#Odyssey AU

[missyourflight]

a few hundred words of odyssey-adjacent maxiel nonsense

Oh, Daniel says, it’s still –

The two of them are alone after the feast, finally. Daniel is standing in their chamber for the first time in four years, his hand pressed to the eucalyptus tree that forms a post of their bed, growing strong through the floor. Daniel had given the tree to Max when they were married, pressed him up against it more times than Max can count.

I would not exactly dig it up and move it, Max says, or chop it down for firewood. He smiles to show he is joking, and Daniel smiles back at him, soft and tired.

Guess not, he says. He looks older, leaner, as if he has been hungry. He has scars Max never saw before.

Max reaches out to trace one with his finger, running the length of Daniel’s forearm. Daniel takes a breath and says, Every day I thought, I have to get home, what if Max forgets me.

Stupid. I never would. Max steps into Daniel’s body, the longed-for warmth of him. Come on, I need you, he says against Daniel’s mouth. You were gone too long.

Daniel groans and pulls out the pins at Max’s shoulders, the folds of his chiton slipping to the floor.

Every night Max breathed the scent of eucalyptus, missing Daniel so much it ached. Every day he looked out across the wine-dark sea, imagining each sigh of the wind was Daniel’s voice.

He cries now, to have Daniel’s hands on him again after so much wanting, to have Daniel moving over him in their bed. Daniel’s face is wet, too, and Max tells him, I love you. I’m so happy.

He wants to drink wine from the hollow of Daniel’s throat. He wants to rise every morning and watch Daniel eat, figs and sweet honey sticky on his fingers. He wants to know the story of each new scar and kiss it better.

Tell me everything, he says after, I want to hear.

I fought a cyclops, Daniel says, sleepy and obliging against Max’s chest. And a witch in an orange grove.

Max touches his curls, salt-matted still. They’ll bathe tomorrow, and Max will wash him clean. And you came home.

Daniel sighs, his hand stroking slow over Max’s side, easing him closer. I was trying to. The whole time, Max.

Max breathes eucalyptus and hears the sigh of the wind off the sea, and holds Daniel in his arms, and sleeps.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Chasing Shadows (10)

AO3 -> first, last, next

Fandoms: Danny Phantom (DP) / DC universe

Summary:  THIS  IS A CROSSOVER.  As Bruce Wayne begins to slowly recover from the loss  of his son, two   separate mysteries open up old wounds. Who is the  unknown leaving clues   hinting at a return to Gotham, and who is the  phantom pretending to be   his lost son? Is it just a coincidence  they’re active in Gotham at the   same time? Or are they connected?  

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, and questionable mental health

Parings: none

Notes: originally uploaded to AO3. Cross-posted to tumblr

After photographing the graves and taking the flowers for analysis, Bruce attempted to call Dick as he searched the surrounding area for his wayward son. With how unpredictable Jason currently was, he wanted to make sure Dick was aware his brother was active on the off chance he spotted him, especially because he was out with Stephanie and Tim.

On the second attempt, Dick finally answered, exasperated. “Can this wait a minute? I’m kind of busy here…”

“Dick, keep an eye out for Jason,” he explained evenly. “He damaged…”

“What did you do?” Dick had pulled his head away from the phone, judging by how it sounded further away.

Bruce could hear another voice. It wasn’t close enough for him to clearly make out the words, but he thought he recognized the voice. “Dick, is Jason with you?” What was going on? How did they find each other? Was it a trap? He quickly began tracing the signal of Dick’s phone in hopes of locating him.

“Damn it, Jay! Get back here!”

“Dick, talk to me. What happened?”

“The ass just footed me the bill and ran off.”

Bruce had to take a moment to process what he just heard. “The bill? You were at dinner?”

“Yeah, we ran into him while he was taking Danny to dinner.” For a moment, Dick sounded muffled as he told one of the kids or possibly one of the staff something. “Look, we’re going to try to catch him.” More muffled sounds, this time suggesting movement, came over the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding me… You’re an asshole, you know that?” He yelled before grumbled something under his breath. “B, I’ll be on the comms shortly. He’s taunting me from a fire escape.”

Before Dick hung up, Bruce gave him a quick summary of what happened. “I’ll ask him why as soon as I catch him,” Dick told him with a grim tone as he hung up the phone.

That didn’t do anything to ease Bruce’s concern, so he raced to the scene. He received an alert from Alfred letting him know that he would be picking up Stephanie as the trackers in Tim’s and Dick’s costumes came online. His equipment showed they were still in the Diamond District. Moments later, Dick let him know there were going to attempt to capture Jason. Bruce requested that they just tried to keep him busy as opposed to fighting him.

As he approached their location in the Diamond District, Bruce attempted to wrap his head around what Dick told him. His sons, all three of them, had been at dinner together. It wasn’t something that should have been possible, especially with how antagonistic Jason had been towards them. Or perhaps, it was more specifically directed at him and the Manor. Dick had sworn his fight with Jason was friendly until he was asked to return home.

He was getting the occasional update from Tim that they had eyes on Jason, but he wasn’t getting any other bit of information. He could hear sounds of a struggle, but it was the good-natured laughter he could occasionally hear that unsettled him. He knew that laughter, and he hadn’t heard it in nearly four years.

As he finally found them, he stopped and stared at the scene below him. Jason was in civilian clothes dodging out of his brothers’ reach. None of them were using weaponry. If the situation wasn’t as dangerous as it was, they could have just been training.

Worried Jason was lulling them into a false sense of security, Bruce pulled out a batarang, only to have someone gently place a hand on his arm. Glancing to his side, he found Phantom glancing up at him. He was still wearing that mockery of Jason’s suit.

“He’s not going to hurt them. He’s having fun,” the meta explained as his shoulders rose slightly. Between that and the way he kept glancing at the fight, he was clearly nervous. However, that seemed more directed at him than anything his sons were doing. “Nightwing said you figured out who I am. You’re right, but please stop looking into it. You’re going to undo everything Jason’s done to protect me. You might even put him or my family in danger!”

Bruce knew the boy was trying to distract him from his son, but he couldn’t help but listen. Phantom had his hands out in a pleading gesture. Even through the echo of his voice, he sounded earnest and scared. “I know you’re good at what you do,” he quickly explained, “but so’s Jason. The few times he hacked into the GIW to figure out what they wanted with me, they found us. I’m harder to detect in cities like this where there are a lot of natural ghosts and ectoplasmic residue as long as I don’t do anything too flashy.”

