#Danny has cats

[robinsegghead]

Danny's Daycare Part 3

        [Master List]

Danny sighed, picking up the last of the toys and dusting his hands off. Today had been an all-time max of six kids. Ember had been a lifesaver (ha) taking over the majority of tasks for the day, knowing he wasn’t mentally present. Lunch Lady had stepped up as well, playing with the kids Ember didn’t have her eyes on and letting Danny take as many breaks as he needed.

            He felt ridiculous. He barely knew the man, he shouldn’t be so shaken.

            Trying to focus on something else, he thought about the recent growth of the daycare. He had known from the beginning that if the daycare was successful he’d need to hire help, but he hadn’t thought about it much more than that. With his duplicates and Ember and the Lunch Lady’s help he had a handle. Dora worked more in the background, helping Danny with paperwork and purchasing supplies (mostly clothes) for the kids. Some of the other ghosts who’d originally offered their help had gotten caught up in other things (read; obsessions) and hadn’t been around.

            It was fine.

            Hiring help was going to be even more difficult with Ember and Lunch Lady around, anyone he hired would have questions about their appearances. As it was, the parents were already getting confused about why they’d never met the other staff at the daycare.

            He hadn’t taken a day off since opening the daycare and while hiring someone who would actually help was tempting, it wasn’t likely. He didn’t have any applicants as of yet and most of the parents didn’t have kids looking for part time work as a childcare worker. He was here to help those who already had jobs keep said jobs. Between the daycare, the realms, Jazz, his friends, and Gotham University asking if he’d like to teach some engineering classes, Danny was entirely booked. He didn’t have time to vet new employees.

            It had been two weeks since he’d managed to do brunch with Jazz.

            All he wanted to do was pass out in bed and enjoy that tomorrow was Saturday, and he could sleep in before going to the realms. But tonight he was supposed to bring Mrs. Bianchi’s family dinner. He grimaced, remembering the man he’d saved a few weeks prior and offered a job when he got out of the hospital. The man who’d gratefully accepted the offer and planned on building the fence for Danny’s Daycare. The man who apparently had enemies that sought him out the moment he left the safety of his own home.

            Although it wasn’t uncommon, not everyone was so understanding of those who became goons. Mrs. Bianchi was struggling to keep her and her family together. Her daughter, Allegra, had been a regular face at his daycare every day since he’d gotten the call and after hearing about her father, he’d offered to bring them dinner to help out. It took a lot of convincing, but finally, she’d allowed it.

            So, no break tonight. But that was alright.

            The Bianchi’s needed a break more than he did.

            And he needed to help.

            His apartment was, thankfully, very close by, and he’d already prepared the casserole ahead of time. They would only need to throw it in the oven for twenty minutes to warm it up, but he wanted to do something extra nice, something that showed he was thinking about them. An hour later, with a casserole and a plate of fresh cookies in hand, Danny made his way to the Bianchi’s.

            “Mr. Nightingale!” A voice called out warmly. He paused, a short way from the front door, looking for the voice. A dark-haired woman was crouched by the front garden, herbs in hand. “I’m Mia, mama said you’d be coming by.”

            Returning her smile, he nodded. “Hi Mia, you can call me Danny. I brought dinner?” She nodded towards the door and led him inside.

            The home was warm and welcoming, knick knacks and tchotchkes decorated every surface and wall, family pictures sat among them, it was a beautiful home. Not that he knew what a home was supposed to feel or look like. 

            Mia led him into the kitchen and directed him to place the goodies he’d brought on the stovetop. Just as he’d set down the containers of food, a small body crashed into his legs, he managed to keep his balance.

            “’Llegra!” Mia shouted. “Sorry Mr.- Danny.”

            Danny crouched down to speak with Allegra, tell her hello and ask how she was doing, but she immediately crawled into his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

            “Allegra, that is-” Mia started, sounding tired.

            “It’s okay.” Danny stood up, the girl held close in his arms. He didn’t mention the wet spot on his shoulder. “I’m sure little miss Allegra just wanted to say hello.” He rubbed her back soothingly. “Is your mother home?” He asked, hoping he sounded older than he was. He wanted to sound like a grownup- an adult who knew what he was doing. Not some kid with a surplus of wealth and a gung-ho attitude.

            Mia hesitated a moment, still looking like she wanted to make Allegra get down but decided better of it. “She’s this way.”

            Carrying Allegra, Danny followed the older girl. The two sisters looked a lot alike with dark wavy hair, thick eyebrows, and strong cheekbones and it was clear Mia felt close with Allegra. Why did Danny keep running into siblings who reminded him of his and Jazz’s relationship? Not every sibling duo is the same as his!

            In the living room he found a woman who looked exactly like Mia, or he supposed, the other way around, just a bit older. There were gray hairs in her raven black hair and laugh lines and crow’s feet adorning her face. She was still beautiful. She was going through a pile of photos with a sad look on her face. She looked up as they walked into the room and masked her pain. He knew that feeling all too well.

            “Mrs. Bianchi, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” He shifted the squirming child in his arms. “The casserole just needs to be reheated and I made brownies.”

