ghostbsuter

[ghostbsuter]

"Look kid— i need to close the lazarus pit, if it stays open, your grandfather will rot away far more than he already has." Danny, tired of this situation, explained somehwat calmly to the smallest bird of the bats.

"What! No! You can't. Who cares about my grandfather, the lazarus pit has my fishes inside!"

What.

Vaguely concerned, Nightwing crouches down to the kid. "Robin, what do you mean?"

"That's what I said. Whenever one of my fish died, back then, I'd put them into the pit. They live in there now, immortal."

Danny remains speechless for a moment.

"Wait- what the fuck? The ghost fish are YOURS?"

[ghostbsuter]

The moment he stepped into his apartment, water met his feet, and Dick held back a suffering groan. His apartment was flooded.

He is sore, tired, and just wanted to lay down. Sleep.

Plans changed, apparently, looking at the water. Taking measured breaths, he makes his way to his small bedroom, taking out all his vigilante stuff and packed them in a bag, thankfully dry. It was annoying, but what could he do?

Certainly not go back to the mansion.

With everything stored away, the bag was slightly overpacked, it didn't dether him as he returned to the hallway just as his landlord came. Others were already outside complaining about their own flats and Dick left for now, he would... handle this after he got rest.

Dick doesn't ponder long on who to call, not really. Jason is out of question, Bruce isn't even considered.

He didn't want to leave Bludhaven... which meant there really was only one option.

"Hey Danny? My flat got flooded, could I...—"

"I didn't even finish asking—"

"What—"

"Danny, I'll be over in... 10, thank you, really."

His coworker had an enthusiastic response to his request, Dick felt unbearably fond of it. Him.

—☆

Or, Danny is a Detective in Bludhaven that occasionally visits Gotham.

The thing is, Dick figured it out pretty quickly when he started working in Bludhaven, that Danny was genuine in his business.

Not corrupted, not bought, not fake.

It made him a big target in the city. One that Officer Grayson and Nightwing made sure to protect. He, admittedly, admired the man at the police station quite a bit.

[ghostbsuter]

"This is... good. It would always end like this, i think."

Phantom spoke, yet the words that left him did not help the agonising wreath his feelings became the longer he looked at the scene.

Both Dr. Fentons were in cuffs, transported through the city previously before stopping at the gate of Arkham Asylum. In a way, it was bittersweet to watch his parents be taken away. In a way, he was getting his justice, yet the child inside him cried and yearned for the comfort of his parents.

In a way, the picture of his careful crafted childhood was shattering piece by piece with every minute hr watched.

The raindrops did not stop splashing around him, but a dark curtain, a cape really, stopped it from hitting him more than it already had.

"Phantom." Batman uses his name carefully, slow. "You're crying."

Oh, was he?

"Sorry- I—" he tried, he tried so hard to stop but the sobs kept coming and the tears did not dry, his shoulders shook and breathing became a herculean task.

Grabbing onto the man's leg with a hand to steady himself, Batman lowered himself down, enough to wrap the boy in a hug.

Since the start of his life in Gotham, since the moment he entered the city as a new rogue, it was Batmans hug that made him feel the safest he's ever gotten to be.

[ghostbsuter]

"Vladimir Masters arrived, and by his side is a teen, adolescent guessing around 17. B, he doesn't look too happy to be here." Reports Tim as he stares subtly at the direction of the pair, walking around.

It didn't take a genius to see that the teen by Vladimir's side wasn't happy to be here.

"Got my eyes on them," Dick shares from across the room, where he'd grabbed a glass of champagne and mingled around. "Need some help, I'll try talk to the guy. O, know his name already?"

Tim plucked a small dessert from the table, giving a polite smile to the women passing him and frowning. Vladimir Masters wasn't an unusual guest they had, but whenever he did attend, it was alone. He was not married, Tim knew. So where did he get that guy from?

"Got him." Oracle's voice comes through the comm. "Daniel Fenton-Masters. Guess our friend over there got more family than we knew. That's his godson. There is... a lot. To say."

As she trails off, Dick makes his way slowly and steadily over, interest rising as he waves to an elderly man. "What is it?"

