#the lazarus pit is 10000000% ectoplasm leaking out of the ghost zone

[illeaadante]

Batman AU - Ghostwing

Ok. Listen. Listen. I can’t stop thinking about this so I need to put it out there so other people can maybe think about it too and talk to me about it.

Disclaimer that I still don’t really know anything about batman/the batfamily other than what I’ve picked up from tumblr, tiktok, and cultural osmosis.

Here we go.

This kinda turned into more of a fic than I intended, so I’m putting it under a Read More.

A convention for ghost hunters is held in Gotham because it’s obviously the most haunted place in america. Every single ghost hunter is invited. This, of course, includes the Fentons.

Jack and Maddie are ecstatic and, of course, drag Danny and Jazz along. Vlad wasn’t invited as he is not known in ghost hunting circles but he knows that Maddie and Danny are going to be there, so he goes. (Vlad also goes on the off chance there is something there worth stealing for Valerie.)

So, the Fentons are going, but you know who else is going? Jason Todd, because he thinks it’s funny, Stephanie Brown, because she also thinks it’s funny, and Tim Drake, to see if any of their technology is worth buying/stealing and coopting into batsuits.

The batkids step in and do a double take to make sure they didn’t walk into a Rogues Gallery meeting-in-process. Everyone is there, the Fentons, the Guys-in-White, is that millionaire Vlad Masters skulking around in the back? But they are well trained and take everything in like good vigilante’s wood. Jason and Steph bounce around from booth to booth, mocking the ghost hunters under their breath or to their faces, and generally aim for the people who seem the craziest. They land on the Fenton’s because someone set Jack off on a tirade.

Jason clocks Jazz’s unimpressed demeanor and Danny shrinking himself in the corner while doing homework with far more desperation than required. His eyes narrow a bit when he notices how the red head seems to be distracting the Fenton’s away from the boy.

Danny is not having a good time and it shows. He’s grateful to Jazz for playing defense for him but he just really wants to go home. This much weaponized ecto-energy in an enclosed space is making him twitchy, and he knows if this convention goes on for too long, Technus or Skulker are bound to show up. He already spotted Vlad lurking, trying to get his mom alone while avoiding his dad’s attention, and firmly shoved himself further into the back corner of the booth. He couldn’t get away, but it made it easier for Jazz to keep everyone else away. He was alternating doing homework and texting Dani, who had been to Gotham before. His head snaps up when he feels someone staring at him and locks eyes with someone whose eyes are faintly glowing green. He hisses, which draws Jazz’s attention.

Jason sees the kid notice him and say something to the girl, the both of them watching him while the boy texts without looking. Jason and Steph share a look before edging around the booth to get to the kids.

Vlad also sees a shift and decides to give up drawing Maddie away to talk to Daniel. He goes up with a practice smile and attempts to move a stubborn Jazz out of the way subtly.

“Jasmine. How lovely to see you. And Daniel, my boy-” 

“Not your boy, Vlad.” Danny growls, uncurling himself to stand beside his sister.

“Oh come now-”

“What are you doing here, Mr. Masters?” Jazz says with the lift of an eyebrow. Her arms uncross to hang loose at her sides, but the batkids watching can see the outline of some kind of baton in her pocket.

“Oh, certainly I can visit friends?” Master’s was attempting to skirt the girl, Jazz, but she absolutely was not having it.

“Funny, your only friend here is dad and you seem to be avoiding him.” The boy spit out. Masters’ smile dropped like a gargoyle off of a parapet.

“Daniel...” the man said with the worst attempt at menace Jason had witnessed in a long time.

“I think you should get going, Uncle Badtouch.” Jason said, inserting himself between Masters and the kids. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think you were creeping on some kids.”

Vlad looks affronted for a moment, before his eyes turn calculating as he stares at Jason’s face.

“Have we met?” He asks.

“Thankfully not.” Jason growls, eyes starting to glow just a bit more for emphasis. Strangely, Masters seems calmer, more enthusiastic instead of scared. Jason only subconsciously notices the boy, Daniel?, out of the corner of his eye, texting frantically.