            Mrs. Bianchi gave her daughter a look. Mia gently pulled Allegra out of Danny’s arms and left. Danny wanted to ask what that was about but gave the woman time to arrange her thoughts. “I didn’t trust you.” She started. “My Victor told me… you’d offered him a job. I’d heard that before and it ended with him getting shot in an alleyway.”

            She let out a shuddering breath, placing her fingers on a picture of what he could only assume was her late husband. “But what would a scumbag have to gain from saving a dying stranger in an alleyway?" Her voice was almost a whisper. “He insisted on trusting you and I trusted him.”

            “I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Bianchi. I- I don’t know what you’re going through but… I’d like to help in any way that I can. If you’ll let me.” He understood pain he understood pain she’d never understand but he had no idea what losing your spouse was like. He’d never lost anyone to death, not like this.

            Her eyes pierced his, he tried not to fidget as she peered into his soul. “Maybe he was right to trust you Mr. Nightingale.” She stood, putting the pictures aside. “Thank you for looking after Allegra, I believe you’ll be seeing more of her for a while yet. And,” She paused. “I believe you’ll see an influx in children in the coming days.”

            He wasn’t sure what she meant, but didn’t ask as he was shown outside soon after.

~~~

            Exhaustion was a feeling Danny was getting used to. To be completely frank, he’d been getting used to the feeling since he was a child, and his parents Jack and Maddie forgot his seventh birthday because they’d gotten the idea to create a ghost portal. That was more of a mental and emotional exhaustion but when he was fourteen and died because of said ghost portal… that was a physical exhaustion.

            Still, he wasn’t sure the last time he’d felt this bone deep exhaustion in his human form. He remembered the last time he’d felt this way in his ghost form he remembered the feeling of the blade slipping under his skin he remembered the taunts Jack and Maddie threw at him as he cried and screamed he remembered dissociating to save himself from-

            “Hey, why don’t you move away from the edge?”

            Seriously, how were so many people sneaking up on Danny these days? First Tim, then Damian, now this guy?! Looking up (Or maybe it was down? Danny was on his back so the man in front of him appeared to be upside down) Danny recognized Nightwing and sighed. He’d been so clear with the others about not running into vigilantes, and now here he was… running into one of them.

            Hey, at least it was one of the supposedly nicer ones.

            “I’m not gonna jump man.” Danny groaned. “Too tired anyways.”

            Gravel crunched under the vigilante’s feet as he approached. “I’d still feel a lot more comfortable if you weren’t one careless move away from becoming a pancake.”

            Danny chuckled. “Your comfort isn’t exactly my concern.” Nightwing came into view, frowning. “Don’t look at me like that, man. You’ll make me feel bad.”

            “Well we wouldn’t want that.” His tone was sarcastic, and his frown had turned into a smirk. “If my discomfort isn’t your concern why should your happiness be mine?”

            The halfa stifled a laugh. “Aren’t you supposed to be a hero or something?”

            “Vigilante.” Nightwing amended.

            “Same difference.”

            Nightwing crouched beside Danny, watching him like a hawk. It was uncomfortable. The angle Nightwing was watching him from while Danny was lying on his back reminded him of-

            Bolting upright, Danny shifted away from the edge and Nightwing simultaneously; the vigilante watched him with confusion, reaching out to help until he realized Danny was hyperventilating. “Hey- hey, hey, breathe with me, okay? In,” He took in an exaggerated breath. “Out.” He exhaled loudly and repeated the action a few times.

            Danny evened out his breathing easily (he didn’t need to breathe so it wasn’t difficult once his brain remembered that fact) and leaned against the HVAC behind him. “Sorry.” He managed, embarrassed, looking out towards the city.

            The vigilante watched him for another minute before fully sitting down and following Danny’s gaze. “So what are you doing up here?”

            “I like heights, needed a good view after the last few weeks.” They lapsed into comfortable silence after that, though Danny was sure Nightwing was planning on asking a few more questions. He’d enjoy the silence for now.

            The city was much louder than Amity on its loudest night and he couldn’t say he loved the sounds, but he loved that it sounded nothing like his hometown. His hometown that sounded like silence and willing ignorance and purposeful arrogance and bigotry. His feelings towards Amity were mixed but mostly leaned towards ‘would only visit again if it were a matter of life and death’ (and even then he might not because he was already alive and dead).

            Gotham’s least desirable feature was the smog that blocked out the night sky. It had been too long since Danny had been able to see the clear night sky, trace the constellations with his eyes, and calm his breathing while reciting facts about space. Lady Gotham was going to owe him big time after all this was done.

            “Where are you from?” Nightwing asked, settling on one of the most boring questions he could have asked.

            Danny rolled his eyes. “What an original question, Nightwing. I’m assuming my accent gave it away?” The vigilante nodded. “Illinois.” He had no intention of mentioning Amity Park to anyone in Gotham. Tucker had given Danny and his sister new identities after the Incident, and he had promised no one would be able to figure out who they had been before. Danny tended to trust Tucker’s abilities, but when it came to Amity Park, the Fenton’s, the GIW, and ghosts, he leaned towards paranoid. Plus, the birds and bats were notorious for getting whatever information they wanted.

            “Why on Earth would you move to Gotham?” Nightwing laughed.

            “Someone asked for my help.” Danny admitted. “I can’t say no when someone wants help so… here I am.”

            Nightwing nodded, knowingly. “And what do you do?”

            “Opened a daycare in the Bowery.” The vigilante’s eyebrows lifted, surprised. “The friend who wanted my help has a friend who…. well they’re very rich and it’s entirely free. I just run things, make sure parents are able to go to work without leaving their kids home alone.” Danny shrugged.

            “That sounds really helpful.” Nightwing smiled. “So the exhaustion..?”

            “Oh yeah, kids are a nightmare. Not something I ever thought I’d do, but I’m good with them- I had a really good example of what not to do.” He chuckled bitterly earning a frown from the vigilante, but he didn’t notice it. “Even with how exhausting they are… they’re good kids. Like, Marco, he told me his dad used to leave him home alone while he was at work- the kids five! But his poor dad could either quit his job, leave his kid home alone, or turn to gooning. So…. Daycare.”

            Nightwing’s smile had only grown through Danny’s little rant. “I’m sure Marco and his dad are both grateful to you.”

            Danny stood, dusting his pants. “They should be grateful to the person who asked for my help, I’m not doing all that much myself, wouldn’t have even thought to do it if they hadn’t asked. You on the other hand, you guys do a lot for this city. No one asked, and I’m sure people don’t always thank you.” He offered the vigilante a hand and pulled him up.

            Now, Danny was pretty confident in his appearance, but when Nightwing stood up straight Danny was once again reminded that he was only 5’6”. Nightwing was clearly half a foot (or more) taller, and it was…. Well it was annoying. Pushing down that observation, Danny turned towards the rooftop exit door. “I’ll see you around, Nightwing.”

            “Hey, wait-”

            But Danny really didn’t want the birds and bats getting too close to him, so he let the door swing closed behind him, turned invisible, and flew back to his apartment.

            He was really tired.

