#yeah Bruce isn’t a bad person and Danny could probably just explain his feelings and ask Bruce to leave him alone and he would

[stars-obsession-pit]

Danny always hated Vlad’s attempts to forcibly adopt him, but honestly at the moment he found himself wishing he could go back to them.

Because at least he wasn’t blood related to that fruitloop. Unlike his newest problem.

Oh yeah, it turns out after that whole series of fights with Vlad about him being “Jack’s son”, Jack wasn’t even his actual biological father. Vlad had never known it (despite literally cloning him??), but Danny had been adopted by the Fentons when he was still very young.

And if that’s where things ended, he’d have been fine with that realization. The Fentons are still his family, blood or not. He doesn’t have any issue with that part.

But it turns out his biological father was another creepy rich fruitloop who somehow suddenly found out about Danny and now wants to force his way into his life. A fruitloop that’s even richer and evidently also better at being subtle than Vlad.

Bruce Wayne.

Yeah. He’d never thought he’d use the word “subtle” to describe Gotham’s ditzy playboy, but evidently the man was hiding a lot behind his dumb smile. If not for Tucker’s hacking ability and his own experience with being Phantom, he’d never have even noticed he was being spied on.

But he did notice, and now he’s been barely functioning from the anxiety. They must be planning something, but what? Are they going to try to hurt his family? Blackmail them? Do they believe the GIW’s lies? What if they find out about his powers? Can he even do anything to fight back without Bruce using his money to ruin their lives?

[ladylynse]

Whirlwind: Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny should’ve expected something like this when he got that phone call. (Secret Quartet crossover) 

Part 6 [FF | AO3] - for the :D Anon, who very kindly donated to my ko-fi. 

(Part 5 | Timeline post)

-|-

6:46 PM

“My name’s Phantom,” Danny said once they were inside. The fire and subsequent soaking had not been kind to any electronics in this place, so he didn’t mind talking plainly. No one was going to follow them inside without them noticing, especially not with the dragon basically guarding the entrance, and it wasn’t like any cameras were going to be functioning right now. “I’m friends with the Am Drag.” He’d avoided flying or any other obvious uses of his powers while they were out in the open. No need to parade his secret (or rather, the fact that ghosts are real) around to the public, after all; this was going to be enough of a mess for Jake to deal with without that.

The dragon hadn’t exactly been inconspicuous.

“Why the cheese are we in here instead of fighting out there?” the Ninja asked, flinging an arm behind him. “The Am Drag might be a friendly dragon, but that one isn’t!”

Danny sighed. “Look, um, there’s something you need to know about dragons. Hopefully I’m not violating some super secret code thing by telling you this, but they can take a human form. I mean, they have a human form, not just a dragon form. Which is probably the only reason they still exist and aren’t, y’know, just a myth.”

Danny couldn’t see much more than the Ninja’s eyes, but they didn’t look impressed. “Okay, so the lady I saw turn into a dragon is a dragon, and she just snapped?”

“Not…exactly.”

The Ninja rolled his eyes. “So what, exactly? Do you even know?”

“I think so.”

“That’s encouraging.”

Danny frowned at the Ninja’s sarcastic tone. “This is a big mess, okay? The magical world is supposed to be kept secret. So that dragon? Not easy to explain away!”

“Magic’s not secret,” the Ninja said incredulously. “It’s just…. It’s just magic. I mean, the people in my town don’t know there’s a sorcerer trapped beneath it, but they aren’t total shoobs. They know it’s not normal for people to regularly turn into monsters. But they just kind of…accept it, you know? Because I’m around to protect them. Or at least I’m supposed to be. But it’s not like they think it’s all some kind of new technology. People have been getting stanked in Norrisville for centuries.”

Danny blinked. He wondered if Jake knew any of that. He still wasn’t really clear on how the whole ‘American Dragon’ thing worked, and he had enough trouble keeping Amity Park safe, let alone feeling responsible for an entire country. Maybe there were different magical creatures who monitored smaller regions—individual states if not counties—who were then expected to report back to Jake when something was amiss. That would make more sense. Gramps was probably fielding all that stuff for him right now, while he was still in school….

“Hello, Earth to Phantom.” The Ninja was waving a hand in front of his face. “Is it normal for you to space out like that?”

“Shut up,” Danny scowled. “I was just thinking.”

“About how to get us out of this honkin’ mess?”

“About how it started,” Danny said, though that wasn’t strictly true; he’d been thinking about that earlier, though, so he figured it still counted. “The woman you saw. I think…. If it’s who I think it is, her name is Susan. She’s nice, normally—”

“When she’s not flaming people?”

“When she’s not corrupted. Did you see any butterflies?”

“That’s what does it?” The Ninja didn’t wait for Danny’s nod of confirmation. “Yeah. It’s, um, not the first one I’ve seen today, either. The first lady didn’t go all dragon-y. More…weird fashion sense, with this pen that could create invisible walls and trap you while she criticized you. That was her thing. She was a critic. The Critic. Chat Noir helped me defeat her. You know him? He distracted her while I got her pen.”

“I…know of him,” Danny hedged.

“He’s a good guy,” the Ninja said, confirming what Danny had suspected since his fight. “These corrupted people? They’re after him in particular. And, like, other stuff, but definitely something he has.”

“His ring. A Miraculous.”

“So you know this already?”

“I don’t think I have it all straight.” Danny bit his lip. He and Jake couldn’t do this alone, and he might’ve accidentally burned his bridge with Chat Noir. He might not be willing to help them. The Ninja, on the other hand, probably still would. At least, he hadn’t given Danny any reason to think he wouldn’t. “I know…. I know we have to beware of the butterflies.”

The Ninja nodded. “Sounds like. They’re probably connected to this Hawk Moth guy. Or girl. I dunno. I just heard the name. Susan or whoever you said she was was talking to them.”

“You saw him? Them?”

The Ninja shook his head. “No, I just heard half a phone conversation, except without phones being involved. Thing is, this guy’s MO is super familiar to me. I think they might’ve teamed up with someone I know. The Sorceress.”

Danny could not recall anything in the vague prophecies Jake had repeated to him that might allude to a sorceress. “Are you sure?”

“Well, not exactly, but from what I’ve seen? Definitely a possibility. Just because I trapped her in the Land of Shadows, doesn’t mean she didn’t find another way out. Again. And she might be trying to gather her power before attacking Norrisville.”

“She’s the one you were worried about, then.” He figured he could grill the Ninja on this whole ‘Land of Shadows’ thing later—when the Sorceress turned up, if she did, or when this mess was over, if she wasn’t involved.

The Ninja shrugged. “Yeah. Worrying about her is practically a requirement. And if she’s not involved, good, but she might be the reason this Hawk Moth person can do whatever it is with the butterflies. It’s basically stanking people.”

Danny didn’t need to know what stanking was to guess what it meant. “I think Hawk Moth is using the Brooch of Metamorphosis to change people. That’s what gives them their power. We were told we had to beware the butterflies. It’s the Butterfly Brooch.”

“The what?” The Ninja stared at him. “And what do you mean, you were told to beware the butterflies? Who told you?”

“Um. Would you believe me if I said oracles? The Am Drag has friends.”

“Wait, there’s a honkin’ prophecy?”

Danny sighed and recounted everything the oracle twins had told Jake—about him having friends to help him fight off the attacks, how they’d be facing threats they hadn’t dealt with before, and how they needed to beware of the butterflies.

The Ninja looked torn between incredulous and impressed. “That’s a lot clearer than anything I’m ever told,” he complained. “All I got was that to cleanse the soul, one must first clear the mind.”

“That’s…not straightforward?”

“No! It doesn’t tell me how to deal with the Sorceress!”

“But that’s my point. Maybe it’s not the Sorceress. Maybe it’s just this Hawk Moth. I know Jake’s dealt with magic users before. He might’ve run into her, or at least someone like her, so she wouldn’t exactly be a new threat, or a new kind of monster, or whatever.”

“Who’s Jake?”

Oh, crud.

Danny knew there were a lot of secrets Jake was tasked with keeping surrounding the magical world. He’d even kept Danny’s, once he’d learned it, from his family and friends. But if the Ninja had dealt with a sorceress and a sorcerer on what sounded like a fairly regular basis, maybe that counted as already knowing about the magical world. And maybe, if he used that as a technicality, Danny could fill in the Ninja without getting into more trouble. (He’d never asked Jake how much trouble he’d caused last time. He…hadn’t really wanted to.)

