#Tucker Sam and Jazz are all liminal as hell

[tales-of-the-ghost-zone]

DP x MCU crossover

Sometime after Howard and Maria Stark’s death, Hydra decides to try and make a clone of Tony Stark, that’s infused with Super Soldier serum. They were hoping to get a super smart super soldier that they could control.

And thus Danny was born.

At some point when he’s like 2 or 3 one of the Hydra agents whose been his handler since he was born grows a conscious after witnessing the most recent experiment the other scientists in the lab put Danny through. They take Danny and run away from the lab. They don’t get away clean tho, they had to fight their way out of the lab and they were injured in the process. They wind up in Amity Park with baby Danny and come across the Fenton Parents. They hand Danny over to them and tell them to protect and look after the kid. And then they die.

The Fenton parents adopt Danny and raise him as their own. Danny grows up not knowing he’s adopted or that he’s a clone and a super soldier. The ghost portal accident happens when he’s 14 like cannon. The reason he survived and only half died is because of the super soldier serum in his blood.

Eventually, after the whole events of the Danny Phantom series has passed (minus Phantom Planet because fuck that horrible ending to the series). Danny, after defeating Pariah Dark, is now the king of the ghost zone. He still doesn’t realize he’s a clone of Tony Stark. Despite the fact that he looks exactly like a 17 year old version of the man!!!

And then New York happens. A portal opens up in the skies above New York, and aliens come pouring out of it! You bet your ass Danny hightailed it over to New York to help out the group of heroes that were trying to stop the aliens. He’s super hyped to fight aliens!!! He’s just having a blast zooming through the skies of New York, around skyscrapers, throwing punches and ecto-blasts at aliens, helping out the other heroes.

Meanwhile every time he helps one of the Avengers they all double take when they finally get a look at his face. Cause like yes this floating glowing child has glowing green eyes and Snow White hair, but the rest of his face looks like a very young Tony Stark. After each encounter with the boy the different Avengers call Tony over the coms to ask his status and to reassure themselves that Tony hadn’t been de-aged and given super powers mid battle.

Tony is the last one of them that meets Danny. He’s super annoyed at the fact everyone keeps calling him over the coms to ask his status. Like yeah he’s not a super soldier and doesn’t have powers, but neither does Romanoff or Barton!!! And unlike them he has his own super suit to protect him. So why is everyone calling in to check on him?!!!

And then finally Danny comes zooming around a building chasing after Loki’s chariot, shouting sarcastic quips at the god, while firing green blasts from his fists. And Tony just kind of blue screens for a minute. Jarvis has to take over piloting the suit for a minute while Tony reboots. He’s def got the surprised Pikachu face going on. Finally he reboots but Danny’s already flown off to deal with something else.

The battle comes to an end, the portal closes, the world is safe, and all the Avengers all head towards Stark tower. Danny sees them and where they’re headed and decides to meet them there. He’s been the only super hero around for a while and he wants to actually properly interact with these new hero’s!

Imagine his shock when he actually finally comes face to face with Tony Stark and finally realizes how much he looks like the man. He starts panicking thinking his mom had an affair with the man 17 years ago and just passed him off as Jack Fenton’s son.

Absolute chaos ensues as assumptions are made. DNA tests happen. They realize that no he is not Tony’s kid, he’s Tony’s clone. More assumptions are made. No body is having a good time.

[britcision]

AND HERE WE ARE! Totally getting this out in February well done team! And this is gonna be our last chapter before a wee teeny tiny time skip and Jason’s finished core! What a beautiful day 🥰

We’re getting another two-parter too, because Danny and Jason refused to let me get to the end of this lil introductory arc without at least one more pile of abject fluff! But finally, we’re ready to begin the plot!

Once again, the link to the AO3 version is in the first chapter and the 15th chapter; you can see it in the text for the link if you wanna subscribe to be told when it updates 😁

First Chapter:

Previous Chapter:

——————

So That Just Happened part 1

Back in her own room on the other side of the country from Gotham, Sam Manson reclined back into giant, coffin shaped body pillow her beloved girlfriend had given her when they moved and contemplated her phone.

The brand new Wayne-chat was blowing up satisfactorily, although apparently Tim was a massive stalker too. That was probably a good thing; it meant she hadn’t actually nuked Tuck’s chances with his nerd-crush. Now they could bond over their mutual stalker tendencies.

But, did that make her revenge less effective?

It wasn’t like she was actually out to ruin his life, but she’d kinda like to leave a mark. Something that would make him think twice about letting her think he and Danny had fucking died in Gotham in her absence.

Or. Well. Gone radio silent in Gotham, which was probably actually worse because if they were dead she’d know exactly where they were.

The Wayne chat were all pretty sure Tim and Tucker were together too, and Sam’s new best friend Babs had even pulled up the feed from their living room tv somehow. Sam wasn’t exactly the tech wizard Tucker was, but… after seeing that, she disconnected her and Val’s TV from the wifi.

And settled in to remote watch Tuck get his ass kicked at Spiderheck, apparently. At least for a little while; until something else on her phone caught her attention.

It was… almost funny. While she knew she was a whole three timezones away, she’d never really felt left out before. Like maybe she should have stayed on the east coast…

Not that she regretted it, of course. She had a good job, a good school, a wonderful girlfriend who’d been so excited to get into a good school and really go to town on the business department.

(Apparently there were posters of Val’s face in the ethics classrooms. Sam refused to ask if they were golden example or dire warning.)

She was just… a long way away. Even a long portal away, and… being back with the guys, even in Gotham, made the quiet of their comfy little apartment seem lonely.

Huffing, she turned and traced her fingers through the leaves of her mimosa plant on the windowsill beside the bed. They curled gently shut at her touch, and made her smile. Just like always.

She was happy to be home. She wasn’t technically liminal enough yet that it was her haunt, but… well, for all the jokes Val made, Sam had to admit she’d put down roots. She loved her job at the greenhouses, and her internship at the botanical gardens.

She loved scaring the hell out of the dudebros in Val’s business classes who thought ethics were a waste of time. She loved sharing messages with Jazz about the boys, laughing that even three hours ahead, Tuck and Danny still couldn’t get up before them.

She was kinda considering texting Harley about Timblr too. Not like, for any particular reason; if Tim’s family weren’t gonna embarrass Tucker enough, Harley probably wouldn’t either. She’d probably think it was adorable.

Or, y’know, worrying evidence of obsession. Psych types worried about stuff like that, usually.

Sam was kinda also considering sending Harley Jazz’s number. Jazz might still be skating just on the neurosurgery side of the line, but she’d always been big into psychology. Big enough to try and triple major, and only drop to major-major-minor after the third pre-exam meltdown.

And she could use having someone else do the shrink bit on her a little more often. Although really, for that Sam should make her a professional appointment; friends didn’t ask friends to psychoanalyze their overprotective pseudo-sisters. And Jazz could use more friends.

Jazz could use a transfer to a specialty that would let her sleep once in a while, a more stable supply of fresh ecto, and about six weeks in a meditation retreat to get the accidental telepathy under control, but more friends would be good too. And less stubborn insistence on her second try for double majors.

Maybe the switch to psychiatry full time would be good for her? Or psychology. Sam was a little fuzzy on the difference, which one Jazz was currently still minoring in, and which one Harley did.

(Jazz’s current second major was neurosurgery, which Jazz insisted was totally less taxing alongside a neurology major because it was the same body part. She was the only person in her class attempting the double major though, so.)

Humming tunelessly to herself, Sam flicked back into the group chat. Babs was still sharing the feed… brows drawing in, Sam frowned at the little spider figures still fighting to the death. Now, she wasn’t as big of a gamer as she used to be, but she was pretty sure Spiderheck didn’t actually offer red berets.

Snorting a laugh, she flicked back out of the chat and opened a new one, adding both Jazz and Harley. All it needed was the perfect name… something that would grab both of their attention.

Obvious. Child’s play.

Snuggling back into her coffin pillow, Sam grinned down at her phone screen.

Danny Has A Boyfriend chat was live.

**

Having eight legs wasn’t exactly the same as suddenly having four new ones, or two new legs and two new arms. While the first two were definitely functioning as “hands”, being the ones to pick up and use all of the weapons, Tim had quickly learned that he could grip with any of the eight “feet” that were available.

Yeah, spinning a laser staff all the way down one side of his body and up the other was fucking cool.

He’d adjusted pretty quickly during their “practice” round, while they all got used to the web slinging and worked out how to open the boxes and use the weapons.

(Tucker had swung himself into the lava by accident, so they’d started a second round.)

Tim felt pretty much ready to go, although if he was honest with himself… his only actual complaint was that he didn’t have a camera.

Conner had asked Tuck at the start of their second round if his powers had been nerfed to make it “fair”. Tucker, sweet innocent Tucker, had managed to convey a sidelong look even looking at even without a face on their little blob bodies and said he didn’t think Conner needed a nerf.

He just needed to understand how the powers worked, and they could be incorporated into the system. Which, well, was like catnip for Conner.

At least Tucker seemed a lot less flustered about talking to him while they were both spiders, because Conner had started talking his ear off about TTK and hadn’t stopped since.

Tim was kinda considering swinging over and taking them both out, just to get the game moving. But Conner was cute when he got really into something, and being a headless little spider body did not seem to have changed that.

He spent the time practicing with the webs instead, spinning and tossing himself around the map. It was pretty similar to using a grapple, although he wasn’t exactly sure whether or not the web was coming from his own body.

If it was, it was coming from inside a foot, which wasn’t how actual spiders worked… but Tim was pretty sure that was on Spiderheck, not Tucker.

Being able to run around upside down was the biggest change for him, and pretty cool. Tim scuttled around under a couple of the higher platforms for a while, planning his strategy.

Honestly, he was pretty sure TTK was going to wind up fucking Conner over rather than making anything easier for him. You’d think that flying would be an advantage in Spiderheck, at least as far as avoiding lava or an out of bounds, but Tim knew pretty explicitly how far it took Conner to stop.

It wasn’t exactly on a dime, and in this game? The pace didn’t exactly allow for imprecision.

And they were wasting time talking about it rather than getting used to having an extra six hand-feet.

Still upside down, Tim twisted until he could see the other two spiders. Which was when he learned that… they did kinda have their faces on them. Just, instead of being in a face position, on the front of his body that he was seeing out of, it was just sorta… plastered across the body.

Like a photo skin mapped onto a flat blob.

He considered letting the other two know; if anyone walked into the room, they’d probably be able to see their little faces on the screen. If they were just standing around talking.

Also, the pictures’ mouths weren’t moving, which hadn’t been weird when Tim was listening to them talk and didn’t think they had mouths. Kinda was to look down on Conner’s smiling face and hear his voice at a mile a minute.

Tucker probably already knew, and might have done the faces on purpose? And if he hadn’t, it was gonna be pretty funny to see what happened when he noticed.

He’d gotten progressively better at actually talking to Conner the longer he wasn’t actually looking at him, and the focus being on the game had helped too. Face in the game? Probably gonna throw him again.

And it was probably time to get things actually moving, so he could enjoy that.

Humming softly to himself, Tim scuttled across to the loot crates, found himself a double ended lightsabre, and dropped down on Tucker and Conner’s heads.

**

“Sooooooo…” Danny clapped his hands, doing his best to make his broad grin at least look a little innocent as he floated sideways into Jason’s field of view, “not that that wasn’t adorable and dramatic and everything, super touching, buuuut…?”

He almost laughed as Jason jumped, having apparently forgotten Danny was there for a hot second, then pulled his hand back from Lady Gotham’s to glare at him. The Lady herself didn’t bother hiding her chuckle, settling back to recline once more on a cloud of smog.

“Was there something you needed, Phantom?” She asked with a dry amusement.

Danny shrugged innocently, sticking his hands in his spectral pockets. Much more dangerous than regular pockets, but he’d not been doing more than blob wrangling lately.

“Not so much what I need, just, y’know, trying to keep things on track. I dunno if you’ve got other plans for the night Jay, but we were with Frostbite for a while and if you did…” he trailed off, and Jason grimaced.

“Not what you’d call set plans, but…” Jason trailed off as well, and Danny could feel the guilt even before it tried creeping in.

Nope, not having that. He’d almost talked himself into that bullshit already tonight, none for Jason. He nodded airily, floating up to drape an arm over the larger man’s shoulder.

“All I’ve gotta do is get to bed before midnight, so I’m not rushing now that Tucker’s found himself a new ride.” Waggled eyebrows punctuated that comment with enough emphasis that Jason snickered, darker feelings pushed aside without finding purchase.

“What, you don’t wanna go watch that train wreck in person?” Jason teased with a lopsided half smile.

Danny pulled a face, both at the thought of Tucker’s goddamn disastrous attempts at flirting and… well, the possibility of running into Bruce again. Maybe Constantine.

Danny was maaaaaybe kinda avoiding the wizard since he’d started collecting the other contracts on his soul; it wasn’t like he wanted them for nefarious purposes, it was just fucking weird. He didn’t like owning people. Not even overgrown Sour Patch Kids in trench coats.

(At least Constantine was still alive though. Those unlucky souls who died still bound to Pariah damn near went through a full reboot. No memories, no personality, none of what Danny would have thought of as like, the core components of a soul.

So far nothing anyone had done had been able to help them, and Danny had a nasty feeling the final answer would be Ending them. The Observants didn’t want to, they were perfectly happy with a thrall army so long as they controlled it, but Danny was firm.

No slaves, no thralls. If the only way he could free them was through a final and permanent death… he would.

But Clockwork was still looking, and so long as the ancient of time thought there might be a way… Danny held out hope too.)

For now, he shook his head quickly, holding up both hands.

“No way man. Bruce already hates my guts, I’m gonna keep a healthy distance.”

For both their sakes, really. Jason’s mood every time Bruce had spoken to him today kinda proved he hadn’t listened to Danny’s advice and stepped up. Not that Danny had exactly expected him to; again, hated his guts.

Jason pulled a face but didn’t bother to argue; he’d probably rather not actually deal with the old man for a third time either. Instead he just shrugged, turning his attention back to Lady Gotham.