~~~

            Danny woke to a crying sound. It took him a full panic-stricken thirty seconds to remember the kittens he’d taken in and relax marginally. He’d been giving the sick on its medicine, feeding them on a schedule, scooping the litter, and everything else he thought he was supposed to do, but he’d been busy and hadn’t gotten around to spending much time with them.

            Or naming them.

            Ancients dammit Danny!

            Rolling out of bed, Danny followed the crying sound coming from the living room. Mama cat was sitting on the couch cleaning herself, and the three little kittens were trying to find a way to follow her up. She clearly wasn’t interested in helping them.

            Dropping down next to them, Danny held out his hand. The orange kitten -despite being sick and making little wheezing sounds at all times- was clinging to the side of the couch a few inches off of the ground and crying for help. Gently, Danny cupped his hands around the little cat’s body and pulled him away from the couch.

            “Hey little guy, curiosity killed the cat, so I’d be careful if I were you.” He held the kitten close and scratched under his chin. He nipped at Danny’s finger and twisted his body to escape, only Danny’s quick reflexes kept the kitten from falling to the floor. “Woooah there! Curious little guy aren’t you?”

            He set the orange kitten down and noticed the calico had disappeared. Looking around frantically, he found her on the opposite side of his apartment, (seemingly) looking out the balcony door. “How’d you get all the way over there?” He chuckled, following the kitten and looking out the door. “You can’t really see the stars in Gotham.” She meowed in response.

            After a few moments of staring out into the starless sky, Danny noticed the calico toddle away from him. It seemed Mama had decided she’d had enough time to herself and had jumped back down into the reach of her children. The kittens barreled into her; she laid down so they could nurse, and Danny watched, an idea coming to him.

            He felt the need to make their names official, so he found a website that made custom nametags for pets and put in his order. Instead of putting away his phone he snapped a picture of the cats and sent it to his newest contact.

Danny: Thank you again for all of your help the other night, Damian!

Danny: [Image of three kittens nestled into their mother’s belly]

Danny: I decided on names for them. The orange cat is Curiosity (like the mars rover lol), the Calico is Cosmos, and the white one is Spectre. Mama cat is Mars but I’m gonna call her Marzipan!