Besides, it would be a lot easier to get through this if they could use their real names, too.

And there had been that thing in the prophecies about getting help from friends.

And the Ninja had been trying to help.

“Jake’s the American Dragon,” Danny said. “Susan’s his mom. She just…shouldn’t have dragon powers. Normally. It skipped her generation.”

“Wait, what?”

“And I’m…not just a ghost.”

“You’re supposed to be a ghost?”

“I go by Phantom! How did you not figure that out? You call yourself the Ninja.”

“Yeah, because I’m actually a ninja. But Phantom could’ve just been a cool nickname. It’s not like you….” the Ninja trailed off, probably because Danny had crossed his legs and started hovering before holding up his hands and turning them invisible.

“Ghost,” he repeated, dropping back down the floor. “But also…not.” He changed back, watching the Ninja’s eyes widen even farther. “I’m Danny.” In for a penny, in for a pound. “Danny Fenton.” He stuck out his hand. It felt a little formal, but it would confirm that he was flesh and blood, which would be kinda important after insisting that he was a ghost.

The Ninja reached up to pull off his mask, and there was a flash of red and a flourish of cloth, and then a purple-haired teen grinned at Danny and gave his hand a quick shake. “Randy Cunningham. This is so bruce. I can’t believe you’re a real live ghost. I mean, I get to meet a dragon and a ghost in one day? This is the cheese. Howard is never going to believe me.”

“Don’t tell him,” Danny said quickly. This Howard obviously wasn’t here, but the fewer people who knew the details, the better. “People really aren’t supposed to know, and it’s bad if this gets out.”

“You have people like McFist after you, too?”

Danny had no idea who McFist was, either, but he nodded. “Yeah, we all do.” He hated to admit how wrong they’d gotten this, but— “This Hawk Moth person is probably after Chat Noir, and—”

“I don’t think Hawky knew Chat Noir was here,” interrupted Randy. “The critic lady was surprised to see him, and she said something about him being in a foreign country. And she wouldn’t know that, so Hawk Moth must’ve told her. Through their mind meld or however that works.”

Danny pulled a face. “Great.” To think Jake had thought Chat Noir might be working with Hawk Moth. They’d really messed this up. “I’m going to call Jake and catch him up. You…keep an eye out for Chat Noir. I don’t think we need to worry about Susan until she makes a move.”

“You still want to call the evil dragon lady Susan?”

“She’s not evil. She’s corrupted. And…I don’t know what else to call her. It’s not like she’s told us. But just…don’t use her name unless you’re talking to me or Jake and no one else can hear you.”

Randy frowned. “You said Jake’s her son, right?”

“Yeah?” Danny hoped Randy wasn’t about to ask for clarification on how dragon genetics worked, since he had absolutely no idea beyond the whole ‘skipped a generation’ thing. He couldn’t even explain his own genetics.

“He’s the shoob who’s responsible for all this.” Randy waved a hand around at the destruction. “I saw him and his mom. They looked like prime targets for the Sorceress. That’s why I saw what happened to her. I was keeping an eye out because I thought she was gonna get stanked.”

“So you know what Jake looks like in his human form.” That would make things easier. “Great.” Danny dug a couple of Fenton Phones out of his pocket and handed them to Randy. “Here, keep these on you. One’s for Jake; the other’s in case you see Chat Noir before I do. I wanna loop him in. And, um, apologize.”

“Apologize?” Randy echoed, but he was already shoving the Fenton Phones into his pocket. “For what? And why do you have spares? Did you invent these things?”

“My parents did.” He wasn’t going to go into the whole ghost hunter thing; it wasn’t important right now. “And, yeah, they’re useful, but they’re not always the most durable, so I’ve got spares. Just…a limited number, so try not to break or lose too many. I don’t exactly live around the corner.”

Thankfully, Randy didn’t press him on the whole ‘apology’ thing. Or maybe he’d already forgotten about it. “So what’s the plan? I’m still going to keep my eyes peeled for signs that this is the Sorceress, just in case, but I can’t fight that dragon by myself.”

“I don’t think you need to. Remember how I said she was testing you?” At Randy’s nod, Danny continued, “Well, now she knows you can do whatever you did to try to fight her. Which means she’ll be that much harder for you to surprise. And if you’re right about the weird mind meld thing, Hawk Moth will know, too.”

“So?”

“So that’s bad. Because Jake thinks they’re after something. Something besides Chat Noir’s Miraculous, apparently, if they weren’t expecting him. Look, Jake’s family…. They have a shop full of magical artefacts and stuff like that. So he’s probably not wrong about Hawk Moth’s motives. I mean, half the ghosts I fight want to take over this realm, so bad guys being obsessed with power isn’t exactly rare.”

“You’re a ghost and you fight other ghosts? What, do you live in the most haunted town in America or something?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Safe bet that I do, yeah.” He held out his cell phone. “New plan—”

“Wait, what was the old plan?”

“—you call Jake and tell him about Chat Noir and Hawk Moth and what you saw happen and everything else. He’ll fill you in on whatever else you need to know. I’m going to do some recon.” When Randy took his phone, Danny changed back. “The fewer people who see what we’re doing, the better.” He tapped his Fenton Phone, adding, “Shout if you get into trouble,” before turning invisible.

He wasn’t sure if Susan had the same dragon abilities as Jake, so he wasn’t sure if she’d still be able to see him, but he knew he wouldn’t be easy to spot this way.

And whether they were fighting a magic user or a Miraculous user or both, he didn’t want to make this easy on them.

XXX

6:54 PM

Jake went ahead to do a quick scout to assess the situation so he could tell the others what they were flying into.

Trouble was, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Most of the crowd was still there, grumbling and wet and talking amongst themselves or on the phone, and he could see TV crews and paramedics and other people like that, but no ninja.

And, more importantly, no dragon.

He flattened his wings to his sides and dove into an alley, pulling up at the last moment and startling a leprechaun who looked like he’d been on his way to the stock exchange. Mumbling his apologies as the leprechaun muttered curses and picked up the fallen gold pieces, Jake let fire burn away his dragon form and peeked carefully out of the alleyway.

Predictably, the view wasn’t any better down here than it had been from above. But as he walked closer to the crowd and could pick up more of the scattered conversations, he knew there had been no miraculous fix, no magic that had caused everyone to forget what they’d seen. They all knew very well what they’d seen: a ninja fighting a dragon. Thankfully, the conversation tended to be more along the lines of how such a stunt had been pulled off than the fact that it was real.

“I don’t care how you do it, Viceroy! I want a Robo-Dragon! If this Ninja is anything like our Ninja, your next WND won’t be a failure!”

Well, most of it, anyway.

Jake tried to get a good look at the speaker without making it too obvious that he was looking. He didn’t know what a WND was supposed to be, but while robot dragons and ninjas weren’t exactly magical, there might be some overlap of relevant interests. And he did not want Rotwood to make friends with someone who could provide him with new technology to capture proof of magical creatures. Especially someone with enough resources to both attend this spectacularly expensive gala and just demand that a robot dragon be built, with no doubt in his voice that it would happen.

“Hanni, honey, you promised you wouldn’t work while we were on this trip,” the woman next to the man said. There was a steel edge in her voice that even Jake could recognize, and the man blanched.

“You can have another week of vacation if it’s done by the time I get back! Just get to work!” he yelled, and then he hung up and turned to the woman that was probably his wife. Jake realized with a start that he had a robotic arm and quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. He was pretty sure the prosthetic had had a brain in it. With eyes. That was…messed up.

Even by his standards.

“You can buy a second dress,” the man offered.

“I don’t want a second dress. If I decide I do, I’ll buy it anyway. What I want is for you to do what you promised. The Ninja’s back in Norrisville; can’t we enjoy our vacation here?”

“Of course, sugar plum,” the man answered quickly. Jake wasn’t sure he believed him—and he rather doubted the woman would—but he couldn’t afford to eavesdrop much longer. He didn’t need anyone recognizing him from earlier, especially when he hadn’t even been thinking long enough to put on a different jacket. He was lucky he was dry; that might be his saving grace, since everyone else who’d been caught inside was still dripping or at least distinctly damp.

He would probably have to figure out where Norrisville was, though, and bring it up with Gramps. It sounded like another place they’d need to keep an eye on. Ninjas and robots didn’t scream magic, but it was…weird. And any place that was weird enough had magic somewhere, even if it was buried deep.

“I’ll see if there’s any word from the organizers,” the man said. “See if they’re setting up another venue or what the plan is, now that the dragon’s dealt with.”