“Do you know what time it is in Gotham now, my lady?” He asked, and the really weird thing was that it didn’t actually sound weird.

Danny always felt awkward and formal whenever he tried to address a ghost by their title, and Lady Gotham was the very worst because she never bothered to hide when she was laughing at him. Which was, y’know, every time he said it.

(He wasn’t gonna just call her “Gotham” though. That would be worse, so he just sucked it up.)

On Jason’s lips, words like “my lady” just sounded right. Danny flashed back for a moment to snow in a graveyard, and Jason knelt before him quoting Shakespeare. There was something in Jason that was just made for flowery language and dramatic proclamations.

Lady Gotham clearly agreed, bestowing a fond smile upon Jason before inclining her head back for a moment, those red on black eyes glowing suddenly brighter. Looking into the living world, or right up Clockwork’s ass?

“It’s coming to ten o’clock,” she said softly, something almost like regret in her tone. The smile that she turned back to them was softer, sadder.

Danny’d feel bad about being the one to point it out, except, yeah. He’d had to. Ghosts in general didn’t exactly think about time. It was a problem for the living, so - him. And Jason.

Who didn’t seem nearly so sorry with the answer. He nodded, fingers beginning to drum against his thigh.

“Time for a few more questions, then.” That wasn’t a question, and if Danny was completely insensate or possibly locked in a sensory deprivation tank he might have warned Jason about talking to a powerful spirit like that.

It’d need to be a damn good tank for him to miss all the signs though; Jason was so in the good books. Lady Gotham just smiled and nodded, gesturing once more with her traffic cone.

“Of course. And, of course, we will have plenty of other opportunities to speak. I may spend much of my time here, but now that we have been introduced… I can also speak to you there, if you would like?”

It was a delicate question, and Danny hesitated, suddenly wondering if he should… well, elaborate again.

“Uh… yeah, sure? I’d like that?” Jason asked, clearly confused by the reticence, and that made up Danny’s mind.

“She’s not going to sound the same,” he explained quickly, giving Lady Gotham a quick smile. She smiled back, gesturing for him to continue, because none of the damn older ghosts explained shit for themselves.

Danny totally didn’t roll his eyes.

“Like, the way we talk to her in the Infinite Realms is kinda the abstract? She looks kinda human,” he added, gesturing vaguely at the Lady.

Jason’s brows furrowed for a moment, but he felt more curious than concerned.

“So… she’s an anthropomorphic personification, but not in the living world?” He asked, and Danny’s eyes nearly crossed.

He turned to Lady Gotham, hoping that this might be some weird city slang, and she laughed at him. Again.

“Yes,” she agreed with Jason instead, which absolutely did not help. “It’s easier for me to speak with you here, using eyes and ears like your own. But building and maintaining this shape in the living world is… complicated.”

“Because her real body there is the city,” Danny added, privately resolving to ask Sam what the fuck Jason was talking about later.

Honestly, Jason would probably get along real good with Mr Lancer. They both liked weird words.

At least he actually looked a little confused too now; Danny had freaked the first time Lady Gotham talked to him out in the city itself. He gave Jason a consoling pat on the shoulder.

“You’ve gotta see it to believe it, man. Just… it’s gonna be weird.” Not the most helpful, sure, but Danny was doing his best!

Jason nodded slowly, willing to table it for now, and refocused on Lady Gotham, something darker now welling in the purpose building inside him.

“So you said the Joker wasn’t from the Curse,” he said bluntly. Danny flinched, more from the lack of any aura inflection than the remnants he could feel.

Yeah, a lotta Gothamites hated the Joker specifically, but if Danny had even the faintest doubt of who’d killed Jason… the black, leaden lump of Death in Jason’s aura wiped it out.

Lady Gotham stilled too, her own smile fading as she regarded Jason. Those red and black eyes were suddenly so much older, so much sadder.

“Yes,” she agreed softly, lowering her traffic cone to rest at her hip. “Are you sure?”

‘Are you sure you want to know?’

Or ‘Are you sure you want to know now?’

Danny wouldn’t put money on which she’d intended, but it didn’t take a genius to know the answer to both. Stubborn, emotionally repressed, and self destructive as hell, bat-training only left one answer.

Jason nodded firmly now, his jaw clenching.

“Yes.”

Lady Gotham studied him for a moment longer but didn’t argue, inclining her head gently.

“Then I will be brief. While the Curse has always been part of the city, feeding on fear and despair, in recent years we have both felt… something else. I told you of the malevolence on the land?” She asked, and Jason made a soft, impatient noise.

“And that it’s where the Curse comes from, yeah. And that the Joker is different,” he prodded.

Danny made a face. He was usually very much on the side of blunt answers, and knew full well that the Lady wouldn’t actually like, break Jason for being mouthy. He was very, very used to seeing favouritism from the outside, and Jason was clearly a firm favourite.

Maybe because he was currently Gotham’s only actual part ghost child? (To be fair, Danny didn’t think that’d change much in the fullness of time; Jason was his favourite of all the bats alive or dead.)

Whatever it was, his interruption only brought a flicker of a smile to the Lady’s lips, which vanished just as quickly.

“Yes. The Curse is indeed the original manifestation of that malevolence, given form and now, purpose. But even that malevolence came from somewhere; Gotham lies on a crack between worlds, older than time. Every world in the multiverse exist along certain markers; certain weak spots. Gotham is one of them.”

“Of course it is,” Jason grumbled beside him and Danny shifted closer, brushing their shoulders together.

Personally, he figured that if Gotham was a weak point in the universe and all the bad shit just leaked through, they were probably doing pretty well for themselves. Then, he’d seen the depths of the Ghost Zone; he knew what else could be trying to leak through.

Which, obviously, meant the good luck had to end.

“When the Joker died,” Lady Gotham continued, only to be cut off by a startled “What?!” from Jason and a totally-super-dignified squawk from Danny.

“You are not gonna tell me that asshole’s a ghost!” Danny moaned, dragging his hands down his face. Honestly, if he’d missed a whole actual ghost in the city for an entire year too, he was never going to live it down.

Like any of the other ghosts had any fucking clue what it was like being half alive… or living fully inside a city spirit’s haunt. Let them visit Lady Gotham’s and see what they sensed.

“Who the hell killed the Joker?!” Jason demanded, something weirdly like panic spiking through anger. “It wasn’t fucking Bruce-”

Lady Gotham silenced them both with a pointed look, shadows growing suddenly long and dark under her stare. Then she returned her gaze to Jason, her expression sombre.

“The Joker is not a ghost, nor a halfa. Bruce Wayne resuscitated him, which may be all that kept him from becoming a manifestation himself; he was killed not only in Gotham, but by a nexus point, in rage and revenge and hatred.”

There was something dark in Lady Gotham’s eyes now, something black and burning and for half a second Danny could swear he felt that rage himself, deep in his chest.

“Something else leaked through in the short time that he was dead,” she went on, her gaze firmly locked on Jason’s and Danny couldn’t imagine just how much the older-younger halfa was feeling under its full force. “Something small, and hungry, and craving death because it was denied his - the death I believe would give it shape.”

It wasn’t enough for Jason, that much was obvious; bitterness-frustration-grief hung in the air in a cloud almost thicker than the Lady’s smogs, and this time Danny gave in to temptation.

Let his own soothing-sorrow-loss twine through, even if he didn’t exactly understand the cause of the feeling. Jason startled a little, knocked from grumbling something that hadn’t been for anyone but him, but his hand reached back for Danny’s. Squeezed tight, even as the bitterness deepened.

His eyes narrowed, he remained focused on Lady Gotham though.

“Of course. Of course he fucking brought the clown back, even after someone did the world a fucking favour,” he hissed through his teeth, then raised his voice more clearly. “So, what? No one can ever kill the Joker, or Gotham gets another curse? Who’d fucking notice at this point?”

A genuine sorrow and pain passed across Lady Gotham’s face but she schooled it, kept her own aura calm and composed… or at least in closer than they could feel. There was probably a reason she’d put space between them again.

“Not quite, but close,” she agreed softly, those red bat eyes somehow more gentle even against the black pupil. “This other entity is already here, growing each day. Every violent death in Gotham is being consumed by it, which I will admit has strengthened the truce between the Curse and myself. Neither of us wish to feed it any more than necessary.”

Danny’s brows furrowed at that and he tried to think back to everything that Frostbite had ever told him about spirits. Not the dead-people kind, but the Neverborn; entities, concepts, ideas given form. Like time, and cities.

“So… when did the Joker die?” He asked cautiously, and felt surprise jolt through Jason. Lady Gotham gave him a quick glance, and cocked her head at Jason himself.

“Not so long after Jason did. A matter of months, less than a year, though he was dead less than a few minutes.” There was something in her tone, a weight on the words that made Danny think he was on the right track… but that she didn’t want to say it.

Which. Well. That was all kinds of bad fucking news if an entity as old as Lady Gotham was wary of speaking it into being. Luckily, Danny was just a fucked up little half ghost who had absolutely no supernatural tie ins to things like belief.

And he believed in just laying all the cards on the table before he decided if he had to flip it.

“That’s really young for any kind of belief spirit,” he said bluntly, watching Lady Gotham’s eyes. Saw… just a hint of something, creasing the corners, and seriously considered reaching his aura to hers for the first time today.

It’d save so much time to just get the message through feeling, but… if she preferred words, the words had to be important, and Jason probably needed words.

Fuck, they’d all need words, because this was going to be a goddamn bat-briefing if Lady Gotham was filling them in, and Mr Emotional Repression Is My Soulmate was not going to be up to aura reads.

Chewing his lower lip, he thought through the next stage a couple times before speaking slowly, watching for any hint he was still on the right path.

“If… it’s grown fast enough that you both noticed… it’s not new?” He tried, wondering briefly if he’d retroactively doomed them all by thinking about “what else could break through” from the depths of the Zone.

Lady Gotham shook her head though, gesturing impatiently through her smoke to clear it… maybe the first sign he’d ever seen that she didn’t control it entirely.

“No. That much, we are both certain of. This entity… it is new and unformed, with no Name of its own. At the moment, all of the fear it wreaks is only feeding belief in the Curse, which is why it only has death. But there is already a will there, long before it should even have awareness. And it wants to grow.”

“Oh great, so Joker’s got a Pitty 2.0 but his is on the outside,” Jason quipped, irritation sparking through him… and Danny was kinda glad to see it, honestly. Just a little flash of the guy he’d been getting to know in all the dark.

Even Lady Gotham managed a brief smile, and didn’t actually bother refuting it; closing her eyes for a moment, she waved her hand and the clouds of smog between them solidified briefly into a model of the city. Buildings only, but with horribly empty shadows between them.

“The Joker’s death gave it an entrance, and his revival denied it his shape, his Name, and the fear he commands. But it is no longer fixated on killing the Joker - and it was, for several years. It pushed him before it had the power for anything else, driving him further, feeding poison to those around him, trying to have him killed so that it could become The Joker, the pure essence of every bloody mark the clown left on Gotham. And it very nearly succeeded,” she added softly, her gaze turning back to Jason with an almost tangible sorrow.

Something in Danny’s gut iced over, and suddenly he was really, really glad he didn’t know what she was thinking.

**

Bruce looked better as he rose from the table, Diana decided, watching her old friend closely. For all that he’d come with an actual reason for his doom and gloom (for a change), his attitude during the briefing was positively relaxed compared to their own discussion that followed.

He would still be worrying and fretting, she knew him too well to believe anything else, and… she knew why. While Diana had no children of her own (though she had met and heard of other versions of herself who had), she did dearly love her own proteges, and those of her friends.

She remembered Jason as the young, sweet boy who’d stumbled over every word he said to her and stared at her like she’d hung the stars. She remembered Bruce’s grief, Batman’s rage, and the shadow that hung over the Dark Knight with every step until Tim Drake took him to heel.

She knew that there was too much there, the guilt and pain and loss and grief for Bruce to see Jason objectively, and she didn’t begrudge him that. Nor did she condone it.

It only hurt both men, and while she would not give her opinion when it wasn’t wanted… well, she was aware Bruce spoke to Clark of his worries around Jason much more often than he would to her. This time though, she’d had no choice.

She knew the man well enough to know what was truly scaring him in this situation; that Jason would be taken from him again. He was at least as upset by this “Danny” boy as the thought of war with an entire realm.

It would have been cute, if he wasn’t a grown adult man who prided himself on critical thinking. Or actively forcing his son away with his own actions at every turn.

Still, there was one piece of counsel she could give. The thing he hated the most of all was a mystery. And while she also didn’t usually condone his stalking-as-a-sign-of-affection…

“Batman.”

He stopped in the doorway but didn’t look back, still as a statue. At least he was listening.

A fond smile pulling across her lips, Diana shook her head. Let the formal tones of Wonder Woman return to the voice of a friend.

“You see many dangers in the unknown. Perhaps you might reassure yourself by getting to know young Danny Fenton as a person, rather than a potential threat.”

He stayed frozen in the doorway for a moment longer, then nodded his head sharply and swept away.

Diana stifled a chuckle. Honestly, for all Constantine had come to her as if the world were about to end… all of their problems with this Infinite Realm were perfectly clear to her.

The American government had overstepped drastically with their Anti Ecto Acts and would be brought to heel.

The new ruler of the Infinite Realms had turned their head in this direction, and guided them to what must be fixed.

And young Jason Todd, while far from the only hero who had died and returned, had been chosen by this ruler to be favoured with protection, in exchange for service.

Of course, it may all blow out of control and become as dire as her dear friend already seemed to believe it was, but for all Bruce was constantly creating contingencies and backup plans, he very rarely had to use most of them.

She turned her attention to John Constantine instead, the magician seeming much less inclined to make himself scarce than usual. At least he had also calmed considerably, and was even smiling in his own crooked fashion after Bruce.

“You know he’s gonna go stalk that poor kid even more now?” He asked sardonically, pulling another cigarette from his pack but not reaching for the lighter.

Diana hesitated for a moment.