Danny: This is Danny by the way.

~~~

            Damian couldn’t fathom who was messaging him at this time of night, but he wished they would stop. Father kept looking at him strangely from the batcomputer every time his phone vibrated. They’d called it an early night due to father still recovering from an injury and Damian having a test in his first class the following morning. Damian had just finished taking his gear off and was planning on hitting the showers just as his phone began buzzing.

            Father quirked an eyebrow at him as he swiped his phone away. “I’m sure it is Grayson spamming the family group chat with meaningless memes again.” He explained nonchalantly.

            It was not, in fact, Grayson.

Unknown: Thank you again for all of your help the other night, Damian!

Unknown: [Image of three kittens nestled into their mother’s belly]

Unknown: I decided on names for them. The orange cat is Curiosity (like the mars rover lol), the Calico is Cosmos, and the white one is Spectre. Mama cat is Mars but I’m gonna call her Marzipan!

Unknown: This is Danny by the way

            Damian had not given that fool his number to be spammed with useless information- what kind of name was curiosity? Why were they all seemingly space themed? Despite his annoyance, Damian responded.

Damian: How is the sick one healing?

            He didn’t expect a quick response, it was almost four in the morning, why had the man been up so early anyways? He got a response almost immediately.

Unknown: Curiosity’s healing pretty well although he hates the medicine and it’s a battle every time I have to give it to him!

Damian: That is unacceptable. Fighting a sick cat will not contribute to its healing.

Unknown: He hasn’t missed a dose or anything, he just squirms a lot! 

Damian: Do you require assistance?

            Damian refused to change the man’s name in his phone until he knew his last name. He would not be calling him…. Danny. Unfortunately, Damian was only a volunteer at the vet clinic and as such had not been privy to any of Danny’s personal information and therefore, did not know his last name. It felt strange to ask for it.

Unknown: Nah it’s fine, just wanted to show you they’re doing all right and I appreciate you helping me figure this all out!

            He did not feel a spike of happiness shoot through him- that would be ridiculous. Something this simple from a complete stranger, albeit a strange who listened to all of his advice and took him seriously when others never did, would not make him happy!

Damian: I could not let someone completely untrained take care of animals, especially when one was sick.

Unknown: :’) You do care

            “Damian?” Father’s voice cut into his thoughts. Looking up he realized he’d stopped short of the shower room and had ended up having the entire conversation over text in the entryway between the main cave and the showers. Father raised an eyebrow, glancing between his son and the phone. “Is everything all right?”

            He nodded sharply, turning off the phone and pushing away the ridiculous feelings he’d been having. “I’m fine father. I’ll just shower and head to bed for the night.” He didn’t bother looking at his phone again for the rest of the night.

Prev. Next

[somnoir]

Damian's future husband

Got inspired by this specific line in a Tumblr thread and my brain went to work

Phantom was a strange hero—a vigilante that often worked with Justice League Dark. Constantine was always so antsy around the man, while Phantom himself often muttered about taxes and blasted fragments whenever said trech coat man was in the vicinity.

The Bats were, of course, initially apprehensive of the death defying being that could rip a man skeleton out of their body, manipulate space itself to rip open portals to different dimensions, and vanish better than they did. They were wary, mildly hostile after realising that Phantom had now issue killing.

But then time passed and Phantom was proven to not be a serial killer but only used killing as a last resort. Though Batman wasn't too pleased, he was—begrudgingly—tolerant of that. Because, yes, Phantom was a nice guy, a very likeable person in general. He made sure that the environmental damage during battles were kept to a minimum, he chose civilians over the enemy whenever it came to hostage situations, he was tactile and kind, and he cared so much for the innocent that he was willing to lose his innocence to keep theirs.

Of course Batman was fond of the young man, especially when he found out that Jason of all people had some sort of crush on him. A very big and almost pathetic one that he and Alfred would watch while sipping tea.

Seriously, Jason was his son! Has he not learned anything from his Brucie persona? The poor thing was like a Victorian maiden and would be scandalised at the mere thought of showing an ankle.

It was embarrassing how he'd practically start blue screening the moment Phantom was in the vicinity. As a father, Bruce was gracious enough not to bully his poor son whenever it came to Phantom. His siblings, on the other hand, held no such qualms and mercilessly dug into Jason.

In all honesty, he pitied Jason after hearing that Phantom assumed that Jason just didn't like him.

He really had to talk to him.

"You fucking hypocrite."

And that was a failure because Bruce forgot that he was just as constipated as his son.

"I'm not taking advice from the man who couldn't even try to be softer in his secret crush!"

With that, Jason slammed the door and left.

Okay... Plan B?

But what the hell was plan B?

Right.

Dick Grayson.

Bruce: About your brother...

Bird child #1: OH MY GOD

Bird child #1: THANK FUCK YOU FINALLY MENTIONED IT

Bruce: it's become an issue

Bruce: Alfred has commented that it's pathetic now.

Bird child #1: Wait wait

Bird child #1: I'll add you to the group chat!

