#Danny casually haunting Tim

[dcxdpdabbles]

been thinking bout Jason’s doll like Jason won’t let any of the Batfam live down the fact that he was right when Danny reforms however none of them are going to let go of the fact that Danny being half dead did in fact make the doll haunted

It's alarming how obviously haunted Jason's doll is. Now that he had introduced him to the rest of the family, Jason seemed to go nowhere without Danny.

He was there, sitting on Jason's lap at meal times, leaning against the pillows whenever they sat down in the movie room, and wearing his own little goggles when Jason went for a ride on his bike. Danny was there whenever Jason was heading off to bed, curling around the porcelain toy like a child.

Hell, Tim is pretty sure he saw Jason walk out of the bathroom after a shower with Danny tucked under his arm once.

He understands Bruce's worry about how attached Jason seems to be to Danny. The only time he ever left Danny behind was to run around as Red Hood, but even then he insisted that Danny have his own communicator.

It had looked rather silly on the doll- Dick had to duck tap it to Danny's head since there was no ear to push into- but that did not stop Jason from consistently narrating what he was doing and speaking to Danny.

Tim had just been thinking of turning off his communicator when a series of whispers bursted to life in his ear. He had nearly missed a step when jumping to the next roof, heart pounding in his chest as a instantal fear dug into his core.

A second later, he could wrangle the fear into something manageable, thanks to his training. He hears his various siblings doing the same through the coms as Jason laughs "You said it, Doll."

"That was Doll!?" Steph exclaims in Tim's ear. There is a tremble in her voice that he relates to.

"Yeah, isn't he hilarious?" Jason responds with a chuckle. Then, another series of fast-past whispers—sounding like more than one person—is heard, and Jason roars with laughter.

Tim shivers, reaching up to switch off his com. At once, Babs remotely turns it back on. "Saftey protocols state these stay on due to Two-Face's escape."

Rats.

Tim tries his best to finish the rest of his patrol, only occasionally jumping at Danny's random burst of whispers. He stops two carjackers and a mugging and finds some clues as to where Harvey may have hidden.

It's a long night despite the slow crime, or maybe it's due to the lack of sleep catching up to him, but when Tim returns to manor he is half dead on his feet.

He barely has the mind to write up his report for the night and stumbles upstairs, peeling his costume off as he goes. Just as he can spot the doorway of his old room, Tim can feel his eyelids sliding close.

There is only a silver of sight now because he forces them to not close completely through sheer will power

He fumbles for the handle of the door leaning heavily against the wood, when he realizes he's not entirely alone in the hallway. He glances in the direction in what he assumed was Dick- as his brother's old room is also on down this hall- and is shock when he makes eye contact with someone he does not know.

It's a handsome boy. One that he's seen very clearly in a photo.

Freezing, Tim dares not to even breathe as Danny tilts his head and carefully floats over to him. There is a semi-see-through effect going on with his body, but it does not draw away to Danny's concern experssion.

Tim's heart is beating a mile a minute. Crude, had he taken in fear gas at some point?

Danny pauses, inches from his face, staring intently. Tim can barely breathe, so scared his arms and legs feel like lead. Ice runs through his viens and Tim has half the mind to think This is it. This is how I die. before Danny reachs out and touches him.

More specficelly he picks Tim up like a bag of grapes and throws open the door. The ghost carries his horrified form to the bed, tucking him gently before petting his hair.

"Good..night..sleep..tight…love…you...Tim. Sleep...well.," Danny whispers, the words just barely audible with the strange overwhelming mutters of unknown voices. The ghost turns around and flouts right through Tim's door. A few seconds later, it, slightly becomes ajar due to a doll leaning on it.

Its unblinking eyes stare deep into Tim's soul. He whimpers and clings to the blanket hard.

Tim isn't sure, but he gets the sense Danny is laughing at him.

[spinosworks]

dp x dc prompt

after the trio graduate high-school, they decide to have a ghost tour of the country in the summer before college

documenting everything on social media (where it reads as an arg of sorts with the amount of spooky things they manage to do), they have tons of fun debunking various haunted hot spots on sam's occult bucket list or recommended by their viewers

they make their way to gotham to investigate the sightings of jason todd's ghost

[flwrkid14]

I need an AU where Danny and Tim accidentally become the most feared vigilante power couple in Gotham, and they don’t even realize it.

okay, listen—Tim is the master planner. He’s meticulous, always two steps ahead of the rogues, the League, even Batman. Then you’ve got Danny, who’s literally a half-ghost superhero with insane powers. And here’s the thing: they don’t mean to be terrifying. They’re just doing their thing, but together? Gotham villains are shaking.

Imagine Danny using his ghost powers to help Tim patrol. Tim’s grappling onto rooftops, doing his usual stealthy vigilante thing, and meanwhile, Danny’s just casually flying through walls and scaring the absolute crap out of criminals. They’re mid-heist, and suddenly, this glowing kid shows up, phasing through the vault door like it’s nothing. No one’s prepared for a ghost that can literally disappear and reappear wherever he wants, while Tim is in the shadows, taking them down one by one. It’s like horror movie levels of fear for Gotham’s rogues.

The rogues start trading horror stories about the ‘ghost that haunts Gotham’s streets.��� No one knows his name, but they’ve all seen him—pale, glowing, and grinning like he’s enjoying the chase a little too much. And right next to him? That’s Red Robin, cool as ever, silently calculating every move while his ghost partner freaks people out.

Even the Batfam starts to notice. At first, Bruce doesn’t think much of it. Tim’s been working with new people before. But when reports start coming in about how terrified the villains are—like, they’re surrendering before the fight even starts—Bruce is curious. Then he catches wind of the ghost rumors. Now that gets his attention.

Cue the Batfam having no idea what to do with this information. Dick thinks it’s hilarious—‘Timmy? Scary? No way.’ Jason’s a little jealous, not gonna lie—‘So you’re telling me Tim’s haunting the criminals of Gotham, and I’m not invited?’ And Damian? Damian respects it. Ghostly intimidation tactics are just practical in his eyes.

But Tim? Tim’s just trying to do his job. He doesn’t even realize they’ve become the city’s most terrifying duo. Meanwhile, Danny’s having the time of his life. Scaring bad guys? Sign him up. Especially when it makes Tim roll his eyes fondly every time Danny phases into a room with a smirk, all like, ‘What? It works, doesn’t it?’

And yeah, Danny absolutely does the ‘Boo!’ thing just to mess with people. Criminals are terrified, the Batfam is confused, and Tim is stuck between exasperation and amusement because of course his boyfriend is thriving on this ghostly reputation.

Give me a Tim and Danny who become an absolute nightmare to Gotham’s underworld. Give me a Tim who doesn’t realize he’s terrifying, and a Danny who knows it and leans in. Because Gotham deserves to be haunted by a ghost, and Danny’s just the guy for the job.

[rboooks]

In The Royal Consort:

I just imagined a scene where Danny accidentally cried or bleed and that makes the favorite assigned bodyguard appear all spooky and knightly

Fright Knight

The second one drop of blood or tear hits the floor the sun suddenly is covered by clouds and this chilling sensation travels to everyone's spine (Clockwork laughs)

Danny hides his face between his hands cause: omg this is so humiliating, why does the knight have to be so protective!? He isn't a kid! In fact, Danny is stronger than him!

But everyone around just assumes they started a war by hurting the very loved spouse of a very powerful king

Fright Knight walks through a portal and points his sword to the persons that hurt his Lord and spoke all scary and well, frightening

Meanwhile we have a combination of Danny and Batboys trying to calm down the situation (Danny casually hits the ghost all: dude! Relax! Everyone has a mini heart attack)

John Constantine is having a panic attack when he sees the news (you just know someone was making an live all the time) cause this powerful entity surely has to be the assigned protector of Prince Danny and if he appears it was to avoid that the king himself drains his husband when he's already hurt but that only means he was probably furious waiting for an explanation!!!

