Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Batman has seen a lot of things. He’s prepared to see a lot more. From friends turning dark, to children stealing tires Batman tries to stay prepared. So when he comes across a child (assumed) meta vigilante, battered and bruised, he’s not surprised per say. More concerned and protective.

“What all hurts?” Are Batman’s first words to this teenage vigilante, who can’t be over 16. Said teen jumps, clearly too focused on his injuries to tell he’s been accompanied by the Bat.

“Oh, uh… I think it’s just my side and left shoulder. I just need a minute and then I’ll be out of your hair Mr.Batman.” He speaks as though he isn’t concerned about his wellbeing in a way that the bat can’t help but worry about. Why was he so bruised? Where did he come from? Where are his parents?

And… okay, look-Bruce isn’t oblivious to his children’s opinions on his constant increase in caretaking. But the way this kid was talking made him seriously concerned for the child’s home life. 

The kid has white hair that deifies the laws of physics, floating as if he’s underwater. a black hazmat suit littered with shot wounds and tears. Clearly he hasn’t had the chance to fix up the stitches that are on display through the ripped suit. He has white gloves and boots, with an equally white utility belt around his waist. A stylized DP adorns the teens chest. And a large satchel around his neck.

“You are far too wounded to just walk this off. I can drive you to the hospi-,“

The kid cuts him off.

“No hospitals. It’s quite literally illegal to be me, and they’re supposed to send me over to be tested if seen,” Illegal? That can’t be right. He’ll ask him later.

“No hospitals,” He agrees, “I have someone who can stitch your wounds up. Will you allow us to help you?” His voice is firm but shifts to gentle at the end. 

The boy looks at him, slightly swaying, eyes barley staying open. He’s so tired. He's been at this for at least a week, maybe more, sleeps whenever he can. Maybe one night couldn’t hurt, right?

“No hospitals?”

“No hospitals.”

“..Okay. My names Phantom by the way,” He says, and Bruce let’s out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. He informs Alfred of the incoming guest, and has Oracle send the Batmobile.

———

They make it to the cave with no problems. Oracle and Alfred are station at their respective places. Nightwing was in Gotham for a little while, so he was resting on a couch with Spoiler, and Red Robin. The three vigilantes watch curiously as Batman and an unnamed meta(?) step out the Batmobile. They tense when they see the condition he’s in.

Nightwing is the first to recover and lighten things up. He walks toward him and clears his throat, “Hey there, nice to meet you! Name’s Nightwing!” He holds out a hand for him to shake, which he accepts.

“Hi, I know you. My sister says you’re the most trustworthy bat. And my name’s Phantom,” The kid- Phantom - says, a little more relaxed than before. And he can’t help but wonder if that has something to do with the good word his sister put in for him. He gleams brighter at the thought as they move there way towards the infirmary.

“Aww! Well I’m glad you’ve heard good things about me!” He says cheerily, “So, how’d you get like this? I can’t imagine you wanted a ripped suit,” He earns a light huff of amusement from their guest.

“Nope, just a code: P.F.O.-red,” he says absentmindedly, rubbing the back of his neck. The vigilantes look at his expectantly.

“P.F.O.-red?”

“Parents Found Out. They’ve been hunting my alter-ego Phantom for two years now. Wanting to rip him apart ’Molecule by Molecule’ as mom so kindly put it,”  

Everyone tensed, Nightwing’s face became stern trying to hide his anger from this clearly traumatized kid. B didn’t look any better, probably coming up with contingencies for if these new villains came for Phantom. Spoiler and Red Robin looked at each other, a silent conversation of sorts happening before they both grew a wide smirk.

“Yeah, so we had a couple plans just in case they found out about me. But the main ones were P.F.O.-green or the good ending, as my friend liked to say and P.F.O-red or the bad ending. We had a bunch of runaway bags all around town so that if the bad ending occurred I’d be okay,” He finishes explaining calmly, now sitting in the infirmary.

As the bats digest this information, Alfred with a domino mask steps in front of Phantom.

 “Hello Mister Phantom. My name is Penny-one or Agent-A, whichever you prefer. I will be the one catering to your wounds. Could you please takes your top off, and please explain how exactly you got these injuries?” Alfred asks, walking to his cart to grab disinfectant.

“Um.. Sure. Okay, so I was making my rounds per usual, and my parents found me just as I was finishing up a fight,” He hisses a little when the disinfectant is first applied. Batman can feel his blood boiling at the sight of the boy’s chest. 

His chest is littered with long healed wounds, from small scars to huge bruises. His left arm has Lichtenberg scars that crawl up around his torso and slightly to his neck. Batman’s jaw tightens as he sees the giant Y-shaped scar on Phantom’s torso. He already doesn’t like where this conversation is headed.

“Now, usually I can sneak into the lab and sabotage their equipment so that it doesn’t, like, kill me,” Phantom doesn’t see it, but Nightwing’s eyebrow twitched in irritation at the boy’s usual routine. 

“But I guess this time this contraption wasn’t downstairs in the lab. They shot a— what the fuck did they say? Fenton turbo gun? Probably.. Anyway they hit me with that, but it messed me up so bad that it activated my de-transformation,” Phantom pauses, hands squeezing his knees like it’ll stop the feeling of complete and utter betrayal.

“When they found out… They-,” Phantom takes a deep breath, blinking back tears. He clears his throat, “They did what they promised. Molecule by molecule, organ by organ. But they didn’t get super far, my friends and sister broke in and freed me. Um, there’s this Y-shaped indent on my torso now. There’s no bullets in my body anymore, and I either have a concussion or a sleep deprived headache,” He finishes. And Alfred’s done wiping his injuries down and is off to the stitches.

The bats are outraged.

What kind of parent would do such a thing to their own child? Oh, there would be hell to pay.

Batman is quick to recover, “Earlier you said that it’s illegal to be you. What did you mean by that?” The statement still irked him. If this child’s a meta, then he should be protected under the meta-protection acts. Did his parents lie to him?

“I’m not a meta, technically,” What? “I’m a ghost,” What?? “Or ecto-entity if you’d prefer the scientific term. I’m a halfa, half ghost half human. Don’t ask how I died it’s really rude in ghost culture. Anyways I doubt you’ve heard of it since we have, like, a huge media block. But there’s a thing called the Anti-ecto-Acts which states that anyone that is an ecto-entity - me -, luminal or ecto-contaminated is to be turned over to the government to be legally experimented, exploited and eventually exterminated on.”

“He’s right B,” Oracle chimes in, already trying to learn more about the acts, Red Robin doing the same. “This is a huge violation of the Meta-protection acts.”

This was bad. “You said your situation was heavily censored,” Phantom nods “Do you know any ways to break into it?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Phantom answers immediately, “After my stitches are done I’ll need a spare computer. And then, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to sleep here? Just so I can recharge please?”

Batman- no -Bruce’s eyes soften at the child. This boy had died, halfway or not, he died. He died and still lended help to others. The help he was not even offered. “You can do that when you wake up. Get some rest Phantom,” He says, incredibly soft and gently. 

Phantom’s eyes slightly widened at the statement. “Oh, okay then. Thanks, Batman,” He smiles softly, examines Alfred’s work.

Red Robin and Spoiler look at each other again, quietly snickering to one another. Spoiler takes out her phone and types into the family group chat two simple words she knew would cause chaos.

-[New Brother]

Several people are typing…

Chapter Text

The next day, Danny woke up in the infirmary in the Bat-cave, Still in his Phantom form. He felt way better than yesterday, and the full nights sleep helped his accelerated healing finally kickstart.

Would the Y-scar ever disappear entirely? He hoped so. It still feels like it just happened. Still feels like he’s on that god damn dissection table.

He sits up and stretches his arms out. Taking a look at his surroundings through non-sleep deprived eyes, trying to remember how he got here.

Let’s see, he was flying to the next town. A few stitches popped from his reckless movements, so he made a pit stop on the nearest roof and then…

Oh.

Oh. 

Huh. Sleep deprivation and blood loss really is a bitch. But where did he go from here? He told Batman his life story, he told him his parents shot him, he let them see his injuries! Okay-he would’ve let others look at his injuries so that’s not that big a deal-BUT STILL.

Okay, let’s think about this logistically before we have an aneurysm. Danny thought to himself, taking a deep breath and started going over the events of yesterday.

One thing Danny noticed during his brief moment with Nightwing, was his kind demeanor shift into something. Something familiar. A look Danny would get from Sam and Tuck if he mentioned something his par… Jack and Maddie did. 

A look of anger, but not at him it seemed. A feeling of protective energy also seemed to roll off at the same time. He felt a bit like Jazz when she’d first learned of his identity, oddly enough.

Red Robin, Oracle and Spoiler seemed angry about his statements as well. Red Robin was furiously typing on his miniature computer once Danny mentioned the Anti-ecto laws. He felt waves of determination roll off the vigilante.

Batman… Batman seemed indifferent for the most part, his frown was noticeably deeper though. But Batman emotionally felt highly enraged. 