And this Bruce Wayne found himself in a GC named 'Phantom of the Watchtower'. Along with all the complaints expressed by both family and friends when it came to Jason's bullshit.

Ah well... At least he wasn't alone in the suffering.

(Jason did not need to know that there was a video of him grappling through Gotham, Phantom passing by and waving at him, and Jason proceeding to hit a wall mid flight.)

Dick knows that his little wing has had trouble in relationships for a long time. His resurrection changed him, changed how he perceived his relationships. Dick didn't have the heart to be mad about it.

Phantom's arrival was a breath of fresh air for them.

But he suspects that Jason's attraction began with the fact that Phantom had died young as well. Fourteen from what was said. He had died much younger than Jason and had came back a hero, willing to protect the innocent and do what was best for those around him. Sometimes Dick suspects that Jason not only wanted to be with Phantom, but also to be similar to him.

Now he's watching Jason fumble with his words again, immediately going quiet once he realized that nothing coherent was coming out of his mouth. The helmet most likely hid how red his face was.

"Are you alright?" Phantom asked, frowning up at Jason. "You don't feel too good. Is the corrupted ecto acting up again? Oh, I knew I should have sped up the process of removing it but then it'd be very painful if I did it at once. And Frostbite recommended that we went slowly so we could monitor the side effect... And, and—"

"I'm okay." Red Hood immediately assured, his hand practically flying to Phantom's cheek then he shoved it down before he could even touch Phantom. "It's been a long day."

"Is the Joker out again?" Phantom's frown deepened.

Another thing Dick has learned about the dead and the undead! The fact that their murderer was still active unsettled then greatly and affected their entire mentality and behaviour.

"No. No. He hasn't tried escaping."

Phantom hummed, "I see. So what's bothering you."

"It's nothing." Jason grunted, sounding a little too much like Bruce for Dick's liking.

Okay, nope, he wasn't going to let this continue if his baby brother was going to continue making Phantom assumed he didn't like him. Nightwing to the rescue!

"Phantom! Hi!" Nightwing quite literally dropped into the alley, running his fingers through his hair and smoothly directing Jason away from whatever catastrophic misunderstanding he was walking into.

"Hello Nightwing! It's nice to see you again? How's Kori? Oooh! I wanted to invite her to a space date again—" He rambled on and on, eyes practically starry. Wait, nevermind. His eyes really were starry.

(Meanwhile, Jason was cursing his older brother for taking the attention from but also very thankful that Phantom didn't have to witness his stupidity again.)

Tim had noticed that the Joker hasn't attempted to break out in a long... Long time.

It's not a bad thing, no. It was great, in all honesty. But of course, Tim was paranoid, almost batshir crazy (pun intended, in the words of his damn boyfriends). The surveillance feed on Arkham was updated a long time ago, watching it very closely until static overtook the screen.

"Replacement," Tim startled, blinking before he saw Jason peering at him with a questioning look. Practically interrogating him on the spot. "The hell is that?"

"I don't know." Tim clicked his tongue, "This hasn't happened after Babs and I updated those damn cameras. Fuck, give me a second..."

"Did the Joker get out?" Jason practically growled.

"No, no. I'm sure he didn't. He would have been causing trouble by now." Tim reassured, clicking his tongue again before the feed went back to normal. Joker's cell seemed perfectly fine, with the Joker fast asleep on his little cot. "See, just some static. Maybe Phantom passed by."

The mere mention of Phantom has Jason blue screening, instincts kicking in as his older brother shoved his helmet over his head again. Then the idiot gets on his bike and speeds out of the cave.

Coward.

Tim whipped his head around, quickly surveying the area.

The static wasn't random. Phantom always had to be in front of the camera to directly affect the feed. So thank fuck when he made friends with Phantom's teammate—Pharaoh—and figured out how to fix any distorted imagery.

He sees Phantom standing over the Joker's unconscious body, plunging his hand into the maniac's chest and pulled out a glowing green orb. A core, from what he remembered. Holy shit, was the Joker a ghost too?

But he saw how Phantom seemed to put restraints around it, literal chains before shoving it back inside.

Slowly, Phantom turned to the camera, his entire figure still distorted, but he could see that fanged grin that his brother seemed to swoon over.

(The Joker was still alive, very much, but no one could understand how he was stuck in an almost permanent coma. Tim wasn't going to give Jason even more reason to start giggling over Phantom, unless he wanted to ruin the entire Dead on Main operation.)

Damian did not quite understand the insanity that was multiple individuals (including those that were not of their brood) attempting to matchmake Todd with Phantom. He didn't understand what was so great about Phantom, in all honesty.

He was heroic, powerful, and quite intelligent. Many people held similar traits. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a deathly being that attracted Todd in the first place.

"Hello, Robin!" Phantom greeted one day, eyes shimmering like the stars in his cape. "Superboy said you had something to tell me?"

Damian shifted slightly, "Yes. Are you aware of the Lazarus Pits?"

"Ah... Yes, of course. My court and I have been trying to destroy all of them. The Lazarus is corrupted ectoplasm that has been mixed with filth of all kinds." Phantom hummed.