Danny just wanted a coffee that Tim told him (he just wanted like, enough caffeine that would kill him)

---------

On the other hand, you just know Twitter is going crazy

People are having passionate debates about the situation, maybe for Danny's age, Is necrophilia?, Fanfiction and fanart, Ghosts aren't real and everything is just a government plan, who's Danny and why he was selected and a Buzzfeed Unsolved/The Watchers video (Ryan spends half the video laughing cause he was right! Shane is 😐🙂 well I didn't expect that but at the same those places they went weren't haunted)

Director movies are watching the news, wondering if they can make a movie about them (normally they'd said that they have to wait to them be dead, that is the norm with royals but like... Dead or not is the same here, isn't it? Can they or not make movies and series about them?

Danny is suddenly the subject of everyone's curiosity. His life, photos, his friends and classmates are on the news and internet all the time

People are just asking why him? What makes Danny Fenton, a normal teenager, so special to have one of the more powerful and mighty entities in the universe so found on him? So in love?

Government/criminal societies/companies are making plans of seduction the king and becoming his consort too maybe stealing Danny's place so they can have access to Phantom wealth and power

This situation is just to say: a ghost appears to attack him while he's in public with a lot of attention from paparazzi and passengers (a friendly attack causes he's far away from his lair and they're checking? A rebel trying to take the throne?) One of the Batfamily tried to stop him but didn't have the weapons to stop them

Danny has to defeat him in his human.

But Danny doesn't even look scared, he just attacks him like a professional, like if defeating this powerful entity was nothing to him and after a few minutes he has the ghost in the thermo and Danny looking normal

I, for one, I'm sure that people would find that very hot of him and the internet reaction would be like: for that reason 😯

Danny went from being an invisible loser to "Oh shit, he's kind of hot" overnight due to the internet hyping him up. There are thirst edits all over the internet and people are eating it up, especially when Wes' blog leaks out footage videos of him doing crazy flips and ghost fighting as a human.

Meanwhile, Fright Knight is screaming, "I will protect my liege's chastity!" which is really not helping Danny.

[siltyriver]

Justice is Swift (Vengeance is Sweet) — Ch.3 Memes/Shitposts

master post || <- ch.2 memes || ch.3

Danny: Wow this coffee is so good I hope nothing happens to it…

Jason, spilling Danny’s coffee all over his shirt: Oh no, I think you need to take that off. Right now ;)

Tim: Can you guys fucking STOP and flirt like NORMAL PEOPLE?

Bernard, secretly filming: No, don’t listen to him, keep going.

-

Danny, sleep deprived and in desperate need of caffeine: *catches a glimpse of Jason*

Danny, blinking: God?

Jason, absolutely smitten: Not quite, sweetie :’)

Danny: Oh, good, I thought I died again for a second

Jason: HUH?

-

Danny: Oh I think that barista gave me her number by accident lol it’s clearly meant for you

Jason, taking off his shirt: He’s so fucking stupid I must have him

-

Danny: lol yeah Amity is Super Haunted

Tim, full conspiracy board mode: Why the fuck have I never heard of Amity before?

-

Danny: Okay time to lay low and be completely normal. No Phantom, no problem :)

Also Danny the second Amity is brought up, no self control in sight and ready to spill everything: So ghosts are actually real and there’s this one really cool one named Phantom who’s basically my best friend —

-

Danny, telling a story and casually mentioning ghosts like it’s nothing bc he’s used to no one in Amity Park batting an eye at the paranormal: — and then Skulker came around and threatened to ‘mount my pelt’, which after the hundredth time hearing is just kind of like, ‘yeah, whatever dude we get it, can I just buy my ice cream now?’ like he’s a serious vibe killer y’know but his girlfriend Ember is pretty cool when she’s not mind controlling people with her music an—

Any Gothamite he speaks to thinking he’s insane: Yo, what the fuck?

Danny, confused: What? You’ve never seen a ghost? Weird :/

-

Danny, resigned to collecting strays: Whatchya got there, Ellie?

Ellie, holding a smoothie and two feral kittens: Uh, a smoothie.

-

Jason: Get me a notepad.

Tim: Are you going to just draw a dick like last time?

Jason: … No.

Tim: You hesitated.

[hinacu-arts]

Tags That Made Me Smile 2023 — Part 1 (Jan-June)

Ive collected so many of my "Tags That Made Me Smile List" that i wont be posting it annually this year, its going to be at least biannually (although a good portion of this list is actually random comments in the author notes/lines and not tags 🤣)

[2022's List] [2021's List]

.

Not Fandom Specific

if they seem ooc at times (to YOU) just ignore it... i know Them

“It’s impossible to figure out comic book timelines” - people who are not me and who I cannot relate to

im ace but i tried my damnest to emulate allo behaviour

canon is nothing more than the sandbox in which I choose to build my castle

Not canon, not fanon, but some other third thing (my love for extravagant world building)

fan fiction vs foe fiction

bro we are teens its ok to be vunerable in front of me #now we are kissing bro dont stop

They have my mind on fucking speed dial i stg

intentional miscommunication in the name of fuckery

Cheesy romance taken seriously

The universe frantically consults the rule book while fate runs off with their action figures

getting a toddler dumped on you by your ex’s ex

“I’m not dying without kissing you” #And then they don’t die #And It’s all quite awkward

"Now if you'll excuse me… Tonight's bad decision isn't going to make itself."

“What’s a ‘boyfriend’? And why am I yours?”

“It has come to my attention that you are, unfortunately, my favorite person on this planet.”

i’m staring at the ceiling fighting the urge to kick you -a love story

Accidental Soul-Bonding oops

Enemy to Caretaker

Wooing via Prank War

Allegedly Platonic Kissing

Fandom Specific

These are ordered by the chronological order of which fandom i was reading at the time

Wednesday

werewolves mate for life

The Gomezification of Wednesday Addams

Legend of Zelda

Hi my name is Link and Welcome to Jackass

Link and Sidon both get a little bit gay: The Chapter

Gerudo Vai Outfit shenanigans

DC x Danny Phantom

Danny is the Tom Bombadil of Superheroes

Jack Fenton’s ability to casually Cool-Aid-Man his way through walls is a symptom of ectoplasm exposure

Skulker, No Skulking!

Danger Twink!Danny Fenton

Red Hood: Civilian Edition

inception—magic school bus version

a guy on staff so adorable it triggers Jason’s fight or flight response

Jason gets diagnosed with "bro your ectoplasm is fucked up" disease

Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies #But make it Halloween #where Tim Drake finds out the true meaning of love and Halloween #a true Rom-Com that's just a lil spooky

keeps the Hallmark themes of anti-capitalism #Vlad is the capitalism

pit is gone #raging anger has been replaced with raging hormones

All the (pit) rage he felt at the Joker for killing him is now being redirected and funneled into admiration/gratitude for the guy who did kill Joker

What is a murderer, a maker of ghosts, to the king of ghosts, but a faithful servant?