He felt dark, with a hint of sorrow when Danny mentioned his death. Even weirder? He audibly sounded soft. Soft. Batman. Weird as hell. But empathy links don’t lie so..

What Danny was picking up from all those analyses were that: one, he was not going to be given to the government or his parents; And two, they all seemed okay with his being a half-ghost. It was a nice surprise that they didn’t seem to mind.

He vaguely remembers, even as sleep deprived as he was, expecting one of them to shoot him after that information slipped out.

He briefly wonders if Jazz would call this a direct trauma response or something different…

———

“I’m glad you could all make it here on short notice.” Bruce said, his children all gathered in the living room with him. Barbra was there as well, to explain these Anti-Ecto laws.

“tt, I assume this is about the apparent new stray you brought home?” Damian questioned. He wasn’t on patrol last night due to his still recovering from a broken rib. Brown’s little announcement was quite the news to wake up to.

Bruce chose not to comment on the wording of his youngest son. “During patrol last night, I ran into an unknown Meta-adjacent vigilante, beaten and bruised trying to check his wounds. He turned down a hospital, saying it was illegal for him to exist.” 

Duke’s eyes looked at him questioningly, “Does he not know of the Meta-Protection laws?”

“They don’t apply to him due to the Anti-Ecto laws that Barbra has been looking into as of last night. Said laws make it legal to be experimented and vivisected on by people,” Bruce see’s Jason’s eyes flicker up at him at his phrasing, a quiet storm brewing in his eyes.

“Vivisection?” 

“Yes. The boy mentioned his mother stating she wanted to rip his vigilante identity apart ‘molecule by molecule’. It seems that when his parents found out his identity she stuck to her word, vivisecting him,” Barbra states, Jason’s eyes were a turning bright green, clenching his hands into fists. Dick, trying to ground him was sitting next to Jason with a hand on his shoulder. The light squeeze was enough to keep him present.

A kid was being hunted by his parents. His parents. The ones tasked with protecting him from the dangers of life, are the very ones attempting to take it. 

“…How bad was it?” Cass asked softly, her brows furrowed.

“During my first encounter, he was barely standing upright. His eyes were struggling to stay open. He needed three different stitches. His tiredness was why we were able to gain as much information as we have now.”

The tension was thick in the air. Duke speaks up, “You said Meta-adjacent earlier?”

Bruce nods stiffly, “Yes. He mentioned he is a halfa, half ghost half human. Before I could ask for details, he said asking about a ghost’s death was rude. His being a halfa is why the Anti-Ecto laws harm him directly,” there was a look of horror that came from the other bats at the mention of death.

Death was not uncommon to speak of in this family. They were all acutely aware of the ways to cheat it. Dying and living to tell the tale is one thing, staying partially dead while your family talks to you about ripping your organs out is another. Being hunted by your own family, seemingly without ever being morned for would turn anyone into a bitter individual. It’s a miracle the kid wanted to save others rather than the alternative.

When Jason was finally able to see without the green tint of pit rage, he tried to ease the tension. “So you called us here to talk about your adoption habits or…”

Bruce sighed, “I called you all here, because he has nowhere to stay. And with him being a vigilante, it would bring us no good if he doesn’t trust us. But if I tell him my identity, he’ll likely realize the rest.”

“You want our new brother to know we’re safe,” Cass smiles, Bruce sighs again, but says nothing else about the comment.

“I’m okay with it. He’s been through a lot, hiding it could do more harm than good.” Dick states. Cass, Duke and Steph agree with him.

“Sure. Kid needs something as stable as possible,” Jason agrees, Tim hums in agreement at his words.

“Damian?”

“I suppose his situation is quite too fragile to handle any other way. What is his name.” Damian demands, as a clear distraction from Dick’s coo’s at how much he’s grown.

“Phantom.”

“Are we allowed to visit new brother?” Cass asks, pleadingly. She knows Bruce can’t say no to her. She’ll most likely do it anyway.

“…Yes.”

“If that is settled, I’d like you all to head to the dining room. I’ll bring our guest his breakfast.” 

Murmurs of thanks are given to Alfred as he head down to the cave.

———

“Good evening, Master Phantom, breakfast is served. I hope it is to your liking,” Penny-one greets, he wheels in a serving cart with a tray of pancakes and sausages with a cup of orange juice on the side.

“Oh, thank you! But.. I don’t have enough to pay you back with. And money’s kind of tight right now..” Danny says, apologetically.

“Nonsense, young master. You don’t need to pay me back. I simply want you to have a full stomach. We have plenty more if you are still hungry afterwords,” like hell he’d let a child starve under his care. 

“Okay, um, thanks,” Danny accepts, and the older man hums in response and leaves the room.

Danny looks at the plate in front of him, mouth watering. He slowly takes a piece of pancake into his mouth. He lets out a sigh of relief that he was able to actually eat it. He had been wondering if he’d finally gotten his stomach back.

“Look dear, It’s regrowing another stomach! How peculiar.”

“Amazing! It even has mimic lungs! I wonder what it’s ‘heart’ looks like…”

But it’s okay. He’s fine. He’s not there anymore so he’s fine. He doesn’t need to think about it anymore. He finishes up his meal and places the tray to the side where a serving cart is parked.

“Glad to see you up and energized,” A voice says, snapping Danny out of his thoughts. Danny looks up to see an unmasked Batman, in a suit, and a loosened tie.

Danny’s eyes widen before he quickly covers them with one hand. “Sorry…I-I didn’t mean to!” He stammers out, Batman gives a small chuckle at his reaction.

“There’s no need to apologize or hide, Phantom. I simply wanted to let you see who I am behind the mask. Now, how are you feeling today?” 

“Oh- I’m doing well. Way better now that I’ve gotten enough sleep and something to eat,” He states, still a bit shocked the Batman would show his face to him of all people. Sucks to know he owed Wes that 20 bucks though.

“I’m glad to hear it. Yesterday you said that you knew of a way to get out of the media blocking set around your city,” He holds up a computer.

“Yeah, I do. But um… How okay are you with me messing with the wiring of this?” He questions.

“Do whatever you need to, I don’t mind a bit.”

“Okay then,” The moment He's given the computer he’s completely focused on it. Bruce can’t help but notice that when the teen is focused, he sticks his tongue out slightly. 

Danny goes to the back of the computers wiring, he searches around until he finds the system board. Once there, he concentrates a green energy to his finger tip, and ever so slightly touches the power supply. Once it glows a bright green, he places everything back where it once was.

“In order to bypass the security, the first step is making sure the device itself can actually see the media before we even begin. My entire town is very ecto-contaminated due to the ambient ectoplasm in the air, so most devices there naturally work and are perfectly fine to record ghosts,” Danny explained while logging into Amity Park’s media.

“Does the ambient ectoplasm cause any long term damage to others?” Bruce couldn’t imagine being around a thing like that not causing something to change in a humans body.

“It doesn’t cause any harm, but it does make them a little more durable. Reflexes are a bit sharper, can jump a little higher than average, things like that. My sister and I, before I died, are really ecto-contaminated since we’ve been around large concentrations of it since birth. She’s got semi-retractable fangs, her eyes seem like they glow at times, night vision better than most. Those are the ones I can name off the top of my head,” Danny stated. How interesting, so depending on how long you’re around ectoplasm you can gain subtle attributes. 

“I see…” while Bruce didn’t like the off handed remark at the boy’s passing, he was undoubtedly interested in Danny’s teachings. “You’re incredibly smart, it took me years to perfect my learnings to memory. I can only assume you’re going into some form of engineering?”

Bruce has been working on showing he notices his kids interest and praising them for their skills.

Danny flushed at the praise, “Oh, um, kinda. I-I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up!” He beamed, before he came back to reality. “But after my accident I didn't see it as possible. So I’m thinking astrophysicist and astronautical engineer! I mean, if I can’t go up there I’d at least let to help others make it,” he talked with passion about his new dream, but laced ever so slightly was a hint of longing.

If Bruce was even a little less trained than he currently is, he’d take Phantom up to the watchtower and watch this boy live the life he never got. Live the dream he thought was now impossible. The dream that was taken from him, before he could even get his foot in the door. 

But he is trained enough, so he won’t do that.

Not until Phantom is fully healed at the very least.

“Here you go! It’s all up and running for view, and um, real quickly.. Batman?”

“Bruce.”

“Bruce, the… the Fentons ghost page, while some of it is true, it’s mostly just anti-ghost propaganda. Claiming ghosts are evil and non-sentient beings that can’t feel pain, or are faking it- which isn’t true!” Phantom sounds worried, doubtful that Bruce will believe his words over his parents The Fentons. 

Bruce tries not to think about how many adults refused to believe the boy and his friends, failing them in the process.

Instead, Bruce nods, “what is a true statements in the Fenton ghost page?”

Phantom’s shoulders look less tense at the question, “What ghosts are made of, and how to beat them. Their science is correct too.” 

“Okay, are there any other sites with more credible information?”