"Filth of all kinds... Disgusting." Damian frowned, nose scrunching up at the memory that he's bathed in those pits before. "But I digress. I would like to assist in the destruction of the pits. Father and the rest of the family has fretted over my grandfather's pits for many years and we have barely grazed the surface on what the Lazarus truly was."

"I see! I was planning on asking Batman to help out on that. But since you've already asked, would you like to come to the Realms? I'm sure you can interrogate some of the ghosts your grandfather has wronged." Phantom grinned, already offering Damian a hand. He was floating, while Damian stood in the roof and stared at the hand.

It reminded him of the kryptonians. But Phantom's hand was cold and he didn't yank Damian the same way Jon often did.

No, Phantom took Damian's hand and then proceeded to hook an arm around Damian's waist, pulling him of the roof and into the air. And then they were flying into a glowing green portal that reminded Damian of the pits.

The moment they were in the infinite realms, Damian felt the overwhelming pressure of the dead. He swallowed the bile that rose from his throat as Phantom set him down on solid ground. The entire place felt eerie and strange, of course it was. This was the afterlife.

"Right, I forgot." Phantom cursed, "You're not as liminal as my family. Give me a second, baby bat." He murmured, his hand glowing green before it's gently pushed into Damian's chest. A sudden wave of warmth overtook his entire body and Damian stared at the ghost.

"I'm giving you a bit of Ecto to reduce any discomfort here in the realms. It'll flush itself out in 24 hours so don't worry about becoming overly liminal." Phantom smiled softly, before he offered his hand to Damian again. "Let's go? I have to stop by my keep to check the records of Al Ghuls victims."

"Of course."

And instead of being carried like a cat, Phantom picked him up bridal style and flew past what seemed to be floating islands and towards a large red and purple castle.

Is this was Todd feels? Damian asked himself, oddly enjoying this experience.

The moment they landed—

"Your majesty!" A floating eyeball yelled, rushing towards them. "You've brought an outsider—"

"Away with you." Phantom snapped, a crown and cape of stars suddenly appearing on him. "This is Robin. Ra's Al Ghul's grandchild."

"The Demon's head..."

"Yes, now shoo." Phantom snapped, before leading Damian away from the eyeball. "I'm sorry for my Observants. They're a conservative bunch."

"You are a king?"

"Mhm... Though I don't like to advertise it. The last king was a tyrant and I defeated him a little while after my death. I never intended to be king, in all honesty. But here I am." He gestured to the crown of fire and ice and the cape of stars. His grin was strained and quite troubled but he didn't mind leading Damian towards a large room filled with bigger files.

"Now, would you like to search yourself or do you want me to have someone else do it?"

Damian grimaced at the sight. "I'd prefer for someone else to suffer."

And that's how Damian found himself touring the realms, with Phantom happily bringing Damian to the arena where a ghost named Skulker awaited them. The man was a hunter, respectful towards Phantom yet troublesome as he challenged him. Phantom looked utterly annoyed, before he turned to Damian with sparkling eyes.

"What about you, Robin?"

And then Damian was fighting everyone and everything in the realms at the behest and amusement of Phantom. The ghost king provided him with different weapons each time an enemy switched.

It's only when they returned to the land of the living that he's informed that any weapon he's used is now his.

And he has a cat with him! The ghost of a small yet ferocious kitten that had his under Phantom's cape whilst Damian and other ghosts fought to glorious battle. Phantom kindly offered her to him, naming her Astra with the star shaped pupils in her eyes.

Damian is quite sure he has fallen in love.

Damian returns to the manor, utterly awestruck and infatuated. Thankfully (unfortunately), Todd is in attendance when Phantom carries him out of the portal, still held in a bridal carry with Damian actively clinging to Phantom like he had hung the stars (maybe he did).

"Sorry if we worried you! Robin wanted to help with our Lazarus problems since it's also your problem too." Phantom quickly explains once he saw Batman's troubled expression. "Don't worry about your gifts. I'll figure out a way to make you a dimensional bag."

Damian stared, "May I visit the realms again? If you would be amendable to it."

"Of course! You're my favorite, so why wouldn't I?"

Hah! Hear that? Take that, Todd!

Phantom vanishes into his portal seconds later, leaving Damian with the most beautiful and intricated sword in his hands. Blinking quietly, he whirled around and pointed the sword at Jason, who instinctively went into a battle stance.

"You may be my brother, Todd, but if you have not married Phantom once I am of age, I shall fight for his hand in marriage himself."

(Jason knows very well that Damian isn't joking and proceeds to practically plan the most novel-esque confession to date. Jane Austen might just be proud.)

Masterpost

[geekgirles]

Ironically, I feel we, as a Phandom, don't talk about Sam's Friend to All Living Things status enough.

[goingtoast]

dannnnnnyyyyyyyyyy ft. Little baby man

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 112

Once again, you know who is underutilized in DCxDP crossovers? Battinson. Skrunkly shivering boi. Who we should definitely give children to care for. 

 Did you know that Jason canonically had a brother named Danny? Well you do now, and it should also be used more. 

 We all want to give Battinson a robin, so why not give him four for the price of two. He of course gets Dick from the circus- he’s never going to go into public again, this was the first time he’d gone to do something out of his comfort zone for a while and look how that turned out. 