"Daniel hates Masters. Or so it seems." Oracle bluntly states, Dick nearly trips. "He was arrested once for keying Masters car, by Masters himself. Bailed him out after a few hours." She seemed more amused than alarmed, which was good.

Despite their talking through the comm, Tim nor Dick took notice of the youngest Wayne in the room stopping in front of the Masters.

"Eyes on Damian." Bruce speaks up for the first time, finally taking a break from the persona it seems.

Much to the short confusion turned alertness, Dick caught onto the youngest Wayne's plan. "He's engaging in a conversation all by himself! I'm so proud!"

With Damian and Daniel talking, Vladimir did not hesitate in leaving his wards side and talking with other guests. Dick still kept an eye on him, remaining close but outside of his path.

"O, tune us in on their conversation?"

With an affirmative hum, the channel switches and their voices become loud and clear.

"How is Delilah? From the letters I received, she seemed to be well."

"Oh, yeah! She's doing great! Don't tell anyone, Damian, but the zoo believes her to be pregnant."

"Pregnancy? Give her my blessings if it is true."

Was that pride in his tone? Dick would weep if he were alone.

The idle conversation switches topics from the apparently endangered monkey species(? Of course Damian would know. He seemed to have been in contact with Daniel previously.)

"Vladimir!" Brucies voice cuts in, startling Damian for a second and having the other birds in the gala swirl their heads toward their father.

As Dick keeps an eye on Bruce and Vladimir, Tim studied the other teen. During Damians startle, invisible to the trained eye, he had looked back with a flick to see. Despite how fast or practised the move was, Daniel followed along seamlessly.

Almost like a Bird.

The talk between the two ended shortly after the one from the adults started, Daniel was on the move after a quick excuse, grabbing a glass of champagne on his path directly towards his guardian.

And yet. The message he'd given Damian to escape repeated itself in his mind.

"Sorry, Damian, I need to save your father, one second. I'll be back soon."

Save Bruce from Vladimir? Why?

One second, he'd just watched Daniel pass him. The next, the boy was apologising repeatedly, over and over again. The glass of champagne empty on the floor, broken and the liquid inside all over Vladimir Masters.

"Masters is angry. Send someone to clean up the mess, please." To that, man in uniform arrived with a broom in his hand and cleaning up the shards of glass in seconds.

"That was clearly intentional. Daniel made sure Masters didn't get to talk with B past formalities. The picture I'm getting keeps getting uglier here, guys."

"Got it, thanks O. I'm joining in now."

...at least no rogue had yet to crash the gala? Tim hopes he didn't just Jinx them all.

[ghostbsuter]

"Do you think he will stop soon?"

At the question, Dick glances over at Danny, solemn. Different from the usual character he had around the other, funny even, considering who they were watching.

Dick and Danny— they were at this fast food chain whose name he couldn't bother to remember— watching with silent glances to each other as this man, really it was just some man, absolutely devour a whole box of sweet sour packs.

It was ridiculous, the fact neither of them stepped in yet or the fact the man seemed to be obsessed with sweet sour sauce??

"Okay, we can step in now."

[ghostbsuter]

"One second," Danny held up a finger, pausing Bruce from speaking more.

"Vlad." He calls once the call went through. "I need you to disown me or something."

There was quiet before the ghost spoke up again.

"Look, I found like a much better billionaire. Even his basement is better. I wouldn't mind getting kidnapped by this one, but your adoption papers are interfering with my fantasy here."

The voice on the other side of the call picked up, yelling now and Danny winces.

"Yeah, I might just call this one Dad, who knows."

More yelling, Danny, at this point, just taunts the other man more.

"Don't worry Brucie, i'll come over sooner or later, your mansion is much better looking than Vlads."

[ghostbsuter]

Not sure why, but the people did not, somehow, understand the concept of the undying.

Danny never felt the urge to leave more than now anywhere else and its driving him insane.

"Ma'am..." He slowly says, eyes on the reporter who stuck her microphone into his face unpromoted and asked to elaborate on ghosts.

"We aren't those... Halloween folks, you ever.watched Rise of the Guardians, lady?"

The woman nods quickly.