“Are you suggesting you have other abilities?” When Phantom glanced away instead of answering him, it was the same as if he outright verified it.

“That’s not really important right now. What is, is that you’ve basically made a beacon saying, ‘the idiot that accidentally made a huge chunk of ice in Gotham is the same superpowered teen you’ve been looking for’.”

Bruce’s attention turned back towards the fight between the brothers. There were still no weapons in sight, and Jason had changed tactics and was on the move again, prompting him to follow from the higher rooftops. Phantom followed him.

“Jay said trying to talk to you is like talking to a brick wall, but I didn’t believe him until now,” the meta huffed as they came to a stop. Bruce elected to ignore that statement. “Maybe this will help you understand. If the GIW find me, they’ll find Jason too. We’re not the same, but whatever brought him back made him similar enough to me that they’ll classify him as a ghost, as something that doesn’t have rights. They have weapons that can literally tear us apart from the inside out.”

That caught Bruce’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“Ghosts are made up of ectoplasm,” Phantom quickly explained. “There are both natural and artificial ways to disrupt and destabilize it. Jay has it in his body too. I know you’ve seen those weird marks he gets. We don’t really know why he gets them, but it’s like the ectoplasm in his body flares at times. Not important.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Anyways, he once got hit with a prototype of something from the GIW, and it was nasty. Took forever to heal. The lady who’d been setting up his training wasn’t very happy with him and tried to convince him to send me away.”

“Lady? Was her name Talia?”

Phantom tilted his head as he thought about it. “I think so. Jason didn’t want me anywhere near her. She said I made him weak, but I asked him for help, so he told her he was going to do whatever he could to keep me safe.”

Bruce finally had confirmation Talia was assisting his son, but just how involved was she? Due to how closely Ra’s guarded the Lazarus Pit, she was the most likely culprit for who put his son in those vile waters. Was it a misguided attempt to get back in Bruce’s favor? If that was the case, she had the opportunity to mention Jason during the Hush plot when she was in Gotham. Instead, she likely assisted him in replacing his own grave, and per Phantom, she set up training for him. Since Talia did not have the same moral compass as Bruce, there was no telling what she exposed his son to. And since Jason would have likely been in a state of confusion and a heightened emotional state from the Pit, she could easily have gotten into his head. Was this why Jason no longer following Bruce’s rule? And just what did Talia get out of this?

Bruce turned his attention back to the fight. Jason was currently perched on the ledge of the building he was on as he watched Tim pick himself up. It appeared he tripped over either Dick or Jason in the last exchange. Once Tim was up, he and Dick rushed their brother, who flipped over them without much effort. And once Jason hit the ground, he took off running again. Worried he’d lose sight of him, Bruce followed, continuing to stay at a higher vantage point. He noted Phantom was no longer behind him.

For a moment, it appeared Jason made a mistake. He wouldn’t be able to escape to another roof if he didn’t have any gear. The buildings to the sides were too high to escape to without a grapple, and the one in front of him was too far away to attempt a jump due to one of Gotham’s largest thoroughfares sitting between it and its neighbor. However, Jason jumped anyways. Horrified, Bruce fired his own grapple in hopes of being able to grab him before he fell to his second death.

But Jason didn’t fall. Instead, he jumped further than Bruce believed was possible and grabbed hold of a downspout and slid down it. When he safely landed in the alley, he dusted off his blazer before moving further into the alley. Bruce landed behind him as he radioed Tim and Dick that he was taking over the chase.

“What? No ‘hello’?” His son had stopped moving and glanced at him from over his shoulder. Without the helmet and domino mask, Bruce could clearly see his son’s face for the first time since his resurrection. He’d lost most of the softness of his youth, but while he was fighting with his brothers, he still looked young. Now, as anger started to creep into his expression, he seemed to age into someone who’s seen horrors no one could imagine in front of Bruce’s eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t get involved earlier. I saw you watching.”

“Jason…” What was he supposed to say? What could he say? He’d never been in this situation before. His dead son was standing in front of him looking as if he’d never been killed.

His son was so tall, something none of them ever thought was possible. Due to the malnutrition, they believed he’d remain small and somewhat frail. Was it the effects of the Pit that fixed it? Or was that a result of whatever brought him back? Was he done growing? Or could he have another inch or two to go?

Would Jason allow him to touch him? Would he allow Bruce the chance to check whether or not he wasn’t some hallucination brought on by grief? Would he be able to bear his son’s beating heart for the first time in years? Apparently not. As he took a step forward, Jason moved further into the alley though he did finally turn around to face him.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me? Unlike you, I have places to be, people to kill.”

That snapped Bruce back to the situation at hand. The one thing that marred their reunion was the reality his son had only broken his one rule he’d never allow himself to break. No matter what else happened, he needed to prevent his son from doing any more damage. “Why, Jason? How could you?”

“How could I what?” His eyes flickered an unsettling green. There it was, the physical proof Jason had been in a Lazarus Pit. “Are we talking about how I’d taken out some human traffickers in Crime Alley? Or are we talking about earlier when I bashed in Sheila’s headstone?” His grin didn’t reach his eyes. “I hope that bitch rots in hell. And you apparently had the nerve to originally bury me next to her.”

Bruce’s stomach uncharacteristically churned at his son’s statement. “What do you mean? Jason, she sang your praises as she died in my arms.”

“Lying even in her final breaths, how fitting,” Jason spat as the strange green marks began to appear on his skin. They did seem to follow where he would have originally had injuries from the Joker. “She told me the Joker was gone when I went to offer her help then led me right to get him to stop blackmailing her. Told me I trusted the wrong person right before I got bashed in the face with a crowbar. She stood and watched as my bones were shattered before trying to double cross the bastard since her own crimes would come to life if he escaped. Karma got her in the end.”

He didn’t say anything as he tried to process his son’s explanation. It had only been after the fact he learned about Shelia’s previous involvement with the Joker. With the limited information he had, it appeared Jason went in knowing his mother was in the hands of the Joker. Sheila hadn’t said anything about how he’d been caught, instead focusing on how he’d tried to take the blast for her. Perhaps that was why she seemed so in awe of him in her final moments because he had still tried to save her after everything that happened.

Jason… if what he said was true, then he hadn’t been reckless. He’d approached his mother when he thought he was in the clear and was betrayed. As much as it pained him, he would need to try to restore the footage from what happened. With how experimental the technology was at that time, it was easily corrupted by any damage to their masks. After the first attempt, he hadn’t been strong enough to attempt to restore it.