 And on one of the nights that Dick has to stay home (Alfred insists he must finish his homework if he wants to go out on patrol) Bruce returns to the batmobile to find not one child, but two. Is Danny reincarnated? Just appeared one day? Who knows, but he’s here now and going to protect his little brother. 

 Bruce might have tears in his eyes when they both hit him in the kneecaps and bolt because even with the armor it still hurts. How he manages to grab both kids he’s not too sure, but he ends up getting them food after they put the tires back. He also doesn’t understand how he’s convinced them into the car but they’ve both conked out and maybe he’s panicking and needs Alfred- 

 D-Dick why is there another child here? He’s the neighbor, cool cool. W-what do you mean he’s home alone, he’s like, 4?? What do you mean he’s been alone for a week now???

…

Alfreeeeed-

[deadsetobsessions]

Danny stared at his nemesis, slowing his walk to a complete stop.

“Don’t,” he pleaded.

The devil incarnate glared back at him, somehow conveying its disdain, disinterest, and malicious intent in one cold stare.

“I swear to Ancients-!”

Mr. Muffins, Jazz’s college cat, meowed loudly and slapped the glass off of the counter.

“No!” Danny dove at the glass, skidding across the tile just in time to catch Jazz’ favorite cup as tipped over and plummeted towards the cold hard floor. “Oh my- you little devil! Mr. Muffins, you little shit!”

Mr. Muffins flicked a tail and sat down calmly as Danny sprung back up to place the cup into the sink.

“You stinky bastard, Jazz would have killed me!”

Danny picked the cat up and held him by the armpits, dangling the cat. Mr. Muffins, no longer simply disdainful, meowed loudly and tried to wiggle away.

“Listen, here, Mr. Muffins- ah! No, you’re not allowed to run away! You have to take responsibility for your actions,” Danny slipped into Ghost Speak as he lectured Mr. Muffins, a rather harried look smushed across his face. He didn’t hear the door open, but he did hear Jazz call out to him.

“Danny, stop bullying Mr. Muffins!”

“Maybe if you parented Mr. Muffins right, he wouldn’t be trying to knock your favorite cup all over the place! If it weren’t for me,” Danny swayed Mr. Muffins, who had become docile as he caught sight of Jazz, like a fluffy and long pendulum. “Your cup would be pieces all over the floor right now!”

Jazz tossed her keys onto the table. “Right… and that definitely didn’t have anything to do with you putting your cup too close to the edge like I told you not to?”

Danny stared at her, mouth gaping in offense. Alright, so it did have to do with that, but it was offensive how fast she came to that conclusion. Danny said as much to Jazz, who smirked and plucked her cat from his grip.

“Have you considered that you’re easily predictable, dork?” Jazz cuddled Mr. Muffins, who was purring up a storm, and walked towards her room.

“Rude! Are you calling me basic?”

“If the shoes fit, Danny-O!” Jazz hollered back. Mr. Muffins mewed as if to punctuate her sentence.

“I hate that cat,” Danny grumbled, grinning fondly. “Now that you’re back, I’m gonna go visit Tim and Tucker! They’re over at Tucker’s for a project!”

“Kay!” Jazz yelled back. “Don’t run into to much trouble and be back before three A.M.!”

“Yes, mother!” Danny put on his shoes and started walking.

——

Danny, along with a handful of dumbstruck civilians, stared down at the unconscious clown. Then, they stared at Danny’s hand in shock and awe. Danny too, stared at his own hand, but in abject betrayal.

“Shit. Jazz is gonna kill me.” He mumbled, pulling out his phone.

“Hey, Tucker. Yeah, sorry, I’m gonna be late.” Danny paused, glancing back down at the clown, up at the still shocked goons, and sighed. “I- uh, knocked out the Joker by accident. Maybe broke his nose.”

Danny heard Tim’s muffled “WHAT?!” and silently concurred because what? He thought villains in Gotham were made of sturdier stuff?!

“Can you tell Jazz? I gotta,” Danny held up the phone, so it could pick up the loud sirens approaching his position. “Deal with the cops.”

Danny pouted as Tucker laughed at him.

[ghostbsuter]

The house of Nightingale & Constantine ( P. 1 )

> next part

.・゜-: ✧ :-

You know, when Batman reassured him (was it tho? His way of using words is a bit... confusing.) of bringing in a third person for their common problem, Phantom, Danny, didn't press nor worry.

He regrets it now, just a little bit.

—

Dick liked Danny.

The small guy has been an absolute delight!

(He isn't grinning when he and Damian duke it out, doesnt watch fondly when Danny and Jason exchange the most weirdest ways of insulting someone or when He and Steph gossip, Cass sitting behind him with her hands in his hair.)

(He can see from the corner of his eye the way Tim hides a grin behind his hand, texting Danny someone rapidly and their Guest laughing at random times, the way even Duke, despite wearing the sunglasses, seems to warm up pretty quickly to their new brother friend.)

(It's doesn't help that he has black hair and blue eyes either.)

Danny has been living with them for some time now, temporarily as it may be, and grew on them all pretty quickly.

Bruce told them when Constantine arrived at the cave, seemingly irritated for unknown reasons, and they all were ushered to the elevator.

There is no noise as they arrive, Danny few feet off the ground and engaged on a hot topic with Steph as they go down the stairs.

The moment Constantine is in sight however, has their resident ghost snapping out of the conversation and zooming in on the man from afar.

It's kind of funny? The way his black hair fluffs up like in a Ghibli Movie, the way his eyes narrow to slits, glowing a faint green.