“Me and my friends made some HardDrives with all the information we learned about ghosts.” Phantom moves to grab the HardDrive from the side pocket of his bag. He hands both it and the newly wired laptop to Bruce, who takes both and sets them on a table for later.

“Thank you, Phantom. Now that that’s settled, I wanted to talk about your living situation,” He sits back down next to Phantom.

“O-oh, there isn’t really a situation,” he rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve been flying from place to place, making sure the GIW aren’t on my tail.” 

“GIW?”

“Ghost Investigation Ward, we also called them the Guys In White. They’re the Government funded ghost hunters,” Phantom giggles a little at the exasperated sigh Bruce lets out. “I’m not sure how far off they are from me. I’ve been staying in towns 2-3 days max before flying to the next town.”

“Well, if you’ll allow me to, I would like to change that, how would you like to live with me?” And Bruce feels that familiar feeling when Phantom looks back at him. 

That feeling when that boy who stole his tires found out he never needed to steal for food again, that feeling when the boy who snuck on patrols with him realized Bruce was worried about how much sleep he’d gotten that week, that feeling when the biological son who was left on his doorstep was shown he didn’t need to prove himself worthy to be loved in their family.

That feeling of resentment. Bruce resents any and everyone that makes a child look this way. Like they’ve never been offered or given anything in their lives. Like a child acting far beyond their years.

Like a child stripped of their childhood by the incompetence of the people who were entrusted to give them one.

“You want me to live with you?” His gaze shifts over Bruce in a way that confirms he’s a vigilante if there were any doubts. Checking for weapons, assessing the possible threat, watching the face for any telltale signs of hidden motives. “Why?”

“You are a child. And you said yourself that you’re still human as well. Are you still in high school?” Phantom nods, “I’m more than happy to help sign you up for online or public classes. My family’s name as your caregiver would also give you an extra layer of protection. But my biggest reason I want you to live with me, is so I can help and protect you,” he admits. Bruce has also been working on transparency with others.

“Protect.. me?” Phantom says, genuinely appalled by this apparent care.

“Yes. Your explanation of your situation has me concerned about you. Obviously me and my team will be getting these Acts removed as quickly as possible, but your current life is no place for such a bright kid,” Bruce sees the tears forming in Phantom’s eyes, he chooses not to mention it.

“So Phantom, if you would allow me and my family to help and protect you we would be more than happy to have you join us. What do you think of my offer?” Bruce really hopes his bat training stopped him from sounding as desperate as feels. 

The boy quickly wipes the fallen tears from his cheeks, “okay. I’d really like that.”

“I’m glad you’re accepting my offer, phantom-“

“Danny.”

Bruce pauses, and a small smile appears on his face. “I’m glad you’re accepting my offer, Danny. Once Alfred clears you, I’ll show you to your room.” 

Chapter Text

It was day three of Danny being in the bats med bay. Although he was feeling better, Alfred and Bruce insisted on staying here until his third bandage change this afternoon. He was currently tweaking with a prototype he had been trying to build(Alfred allowed it once he was filled in on what it was for). He was close to finally finishing the project before he realized he hadn’t updated his friends on his current wellbeing.

It’s not that Danny didn’t want to, he just genuinely forgot. Thinking about his team too much made his core ache. It hurts being so far away from his fraid. And with everything going on these past two days, along with not getting actual sleep until recently, he’d been too exhausted to even think about it.

Danny reaches into his bag and grabs his phone.

GC-Who ya gonna call?

PhantomSpace🚀 

…So Batman helped me out recently-

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

Well hello to you too

How did you get the Bat’s attention?

PhantomSpace🚀 

I wasn’t getting enough sleep

Like maybe an hour tops before I wake up and try to recharge in more alert ways. Which was a good call this time bc the GIW found and shot me

Ig I was moving too fast bc by the time I was in Gotham my stitches were hanging on for dear life, so I had to make a stop at the nearest roof

🖥️ISoloTechnus

You had one job

ONE

PhantomSpace🚀

I’m still half-alive aren’t I?!

Anyways while I was up on the rooftop Batman appeared and I’m pretty sure I didn’t detect him cuz I zoned out do to blood loss…

Or Batman was just that good at concealing his presence

Prob both

🖥️ISoloTechnus 

You never lead with the important stuff I swear.

PhantomSpace🚀 

?  

🖥️ISoloTechnus

You were BLEEDING OUT

PhantomSpace🚀 

Oh-

Yeah…

But only a little bit so it’s fine

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

You are not beating the ‘encase in bubble wrap’ allegations 😐

PhantomSpace🚀 

So now he knows abt the Anti-Ecto laws 

He’s offered me somewhere to chill and finish up school

So now I may or may not be housemates with Bruce Wayne 

🖥️ISoloTechnus

WHAT

Actually nvm you fit the criteria to a T

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

True-

Also let’s go! Now I don’t have to suffer @ galas alone anymore!🎉

PhantomSpace🚀 

Yay :D

🖥️ISoloTechnus

So why did Batman drop you off at Bruce Wayne’s house?

PhantomSpace🚀

Trusted comrade of the Bat

Said I’d be safe here

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

Uh-huh

How are you feeling now that you’ve actually had your wounds treated?

PhantomSpace🚀

Y’know, life is way more tolerable when you don’t have your brain preforming a literal drum solo 

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

Yeah no shit Danny

I’m coming over there specifically so I can smack your ass in the head 

PhantomSpace🚀 

How are things going over there?

🖥️ISoloTechnus 

Your parents just sent out a missing persons report.

And before you start, Red Huntress has been fine making sure any ghost she sees is immediately taken under our protection. And we’ve been making sure the other ghost spread the word that Amity isn’t okay to chill at anymore.

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

The GIW upgraded their security 

Not just physically but also digitally.

Not enough to keep Tuck out but still… I don’t think they know you’re Phantom, though I’m not sure why they weren’t told. And they’ve been hounding all of Casper High about Phantoms whereabouts.

At first it was intimidating. Now it’s just an annoyance.

PhantomSpace🚀 

Yeah, I figured they’d be more desperate with my disappearance recently 

I’ll tell Bats abt the missing persons report and once the visit to Amity has a date I’ll txt you asap

Gtg bye<3

UndergrowthsFavorite🪻

Bye

🖥️ISoloTechnus

Txt u later!

———

Danny put his phone down once he heard footsteps approaching. He could tell the person was purposely making their footsteps audible for him, and he did appreciate the effort of making sure he knows another persons here. He looked up to see a girl with short black hair, dressed in a large black t-shirt with Hello Kitty pj pants. Mood.

“Hello!” Danny greets warmly at the newcomer. She feels luminal like the rest of the Bats Danny’s met so far. But, it’s different(though he was running on fumes at the time so maybe not). She hasn’t just been kissed by death and sent on her marry way. She’d died. It seemed she came back fully, but death is not something you can easily come back from so easily without ecto in your possession. Maybe he’ll ask about it sometime.

Cass beams, “Hi,” her voice is soft and gentle, she’s unknowingly giving off waves of: happy, safe, glad you’re here!  And Danny can’t help but push his questions to the side for now.

“My name is Cassandra -Black Bat- I came here to officially meet you!” While her voice wasn’t super powerful, her enthusiasm was still there. 

Danny flushed at thee Black Bat being excited to meet someone like him. “I-It’s nice to meet you as well. Um, I’m a huge fan of yours. I always thought your gracefulness on the battlefield was incredible,” He rubbed the back of his neck, too embarrassed to look at her face.

“Thank you! Though I didn’t come here to talk about vigilantism. I wanted to get to know you, any interests you have?” She wanted to gift him something meaningful to him. To make him feel at peace here with them. Though, finding out she’s his favorite Bat was a plus too.

“Oh, I’m really into space! Any and everything about it. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger!” Danny beamed at the opportunity to converse about passions. “I’ve made model rockets based on my own designs, one was actually fully flyable! Like a toy sized one though. I’ve always wanted to build a life sized rocket. It’d be equipped to hold up to 175t with an ectoplasmic-powered engine I’ve been tinkering with the idea of. Oh! I’d also have them bring an Ecto-powered garbage collector and have it run for a couple of years before I have them pick it up for cleaning out. and with the-”

Cass listened very intently. The information was all very interesting so there was no need to act intrigued. She was happy at how well this first meeting with Danny was going. No fighting, no dueling, no one uncomfortable with her clear glances at their body language. It was nice.

Cass knew she’d feel this strongly about the situation Danny had been put in. But seeing this bright boy light up with childlike amazement when he got to talk about things important to him, while adorned by a plethora of injuries caused by his own parents… Oh it had her pissed. Beyond pissed. What sick fuck not in the League or with Deathstroke would vivisect their own son.

The amount of scaring on his body wasn’t odd for vigilantes. But it’s the jagged and uneven cuts of the vivisection scar clearly showing he was awake struggling, the glowing green Lichtenberg markings from his entire left arm to part of his torso and neck, the fully healed wound of a huge impalement at some point. It left Cass concerned on just how many were his parents doing.