“Surely we must have. For people like us, all we have is each other.” Masters tries to purr. Tries.

“What the fuck are you on? There’s no way we are even slightly-” he cuts off abruptly when Masters’ eyes change from (whatever color they normally are) to bright, unnatural green, and then back.

“You see?” Vlad chuckles, delighted. “We’re the same, so really both you and Daniel should join me.”

“Literally no one is ever going to join you, Plasmius.” Danny hisses. “Even when you make them they want nothing to do with you, so just leave.”

Vlad is just about to retort when a boom of “Vladdie!” comes from  behind the kids. Masters sneers before slipping away with one final “you will join me one of these days.”

Jason and Steph, now confused about why the boy called Masters Plasmius and what he meant by join him look to the other pair for an explanation. Tim’s also found them after looking over all of the tech. 

“Jay, your eyes.” He taps his brother before standing on the other side of Steph from him.

Jazz’s head snaps up from where it had bent over Danny’s phone with him, reading Dani’s texts.

“Mom!” she called, startling her brother and  the woman in question. The batkids watched the blue jumpsuited figure turn to her kids.

“What is it honey, I’m talking experiments.”

“Danny and I have made some friends, we’re going to get a bite to eat with them.” She said, pointing to the batkids who were trying to look like that was exactly what they were doing.

“Ok, have fun!” Maddie immediately turned back to her conversation. “Tell us if you see any Ghosts!” Jack called after them.

Danny and Jazz dragged the three out of the venue and only stopped while they were on the street.

“Right, do you know anywhere we could actually go? preferably someplace populated where Plasmius won’t show up.” She said, turning to the three Gothamites.

“Yeah, I know a place.” Jason took the lead and led the other four to a hole-in-the-wall Mongolian place.

“So, mind telling me what the fuck was all that with uncle badtouch?” Jason started off.

“I’m so calling him that next time I see him.” The boy said.

“We should probably do introductions first. I’m Jazz Fenton.” Jazz said, “and this is my little brother Danny. I already know that you” she gestured to Tim “are Timothy Drake-Wayne, but who are you?”

“I’m Steph, and this is Jay.”

“Right, so?”

Jazz and Danny looked at each other. “Okay.” Danny said slowly. “What is said at this table cannot leave this table. I mean it. Not even our parents know about this and they can’t know about this.” 

“Oooooo, keeping secrets from the old people? I’m in.” Jason, Steph, and Tim also quickly agreed.

“So, the think is: I’m a ghost. Well, I’m half-ghost. We’re called halfas.”

“Original.” Tim snorted. Danny just gave him a look.

“That’s why my eyes glow like this.” He demonstrated, going from blue to green and back, “I can also do a full transformation into my ghost form, but that’s kinda flashy. Plasmius, I mean Vlad, is also a halfa and we both thought that Jay was one too because of the eyes.”

“But my eyes don’t change color, they just glow.” Jay said.

“Yeah, most people with green eyes just have them glow when they’re possessed.” Danny shrugs.

Then he launches into an explanation of ghosts, halfas, the ghost zone, and what he-- and to an extent, Jazz-- has been doing in Amity Park as the hero Danny Phantom.

“...And we know you aren’t actually a halfa, because Dani-- that’s Dani with an ‘i’, short for Danielle-- has been to Gotham before and ran into you guys once. So I told you my secret identity because, you know, fairs fair.”

And I kinda ran out of steam, but basically Danny gets a support system in the form of the Batfamily and both he and Jazz eventually get adopted by Bruce because the Fenton’s are criminally negligent. The misunderstandings with Valerie are cleared up and the two of them get back together but this time with ghost-and-crimefighting as part of their relationship. Jazz and Babs hit it off, Valerie’s dad starts working with Lucius Fox, and upon request, each member of the batfamily takes a trip to the Ghost Zone to see their deceased loved ones and talk to them. Just, Danny Phantom becomes Ghostwing (Dani also shows up and stays with them in Gotham, but she doesn’t really crime fight much unless it’s right in front of her or Danny needs help, and no one begrudges her her choices), he and Jazz become part of the batfam, and Vlad spends forever looking for another halfa that doesn’t exist.