“Hood, your boyfriend's haunted!”

batman looked at gotham and said "i can fix her" #gotham looked at batman and said "i can make him worse"

Various DC Media

DC stands for Disregard Canon

Pining batman? more like Down Badman

Fortress of Sulkitude

Hurricane Dick and smaller Tropical Storm Damian

Tim finds his missing spleen #:)

just two dudes chillin' in a sleeping bag zero feet apart because Bart stole the other one

Kon's jacket #(it's made from boyfriend material)

Batfam? Bat colony? #how exactly do you to refer to the fascinating taxon that is Tim's family

Breaking the laws of Nature with sheer fucking will and bullshit circumstance (Time and Dimension Travel)

"Ha! Ive been sleeping in his bed for years, i no longer register as a threat"

Let it not be said that Bruce Wayne is a coward. A fool, perhaps, but never a coward.

"This is not very slay of you Tim" Bruce said

[sunshineprincejeremyknox]

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💞

I have been sitting on this for like a month oops.

I don't honestly know that I have a top 5, but I'll give you a general 5 of the ones I look back on most fondly / enjoy rereading most:

From my newer stuff, there's this t4t Danny Fenton/Tim Drake fic I wrote for the @haunting-heroes-creative-games Olympics Who Wrote That:

Can I have your autograph? | Rated T | 5k words, complete Dick Grayson really wasn't trying to set his little brother up with his favorite skateboarder when he asked the guy for his autograph. In all honesty, this worked out even better than it might have in Dick's wildest dreams.

I am also very soft for this Fox/Bail/Breha fic I wrote (which was also podded by @kbirbpods HERE)

without any strings attached | Rated: T | 2k words, complete Time spent on Alderaan with Breha always feels like a vacation.

Just all of the False Confidence series ngl (also podded by @kbirbpods HERE)

My winterhawk Tarot Sequence AU is still my best attempt at a plot-driven multi-chapter and includes GORGEOUS art from Soapyquartz

(would you) rescue me | Rated: M | Length: 26k, complete

“Why you?” James asks. “Why me what?”  “Why did Natasha ask you?”  Clint wants to say, Natasha always asks me, but it’s better if less people know that than more.   “Because I’m good at what I do.” - an urban fantasy au (inspired by KD Edwards' Tarot Sequence series)

one of my later short winterhawk fics, a Vampire AU for my friend @shatteredhourglass

blood & sunlight | Rated: T | Length: 2k, complete

This human does not appear to have heard the rumors, or if he did, he clearly chose to ignore them. Bucky doesn't think he has a healthy self-preservation instinct, either, because everyone in the diner goes still when he walks in, and he doesn't turn tail and run.    He just walks up to the counter, casual as anything, and drops into a seat.      In the moments it takes for him to get that far, Bucky notices one more important detail.     He's bleeding.     The smell of it is fresh and sharp in the air, and Bucky has to put focus into keeping his fangs from descending in response.     Fuck.  This might be the stupidest person Bucky's met in centuries. 

[redflagshipwriter]

Part two

Danny drifted towards the door, on a collision course for the new ghost whether it was a good idea or not.

“Danny?” Damian asked.

“I gotta go,” he said vaguely, abandoning his chocolate milk without thinking about it. He left the library and went down the long hallway that would intersect with the family wing.

Huh. Not the front door? That was a funny detail. The new ghost was coming to a back door but the manor didn't feel like this was his Haunt. It was a neutral ground. Danny knew he wasn't intruding.

Tim turned the corner at a fast clip and immediately laid eyes on Danny. “Hey,” he said, faux casual. “Great timing! Cass says Jason is almost here.”

“Ahuh.” Danny managed a brief, distracted smile. He didn't slow down or alter his course.

His heart would have been pounding in his chest if he was human. He had the same focused anticipation that he remembered from a fight with Skulker, Ember, or even Boxy. He was keyed up and ready to react.

Danny reached the right hallway as the door shut. “Hey!” Called out a new voice, masculine and lazy. “Who’s home?”

Damian scoffed. “Todd,” he said, disdain somehow dripping from the one syllable.

‘...Todd? This is Jason.’

The three boys rounded the corridor to see the man who had to be Jason. He was built with the crazy muscles that Skulker’s fighting suit was dreaming of. He had a young looking face with a defined jawline and sandy blonde hair with an eerie white streak that was the same inhuman vividness as Danny's ghost-form hair or Vlad's human-form’s. He also had the rankest vibes of any undead that Danny had ever encountered. It was a really fascinating contrast with his wholesome all-American dream boy appearance.

‘Cass was right. I don't know what the hell he is but he's not a living human. The hair alone is a sign of major ectoplasm contamination. He doesn't feel contained like a halfa, though. He's all over the place like a big old ghostie.’

Jason's eyebrows went up when he saw Danny.

“What-” Tim spluttered. He walked into Danny's back.

Damian made a sound in the back of his throat like a cat throwing up.

Danny didn't have the brain power to figure them out. He was still sorting through his first impression, brow wrinkled and mouth slightly pursed.

‘He doesn't feel evil or mean, just like… sour milk. Dissonant? Yeah, like a loud bad note but for vibes instead of sound.’

Jason smiled wide, open and friendly. “You must be Danny,” he said. He kept his body language loose and non-threatening. He shot his two younger brothers a smug look and tossed his surfer boy hair.

“Ahuh.” Danny wrinkled his nose and cocked his head to the side like a dog. “Cass said…” He trailed off before the words ‘that you're like me’ could come out. He didn't know if Tim and Damian knew about that. He valiantly resisted the urge to sniff at the air to figure out what the hell that ectoplasm was. He hadn't been exposed to anything that intense since he's grabbed Plasmius from the GIW lab and they'd booked it from Amity in opposite directions.

“Cass said,” Jason agreed easily. He looked Danny up and down. The hallway lights glinted off the golden undertones in his hair with the movement. “You are just a baby, huh.”

The air lost the static charge. Danny felt a wash of relief. Something slotted into place in the back of his awareness. He couldn't explain it but he knew that Jason was wholly safe for him. He now loved Jason's bad vibes. They were the bad vibes of someone who would eat his enemies.

Yeah, he didn't need the cultural explanation from Frostbite to get the gist of what this was. This wasn't the type of encounter where they had ghost beef on sight. “I'm 15, Beach Boy,” he said. He stuck his tongue out. He couldn't help it. The tension melted out of his posture.

He felt safe. He felt wholly safe for the first time in- the first time since-

Since well before he died in the portal. Danny didn't really remember feeling this safe.

In his peripheral vision he saw Damian frown and mouth the words, “Beach boy?” incredulously.

Jason barked out a laugh, apparently not wounded by accusations of looking like a misplaced surfer bro. “Older than I got to be,” he said. The tone could have sounded a little mean if you didn't feel the playful teasing under the words.

Danny made a rude sound and shook his head. He wanted to push his head into Jason like a cat for head pets. He wanted Cass and Jason.

“Jason,” Tim hissed, clearly anxious about something. Danny didn't know or care what. Would Jason think it was weird if Danny draped along his shoulders and purred? He felt like he could purr.

“Little brother.”

Danny meeped and wheeled around. Cass had freaking manifested in a dark space where the curtains were blocking direct sunlight. She gave him a real smile, with teeth. Cass glided over and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. “My baby!” She sounded delighted. He leaned into her, relieved there was a socially appropriate person to snuggle. He needed to do something with the overwhelming need to express affection.

“So small,” Jason agreed in a tone that implied wonder and maybe a little bit of confusion.

“...You are so weird,” Tim said, sounding offended. “He's bigger than I was at his age. You were a big jerk to me then.”

“But he has baby energy.” Jason shrugged. “What can I say? You didn't. You were scrappy.”

Danny rolled his eyes at that description, but it was mostly playful.

‘To him I am a baby,’ he realized, biting down a snort. ‘I don't know how a 20 something guy is also an ancient ghost. But he is.’

He had to know. He also had to find the absolute earliest socially acceptable opportunity to get close enough to drink up some of the ecto that Jason was cockily oozing out.