‘Do you have any fun facts about the stars?’ Cass signed instinctively, before attempting to speak verbally.

“One of my favorite dwarf stars, BPM 37093- or ‘Lucy’, is the largest natural diamond known of! ‘Lucy’ is 52.19 light years away from Earth, with a mass of 2.188 x 10^30kg (1.1M☉) and a magnitude of 14 and-” Danny gleams, and Cass is pleasantly surprised of his ASL knowledge before hearing more of ‘Lucy’.

They chat together for a while, about space, ballet, video games. It’s nice, incredibly calm by this family’s standards. 

They chat a little longer before another person comes to greet them. “Hey, You're looking better than yesterday! I’m Nightwing but my real names Dick.”

Danny gives him a questioning look at the name before seemingly figuring something out. “Oh, as in Bruce’s first child. So does that mean everyone in your family is a Vigilante? Like, is that a requirement? Because an ‘I’ll pay for your home, food and college fund if you kick ass with me’ scheme would definitely get a reasonable amount of people into this lifestyle.”

Dick and a second party burst into chuckles, Cass giggles as well. “No he couldn’t keep us off the field if he tried. Most of us had forced his hand, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Dick finally says after his laughing fit died(heh) down. “This is Tim -Red Robin by the way.”

Tim gives a nod of greetings to the fellow teenager. “I’ve been looking into your home town’s feed. Who are the hazmat suited villains always shooting at you while you’re on the job, and why don’t you fight them back?” Dick’s face hardened and Cass sucked in a breath. While Tim was looking at the computer Danny rewired, he and Steph got a tad sidetracked. 

Steph wanted to see if he had any video sightings. They saw a couple interesting things to watch later. Like ‘Skulker’s Book Recs’ , ‘Boxy Vs. My Gma’ and Tim’s personal favorite, ‘Sleepover but we Summon Phantom to the hangout’. Even if Danny doesn’t choose to be full on adopted by Bruce, he still wanted that blackmail as a treat.

But when they watched his fights there was something very… interesting. The fights themselves were intriguing all on there own. After all, they’d never seen beings like these before, let alone seen them fight. Phantom’s fighting skills were impressive, and they could only assume he started training in secret. But in a great deal of videos, Phantom was being attacked by two individuals in orange and teal hazmat suits. And the weirdest part? Phantom let them. He dodged most the time of course. But if it came down to dodging the ghost hunters or capturing the ghost he’s fighting, he’d take the hit. Sometimes multiple.

“Oh yeah, those were my parents.”

.   .   .

Tim’s thought process buffers, “Your parents.” 

“Yup,” Danny pops the p at the end. “At the time they didn’t know it was me. And when they did, well… you know why I’m here,” He tries not to sound as hurt as he feels. From the looks the three are giving him, he failed.

“…Controversial take here, I want to fist fight your parents,” Tim ‘jokes’ though he actually means it.

Danny snorts, “You and my friends.”

Cass pulls him into a hug, a gentle but protective embrace. Despite his cold touch, she didn’t shiver. Waves of Upset, Protect, Safe now thrummed off the girl. He couldn’t help but hug her back.

“Thanks,” he says, voice cracking ever so slightly. Cass hums in acknowledgment, she pulls away from the hug a bit, so he can see her signing.

‘You’re safe here now. We won’t let them hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it.’ Her look is stern, nothing uncertain in her face.

“Cass is right. We will keep you safe from them. You’re not alone in this anymore,” Dick smiles easily at him.

Determination, rage, safe.

Danny smiles, they’re all so kind. But he can’t let them get hurt for his mistakes.

It’s his fault anyway.

(It’s always his fault.)

But maybe he can pretend, just for a little bit, that he’s safe. He can always continue on his way if not. Danny closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, letting his transformation rings wash over him. A small gasp can be heard from someone. Cass opens her eyes and pulls away from the embrace completely to see what happened. 

In front of her is a black hair blue eyed kid. In baggy ripped jeans, a NASA shirt with a black jacket and red converse. A black choker is around his neck, along with a locket necklace. Cass’s eyebrows slightly rise.

Dick is still in shock when he hears Tim start to cackle beside him. “Black hair, blue eyes, traumatic upbringing, child vigilante…” Dick trails off.

“He’s perfect!” Tim says through his laughs.

“So that’s how you kept it a secret,” Cass giggles.

“No one ever suspects it!” Danny says proudly.

———

Once Alfred cleared him as healed enough to be released from the infirmary, he was shown up to his room. It was a huge room, but Danny had expected that. Seeing as he’s currently being housed by the richest man on earth. 

“Is everything alright, master Danny?” Alfred says when he sees the newest ward crouched on the floor, looking for something.

“Hm? Oh- yeah everything’s fine! Just checking around,” Danny says easily. Danny’s interactions with rich people are always either: rude snobs who look down on others(their kid’s chill tho); or insane fruitloop’s who place bugs in what’s supposed to be your sacred space. 

So forgive his normal room inspections, he kinda moved to look for bugs instinctively(fuck you Vlad).

“I’m just kinda used to being watched without my knowledge. I just wanted to relax in here with a peace of mind, y’know?”

Danny sees the older man’s face shift into a look of concern, “I see… Dinner will be served shortly. Please see to it you come down in a timely manner,” before he leaves Danny to his searchings he looks at Danny sternly, “and Master Bruce would never add bugs in his children’s rooms. And if he did, rest assured, he’d have to answer to me.”

The halfa is shocked briefly before relaxing at this new information. The older man sees it as enough comfort to walk off.

Once he’s finally done, Danny stands up and turns his head only to be met with blue eyes and a mop of blonde hair. If Danny wasn’t used to people popping up out of nowhere, he most definitely would’ve jumped and yelped. He does tense up, however.

“Aww I was hoping to get a real dramatic scare,” the girl grumbles. “I’m Stephanie, though I usually go by Steph.”

“Danny.”

“Hm, so when did you get here, Danny?”

“Uh, two days ago? You’re voice sounds familiar actually, are you Spoiler?” Danny asks, Steph looks at him sharply.

“What makes you think-”

“Oh- right, I’m Phantom,” Steph grows bewildered.

“How?”

Danny swaps back to Phantom before dropping back to Danny. Steph lightly gasps at the ability, “huh, and to think I didn’t believe you could be any more perfect for this family.”

Danny laughs, “you think Bruce will notice it’s me, or do you think he’ll assume I’m one of his other children?”

Steph gains a gleam in her eye. “You’re already my partner in crime.”

The sharp grin that appears on Danny’s face tells her they’re on the same page, and they begin to plot.

———

Bruce is already sitting down at the dining table, drinking a cup of coffee, when he sees in his peripheral two others heading to him. He looks up at them, already suspicious. Stephenie never heads down this early for dinner. They’re up to something.

“Hey B,” Steph greets before taking her seat.

“Evening B,” a fake sleepy voice says. When Bruce looks at the voice’s owner, he immediately assesses that this is someone pretending to be Tim. Bruce slightly squints his eyes at them. Stephenie giggles, and the person he's looking at’s mouth twitches slightly, trying not to smirk.

“Who are you?” 

“It’s Tim!” Steph says.

Okay, now Bruce at least knows he’s not a threat. “Tim has been far too glued to that laptop to just simply let it out of his sight,” Bruce isn’t even sure Tim will be down for dinner, let alone without the laptop he’s been using.

The girl lets out an exasperated sigh,“Okay, fine it’s not Tim. But we still wanna see if you’ll guess who he is.”

The boy nods, “Yeah, I’m genuinely curious if you can figure this one out.”

From both the kids comments, he can tell that he’s met him before. He looks up at the boys hair. He has a spiky hairstyle, looks slightly younger than Tim. He sees shockingly bright blue eyes looking at him. He can’t place it. “I’m sorry but I cannot tell. Would you please enlighten me?”

A little huff of amusement leaves the boy, “Funny you say that actually. Flash warning.”

And that’s all the time Bruce gets be for a bright flash washes over the young man. When the light disappears he sees Phantom standing before him. He’s genuinely appalled.

“How did you…”

“I have two forms. I’m usually my human form,” Phantom explains shifting back into Danny.

“We wanted to put your detective skills to the test,” Steph and Danny giggle as Bruce sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Why must his children insist on giving him gray hairs? At least Danny is getting along with the others.

Chapter Text

It was dark, nothing but silence. “…”

No, wait. Not silence, it’s just muffled. “….!”

Someone was trying to reach him. Reach him where? “…ess!” 

‘Wha… was someone.. here?’ Danny finally opened his eyes. He was… in the ghost zone? No, more like an in-between. He blinked a few times before he heard the voice again.

“Y-ur- hi-hness!” 

‘Hm?’ He turned to his right, finally seeing the subject who’d been calling for him. It was a woman—5’2 and no older that 18– with short shoulder length brown hair, one eye engulfed in darkness while still working on regenerating. She wore a cyan dress ripped at the bottom seams, a black leather jacket with black boots.

“Prince Phantom! Your highness!Please help me!” The woman sobs in panic, scrambling in a way only the newly dead tend to do.