He didn’t say it like the dragon was something that surprised him.

Okay, Jake was definitely going to have to check out this Norrisville place when this mess was over.

He waited a moment longer, hoping the man would say how the dragon had been dealt with, but he didn’t, mostly likely because his wife had been beside him the entire time and knew the answer. Jake wished he could ask, but that would mean drawing attention to himself. He moved on instead, avoiding the various TV crews and the police and grateful that he couldn’t spot Rotwood.

Trixie and Spud were on the case, but Rotwood would try to get around them. Not that there was anything he could do if the dragon was gone. Well, not anything beyond talking to a news station and insisting that, now that everyone else had seen the dragon, it was proof that he hadn’t been making anything up. Proof that the magical world did exist, that his studies weren’t theoretical, that—

Jake’s phone started to ring, and he answered immediately. “Yo, Danny, what happened to the dragon?”

“What do you mean what happened to the dragon?” It wasn’t Danny’s voice. It was the Ninja’s. Oops. “Can’t you see her? Isn’t she there? Or aren’t you here?” While Jake tried to figure out how to answer that without giving everything away, the Ninja added, “I’m Randy, by the way. Danny filled me in.”

Aw, man, why did Danny keep doing this to him?

Well, at least if Randy ran around dressed as a Ninja, he might already know about the magical world and get a pass. Hopefully Fu or Gramps would be able to come up with a good reason to let him keep whatever magical artefacts he had his hands on. They’d gotten the Dragon Council off Jake’s back about this secrecy before, at least when he could vouch for the people who had found out about it.

“Whaddaya know?”

Randy caught Jake up on his conversation with Danny and everything else he seemed to figure Jake had missed and needed to know. Jake wove through the crowd, trying not to give away much of anything in case someone happened to be listening to his side of the conversation, and tried to figure out if he could get into the building without being seen. He had his doubts. Why hadn’t Danny come to grab him instead of going off to do reconnaissance on his own? That would have been so much easier.

But Danny wasn’t terribly used to help, aside from whatever his sister and friends could give from the ground, and something like scouting would have always fallen to him—at least when he needed to fly to get the best view of things.

“Meet me outside,” Jake finally said. They might as well have the rest of this conversation face to face. He wanted Randy to be wrong, for this dragon lady to be someone other than his mother, but he had a picture of her on his phone. It would be an easy enough thing to verify. And then he’d know to warn the others. Especially Haley. He hadn’t given her too many details when he’d called her, figuring the fact that he was calling her to begin with would be enough for her to understand that this wasn’t some practice drill, but now that he knew it was their mom…. “I’ll wait on the corner across the street.” He didn’t need to give a description, not if Randy really did know who he was.

He just…. If Chat Noir really wasn’t their enemy, how were they going to figure out who was? It wasn’t like cat boy would be in the mood to tell them now. He might just attack them on sight, and Jake wouldn’t be able to blame him for that. He kinda doubted Randy would be able to act as much of a buffer, either.

He'd messed up.

You’ll have friends to help you out, Kara had said, but why couldn’t Sara have warned him that he’d make a powerful enemy if he didn’t think things through?

Well, Jake knew the answer to that, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Sometimes, it would be a lot easier if he didn’t know anything about the future.

XXX

6:48 PM

Adrien didn’t have a clear view of the dragon. Getting to where he’d needed to go had taken longer than he’d hoped—he wasn’t convinced he was that much faster in Paris only because he knew his way around; these buildings weren’t what he was used to, either—and now that he was closer….

Now that he was closer, he couldn’t even see the dragon anymore. He’d had a glimpse of a shimmering purple-pink wing a few long seconds ago, enough to tell him that it wasn’t the same dragon he’d seen earlier, and then it had gone behind a building. By the time he’d gotten onto the rooftop of said building, the dragon was gone.

He spent more precious time scanning the skies for a departing akuma, just in case the Ninja had gotten here ahead of him again and figured out where the akuma was hiding, but there was nothing.

There were, however, television crews on the ground, and no longer just the ones who’d been sent to cover the gala. He’d taken enough of a risk showing his face earlier; how many times could he potentially be caught on tape before footage of Chat Noir in New York City turned up on the internet in a spot where Alya could find it? Sure, she wouldn’t necessarily connect the fact that Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir were in the NYC at the same time, not with any seriousness, but….

He couldn’t afford to risk it.

Of course, he couldn’t afford to let Hawk Moth get away with whatever he was trying to do, either.

If Alya figured it out, if her accusations of him being Chat Noir went beyond a joke she sent to Nino, then he’d…. He’d have to give up being Chat Noir. Give up Plagg, give up spending so much time with Ladybug, give up the freedom wearing the mask gave him.

But he wouldn’t deserve to be Chat Noir if he didn’t act now, all because he was too selfish to risk losing everything.

Still, that didn’t mean he shouldn’t be careful. The hooded sweater he’d bought wouldn’t do much to conceal his identity, but he’d be less conspicuous wearing that—even with the hood up, even in a crowd like the one below—than he would be as Chat Noir or Adrien Agreste. He should be able to pass as a curious bystander. Hopefully.

The alley below was empty, so Adrien extended his staff and then let it slowly collapse, bringing him back to ground level as quickly and quietly as possible. He ducked behind a dumpster before whispering for Plagg to pull his claws in, and he tugged the hood as far down over his eyes as it would go before straightening up.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Plagg whispered to him as he settled next to Adrien’s neck, hiding himself in the shadow of the hood. “I can smell the magic from here.”

“It’s just Hawk Moth,” Adrien murmured back. “You saw the Critic earlier.”

“This isn’t the same. It’s not the same as that ghost kid, either. Or the Ninja. They all smell different.”

That was enough to give Adrien pause. “Hawk Moth didn’t send Phantom? Why didn’t you tell me that on the roof? Or in the mall?”

“There were more important matters to discuss.”

“Like what?”

“Like getting me my camembert.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, even though he knew Plagg wouldn’t be able to see the movement. “I gave you the last of what I had with me.” He’d eventually decided to go back and ask the concierge at the hotel where would be the best place to go to get some more, and the man had graciously offered to order some in for him and have it sent up to the suite. Sure, the Critic had attacked before Adrien had had a chance to rest, and then Phantom had attacked him, and now this dragon had turned up, but…. But even if the cheese wasn’t there when Adrien went looking for it, Plagg would at least be able to eat something.

He might not be able to get back out into the fray as quickly as he’d like the next time he transformed and used Cataclysm, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to duck out in the middle of a fight to feed Plagg.

Even if it would be the first time doing so without Ladybug around to cover for him.

If the Ninja was still around, whoever he was, maybe he’d be willing to step in again.

Adrien would certainly need help cleaning up this mess and the one ahead, whenever Hawk Moth decided to activate the Critic’s akuma.

Granted, he hadn’t seen any statues of the Critic about, not like they had with Stoneheart. Maybe the akuma hadn’t proliferated yet? Or maybe the dormant akuma had taken on a different form?

Or maybe Hawk Moth had found a better target and recalled the Critic’s akuma before it had multiplied. Adrien only hoped he could be so lucky. But if this dragon wasn’t someone who’d been akumatized by Hawk Moth…. “Plagg,” Adrien said, overriding the kwami’s complaints, “if this isn’t Hawk Moth’s doing, whose is it?”

The kindly old man in the electronics store in Chinatown had reminded him more of Master Fu than anyone else, and the teenager hadn’t exactly struck him as evil, either. He’d been helpful, if a bit preoccupied, and if Plagg hadn’t warned him to leave—

“It’s an old magic you don’t want to get mixed up in.” Plagg paused, but he must have known that wasn’t enough. “Dragons are real,” he finally said, “and I can smell their magic at work here. It’s very distinctive—a little similar to Longg’s, but sharper—and if you have any doubt, the fact that you’ve seen two dragons should put that to rest.”

Adrien didn’t know who Longg was. He didn’t ask, figuring Plagg would tell him if he could, at least if he figured it was important. Of course, Plagg’s idea of what was important could be fairly skewed, but Adrien had learned to live with that. “What about Phantom? Or the Ninja?”

“Phantom’s a ghost.” Something in Plagg’s tone made Adrien’s spine crawl, but maybe that was because he’d seen firsthand how dangerous Phantom could be. And to find out he wasn’t even alive…. How could Adrien hope to stop him, if it came to that? If he decided he wanted the Miraculous— “The Ninja’s magic is more recent, relatively speaking. This millennium, anyway; not like the dragons. He doesn’t have a Miraculous, but he’s got at least one magical artefact helping him out.”