His son had tilted his head in curiosity. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.” When Bruce didn’t answer, Jason gave a humorless laugh. “Some detective. Did you think I rushed into my own death? Decided that the same so-called recklessness that made you get rid of me is what got me killed? No wonder you were so quick to replace me.”

“I didn’t replace you.” Bruce tried to let his voice soften out of the growl he used while in the cowl. “I could never replace you.” He attempted to reach out and touch Jason again. For a moment, he thought his son would let him, but instead, his hand just passed through his shoulder as if it wasn’t there, as if he wasn’t real.

Annoyed, Jason smacked his arm away. This time, Bruce could feel the solidity. Constantine suggested Jason might have abilities now, so perhaps he could turn intangible like Phantom could. That could prove problematic.

“Don’t suddenly act like you care.” The snarled warning promised a fight if he attempted to touch him again. “You had your chance, but you proved again and again that my life and death never meant a thing to you.” He moved into the shadows as he spoke and seemed to vanish in much the same way Phantom had in the past.

Alarmed at the implication, Bruce immediately switched the cowl to its thermal vision, but before he had a chance to survey the area, heard the recognizable sound of someone cocking a gun behind him.

“Don’t move, Bruce,” he heard his son hiss. So, he hasn’t been completely unarmed. “I’m going to be out of town for a bit. Need to tie up some loose ends. You know how it goes.”

“Where are you going?” His son knew how he’d react and would respond accordingly. Jason also knew the weak points in his armor and judging by how good of a shot he was, there was a good chance he’d be able to take him out of the fight without effort. Bruce needed to keep him talking for now in hopes of getting him to drop his guard.

“Nice try. Too bad I’m not your run of the mill criminal, but I will tell you the game will truly begin once I come back. There are two more stops in “The Odyssey” after all.” He paused. “Get your little birds out of the city in the meantime.”

That was an odd thing for him to say. “What do you mean?”

“They shouldn’t even be out on the streets!” The venom in those words surprised Bruce, but in retrospect, he’d shown anger towards the idea when he rescued Stephanie from Black Mask. “… I don’t want to be tempted to involve them again.” Some of the anger in his voice was replaced with bitterness. “The first time was a mistake I don’t want to repeat.”

He must have been referring to when he cut Tim’s throat, and he sounded as if he regretted his actions. That gave Bruce a sense of hope. His son wasn’t too far gone to save. “Jay… Jaylad, let me help you.”

Deciding it was worth the risk when he didn’t get a response, Bruce turned slightly to see where his son’s position. However, the alley was empty. Thankful the thermal vision of his cowl was still active, he searched for any sign of Jason. No one was there.

“Robin, Nightwing, do you have a visual on Jason?” he demanded as he took to the rooftops again in hopes of spotting his second son. When he got to the higher vantage point, he found that Tim and Dick were each watching one end of the alley.

Neither of them saw him leave, so he radioed Barbara. While her new set up wasn’t as efficient as her old one, it would suffice for what they needed. However, she couldn’t find any hints of Jason or even Phantom on the nearby cameras. They had once again vanished into the shadows of Gotham. After a few sweeps of the area as a precaution, they returned to the cave.

…

Dick was still miffed at his brother for making him foot the bill for both him and Danny as they replayed the footage from his and Tim’s masks and Bruce’s cowl. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it, especially because he swiped Bruce’s card before they left, but it was the premise of it. Then there was the taunting from the fire escape. The jerk. At least he managed to get a few of his hairs for a DNA test.

If it wasn’t for the footage from Bruce’s cowl, Dick suspected his irritation would have changed to fondness, but dread filled its place. Instead of the theories and speculations, they finally had at least a partial account of what happened to him. Jason fully believed his biological mother betrayed him, to the point he purposely damaged her grave. Dick just knew Bruce would revisit what he knew of what happened to either verify or disprove Jason’s words. That may involve an attempt to restore the footage damaged in the explosion. He should probably be present when Bruce inevitably decided to do that.

“I still don’t get why you didn’t use a batarang or Wingdings or whatever stupid thing you call them, Dick,” Stephanie huffed from the chair Alfred brought from somewhere so she could comfortably watch the playbacks.

“Because he wasn’t being hostile,” Tim supplied as he glanced at him while trying to keep the awe out of his voice. For a brief moment, the kid got to see traces of the Robin he’d tried so hard to honor and never had a chance to meet. “It felt more like a training session.”

“Right,” she huffed before glancing up at him. Dick was pretty sure most of her temper was due to not being able to join them. “What’s your excuse?”

He shifted slightly as he thought about it. Why hadn’t he decided to seriously capture Jason? When Jason was living at the Manor, Dick wasn’t home as often as he should have been due to his conflicts with Bruce as well as his own complex feelings towards his brother. He always thought they’d be able to close the distant yet friendly gap eventually, but he never got the chance. Jason was killed, and Dick regretted not taking the time for him every single day.

Yet, somehow, Jason came back. He came back and stared at him with those unnaturally green eyes while invoking their bond as brothers to make him promise he’d never take the teen under his care to Bruce.

“I didn’t want to break his trust in me,” he eventually stated as he tried to find the words he needed, “because even after everything, he still considers me family.” When he noticed Bruce watching him, Dick felt his temper rise. “Don’t give me that look! You did the same thing. It was so much easier when we didn’t know it was him.”

“I know, Dick.” Oh, that wasn’t one of the judgmental looks. That was one of understanding.

“You know,” Barbara spoke up as the footage looped back to when Jason and Bruce were speaking, “he looks and acts so differently here.” The strange markings which were clearly visible in Bruce’s footage hadn’t been seen while they were at dinner or racing over the rooftops.

“Constantine described them as a type of supernatural scar,” Bruce explained as he zoomed in on the image. “I believe it’s a strange side effect of his status as a liminal combined with being put into a Lazarus Pit.” He frowned as he rewound the footage to when his hand passed through Jason’s shoulder. It was chilling to watch, and the strange display made Jason’s form somewhat hazy on the recording. “We finally have confirmation that Jason now has some form of intangibility, like Phantom’s, but I suspect it’s either situational and/or limited.”

“You know…” Stephanie spoke up, “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but that might be how he avoided being shot by Black Mask when I first saw him.” A frown crossed her face as she paused. “You know, I thought I imagined it, but he might be able to vanish too. I thought Phantom, Danny, might have helped him do that, but I’m not really sure anymore.”

“That is a concern,” Cass murmured. “He will be… harder to stop from killing.”