SCared, WorRiEd, JuSticE, HoPe?

Danny floated towards the woman, comforting her the best he could. He places a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly, “What happened?”

Friendly, Calm, Safe

“He killed me. He said he’ll go after her too,” she sobs into her hands.

“Who?” 

“My stepfather. Please, you hAve tO stop him please!” She begs, her panic causing her ghostly voice to leek through.

He nods, “Where were you killed?”

“Here in Gotham. Crime ally. I.. I don’t remember the exact spot, I’m sorry.”

Danny shakes his head, “it’s okay, you've given me more than enough context to find your body,” Danny starts to feel the telltale signs of him becoming conscious. “I’m about to wake up. I’ll visit the zone to see you again okay? What’s your name?”

“Jenna.”

“See you soon, Jenna! I promise!”

———

Danny shoots up from his comfortable new bed, his hand running through his hair. Ever since he became crowned Prince of the Zone, his subject’s tend to come find him for help. Or on occasion he gets summoned by someone. Jenna said she was killed in ‘Crime Ally’ in the city he was currently in. One of the many reasons Team Phantom was so hesitant about him crashing there was those parts specifically, so he was all too familiar with the name.

Danny’s time yesterday was a nice break. Dinner with the Waynes (they try to eat together often! Crazy!) wasn’t bad either. It was surprisingly domestic all things considered. A couple of insults thrown at one another(Steph and Tim), someone(Tim) working on the GIW case instead of eating; along with the occasional roughhousing(Tim and Cass), but siblings will be siblings. Bruce told Danny he’d only see the people he met so far at dinner, as to not overwhelm him. He appreciated that a lot.

Danny sat up, grabbed his clothes for the day and his toiletries and beelined towards the bathroom his room had. He was now wearing: baggy dark blue jeans, a plain gray shirt, a black jacket with red highlights on the cuffs and hood, red converse and his black choker and silver locket around his neck. He pockets a pair of rubber gloves and heads downstairs. He was deep in thought when he bumped into somebody.

“Ah-sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Danny apologized, looking up to see who he stumbled into.

“No worries, I wasn’t really looking either,” in front of him is a black man with braids, sporting a ‘Hunter x Hunter’ hoodie, gray sweatpants and house shoes. “Name’s Duke/Signal! You must be Danny, right?”

“Yeah,” he rubs the back of his neck, “I was just about to head out for a bit. Also, love that show by the way,” he he points at the hoodie, trying to change the subject.

“Oh yeah? We’ll have to talk about it some time then!” He gleams, his smile is blinding, which is surprising considering he’s one of the bats(but it cheeks out, considering he’s the only daytime hero). Though, Nightwing’s demeanor is also very similar, so not too surprising he supposed.

“You’re aura is bright, but not as much as it should be.. maybe it’s because of your lack of sleep or peaceful moments in your life recently? I think it’ll be better soon,” Danny was surprised to hear that his aura was supposed to become brighter. Maybe he should have expected that, seeing as he’s crowned Prince Phantom.

They walked and talked as they headed downstairs, Duke is very nice to chat with. They make their way towards the kitchen. After helping Danny get two granola bars(he persuaded Danny to eat something), they went their separate ways. Danny leaves the manor, going invisible and flying to an empty alleyway near Crime Ally.

———

Jason was having a nice grocery store run. He’d read the chat about Bruce’s relapse. But he wasn’t really planning on heading to the manor any time soon. Sure he’ll meet the kid eventually, but he’s currently been a bit busy with some crime lord shit. 

He recently found out about the selling of a weaponry he’s never seen before. A Lazarus green fluid as the fuel too, so now he was really on the case. The weapons were manufactured by ‘Vlad Co.’ and that fucker’s always made the bats suspicious. Masters’ deals always end in him buying most or all of another company, and when the other party is asked by the press why they gave Mr. Masters? Well, in his earlier deals, they’d look confused as all hell. And in his recent ones, they give him praises for his brilliance, industry or some other bullshit; but close friends of the businessmen would later claim they were told they never remember even saying yes to Masters. 

Jason’s lost in thought, when he catches a glimpse of someone looking at an ally. And that wouldn’t have been special if it weren’t for the fact that he sensed them. 

What the fuck?

He looks up to see a teenager, ruffled black hair, blue eyes, a choker and locket neckla— wait a minute. The chat had been blowing up yesterday, Steph had taken a pic with the new kid. Apparently he has two forms, and his normal one is clear adoption bait. With those two necklaces specifically… Honestly, if Jason weren’t so concerned about Danny’s Gotham street smarts, he’d think the idea of his family running around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for the kid would be hilarious. 

But, unfortunately, he is concerned. 

“Hey, kid,” he walks over to Danny’s side, “whatcha doing outside the manor?”

The halfa looks up at him, confused.

“Name’s Jason. You've met some of my siblings Tim, Cass, Dick,” the boy hums in recognition, “yeah. So why are you out here by yourself?” Jason knew the kid was healed up better than when the others first met him, but he still only just got into his room. Jason knows from personal experience that Alfred and Bruce prefer them to stay in the house at the very least(forcing a Bat to be bed ridden is a war only fought by the ones with the strongest of will).

“Just gotta do something important. I shouldn’t be long,” Danny cryptically says, strolling down the street to another alley. Jason curiously follows him.

“Y’know most people, local and tourist alike, tend to avoid crime alley.”

Danny amusedly huffs, “oh trust me, I know. This spot in particular was the biggest reason my friends didn’t want me going to Gotham,” he smiles faintly, in memory of the discussion. “I eventually wore them down,” He adds smugly.

Jason shakes his head, slightly smiling at the boy. “What are you doing here then?” 

“Well, one, I kinda have to for this specific task. And two, you’ll see.”

As they walk from alley to alley, he realizes something’s.. different. He quickly realizes it’s because the pit is… quite. Or just about so. There’s a faint humming in his chest, and he’s sure it’s because of Danny. The pit is usually somewhere on the side of him, never truly calm because of its looming presence. The idea of being completely calm, sounds like a dream that’s so far out of reach. 

But Danny calmed the pit somehow, even if it’s just for a little while.

Before he can even question it, Danny abruptly stops. Eyes flickering to green, for barely a second, but Jason catches it, tensing. He damn near sprints into the new alleyway, Jason easily catching up with him. 

And that’s when he sees them.

A bloody mangled corpse of a young woman. A pocket knife hanging out of her eye, her throat is slit. He can only assume there are more injuries on her other side. The bottom hem of her dress is ripped. 

Before Jason can pull Danny away, he’s already moving closer, gloves on his hands. He crouches down, grabbing the girls hand. He’s rubbing small, soft circles on her hand.

“It’s okay Jenna. You’ve been found, you’ll get your justice. I promise.” 

And Jason swears he hears the wind of this Gotham morning, crying and thanking the boy.

———

Danny checks Jenna’s corpse, finding her phone in her jacket pocket. Jenna, with the little strength she has says he passcode, giving Danny access. He takes screenshots of what he needs and airdrops them to his phone. Once he completely deletes any traces of him in the phone, he opens her wallet to get a full name. Jenna M. Lemonfield. He memorizes the name and places it where he found it. 

It’s all done quick and efficiently. Like he’s done this before. 

‘Oh god he’s perfect for this damn family’, Jason absentmindedly thought.

He finally turns back to Jason, “we need to call the cops,” he says, taking off his gloves and re-pocketing them for later incineration.

“Why were you looking for her specifically?” Jason asks, pulling his phone out, ready to call.

“You were informed of what I told Bruce I was, right?” He nods, “well, sometimes new ghosts of murder victims come to me, via dreams, in order to ask for justice.”

Jason’s eye furrow in thought. Before he can ask any questions, Danny holds his hand up in front of him. “We can talk more in the manor,” Jason nods, and calls the cops.

———

After answering all the police’s questions, the headed back to the manor on Jason’s motorcycle. 

The moment they walk into the living room, they’re bombarded with shouts of concern. Cass said nothing, but she walked up and pulled him into a hug, worry evident in her empathy waves.

“Danny! What happe-”

“Jay! If you knew where he was why didn’t you sa-”

“Danny you can’t just disap-”

“Oh, hey Danny! You find wha-”

“DUKE YOU KNEW TOO-”

With a stern clap of Alfred’s hands, everyone to stop talking. They all turn towards his direction to see he’s standing next to Bruce. A calm ‘thank you’ from him and Alfred nods off to get refreshments. “Danny, I believe what the others are trying to say is, why didn’t you tell someone you were leaving the house?” 

Danny just looked at them, blinking in confusion.

“I wasn’t going to be long, and I didn’t really want to bother anyone about some quick run. I just don’t see the point in pestering anyone about that.” He shifts uncomfortably as everyone looks at him, “and besides, it’s my responsibility to help this girl. She asked me to.”

Bruce’s face hardened every time the image of how Danny was raised came further and further into view. Negligent adults who never told him to let them know where he’s going or when he’ll be back. Never caring if he came back at all. How many times did Danny leave the house for the weekend and no one even noticed? How many times had Danny come home hours after school ended without so much as a text?