She’d meant for Bruce to talk to Danny, preferably directly. But Bruce did not like talking to new people; not without thorough research and a chance to prepare.

Then she shrugged.

“If it will keep him from disrupting our already tense situation with the Infinite Realms, better that he distract himself with more fatherly concerns,” she said simply.

Constantine snickered again, then frowned.

“Wait, fatherly concerns? For some kid his boy’s known like, a week?”

This time, Diana didn’t bother to restrain her smile, glancing down at the phone in her pocket.

“Merely a week, perhaps, but according to Wonder Girl they have already been caught at least once without their trousers.”

Which hadn’t been part of the official presentation, of course. Nor apparently whatever Bruce had already shared with Constantine, as the mage promptly nearly swallowed his unlit cigarette and began choking.

Diana gave him a carefully gauged slap to the back, sending the now soaked and crumpled smoke across the meeting table, but politely did not laugh.

**

Jason was pretty sure he was going to puke. Or scream. Maybe both.

It wasn’t bad enough that Bruce had refused to kill the Joker, to stop him from killing anyone else, no, he’d fucking brought him back to life. Given the fucking Joker the chance that none of his victims ever got.

None of them except Jason.

And now apparently even wanting the bastard dead was all part of some master fucking plan to make the fucking asshole even worse.

He’d wanted Bruce to be the one to avenge him from the second Tallia pulled him out of the Lazarus Pit, but when he’d come to Gotham… when his plans to carve out his turf, provoke the Joker with an old alias, set the trap had suddenly become stuffing heads in a bag…

He’d thought about it. A lot. About just hunting the fucker down, putting a bullet between his eyes, and leaving him in the Batcave deader than dead.

Had nearly done it, but no. He’d wanted… he’d wanted Bruce to choose him. To put him first, to say he loved Jason more than some moral stance, to value Tim’s life more, and Steph, and Cass, over the fucking scum who would have happily killed every last one of them with a smile on his face just to see if Bruce finally broke.

And Bruce hadn’t.

Bruce had nearly killed him.

And in and around that whole mess, he’d never gotten around to actually thinking about how his fucking daddy issues had saved the Joker’s life for… years, by now.

Jason wasn’t killing anymore. Not like, actively. Intentionally. Not because he thought Bruce was right; something, someone, had to be willing to stand up for the people of Gotham and actually stop fuckers like the Joker from killing them.

But… well, Crime Alley was his territory, and a scared enemy, a cowed enemy who’d seen their life in Jason’s hands and knew just how easily he could end it was more useful than dealing with the power vacuum, or the next million upstarts who’d think they knew better, would be better, and could take on the Red Hood themselves.

Ironically, keeping fuckers like Black Mask and Great White Shark alive and in power (at severely reduced scale) saved him time. Kept him from dealing with all those upstarts himself.

That was how Waylon had put it, back when Jason was considering adding to his bag of heads. It was… like farming. Keep them low, but keep them stable. Break anything new they went for, or anything that got on his turf.

Let them harvest some of the power hungry fucks who thought they could take a piece of the Alley.

And then Dick had noticed. And reached out. And didn’t stop until Jason gave in and reached back.

When Danny came to Gotham. Somehow, it all swung back around to Danny.

And the fact that if he actually believed what he told Bruce, he could have gone to kill the clown himself at any time since returning to the city.

And he never had. The time wasn’t right. Something came up. Something went wrong, or broke, or distracted him before he thought too hard about it.

Killing the Joker hadn’t even been in his original plans for his triumphant return. He’d just wanted to take back the Alley, prove his point to Bruce. Keep his home safe.

When had killing the Joker become such a big part of the plan? Who the fuck had gotten into his fucking head, redefined him as the last moment of his fucking life, demanded his new life be all about how the last one ended?

Eyes narrowing, he looked searchingly into Lady Gotham’s face just in time to catch her slow nod, like she’d heard every thought. Like he’d been speaking aloud.

“I could not stop it from reaching to you,” she said softly, her voice heavy with sadness, “but I could… distract. Get in the way, make its path harder. That you did not give in…”

Something soft, something proud flickered in her eyes again, and it made him want to squirm.

“You may not have consciously known that you fought yet another enemy, yet you triumphed regardless. My dear Jason…” she sighed, heavy with sorrow, and reached out a hand again as though to cup his face.

Jason found himself moving to meet her before he even thought about it. Stopped himself just before it actually got him anywhere.

He wasn’t done being angry yet. He wasn’t even sure he’d actually started. If he could ever, would ever, be angry enough for this.

There was something building in him like a tide, riding high on resentment and his spiralling thoughts. It wasn’t green tinted like the pit rage, his vision was still clear… if anything, it felt sharper, like everything had been dialled up to eleven. Like the terrible, roaring anger was seeking a target.

“I am sorry that you have been robbed of your justice in this way,” Lady Gotham said quietly and once again Jason’s focus narrowed down with her intensity, like she was the only real thing in the world, “that even your own emotions of this, your death, have been used against you. It is…”

She hesitated, actually looking to Danny for help herself for the first time. Judging from the sudden low horror Jason could feel from the other man, he might actually be under reacting.

Or the tide was still rising.

He felt like razing the whole city to the fucking ground, with his own hands, brick by brick. Or puking. Or screaming until his lungs ripped out of his chest, if only he could move.

It felt like something had reached into his brain and cranked up the contrast, made the already neon brights of the Ghost Zone brighter, the shadows darker, the very air prickling at his skin like needles with the urge to do something.

Because if he moved, did anything, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Not when every muscle ached to tear the whole universe apart.

He was almost a passenger in his own skin as something else, a different, slow boiling rage barely under control clamped him in a vice.

“So y’know we talked about not asking about how ghosts died?” Danny said slowly, his voice suddenly low and hoarse.

Jason managed a stiff nod, every muscle twanging tight with tension. It had been pretty important, pre-Ghost-Zone.

And he could put the pieces together, right from the tight hot center of that ball of rage that he was pretty sure was his own core.

“This is worse,” he said gruffly, not bothering to look over. Didn’t have to, when he could feel the face Danny was pulling through the worry-worry-fear-anger-horror still surrounding him.

He… fuck. He was a little afraid of what he might do, if there was even an ounce of pity on Danny’s face, and honestly that panicked him more than anything else. All the rage wanted was a target, and he didn’t think he’d be able to choose what it was.

Danny nodded anyway, making a conscious effort to try and reign his aura in. Like he couldn’t hear the subtext, feel it in Jason’s, or like he could and didn’t care.

It left him feeling cold, icy and alone, but still relieved under the echoing slam of rage in his veins. A little more alone in his own head. A little less watched. Judged. Not good enough.

“Like, worse than worse, dude. Ghosts will throw down and rip each other apart just for fun and no one’s actually hurt, but… you don’t fuck with somebody’s death. You just don’t. It’s the worst thing you could do to a ghost, worse than Ending them. Not even Pariah Dark…”

“Exactly,” Lady Gotham hissed, baring her teeth in something not even remotely a smile, full cheeks and lips suddenly gaunt and hollow as the teeth became fangs. It lasted barely a moment, a flicker before it faded, but it snapped Jason straight out of his fury with a sudden shock of terror.

She’d been intimidating before. Effortlessly, gracefully powerful and commanding, the kind of person people would beg to step on them without a hint of aggression. Those teeth though… just the moment of that rage, of something so powerful suddenly nothing but raw, feral danger…

It wasn’t even directed at him but it still felt like a bucket of cold water down his spine. An instant urge to duck his head, show his throat, convince this much larger predator that he wasn’t a threat.

She was immediately contrite, turning her head away as her face cast into shadow, only the red pupils still visible.

“My apologies. It is… less personal for me than it is for you, yet it seems still too close to my heart.”

Forcing himself to swallow, Jason took a couple of deep, heavy breaths. The anger was still there, kind of. He could feel it in an almost distant way, past the hammering of his heart, but it wasn’t all he was anymore.

It was just… a feeling now. One he was in control of.

The shadows were just shadows again. The green of the Zone no longer blinding.

He blew the last breath out slowly, and let the remnants of the anger go with it.

“No, uh… it’s fine. I think that helped, actually,” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and suddenly embarrassed at just how tense he’d become.

Justified, apparently, from both the other ghosts’ reactions, but that didn’t mean Jason wanted to feel so out of control. How close to just… being carried away by the anger.

No matter what anyone else said, no matter what the damn Pit or Joker-monster or whatever the fuck else tried to do, Jason Todd was not going to be defined by rage.

For one thing, he’d never live it down.

Danny sagged beside him, relief as tangible as that last breath flowing out of him, despite the core of concern underneath. That was fine; Jason was still concerned too.

And maybe thinking about his stash of ecto-candies again, but he honestly didn’t feel half as drained this time. He wasn’t even scared of Lady Gotham anymore - that moment had ended as soon as it started. As soon as she’d tucked those terrifying needle-like teeth away. Now she just looked…

Proud. Proud, and fond, and so, so sad. Like Alfred had been the first time he presented Jason with his very own Robin suit for the field.

It choked something inside Jason just a little, made his throat tight and breath hitch.

“You are so much more than anyone gives you credit for, Jason Todd,” she said softly, her sclera softening briefly to a bright, sunshine yellow. Like the cape he’d drowned in as a boy flying from her rooftops, “and they all think far better of you than you believe.”

That caught him up for a moment, confusion pulling into the absolute fucking mess of emotions he was pretty sure he was projecting to all and sundry.

Then Danny sighed heavily and draped himself sideways over Jason’s shoulders like a particularly lanky and bony scarf.

“Yeah, yeah, and your ghost mom is fucking terrifying. Did not need that reminder, Ladyship,” he tossed at Lady Gotham with a cheeky wink, effectively steam rolling the tension yet again.

Jason could have kissed him, but from the angle Danny had flopped on, his options were armpit or hip, and neither appealed.

Sassy comebacks, he could handle. Reassurances that people didn’t think he was a complete sack of shit, apparently not.

The whole batfam were just perfect poster kids for mental health, alright?

The Lady herself laughed softly and inclined her head, not arguing the point.

“Of course. Still, I am sorry Jason.”

He cut her off this time, raising both hands and stopping just short of reaching for the back of his neck again, which was about where Danny’s waist was sat.

“Don’t be. I… think I needed to be knocked out of my head there. I really do feel better now,” he added, and Danny huffed a noncommittal noise and ruffled his hair.

“Yeah, well. You’re allowed to be pissed about it,” Danny informed him like he wasn’t sure if Jason actually knew that.

Which, obviously, Jason absolutely wasn’t. He had a pit ghost baby to teach good habits to, and Danny still had no idea what Jason was like when he actually lost control of the anger. But he could appreciate the sentiment.

And deflect like a Robin.

“Oh, is that a royal decree?” He asked archly, and while this noise was no more coherent than the last it was decidedly more whiny and drawn out into wordless protest.

Which still ended in a very quiet “yes.”

Luckily, quiet enough that Jason could pretend he didn’t hear it.

“Anyway, I’m good. Still gonna kick this thing’s ass for messing with my head, and maybe put it in a blender, but for now I’m good. Chill vibes only for Pitty,” he added with a roll of his eyes when Danny made a confused little chirping sound.

Lady Gotham chuckled softly to herself and nodded, resettling herself to recline on her smog clouds once more.

“Indeed. You currently have more pressing concerns; as little as I enjoy the present situation, it can wait. The Curse and I can monitor this new being’s behaviour through the rogues it has affected; they are noticeably becoming more violent, while the Curse is swaying the rest towards being less. For contrast,” she added before Jason could ask.

Which… might actually explain why Riddler had tossed a broken game box at Croc and the Wayne gala rather than trying to fix it. He’d stripped most of the interesting stuff according to Tim’s report, sure, but Nygma never let a thread go.

So he wasn’t gonna be on this new bad guy’s kill list.

Nor would Waylon, and Harley had been more destructive than homicidal for years. Already making a mental list on the events he’d caught wind of in the last few weeks, Jason didn’t even realise the conversation had moved on without him until Danny stuck a wet finger in his ear.

“What the actual fuck!” Jason demanded, trying to shrug the ghost off his shoulders. And while there was deadass no weight to Danny in this form, it was frankly unfair that he just rolled with the movement like he also didn’t have bones, snickering.

“You had Resting Bat Face,” he explained with a grin, twisting upwards to look down at him in a way that actually really shouldn’t have been doable with a human spine - and Jason had grown up around Dick Grayson, who ran the limit of everything a human spine was capable of.

“He does best with a problem to solve,” Lady Gotham noted with a sly amusement. “This one, however, has no time limit as yet. If I thought you would listen, I would have insisted on telling you at a later date.”

And that was just pointed enough that Jason rolled his eyes, feeling his cheeks flush in spite of himself. He just… liked to have all of the information. It’s not like he was Bruce.

“Yeah, well, I like to know what I’m dealing with,” he grumbled, folding his arms and scowling at Danny. Who grinned back and ruffled his hair.

“Well, either way. Not like you need to pull the spandex back on imminently, right? There’s plenty of bats around,” he offered hopefully, and Jason felt a quick pang.

Danny… really didn’t want him to have to be a vigilante. He could taste it in the hope, in the worry, in everything his king was putting off. For some reason, he seemed to think Jason had come back to life and left the masks behind.

Like he hadn’t even thought about why Jason was still in fighting shape to be his fucking knight in the first place.

He knew he’d be annoyed if it was anyone else trying to insist he stay out of the game. He’d shot at Dick more than once for suggesting he go home when he was injured; the rest knew better than to say a word.

He hadn’t even considered giving up the vigilante life when he came back from the dead… except that brief period when he’d sort of been a rogue. He’d never even been a normal crime lord, most of them were way less hands on.

If he looked at the future now, he couldn’t imagine ever giving it up. The rogues would apparently literally always be a problem; the city would always need protectors.

That thought had never made him sad before, and yet…

Was it really the first time anyone had suggested he’d done enough? He’d died, and sure Jason was back now, but Danny seemed to really, actually believe he could stop wearing the mask.