“Hey, there's finally enough people to play that game!” Tim said, voice so normal and cheerful that Danny knew he'd fucked up and came off really goddamn weird.

“Sounds great,” Danny agreed.

Preview:

Jason didn't let his smile falter. He didn't know how but he knew that Danny was extremely tuned into his mood. He didn't wanna make the little guy anxious. Danny had gone from an uncomfortably feline readiness to being so relaxed that his eyes were lidded. His gaze kept flicking between Jason and Cass as they crossed the house, content. Tim and Damian might as well not have been there. Tim had his thinking face on and Damian was unreadable as they all settled into chairs in one of the comfy rooms near the kitchen.

It was weird. It was very fucking weird. He needed a breather. “I'll be right back,” he said. Danny watched him leave the room.

“Master Jason?” Alfred murmured sotto voice, eyebrows ever so slightly raised. He was standing in the hallway with a tray in hands.

“I'll be right back,” he repeated, and went to find a pillow to scream into.

What the hell was that? What was any of this? Was this a goddamn biological clock? Oh god, was this what Bruce experienced?! Did he see a little waif and feel the undefeatable urge to gather them up and hiss at anyone that came too close? Was Jason going to end up adopting uncontrollably? He didn't have the space for it! He had a two bedroom apartment, holy shit, did Danny need a yard to play in? What enrichment did he need?

‘I’ve lost my damn mind,’ Jason thought wildly, and tried out a breathing exercise.

Mamabat- enter Jason 1/2

MASTERPOST

The air was different with Cass, now. Danny felt a little anxious as he followed her to the study after breakfast. Something about her was serious-determined-protective. 

She always felt protective towards him. That was why he'd followed her in the first place. Some ghosts lied, but they couldn't do it with their aura. He knew what she really felt for him. 

“Sit?” She asked him. She gestured at the big squashy chair. Danny did without complaint. Cass perched behind him and started dragging her fingers through his hair, relaxing him.

Man. She was good at this. Top tier mothering, right here. Danny went limp. 

“I'm worried,” Cass broke the silence. She didn't sound worried. She never really did. Her voice was quiet and serious, but still kind. Her thumbs dug into his scalp. He pushed his head back against it. Bliss. “Barbara made you sad. Because you miss your sister?”

Danny tensed. 

‘I should have figured that Batman would track me down.’

Maybe he had known, if he was honest with himself. It didn't hit him like a shock.

“Tim thinks your name is Fenton,” she added, brutally sensible as always. And yup, that was it. No point in denying it. “Declared dead. In danger?”

He sucked in air through his teeth. He wasn't going to lie to her. 

“Worried,” she repeated. 

He thought about it. He really did. Danny bit his lip. 

She was liminal. That probably meant she'd come really close to death, in at least one sense of the word. Would that mean she was desensitized to it, or extra paranoid?

…It was hard to imagine Cass over or under reacting to a possible danger. She was just so steady. But would she see him as a possible danger if she knew what he was, what he really was? 

He could feel it out before he took a plunge with the whole truth.

Maybe it was wrong. Maybe it was invasive. She didn't seem to realize that she was liminal. That meant she definitely didn't realize how much she was communicating to him under her words and gestures. 

But Danny deliberately tuned into her quiet aural communication and tested the waters. “Tim is right, I'm Danny Fenton,” he said. He knew he was too tense. She would definitely feel it. But what could he do about that? He was nervous. “I… Maybe I did die.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach. He could feel the crush of grief on her heart. 

But it didn’t wash away the thudding repetition of love-protect-my darling. There was no suspicion, no guilt, no fear. It was just pain for his sake, with no calculation about how to solve a sudden problem. 

God. He wanted so badly for that to have been how his parents reacted. His eyes started to sting.

Danny sniffled. He thought it was safe to tell her. “I died,” he corrected, and he knew he was right when Cass made a little wounded sound and leaned her body into him, aiming to comfort. “Not then, but a couple years ago. I’m different now, and it’s uh… It’s dangerous to be this way.”

“Affects?” Cass asked quietly. She started to pet his hair again. “Mood? Health?”

“...Huh,” he said, because that was a sensible question he hadn’t expected. If he really thought about his mood and emotions before and after the accident: “Yeah, uh, there’s sometimes a mood thing. I might be a little more aggressive than I was before? And I can get kind of intense sometimes.”

He had thought that was basically just a reaction to having a whole bunch of new threats in his life. But would pre-electrocution Danny have been able to actually stand and fight Skulker? He had genuinely been afraid of the jocks. Maybe… Maybe he was different. Sure, Sam and Jazz were up for shooting ghosts with Fenton tech. Would he have been if he was just human? 

…He didn’t really think so.

Oof. Well, that wasn’t exactly great for his sense of self.

Cass shook him lightly. “Health?” she repeated.

Danny forced down that revelation to deal with later. He didn’t like acknowledging that he was kind of a chicken by nature, but historically, there wasn’t much evidence of bravery pre-mortem. “Uh, my heart rate is really slow, body temp is low, so I can’t really afford to go to a doctor for a checkup,” he said. “Uh, sometimes I’ve got none at all and my hair turns white.” He paused there. That was- that was enough, yeah? He was going to be honest with her because she deserved honesty from him. But that didn’t mean he had to explain the whole great beyond and his inhuman status.

“Sounds like Jason,” Cass said, after a long silence.

Danny short-circuited. “Wait, what?” He craned to look at her. “Who?”

Cass darted forward to kiss his forehead. “Little brother,” she said cheerfully. “Want to meet him?”

Uh, yeah. Danny nodded vigorously, wondering what the hell she was on about. “Do you mean he died?” 

“Died,” Cass agreed, getting out her phone and tapping away at it rapidly.

“Not like, heart stopped for a minute on the operating table and he was revived, or what?” Danny pressed.

“Dead in the ground, came back later,” Cass said. “Dead for months. Now, very crabby.”

Danny balked. “What?”

“White hair too,” she said. Then her face did something funny. “I think he dyed it recently,” she said. 

Danny huffed a laugh. “If it’s the same thing as mine, you can’t dye it.” He saw her look over his head for white streaks. He didn’t correct her line of thought.

He hadn’t thought that anything could top the anticipation of meeting Batman. But Danny had to admit the rest of the day was a wash. Apparently Jason couldn’t make it until the evening, about an hour before patrol.

Danny nearly paced a line into the carpet. He had enough energy to do that now, even without ecto. He was getting soooo much food here. A guy couldn’t even stress out for an hour without someone coming by to make sure he had fruit and yogurt or a hot drink.

He didn’t need someone to come and tell him that the much anticipated Jason had shown up. Danny knew it when he went to take a sip of cruelty-free chocolate milk (hand delivered by the most frightening child in the world) and choked on vapor.

Damian gave him a glare and snatched the drink away. “Are you incapable of drinking beverages?” he demanded. His face looked so goddamn cross but he was just worried.

Danny managed a smile. “No, went down the wrong pipe, sorry.”

Damian didn’t seem to even see the fog, so- so that meant that either he was really unobservant or he wasn’t liminal enough to see it the way people did in Amity. That was a small blessing. Danny appreciated it and he took back his drink to have something to hold onto.

That was a whole ass ghost. That was a whole ghost coming onto the property, one that felt big and mad and old. Danny smacked his lips, disconcerted. 

He, uh, didn’t know what to expect from this.

[dcxdpdabbles]

If you had to pick one of your stories to redo, either a portion or change the whole direction, which one would it be?