"Same concept and principle, we're all just variants of Jack Frost, but unlike him, we weren't chosen by the moon man."

He's flying away before she can even respond, sighing once up in the sky.

"I wish it was Lois Lane..."

[ghostbsuter]

Those were quite the news to hear.

To think that the Duo of Jon and Damian would grow into a Trio...

He wondered how the girl did it, Elle Nightingale, she must have fit right in.

To say Clark and Bruce weren't surprised would be a lie when those two boys brought in their new third companion and proceeded to roughhouse Robin-Superboy style with her.

And she seemed to retaliate just as hard.

Both fathers wondered if she was the child of a former colleague or another vigilante, that or she was a meta/alien.

So when they went to Central City to meet Elle's parent and let the kids have their fun— well.

They didn't expect a young adult– barely out of the teenage years— greeting them with a grin in a hoodie.

"Sup."

And down the rabbit hole they went.

—

Over the weeks of meet ups, Clark and Bruce have gathered around 4 different kind of responses to their questions of Elle's other parent/relationship with elle.

It went like this:

("Brother? Aww, you flatter me. I'm her dad, actually.")

("Hm? Elle's other parent? She doesn't have one.")

(A shrug. "I decided I wanted to have a kid. Elle is the result.")

("Plasmius has always been a moron. Elle! On his next weekend, rob him broke!" To which he got an enthusiastic nod from said girl.)

They've gathered;

1. Danny and Elle weren't meta-humans. Instead, at least, half something/alien.

2. Whoever Plasmius is, he was involved.

3. The boys know. Elle seemed to have shared some of her past with them, and they're holding onto the promise of safekeeping and secrecy.

[ghostbsuter]

Danny scoops up the slimy green soul of a civilian, cursing beneath his breath as Red Hood stops behind him, gun in hand.

"Dude, put that away." He isn't event looking, Danny is busy trying to get the green slime off the soul.

"Who the fuck are you?" Is the reply he receive, the voice module had a strange robot like accent that had Danny look up.

"Oh, you're hood!" Soul still clenched between his hands, the boy stands in hurry with a grin. "Good job man! You slayed and did not peak."

If the man is puzzled by his words, he doesn't show it.

"What are you doing on my turf?"

Still grinning, he shows off the slimy soul. "Soul collecting! Hermes and Thanatos shy away from Gotham cuz of the slimes effect, had to jump in."

His mind screeches to a stop and red hood pulls the gun down, still in hand however.

"What? You're a Psychopomp? What are you doing in Gotham of all places??"

"Again, Than and Herms didn't wanna so u jumped in." The psychopomp held the soul out to show off.

"Gotham is a special case, not many die here, and when they do, they have this supernatur slimy coat on that we have cleanse off per hand. They don't like it."

The RedHood regarded him for a minute before letting out a strangely mechanical sigh.

[ghostbsuter]

Danny had been around Gotham for a while.

The crime was never ending, but since Batman's arrival, it had gotten better.

The unmistakably CLANK! From around the corner had him jump, wary now. The man walks around the wall, eyes on the black car with— with Batman's symbol at the front.

A child sitting on the ground with a car tire next to him, the Bat Symbol a stark contrast to the shadows.

"Shit, kid. You're bold to rob Batman." Danny didn't really realise he was speaking until the kid looks up, spooked.

"What the fuck?" The kid was clearly of Gotham breed, yelps with a glare.

"I'm impressed," Danny doesn't give the kid the chance to talk, not with the way the tiny terror seems to be glaring and holding his wrench.

"You're quick, got eyes for details and know how to work around cars."

The suspicion in the kids eyes didn't lessen, having gotten up to press himself against the wall, eyes never leaving Danny.

"Here," Our local spook threw a card on the hood of the car. It was his business card.

"If you need income with far fewer risks than stealing from Batman, call me."

He didn't really wait to see the kids reaction, just leaving, bot before shooting a look into the sky the kid clearly caught.

As danny left, the kid looked at the entrance of the alleyway, back to the car, and then to the card.

They had talked for too long. Jason had to leave now, lest Batman actually caught him.

With one last look to the tires and the car, he leaves eith a scowl.