That he’d given enough, given everything, and could and should just have a peaceful life now.

It made him almost ashamed to admit that he’d never even considered the possibility.

For all Jason railed against teen heroes, he’d only stopped being one for a temporary villain arc. Which was apparently at least partially supernaturally motivated, which was fun.

It’d shut Bruce up if Jason ever dragged that out in an argument, but Bruce already thought Jason was too volatile and susceptible to being controlled. Never mind that he hadn’t actually killed the Joker and started the apocalypse or whatever, all Bruce would hear was “someone else made Jason a villain so it could happen again”.

He’d probably try and take Jason off the case of this mystic whatever that was feeding on death. Fuck that noise. Until Bruce got a face to face with Lady G, Jason probably wouldn’t even tell him the details.

(Honestly, if there was even half a chance of avoiding that subject altogether, he’d take it. Bruce got ornery about magic in his city in a way none of the Robins had ever enjoyed dealing with, and that had been back when he and Jason had a good relationship.

Now… well, Constantine had been sticking around, so hopefully he could handle that mess and Jason could just get the actual work done.)

He gave Danny his best reassuring smile anyway, rolling his eyes and reaching to try and ruffle his hair. Found that he actually couldn’t quite reach with the way Danny was twisted around him, which was kinda weird.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard Frostbite. Side effects of the forming core could be pretty much fucking anything, and til Pitty pops out I’m not even gonna do research on anything that’ll set us off.”

Which wasn’t the same as saying he wouldn’t start the case. He could arrange what he already knew, start a plan of action, and organise his next steps without doing any additional research, after all.

Something about Lady Gotham’s delicately arching eyebrow let him know that she, at least, was onto his bullshit. Lucky for Jason, Danny just accepted the words, grinning and twisting around to wrap his whole head in a hug.

And then flowed back off his shoulders like a fucking liquid before Jason could worry about having to breathe.

“That’s great! Oh, and we should set up your haunt too! That’ll help!” Danny enthused brightly, clapping his hands and doing his best impression of a totally solid human that was apparently not his default.

Maybe it was a ghost thing.

Just so long as he never did it in human form, Jason could ignore that he definitely shoulda felt a ribcage being squeezed like that…

And no, Jason absolutely wasn’t wondering about what else Danny could use that noodley flexibility for. Totally not letting Dick know either… for competitive gymnast reasons, definitely.

No one wanted to deal with that.

And then his brain fizzled to a halt as Danny’s actual words penetrated and a sliver of concern slipped in.

Because… yeah. They’d talked about haunts. It was practically the first topic on the list; what to do in someone else’s haunt, what to never ever do even near someone else’s haunt, what a haunt meant to a ghost.

It was soul-underwear again, one of the most sacred parts of a person’s soul; their truest, actual home. Fortress and power source.

Halfas had to have them too, since Danny and Frostbite had both insisted that keeping and maintaining his haunt were going to be vital to his health while his cores stabilized. As in, Frostbite told him not to leave it for long and suggested redecorating as a soothing activity.

(Danny’s was officially Amity Park, which had not escaped Jason’s notice when he was apparently being put on haunt-arrest. It might have been an older halfa thing; very few ghosts actually stayed in their haunts all the time, although Jason could see the temptation.

It also might have been something else, and Jason had this thing about secrets and surprises down the line. He’d ask later, if he couldn’t work it out himself.)

Danny called Crime Alley Jason’s haunt, and that had felt right from the first time he’d said it. Crime Alley was his, his territory, his space, his home more than anywhere else. He knew it inside and out, could feel its moods and taste the changes in the air when something went wrong.

Baby ghosts usually couldn’t claim a haunt of any size as their own, but Jason knew that the Alley belonged to him.

That was before he’d met Lady Gotham. And if she was the spirit of the whole city… maybe he’d been wrong? Maybe it was just through her that he knew it so well?

He found himself looking to her uncertainly, searching her face in case there was any trace of displeasure. Any sign she didn’t want another ghost’s haunt in… well, what was kinda her physical body.

He couldn’t see or feel anything, but when she’d already been so careful about keeping her feelings her own… no better time to ask, really.

“Yeah… about that…” this time he did scratch the back of his neck, Danny safely down beside him. Which was about when he realized that he had no clue how to word the question.

Haunts were personal, he knew that much.

Then again, Lady Gotham said she was his ghost-mom. That had to include stupid questions. Blunt it was.

“Is it weird if I have a haunt in the city? I mean, it’s obviously your city, duh, but how do I… it feels like I’m squatting in your closet,” he said finally, giving up on not being just the most awkward creature in a thousand mile radius.

Danny’s mouth opened and closed a few times, excitement fading to a confused fascination as his words sunk in.

“Y’know, that’s a really good point… except it’s more like he’s squatting in your kidneys,” he pointed out to Lady Gotham, turning to face her too.

Lady Gotham chuckled softly and took a slow drag from her traffic cone, which had almost stopped smoking.

“Ah, I forget the limitations of a halfa’s knowledge… all ghosts begin with a haunt within their parent’s, Jason. From the moment you returned to my arms I opened up the Alley for you, and it has been yours ever since.” She paused to blow out a long plume of smog, which shaped itself into a tiny row of very familiar buildings.

Jason didn’t have to see more than a couple to know what they were; he could feel it right down to his core.

“When you are older, stronger, you may desire another, although being in the mortal world is already a degree of distance, but Crime Alley will always be your first,” Lady Gotham continued as Crime Alley bloomed from the smog before them, tiny and yet more than just an image, more than just a replica; the real thing in the scope of her power.

There were no lights in tiny windows, nothing moving through the smog, and yet it was still clearly alive. No, filled with things that were alive, people and noise and even the rats.

And it was his. His beating heart.

Lady Gotham’s smile was a tender beacon in the fog, her hands coming up to caress the smoking Crime Alley and gently waft it in his direction.

“Every crumbling brick, every pothole, every shadow. It is a heavy responsibility, and one I shall share with you until you decide you no longer need my help, but it will always be yours, Jason. It would not have accepted anyone else.”

The cluster of smoggy buildings fell apart as they reached Jason and for a moment he nearly panicked trying to keep them together, but… he was suddenly washed in a wave of old, familiar scent.

Not the burned rubber and pollution of all the rest of the smogs, the constant smell of the city. This was… floral. Soft, and sweet, and chemical in the way that cheap perfumes always were because they couldn’t have afforded the good ones.

Watered down, because they could get even that so rarely that she would begin refilling the bottle with water when it was barely half empty. Catherine Todd’s favourite perfume.

It hadn’t covered the stink of cigarettes and worse coming from the very walls of their apartment; he’d only smelled it when she was holding him close. Shielding him from Willis’s rage, tucking him into bed, cuddled up on the couch to wait out the rain or sickness.

The smell of home.

It brought tears to his eyes, the pressure of the day threatening to spill over and overwhelm him again.

Intellectually, it felt like another moment that should have been terrifying. More than any show of teeth, this was her strength. Who and what she was, she could break him with a wave of her hand, a wisp of smoke, and yet…

He felt warm. Comforted. Wrapped in her smile and at peace in a way he hadn’t in… fuck it had been years.

There was something else too, a layer under the flowers that only the deepest detective-trained parts of him tried to pluck apart; it was part of the home smell, inextricable, but it didn’t make sense. Wasn’t the perfume. Just the very faintest hint of baking far away, and Catherine Todd had never been able to afford…

Oh.

Of course not. Because Catherine Todd, his mother in every possible sense of the word but one, had never met Alfred.

**

So, the good news: Tucker was currently in the lead for Spiderheck. Bad news: they’d finished the first set (Tim won, but he’d been two ahead from the start which was cheating), and… the game had ticked directly over into another set.

They hadn’t been planning on changing any settings, so it was fine, and Conner and Tim hadn’t noticed anything wrong.

But… Tucker was beginning to worry, just a little. He’d done video games before, with Danny and Sam; no worries, they’d taken a turn directly in pretty much every game they’d played together.

Just, y’know, he knew Danny and Sam really well. And Tim and Conner were really cool, and he understood a lot more about how the Supers worked than he ever had before? But, maybe that was why he’d kinda screwed up.

Because he wanted things to be fair, and didn’t want them to think he’d given himself extra advantages. So they were all spiders, all the same.

And he wasn’t completely sure where the meta controls were?

Danny and Sam always insisted he have a version of the controller somewhere, so they could flick to the menu (and sometimes run riot there too). Last time they did Spiderheck, he’d put the buttons on his stomach, so Danny and Sam could try and hit them for an extra level of difficulty.

But he wanted to be fair. Didn’t want extra powers. And, apparently, technopathy had sorta maybe converted that wish into him not being able to feel it while he was spidered up.

All his combat moves were fine! The break, grab, web commands were smooth and easy, just like every other time he did them. Different attacks, no worries. And, obviously, he hadn’t stood still and tried to look for the code, because they were playing Spiderheck and that was a really easy way to get wiped.

Dodging another swinging attack from Tim, he scuttled at top speed across the platform and jumped behind a box. No weapons here, and he scanned quickly for the next spawn point.

Which, normally, shoulda shown up on two levels; the normal game vision, and the white lined underlay of the code, which he could always see through from top to bottom of the level.

(This was usually an active impediment rather than an advantage in Spiderheck; it was way too hard to know what he could stand on.)

He couldn’t see one, just the platform above and the wall behind.

Maybe he should take an early death, just to give himself a little time to work this out. Just so he could stop worrying. He was 21, he’d had these powers for years, he totally knew how they worked by now.

He just, maybe, might have gotten overconfident.

Danny would never let him live it down if they all had to be rescued from Spiderheck.

And, way more importantly, Tim Drake-Wayne and his super hot boyfriend would only remember him as the loser who couldn’t even control his powers.

Nope. Absolutely not.

A loud buzzing heralded the arrival of one of the spinning laser traps, and Tucker made up his mind. Just one early death. No worries. He had a two win lead, and honestly he’d rather lose the set than admit he’d fucked up.

Scuttling “away” from Tim’s probable next attack, Tucker scurried into the path of the spinning laser trap.

And saw, at the very last second, Conner swinging in from the other side, directly into a laser.

Shit.

**

Sam was comfortably snuggled down into her pillows and thoroughly enjoying the chaos her new chat was creating when she finally heard the door. A little too buried to easily get up, or look particularly graceful doing it, so instead she stuck a hand straight up into the air.

“In here, love!”

And, like the angel of mercy that she was, Val only made her wait ten minutes to get out of all of her winter gear and put the kettle on before coming to save her from her fate.

“Not the fastest rescue I’ve received,” Sam teased, even as Val hauled her easily to her feet. Val grinned back and pulled her in for a quick peck.

“I wasn’t aware I was being timed. I can do better.”

“I bet you can,” Sam laughed, draping her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders. Val gave her another, deeper kiss, then drew back enough to press their foreheads together.

“So, how was Gotham? I saw Danny made the front page,” she teased back, and Sam hesitated.

In amongst all of their various plans for disaster, it hadn’t really come up that whatever they did at the party, it was sure to make the gossip rags. Front page though? That was probably an achievement.

And, given what she herself had done, really annoying.

“What, they gave the front page to him? I blatantly accused at least two CEOs and Lex Luthor of weaponizing misogyny, with citations, and Danny got the front page?” She huffed, drawing back and folding her arms, fully intent on turning away to sulk, but not remotely objecting when Val’s arms snuck around her waist and pulled her back in.

Val’s chin tucked in over her shoulder and the taller woman snickered.

“I know, right? Sadly cold hard facts just fade away in the face of a scandal.” Val sighed dramatically, then dropped a kiss on the side of Sam’s neck. “You’re on page seven. It’s mostly about your parents, but using Lex’s name got a couple other points in. Oh, and Vicki Vale did a three page piece on how Brucie Wayne specifically upholds the patriarchy. I think she quoted you.”

Sam considered that for a moment, her arms automatically coming around to cover Val’s for a brief squeeze. It wasn’t like she’d actually been planning to change anything at the gala. Mostly she’d just wanted to be heard.

It could be an interesting starting point, though. Especially since she got to pick her outfit for the next gala; her mother hadn’t even specified that it had to be a dress on the document, which was definitely a peace offering.

Cass Wayne had looked really good in that suit.

Her cheeks suddenly hot for absolutely no reason, Sam twisted in Val’s arms to kiss her again.

“I’m sorry my mom’s… the worst,” she finished lamely, wrapping her arms around Val again.

The whole fall-from-grace thing may have been seven years ago, and Val had more than moved on, but. Well. Sam didn’t exactly believe all the scars had healed.

Especially when Val stilled for a moment in her arms.

Then she chuckled, wrapping her arms a littler tighter around Sam and lifting her off her feet.

“Hey, at least she’s not actually a bigot. It’s always nicer to be hated personally than in general, y’know?” She teased, echoing something Sam was pretty sure Danny had said to her back in her Phantom-hunting days.

Sam huffed and wrapped her legs around Val’s waist too, raining kisses down on her face.

“Yeah, well, she can still shove it up her ass. You’re my date for the next gala, if you actually want to come.”

Which.

Well.

Was about when she realized that the next gala was probably going to be extra interesting, after all their shenanigans. Maybe they should have been more discrete? More careful?

Her worry must have shown on her face, because Val gave her a very gentle bounce to shake her out of it.

“Hey. Samantha Manson. I would be delighted to go to the next gala with you, and tell all the little journalists that yeah, I’m that Val,” she said firmly once Sam had refocused on her. Then she grinned. “I’ll even be on my best behaviour and not one up Danny until the second one.”

That made Sam laugh again, hugging on tight even as Val turned and easily carried her through to their little kitchenette and sat her up on one of the counters.

“Hey, did you get that autograph from Harley for me by the way? I wanna send it to my dad for his birthday,” she added, sneaking another kiss and then pulling a pair of mugs next to the steaming kettle.

Sam considered hopping off the counter. Didn’t bother, reaching behind herself instead to pull her favourite tea for the month and drop a bag into her mug.