‘If there weren’t any safety guides for heading outside, then there couldn’t have been any safety guides for inside. With the science equipment.’ Bruce can’t help but think.

Bruce sighs, “Danny, how are we supposed to know if you’re in danger, if you don’t let us know your even out the house? We want to know if you’re out the house so that we can know if you’ve been gone too long to be okay.”

While Danny didn’t exactly understand why, he understood it was important to them. So, he nods, “I’ll make sure to let you know when I’m out the house from now on,” he promised.

“Good,” Bruce slightly relaxes, “now, what about this girl asking for your help?”

“Oh, uh,” Danny turns away from the older man, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck. “Well…”

———

“So this morning,” Tim started to recap while looking at Danny, settled on the couch with Cass, “you were asked, by a ghost, to help save someone from the same fate she endured?”

“Yes.”

“And you thought walking out there with no backup, no one knowing you’re gone, and a murderer on the loose was a good idea?” Tim questioned.

“We don’t know each other that well yet, but I can just tell you’re being a hypocrite,” Danny deadpanned, causing Steph to snort and Dick to cover his smile with his hand.

Bruce’s brows furrowed, ignoring his children’s antics. “The young woman you and Jason found?” He knew that part already, of course he knew. He had been checking city security cameras and GCPD activity to see if he could find where Danny was. Danny nods in confirmation.

“Her name is Jenna M. Lemonfield. She said her stepfather was responsible for her murder, and that she’s sure he’ll go after someone else too,” Danny pulls out his burner phone, “I’ve got a couple screenshots from her phone of things I’d like to review and ask her about.”

“A little detective too? Clearly he was ment to be ours,” Steph solemnly states, a small grin forming.

Duke pops in the conversation at that moment, “Danny,” the halfa hums in acknowledgment, “I know you want to help her and all but… don’t you still have a concussion?”

Danny pauses, “Well… yeah,” he admits, “but it only hurts if I run or move too fast. I’ll be fine though!” He smiles softly, putting both thumbs up. Bruce masks his grimace at the boy’s enthusiasm.

“A fellow workaholic,” Tim says, never looking up from his laptop. Bruce represses a sigh.

“Danny, how about we help out by looking through these photos for you, and you rest your head for a little while?” Bruce was hoping maybe Danny would be different. A child vigilante who didn’t work himself ragged. He knew that was wishful thinking though, but it didn’t stop him from hoping anyway.

Danny considers the offer for a bit. “Could you help me look for him while you’re out on patrol?”

“Of course. We can look into her, find his identity and keep tracks on him while you rest. Whenever we find him, we won’t engage until you’re better.”

Danny ponders, he knows he probably should take it easy. His head has been banging since he went into the city. A gentle squeeze of his hand snaps him out of his thoughts. Cass is looking at him with that same stern look Jazz gives him when ‘he should know better’. 

Danny sighs in surrender, “okay, I’ll take it easy. Can I at least tinker in the cave?” He pleaded, Danny isn't used to not doing anything productive anymore. Plus, he’s not trying to inadvertently fall back asleep because of how comfy their mattresses are.

Bruce raises an eyebrow, “is that you version of taking it easy?”

“It’s the best you’re gonna get,” Danny says plainly.

Bruce looked at Danny for a minute, before pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing, “I’ll allow it.”

Danny beamed, “thanks, Bruce!” He said as he headed to an entrance with Cass, leaving a warm feeling to bloom in the billionaire’s chest.

———

Danny was basically done with his invention. The only thing missing was something he is only able to obtain in Amity. Luckily, he has friends to help him out.

So here he is, out in the nights of Gotham. Fresh after scaring the shit out of his new allays. But he’s learned from that. He left a lil sticky-note for them.

While he’s out as Phantom he stops a couple thugs, help walk some people. Froze this Elsa knock-off in place long enough for the police to get him. He’s searching around for his friends care package, when he hears a familiar sound.

“Ruff!”

An echo runs through the night. Danny turns around to see Cujo, in his enlarged form, barking on the same roof he had met Batman on. 

“Cujo! Hey boy!” He coos as he flies over towards the dog, wagging his tail happily. “Small, boy!” He obeys and shrinks down, and pounces on Danny the moment his feet hit the ground.

“Phantom!”

Danny turns around to see Batman, Nightwing and Robin landing beside him. 

“Sup?” Danny asks upon looking at their concerned faces.

“Where were you? I thought we agreed on taking it easy.” Batman’s voice growled, but Danny could feel his true feelings. The real reason his voice is so gruff and his body tense.

He was worried.

At that, Danny blinks at them, “I am. But I had a little care package sent to me for something important.”

“Ruff!”

The vigilantes look down at the green, enthusiastic puppy in Phantom’s arms. He has a little bag he’s carrying in his mouth. Robin moves closer to the halfa and ghost dog, slowly moving his hand so the puppy can smell it.

“His name is Cujo,” Phantom gives a small, warm smile to the boy. Robin hums in acknowledgment, fighting a smile as the dog rubbed up against his palm.

“Do you know his breed?”

“Mhm, a Kangal Shepherd.”

Robin didn’t visually show it, but his emotions spiked the moment the dog started warming up to him.

Happy, interested, excited.

Nightwing gently pulls Phantom back on track, despite how adorable the two were being. “Phantom, bud, I thought we talked about this.”

“Yeah, we did. I left you a note this time!”

Batman fights the urge to put his head in his hands. “‘Gtg brb smiley-face’ is not enough information to assume you’re okay.”

“…I’ll add more next time? Sorry, but I knew my care package was coming tonight. I figured it wouldn’t take long, and I’d just head right back.” 

“…I didn’t really want to bother anyone about some quick run. I just don’t see the point in pestering anyone about that.”

Danny’s earlier words linger in the back of the dark knight’s mind. He knew he’d need to break the boy’s habit, he just hadn’t known it would mess them up this quickly.

“What did your team send you?” Nightwing asks, breaking Bruce out of his thoughts.

Danny grabs the bag from Cujo’s mouth, “It was originally just supposed to be main tech pieces I needed my friend to make. But it then became a semi-resupply for other things I can’t get from anywhere other than Amity, some letters, blueprints etcetera,” Danny tried as best as he could to stop the blush from showing on his face when he mentioned the letters.

Danny didn’t want Valerie to be harassed by the fruitloop or the GIW for his whereabouts. He’s only in contact with Sam and Tucker, the less people who know the better. Valerie doesn’t have his burner phone number, and not being able to contact one another is slowly killing them both. Tucker had informed him that Valarie would not let him off the hook if he didn’t at least give him her letters.

Danny couldn’t help the slight blush creeping up, his girlfriend had taken the time out of her day to write him letters. Letters, plural! It made his core hum with love and adoration.

…there is a high chance one of the letters just cursing him out for his dumb plan to keep her safe though.

Of course, Robin took note of the faint green dusting his cheeks. However, it’s clear he doesn’t care, as he is still contently scratching behind Cujo’s ears.

Nightwing breaks his train of thought, bringing him back to the present, “Come on Phantom. Let’s head back to the cave.”

———

“I needed my friend to make something for me. For my device to fully work, I needed his help on the chip to block out my ecto-signature completely.” Danny explains, placing the chip inside ordinary looking watch.

“Ecto-signature?” Nightwing asks.

“It’s basically a pseudo fingerprint. An ecto-signature is completely different from everyone else’s. The GIW has mine, that’s how they’ve been tracking me. Using a ghost-finder trained on my specific being. But with this,” he lifts his hand to show his watch he’d been assembling, “they can’t. It mutes my signature and helps me locate them instead.”

Robin hums, still petting Cujo who is now in his lap, “where are they currently?”

“Still where I left them, miles away. They’re probably double-Checking I’m not still there,” which was half true, he’s sure. But they got some good hits in, so they’re most likely also testing his blood in their labs and maybe trying to create some new weapons for his capture.

“How long will Cujo be staying?” Robin asks while rubbing Cujo’s his belly. 

“Two days, not including today. He can’t stay out the Ghost Zone for too long if there’s not enough ambient ectoplasm or I don’t have any spare ecto for him,” Cujo whines at that, making Danny shake his head fondly at him. Danny looks up from Cujo to Robin, “it’s nice to officially meet you, by the way!” He smiles warmly.

Robin nods, taking off his mask. “You as well, Daniel. I am Damian Wayne.”

The bats notice Danny’s body switch involuntarily at the full name until he explains. “My full name makes me very uncomfortable. Could you please call me Danny?”

The other bats are shocked to see Damian nod, “my apologies.. Danny. I’ll try not to do it again.”

The halfa smiles at him gratefully “I appreciate that!”

“What the fu-”

“Master Tim?”

“Uuudge..” Tim catches himself, “demon brat actually being nice is never not going to be weird.”

“Tt,” the boy mumbles with lightly tinted red cheeks.