“And at least he’s an ally,” Adrien murmured. “He only ever tried to fight the Critic, not me, even after she mentioned the Miraculous.” But he was an ally Adrien might never see again. Whatever he’d said earlier, he wasn’t really a partner, not like Ladybug. He might have just been passing by, in the right spot at the right time, and come to help because he was a hero.

He could just as easily be gone, leaving Adrien to deal with this mess by himself.

Between Hawk Moth, the ghost, the dragons, and the fact that Nathalie and the Gorilla were surely looking for him by now….

“We need to figure this out fast,” Adrien said. “I don’t know how much time we have.”

“Not enough,” Plagg murmured. Adrien might not have heard it ordinarily, soft-spoken as it was, but with Plagg right under his ear, he heard it this time.

He hoped Plagg was wrong, and not just about how much time they had, but he couldn’t afford to take any chances.

Taking a steadying breath, Adrien left the safety of the alley and went in search of the dragon.

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[five-stages-of-gris]

Welp, @sadghostgirl001 here it is. Nearly 4K of salt and fluff. I hope you like this.

Warnings: omegaverse, Team Cap being dicks, some feminization but barely noticed

Stephen could say he understood both sides in this rift, as much as he hates to admit it. He still thought it was awful, as it didn’t affect both parties at all.

Let’s recap, to see why our soon-to-be Sorcerer Supreme was getting real tired of his workmates’ bullshit.

It began when Tony Stark proposed Peter Parker, one of his formers students at M.I.T. when he graduated with honors within five years, both undergraduate and graduate programs. He could understand why Tony was attracted to someone as brilliant as him, even though the young man wasn’t older that 23.

And yes, that was the factor that broke tensions between the Avengers. Stephen massaged his temples while waiting for his coffee to be over as his workmates sent the others murderous looks. Why, why did they were fighting for something so banal. Especially when neither Tony, nor Peter Parker where in the Avengers.

That caught you off ward, right?

Well, let me explain something first. After Tony was fatally injured in Siberia, he had to abandon the Avengers’ initiative because of his injuries, as he couldn’t pilot the Iron Man armor any more. He was offered a position as a consultant, but he refused, as last time he was just giving advice to projects he didn’t have control with ended up with three helicarriers crashing on Washington. Also, it was the best time for retiring, and focused his time both in his relief charities and reviewing projects from Stark Industries. It seemed new workers felt safe when he was around, so he was happy to see those fresh spirits making new stuff, and he was glad to mother hen them all. A few years ago, he also accepted a proposition in M.I.T., as part of the engineering department.

Peter was just a college student. He was majoring in Chemistry and Biology, and was assisting to a graduate program Stephen couldn’t actually remember. He wouldn’t have met Tony if the ex-avenger didn’t look forward to meet him, as Peter was currently one of the big gossips between the professors because his brilliance. And after that, as those pink press magazines Wong keeps around said, everything was history. Tony proposed Peter after the graduation ceremony at a restaurants that would probably cost more than the Sanctum maintenance. It was an open mic night, so Tony decided to dust off his musical skills and proposed to the young man while playing the piano, someone recorded it, and it went viral. Maybe that was the intention.

Of course, it became known for the Avengers too, received with different reactions. Rogers and his merrymen got the most visceral reactions: ranging from saying that Tony was a complete pervert for marrying someone nearly thirty years younger than you to saying that Peter was a temptress probably from Hydra who was seducing Tony to steal his new weapons, no mattering that neither Tony nor SI made weapons anymore, the closest to making weapons was checking and repairing War Machine equipment from Rhodes’ personal request, or that Peter PArker was completely clean, as he was a close friend from Gwen Stacy, their friendly neighbour spider sentinel. They met in a ballet academy since they were five and they quickly hit it off, even going to the same major and minoring in ballet studies. Gwen couldn’t understand how Peter could finish college so fast, but the young omega told her she could do the same if she weren’t getting any of her extra “night runs”. She was static after the notice and she was going to defend his friend with tooth and nail.

Alongside Gwen there were others, like Captain Marvel and the Asgardians who didn’t see the age difference as an obstacle, with Carol’s aging being slowed down by space and the Asgardians living for millenia. With them there were others, like Danny and Bruce, who, even though not outwardly supportive, preferred to leave Peter and Tony alone, as they didn’t have any business with the Avengers’ Initiative.

And so those were the sides, with Luke, Jessica and him at the middle, wondering for the one thousand time why did they decided to join.

“Is everyone here?” Asked Rogers on his usual “mission” face. For Stephen, he looked like he just sucked a lemon. As seeing how the rest made a hum of approvement, he began his speech.

“Avengers, we can celebrate that thanks to us the world is at peace. And we can thank all of that to our training and discipline…” Stephen wondered if anyone else had drifted off already. He just sipped his coffee from time to time, drifting some glaces to Rogers to look like he was listening when Gwen got up from her seat, at Stephen’s side, like pushed by a spring.

“LEAVE PETER AND TONY ALONE FOR FUCKS’ SAKE!” she shouted, and if it wasn’t for Jennifer and Stephen she would have thrown a punch to the face of America.

“Sit down, Stacy” Rogers ordered, and for a moment Stephen wished to free Gwen. She didn’t stopped in her accusations though.

“DON’T TRY TO GIVE ME ANOTHER OF YOUR MORALISTIC BULLSHIT! YOU KNOW SHIT ABOUT THEM! I’VE BEEN THERE! I’VE SEEN THEM! THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, AND THAT’S IT!”

“Gwen, I know you’ve seen them, and that Peter’s your friend” Steve tried to placate, something that didn’t work because he used the same tone someone would to a toddler. “But sometimes, we don’t know our friends as good as we think. Sometimes, they might be hiding dark intentions and we just can’t see it because they’re our friends”

“What. Like your friend Bucky, you say?”

The room fell in silence. If Khamala or Miles were there, surely they’ve just blown on screams.

“Ghost Spider. Out” Rogers said, and Gwen stormed out of the room, closing the door with a slam. Stephen leaned into Jennifer and whispered.

“I think I’ve chosen a bad moment to space out, what it’s going on?”

“Steve want us to make an “intervention” on Tony”

“What?”

“He wants to go to Tony’s home and convince him out of marrying his fiancée”

“You can’t be serious”

“He just asked for voluntaries to go to the mission. All his friends offered”

“Of course” Stephen frowned, this wasn’t going to end well. “Someone needs to go with them and keep an eye for problems”

“Yeah, sure, but who? Don’t look at me, I’m not going to bother Tony Stark with those headless chickens”

Stephen sighed. “If you want to do something you need to do it yourself. Hey Rogers! I’m coming”

“W-What?” said Rogers, and his surprise was contagious. Everyone turned their head at him, and Stephen began to regret already his decision.

Peter felt a tickling sensation on both of his sides and nearly threw the pot because of it.

“Tony!” the omega protested, turning to see his fiancee behind him with the biggest grin he could make. “You were supposed to help me with the dinner! Not to distract me!”

“Sorry baby, but you know that the kitchen is my mortal enemy” said Tony, picking a spoon. “By the way what are you cooking now? It smells delicious”

“Oh no, take your hands away from the gravy!” Peter ordered while swatting Tony’s hand with the wooden spoon.

“Ok, ok I’ll stop,” Tony giggled raising his hands in defeat. “What a poor destiny of mine, not being able to taste my fiancée’s delicious cuisine”

“Oh please, Tony. You eat what I cook every day! Nothing’s bad gonna happen if you wait ten minutes”

"Awww, but I'm hungry now!" Tony's hands traveled downwards to his top's end. Peter squirmed, trying to get away from the alpha.

"Please Tony!" he said before going back to the pot, the sauce began to boil, alarming the omega. "Tony, please, can you be a dear and get me one of the casserole plates?"

"Everything for my Prince" he said. He gave him a quick peck while putting the vegetables on the plate, despite Peter's protest. He wanted to help after all.

"Alright, so we have the potato salad, the green bean casserole and the pork chops with gravy, anything else?"

"What? Just that?" Peter closed the oven and looked at the kitchen. "Shit I forgot the croquettes!"

"Croquettes? Peter isn't it too much?"

"And the mashed potatoes! Fuck, fuck this is a mess, sorry Tony!"