Just barely missing the man with the cape.

[ghostbsuter]

"Elle—" Danny turns around, finally taking his eyes off of the paperwork he's been reading while they were floating through the castle.

Only that wasn't Ellie behind him.

Definitely a teenager, older than his sister, whistling while looking around.

"Who are you? Where is Ellie?"

Pausing as he noticed Danny's stare at him, Kon grins. "Superboy, Dani and are in the same Clone Club, she needed someone to cover for her."

"Ah."

"But damn she didn't tell me you were loaded."

[ghostbsuter]

GARFIELD????

Adding the other part to it

LMAO YEAH! Guys, Danny actually found Garfield, who was previously Red Hood's stray and got a red helmet too, now they're co-parenting the same lasagna loving cat without knowing there is another owner

[ghostbsuter]

The cat he picked up was super weird. Danny observes the big orange being, and he's pretty sure is NOT a cat? It keeps getting guns from SOMEHWERe and storing it all around his new apartment.

He'd picked up from the side of the street with his motorbike, it was injured, nothing serious some bandages wouldn't fix.

Not even 30 minutes ago, the cat brought back a tiny red helmet. Confusing and damn adorable, maybe he should take the bastard to a bike ride?

[ghostbsuter]

"What the fuck is your problem!?"

"You! You are my problem!"

"How am I your problem?!"

"I don't fucking know Red Hood, maybe it's because you'RE IN AMITY PARK!"

"Okay? And?"

Phantom is breathing in sharply, eye twitching as he stares down Red Hood– flying was blessing truly.

The man had somehow arrived in Amity of all places and then proceeded to watch his fights— which, was he blushing? Absolutely not— but his rogues, in turn, had strangely acted distant.

Which he isn't complaining about! Less damage and more sleep- but he was hoping for a nice smack down...

No matter how high or fast he flew, Red Hood kept finding him, kept following him, and Phantom had enough!

So now, pissed off and in spooky mood, he dumped a box full of Orbeez, the fully water absorbed ones and had the time of the day, watching the Red Hood fumble as the tiny beads went into every nook and cranny he got.

And he got a lot.

[ghostbsuter]

"SHIT!" Jumping 5 feet into the air, Danny scrambled away from the bat costume wearing man, hair on every body part standing, and he's hissing like a feral cat.

"Can you not! I could have died from fright!" He complains, glaring.

Batman doesn't take the complaint to heart, instead focusing on him.

"Why are you here? This is a goverment funded stronghold, you aren't supposed to be here. Leave for your own safety."

Danny's shoulders drop, and he rolls his eyes. "Relax, bat guy, I'm here for something. Different reasons."

Batman doesn't take that and instead turns to his comm. "Red Robin, Nightwing, positions?"

"Close, B, just left RR to the monitors. ETA 5 mins."

He turns back to the boy.

"You want to come along?" Said boy asks after the moment of silence, idly fiddling eith his fingers.

Batman took note of that.

"Once my partner arrives, you'll be escorted out—"

"Yeah no, I'm not leaving."

[ghostbsuter]

The purchase of the mansion was a spontaneous decision on their part.

Sam suggested it, actually.

1 they had the money, 2 they needed much more space than a single apartment could offer, and 3 now she gets to create her own garten of venomous plants!

Tucker holed himself up in his own room, his tech room, because he finally can separate his workspace and his bedroom!

Danny was haunting the mansion in return.

It was during the day that Danny saw the shadow of a child running. He had no idea the mansion was already haunted— why hadn't the ghost said anything before?

Searching for the shadow, it took them all weeks to even get a glimpse of the Ghost.

Only....

Only it wasn't a ghost. It's a whole human child. A human child left behind—

His name is Tim Drake and he has been living here his whole life, how— where were his parents?!

[ghostbsuter]

The dead were rising.

Hospitals, cemeteries, anyone with a corpse or anchor to the living, brought back.

War veterans, recently deceased. Everyone.

It happened slowly, the Justice League Dark is doing their damn best and it's not enough—

The news were full of the risen dead, the cause still unknown.

—

Danny, comatose, flows aimlessly in the Infinity Realms with a strong break in his core.