“Yeah, a couple actually. And she said if we wanna meet Ivy she’ll let us know when they’re back on the west coast, but it won’t be any time soon.” That hadn’t been particularly surprising, but it still made Sam a little sad.

Just another reminder that they were on the outside looking in all the way over here.

Valerie stilled, coming back and resting both hands on Sam’s thighs.

“Do you miss being on the east coast?” She asked quietly, those gorgeous green eyes so large and gentle.

Sam hesitated a moment longer, then sighed and let her head thunk back against the cupboard behind her.

“Honestly, I think I just miss being closer to everyone. It’s not far for Danny with the Zone, but if you or I wanna visit anyone we have to hop on an airplane or spend weeks driving, neither of which are good for the environment. We just… get forgotten out here, stuck out of the loop.”

Val raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her face but eyes still soft with understanding.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk. I thought I’d pick up a new phone and rejoin the group chat that day, but suddenly I gotta wait nearly a week for “new secrets”,” she teased and Sam sighed, shaking her head. Not quite able to lift all the way out of her funk.

“Yeah, I know… it probably woulda been fine, Danny shouldn’t have dropped anything at all in the main chat if he didn’t want everyone to see it, I just…”

“Wanted to be more sensitive than he is,” Val finished the sentence, leaning in for another kiss. Not needing to reach up even with Sam sat on the counter. “That’s why I’m still dating you.”

It did pull a smile from Sam anyway and she draped her arms over her girlfriend’s shoulders again.

“For some reason. So, what did you think?”

Val shrugged, her hands sliding up to settle around Sam’s waist.

“About a new halfa? Probably sucks for him. Especially when he’s gotta come out as dead to his family. The Waynes aren’t exactly known for being stable,” she pointed out when Sam snickered.

Which was a fair point.

“They’re actually worse when there’s more of them,” she mused, glancing back towards the bed where she’d left her phone, “and the oldest’s a cop now.”

This time it was Val’s turn to snicker.

“Yeah, I heard. Tuck already sent me the blow by blow of you eviscerating the poor guy.”

Sam preened. Deservedly.

“Hey, you know me, I’m not gonna play nice just cuz I’ve been dragged to some social function.”

The snicker turned to a chuckle as Val leaned in, rubbing their noses together.

“And you know me, baby girl, ACAB all the way, and I still think that should extend to the Justice League. Heard half of Batman Inc also showed up, did you let them have it too?”

“You know I did,” Sam purred, locking her ankles behind Val’s back and nipping playfully at her lower lip. Val laughed, her hands creeping slowly up the small of Sam’s back.

“That’s my little leopard. Tea’s done.” And then, totally unfairly, she reached back with one hand and pulled Sam’s ankles apart, slipping free with a laugh as Sam pouted. “Hey, you’d be more upset if I let it over steep.”

“I can make more tea,” Sam grumbled, finally slipping off the counter, but a rebellious smile made it onto her face anyway. Val toasted her with the french press.

“True that, darling, but I’m not wasting the good coffee beans. Daddy asked me four times if I was sure about taking the train but honestly, he’s a state away now, it’s not worth a flight.”

Setting her teabag aside, Sam squirted in some vanilla agave syrup and took a deep breath. Gotham was fine, but no hotels could match her home tea stash. Not even the Waynes could.

“Beautiful, strong, environmentally conscious, and a Daddy’s girl. How did I land you again?” She asked innocently as Val dropped creamer into her own mug.

“By being all of those but the last one,” Val countered easily, taking a mug and holding an arm out for Sam to tuck under. “Now c’mon, if I’m going to the next gala you need to tell me allllll about a certain cutie Cassandra Wayne,” she cooed, making for their couch.

Sam’s face flushed red and she made to duck away instantly, but those damn vigilante muscles made it so hard.

“Okay, veto, you’re not allowed to do that anymore! My mom is trying to hook me up with her!” Sam did not whine. She. Protested. With dignity. Totally no idea why Val snickered, holding her coffee up and away in her other arm.

“Yeah, that’s the point. How funny would it be if Danny and I both stole a Wayne from you?” She asked with a vicious grin.

Which… did make Sam pause. Because that would be really funny. And Cass would almost certainly be down for it; she wasn’t as loud or attention seeking as any of the boys, but Sam could recognize the wicked gleam in anyones’ eyes when they enjoyed the chaos.

Then she sighed.

“No, we have to be good for the next gala. Otherwise no one’s going to listen to what I actually have to say.”

Val hummed an agreement, guiding her to sit on the plush, well loved cushions. It was an old couch, and a hand-me-down from Sam’s work, but it was just too good to pass up. They could both lie comfortably side by side on the seat, if they snuggled just a little, and the back was wide and plush enough for two throws.

“Okay. The gala after that, then. It’ll make our slow burn long distance romance all the more compelling,” she added when Sam snorted, finally releasing Sam to sink comfortably into oblivion.

Sam swatted at her and put her tea down on the table.

“You’re dreadful. I love you. We’ll ask Cass, lemme just get my phone and I’ll hook you into the group chat with her, Steph, and Babs. They’re Wayne family friends,” she added at Val’s questioning noise, “I haven’t met Babs yet, but Steph is great. You’re gonna love her.”

“Only if we’re going for some three’s company action,” Val snickered as Sam jogged to the bedroom, flipping her girlfriend off as she went.

**

Jason was quiet as they left the Zone. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, especially after the day he’d had and the emotional whiplash.

Danny was doing his very best not to let it bother him. He remembered the early days of being a halfa, how much he’d second-guessed himself, how much every new change and discovery had rocked his world. And he’d been a teenager, all hormones and fire and energy.

He hadn’t even been dead a month before shit got weird.

Jason was twenty-two, and had already been dead for almost seven years. Danny’d like to think he’d found ways to cope, but seven years in himself he was pretty sure he still hadn’t.

Whatever Jason had dealt with in those six and a half years was being ripped up in front of him day by day.

If there was anything he wanted, anything he needed, Danny would be there for him in a heartbeat. Before he could even have to ask, if possible. Aaaand the only thing he couldn’t do that for was if Jason needed space.

Lady Gotham had been able to open them a portal directly into Jason’s apartment; Danny preferred to aim high enough to miss walls and buildings on the way back, but it was her city. She knew exactly where everything and anything was - the portal had been in the back of Jason’s front door.

Danny totally wasn’t jealous. He could come back out almost at the same place he’d gone in, if he was quick. And he could go intangible anyway.

It was still really cool to watch the city spirit do it, the way the realms opened easily and willingly at her touch. She’d given Jason a token, a coin that had to be at least six hundred years old that showed the city’s skyline. Apparently he could use it to get in touch with her, or get back to the Zone on his own if Danny couldn’t take him.

Danny was fine with that. For sure.

The Infinite Realms were dangerous, but the token should bring him straight to Lady Gotham, in an emergency. And then Danny could follow and find her, and find Jason. It was a super reasonable backup plan.

He still found himself hovering in the doorway, unsure if Jason wanted him to stay or go while the other man shrugged out of his coat, boots, and shoulder holster that Danny had totally missed this entire time. And then walked directly into the bathroom.

Danny hovered a little closer, entirely unknowing what exactly he’d do if Jason was crying. Or screaming. Or beating a hole in the wall away from prying eyes. Or, actually using the bathroom for its intended purpose, apparently.

Because Danny forgot Jason was still in mandatory human form at all times.

He couldn’t hear anything from inside the bathroom with the door shut anyway, not even movement or the sink running. But then again, Jason’s family knew Superman personally. That probably lead to some inside jokes and really specific precautions.

Danny hovered back to the door. Stared around at the incredibly clean, well organized display of video games and weaponry on the walls, the double shelf of books.

This, he was beginning to suspect, was a third, larger, more expensive apartment. The furniture and room layouts were about the same, but he was like 80% sure the apartment they’d played MarioKart in hadn’t had as much stuff.

This one had some dishes waiting by the sink though. Given how well organized everything else was, they stuck out.

…

Five minutes. Jason was still in the bathroom.

Danny hated waiting. If he was going to stick around, he could justify it by helping out. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

———————

Part two imminent! All my love to the tag list, you’ll be following the link on this one so you don’t get both separately

Part 2:

Tag list: @welcometosasakiworld @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop p @mayoota-blog @xysidhe e @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper r @bun-fish @aroranorth-west  @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking g @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor r @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 8 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf f @frivolous-pastel

[currentfandomkick]

Fan concept to incorporate however you want:

In comics i’m pretty sure there’s a lazarus pit in the batcave, and others in gotham. A high concentration of lazarus water per square foot. Add to that gotham’s various contaminated waters from various toxins and gases on top of usual run offs, and there’s a high chance everyone in gotham is contaminated by all of this.

Add in the popular head cannons and partial fanon of lazarus water = (in some form) contaminated or corrupted watery ectoplasm.

And if we go ecto contaminated enough = liminal…

Then gotham city is full of liminals, the most notorious being a handful revenants with questionable cores (Solomon Grundy and Red Hood off the top of my head), with Damian’s Robin a liminal bordering on halfa if you go the ‘raised next to and put in the Pitts’ route.

Hell if you want, most of the Batfam can be partially ecto contaminated if not liminal (minus Duke, i feel like he’s the only starting to) but no one notices because its gradual and they assume its side effects from the 10,000 + polluntants in gotham.

You can have anyone from Amity Park enter Gotham and go ‘huh, edgy aesthetic Amity.’ Then go ‘oh, sick liminal… which dork back home knows how to fix this?’

If you want Tucker can be sending Sam updates on Gotham’s liminals (including Rogues) which Sam is helping the ecto terrorist (League of Assassins in a lot of older portrayals) and Danny vibing working for (DC bigshot or group of your choice) as an engineer who says he’s bad at coding when no one has broken his code yet as ‘its standard back home’ and baffles his employer

Dani can see Gotham and just. Vibe as a feral child who tries to help the other sick liminals with mixed results. I say let Harley snag her as her sidekick during her anti-villian days.

Jazz can be attending university and has to explain drinking filtered ecto to her dorm, only for a lot of them to start managing things better emotionally and combat wise, but now have the urge to Kick Ass as a way to Make Friends. Batfam investigate her a s a cult leader when really all she’s doing is using a clean ecto filter and teaching her classmates to do the same. Even teaches them how to make them thanks to Danny breaking down his rigs to her and leaving her repair instructions in case hers breaks early.

If you go baby Ghost King Danny, he can find out about Gotham and do a ‘oh, a fucked up version of Amity Park. Neat!’ see the Joker and go ‘Fuck this guy,’ and appear by pulling Joker into the ghost realm for his trial with a note that reads “sorry for missing another Liminal City. I’ll do better as king and handle those breaking Ghost Ettiquette myself. My bad. Still new to the ‘King of the Infinite Realms and all bonded to it. So liminals fall in, didn’t think there were more besides Amity. A branch of the Council of Observers will be sent to evaluate which liminals are sick, which are dealing with unsustainable or harmful obsessions, which liminals need relocation to handle their obsession in a better suited environment, and which ones are uneducated on liminal health.

Don’t worry, I stole some time to make sure i did all the paperwork before taking this guy. He’s the type of ecto entity who consumes attention, fear, and souls, which is Pretty Bad and that last one is an auto-execution. So i should manage the normal ‘visiting of the realms and introduction to’ spiel after we can make sure you won’t be in danger from ghosts that forget mortals dont shrug off being dropped off a few cliffs and having a two ton rock dropped on them. I may send some ambassadors from Amity to help you adjust since it was a pain for us too. Fyi if anyone tries summoning the Ghost King and expects Pariah, i win by conquest ten years ago and only JUST got to looking into liminal areas. With cheating by stealing time. If you have any questions, look up the Manson family, Amity Park, Ohio. Sam can explain better than me, and her parents somehow ended up on the mortal side counsel.

[disillusioneddanny]

This Love is Ours

You never know what people have up their sleeves Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles But I don't care, 'cause right now, you're mine And you'll say Don't you worry your pretty little mind People throw rocks at things that shine And life makes love look hard The stakes are high, the water's rough But this love is ours - Ours by Taylor Swift

Jazz Fenton stared down at her girlfriend, her arms crossed over her chest. This was the third time tonight that Steph had tried to sneak out of the house and Jazz was just about to strangle the woman. 

“For god’s sake, Stephenie! You’re a nurse! You should know better than anyone that you need to be on bed rest right now!” Jazz shouted, walking towards where her girlfriend was carefully and struggling to put on her Spoiler suit. 

“It’s just a gunshot wound,” Steph mumbled, nearly falling over as she tried to put on her pants only for her Amazon of a girlfriend to haul her up in her arms bridal style. 

“It was three gunshot wounds, and you’re lucky that none of them hit anything serious, now you’re going to lay down like a good girl,” Jazz told her, walking back to her girlfriend’s bed and carefully setting her down. Jazz and Steph had been dating for about a year now. It had been a year of ups and downs as Jazz learned about life outside of Gotham City and what cursed herself with getting involved with vigilantes yet again. She had thought she left that behind when her brother had moved to Metropolis for school and Team Phantom broke up. 

But apparently, Jazz just had the best luck in the world and found herself involved yet again. Slightly, not really. It definitely wasn’t the same this time around. Now she was just dating a vigilante and dealing with the fallout. She had told Steph she wanted nothing to do with the vigilante aspect and thankfully her girlfriend had been okay with it—after she finished reeling over the fact that Jazz had figured her out so fast.

It had been their first actual date that Jazz had told Steph that she knew, and Steph had taken about ten minutes to reboot before demanding that Jazz tell her how she figured it out. But how could she not? The first time they met had been when Jazz had started her internship at the Gotham Hospital. She had been torn for so long between being a professor, a therapist, a lawyer, and a surgeon and surprising everyone. Apparently, everyone had made bets on either her being a therapist or a professor.

Which, understandable, as she had a tendency of being a know it all. But it had ultimately been Frostbite who had inspired her to become a surgeon, to be able to heal others, to help those who had been hurt. Plus all the years helping Danny definitely went into play. So there she was in her first surgery, ready to throw up when she looked over at Nurse Brown who was giving her a wary look. Jazz had been nervous as hell the entire operation and as soon as the operation had ended, Jazz had run out of the doors as fast as she could and heaved. 