"Hey no problem, it's just our Honeybear with Gwen and some friends, there is nothing to worry about"

"...Alright" said Peter with a huff. "Can you get the croquettes out the refrigerator please? I don't have time to make the mashed potatoes myself but there is some of the other somewhere"

In the end, they managed to prepare both the croquettes and the mashed potatoes before the doorbell rang. At the other's side there were Rhodes, Carol, Gwen, Luke and Jessica. Gwen and Peter hugged each other, the spider-woman lifting him and a King a whirl.

"Careful Gwen or you'll make Tony jealous" teased Rhodey, which the billionaire dismissed it.

"Sorry, Tony. I just missed Peter so much!" she said as Peter gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I missed you too, Gwen. Tell me, how has been your summer?"

With that they moved towards the dining room, staring in complete awe at the banquet Peter has prepared. The dinner was amazing, talking and laughing. It was such a nice evening, those at the start of the summer when the soft breeze cooling the place.

After they finished the dessert, three chocolate ice cream cups with caramel syrup, they began to stream a Spanish movie, something about a bunch of priest joining a soccer tournament, when the doorbell rang again. Peter looked at his guests, asking if someone else was supposed to come. When they answered that no, anyone’s going to come, Tony decided to be the one to get to the door.

He certainly didn’t expect Steve and his gang at the other side of the door, dressed in full costume that made Tony harden his grip of the doorknob.

“Rogers! Guys! ... What a surprise” he mentally chastised himself for the poor rhyme. “What… What are you doing here? There is a mission and you came to pick them up?”

“... Yes. There’s a mission” answered Steve, his expression softening. Tony had a bad feeling about it. “But it’s here, we don’t have to pick up anyone?”

“What? Here? Shit! PETER! GO TO THE BASEMENT!” Tony was about to get back to the living room when Steve’s grabbed him by the shoulder. Tony choked on his breath, he was going to have a long therapy session next Monday…

“Tony, the mission is here, in this house” surely Tony’s expression must have alarmed Steve as he quickly proceeded to further explain. “Tony, we need to talk”

“Wait,” Tony shook his head. “Are you telling me that your supposed mission is coming to talk with me? Steve, it has been years since I left the Avengers Initiative. Not because I want, but because I can’t pilot my armor after Siberia” He said. Someone could read between the lines that last phrase was a quip at Rogers, but that Captain was a bit dense when he was on a mission. More like, he didn’t pay attention to anything else but what it could affect it.

“Tony, is not about that…”

“Yeah, sure. Then why are you coming to my house close to midnight and saying you want to talk to me?”

“Well, technically, we’re not in your house…” commented the Ant-guy he didn’t remember the name.

“If you only came here to blurb ridiculous remarks like the last one, then you can go and kindly fuck off”

“Wow, so much for old friends” said Clint, winning a tired scowl from Rogers.

“Tony, I know we had been bothering you about returning to the Avengers in the past, but today’s different.” Natasha came to the front and leaned on the door frame, letting Tony see her feminine figure. Strange, at the back of the group, did his best to not to roll his eyes as the ridiculous scene. Wanda looked at him with her eyes narrowed, but he was sure the mind repelling spell was working.

“Yeah, right, like it will not jump to that after today’s pathetic excuse is over. Listen, if you came for anything else, I’d probably would have let you in! Really! Anything else! But no, for you I’m only Iron Man. Tony Stark is only a minor inconvenience as long you have my suits. But listen to this words very carefully: I. AM. RETIRED”

“Tony, I swear, we didn’t come to ask you to rejoin the Aven…”

“Tony? Is something wrong?” asked Peter from behind. Tony turned to see his friends behind his fiancée, and he circle a hand around him. For Peter to feel safe. For him to feel safe. “Are these your friends?”

“Well, you can say that…” smiled Steve before Tony could have the time to answer. Peter looked at Tony and frowned.

“Are these your friends Tony?” he asked again, at which Tony answered with a concerned look, like he was afraid of their reaction if he said no. Then, Peter turned to the others, whose were entertained by giving mean sideyes to Steve and his guys. Deciding to be the adult here, Peter put the most natural smile he could.

“I’m sorry guys. I wish we could invite you in but after today’s dinner we are nearly out of food!” something not completely false, as he was surprised to see how much their guests could eat. And the few left-overs that remained were packaged and ready for their guests to take, he was glad they liked how he cooked. “Why don’t you come next weekend so we have time to go grocery shopping?”

“Like Stark couldn’t call and get a supermarket right here in less than twenty minutes” scoffed Clint again, and this time it was Natasha who scowled at him.

“But it’s true!” Clint protested, and for Peter, it sounded like the neighbours’ toddler when she asked for a popsicle when she had already cookies for the afternoon snack. “Look at that ring! It probably costs more than my arrows”

At that commentary, Peter hid his left hand behind his back, feeling ashamed of his expensive gift. Yes, Tony loved to spend money on him, and Peter loved to wear his gifts to show how much he loved them, like that day’s outfit which were composed of a white, green patterned shirt, high-waisted cropped jeans and red and black espadrilles, all from the designer brand Fendi. Tony’s grip tightened, and Peter could smell the faint scent of his alpha, that citric, woody floral smell emerging past his cologne and the remains of motor oil. Peter surely must have been releasing pheromones too, as Tony got him closer, letting Peter’s head on his chest so he could secretly smell his fresh and fruity scent hidden beneath the smell of the kitchen and his perfume.

“I like to give presents my people I love, and my fiancée specially deserves those presents, no matter how expensive they are” said Tony with a possessive growl.

“That’s what we want to talk about!” exclaimed Steve, like Tony had finally gave the correct of an incredibly easy test. Tony didn’t like the other’s tone at all.

“What? That you don’t like how I spend my money?”

“No! not that. Well, it’s related but…”

“They want you to leave Peter” Carol interrupted, while Gwen was already on a defensive stance.

“Wait what?”

“It’s not what you think Tony!” Steve quickly began. “But, can’t you see? Tony, Peter’s way younger than you, don’t you think that there’s a reason for him to get closer to you?”

“What?” That was Peter’s turn to be confused. What was that man talking about?

“Steve, if you’re implying what I think you’re implying…”

“Tony, please, listen to me. I know what you’re thinking”

“No you’re not”

“Please Tony, let me talk for once. What we’re trying to say is that is not normal that a young man like him came to your life after you retired from the Avengers. How can you trust him?”

“Oh shit. Here we go again” complained Gwen before putting herself between the couple and Steve. “Listen I don’t fucking care you’re my superior because the President decided to get you back to being the public after your tantrum with the Accords. But hear me out when I say that Peter’s not, neither was nor will be a bad influence for Tony. Peter’s true to the bone so please stop this before you get himself in a even more embarrassing position”

“If Peter’s so good then why is he spending all Tony’s money?” asked Wanda. “He’s wearing designer clothes everyone can see that”

“She’s right Tony,” Steve squared up his shoulders, liberating some of his hormones that for Peter they smelled foul and rotten, burying his head on Tony’s chest.

“See? That’s one of his tricks Tony” accused Natasha this time, passing a hand through her hair so she could free some of her pheromones too. For tony they were sickeningly sweet, receiving Peter’s fresh smell like water on a dessert. “He’s playing the helpless deer in front of you to occupy all your time, so you can’t pay attention to most important things”

“And what are those more important things supposed to be?” Tony asked, nearly growling.

That question got them without words. Tony was almost impressed, seeing how suddenly everyone shut up with that question. Of course, Tony knew the answer, and he was sure the others knew it too.

“Hmmm…” Steve began, trying to win some time. “Hummh… Your work with SI…”

“I’ve been reviewing and checking SI most important projects since I retired, and I even get them done myself if there’s a request. I just took a step behind to let new talents grow”

“You? Getting out of spotlight? The world is ending” Wanda scoffed, getting a furious glare for Sam, the only one who didn’t talk, but he barely ever talked besides being Steve’s “yes man”.

“I do it for the people who deserve it, dearie” said Tony with such a saccharine tone that even the pet name sounded like an insult.

“You…” Wanda took a step closer but Steve rushed to calm her.

“Tony please…”

“Please what? You are the one who came into my house asking me to leave my fiancée who is, in fact, the person most important to me” Peter could see how Steve winced at the last sentence. “And, by the way, you didn’t answer my question. What are those “more important things” I need to take priority over Peter?”

“Well…” There was the uncomfortable silence again. “... You were a professor at M.I.T. wouldn’t dating with a former student be bad for your career?”

“Not if I don’t teach him, which I didn’t” Tony said in a matter-of-fact tone. Peter turned to see Rhodes’ barely concealed giggle. At least someone was amused with that situation.”

