#Bright Eyes Au | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

atiyasnake · 2 years ago

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Danny would like to say for the record that it was not his fault.

In fact, Danny would say that it was entirely Clockwork's fault. After all, he wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for that cryptic time god.

He wouldn't have ever found himself in Gotham and evidently run across the asshole who was being less than polite to his girlfriend. Danny wouldn't have considered taking the cash from the guy's wallet if he wasn’t broke and CW gave no warning that he would need money with the impromptu trip. He wouldn't have had an empty stomach that made him eager to accept the girl's offer of a meal if CW hadn't basically kidnapped him before he had eaten anything.

So really, it wasn't Danny's fault.

But what was his fault was the fact that he kept helping.

He kept taking the cash from the assholes (and why damn there were a lot of assholes near where he lived) messing with the residents who lived in the area. He kept accepting their offers of food. So because of this new routine that kept him able to afford to rent out his shitty (and possibly illegal) apartment and the hunger pangs sufficiently satisfied, rumors grew.

Rumors about a skinny teen named Danny who was willing to help out in exchange for cash or food. Rumors about how he was quick to take down those who gave them trouble while being polite and kind to them (no matter their occupation or lack thereof). More and more stories popped up about how Danny seemed to make it routine to help out or simply keep an eye out for them.

It started out small.

Nods of acknowledgments and maybe small waves. When he walked around he didn’t show discomfort around them. No looks of judgment for the working girls or the customers. No looks of pity for the kids who watched him from their spots and different hangouts. No looks of disgust for the ones who found shelter outside and in tents.

When he walked around, it was like he accepted that you were there and that you were there to stay. He didn’t make them feel as if they didn’t belong in their own neighborhood.

Despite the strength in his lanky stature (that was witnessed several times over) he never beat up the kids that formed groups trying to force them to follow him. He didn’t hassle the working girls to repay his ‘kindness’. He didn’t kick at the man sleeping on the bench he walked by. Instead, he called the man on the bench by his name, Martin to tell him that a rainstorm was coming in. He let the kids who ran into him walk away first without any additional pain for the mistake. He thanked the girl he gave bruise cream to for the food she gave him in a container the day before.

Those who lived there wondered what Danny’s deal was. Was he a kid in over his head or with a few screws loose? A few kids whispered that maybe Danny was trying to be a vigilante like one of the Robins.

Though when one night there was a city-wide fear gas attack. With it, there were the ones who creeped out of the woodwork to take advantage of the chaos. Those who had pockets of pills that held the promise of bliss to take you away from the lingering fear as long as you kept taking them. Syringes that were said to make the fear gas make your head dizzy and your body full of euphoria that would dwindle into an ache that made people claw at their skin.

In different areas like Crime Alley where Red Hood reigned it wasn’t such a big issue. But this wasn’t Crime Alley and there wasn’t anyone who held significant power to put such rules and kept those people away.

There was lingering worry about which residents would end up being pushed to try the drugs or end up being hassled for more cash when they needed a new gasmask or supplies. When attacks happened, they prepared and hunkered down. Doors were locked and those outside went into hiding in the nooks and crannies away from everyone.

But it seemed that Danny didn’t get the memo.

Instead amongst the chaos and yelling they heard something else. They saw something.

They saw a man named Dawson who made it his business to profit in the chaos hit the ground in the middle of the street. He was a burly guy, always pushy with the girls when he visited this side of town, and known to leave bruises on the kids who came across his path. Just two months ago he had ‘bargained’ with them about the delivery of water when the water from the tap was injected with another chemical concoction courtesy of one of the rogues. Demanded cash and other unpleasant things that they couldn’t afford to pay. No police or vigilante to stop him. Just another thing missed in their neighborhood.

Except now Dawson seemed to be the one getting bruised as they watched Danny, who didn’t yell at Old Man Elijah two days ago when they accidentally spilled some trash on him, step on Dawson’s chest roughly keeping him down.

They watched as Dawson failed to get up. They saw Danny’s eyes almost seem to glow among the gas that didn’t seem to affect him at all despite how he didn’t wear a mask. They watched as he leaned down close to Dawson’s face, one hand grabbing the mask making Dawson panic to keep it on. Danny didn’t remove it though and instead seemed to say something quietly in Dawson’s ear before backing away.