Ohhhhh, this is a good thought-inducing question. Ironically, some of my work results from thinking, "You know what? This would be hilarious if I didn't stick to plan and went off the deep end," and creating a new AU. (How Danny's grill came to be. It was based on The Bakery is a front with the same idea of Tim being undercover at Danny's food-based business, but instead of looking for proof of lawbreaking, he's looking for evidence that Danny is not human, and the bats freaking out about it)

But I would pick Freelance Inventor just to make it all through the Justice League's POV of Batman and his mysterious lover. They talk in the break room around the water cooler about how the Robins all at one point mentioned "B's Not-Boyfriend" and wonder what that means.

The League would see the Gotham heroes casually threaten Batman by telling on him to "Not-Boyfriend" and watch the Batman actually become the "Let's not be too hasty." meme.

They watch as the crazy, controlling Batman shake his head and sigh when he notices that his calendar was changed by "Not-Boyfried" to force him to stop going up to the Watchtower for meetings and instead go to "Photograph Award show, "Zoo day with youngest" "Cook for the father that raised you, you lazy city dweller who lacks respect."

Flash screenshot of the last one because the previous day, it was marked as "Speedster training and combat counters". Flash needed proof for those who would miss the massacre about to happen. He thought that he would witness Batman drag the poor unfortunate soul to dare mess with his Calander app down to hell, and instead saw him googling British recipes because he needs to have a meal plan out now.

It wouldn't just be the Justice League- though it starts with them from founding day to well over a decade- but all hero communities would begin to hear about Not-Boyfriend.

At different times, the Robins would grumble about doing class work on the extended space trips because Not-Boyfriend would be disappointed in them. They don't care if they piss off Batman, but Not-Boyfriend's sad, letdown eyes would haunt the Robins.

These are the same people who would swing themselves at monsters who were sometimes actually gods of myth with nothing but spandex and spite.

The Teen Titans witness Robin leave with his Not-Boyfriend during the Big Fight, which eventually leads to him becoming Nightwing. They start treating Robin like a Divorce Kid. Batman is the bum dad in that situation.

The Outsiders witness Robin go from anger to a protective, gleeful Redhood when Not-Boyfriend calls to check up on him. They are all welcome to stay in Not-Boyfriend's houses—he owns many properties worldwide for his travels—and he becomes the remarkable, safe adult house. They just never speak to him face to face.

Young Justice's Robin has some serious self-esteem issues. They all sort of do as the ones the older heroes forget about. This is why when Robin shows up one day asking if they would do a random fashion blog to trick Not-Boyfriend, they jump at the chance to make a more solid identity besides the clone, the time traveler, and the daughter of Zues. Then Not-Boyfriend, whom they never met and shouldn't care about, starts sending gifts, and I'm so proud of you kids through Robin up until he becomes Red Robin, they realize he's the cooler dad.

SuperSons Robin will respect no one- not even Batman or Nightwing- as he does Not-Boyfriend. They can get him to listen and calm down after noticing his siblings using the "I'm telling Not-Boyfriend on you" trick that worked on his father.

The heroes know so much about Not-Boyfriend but know nothing. He's like Big-Foot. Everyone knows who Big-Foot legend is, but no one can prove Big-Foot.

Of course, over the seventeen years of Justice Leauge's founding, heroes would assume Not-Boyfriend was helping Batman raise his children and, for some reason, couldn't be married (The rise in heroes demanding equal marriage helped legalize same-sex marriage after a bitter sixteen-year fight).

They accept he's Batman's husband, who may be a civilian, a hero, or even a villain.

They accept that Batman and Not-Boyfriend may be divorced and share custody of the children.

They accept that Batman may not be over his partner and is still, to this day, trying to win him back.

They accept that Not-Boyfriend forgave Batman years ago and are back together.

They accept that there was never a split, and the two just argued that Young-Robins blew out of proportion.

The hero community literally accepts any theory if presented well and backed enough with suitable examples. At one point, it was a tradition of trying to decipher what was going on with Batman and Not-Boyfriend.

It's even wilder when Batman reveals himself as Bruce Wayne because he is known for not having any dates despite the number of people who have tried to fling themselves at him. He's notorious for putting a lid on his playboy tendencies- showing growth, and his new persona changed to Ditzy Dad of Gotham- back when he took in Dick Grayson, but now they know it's because he had Not-Boyfriend?

Then finding out Not-Boyfriend is Danny Fenton, the Willy Wonka-esque of the inventing world???????

This man who disappears from the public eye only shows up somewhere in a jungle with an invention that low-key solves the issue of contaminated water? This man, who freelances to anyone and everyone, things that come straight out of sci-fi without a blink?

The same man who people years ago accused Bruce Wayne of sleeping with, only to be told point black by Bruce, "I wish I was sleeping with him. Have you seen him?," and people thought he was joking on live TV?

They lose their minds.

[jonspurpleskirt]

An Unlikely Befriending

Summary: Jon gets kidnapped. Jon gets bored. And Jon makes very unlikely friends because of it. Aka: Pen and Paper saves the day (world) and Jon finally gets to have a band. A/N: This is pure fluff, no warnings apply I think. ___

The worst thing about being kidnapped by a crazy mannequin murder clown monstrousity and sitting in a cold, room with creepy wax works, tied to a chair was not the ever present terror. True the fear of Nikola finally deeming his skin good enough and skinning him alive was quite potent, but it wasn't as bad as boredom.

Jon had never taken well to waiting. His mind needed to be occupied 24/7, needed something to latch onto, to obsess about. It's why he became a researcher in the first place. Having most of his freedom taken from him made occupying himself very hard.

At least they still let him eat and drink here and there. Nikola always visited personally, her overly cheery voice bubbling forth as she chattered away while slathering him with lotion or shoving bits of take out food in his mouth. His diet those last two weeks had been very varied and healthy and he had never drank so much water before.

He still probably looked a mess, what with no access to a shower and barely being able to sleep at all. And the constant terror. Oh yeah and the boredom.

Oh the boredom.

Jon was currently sitting in his chair as he was wont to do. Thankfully not nailed down despite all the nagging from Sarah Baldwin. The coffin was singing or moaning with a slight melody behind it, depending on who you asked. And somehow Jon found himself humming along, trying to find a good melody to go with the haunting tune. It wasn't like he had anything better to do and if he didn't start doing something creative his mind would start eating itself soon.

So he hummed, experimenting with the notes, twisting them into something that was reminiscent of circus music and airships. And then he kept humming the melody over and over, forming words in his mind to go with the tune. Once the spark was lit a fire started to burn, the story branching out and out into a twirling mass of chaos and fire.

He had gotten lost in his imagination, hadn't noticed how loud he had become, hadn't heard Nikola approach. Jon screeched when she leant down over him and grinned at him upside down, nose nearly touching his.

Nikola had the gall to laugh at him, no breath fanning over his face as she did so.

"Awww Archivist! I didn't know you had such a nice voice!"

"Hrmph."

"Yes your singing was also quite good!" She straightened herself, back cracking in several places. Striding around his chair she towered over him, tattered, bloody ringmaster uniform filling his field of vision.

"I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to sing, of course! And the broken repeat is lovely."

"Hm."

"Anyway water time!"

With gleeful cackling she ripped the tape from his mouth, amused enough to not immediately shove the bottle between his teeth.

"There are words to it, too." Jon rushed to say, not exactly sure why. What was he offering her here? A solo performance?

"Oh?" she at least didn't tape his mouth shut again. For now.

After waiting several beats where both stared at each other and nothing else happened Jon dared to speak up again.

"I ah... well I wrote it myself? Not wrote, of course. My hands are tied at the moment-" He was rambling. Nikola had given him the freedom of speech and he was off like a shot, telling her everything about what he had been thinking about before she had interrupted his impromptu jamming session, terror completely terminating his brain to mouth filter.