“And… what about your personal projects? ...Or private requests? ...You can’t take as much requests as before before you spend more time with your… with him” ooh goddammit, that was the last straw.

“What? If they are my personal projects I’ll take my time with them since I have no deadlines or whatsoever. And private requests? Are you serious? I don’t do private requests anymore. Now, if that absurd intention of getting my fiancée, my Peter, away from me is over, get away from my sight. And don’t come back, even if it’s not Avengers business related”

“Tony, I…”

“Leave, just leave Rogers. Please”

“I can’t leave Tony. We can’t leave. Not with Peter’s still at your side”

“Then I’ll have to kick you out”

“Please, Stark, like you can do something to us” Wanda sneered. Something completely foolish, as the other Avengers squared up.

“We’ll be happy to help Tony. I think it will be nice to throw out the trash after that dinner” Luke said.

“Guys, just get out please. I don’t want my house to turn into a battlefield”

“Too late Stark” said the Witch with a bright smile as the rest mist began to circle her, but before any of them could take a step, Stephen made a swift sweeping motion and the portal where they came from engulfed them one by one.

“I’m sorry of their number” apologised the wizard. “And to interrupt you, it seemed you were having a good time”

“Oh! It’s nothing. To be honest, we should thank you” said Peter. “Do you want to enter? I wasn’t lying with the food, but I can make tea and we have some pastries if you want”

“That would be great, actually” Stephen said and all went inside the house. Ster the tea the drinks went, and it was nearly four in the morning when they stopped talking.

“Stephen” Rhodey called before he entered the portal to his room. “Thank you for keeping an eye on them”

“Oh, it’s nothing”

“Seriously, thank you. You always seemed so neutral with this situation, I was impressed when I saw you sweeping them into the portal”

“I wasn’t going to let them hurt two civilians you know? Besides…”

“Yeah?”

“When Peter appeared, I saw their auras. I’ve been in many dimensions and worlds, Rhodey, and I can assure you, few times I’ve seen two auras as combined as theirs. It’s like they were…”

“Soulmates?”

“... Yes, you can say that”

“Keep that for the wedding speech, I’m sure Peter will love it”

“Do you think they’ll invite me?”

“After you saved Peter from Steve and his merry men? I should be afraid of you stealing the best man’s position” Rhodey joked before stepping to the portal. When Strange closed it, he took a last look to the cabin. The was a room light up, and Stephen could imagine them in the kitchen, Peter drinking an infusion while Tony cleaned the dishes. He sighed, wishing for them the best of lucks before going back to the Sanctum.

[flowerfan2]

Bound To Be Together - Ch. 9

McDanno, M, A03 A continuous story of Season 9 codas exploring the bond between Steve and Danny as they grow even closer.

(Author’s note... I had no idea that this story would turn out to be so smutty, but what can I do... for this chapter I added the tag “a touch of superhero kink?” on A03...)

Chapter 9: 9.09

Danny is a little disappointed that he had to bring Charlie back to Rachel’s after the release party at Other Realms, but the view as he walks through Steve’s house and out onto the lanai does a lot to cheer him up.  Steve is kicking back in a chair, eyes closed, late afternoon sun turning his skin bronze.

There’s a flutter in Danny’s chest at the sight.  He and Steve haven’t had any time alone together to speak of since Danny got back from Jersey, since he’s had the kids with him all week.   Danny is hoping that tonight he might finally get a chance to see up close and personal what he experienced over the phone.

Steve barely twitches as Danny approaches, however.  Whether he’s tired, blissed out in the sun, or just teasing, Danny figures he’ll play it cool for now.  Unless they catch a very poorly timed case, there’s no rush.

A copy of “The Mysterious Night Sentinel” is lying on the ground by Steve’s feet, open to the “Book ‘em, Danno” page.  Danny grins. Leave it to Jerry to immortalize their catch phrase.  Danny looks from the comic book to Steve, still pretending to sleep, and wonders if there’s any connection.

“Hey, babe,” Danny leans over and presses a quick kiss to Steve’s forehead.  Steve blinks his eyes open, and Danny shifts so that he blocks the sun shining in Steve’s eyes.

“Hey,” Steve says, hands coming up to rub his face.

“You okay?”

“What?  Yeah, I’m fine.”

This isn’t exactly the reception Danny was hoping to get tonight, but he knows Steve well enough not to be offended.  When something is bothering him, Steve doesn’t cover it up in front of Danny, and that’s worth more than a roll in the hay.

 Danny sits down in the chair next to Steve and stretches his feet out in front of him.  “Any chance you wanna talk about this Batman thing?”

 Steve grunts. “Nothing to talk about.”  He turns to Danny and raises an eyebrow.  “Where’s the beer?”

 Steve’s playing the Neanderthal card, but Danny can play along if that’s what he needs.  “You said you had plenty.”

 “Well, maybe I wanted you to get some more.  Or at least, you know, bring me one.”

 Danny pushes out of the chair and heads back into the house.  He could really use a beer. “You’re deflecting,” he calls over his shoulder. “Think about what you’ve done, and I’ll be right back.”

 In the kitchen Danny loads up a bucket with ice and a six-pack’s worth of cold Longboards, and snags a bag of pretzels and a pack of oreos for good measure.  They’ll probably order a pizza soon, but it isn’t healthy to drink on an empty stomach.

 “You’re actually a lot like Batman, you know,” Danny comments when he returns, handing Steve a beer.  The idea has been haunting Danny ever since their conversation in the car about superheroes.  Danny isn’t sure how Steve thought he could avoid the obvious comparison between himself and Bruce Wayne, or between himself and the Night Sentinel, for that matter – parents dead, father investigating dastardly deeds, son out to avenge his father’s death.

 “Nah, I’m just a regular guy,” Steve says flatly.

 “One who trains for years to bring himself to the height of physical perfection, in order to seek out justice.”

 Steve smirks.  “You think I’m the height of physical perfection? Thank you, Danno.”

 “Okay, you’ve got me there,” Danny admits, enjoying the brief look of surprise on Steve’s face when Danny doesn’t brush it off as a joke.  Steve may not be as young as he once was, but he’s perfect in Danny’s book. “But seriously, now that this fascinating chapter in Oahu history has come to a close, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

 “What’s with this sudden need to deconstruct superheroes, Danny?  Can’t we just let poor Gene Wahale  be?”

 “You’re saying it didn’t feel weird to you, maybe bring up some… difficult thoughts, looking into Gene’s investigation into his father’s murder?”

 Steve pauses, finishing off his beer and taking another one from the bucket.  “If I got all worked up about every case involving a father and son, I wouldn’t get much work done.”

 “This isn’t exactly your ordinary case.”

 Steve scowls.  “Fine, I’m a messed up little kid just trying to be a superhero so I can catch the bad guys who killed my parents.  Now can we just relax and enjoy the evening?”

 “That’s not what I meant-”

 “No?  Then what did you mean?”  There’s an edge of anger in Steve’s voice, and Danny isn’t sure how it happened.

 “Hey, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Danny holds up his hands.  “I didn’t mean to piss you off, or insult you, or whatever’s going on here.”  Maybe his superpower really is irritating people.  “I just wanted to let you know that…” He trails off.  It’s hard to speak all of a sudden, especially with Steve glaring at him.

 “Let me know what?”

 “I think you are kind of like Batman. Your parents’ deaths’ did mess you up, and look what you did in response – you trained to be one of the most elite soldiers on the planet, and now you fight crime.  You save the world – or at least the island – on a regular basis.  You’re one up on Batman, too, because you don’t have a fortune to use to build your crazy tech, you’ve got to go through all the red tape and requisition it from the government.  You are a superhero, Steve, a real one.  Making a difference and saving people’s lives.”

 Steve looks away, biting at his lip.  “There are plenty of people I haven’t saved.”

 Danny knows this all too well, it’s part of the job.  “We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody, but we have to find a way to live with that, or next time maybe nobody gets saved.”

 Steve starts to grumble something in response, and then turns sharply towards Danny.  “Did you just quote Captain America at me?”

 Danny grins.  “If you’re Batman, I get to be Cap.”  

 “That makes no sense,” Steve protests.  “They’re not even in the same universe.”

 “So, we’ll do a crossover.”

 Steve shakes his head at Danny and pulls his phone of out his pocket.  “It’s clearly time to order dinner.  I think the beer is going to your head.”