“We might be to stop some of it without confronting him,” Tim mentioned which caught both hers and Bruce’s attention. “During dinner, he specifically mentioned how he doesn’t think that sending people to Arkham and Blackgate isn’t working because of the constant breakouts. So, either we do something to reduce those or catch the criminals before he does.”

“Jason stated he would be out of town for a while…” Bruce mentioned. “Barbra, would you be able to find which guards and judges have taken bribes regarding shortened sentences or to help with escapes? Replacing them won’t be enough, but it will help limit the amount of targets Jason might choose.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard. Do you want me to get the blueprints ready for you too? I know you’re going to want to review them.”

“Yes.”

“Bruce…” Dick spoke up, sensing the meeting was coming to a close. “There’s one other thing you need to see. When you went after Jason and Tim and I moved to watch over the entrances to the alley, Danny appeared and asked me something. Give me a second to bring up the footage.” He forwarded his mask footage to where the meta appeared beside him and played it.

 “Would it be weird if I asked a favor?” Phantom shifted uneasily before he removed his mask to look up with him with startlingly green eyes.

 “As long as it’s within reason,” his own voice responded.

 Danny nodded. “That’s fair.” His gaze drifted back towards the alley where Jason disappeared. “Jay’s going to be out of the city for a while to tie up some loose ends. When he comes back full time, he’s going to set whatever he’s planning in motion.”

 “Do you want us to stop him?”

 The meta didn’t respond immediately. “Other than the clues and motivations, I still don’t know exactly what he’s planning to do. But, whatever it is, he’s not expecting to live through it,” he eventually stated as he fiddled with his mask. “I owe him everything. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be strapped to an examination table or being used as some sort of weapon. I don’t… I don’t know if that means he’s expecting to get killed in the process or will take his own life once everything’s done. I don’t know how to save him. Can you help me?”

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

Notes:

One of the things I’ve noticed in both the comic and animated version of UtRH is that Jason doesn’t tend to use a grapple. Reviewing things, he was making leaps that neither Bruce or Dick could make without assistance. There’s a lot of debate regarding what the Pit actually did to him, but he does seem to have permanently augmented strength. We can argue it’s due to his liminality here.

Plant clue will be revealed next chapter

[zeoxious]

Hi Tumblr

I usually post on Twitter but if there's people here into Kayn I'll post my art and stuff here more often 😳

[athamad]

I made the Wonder over Yonder Au come true

What do you guys think?

[wolfythewitch]

My favorite married couple

[arthur-kilgore]

Star Wars/Odyssey!AU where Anakin is Deimos and Obi-Wan is Kassandra/Alexios and has to investigate the cult and find his family

[gizzymoes]

The HAL 9000 is now taking calls!!! 📞☎️

[alibonbonn]

Odyssey space AU where Odysseus is stuck in space alone, somehow.

[vinnystaysawake]

HAL 9000 and AM

From 2001: ASO and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.

[cod-dump]

*at some point during the Bitter Past AU probably*

Nikolai while tied up in the back of a van: ...Vladimir?

Makarov, from the passenger seat: Yes, Love?

Nikolai: Am I being kidnapped?

Makarov: What!? Of course not!

Nikolai: Can I leave?

Makarov: ...No

[mochiwrites]

gentle touch of morning

( a small scarian epic au piece <3 reblogs do more than likes! )

It’s funny. 

Over the twelve long years Scar spent fighting, leading his men into battle, the thought that kept him going was his eventual homecoming. Every waking thought was of his husband and son, and Scar’s reason for living, for breathing, was his family. As he sailed rocky waters, faced monsters and gods alike, lost men after men, Scar wished for nothing more than to be home, to awake with his husband sleeping beside him. 

But as he stands in his home, the one he most intimately knows, Scar feels… wrong. Out of place. He’d woken up early, savoring the sight of Grian’s sleeping face (he could never get tired of it), and felt so restless that staying in bed for any longer seemed impossible. So Scar took to walking around his home. 

He and Grian built this place up, together. The memories are some that Scar looks back on fondly. He could never forget it, no matter how much time he spent away from it. Scar only fears that it has forgotten him. 

Scar takes easy steps, walking and reacquainting himself. He notes the pictures, most of them being of his son. He hardly sees Grian in any of them, perhaps one or two, less than a handful. And the ones that Grian is in, his smile doesn’t light up his face. It makes Scar frown. 

He wanders for a bit, traversing each winding hallway with careful movements. It’s as if he fears the house may collapse at any moment, or some attacker may jump from the shadows, perhaps a god will catch him off guard and finish him off. Not even in his home does he feel the full safety he’s supposed to. These walls feel foreign, unfamiliar. Even if he can picture everything clearly in his mind, knows this place like the back of his hand. Scar still feels like a stranger. 

Eventually, he finds himself in the kitchen. He pauses in the doorway, catching sight of another person. 

His son. 

His little Pitta. 

Well, not as little anymore, as a young boy at fourteen. But to Scar it still feels like he’s just an infant that he could cradle in his arms. Another thing time robbed him of. So many missed moments, opportunities, to watch his son grow. And while Scar knows that there are still many years to come, to see, a piece of him mourns the time he lost.

For a moment, Scar keeps quiet. He watches his son, taking in his dark brown hair and hazel colored eyes. He’s the striking image of both Scar and Grian somehow, even if they aren’t related to him. But Scar loves him all the same; would move mountains to give him whatever he needed. He can’t help but wonder what kind of person his son is, what he likes and dislikes. Does he resent Scar for leaving? Does he consider Scar his father, or a stranger who left a loving husband alone for years on end? He doesn’t want to find out. Not now. 

Scar stands there until he can’t anymore, finding hazel eyes landing on him. He watches the way in which Pitta’s eyes light up, turning all shiny and bright when he notices his father. He turns away from the counter, abandoning the slices of bread he had taken out. He smiles, and gods, does his smile look like Grian’s. “Papa!” Pitta greets, the timbre of his voice cheerful and soft. 

“Hey, Pitta,” Scar returns, heart melting each time he’s reminded that he’s finally returned home. He never thought it would happen, that maybe it’d take him longer, or maybe something would strike him down on the way back. But against all odds, fourteen years, and Scar is home. His son stands in front of him. 

“What’re you doing awake? Is dad up too?” Pitta questions, raising a brow at him. 

“Uh…” Scar blanks, unsure of what to say. It’s not like he’s going to tell the truth, Pitta shouldn’t have to worry about him. Scar has already caused him enough pain, there’s no need to cause more now that he’s actually here. “Gria— your dad’s still asleep,” he stammers. The words feel awkward on his tongue, like they shouldn’t be there. This life of domesticity… he doesn’t know how to go about it. It isn’t just some enemy he can cut down. 