Nikola, for her part, took it all in stride. She even settled on the floor in front of him, blinking every now and then to indicate that she was still present.

"It's such a shame." she finally spoke, holding the water bottle to his mouth, letting him drink of his own volution for once. "You would have made a perfect piece for the choir. Hm maybe what will be left of you will do."

"I could sing for you now." Jon offered as soon as his mouth was free again.

Nikola startled at the offer and Jon just shrugged as much as he was able to. He'd rather sing to a creepy murder doll than spend one minute longer alone and bored out of his mind. And if he could delay the Unknowing (and the violent removal of his skin) by keeping Nikola entertained than even better.

That sounded like he almost had a plan. Which was untrue. He only had a very strong desire for entertainment.

"No sneaky questions." Nikola warned.

"Promise. I can't guarantee good quality rhymes, though. I'm still workshopping."

Singing out loud what had been in his head was always an awkward affair. He had wanted to start a band with Georgie in uni. But it was exactly because of this that he had never bothered.

"That was fun!" Nikola screamed after he was finished nontheless. Clapping her hands in delight, which created a horrible cracking noise.

"I'm glad? I also DM."

She tilted her head at him. "What's that?"

Jon explained the concept of pen and paper games to her while she rubbed lotion into his skin and had her hooked immediately.

Later that day (or maybe the next day, really Jon had no concept of time anymore) Jon was for the first time allowed out of his chair, carefully rubbing circulation back into his hands. Nikola had only briefly left him alone after watering and lotioning him. They had hashed out what kind of world and system they wanted to use (a horror setting, of course) and then Nikola was off and dragging Breekon and Hope back into the room so they had enough people to play.

Either Breekon or Hope sat down behind Jon, large hands lightly clasping his arms, squeezing every once in a while to remind him that should he try and escape he would only end up in pain.

Jon shifted awkwardly in the grip, unused to gentleness even if it was supposed to be threatening.

"Alright. First, character creation. Who do you guys want to play?"

It became a daily thing. The three beings in his group quickly became addicted to his story telling and to the characters they were allowed to play. Nikola tore through characters, trying on different personalities like pieces of clothing. She had a beautiful eery singing voice, Jon was surprised to find out when she had decided to play a member of a steampunk band.

Breekon and Hope were less manic, too attached to their twins to play anyone else. They changed voices and accents every session, though. Jon deigned to ignore their shenanigans, scared to make them angry. He hadn't had this much fun in ages, he didn't want to loose that.

The two delivery men took turns holding him down while they played, Hope holding onto his arms and Breekon using him like a child would a Teddy bear.

Eventually the three lingered after their sessions had ended, the ropes that tied him to his chair less tight. Jon tried to keep the conversations casual, to not ask all the questions that burned at the tip of his tongue. He found that he didn't need to. Tongue loose from goofing around Nikola was often chatty, Breekon and Hope throwing in their two cents every once in a while.

Eventually the topic about Tims younger brother came up.

"Danny Stoker? Grimauldi skinned him? Hm..." Nikolas head nearly dislodged as she stared at the ceiling in thought. "Noooo." She giggled. "We didn't skin anyone that night, silly! We were scoping out locations for the dance! Danny's little group stumbled into us and got a little confused~"

"But Tim saw Grimauldi rip Dannys skin off of a puppet."

Nikola shrugged. "An illusion. We're good at making you people see things that aren't really there. Yet."

"So Danny is alive?"

"I believe so!~ If he didn't die in a ditch somewhere."

Jon was very careful to keep his voice as soft as possible with the next question. "Could you find him again and bring him to the Institute? To Tim and... I don't know... maybe that's a stupid idea given that he can't be sure it's really him..."

"If I track him down do I get inspiration for my character next session?"

"That's cheating." Breekon complained under his breath behind Jon.

"I... yes?"

Nikola grinned. "Wonderful! I see what I can do!"

Days went by like that, Nikola or Breekon or Hope updating him on Dannys search, which had turned out to be harder than they had thought. Well at least Jon was keeping them busy.

They were in the middle of racing a burning train into the central bank of London when a door creaked behind Jon, bathing the room in technicolour and spiral shapes.

"That is not what I thought I'd find here." A voice that wavered between confused and gleeful mused.

Jon twisted in the grip Breekon had on him. "Hello Michael."

"Hello Archivist. You've found yourself in an interesting situation." The grin Michael shot him was a knife glinting in the light before striking.

"Yes. Why are you here?"

Nikola had let him practice after Jon had explained his lack of training, much more lax with her hostage now that he fed her fascinating stories of blood and gore. So there was no trace of compulsion in his voice when he asked the question.

Michael answered truthfully anyway. "I came to kill you of course!"

"I have dips on that!" Nikola said, voice pleasant and grin feral.

"I'm sorry about that. Would you like to join the game instead?"

Michael stared at him as though he had grown mad. Impressed, curious and lightly terrified. Then it laughed that horrible, headache inducing laugh.

"There's a lot of lies and delusion." Jon coaxed, heart beating out of his chest with nerves.

"He's a good storyteller." Hope added, Nikola and Breekon nodding along.

"Hm alright. I guess I can play for a bit."

It didn't stay just for a bit. Michael stayed through the finale of the story and then demanded to start another, their little ragtag group of definitely not heroes causing more chaos than any other player group Jon had ever DMed before. And that was saying something. Hours upon hours passed, Michael disappearing and reappearing to get Jon coffee and tea to keep his voice from giving out.

In the middle of it all Michael began twitching and twisting, glitching in and out of sight before slumping to the ground with a groan, form for once near comprehensible. Another door opened and out walked Helen looking down at the Distortion in disappointment.

"Oh that didn't destroy you. Shame."

"Helen?"

"Hello Jon! I was coming to rescue you given that Michael got a little distracted. Do you want to come to the archives with me?"

Honestly Jon should have been shocked, probably angry. He was definitely sad. And yet the most he felt was just an overwhelming sense of whelp.

Jon vaguely gestured towards Nikola, as much as Breekons hold allowed him to. "Ask her."

"We're not done yet."

"Later then?"

Nikola considered Jon for a long moment, both staring unblinking at each other. "Give us an hour."

To Jons great surprise Helen just nodded and delicately sat on the chair Jon usually frequented in his "freetime" all prim and proper except for the long sharp fingers curling at the edges like corkscrews.

"Now where were we?"

Michael groaned from the floor for once not smiling. Jon felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

"Are you alright?"

"Been better. Been worse. Let's burn this village down!"

There was no end to the tale they had been playing, not with just one session of playtime. Jon felt a bit bad about that, especially because he had left it at a cliffhanger. No one seemed to be angry at him for it, though. Michael had recovered fast and was again his usual ominous cheery, albeit lightly aggressive self. He poked and prodded at Helen like a curious cat while Nikola massaged lotion into Jons skin for the last time and handed him several expensive looking bottles, rattling down a step by step skin care routine he was to follow to the t or else she would break into his house and do it herself.

Hope patted him on the head. "See you around, Archivist."

"You're really letting me go? Just like that?" Jon still couldn't believe it.

Nikola shrugged. "I found another option. And I'd like to keep doing this after the Unknowing."

"Will that be even possible?"

The grin he got from was not at all reassuring. "I don't know~"

Well that was probably the best he would get from her. Jon gave a hesitant tiny wave and, flanked by both Michael and Helen stepped through their door.

Back at the archive no one had even questioned his disappearance. A fact that made Michael and Helen laugh, even though they both refused to leave as Tim, Melanie and Basira questioned him about his whereabouts.