Nurse Brown had been right behind her, rubbing her back and giving her soothing words to comfort her. Afterward, she had taken Jazz down to the cafeteria and gotten her crackers and a Sprite that she slowly munched and sipped on while she asked her about her life. 

It was then that Jazz had her clocked. Steph was definitely more than just a nurse. She had watched the way she sat, ensuring that she saw all exits in the lunch hall. She saw the way she kept her shoulders tense, her eyes narrowed, and how she followed each of Jazz’s movements. It all reminded her of herself, of Valerie, Danny, Sam, and Tucker, and how they had all been the exact same way. 

Jazz had managed to learn how to ignore it, how to be more subtle about keeping an eye on everything. Besides, nowadays she relied more on her extra abilities due to her liminality. It turned out that having a mother working around ectoplasm while pregnant and then growing up around ectoplasm and going to the infinite realms as often as she did, meant the radiation would turn you a little less human and a little more ghostly. 

Not that Jazz minded, the super strength, the enhanced senses, the speed, they were a major plus, especially living in a place like Gotham where there was danger at every corner. She wasn’t as fast as say, the Flash, or as fast as even Danny but she was definitely faster than the average human. Her strength was nothing to laugh at either, while it wasn’t ghost-level strength, she could bench press a thousand pounds with no problem. Which was beyond enough in Jazz’s opinion. 

Relying on her liminal gifts, though, kept her at a constant advantage, she had Steph figured out way too quickly and easily. Once she had pegged her as a vigilante, she had realized she was Spoiler as the blond hair matched. This wasn’t her first rodeo, unfortunately. 

“Three gunshot wounds, one in the right shoulder, one in the thigh, and one in the abdomen, I know, I was there, I got them,” Steph said and let out a huff as she slammed her hands against the mattress and glared at the ceiling. “I’m bored."

“And going and fighting crime in spandex and Kevlar sounds like a fun time to you?” Jazz asked, arching a brow as she sat down beside her girlfriend and pushed the hair out of her face. “Rest, please. I don’t want to have to redo your stitches again,” she said softly. 

Steph sighed and held Jazz’s hand to her face. “I’m sorry, I’m making you worry again, aren’t I?” She asked and Jazz just gave her a sad smile and nodded. 

“I thought I lost you, you know. When Alfred called me and said you had been shot, I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my life,” she said with a laugh. She moved her hand from cupping Steph’s cheek and ran her hands through her hair. 

“I know,” Steph said with a chuckle and then winced. “I believe one of the first things you told me after saying you knew I was Spoiler was that you wouldn’t do house calls and I’d have to find someone else to stitch me up. But there you were, shoving both Alfred and Dr. Thompkins out of the way to fix me up yourself.”

Jazz let out a sniff. “I can’t have you dying on me, now can I?” Steph caught her hand and threaded their fingers together and pressed a kiss to Jazz’s knuckles. 

“No I suppose not. But that explanation to Bruce was not a fun one, you know. I still don’t know how you even got in the Batcave,” she said, furrowing her brow. Jazz just gave her girlfriend a secretive smile. Steph had been so unbelievably excited when Jazz had finally trusted her with her closely guarded secret. She knew that Jazz was meta but for the longest time, the redhead had been unable to bring herself to share more than that. With the anti-ecto acts still solidly in place, her existence was still illegal. It had taken her a lot to finally tell Steph the truth. 

But when she had, Steph had just given her a deep kiss and promised she would overturn the acts herself if she had to. She’d do anything to make Jazz safe. And she had kept her word. Stephenie Brown, the Spoiler had marched right through the zeta tube to the Watchtower and demanded that the Justice League help overturn the laws. 

It had been an ongoing legal battle for the last three months now but things were looking up. Danny and his totally not-a-sugar-daddy boyfriend had been excitedly keeping up with the news and updating Jazz constantly. 

Steph laughed and shook her head. “This is why you and Cass aren’t allowed to be in the same room together anymore. You’re both so damn sneaky I can’t trust either of you,” she said with a huff. 

The liminal just laughed and pressed a kiss to the corner of Stephenie’s mouth. “I have to keep you on your toes somehow, don’t I?”

“I suppose so,” the blond said and carefully scooted over on the bed and yanked Jazz onto the bed with her. Jazz smiled and adjusted herself on the bed until her girlfriend was resting her hand on the surgeon’s chest, their fingers interlocked as Jazz carefully maneuvered around her girlfriend until their legs were intertwined with one another and she held her close. 

“How’s the pain? Scale of one to ten, and don’t try to act all high and mighty on me Stephenie Brown, you know better,” Jazz murmured, running her fingers up and down the vigilante’s side. 

“Right now? Probably a six or a low seven if that makes sense?” She said, crinkling her nose. “I was a bad patient and waited until the pain was kicking in to take my medicine.”

Jazz laughed and shook her head in dismay. “Steph! You know better than anyone to not do that!”

The blond pouted, pushing her bottom lip out in a way that made her oh so kissable that Jazz couldn’t help herself and captured her lips with her own.  How could she not? Her girlfriend was right there, pushing her lips out in a pout, taunting her! It left her no choice. 

“I love you,” she murmured, nipping at Steph’s bottom lip softly. 

“I love you too Doctor Nightingale,” the vigilante whispered as Jazz started to pull away from her. Jazz smiled and brushed her own hair out of her face as she looked down at her girlfriend, she couldn’t get over the fact that this was her life, that she had somehow gotten so lucky to have Stephenie plop right in her lap that day at Gotham General just two years before. That they spent a year skirting around one another, with soft touches and flirty comments until Jazz had finally gotten the nerve to ask Steph out. 

She had been terrified to do so! To date a coworker? One of the nurses in the very OR that Jazz was now a resident in? It felt taboo, forbidden, she had read the handbook at least thirty times to be absolutely certain that she wouldn’t get fired for dating Nurse Brown. 

Once she had been sure, had covered all of her bases, she had fumbled through asking the vigilante on a date until Stephenie had finally taken pity on her and said yes. Of course, after that she had marched a laughing and blushing Steph all the way to HR just to let them know of their romantic relationship, just to be extra, extra sure that they wouldn’t get in trouble.  Steph had given her so much grief for it, but thankfully she thought that it was adorable as well.

“Thanks for taking care of your poor, pathetic patient,” Steph said, giving Jazz sad eyes. 

“You mean my terrible patient who doesn’t listen to doctor’s orders and keeps getting out of bed to sneak out and patrol?” Jazz asked, arching an eyebrow. “It’s like you completely forget that I have super hearing.”

“They need me! And I’m bored, babe! I’m so, so, so bored in this bed! I wanna get out of this damn bed! I wanna spar, I wanna run around, I wanna do something!”

Jazz smiled and moved back to lie on her back, holding Steph close. “If you behave for me for two more days and stay in bed, I’ll go down on you,” she murmured and Steph blushed and started mumbling. 

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to something like that, and you know, they say that’s a good way to get some pent-up energy out,” she said, looking away from her girlfriend. Jazz just laughed and kissed her temple. 

“In the meantime, my brother dropped off some video games and his video game console. We can play that new Zelda game if you want? He also left us his switch thingy so we can play that island game you’ve been talking about too,” Jazz said and Steph let out a laugh. 

“Jazz, you’re my lifesaver. Please tell Danny thank you for me,” Steph said, hugging her girlfriend tight. 

“Why don’t you just get your own video game stuff?” Jazz asked, glancing down at the woman. 

“Because video games rot your brain and I refuse to have that in my house. Besides, I usually just go to Wayne Manor and mooch off of them anyway,” Steph said. “When will Danny want this back?”

Jazz snorted. “Don’t worry, his sugar daddy can get him another one,” she said with a shrug. 

“Are you seriously calling Conner Kent his sugar daddy?” Steph asked with a cackle. 

“He gets money from Lex Luthor like every month! Like a lot! Neither of them even has to work because of how big his allowance is. How is he not a sugar daddy?” Jazz exclaimed. 

Steph just chuckled and shook her head. “Go get the switch,” she said between laughs. 

Jazz climbed off the bed and saluted her girlfriend. “Anything for you, my love,” she said and skipped out of the room. Smiling to herself that she finally figured out a way to distract her girlfriend enough to keep her in bed and not sneak out to fight crime. She grabbed the bag of video games and consoles that Danny had dropped off through a portal and headed back to the room just as she found Steph struggling to put her pants to her Spoiler costume on.

“Stephenie Brown!”

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

The Dead of Knight

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/pKZVUMn by Fathom_Huntsmen, tencitizens “You’re…” he trailed off, trying to make sense of the intrinsic knowledge that warred with all of his training. “You aren’t human.” Eyes, bright green, seemed to dig into his very being. “Are you?” the boy asked in a mere whisper, an echo of surety immediately knocking Jason off balance. Or: Danny gets dimensionally yeeted and leaves Team Phantom panicking in his wake. Meanwhile, Jason’s pit rage was under control—until something showed up in his Alley that calmed it. And now there’s a shit ton of League assassins in town. What the hell, Talia? Words: 4799, Chapters: 1/15, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M, Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (DCU), Vlad Masters, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Bruce Wayne, Lady Gotham (Danny Phantom and DCU), Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Barbara Gordon, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Guys in White | GIW (Danny Phantom), League of Assassins Members (DCU), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Harleen Quinzel, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain Relationships: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd, Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton, eventual Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake/Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Jack Fenton & Jazz Fenton & Maddie Fenton Additional Tags: Dimension Travel, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Adult Danny Fenton, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Jason Todd is Red Hood, Tim Drake is Red Robin (DCU), Bruce Wayne's B+ parenting, Halfa | Half-Ghost Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Batfamily Members (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Jazz Fenton, Vlad Masters Redemption, Guys in White | GIW Capture Danny Fenton, Sentient Gotham City, Lazarus Pits are Ectoplasm (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Identity Porn, Anti-Ecto Acts (Danny Phantom), Creepy Ra's al Ghul read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/pKZVUMn

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Dead of Knight

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/eoYbP8A by Fathom_Huntsmen, tencitizens “You’re…” he trailed off, trying to make sense of the intrinsic knowledge that warred with all of his training. “You aren’t human.” Eyes, bright green, seemed to dig into his very being. “Are you?” the boy asked in a mere whisper, an echo of surety immediately knocking Jason off balance. Or: Danny gets dimensionally yeeted and leaves Team Phantom panicking in his wake. Meanwhile, Jason’s pit rage was under control—until something showed up in his Alley that calmed it. And now there’s a shit ton of League assassins in town. What the hell, Talia? Words: 4799, Chapters: 1/15, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M, Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (DCU), Vlad Masters, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Bruce Wayne, Lady Gotham (Danny Phantom and DCU), Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Barbara Gordon, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Guys in White | GIW (Danny Phantom), League of Assassins Members (DCU), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Harleen Quinzel, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain Relationships: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd, Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton, eventual Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake/Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Jack Fenton & Jazz Fenton & Maddie Fenton Additional Tags: Dimension Travel, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Adult Danny Fenton, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Jason Todd is Red Hood, Tim Drake is Red Robin (DCU), Bruce Wayne's B+ parenting, Halfa | Half-Ghost Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Batfamily Members (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Jazz Fenton, Vlad Masters Redemption, Guys in White | GIW Capture Danny Fenton, Sentient Gotham City, Lazarus Pits are Ectoplasm (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Identity Porn, Anti-Ecto Acts (Danny Phantom), Creepy Ra's al Ghul read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/eoYbP8A

[elizabethemerald]

Danny woke up in a soft bed and stretched. He immediately wheezed as pain all over his body made itself known. Ugh. He must have tangled with Skulker again last night. But why didn't he remember it? And where were Tucker and Sam?

It was the thought of his partners who he usually woke up tangled with that brought his eyes open wide. He was in some kind of mansion, he could tell that immediately. Only rich fruit loop mansions had wood paneling like this. Had Vlad escaped and made another attempt at adopting Danny?

He growled as he slowly sat up. If Vlad had hurt Tucker or Sam he was going to imprison the fruit loop, vampire wannabe in the heart of a black hole.

However the more he looked around the more he didn't think that this was because of Vlad. For one thing, this room was way better decorated than Vlad could ever do. He didn't trust even other people's opinions enough to hire a decorator or designer.

Danny moved to the closets and found clothes tailored for Danny's body there. So this definitely wasn't a kidnapping attempt. No way would Vlad spend this kind of money on Danny without some way to show it off.

He reached for his ghost core and came up empty. Certainly this body was still liminal, in fact more liminal than even the average Amity Parker, though not as bad as Jazz, Tucker or Sam. So if he didn't have hist ghost form, was this not his body?

He stepped in the in-suite bathroom next. The face looking back at him in the mirror looked like his, but also different, scars in different places than what he remembered. This body was only a few years older if Danny were to guess, but more muscular. Danny never had a need to work out and build muscle, he could rely on his ghost strength for that.

If anything this body's build reminded Danny a lot of Dan's. Ancients he hoped this wasn't an evil future version of himself again.

Remembering his earlier pain he lifted up his shirt to find carefully and skillfully wrapped ribs and several other precisely patched injuries. What they hell did this body get up to without a ghost core that they were so injured? Though at least the wrappings showed that they had someone who cared about them enough to take care of them after.

Danny stepped back out into the bedroom, as he tried to put his plan together. This was clearly some kind of body swap situation. Considering this body seemed to be an alternate version of his own, he would guess a dimension swap. Nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

Sam and Tucker would quickly figure out he was replaced then restrain his more dangerous powers. They had his improved version of the Plasmius Maxmimus if they needed. Jazz would notify Fright Knight and use her abilities as Regent to keep the ghosts in line. He would just need to figure out he was, play the part for long enough to find a way back into the Realms to unite with his family.

Now to figure out who the hell this body belonged to. He looked carefully throughout the room. There was very little personal accoutrement in the room. Which was weird because the bedroom Danny shared with Tucker and Sam was filled with their personal touches. Only one nightstand had any personal effects, two framed photos, a phone and a wallet.