The very thought makes him nauseous. 

“Oh!” Pitta blinks at the response. “Well, that’s… good.” He nods to himself awkwardly, and Scar hides a grimace. 

He… really doesn’t know how to interact with his son. 

There’s this dark curdling of doubt in his mind that begins to creep up, settling over him. He’s afraid. Worried that this is one thing he’ll never overcome. It’s a familiar feeling, an old friend, a once enemy turned begrudging shadow. It’s a feeling he experienced in battle, traversing home, taking his castle back from scoundrels that dare to stain it. But there is a new fear that joins it, overwhelming like a tidal wave. 

Does he even know how to be a father? 

Scar feels his breath sharpen just a tad, skipping a beat and hastening. He can feel hands curling around his throat, beginning to press into his skin. He feels it tightening on him, the grip firm. The pressure starts off as something light, until the fingers of Fear dig deeper with each shakingly quiet breath. It gets stronger and stronger, straining his lungs until he can feel his throat being squeezed, choked. 

“Papa?” Pitta’s voice breaks him from the spiraling thoughts, from the overwhelming fear sneaking in. 

The hands around his neck relax, and the terror recedes, sinking back into the depths of his mind momentarily. He allows himself a moment to breathe, a chance to suck in a soft breath and recenter. His vision clears, and he becomes aware of the way his heartbeat pounds in his ears, loud like a drum. 

He manages a smile, “I’m uh, gonna go check and see if our Sleeping Beauty is awake.” Keeping his eyes trained on his son, Scar tries to maintain his light smile. He takes a few small steps back, slipping into a casual mask. He’s gotten quite good at it over the years of putting on a brave face. “Be right back.”

Pitta watches him, brows creasing in concern as he goes. “Oh… okay,” he answers, sounding resigned as Scar retreats. 

Scar turns around, and brings himself back to the beautiful olive tree where his Grian is fast asleep. The sun shines down on him, cutting through the green leaves. The light spills into their bed, painting a halo in the soft yet sandy blond locks of Grian’s hair. He rests in their bed, eyes shut and face relaxed. His body is curled somewhat, the blanket tucked just over his shoulders. 

Staring at him, taking in the near angelic sight, Scar takes a few breaths to calm himself. He walks over to their bed, sitting down on the edge, right beside Grian. He contents himself with just sitting there, watching the rise and fall of Grian’s chest. It feels a little easier to breathe, with the love of his life right here, peaceful. Scar can almost allow himself to pretend he lives in a world where he never went to war, where he never had to leave his family behind. He can almost allow himself to pretend he was the husband and father he should have been. 

Chest aching and overflowing with doubt and regret, Scar reaches out. Tenderly, Scar brushes some of Grian’s hair away from his face. He ever so softly tangles his fingers in the silky strands as he rhythmically cards through his hair. Scar’s expression softens, chest swelling with love for the man before him. He drags the pads of his fingertips along Grian’s head, feeling the soft locks under his touch. 

He can’t imagine what it was like, doing so much alone for so long. Scar has always believed Grian to be strong, the strongest person he knows. But this? Scar doesn’t think anyone could compare, not even the gods. 

Not in the way it matters, at least. 

His thumb idly strokes Grian’s cheekbone, loving and sweet. “I’d be lost without you, my light,” he murmurs. Because it’s true. Scar would’ve given up a long, long time ago if he didn’t have Grian and Pitta to come home to. Grian is his rock, his eye of the storm, his compass. Scar is caught within Grian’s orbit, forever wrapped up in him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for this man. Grian kept their home in one piece. He raised their son. He handled whatever it was that Scar couldn’t in his time away. Grian held out hope for fourteen years that Scar would come back to him. 

Scar owes him everything and more. But most importantly, Scar owes him his love. And by the gods will he offer every last ounce of it, every drop. Scar is a man. No general, and certainly no hero. He is just a man who wants to pour his heart and soul out for his spouse. Scar is just a man in love. 

Beneath his touch, Grian’s face twitches, and he begins to stir. “Mmm… Scar?” he mumbles, still groggy and waking up. 

“Good morning, my love.” Scar smiles at him, brushing away a particular curl of hair before stroking his cheek. “Sleep well?”

“‘ink so, yes. It was warm with you,” Grian answers, leaning into the hand on his cheek. “What’re you awake for?” 

Scar pauses, if only briefly. “Uh, well, y’know. Just admiring my pretty husband while I have the chance,” he answers, which isn’t entirely a lie. 

Grian looks at him with clear suspicion, but doesn’t push. Instead, he sighs quietly as pushes himself to sit up. “You can do that when I’m awake too,” he teases, leaning to press their lips together. Scar is more than happy to sink into it, using the hand on Grian’s cheek to angle his head slightly, deepening it. The kiss is sweet, loving. It’s slow and patient, carrying the patience of fourteen years within it.

When they pull away, Scar rests their foreheads together. “I guess I can, yeah,” he agrees softly. “Mind if I take a few more minutes to admire him?” 

Grian smiles, kissing the corner of his mouth in return. “I suppose.”  Scar simply smiles, and gods is he happy to be home. No amount of fear could ever leave him unhappy to be back with the loves of his life. Never. 

[missyourflight]

I know it’s more about Daniel coming home after so many years away, coming back to a home that missed him and never forgot about him, but also Max as Penelope is perfect! Ever loyal, never forgetting, never doubting for a moment, intelligent- cunning and passing it down through the family. Amazing!!

max as penelope is so steadfast and stubborn... also i was trying to think of like a weaving equivalent (making mosaics of all his favourite chariot tracks??) and just settled on, probably he spent the four years daniel was gone getting big and strong 😭

in the version of this with like suitors and violence and everything he's the only one who can string daniel's bow... throws it to daniel and they take everyone out together... daniel loves his curvy wife etc

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Chasing Shadows (7)

AO3 -> first, last, next

Fandoms: Danny Phantom (DP) / DC universe

Summary:  THIS  IS A CROSSOVER.  As Bruce Wayne begins to slowly recover from the loss of his son, two   separate mysteries open up old wounds. Who is the unknown leaving clues   hinting at a return to Gotham, and who is the phantom pretending to be   his lost son? Is it just a coincidence they’re active in Gotham at the   same time? Or are they connected?  

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, and questionable mental health

Parings: none

Notes: originally uploaded to AO3. Cross-posted to tumblr

“Batman!”