Chapter Text

A zap of a controlled laser runs through the air. It’s not enough to cause any permanent damage, but it stings like hell.

Zap

“Ack!” A GIW agent jumps.

Valerie is super not in the mood for these annoying government officials in her way. Ever since her boyfriend had to flee for his life she’s been on the warpath. Finding and raiding GIW bases as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

Zap

“Ow!”

“Anyone else in here Ph@ra0h?” Red Huntress asks, voice modulator doing nothing to hide her disdain of the agents in her path.

Zap

“Eek!”

“Nope, you’re all set. I’m sending you the best optimal exit layout now.”

Red Huntress gives a hum of acknowledgment as the exit plan appears in the top right of her helmet. The GIW have been more rampant lately. Not necessarily more successful, but doubling their efforts has been an adjustment. 

Valerie had become apart of the team after Danny found out Vlad was using and manipulating her. He explained to her Vlad’s true core objectives. And after a long and hard conversation about who Danny is, after tears, apologies, and finally a full understanding, they developed a plan. She kept it cordial with Vlad, seeming as if she was still in agreement with him, when in reality she would discretely slip information to the others. They made patrol shifts, a com line, went through all their plans for worst case scenario. And, overtime, rekindled their relationship. 

Valerie’s been more restless as of late. Seeing as of right now the GIW, The Fentons, and Vlad are looking for Danny and Phantom, they had agreed to wait for everything to die down before Valerie got a hold of Danny again. 

The strain on her heart due to the current inability to communicate was torture. But at least she had the others to help ease the pain.

———

“Danny, help us with this debate,” Steph says after opening the library room’s door, Tim right behind her.

Danny, sitting on couch in a crisscross fashion, looks up from the new laptop he’d been taking online classes on. They’d agreed to let him continue school online while the Fentons were loose before, eventually, placing him in Private school. Bruce said he shouldn’t be cooped up inside and should socialize with his peers, Danny didn’t mind that. He raises an eyebrow at the two. “About?”

“Can ghosts have kids?” Steph asks.

“There’s no way! From my understanding, ghosts don’t have any internal organs and are made up of ectoplasm. So they can’t since there’s no reproductive organ!” Tim reasons.

“Buuuuut, they do have some kind of pseudo-DNA which is how they get personalized ecto-signatures! Therefore, it’s totally plausible that two ghosts can transform both their ectoplasm into one new ghost child!” Steph explains.

“Actually, ghosts can have kids,” Danny says making both head whip around to face him. “I don’t know the exact way it happens, but I know it’s possible. Boxy and Lunch lady have a kid in the future and she has both their obsessions if memory serves me right.”

Steph smirks “Ha! I knew it!”

“How does that work?”

Danny shrugs “I literally can’t tell you,” when it came to the neverborn, he preferred to stay in the dark on how they’re conceived. He’s not sure his human brain can handle that knowledge, what with the logistics and all. But he can always learn when he’s a full ghost.

Tim starts to say something else, when Danny senses a knife coming straight for him from behind. He easily doges it and grabs it by the handle mid air. He examines the blade, it’s a quality looking dagger, dark green faux leather and smooth on the handle. With a steel, intimidatingly sharp edge. Looks sharp enough to cut through a single strand of hair like it’s nothing.

Danny inspects the dagger nonchalantly, not even curious on who through it. Because he knew exactly who. 

Damian.

For the past week, Damian had been testing his reaction time with daggers. Why? Well, the others say he’s just being the little demon that he is for shits and giggles. But Danny can sense cheerfulness, wonder, admiration from the boy, and immediately clocks the real reason.

Damian is intrigued by his skills. Clearly he’s seen a few videos of his quick reflexes, and evasive maneuvers. He reminds him of Ellie, just a bit pricklier. 

“Damian!” Tim chastises him, snapping Danny from his observations. “You know what B said about the daggers. When did you even come in here anyway?”

Damian scoffs, arms crossed “tt Drake, if you weren’t able to notice me enter with you two, then that is a you issue.” 

Danny huffs a laugh, amused by the two before him. It had been a week and a half since he landed here in Gotham. The bats were kind, albeit chaotic. His ecto-dampener worked like a charm, the GIW had no clue where he was. Their data said as much, though he’d be keeping a close eye on it just in case.

Jenna’s stepfather, Henry, had been identified and tracked by the bats. Thankfully they found him before anything could happen to Olivia, Jenna’s sister. Jenna was certain Henry was apart of a money laundering scheme, along with being the reason their mother became so ill. 

Danny wonders if maybe Olivia has some evidence or extra tidbits of information.

All things considered, it was nice having more help from others. With the bats help, they were able to track down Henry in such a short amount of time. He’d been so sure it would take them longer, but with Oracle and Red Robin on the job it had only taken two days.

It was also nice to have someone else with powers to hangout with. Duke was always fun company. They both had similar interests: DOOM, Mario Party, Animal Crossing, etc. Steph was already a blast to be around. Danny even went on patrol with both of them!

Dick reminded him of Jazz with specific mannerisms of his, but was all around an awesome guy. It’s no surprise to him that he feels safer with him. He also loves puns, so that’s an added bonus. Tim was a caffeine addict, married to his work no matter his physical state, and always coming up with or working on new projects before finishing the first ones… he’s basically Danny in another life(though he’s more of a Monster Energy kinda guy).

Jason was cool. He had some shitty Ecto in his system but cool nonetheless. Though, he’s not sure if Jason knows about it.. Cass was a blast to be around. She usually practices her ballet letting him try for fun. If not ballet, she’s smoking Danny at Mario Kart.

He’d grown fond of their chaos. He trusts them enough to sit and discuss his life. They’ve shown him so much kindness, he’d like to open up and give them the same. He’s sure they won’t hurt him.

———

A knock at Bruce’s door takes him out of his readings of patrol reports. “Come in.”

The door opens to a nervous Danny, fidgeting with his necklace. “Hey Bruce, are you super busy right now?”

“No. But I’m never too busy for any of you to come talk to me, okay?” He’s slightly surprised by that before nodding, but Bruce catches it. He seems to always catch Danny in his habits. 

Bruce has come to understand Danny as much as he can without his full story. How he’s uncomfortable in the kitchen, how he’s distrusting of circuses, how he expects to be spied on in his own room(when Alfred told him that he needed to take several minutes to calm down).

Danny is a bright kid with a horrible upbringing. And Bruce wanted nothing more than to see him never frown again.

Danny continues to fidget with his locket, “I wanted to talk with you all about… why I ran away, and the portal’s creation?”

Bruce’s face softened. “Of course, I can arrange something today, but… are you sure you’re ready to talk about it?”

Danny brings his eyes to the floor, “I'm.. sure enough. But I know I just wanna get it over with.”

It was very common for Danny to become nonverbal when a traumatic thing happened to him, and his team knew this. Sometimes he’d just disassociate and listen to his friends talk until he finally came to. Today’s just one of the best days to get it all out.

“Okay, chum,” Bruce says gently, “but know you can stop at any point.”

Danny nods at that.

———

It happened hours after lunch, everyone gathered into the living room. Danny sits in an arm chair, looking at the others in the room.

“Okay, so first things first, my parents have always been obsessed with ghosts. They’ve spent the better part of their lives working on the ghost portal. They’re so enthralled with their passion, it’s almost unheard of to see them outside the lab. Every single piece of        human-made equipment capable of harming ghosts, were manufactured by my parents. Hell, they’re the sole reason why there’s clear evidence ghosts even exist.”

Danny’s barely scratched the surface of his life story, and it’s already sounding off causes for alarm. How little was Danny cared for as a child? It seems like Tim and Danny might have a lot more in common than they thought. Nevertheless they let him continue.

“Two years ago, my parents finally finished what they called their magnum opus. A portal into the ghost realm,” Danny’s hands twitch, “at first when they plugged it in, it didn’t even work. They were understandably upset about it. Their math was correct, every wire was in the right spot, but nothing. My sister, Jazz, recommended they get out of the house for a bit to blow off some steam. So they left us for a weekend camping trip.”

Danny’s hands clasped together as he looks down at the ground. His knee starts to bounce, he takes a shaky breath, but it does nothing to calm him. He feels Cass’ hand on his shoulder and it helps him continue.

“My friends came over for a little while that weekend. I thought it’d be fine to show them what cool thing my parents had created,” he paused. “I-I had done that before too. Head down to the lab to show my friends something I saw, maybe mess with the circuitry, etcetera,” Bruce is trying his hardest to not react too strongly but it’s incredibly difficult. No locks, no regard to child proof anything, no real supervision? It sounds like a miracle CPS hasn’t kicked down their doors.

“A friend of mine thought it’d make a good photo to go inside and I saw no problem with it…” he sighs, “my parents, while all their notes and devices work, they’re extremely messy. The wiring’s usually bunched up, cluttered work space, there’s no real organization,” Danny can feel his eyes glowing a vibrant green. Tim closed his eyes and put his head down in rage when he’d pieced everything together.