Martin was the only one who took Jons forced vacation in stride. Maybe he even was a little too happy about a group of mannequins harassing him to take better care of himself.

"You're not compromised now, are you?" Basira asked when Jon had settled back into his office after a long shower.

"No? Because I still don't want the world to end?"

"Good."

Somehow Jon knew that she would still keep an eye on him from now on.

~~~

When the day came to blow up the ritual site Jon hadn't slept a wink in three nights and was overcome by guilt. Despite how aweful his initial time at the circus had been and despite him knowing what horrible things Nikola and her kin did in their freetime, Jon still felt bad about probably killing her.

He tried to rationalize his feelings away, connecting his rising anxiety with the fact that Danny still hadn't been found. It was a flimsy denial.

Tim stayed by his side the whole time, resolute in his burning desire for vengeance. Jon was scared that he would loose him to this, too. Had confessed as much to Michael and Helen, who had taken to keeping at least one door manifested somewhere in the tunnels at all times. The two had started to get along well after some initial disagreement. The Spiral, split as it was between the two of them, was weaker in its influence now, leaving more of Michael Shelley and Helen Richardson to make decisions.

They weren't here now. Daisy, Basira and Tim were, setting up explosives and arguing about rescuing people that were already long dead.

And then Nikola appeared and the dance started and nothing made sense anymore.

Jon woke up six months later, Georgie calling him a monster and Basira giving him a statement to "eat" catching him up on everything he had missed. Tim had miraculously survived, having been dragged through a door by either Helen or Michael. Daisy and Basira had encountered Breekon and Hope, who had argued about what they should do with "Jons feral friends" and in the end had led them savely out of the building before it could go boom, muttering about possible inspiration points.

The only one who hadn't been saved was Jon. He tried not to feel too hurt about that.

Coming back to work was as anti climatic as it had been after the kidnapping. The only one who seemed happy to see him was Martin. He had apologized profusely for the hug and promptly stopped doing so when Jon dashed forward and back into Martins warm embrace, finally breaking down.

He had been too caught up in his crying to make a note of the little kiss Martin pressed into his hair.

They all were a little lost after averting the apocalypse, normal everyday life eluding them. Elias might have been out of the picture for the moment, but Peter Lukas had taken over and fighting against the isolation was taking its toll on everyone.

They were all huddled in the breakroom, faces grim and stewing in silence so as to not break into an arguement when they got their delivery.

Breekon and Hope stepped into the small space with their usual nonchalance dragging a scared young man between them, who had a lot of resemblance to Tim.

"Delivery for Jonathan Sims. Nikola says hi."

Tim was the first one up. "No... No no nononononono that can't be. He's dead. Jon. Jon tell me is that really him?!"

Jon looked at the scared man, who had his gaze locked on Tim, recognition slowly dawning on his face. He Looked and he Knew.

"Yes. No one was killed the night Danny disappeared. His group encountered Nikola and her troupe during a rehearsal, got confused and then lost. And was lost ever since. Nikola told me of this. She promised to find him for me, for you."

That was all Tim needed to rush forward, catching his brother in his arms and hugging him close. "Danny!"

Danny clung back just as tightly, awareness barely back. Still obviously shaken and confused.

Jon smiled at the two delivery men. "Thank you. Will he... will he be alright."

Hope shrugged. "Dunno. Nikola said to make him remember bit by bit. Been not Danny for a long time. Might need to get used to it again."

"We'll take it slow." Tim promised, silent tears streaming down his face.

"Good luck. Hey Archivist, do we get inspiration, too?"

Jon laughed, incredulous. The others in the room watched the exchange with varying degress of exasperation and outrage.

"You know what? Yes. Yes you have. And I'll give you all advantage on your rolls next session. Only that one session, though! Same for Nikola. How is she, by the way?"

Breekon made a so-so sign. "Restless. We've waited over six months to find out what happens after  that cliffhanger you gave us."

"Right." He still couldn't believe it. "Tonight 8 o'clock, my flat?"

Twin grins, the most excited he had ever seen them. "See you then, Archivist."

Tim was still gently hushing his brother, rocking back and forth on his feet to try and calm him down a little. And he still had tears streaming down his face, looking like an absolute wreck. But he still managed to join the unimpressed stares that were thrown his way by everyone but Martin, who at this point had just started to roll with the punches.

"You really befriended the clown club and made them rescue literally all of us?" Basira asked in a deadpan voice.

"I kind of feel cheap now." Daisy muttered. "As though those clowns let us win."

"Look, what can I say? Pen and Paper games are fun. I can't blame them. And Nikola did want to start a band."

"Oh my god." Melanie groaned, her head thunking onto the table. "I can't believe it."

"A band?" Basira asked, suddenly much more alert. They really had gotten quite desensitized to the whole monster thing, hadn't they? "What, you can sing?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. But really. Shouldn't we... I mean shouldn't we focus on Danny? There's a cot-"

"I know." Tim interrupted. "We all know there's a cot. I'll take him home, you keep talking about your weird band plans. Monster boss? We talk later, but... thank you."

Silence reigned long enough to follow Tim out of the Institute before Martin piped up, cheeks reddening before he had even opened his mouth. "Could we... Could we have a taste?"

"A taste? Of what? My voice?"

"Hold up, if Sims is going to sing I'll have to record it." Melanie tapped on her phone and held it into the room as one would do a microphone. "Alright go."

Jon sighed, what he didn't do to keep up the group morale.

"Aww shit." Was Basiras conclusion when he was done. "What kind of music were you thinking of playing?"

"Steampunk."

"Count me in."

~~~

Today had been weird, Jon thought, mind reeling from the whiplash of... kindness? That had happened after the delivery of one Danny Stoker. Granted the last month, no

year

had been weird. But this had topped it all. At least it had been a nice weird.

Jon had nearly forgotten about his appointment with a certain group of Strangers when he got back to his flat, overworked, hungry and still processing. So he should be forgiven for the scream he let out when he saw three large figures huddling on his too small couch.

"You haven't been taking care of your skin at all!"

There was no time to duck away from the cold, hard hands that fluttered all over his body. Nikola squished his cheeks like a proper grandmother, clearly unhappy about their elasticity.

"I was in a coma for six months."

"And awake for a few weeks now." A cheerful male voice said from behind him, bringing the smell of pizza with it.

"We were there he didn't take care of himself at all!" Helen added, putting down several cans of soda and what looked to be instant coffee.

"You're horrible!" Nikola wailed, manhandling him until he was squished between Breekon and Hope. "All my beautiful work! Ruined!"

"Uh... sorry?"

"You can make it up to us with weekly sessions." Michael suggested with a grin.

"Both on Saturday and Sunday!" Helen added.

"I actually planned for Sunday to be band day." Jon lied. "Basira wants to join, by the way."

They were all settled around the small coffee table now, food and drink on the floor so they had enough place to roll their dice.

"Wonderful! What did you think we'd name it?"

Jon tilted his head given the illusion of thinking it over even though he had known what to name his band since highschool.

"The Mechanisms."

[bluejayblueskies]

Seen, Unseen, Unsung

Chapter 9/23: stitch by stitch, thread by thread Words: 6.6k

Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims/Tim Stoker Characters: Tim Stoker, Jonathan Sims, Basira Hussain, Melanie King, Daisy Tonner Additional Tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence, End!Tim, Tim Stoker Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence and Trauma, Mild Body Horror

Summary:

“We know that Tim is an avatar of the End, and that he can—what, bring people back from the dead?”