Bruce glanced to his left to see Phantom rushing towards him moving through the tight alley as if there was no debris or criminals with weapons before silently coming to a stop. Unlike the other times he’d seen the meta, the boy had seemingly paid no attention to his surroundings. He also kept to his right while trying to keep his hands still. Definitely nervous, but why?

“Phantom.” He greeted as he punched another one of the low-level grunts still trying to fight him. With his associations with Red Hood now well documented, Bruce was teetering on going back to his original plan of capturing him. But he hadn’t harmed anyone and had even helped Stephanie escape Black Mask. Whatever his goals, he hadn’t strayed from attempting to help them. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Did nothing come through on the comms? Don’t answer that. That can be saved for later.” The teen shook his head before letting someone with a bat harmlessly pass through him. The criminal in question dropped the weapon and fled in fear. “We need to go!” His voice was becoming frantic.

Pressing a finger to his comm as he knocked out another gang member, he attempted to reach Barbara, but he heard nothing on the other end. Not only was it strange, but it was also worrying. “Explain,” he instructed the teen, who had started dodging gang members.

“Spoiler is in trouble. You need to go to her.”

“What happened?”

“She’s injured. We need to go, now!” There was desperation in his voice he hadn’t heard before. Unless he was acting, Phantom believed the injury was severe enough that Stephanie couldn’t handle it herself. “Hood’s trying to help, but he doesn’t think he has what he needs to properly treat her.”

“The Red Hood is there? And you just left her with him?” Dodging another blow, he threw a bola towards the three that were approaching Phantom. The teen let it harmlessly pass through him and tie around two of the criminals. The third tried to grab Phantom, but unlike every other time he’d seen the boy interact with the various criminals and rogues of Gotham, he jumped out of the way before punching the guy. It was a move achingly familiar.

“She’s a lot safer with him than she was with Black Mask.” Insult colored his voice. They really needed to find out the reason why Phantom was so loyal to Red Hood, especially after he came to them about Hush. Whatever issue that caused that temporary break in trust between them had seemingly been resolved. “But are you seriously going to continue messing around with these idiots?”

If Stephanie was in trouble like Phantom stated, he needed to finish this and get moving. However, there was a distinctive possibility he would be led into a trap. He needed more information.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re seriously going to finish this first? Right. Guess I have to do something drastic.” As he said that, the air around them seemed to cool until the breaths of everyone, save for Phantom became visible. The strange glow around him intensified as his appearance seemed to blur. The gang members, many of whom had already become uneasy by the teen’s presence, slowed their assault. Bruce caught the barest hint of a smile before the teen let himself fall into the ground.

The gang members immediately began to back away, some muttering about spirits and ghosts. That wasn’t too surprising as many of the criminals of Gotham were superstitious. Yet, he wasn’t sure exactly what Phantom was planning.

Seconds later, Phantom appeared behind one of the lieutenants and reached his arm through the man to grab his gun and pull it harmlessly through the man. Once it was out of the man, he held it up as if he was presenting the end of a trick before putting it on the ground. The man who experienced it, grabbed at his chest to make sure he was whole before fleeing an abject horror. The others, having witnessed it, also fled.

Satisfied with himself, he gave a slight nod before turning back to Bruce. “Now that that’s done, follow me. I need to get you to Spoiler.”

“Give me the coordinates.”

At the request, the meta seemed to blankly stare at him for a moment. “If you’re going to follow, why…? Wait, you don’t trust me? Unreal.” He shook his head and gave him the location and which room Stephanie was supposedly in. “Just don’t attack Hood on sight.” He vanished from sight.

As he began his trek, he attempted to radio the others. There was still silence from Barbara, but Tim, Cass, Dick, and Selena all checked in. Everyone, save for Dick, who’d been grazed by a bullet, were unharmed. Stephanie was also suspiciously silent which lent credence to what Phantom said, but it could also mean she was captured. Still uncertain whether or not he was walking into a trap, he requested Tim to meet up with him and for either Dick or Cass to check on Barbara. Selena agreed to check on Dr. Thompson and let her know that he might be bringing someone.

The building he found himself entering was a three-story office building near one of the railyards. Judging by its appearance, it hadn’t been used for clear work for years. As he located an unlocked window, Tim reached his side. Upon entering the building, he sent Tim to clear the upper floors as he made his way to where Phantom stated Stephanie could be found.

Entering the basement, he found the Red Hood kneeling in front of Stephanie, who appeared to be sitting unrestrained on a chair. Instead of listening to his desire to attack the man, Bruce took another moment to examine the scene in front of him.

The former Robin was gripping her pants as if she was in pain. Her left sleeve had been rolled up, and a make-shift splint had been placed on it. Her left pant leg was also rolled up, and it appeared Red Hood was finishing tying bandages to it. Bloody gauze and an open medical kit rested beside his boot. Whatever happened, it was unlikely Hood was the cause.

Steph’s head snapped up when she noticed him. “B, you came.” Although she tried to sound strong, her voice held notes of pain and relief. “Black Mask got the better of me. He got away. I’m sorry.”

When she shifted, Hood gently smacked her uninjured leg. “Stay put. That leg needs proper attention. Standing on it isn’t going to do you any favors.” Even through the modulator, concern could be heard in his voice. Hood then stood and turned slightly to better face him. Though his face was hidden, Bruce could see the tension in his shoulders and how his fists balled. He wasn’t happy to see him.

Briefly, Bruce noted that the man’s jacket sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms. There were no signs of the strange green marks from Dick’s video. They were unlikely to be tattoos then.

“Move away from her.” Although he knew a confrontation was going to happen with the man eventually, it wasn’t currently the time. Not waiting for the other man to make a move, he rushed forward and knelt to check on her. “What happened?”

“She just told you, Black Mask,” Hood responded before Stephanie could. Even through the modulator, Bruce could hear the anger in his voice. “I sent Phantom to fetch you at least fifteen minutes ago.” he hissed causing his modulator to make a strange crackling sound.

Electing to ignore Red Hood’s words, Bruce focused on Stephanie. Other than her wrist and leg, her injuries appeared minor, just bruises and cuts. The way her arm was splinted suggested either a bad sprain or a possible break. As for her leg, Bruce wasn’t entirely certain of the damage. There was evidence of gauze hidden under the expertly done bandages with some bloodied gauze on the floor near her feet. As he finished his checks, Tim radioed he’d cleared the other floors and would be joining them momentarily.

“Word of advice, Batman,” Hood warned as Bruce stood. “Sionis is dead set on killing anyone who gets in his way. If you want to keep these little birds alive, keep them off the streets.”