“There were a few wires that tripped me on my way in. And for support, I grabbed the wall,” his hands are shaking, there’s a slight phantom pain in his left hand.   “W-when I grabbed the wall, I accidentally hit the ‘On’ button that was apparently misplaced within the machine…” he breaks off to calm himself for a minute.

The room grows dark with a mix of emotions. Jason’s eyes are bright green, though he was in full control. Dick’s hands were clenched into first, Danny’s clear Lichtenberg hand markings paint a horrid image. Cass tensed as the words left his mouth.

Bruce is pissed. Listening to Danny talk about his “parents” and giving them praises is heartbreaking. It’s clear he still cares about them. The people who hurt him nearly everyday, the ones who got him killed, he talks about their (concerning) achievements like he’s proud of them. 

Batman might be reported as more aggressive than usual tonight.

“I’m not sure how many volts of electricity were in there, but it was enough to cause a town wide black out for a little. While the electricity killed me, at the same time, the ectoplasm from the portal revived me. When my friends were able to pull me out I became what I am now, a Halfa. That’s why I’m able to switch between forms.” 

Danny leans back in the chair, hand carding through his hair, “The portal did more than that though. Since it was now a functional portal, ghost kept coming in and out of it. Seeing as it’s my fault the portal’s on in the first place, I used my new powers to help people.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Cass sternly states. “You didn’t build the portal.”

“But I went in ther—”

“They should’ve had safety precautions considering they have two children living in the home,” Tim says grimly, “they had a duty as parents to take full responsibility of your health and safety, but they didn’t. They didn’t take those precautions to make sure no one went into their lab without them, they didn’t put into consideration how you or your sister’s bodies would react to an ectoplasmic environment, they failed you as your guardians. No matter how you spin it, they failed you.” 

Tim knows that feeling all too well. The feeling of being forgotten, being an afterthought, being left behind. It hurts knowing your parents value their work over you. It hurts even more when you’ve done any and everything to get that attention.

Danny’s shoulders slump down at Tim’s words. He knows it’s true, but it’s a pill he’s yet to swallow. 

After a minute, he takes a deep breath, regaining some composure to continue. “Alright. So, after my parents found out that their portal works, they started creating weapons and tools to better capture them.”

His hand starts to rub his scared one soothingly, “with them running around waiting to capture ghosts, it was always imperative that we caught them first.”

“We?” Duke questioned. While Danny didn’t hide his friends, he hadn’t mentioned them or too much of their involvement much either. They had limited contact right now due to the GIW’s surprise inspections around them constantly. Whenever they do check in with one another, the server’s are quickly deleted after.

Danny pauses, “…Have I never told you about my Team?” 

“Team?” Steph’s eyes widened.

“I guess not.. Um, my team just consists of five, including myself. A few honorary members here and there. But it’s mainly: me, Ph@ra0H, Hellebore, Red Huntress, and Poltergeist.”

Bruce now had his head in his hands. Of course there were more child vigilantes floating around. “Could you go into more detail about them later?”

“Sure,” Danny says, oblivious to the growing concern of the many untrained kids fighting crime Bruce is facing.

“We had shifts, cover stories for each other, were as quick as possible. It was already stressful with my parents, but when the GIW came into play, it was an adjustment,” Danny takes a breath, an eyebrow twitching slightly at the memories of them.

“The GIW, Ghost Investigation Ward, is a government backed ghost experimentation facility where the GIW can legally experiment, torture, and exterminate ecto and ecto-adjacent entities.”

“What the fuck?”

“Government backed?”

“How long have they been around?”

Danny blinked owlishly, “right, I always forget about the media block… yeah, but the GIW has been in amity since I became Phantom. They don’t get as much attention or monitoring as other government departments, since their working with ghosts. I’m not sure how much they told their higher-ups about everything…” 

“So, what they just do whatever without any supervision? What were they doing there exactly?” Steph asked.

“They are known to threaten people if they think they’re a ghost. But they also do shoot at people who they believe are ghosts. They cause more property damage than ghosts half the time honestly.”

Jason sits up and raises his hand, “Alright, I vote to destroy the government.”

Steph raises hers, nodding along,“Same here.”

“Kids, let Danny finish talking,” Bruce said, Notably not shooting down their idea.

“Me and my team have been able to keep the peace. Ghosts leave the zone mostly just to indulge in their obsessions, or to have a sparring match with me,” Danny paused. “I… I had it under control until recently.”

He sighs, “it was a normal patrol. A couple ghosts, nothing too serious. But I’d been up all the previous night trying to study for my English test, math quiz, finish late science homework. I was tired. I could barely fly steadily. So when mom and dad attacked me with their newest weapon, I was caught completely off guard. So much so, that I passed out and de-transformed after just three blows.”

The temperature of the room drops, Danny’s hands start shaking, “and when I woke up, I was… on a dissection table. By my own parents..”

The room stills with the weight of his words.

“The… the main falsehood of information the Drs. Fenton believe is that ghosts can’t feel pain or emotions. So if you were screaming on their table they would believe you were faking how a human would react, your organs are well crafted replicas, and your body is simply the stolen identity of a dead person.”

Bruce’s jaw clenched. These two were true mad scientists, no doubt about it. No sane person could still believe that when the evidence to disprove said claim is right in front of them. They hurt their child. They took his organs. He’ll be dealing with them personally once he’s done tearing the JL a new one.

A bitter laugh comes out of Danny.

“I don’t even think the concept of their son being dead even mattered to them. They sure as hell never shed any tears while I was there. Not a flinch to my unbeating heart, no uncomfortability to dissecting their own kid. Nothing. Did my sixteen years in their house mean nothing to them?”

He whispers the last part to himself, tears silently dropping, but in a house of highly trained ears nothing gets past them.

“Their loss.”

Danny blinks up, “huh?”

“Their loss,” Damian says more affirmatively. “They are mere simpletons. Seeing as they were so moronic as to not believe a clearly energetic extraterrestrial civilization had feelings, the most common thing all species have, and immediately placing themselves on their bad side of their own accord. Spending years to prove the existence of something just to hunt the Inhabitants of that place is abysmal. They are far too insignificant and empty-headed to even call themselves scientists, let alone be worth your time. They had their chance to make amends, they did not. Therefore, it is their loss.”

The room pauses for a moment before words of agreement is heard throughout the room.

A small smile spears across Danny’s face, “thanks Damian.”

He nods, ears slightly red with embarrassment but he can bear it.

Danny wipes the tears off his face, “my friends and my sister helped me escape, they stitched me up, gave me one of the bags we set around and I’ve been flying ever since. The GIW knows I’m no longer in Amity, so they’ve sent factions to trail me. Which, theoretically, have stopped thanks to this,” he hold up his wrist to show the ‘watch’ he created.

“To everyone else it’ll looks like a basic watch, but it’s actual purpose is to block my ecto-signature. I don’t know when they got it but that’s how they’ve been able to chase me from state to state. With this, hopefully I can get off their radar. Or at least until I’m back in tip-top shape.”

Tim pipes up, “How long have you been working on that anyway? I know you finished making it when Cujo came here to give the last piece but…”

“Oh, I had the plans to make this done in a day or two. I made the whole thing within 3 hours in the cave since Alfred let me while I was still in your medical wing. My friend was done with it a while ago by then and was just waiting for Cujo to get to them.”

“Alfred let you while on bed rest?” Tim’s head whips around to Alfred in bewilderment.

“He explained why he was so adamant on this project.”

“… yeah that’s fair,” Tim grumbles, pouting while resisting the urge not to smirk when he hears Danny laugh.

“I’m happy you told us, Danny,” Cass says smiling softly at him.

He smiles back, “of course. You’re all so kind and genuine about everything. It feels good to be able to get some others who can help us out.” 

Cass’ eyebrows furrowed, “You know you don’t owe us anything, right? We’re helping you because we care.”

His shoulders relax a little more, “I know.”

It feels good to have people who actually hear you.

“Alright,” Steph claps her hands, standing up now. “That’s enough feelings for today. I say we all watch the entirety of the ‘Tales of Arcadia: Troll-hunters, who’s with me?”

“Yes!”

“Absolutely.”

“Peak!”

“Yes! That includes you too old man.”

“I..” he starts but trails off when they all turn to pout at him.

Bruce sighs, “alright, I’ll watch it.”

He shakes his head, smiling as they cheered in victory.

He loves his kids.

———

“So you’re telling me, a child with white hair and green eyes, had you encased in his own ice. With handcuffs made out of ice that disappeared once the police got there hands on you.” He deadpans. Not everyday you hear the town icicle being one upped in his domain.

“I swear! he caught me without a second thought! As if he had better things to do. He hit me with a pun too, said ‘Ice to meet you’ and ‘chill out’ and ‘cold feet?’. It was like fighting Nightwing with less flips and more puns!” Freeze explains animatedly.

He smirks, “well now I’m curious. If the Bat’s got a new bird,” Scarecrow emerges from his escape route out of Arkham, “then I’ve got to see him for myself.”

[Arkham sirens blare: Scarecrow has escaped.]