Then, the foot was removed and Dawson got up. But he didn’t fight back. He backed away slowly, almost tripping on himself before fully running away. The whole time, Danny watched him, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

When the gas fully dissipated and things settled down to a familiar sense of wariness a week later, they finally learned what Danny had exactly done that night.

“He caught Dawson and his cronies pushing Sandra against the wall,” Eric, one of the younger kids and Sandra’s little brother said to the group gathered at one of the steps of the building next to the park. “Dawson was trying to push the pills saying that she owed him and she could repay it by ‘endorsing his merchandise’.”

They looked at Sandra who showed a bruise around her neck but she didn’t look too upset. Instead, she smiled. “Then Danny showed up,” she said with a slightly raspy voice. “Took down the other assholes no problem like he always does, but he was pissed this time. Real angry when he saw Dawson and the pills.

“Dawson tried to pull his shit,” she smirked. “Didn't end too well for him and then Danny looked at me. I gave him a lil explanation since ya know, he always seems interested in what's going on. When I mentioned the pills and other shit though” - she leaned in closer - “His eyes glowed. He told Dawson that he couldn’t pull that crap here anymore and if he didn't, there’d be hell to pay.”

“That work on Dawson?” one of the others asked which only made Eric and Sandra laugh.

“Nah, Dawson called bullshit and just went at Danny, even pulling out his stupid-ass pocket knife. But Danny didn’t have any trouble at all. You should have heard Dawson when Danny somehow ended up holding the knife up as if he had it the whole time.” Eric smiled. “It was a complete beat down which the end is what you saw in the street.”

“Yeah, but Danny said something else to Dawson in the street when he leaned down. Do you know what it was?”

At that, Eric shook his head. “When I asked, Danny just said that he was just letting Dawson know to tell his cronies that they can’t come back. He said we wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Surprisingly they believed that Dawson wouldn’t come back. The man had looked spooked like never before and clearly, Danny was able to handle himself against him. The others got a little quiet before one of them finally spoke.

“When you think about it, isn’t Danny kinda like Red Hood?”

A few of them laughed at the comparison. Red Hood was a man that was built like a tank and known for his intimidation while Danny was shorter than some of the working girls and skinny like the kids on the street no matter how much he seemed to eat.

“Red Hood is protective of his territory so, yeah. But Danny doesn't go on beheading people. He’s less bloody, dark, and broody. “

“Yeah! And Red Hood’s eyes don’t glow do they?”

“Don’t know, dude never takes off his helmet. For all, we know he doesn't have a face.”

Old Man Elijah shushed them at the onslaught of conspiracy theories about Red Hood. “Well looks like he isn’t gonna behead anyone, but either way we should probably pay him back for Dawson. Any of you got some food to give him, he looks skinnier than last week somehow.”

With that, plans on how to pay Danny were made and if the kids later started to call Danny and refer to him as Bright Eyes, Danny was none the wiser as to why. Instead, he was just grateful for the food and happy that the kids seemed comfortable enough with him to give him a nickname.

Credit of the nickname Bright Eyes to @ alinmenttreasure

* P.2 P.3 edit now on Ao3

DP x DC Prompt - Accidental Crime Lord

Danny didn’t want to be a crime lord.

In fact, he didn’t even know how he became one.

One minute he was a starving immortal unemployed teenager, and the next he was running a relatively respectable “crime” empire.

If he had to blame someone or something, he would blame his bleeding heart (and his empty stomach)

It all started when Clockwork dumped Danny in this new dimension with nothing but the clothes on his back. He had managed to get back the first couple weeks but he knew his luck wouldn’t last. One night, when he was walking back to his crappy apartment (that had “illegal” written all over it), he heard a scream of terror and pain. When he ran to check it out, he saw some drunk jackass behaving in “ungentlemanly” ways. He knocked the guy on his ass and helped himself to some of the guy’s cash (hey, strong morals had no place to talk when rent was due). The jackass’s girlfriend invited him over for dinner as thanks.

Well rumors spread, and SOMEHOW Danny became known as the guy who would “take care” of the more unsavory bunch of people in the neighbor for some cash or food. It later evolved to include information. And maybe a few “liberating” of some artifacts that definitely belong back in their home country.

Some of the older street kids joined in (and by the Ancients if these kids are joining in, Danny’s gonna make sure they are safe, be it with proper housing, equipment, money, and food)

Next thing Danny knows, he’s gotten his own “nickname”