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be able to handle anything.”

At the sound of Tim’s voice, Hood turned to find the boy standing in the doorway. Both of them seemed to stare at each other for a moment before Hood turned to face Bruce. The man’s fists tightened, and if Bruce wasn’t mistaken, green markings were beginning to form on what was visible of his skin. “How many children are you going to brainwash into being your good little soldiers.” He turned back to Tim and gestured at Stephanie. “Black Mask shot her in the leg before deciding he wanted to finish the torture session I interrupted the other day. Between what he was planning to do and the apparent lack of care Batman,” Hood’s modulator seemed to crackle as he hissed the title, “gave about checking in on her, there’s a good chance she would have been dead before anyone came to check on her.” His gaze seemed to return to Bruce. “Did you learn anything from your first dead bird?”

“You don’t have the right to speak of him,” Bruce warned as he stood and protectively hovered in front of Stephanie. The more Bruce and the others interacted with him, the more it seemed he was acting as an avenger for Jason.

Even through the helmet, it seemed as if Hood rolled his eyes. “Your priorities are skewed. Spoiler is injured and in need of medical attention, and you want to pick a fight. You had a chance to prove me wrong and choose the kids over fighting a crimi... Hmm?” He paused mid-word. If Bruce wasn’t mistaken, he was listening to someone speaking on a comm. “He what? Shit. Stay put. I’m on my way.”

Without another word to Bruce or the two teens in the room, Hood turned and seemed to harmlessly pass through the wall and vanished. Bruce immediately went over to the spot to check for evidence of a hologram or some type of cloaking, but he touched solid brick. It was still possible there was some sort of cloaking that ended when Hood passed through the opening and closed the entrance. However, the action reminded Bruce too much of Phantom’s powers for his liking.

“Robin…” he couldn’t finish his thought as a loud booming sound seemed to rock the entire building. An explosion, but where? It felt like it was within the city limits, but not close enough to do damage to the building they were in. Was that why Hood left? Had someone, possibly Phantom, tipped him off? That was likely, but for now, he needed to find out the specifics.

“Oracle, come in. Oracle.” The only answer he received was static. That was concerning. He needed to get to the Clocktower. Turning, he found Tim slowing helping Stephanie off the chair. “Robin, get Spoiler back to the cave. Make sure to tell Agent A to call Agent L while you’re on your way.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be able to get back on my own.” Steph tried to put on a brave face, but it was ruined when she jostled her injured leg. “You’re going to need backup.”

“Between myself, Nightwing, Catwoman, and our other allies in the city, I’ll be fine.” He let his voice soften to try to convey he wanted her to worry about her injuries instead of him. Was this lack of concern for herself what Hood meant when he called her and Tim soldiers? He would have to ponder that later. “Robin, I might need you to be my eyes in the city if Oracle is out of commission. If you learn anything, let me know immediately.”

“Gotcha!”

As Bruce rushed from the building, he hoped Tim would listen and take Spoiler to the Cave. The last thing he needed at the moment would be the two of them getting involved in a situation that could result in Stephanie’s injuries worsening.

Using a grapple to take to the air of Gotham, he tried reaching Oracle again. When she once again didn’t answer, he tried Dick. His son’s answer was brief, but at least it confirmed he was alive, even if he requested assistance at the Clocktower.

As he came closer to the building, he found smoke slowly dissipating both in the air and the streets. As he cleared another building, he nearly missing the timing with his grapple. The Clocktower was gone. The remains of it were blackened and scattered on the streets below. Had it been destroyed by one of the rogues of Gotham? Or had Barbara caused the detonation? There was too much he didn’t know.

Getting closer, he could hear the sounds of a battle. Moving around to the side where the entrance of the Clocktower was, he found Dick, Selena, and Dick’s acquaintance, Tarantula, fighting what they had dubbed ‘Scarebeast’. The Penguin once dosed the Scarecrow with something, they were still trying to determine if it was a variant of Langstrom’s serum or something else, turning him into a hulking monster. They had hoped it had been a one-time thing, but the effects of it apparently still lingered. This was problematic as instead of needing some form of container for his fear toxin, in this form, he was able to secrete it from his body. He was also much stronger than normal and deceptively fast. They had to be extra careful as a result.

Seeing an opening, he threw one of his exploding batarangs at the creature, allowing the others to fall back and regroup. There were already noticeable burn marks on his body suggesting he’d been caught up in the explosion of the Clocktower. Good, that meant he was already injured and possibly weakened. If they kept hitting him from a safe distance, they should be able to wear him out enough for him to collapse.

The problem was Selena was more of a melee fighter and had no desire to stay back. Tarantula also wasn’t interested in fighting from a far. That left Bruce and Dick to monitor for signs of fear toxin release and alert the others.

…

Dick hated how long the battle with Scarebeast was taking. They needed to find Barbara. She had been in the Clocktower before it exploded, and with her line going dead, he wasn’t sure if she had been in the building or not. But due to the criminal’s transformation, his strength and endurance without had exponentially increased without affecting his intelligence making the fight that much harder.

There was also the concern on whether or not the Clocktower would collapse. He could hear the unsettling creaks and groans of the building as the damaged supports reached their limits. Sure, they were currently outside, but they were fighting at its base. Over the years, Dick learned just how dangerous being too close to a collapsing building could be.

At one point, Tarantula got a little too close, giving Scarebeast an opening. However, a black and white blur appeared at her side right before the attack seemed to harmlessly pass through her. Phantom had arrived. Instead of thanking the kid, Tarantula immediately scooted away from him. The woman was a former FBI agent, but Phantom’s presence seemed to deeply unsettle her.

The teen’s presence also seemed to bother Scarebeast as he immediately tried to attack him. When the attack and the next three didn’t connect, Scarebeast seemed to give Phantom a curious look. According to Bruce, Phantom’s first properly documented appearance was during a fight with Scarecrow. While the criminal had heard Phantom speak before, they weren’t sure if he ever laid eyes on him prior to this instance.  

“Phantom, fall back!” Bruce shouted as Scarebeast began releasing toxin. Phantom was an unknown when it came to its effects, and on top of that, he was a meta which automatically made him harder to subdue if he got affected by it.

The warning was too late. As the teen stumbles as the toxin began to take effect, he couldn’t get out of the way of the next attack. But it never hit. A shot rang out, and the Scarebest shrieked in rage as he cradled his arm. A few more shots rang out, hitting near the man’s feet, causing him to back away as Phantom fell backwards and shivered.