 *****

It’s hours later, after dinner and beer and getting progressively closer together on the couch as they watch a movie (of course Danny had argued for something with Captain America, while Steve voted for one of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, just to keep the debate going; they finally settled on Deadpool 2, because it’s hilarious).  Steve grabs the remote and turns off the television, the strains of Pat Benetar’s “We Belong” still echoing in Danny’s head.

 Steve doesn’t move to get up, keeping his arm over Danny’s shoulders where it’s been for most of the past hour.  It’s dark in the room, a trickle of light coming in through the windows, and it’s pretty clear what might happen next.  Suddenly Danny feels almost shy.

 “Do you, um,” he starts, but then Steve shifts and presses him back against the couch with a fierce kiss, big hands pushing hard against his shoulders.  It goes on until Danny’s breathless, and then Steve lets up. Danny can feel Steve’s smile against his cheek, and his breath hot on his skin.

 “Oh,” he says gracelessly, and Steve chuckles.  

 “Want to go upstairs?”

 There’s only one answer to that.  “Sure.”

 For all Danny’s anticipation, it turns out that sex with Steve is a lot like other things he does with Steve – mostly they move together easily, they laugh when things get awkward, and they can’t seem to decide who’s in charge.  They clunk heads as they each attempt to get into position to blow the other, and then Danny’s foot gets caught in the sheets and he swears until Steve yanks the sheet off the bed, almost taking Danny with it.  

 Finally they’re both naked and lying facing each other, Steve’s hands running up and down Danny’s sides and Danny exploring every inch of tanned and inked skin on Steve’s body.  Steve grabs Danny’s ass and pulls them close, and damn, it’s good.

 “Just like this for now?” Steve stutters out, questioning. He’s gotten a handful of lube from somewhere and is stroking Danny’s dick with it, his own, too, and thrusting them together.

 Danny’s on board, sucking kisses into Steve’s neck.  No need to make this complicated.  Steve’s leg comes over Danny and pulls them closer, coarse hair rubbing against Danny’s skin.  Danny tries to get his hand in the mix, wanting to feel  Steve’s heavy weight, and Steve kind of elbows him out of the way, finally flipping them so that Danny’s on his back and Steve is looming over him.

 “Stop it, just let me-” Steve pants.

 “I just wanted to-” Danny doesn’t have the breath to explain, and he doesn’t really care, because now Steve has got one hand on his dick and another pulling at a sensitive nipple, and his whole body is on fire.

 “You can’t even stop arguing during sex, can you?” Steve says, and lets Danny take a hold of his dick, moaning low as Danny gets a rhythm going.  Soon there’s no more arguing, just heat and fantastic friction.  

 Danny is teetering on the brink, and he hears himself letting out a stream of pleas, “oh yes oh god Steve yes…”  Steve’s doing much the same, his “that’s it, there, Danny, right there” the hottest thing Danny has ever heard.  

 Not letting up for a minute, Steve drags a hand over Danny’s body, up and down and back again, then landing at the jut of his hip and holding tight as they grind into each other until there’s nowhere left to go.  Danny feels Steve come first with a shout, shuddering above him, and it pushes Danny right over the precipice, white-hot pleasure shooting through his body.

 As they come down, Steve flops over the edge of the bed and comes back with the discarded sheet, using it to wipe up the mess on Danny’s stomach.  Then he gathers Danny under his arm, and Danny lets him, cuddling up close on his chest and not even caring about how ridiculously sappy he feels.

 Steve trails a finger along Danny’s side, then spans his palm across Danny’s waist, possessively.

 “You’re right, you are like Captain America,” Steve says, his voice soft.

 Danny hums, pleased, brain still too fuzzy to parse this.  “Okay. Thanks for the compliment.”

 “I mean, you know, maybe pre-serum Steve Rogers.  Tiny, can’t walk away from an argument-”

 “Tiny?”  Danny jerks the pillow out from under Steve’s head and swats him with it.  “I’m gonna kill you.”

 “Well, not everywhere…” Steve drawls, giving Danny’s cock a pointed look.  “But I like it.”  Steve drags Danny back down into his embrace, arms going all the way around his shoulders. “I like that I can wrap myself around you, hold you like this.”  Steve’s voice trails off.  When he speaks again, there’s a trace of uncertainty in his tone.  “That’s okay, right?”

 Danny pulls away enough to look at Steve.  “Is there anything about what just happened that makes you think it wouldn’t be okay? Anything that makes you think I’m not one hundred percent, head over heels into you, mister superhero Seal?”

 “I dunno,” Steve says. “We’ve never exactly done this before. It’s different, in bed…”

 “It’s not.  It’s not different.  It’s just right, just like always.”

 Steve’s face lights up. “Yeah?”

 “Yeah.  I’ll even play Robin for you sometime, if that’s what turns you on.”

 Steve freezes, and Danny laughs, Steve quickly joining in.  “You’ve got a dirty mind, Williams.”

 “Holy kink, Batman,” Danny teases, loving the blush on Steve’s face.  

 “Stop it,” Steve protests. “I’m too old to go another round, it’ll have to wait ‘til morning.”

 “Fine.  But settle down, you make a lousy pillow when you’re squirming.”

 “Sir, yes sir,” Steve says, his voice light and happy as he gathers Danny against him once again. Danny feels him press kisses into his hair, and he lets himself drift off, secure in the knowledge that tonight all is well in Gotham.

[scientifically-strange]

What’s it Like?

Trying something a little new. Instead of third person it’s straight from Danny’s pov

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What’s it like? 

I always find myself getting asked this, whether it be from Tucker, Dani, Sam, or hell, even Valerie sometimes. And while it doesn't upset me, the question itself is hard to answer, and is tiring to do so after having to do it so many times. 

So what is it like living with the Avengers?

It’s indescribable, really. It’s fun, and annoying, and stressful, and happy, and so many other words, so I think the only way I can properly tell you is if I list them all off one by one. 

Well, let me tell you.

First, I guess I should start with the host himself, Tony Stark. Though you probably know him better as Iron Man. 

He’s everything people say he is, and more. He’s selfish and sarcastic, and is stupidly smart. Yeah, he’s also a playboy, and he never focuses on the important stuff for his company. Instead he pays with desk toys in important meetings. 

Like all of us, Tony has a lot of baggage. We all have our demons, but Tony’s are arguably the worst. Yeah, I fought my older evil self and the ghost king, and Steve was in World War II, but compared to Tony it was a cakewalk. Because Tony’s been through a fucking blender. He’s got serious PTSD from the Incident, from the cave he was tortured in, and a few other things. He copes by drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee spiked with alcohol and monster energy drinks while building several more Iron man armors, all with their own special skills and weapons. 

He also has really bad attachment issues due to his father was never really around, and the father figure he did had tried to kill him. So. 

However, despite all of that, Tony is probably the most caring person on the team. And that’s including Steve. He just doesn’t know how to express it with emotions. So instead, he uses his actions. Thor mentioned one time that he needed to get more lavender (?) shampoo because he ran out, and now there’s a cabinet full of them, just for the thunder god himself.  

There was another time when Clint’s hearing aids got blown up on a mission, and Tony made him everything-proof Stark hearing aids. Clint hasn’t needed a new pair since. And he made Steve and Sam’s rooms soundproof, so that when fireworks go off they can still enjoy the view, but now with less gunshot sounds. 

Tony also really loves to nerd out, which brings me to my next friend, Dr. Bruce Banner. He’s pretty soft spoken, until he starts talking about science. I remember the longest conversation I’ve had with him was when we were talking about space and NASA, which somehow ended up on a conversation of the horrible structure of hot dog buns? Not really sure what happened there...

Bruce always has great advice, and is always in like, a zen sort of mood. He’s not nervous all the time like most people think. No, he’s only fidgety around stressful people, like Fury or Ultron. Which is perfectly understandable considering if he gets to angry or freaked he starts looking a little green around the gills.

That being said, Bruce also makes the best tea on the Compound. Nobody knows what he does to it, but if you’re having a rough day or something he’s got your back. And he’s always got Tony’s back, too. I There was one time when Tony had been up for almost four days and Bruce had come in and put some headphones on Tony, and he passed out immediately. I helped him get Tony to his room, and Bruce kind of took it from there. 

Hulk is pretty nice to. Though, to be fair the first time I met him he was pretty pissed because he couldn’t hit me. But after he calmed down enough, I told him a couple of jokes and he kind of warmed up to me. 

And I told him I could help get the glitter out of his hair.

He still doesn’t know that it sparkles sometimes when crime-fighting. Nobody else has either, but that’s only because they’re to busy kicking ass themselves. 