Danny reached for the phone first as that could provide the most information. However it was locked and didn't have either fingerprint or facial unlocking, instead had an eight digit password needed. Eight digits! 1,000,000,000 possible combinations. Paranoid much?

Well to be fair, Danny's phone was locked to his ecto signature so only he and Ellie could unlock his phone, a privilege she used to gift herself roblox money, order pizzas with his credit card and change his lock screen to an embarrassing picture of him asleep with his mouth open and a blob ghost napping in his open mouth. How she kept finding that picture despite his many attempts to purge any trace of it, he would never know.

Tossing the phone onto the bed as a later problem, though slightly worried about the number of notifications on he could see but not access or read, Danny focused on the wallet instead. Here at least he struck gold. The credit cards were all under the name Bruce Wayne. Considering the heavy weight of the cards, he doubted the Waynes were hurting for the money as if the ornate room weren't evidence enough.

There was a collection of business cards that said Bruce Wayne was the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Jeez. Hopefully Wayne Enterprises was find handling things on their own for a little while, Tucker and Sam were the business brains behind the former Fentonworks, now rebranded to Realms Tech. He was always more of an inventor.

There was also a collection of photos. He lifted the wallet as the clear photo holders unfolded. Quite the collection of photos. There were numerous pictures of Bruce Wayne with different kids, and even more with just the kids themselves. Many of them had black hair, but there was one red head girl in a wheel chair and a blonde girl as well.

Bruce Wayne had kids. Danny couldn't help a warm smile from gracing his lips. A lot of kids apparently. After having to deage Ellie so she could stabilize Danny and his partners had taken on the responsibility (and wonderful gift honestly) of raising her back to adulthood. It had given them the baby bug a bit. But with Sam refusing to be pregnant it left them with limited options. Unfortunately they were afraid of adopting because of their liminality and how the ecto radiation would effect the kids. It was nice to know that an alternate version of the Danny ended up with Danny's dream of a big family.

None of the pictures were labeled, so Danny couldn't figure out the names for his alternate's many children. So he turned his attention to the two framed photos. One of was a group shot that seemed to have all the kids from the wallet photos.

Bruce was front and center in an arm chair, and there were kids all over him. The eldest, who had been photographed in gymnastics attire was draped across Bruce's shoulders. Another boy was suppressing a smile with a surly look as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, some of his hair dyed white. His look was mirrored by the youngest looking child, the only one who seemed to share any traits with Bruce, standing on his other side.

The blonde from earlier was leaning heavily on an asian girl, knocking her into a boy who looked like hadn't slept in a week. All three of them had smiles of different sizes, but all looked happy and relaxed. An african-american boy leaned against the red head's wheelchair and was subtly holding up rabbit ears behind the youngest's head.

Danny's smile threatened to strain his facial muscles. This man was loved. Even the frame itself had its corners worn down to show how often it was handled.

It was only signed with "Remember you're not alone, Old Man! ~ D." Danny didn't know which one of the kids was D, but he hoped Bruce took the reminder to heart. It was so easy to lose this.

The other photo was of Bruce standing with a very proper looking older gentleman. Both men were giving the same small, tired smiles and leaning on each other slightly. The back read, "Alfred and Master Bruce." Master Bruce? A butler perhaps? But obviously one loved and treated like family. This picture was a few years old and sat with Bruce's other family at his bedside table.

A soft knock at the bedroom door was the only warning Danny had before Alfred himself walked in, before stopping in surprise.

"Ah, already awake Master Bruce? I was afraid I would have to drag you out of bed for breakfast." Alfred said with a British accent, then he glanced at the picture frames in Danny's hands. "Feeling sentimental this morning?"

Danny smiled and set the two photos down on the nightstand. Then he patted Alfred on the shoulder.

"Surely you can allow an old man a moment of sentimentality?" Danny allowed the smile to fade from his face, clearly his alternate was much of a smiler. "What were you saying about breakfast?"

"I was just informing you that breakfast will be ready soon. It's a full house, so do try to make yourself presentable." Alfred said, with his same precise diction, as he looked Danny up and down.

"Of course. I'll be down in a moment, Alfred." Danny said and Alfred gave a quick nod before leaving, closing the door behind him as he went.

Alright Danny, time to pretend to be Bruce Wayne.

Super short dp x dc idea

Danny is an Alternative Universe version of bruce Wayne. They get switched through some hijinks and Danny is trying to be Bruce-like and just trying to act like a Good Dad to these children his alternate self has amassed (holy shit). Like, He's doing his best to attend school plays and parent-teachers conferences (because Alfred still reminds Bruce of all of them even if he says he can't make it) and is doing no batman stuff (because Danny is unaware there is even such thing as batman stuff).

Meanwhile, the children are 100% sure Bruce is a) possessed b) concussed c) hypnotized d) any and all of the above.

[britcision]

In honour of a combo Wednesday and then post-midnight Yule, have a WIP Wednesday friends! We haven’t seen Sam for a while and Hanukkah was early this year (finished on the 15) but we are here now!

This chapter’s already gotten intense as hell for Danny and Jason with Lady Gotham but we’ve been tragically without our resident fashionable goth (sorry not sorry Bruce) and we are definitely still a muppet movie, so enjoy Sam-Miss-Piggy creating some extra chaos behind the scenes 👀

No promises about how regular these updates will be because again, plot chapter, I like letting those drop without spoiling the reveals too much, but we shall see

——————

Chapter 18 part i So That Just Happened

Back in her own room on the other side of the country from Gotham, Sam Manson reclined back into giant, coffin shaped body pillow her beloved girlfriend had given her when they moved and contemplated her phone.

The brand new Wayne-chat was blowing up satisfactorily, although apparently Tim was a massive stalker too. That was probably a good thing; it meant she hadn’t actually nuked Tuck’s chances with his nerd-crush. Now they could bond over their mutual stalker tendencies.

But, did that make her revenge less effective?

It wasn’t like she was actually out to ruin his life, but she’d kinda like to leave a mark. Something that would make him think twice about letting her think he and Danny had fucking died in Gotham in her absence.

Or. Well. Gone radio silent in Gotham, which was probably actually worse because if they were dead she’d know exactly where they were.

The Wayne chat were all pretty sure Tim and Tucker were together too, and Sam’s new best friend Babs had even pulled up the feed from their living room tv somehow. Sam wasn’t exactly the tech wizard Tucker was, but… after seeing that, she disconnected her and Val’s TV from the wifi.

And settled in to remote watch Tuck get his ass kicked at Spiderheck, apparently. At least for a little while; until something else on her phone caught her attention.

It was… almost funny. While she knew she was a whole two timezones away, she’d never really felt left out before. Like maybe she should have stayed on the east coast…

Not that she regretted it, of course. She had a good job, a good school, a wonderful girlfriend who’d been so excited to get into a good school and really go to town on the business department.

(Apparently there were posters of Val’s face in the ethics classrooms. Sam refused to ask if they were golden example or dire warning.)

She was just… a long way away. Even a long portal away, and… being back with the guys, even in Gotham, made the quiet of their comfy little apartment seem lonely.

Huffing, she turned and traced her fingers through the leaves of her mimosa plant on the windowsill beside the bed. They curled gently shut at her touch, and made her smile. Just like always.

She was happy to be home. She wasn’t technically liminal enough yet that it was her haunt, but… well, for all the jokes Val made, Sam had to admit she’d put down roots. She loved her job at the greenhouses, and her internship at the botanical gardens.

She loved scaring the hell out of the dudebros in Val’s business classes who thought ethics were a waste of time. She loved sharing messages with Jazz about the boys, laughing that even three hours ahead, Tuck and Danny still couldn’t get up before them.

She was kinda considering texting Harley about Timblr too. Not like, for any particular reason; if Tim’s family weren’t gonna embarrass Tucker enough, Harley probably wouldn’t either. She’d probably think it was adorable.

Or, y’know, worrying evidence of obsession. Psych types worried about stuff like that, usually.

Sam was kinda also considering sending Harley Jazz’s number. Jazz might still be skating just on the neurosurgery side of the line, but she’d always been big into psychology. Big enough to try and double major, and only drop to major-minor after the third pre-exam meltdown.

And she could use having someone else do the shrink bit on her a little more often. Although really, for that Sam should make her a professional appointment; friends didn’t ask friends to psychoanalyze their overprotective pseudo-sisters. And Jazz could use more friends.

Jazz could use a transfer to a specialty that would let her sleep once in a while, a more stable supply of fresh ecto, and about six weeks in a meditation retreat to get the accidental telepathy under control, but more friends would be good too. And less stubborn insistence on her second try for double majors.

Maybe the switch to psychiatry full time would be good for her? Or psychology. Sam was a little fuzzy on the difference, which one Jazz was minoring in, and which one Harley did.

(Jazz’s current second major was neurosurgery, which Jazz insisted was totally less taxing alongside a neurology major because it was the same body part. She was the only person in her class attempting the double major though, so.)

Humming tunelessly to herself, Sam flicked back into the group chat. Babs was still sharing the feed… brows drawing in, Sam frowned at the little spider figures still fighting to the death. Now, she wasn’t as big of a gamer as she used to be, but she was pretty sure Spiderheck didn’t actually offer red berets.

Snorting a laugh, she flicked back out of the chat and opened a new one, adding both Jazz and Harley. All it needed was the perfect name… something that would grab both of their attention.

Obvious. Child’s play.

Snuggling back into her coffin pillow, Sam grinned down at her phone screen.

Danny Has A Boyfriend chat was live.

——————

And in at the last minute, Jazz! We’ll see if she shows up in person this chapter, I’m hoping it’ll be the last big lore dump before the first plot arc begins but We Shall See…

Chapter 20 is right around the corner though, and I like my divisibles of 5 so I miiiiight shoot for that Red Hood Reveal then… 👀

Tag List: @welcometosasakiworld @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel @honeysuckletook @adorkable1291

[tales-of-the-ghost-zone]

Danny Phantom x Moon Knight

Been obsessed with the idea of the crossover between these two shows! Mostly because it’s Danny Phantom cannon that Tucker is the reincarnation of an Egyptian pharaoh!! And the crossover would come in with Tucker’s past life having being one of Khonshu’s previous avatars. Hell it could even be that Tucker was Konshu’s first ever avatar!

Like I’m just picturing a scene where the Moon Knight System and Khonshu meet team Phantom and Khonshu takes one look at Tucker and just has a stroke cause that is one of his previous avatars who died thousands of years ago wtf is he doing here alive and looking like a teenager. And if we’re going with the whole Danny is the king of the ghost zone via conquest, his next thought would be and why the hell is he hanging out with the king of the dead?!!!!

Meanwhile the whole of team Phantom can see Khonshu, Danny because he’s half ghost, Tucker because he’s a reincarnated pharaoh who was a previous avatar, Sam cause she was once given ghost like powers for a short time by Undergrowth and is now not fully human anymore, and Jazz because she’s lived in Amity Park exposed to ambient ectoplasm in the air for so long that she’s now liminal as hell!!!

Team Phantom is just staring up at this giant bird skull person in absolute confusion. And then Tucker just kind of squints at him for a moment and goes “hey I know you!” And the Moon Knight system is just standing there in the background confused as all hell, looking back and forth between this group of kids and Konshu.

[gilbirda]

Ok so what about a Indiana Jones kind of Jazz?

After a decade or so ghost king Danny and the rest of team phantom successfully manage bring some real order and stability to the ghost zone. That is when Jazz begins to feel out of place. Almost her entire life has been dedicated to looking out for and raising Danny but he has outgrown her. She is proud of him but it still leaves her feeling lonely as Sam and Tucker were always Danny's friends and she really didn't have close friends of her own.

Jazz decides to try and focus on her mortal life and gets a doctorate maybe even becoming a professor. It is personally fulfilling but she still feels empty and adrift now that she has to live for herself and not focus on raising and helping Danny.

So, hoping to feel helpful and useful once again she starts to hunt down ghostly artifacts in the mortal realm and returns them to the ghost zone. Her time off from teaching is spent traveling the world finding and liberating these lost ghostly artifacts.

Cue her crossing paths with the outlaws during one of her Indiana Jones adventures. Maybe the all caste or untitled had something from the infinite realms which causes Jason and the outlaws to encounter her. She seems nice but really a university professor shouldn't be meddling with these things as it is too dangerous.

Jason and the others after seeing Jazz use her liminal strength and amazon fighting abilities (thank you pandora) to wipe the floor with a bunch of baddies: "So you're a teacher?"

Jazz with her sunshine smile and laugh: "Part time."

Also imagine them all being bruised and battered facing some great big intimidating final boss kind of entity and Jazz just lets out an exhausted sigh and shoots it with an ecto-weapon that immediately sends it back to the GZ without a fight.

Huh I feel like I kinda got carried away with this lol

Anyway just Jazz eventually finding a place to call home with the outlaws. Just a group of friends that love each other (romantic or platonic) and do their best to help each other through life

First of all, I have to confess I've never seen a Indiana Jones movie. It's ingrained in pop culture enough that I can follow this post, so we cool.

I've seen some "artifact recovery" plotline going around and I love it!!!

Honestly It tracks that maybe Jazz started because her brother was in danger or something, maybe a dangerous royal relic was stolen and she was the closest and she had the skills to do it.

And then she likes it a bit too much? Accidental adventure turns into her passion!

I love the Outlaws! I'm weak to Roy and Kory version, so I'll go with them.

They would clash SO MUCH! Both parties insisting that they got it, they don't need help, the other don't know the forces they are dealing with-

And BAM!

Forced to work together! (I'm also weak to meet ugly hehe)

They see Jazz body slam someone and charge with a shield or something and Roy looks at Jason and says "Maybe we DO need an amazon in the team?" and Jazz like "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not an Amazon, I'm a professor."

Kory: "I thought professors were stuffy old men with a big belly?"

Jazz: "Sadly, you have just described my boss."

jjsjsjsjjs I LOVE THIS.

