turning around, and... he's dressed in a soft cable-knitted grey sweater, black slacks, and he's wearing reading glasses. There's a cup of coffee next to him with a Nightwing logo printed on it. The small desk light bathes him in a warm orangish glow and Danny thinks maybe he doesn't seem so intimidating like this. (At the very least, he doesn't look like a gaunt, terrifyingly bat-shaped Ghost.) Bruce's voice is noticeably soft when he asks, "Danny? Do you need anything?"

And Danny thinks about the other person who was sitting at that chair months ago, saying you can always come to us. Even if you just need a hug. Barbara, Tim, Jason, and Alfred weren't so bad. So he takes a chance and asks, just as quietly, "Can I have a hug?"

Danny shouldn't have been so anxious about it: Bruce's eyes crinkle, looking almost exactly like Alfred's, and his arms open wide. This hug feels less gentle than Jason's, more sure than Tim's, and more enveloping than Barbara's. It's not a Big Sister hug, it's a- oh... it's a Dad Hug. And that makes him feel so, so much worse because he has a dad (even if Jack Fenton wasn't always around and tried to capture him on multiple occasions, he was always his dad). The unsettled itch goes away but a bone-deep grief replaces it.

"I miss my dad." Danny admits. His voice is thick with unshed tears. Bruce just hums and so he continues, "I miss my family. My mom, my sister, my friends. My home. I miss my old bed. I miss the posters on my walls and my old NASA hoodie. But I really, really miss my dad." When Danny's done, Bruce just murmurs a soft, I know, kiddo, I'm sorry. So Danny goes back to bed and he doesn't have another nightmare that night.

He doesn't think he's going to ask for another hug from Bruce again, though. It doesn't... it doesn't feel right.

Damian's attitude suddenly changes. Danny could barely be in the same room as the other boy without the "leave, leave, leave" aura choking him, but Damian greets him the moment he opens his bedroom door. It's a little intimidating, to be honest. Damian's dressed like a mini-Bruce in a deep maroon cable-knit long-sleeve and pressed slacks, and Danny's in sweats still.

"Good morning, Daniel."

"Uh... mornin'. What's up?"

Damian's eye twitches and Danny smothers an amused smile.

"I have a gift for you." Damian pulls a small canvas frame from behind his back (and wow, Danny needs to be more aware of his surroundings, he probably could've gotten merc'd so easily). Danny's ready to refuse on principle since he doesn't like accepting gifts, especially from people he doesn't really know, except there's a painting of the Andromeda galaxy. Damian continues, "I'm uncertain if you have a preferred astronomical unit. I hope this will suffice."

"Did you make this? Why?" Danny can't pull his eyes away from the unbelievably deep, vivid colors.

"It has come to my attention I may have made a small... error. I would like to reconcile. You stated you missed artwork in your personal quarters, so I hoped this would be an appropriate gift. Do you like it?"

"Yes! I love it, but-" Danny says, stopping when he actually registers what Damian's said. Oh, Ancients. Damian must've been listening in when he told Bruce about the posters in his bedroom! He's embarrassed, almost angry, that Damian knows something so personal, but when he looks at the other boy... there's a vivid blush on Damian's face. It wipes away the anger, the embarrassment.

Danny laughs. He laughs for the first time in months because the other boy looks ridiculous trying to maintain his stoic, noble aura while his cheeks are pinked and his expression is pinched. Danny huffs out a, "C'mere!" and drags Damian into a hug. They're the same height and they fit almost perfectly together, Danny's arms around Damian's shoulders and Damian's arms slowly circling Danny's waist. It doesn't feel like a Big Sister or a Dad Hug. It's... almost like he's back in Amity, hugging Sam or Tucker. It's really, really nice. Especially once Damian eases into the hug.

"Thanks, Damian. I really appreciate it." Danny says softly as he pulls away. Damian's hands are still carefully positioned on the other boy's waist and there's that crinkle around his eyes like Bruce, like Alfred.

"I am glad you enjoy it, Daniel."

(...and they were roommates! Jk, but I loooove the idea that Danny's like *points to Dami* that's mine now. And just cuddles the shit out of Damian any chance he gets. He's always been touchy with his friends and now that Damian's basically declared himself free game, Danny's all over him. Hand holding, sitting squashed side-by-side in the same booth at Batburger, Danny's head on Damian's shoulder. All of it!! And maybe somewhere down the road Danny's like, omg,,, do I like-like Damian?? Meanwhile, Dami absolutely thinks they've been dating. Give me Soft Boys in Love or give me death!!)

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