Tim shrugs. It’s an overly casual gesture for a less-than-casual topic, but it’s been a long few days, and he’s tired, and it’s become almost mind-numbingly easy to admit that he’s basically a glorified necromancer.

---

Or, Tim wakes up from the Unknowing with a blank slate where the Institute had been, Danny sitting at his bedside, and a man with too many eyes haunting his dreams.

Read on Ao3

[britcision]

………….

Danny didn’t know Bruce was Batman

Please

Please I need this

Danny comes to meet all his nephews and nieces and they just bring him down to the batcave expecting him to know since Bruce named him the next bat

Danny takes a look around, smiles at the kids, excuses himself to the bathroom

The bathroom does nothing to stop them from hearing the SCREAMING

“BRUCE YOU SON OF A FUCK YOU KNOW I HATE UNDERGROUND SECRET LAIRS YOU PIECE OF SHIT WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE FUCK YOU SAID YOU WERE DIFFERENT YOU ACTUAL ASSHOLE YOU BETTER FUCKING NOT BE DEAD BECAUSE I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU”

(It’s a serious occasion but Cass is still giggling softly)

Danny comes back out looking perfectly fine, all normal, smile twitching just a bit, and they finally explain why he’s here. That they thought he knew Bruce’s alter ego, but if he doesn’t want the mantle…

Danny looks at the lot of ‘em (they’re all there because Plot Convenience fight me), knows exactly what happens if he doesn’t take it, and snatches it angrily

Spends the next 8 hours pretending he is not OBSESSED with his swishy cape

Tim goes to Danny as a last ditch effort with his desperate theory about Bruce not being dead and they need to go get him and Danny just nods casually like it’s obvious

Just “yeah if he was dead I’d know, guess it’s questing time to find out what the fuck actually happened”

After being treated for so long like he’s deluded or grieving or just plan wrong, Tim is floored and asks why tf Danny believes him. How would he know if Bruce was dead??

Danny pats him on the shoulder “takes one to know one kid”

And yeah, Danny has to bat around Gotham with the kids for very important morale reasons, but Tim has full bat resources, backup on standby, and even Dick stops telling him as gently as possible to move on after Danny goes ghost in front of them and declares himself a professional opinion on vital status

(No one even tries to argue Bruce might not become a ghost, he practically was one already he already has the obsession and the haunt)

Mind you, he always needs at least one minder because not only did Danny not know Bruce was Batman he also has no fucking clue what Batman do

Jason, Dick, and Damian all alternately play “he wouldn’t say that” irl with Danny in increasing exasperation

Steph and Cass encourage him whole heartedly

Babs is making a full file of Danny videos for Bruce’s return

Also they just don’t tell the JL about the switch for Mysterious Plot Reasons I Have Not Thought Of Yet because it’s funny to me

Superman has to come quietly tell Danny he knows he isn’t Bruce but the kids are backing him, and Bruce told Clark all about his bestie/kids godfather

Danny grins back and says it’s nice to meet him and his present for Bruce when Bruce gets back (as vengeance for lumping all this on Danny without telling him as Bruce tends to do) is to come back and learn Batman has started being slowly nicer and nicer

If the League notices, they can bully Bruce over being a grump

If they don’t, Bruce has to fess up or be nicer Batman

Bruce and Danny being old friends (possibly more but settled back into friends) and Danny being the Batkid's godfather. Like Bruce some how names Danny each kid's Godfather and asked him to take care of them if anything happens to Bruce.

Now the kid's vaguely know that Bruce has a long time friend who isn't Clark, having heard various Phone calls between Bruce ad the constantly traveling Danny and Bruce has told them about Danny. But some how they never met him.

This all comes to a head when Bruce "dies" (gets lost in the time stream) and they learn of his contingency plan for if he died. For Danny to take care of them and for him to take over the mantel of Batman as Bruce knew none of his kids wanted it. (Or that it didn't suit them despite them trying to deny the fact *Damian*)

[bluejayblueskies]

Seen, Unseen, Unsung

Chapter 8/23: lock and key Words: 7.4k

Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims/Tim Stoker Characters: Tim Stoker, Jonathan Sims, Danny Stoker, Basira Hussain, Melanie King, Daisy Tonner, Minor OCs Additional Tags: End!Tim, Tim Stoker Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence and Trauma, Fluff

Summary:

“We know that Tim is an avatar of the End, and that he can—what, bring people back from the dead?”

Tim shrugs. It’s an overly casual gesture for a less-than-casual topic, but it’s been a long few days, and he’s tired, and it’s become almost mind-numbingly easy to admit that he’s basically a glorified necromancer.

---

Or, Tim wakes up from the Unknowing with a blank slate where the Institute had been, Danny sitting at his bedside, and a man with too many eyes haunting his dreams.

Read on Ao3

[moss-covered-thoughts]

Ohhhh now THIS is some quality angst, a whole nother level of accepting that you're property, not a real human, you cant make decisions for yourself you silly little experiment. He's terrified if he stops going along with their allowances that it'll just get taken away, or theyll find another way to get their data. He's scared they're going to try to make more halfas (kill more ppl and expose them to ectoplasm) so he's gotta be a good test subject. His parents were scientists, he can understand the need to keep an eye on an abnormality, an outlier like himself. At least they're paying for him to go to college, his parents and all their wackiness have excluded them from most collaborators so they don't make much, so hey he gets to move out, go to college, study something cool (astronomy of course), not many ppl get a full ride with stipends, he should be grateful. He can put up with the medical monitors in his room, the cameras, the tracking devices on him, the staff that come in and take measurements periodically. It's all willing right, theyre not forcing him, so really it's not that bad.

Tim though. Tim is pissed. Hes finally met a guy who actually likes him for him, they enjoy spending time together, and geez he's practically a genius. Tim is swooning. And then that curveball comes around. Said so casually, as a passing remark, and Danny looked like he had immediately regretted saying it, looking around the room nervously before focusing back on Tim. Tim, who's eyes were not laser focused on the boy in front of him, was mentally dong summersaults trying to piece together what he knew of Danny. Not much, typical kid who moved to college to get away from home, on scholarship, small town to big city change.... Yeah he would be doing some research tonight. As soon as he left home in fact. He told Danny to text him later because he's a bit concerned without nonchalantly this cute guy completely disregarded his own autonomy.... And he wants to know which part of the American government had decided that was ok to do to someone.

Yeah. Research night. He wasn't getting any sleep.

Extra bonus points if Tim up until that point didn't know Danny was a meta. Now is wondering, maybe alien? He knows some aliens (Starfire, Superman) he can probably find something right?

Except his searches for alien reports of pull up nothing.

He goes to the meta theory. Nothing.

Finally he goes deeper into Danny's backstory and finds info on Amity Park.

The town is seriously haunted by ghosts? What type of Midwestern bit of superstitious shit is this?

And then he reads the news. Finds pictures. Finds reports.

He starts to connect the dots

...

Maybe further, Tim eventually figures out Danny must be either a ghost or something related, he's not sure. He found out Danny was forcibly separated from his two friends in high school to be studied. When he finally.get all his info together he decides to go confront Danny about it, only to find him not answering texts and the apartment is empty. Completely cleared out. (Maybe the GIW thought Danny's remark at the cafe/study date/platonic friend? Got too close to a real relationship, too close to share too much) and pulled him out.

Oh well. that's what Danny gets for getting too comfortable.

"Date? Me?'

Tim nods, milkshake in hand, sitting outside of McDonald's with his study buddy, Danny.

The other teen looked flabbergasted with a firm blush building up.

Tim found him utterly adorable.

"I can't date anyone? I'm property of.the goverment."

Tim Drake-Wayne, aka Red Robin, has various questions to that statement.