Quickly glancing behind him, he noted a glint off a red helmet. The Red Hood was watching.

“Don’t come near me!” Phantom yelled as he scrambled to his feet and backed away. The temperature in the immediate area dropped, causing Dick to involuntarily shiver as his breath misted. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Please!” He raised his arms as if he was shielding himself. “Don’t give me to that monster! I don’t… I don’t want to die again!” His voice cracked as spikes of ice began sprouting from the ground around him and quickly spread in an uneven circle around him.

Scarebeast chuckled, a strange and unsettling sound worsened by the rustling of the straw on him, before attempting to strike Phantom again. As another shot rang out, hitting him once again in the arm, ice began in casing his feet. Bruce used the moment to use an exploding batarang. Before the smoke cleared, Dick used the distraction to activate the electricity on his escrima sticks before rushing to Scarebeast’s back and tasing him. It seemed to finally do the trick as he slumped and slowly began shrinking in size.

Dick barely had time to move as the ice around Phantom increased. The one thing he didn’t want to do was risk getting trapped, especially when he was nursing an injury on his leg. Even if it was just a graze, bullet wounds hurt, and after everything that happened in the last couple days, he was exhausted.

“You don’t happen to have the antidote on you?” he asked as he retreated to Bruce’s side while trying to ignore the increasing frequency of the groans from the Clocktower’s supports. “And since when could he manipulate ice?”

“It seems to be a spontaneous evolution of his powers,” Bruce replied as he pulled out a vial from his utility belt.

“Are you crazy?” Tarantula snapped at him. “The building isn’t going to last for much longer.”

“You can leave.” The hint of anger in Bruce’s voice caught her off guard. “Right now, Phantom is a danger to himself and everyone else due to the fear toxin. We don’t know the extent of this new ability.”

Bruce ignored her and gave him a slight not. Most other people wouldn’t understand what that meant, but Dick had been Bruce’s partner for years. He wanted him to distract Phantom so he could sneak up and use the antidote. Thankfully, the teen seemed to have the frozen in fear type and hadn’t move too much from his spot in the middle of the ice. Thankfully, the giant spikes of ice had stopped forming, but frost was still spreading across the ground. If this continued, there was a real possibility he could freeze the entire square and accidentally harm someone in the process.

“I hate to say it, but I think she’s right,” Selena grabbed Bruce’s arm preventing him from running forward. “The boy can pass through objects, right? He should be fine, but we won’t if we don’t get out of the way.”

He was about to retort and explain that he refused to let another young hero die, but his words were cut off as someone ran in between him and Bruce. “Hold that for me,” the person called as he threw a helmet into his hands and swiped the antidote from Bruce. Glancing down, Dick realized that he was holding a familiar red helmet.

“Ah hell,” he muttered to himself as he and Bruce ran after Red Hood. As they followed, Phantom responded to them by causing more ice spikes to shoot out towards them.

Hood surprised Dick by showing off his athletics. He dodged around the ice spikes with little trouble which continue to push forward. The strange thing was Hood’s movements were familiar, and it wasn’t just him who believed that. Tim had rigorously reviewed the footage from his first encounter with Hood when he was impersonating Jason and mentioned he saw similarities. Though Bruce surprisingly brushed it off, Dick couldn’t. He was certain he helped train this man.

When he was just a few yards away, Hood slowed his pace and gently called out to Phantom. The teen recognized him, even through the toxin-induced hallucinations.

“Stay back! They’ll catch you too!” he called out as more ice shot out towards Bruce. The fear in his voice made Dick’s heart break, but what was he seeing? Who was going to catch him? While they needed this to end as quickly as possible, sometimes the hallucinations gave hints about the past. He hated that he wanted to hear more.

“No one’s gonna catch me. We’ll get out of this together.”

“Hood… no, you’re not him! You’re working with them!” Crap. Did Phantom see the antidote? But instead of the spikes, ice started forming on Hood’s jacket.

“You need to pull back!” Dick shouted as he dodged more ice. “You won’t be able to help him if you get frozen solid.”

Ignoring him, Hood closed the gap and knelt in front of Phantom. Ice continued to race across the material of his closes and an unsettling blue tint was starting to become noticeable on his visible skin. “It’s alright, Dove. Listen to my voice and close your eyes. You can feel my presence, right?” What did that mean? Could Phantom sense all of them?

“I… yes.”

Taking the temporary distraction, Hood quickly scooped the teen into a hug. Not liking the movement, Phantom screamed as walls of ice began forming. Hood used the distraction to inject the antidote into his arm and continued to hold onto him while it took effect. As Phantom went limp, the tension from Hood’s shoulders lessened. “I told you to stay away from the criminals.” An unidentifiable emotion filled his voice. It definitely wasn’t anger, but it wasn’t pity either.

“Huh…?” Dick was surprised to hear Phantom’s voice. Even with the antidote, it usually took at least a few minutes before it took full effect. “J…Err… Hood? What happened?” He glanced over the man’s shoulder towards him and Bruce. “You’re covered in ice! Did… did I do that?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Hood stood and helped Phantom stand.

“But I could have killed you!”

“The cold isn’t a bad way to go. You don’t feel a thing. Much better than explosions or fire.” That statement was too matter of fact for Dick’s liking. “We need to get you out of here. Nightwing, I’d appreciate if you gave me my helmet back.” When Hood glanced back towards him, Dick dropped the thing.

He knew that face. Sure, he was older, but he couldn’t forget him. Especially since his image frequently haunted his dreams, screaming for help. Sure, he’d seen the footage of the battle in the cemetery, but this was different. He wasn’t looking at him through a lens. This was real, but there was no way it was possible. “Jason.”

====

Notes:

It was the War Games arc where Stephanie was shot and "died." As you can see, I've made the executive decision not to do that this time.

Scarebeast is a thing. Apparently the Penguin hired Scarecrow as something of a body guard during As the Crow Flies and injected him with something that turned him into a monstrous creature. Apparently the effects were dormant after that story line until he got caught up in the explosion at the Clocktower during the War Games arc. A weird thing about this transformation is that he can release fear toxin from his body instead of needing a delivery device. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't shown up more.

[almaprincess66]

An expert from chapter 9 of Duty and Inclination. Fits very well for the Hamilton Odyssey crossover we have going on

[athamad]

Odyssey AU but it's wonder over yonder and Wonder is Odysseus, Sylvia is Athena, and Dominator is Poseidon.

[wolfythewitch]

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam I couldn't be fonder of my big home The bees are buzzin' in the tree To make some honey just for me