Steve is kind of like everybody’s dream guy, even if you yourself are a straight guy. He is 240 pounds of All-American beefcake with a heart of gold. His hair is pretty soft too. 

He’s caring, but I’ve recently learned that he;s a little shit. 

You would expect Captain America to be the perfect man, soldier, superhero, whatever. But he isn’t. I don’t even know where anybody got that idea. 

This guy has a police record that’s longer than a list of Mr. Lancer’s book-swears. And he has the worst mouth on him. He stubbed his toe the other day and was cursing up a storm. However, he was cursing in Gaelic. I asked him about it and he said it was his first language due to his parents being Irish immigrants. I hadn't known that before, so that was really nice to know. But it also explained his accent. He had a lot of Brooklyn in it, but every now and then the Gaelic would slip through with it, making for a weird verbal cocktail that never sounded quite right. 

He also has the worst mind out of all of us. It’s worse than Tuckers. His mind may be the gutter, but Steve’s is the fucking sewer. He was telling me about how he thought fondue equaled sexy times, and like? Literally, where did you make that connection? How many other foreign words has he heard and thought it was something sexual? 

It shouldn’t surprise me though, considering he was in the army. 

I could go on and on about Steve’s mouth and reckless behavior, but he, like Tony, has serious PTSD. A lot of it is from the war. He doesn’t like fireworks or loud, sudden noises unless he’s on the battlefield. There was one time I saw him mute a movie during a scene with a train, and I was going to ask him why, but then I saw that far away look in his eyes. It wasn’t my place to pry. 

There’s also something about the sound of Tony’s repulsors powering up, too. It makes Steve tense up like a cat every time he hears it. 

His coping methods are a bit healthier than Tony’s. He likes to draw his thoughts and feelings out. He’s damn good at it to, and while that’s a great thing, sometimes he falls asleep with them open, halfway done, and the shit he draws is so dark and depressing. I kind of worry about him sometimes. 

But Sam’s been helping him though a lot of it. He was stationed overseas for a while before coming back to the states, only to get caught up in the fight again a few years later. He didn’t really seem to mind though. In fact, he seemed happy to do so. Whether or not that was from Captain America asking him to, or because he missed flying, I had no idea. 

But I’ll be damned if I ever go to the park with him again. 

His name is Falcon. He has cool metal wings he uses to fly. That all makes sense, right?

So how the fuck is he talking to pigeons?

I am genuinely worried that one day Sam till take over the world with birds, and h will have them shit on people’s cars and peck out the eyes of Hydra. Or something on the lines of that. However, if he is actually going to do that I think he needs a cooler bird. 

Like a Falcon. 

And as weird as that was, it doesn’t match up to the awkwardness of meeting Natasha “Million Alias” Romanoff. She’s as deadly as she is beautiful, and if I was into her in any way I would probably pay her to beat me up.

It never actually occurred to me that she’s not always being a spy? I mean, yeah, she’s always looking at the ulterior motive, because anyone with her background (which we will not speak of, so don;t even ask) would do the same. But she’s also a shitposting meme generator and has a really popular vine account even though vine is dead? Then again this is Natasha we’re talking about. I don;t wanna know how she does what she does. 

She also steals clothes. SO far she’s stolen one of Tony’s hoodies, a pair of Clint’s sweatpants, a scrunchie from Thor, and one of my old Dumpty Humpty shirts I got at a concert. She also cheats at Monopoly and Cards Against Humanity. I haven’t figured out how she’s done it, but I know she does. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can just fucking win seventeen times in a row. You;d have to be a mind reader to do that shit. Jesus. 

She’s terrifying, and honestly, every time I see her glare the fear of Thor runs through me, but a good portion of that goes away when she’s around Clint. And honestly> I can’t blame her. Clint, out of all of the Avengers I live with, is probably the one I hang out with the most. He’s super chill, and covered head to toe in bandages and has to have an entire pot of coffee just to stay awake. Also, he’s deaf? I had no idea during the Battle of New York, but later I found out that it was because they had broken and his new ones hadn’t come in yet. He’s taught me a lot of sign language so far, and Tucker makes fun of me for practicing it when I’m back in Amity. 

Clint also has a lot of nests. 

He has one on top of the fridge, in the A that’s on the outside of the building, a couple of key spots in the vents, and a board room on the 27th floor under the table because nobody ever uses it and it has a nice view of the sandwich shop right across the street. I’m sure he has more, but those are just the ones that I’ve found. 

Also, his dog is not cuter than Cujo, don’t listen to that asshole. 

Even though Clint chooses to keep his hearing aids out half the time, he still knows when Thor has come back from Asgard. Every single time, no matter where we’re at in the building, he just knows. It’s like a sixth sense. His head perks up, and he gets a dumb grin on his face, but then it quickly falls when he remembers that he ate the rest of the thunder god’s poptarts. 

Thor is really fun to be around. And while I haven’t had a lot of quality bonding time with the dude, Dani has. They sit around and braid each other’s hair all the time, talking about flowers and giant monsters and space. Really, they’re best friends. And it’s adorable.

Don’t tell Jazz I said that.

There are aspects of Thor that remind me a little bit of all of the Avengers. Like Natasha, he can be cunning when he wants to. He’s always got the munchies like Clint, and has great advice like Bruce. Similar to Tony he also struggles with his own demons. But he seems to be most like Steve.

That being said, they are both huge little shits. 

See, Thor likes to prank people. Half the time he uses Mojo (I don;t know how to pronounce the hammer’s name, okay) to fuck with us. I remember he and Natasha handing different house members his hammer while Natasha video taped it. He gets a huge kick out of watching us fall over. I remember when he did it to Steve, who was to zoned out in his paper to even realize what Thor had asked him to hold. He was gobsmacked for a whole week. 

He hasn’t done it to me yet, and I have no idea if that’s because he hasn’t gotten around to it or because he’s still obsessed over me technically being royalty since I beat Pariah Dark, the former king. The first time we met he got down on one knee and bowed. It was the most surreal experience of my life, and that’s including when Tucker had to wear a chicken costume to a Dumpty Humpty concert because he lost a bet to Sam. 

Every time he comes back from Asgard, we shake. But we don’t shake like normal people. It’s a sort of cultural thing. Instead of shaking hands we grip each other’s forearms and squeeze. I kind of like doing that better than a handshake. It seems way cooler. 

So, you ask me what it’s like to live with the Avengers?

Living with them, it feels familiar, like it;s the one thing I’ve been missing my whole life. 

It’s family. 

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Also, OC week submissions are open officially if you want me to write them in with a DP and marvel!

[iglowinggemma28]

Ok but I would just LOVE to have Danny just snap one day. Just explode at the Bats that he doesn’t know what the hell they want from him! What on earth could he have possibly done to deserve ANOTHER creepy fruitloop start to spy on him and threaten him and his family. How he is so FREAKIN OVER THIS ABD WANTS A STRAIGHT ANSWER! What do you want from him so he can do it already or properly tell them to fuck off because he can’t deal with the STRESS that their surveillance is causing him.

This would udderly devastate the bats. They were just worried and trying to help and protect they’re new brother but it was hurting him. THEY were the thing Danny’s afraid of.

Danny always hated Vlad’s attempts to forcibly adopt him, but honestly at the moment he found himself wishing he could go back to them.

Because at least he wasn’t blood related to that fruitloop. Unlike his newest problem.

Oh yeah, it turns out after that whole series of fights with Vlad about him being “Jack’s son”, Jack wasn’t even his actual biological father. Vlad had never known it (despite literally cloning him??), but Danny had been adopted by the Fentons when he was still very young.

And if that’s where things ended, he’d have been fine with that realization. The Fentons are still his family, blood or not. He doesn’t have any issue with that part.

But it turns out his biological father was another creepy rich fruitloop who somehow suddenly found out about Danny and now wants to force his way into his life. A fruitloop that’s even richer and evidently also better at being subtle than Vlad.

Bruce Wayne.

Yeah. He’d never thought he’d use the word “subtle” to describe Gotham’s ditzy playboy, but evidently the man was hiding a lot behind his dumb smile. If not for Tucker’s hacking ability and his own experience with being Phantom, he’d never have even noticed he was being spied on.

But he did notice, and now he’s been barely functioning from the anxiety. They must be planning something, but what? Are they going to try to hurt his family? Blackmail them? Do they believe the GIW’s lies? What if they find out about his powers? Can he even do anything to fight back without Bruce using his money to ruin their lives?