Found family shenanigans, maybe OT4 (I'm WEAK), they are just---- I love them.

Thanks for the ask!!!

[cosmic-dust-poltergeist]

Adding to it

Jazz is very surprised by how professional Mr. Drake is when Tucker and her meet with him. He stays on topic, not once asking questions about liminals or ghosts or Danny's condition while they were hashing out business proposals. Waiting until after they came to an agreement before visibly changing from a CEO of a multi billion dollar company to an awkward 19 year old.

"I, um, looked up your backgrounds after the gala. I didn't do it before because my siblings keep calling me paranoid for doing that with everyone so I was trying to not do that, but, uh, I had questions." Mr. Drake looks completely flustered. "I read the Dr.s papers and can't parse out what is accurate and what is scientific malpractice. I've never read such biased papers."

"Yes, unfortunately, my parents are horrible scientists and parents. Great weapons makers and dealers, though." Jazz says with dark humor, before offering. "If you give me a secure email, I'd be more than happy to send you far more accurate papers."

"Jazz and I co-wrote several, but no one wants to publish them since it's a weird science that no one really believes in until evidence hits them in the face." Tucker is barely concealing a pout. Mr. Drake scribbles an email on two separate sticky notes and gives one to each of us.

"I'll want to read those." He says thoughtful before fidgeting. "I have a more personal question... about Danny, um, feel free to not answer, but, um, I found pictures of all of you in high school and Danny..."

"Looks exactly the same as 10 years ago?" Jazz smiles sadly.

"Danny is actually the same age as me and Sam." Tucker has a devastated look in his eyes. "He's basically frozen at 14 because of a stupid dare."

"Danny doesn't blame you, Tuck." Jazz lays a comforting hand on his shoulder before looking at Mr. Drake. "It's complicated. Danny's complicated. He still learns and grows mentally, but he's unable to mature or physically grow. It's more accurate to say Danny is dead than alive, but he is very much still alive."

"What... what do you mean?"

"Well, Mr. Drake-"

"Please call me Tim"

"Call me Jazz, then."

"And me Tucker! Since we're getting more personal." Tucker teases.

"Anyways, Tim, Jack and Maddie had awful lab safety and were accidentally microdosing Danny and I with ectoplasum for as long as I can remember. There was no way in hell we weren't going to be at least liminals by the time we became adults, even if they didn't get that stupid portal working." Jazz can feel her hair trying to burst into flames as her anger rises, but calmly takes a deep breath to release the tension. "My parents will never admit that they are the sole reason for all of Amity being ecto- contaminated or that Danny died because of their "greatest invention". They completed it when I was 16, but it didn't turn on at first. And instead of being responsible and unplugging it when they fucked off who knows where for a weekend, they just-"

"We were just dumb kids." Jazz's hands are shaking, "Me and Sam convinced Danny to show us the lab. We thought it'd be cool, then Sam wanted a picture of Danny standing in the portal.."

Jazz gets to see all the pieces click together and sympathetic horror take over Tim's face.

"Just a dumb dare and suddenly everything was different. Danny tripped on something and then the portal activated with him inside." Tucker is staring at nothing, caught up in memories. "We were terrified. Danny didn't look human when he finally escaped the endless loop of dying and reviving. Then suddenly he looked like himself again."

"We all thought the shock just gave him powers at first.."

"Danny used to be our small town's hero because he felt responsible for the portal activating and was the only one that could fight the ghosts coming out of the portal."

"Did... did you try to contact the Justice League? They have a unit solely for the supernatural and magical."

"We TRIED to at first." Tucker seeths "But we were told to stop prank calling them and then the GIW blocked all communication with the outside world. By the time we could reach anyone, we all gave up on getting help and the damage was done."

Tim frowns hard and mumbles about checking call logs later. Jazz decides not to question it, it's common knowledge that the Waynes have a hand in Justice League affairs, even if they're not officially part of it.

"It took a lot of hard work, but we got the GIW disband and made the town safer for both humans and our interdimensional visitors." Tucker says proudly, "Danny was the real driving force behind it all."

"It's probably why it took so long for us to notice..." Jazz swallows around the lump in her throat. "We were all aging, but Danny was stuck. I'm terrified about what will happen when we die."

"We've sort have changed roles over the years." Tucker smiles sadly. "We've been best friends since the 2nd grade, but now me and Sam or more like godparents than friends now. It's hard. I'm growing older and my best friend is still a kid."

"Is he.. never going to grow older?" Tim tentatively asks.

"No. We asked several reliable sources." Jazz says softly. "All we can do is make sure he can survive once we're gone."

"I... I can get you in contact with the Justice League or Titans, they'd be willing to help if I lay it out for them." Tim's face is full of genuine ernest.

"May we think about it?" Jazz asks. "I'd like to discuss this with Danny before we decide anything."

"Of course!" Tim easily agrees. "Just because he's a kid, doesn't mean he shouldn't get a say."

"We appreciate it."

" No problem." Tim smiles as his phone suddenly vibrates. He flushes when he glances at the notification.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, my brother is just being insufferable about his crush on you." Tim looks so embarrassed. "He hates the Joker and likes women who can break him. I'm not telling him anything without your permission."

"Which brother is this?" Jazz is highly amused. People are usually too intimidated by her height, otherness, and penance for violence to even think of asking her out. It's rather flattering.

"Jason. The one who looks like a biker gang reject with a J scar on his face." Tim pauses, "He's actually a huge literature nerd and nicer than he looks, but he's kind of an idiot. Like the definition of a himbo."

"I see." Jazz giggles.

"I think you should go for it." Tucker teases, "We can babysit the baby eldritch abomination while you're on a date."

Jazz huffs a laugh, "I suppose Danny has been telling me to live a little."

"Do you think Danny would be open to a play date with my younger brother?" Tim asks. "Damian is still rather under socialized because of his mother raising him in a cult before he came to live with us. He finds his peers to be too naive and/or understimulating so hanging out with a kid who's not really a kid might help?"

"That's sweet of you." Jazz says kindly causing Tim to blush. He hands her a second sticky notes with Jason's name and phone number. "I'll ask Danny about that too."

"Of course." Tim smiles, "No pressure at all. We can stay strictly business partners, if you so choose."

"We shall keep that in mind." Jazz and Tucker stand nearly insync, and Tim stands too, and they all handshake. "Thank you for your time."

"No, no, thank you for agreeing to see me after that disaster of a gala. Gotham isn't for the weak, unfortunately."

"We're well aware and we know you and your family are doing your best to help."

"We'll send you those papers by tonight. Good-bye."

"Have a lovely rest of your day."

"You as well!"

Jazz and Tucker don't say anything til they're a block away.

"Soooo"

"Yeah."

"The Waynes are totally the bat clan."

"Without a doubt."

"I owe Wes 20 bucks."

"I told you not to bet against him."

"Uuuugh!"

Okay, but what if Danny Fenton just stops aging? Like, he's forever 14. Now imagine that "I won't invite you to my birthday" becomes his go to threat to his friends and family when he's not in the mood and it slowly branches out to everyone. Just:

Danny, pouting and eepy: If you don't stop, I won't invite you to my birthday.

Some overpowered ghost: Why the fuck would I want to go to your birthday?

Pandora, CW, Frostbite, a now grown up Sam, Jazz, and Tucker: *Appears and breaks the stranger* YOU DARE????

Like, Danny is just forever a child and behaves like it, while the rest of the cast become more parental over time. So his childish threat cuts deep to his people and if not to his people, means his adult people are now on high alert for why their "baby" is upset. And don't misunderstand, childish doesn't mean naive or stupid. He's still an overpowered witty fucker that can problem solve better than most adults.

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

White hell dyed red (Challenge)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S by Hera1985 White hell dyed red is what the citizens of Amyti lived, no one escaped, everyone suffered. The Dehumanized wanted to break them, they were less than animals for those so-called scientists. But the ecto contamination, the liminal being, in addition to the trauma they were making them go through. With the anger and hatred that their souls and hearts contained. The residents of Amyti began to mutate to change not only mentally since their sanity was broken. They also physically acquired powers in the midst of tortures of nightmares. It seemed that something took pity on them because before the white demons realized it, they were able to defend themselves, they were their own heroes in that hell. Claws, fangs, superhuman strength, now it was the blood of those white demons that ran on their hands. The revenge of the citizens of Amyti Park was as great as the torture they were subjected to. There was no mercy for the white demons. Words: 1261, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Multi, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Maddie Fenton, Tucker Foley, Sam Manson, Valerie Gray, Vlad Masters, The Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Ensemble (Danny Phantom), Batfamily Members (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel, Rogues Gallery (Batman), Rogues Gallery (Danny Phantom) Relationships: Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jazz Fenton & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Mental Instability, Possessive Behavior, Dehumanization, Codependency, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Damian Wayne-centric, Protective Batfamily (DCU) read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Dead of Knight

by Fathom_Huntsmen, tencitizens “You’re…” he trailed off, trying to make sense of the intrinsic knowledge that warred with all of his training. “You aren’t human.” Eyes, bright green, seemed to dig into his very being. “Are you?” the boy asked in a mere whisper, an echo of surety immediately knocking Jason off balance. Or: Danny gets dimensionally yeeted and leaves Team Phantom panicking in his wake. Meanwhile, Jason’s pit rage was under control—until something showed up in his Alley that calmed it. And now there’s a shit ton of League assassins in town. What the hell, Talia? Words: 4799, Chapters: 1/15, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M, Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (DCU), Vlad Masters, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Bruce Wayne, Lady Gotham (Danny Phantom and DCU), Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Barbara Gordon, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Guys in White | GIW (Danny Phantom), League of Assassins Members (DCU), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Harleen Quinzel, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain Relationships: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd, Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton, eventual Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake/Wesley "Wes" Weston (Danny Phantom), Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Jack Fenton & Jazz Fenton & Maddie Fenton Additional Tags: Dimension Travel, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Adult Danny Fenton, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Jason Todd is Red Hood, Tim Drake is Red Robin (DCU), Bruce Wayne's B+ parenting, Halfa | Half-Ghost Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Batfamily Members (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ecto-Contaminated | Liminal Jazz Fenton, Vlad Masters Redemption, Guys in White | GIW Capture Danny Fenton, Sentient Gotham City, Lazarus Pits are Ectoplasm (Danny Phantom and DCU), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Identity Porn, Anti-Ecto Acts (Danny Phantom), Creepy Ra's al Ghul via https://ift.tt/eoYbP8A

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

White hell dyed red (Challenge)

by Hera1985 White hell dyed red is what the citizens of Amyti lived, no one escaped, everyone suffered. The Dehumanized wanted to break them, they were less than animals for those so-called scientists. But the ecto contamination, the liminal being, in addition to the trauma they were making them go through. With the anger and hatred that their souls and hearts contained. The residents of Amyti began to mutate to change not only mentally since their sanity was broken. They also physically acquired powers in the midst of tortures of nightmares. It seemed that something took pity on them because before the white demons realized it, they were able to defend themselves, they were their own heroes in that hell. Claws, fangs, superhuman strength, now it was the blood of those white demons that ran on their hands. The revenge of the citizens of Amyti Park was as great as the torture they were subjected to. There was no mercy for the white demons. Words: 1261, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Multi, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Maddie Fenton, Tucker Foley, Sam Manson, Valerie Gray, Vlad Masters, The Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Ensemble (Danny Phantom), Batfamily Members (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel, Rogues Gallery (Batman), Rogues Gallery (Danny Phantom) Relationships: Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jazz Fenton & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Mental Instability, Possessive Behavior, Dehumanization, Codependency, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Damian Wayne-centric, Protective Batfamily (DCU) via https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

White hell dyed red (Challenge)

by Hera1985 White hell dyed red is what the citizens of Amyti lived, no one escaped, everyone suffered. The Dehumanized wanted to break them, they were less than animals for those so-called scientists. But the ecto contamination, the liminal being, in addition to the trauma they were making them go through. With the anger and hatred that their souls and hearts contained. The residents of Amyti began to mutate to change not only mentally since their sanity was broken. They also physically acquired powers in the midst of tortures of nightmares. It seemed that something took pity on them because before the white demons realized it, they were able to defend themselves, they were their own heroes in that hell. Claws, fangs, superhuman strength, now it was the blood of those white demons that ran on their hands. The revenge of the citizens of Amyti Park was as great as the torture they were subjected to. There was no mercy for the white demons. Words: 1261, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Multi, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Maddie Fenton, Tucker Foley, Sam Manson, Valerie Gray, Vlad Masters, The Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Ensemble (Danny Phantom), Batfamily Members (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel, Rogues Gallery (Batman), Rogues Gallery (Danny Phantom) Relationships: Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jazz Fenton & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Mental Instability, Possessive Behavior, Dehumanization, Codependency, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Damian Wayne-centric, Protective Batfamily (DCU) via https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

White hell dyed red (Challenge)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S by Hera1985 White hell dyed red is what the citizens of Amyti lived, no one escaped, everyone suffered. The Dehumanized wanted to break them, they were less than animals for those so-called scientists. But the ecto contamination, the liminal being, in addition to the trauma they were making them go through. With the anger and hatred that their souls and hearts contained. The residents of Amyti began to mutate to change not only mentally since their sanity was broken. They also physically acquired powers in the midst of tortures of nightmares. It seemed that something took pity on them because before the white demons realized it, they were able to defend themselves, they were their own heroes in that hell. Claws, fangs, superhuman strength, now it was the blood of those white demons that ran on their hands. The revenge of the citizens of Amyti Park was as great as the torture they were subjected to. There was no mercy for the white demons. Words: 1261, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Multi, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Maddie Fenton, Tucker Foley, Sam Manson, Valerie Gray, Vlad Masters, The Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Ensemble (Danny Phantom), Batfamily Members (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel, Rogues Gallery (Batman), Rogues Gallery (Danny Phantom) Relationships: Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jazz Fenton & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Mental Instability, Possessive Behavior, Dehumanization, Codependency, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Damian Wayne-centric, Protective Batfamily (DCU) read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/L5eWx8S