Many shout in alarm at the sight of agitation (?), Dick sees Constantines own eyes glow a eery gold??

It's like two cats staring down one another, a showdown.

(Someone should record this.)

The two meet down in the middle of the cave, Danny is bristling and John scowling.

"Really Bats? A Nightingale?" The blond man scoffs, pushing his hands into the pockets of his coat, hands roaming for cigarettes probably.

"Excuse me? I thought the line of Constantine died out back then, with the way you handle your stuff." The teen hisses back, a hand running through his poofed up hair.

"Hah!" The Hellblazer gives a mocking laugh, cigar already in hand and lit. "'With the way we handle our stuff'? Weren't the Nightingales out of commission not so long ago?"

The glow might have died out, but the tension only rose higher.

Danny turns to Batman, glowering.

"Asking for the help of the house of Constantine? Are you crazy? Those nutjobs have no self-preservation!"

John's eye twitches at the remark.

"No self-preservation, my ass. Nightingales do nothing but mess with stuff they shouldn't, talk about self-preservation when you have it yourself, pipsqueak."

And Danny? Danny growls.

"All you do is trick every being to do your bidding! One day all of this will catch up to your house and me? I will watch as it burns."

The blonds cigarette snaps in his grip.

"Burn? Me? Doesn't the house if Nightingales hunt the beings we 'trick'? It seems to me that your lineage is already going down as we speak."

The argument (?) continues and the batclan does nothing but watch as if its a particularly interesting tennis match.

(John looks like he's about 5 seconds away from strangling Danny and the teen about to bite off John's head.)

"What's going on?" Finally, Batman steps in.

"What's going on? What's going on?? You said you'd bring in a third person! Not a constantine!"

The bat shows no signs of anything really, when both teen and man whip around to face him.

"I thought you'd know better than to involve yourself with the house of Nightingales."

"I was here first! No take backs!"

"And yet I know bats longer, don't I, pipsqueak?"

"Foolish trickster!"

"Imprudent necromancer!"

(Apparently, beef between two houses of dark exists and they had the chance to experience it first hand.)

(This is one of the many occurrences.)

[radiance1]

The ghost king was a cat.

No one, not even Constantine, knew of this fact. Until the day the eldritch ghost of the infinite was summoned by a wayward cult who wished for the destruction of the world.

He was a large cat, actually. About, roughly, bigger than a car with green fur, an eyepatch over one of his eyes, large horns-thought one was broken-, and a flaming green crown floating above his head.

The ghost king laid on his side and the summoning seemingly interrupted him from... grooming? A smaller cat that laid next to the king that, while smaller than the king (or perhaps his father?) was larger than the average dog.

Meanwhile, Pariah Dark is not exactly pleased he was summoned, with obvious intent to destroy/enslave a world. How rude of them. Don't they know he's on, what was it?

Danny: Your redemption arc, dad.

Yes, his redemption arc!

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

He broke through to the surface, taking large desperate gasps of air before getting sucked back beneath by the current. Danny fought against the water as hard as his little paws would allow.

Just when he felt all hope was lost and he was sinking, a large hand enveloped his entire body and hefted him back into the open air. Shivering and coughing out water he didn't catch whatever the man had said. He continued shivering violently as the guy wrung out Dannys fur.

The mans hands were warm despite the brown leather gloves covering them. They made Danny feel comforted and energized almost as if the man had...oh gods! He did! The man had ecto inside of him! Thank the ancients! Now he just had to stick with glove guy and he could recharge! It would be slow but still!

"Here we are little guy." The man said and Danny noticed all at once that the man had been walking the whole time Danny had been stuck in his head. He looked around and noticed the Animal Shelter sign in front of them.

No. No! Danny needed to stick to this guy if he ever hoped to become a human again. But despite how he dug his claws into the flesh of the mans exposed arm and yowled the man in the red mask managed to get him lose and left him in the care of an animal social worker.

Danny was checked out and placed in the tiny jail cell alongside other kittens and cats, many who were scared, miserable or just desperate for love and attention. This of course meant he needed to plot a jail break. Fortunately, he could still used most of his powers but without any ecto around he would have no way to recharge them outside of food or indulging in his obsession.

Needless to say Jason was a little startled when he woke up the next day to not one, but five little kittens meowing at him for food. He swears the one sitting smugly on his chest is the same one he dropped off at the animal shelter yesterday, but that couldn't be right...

One call confirmed it. All of thier animals had escaped last night and there was a suspiciously animal sized arch taken out of the wall with an unknown tool. Demon brat would be delighted at the news.

Unfortunately for Hood the smug little black cat he rescued yesterday had decided that his shoulder was the perfect perch and stayed there more often than not. Little guy got into food often but refused to eat kibble and any attempt to get the kitten away from the mashed potatoes resulted in violence or density shifting to get back to the food.

At this point danny almost didn't care if he returned to being human so long as he got to eat more of his humans cooking. He swears Jason is magical because everything he makes tastes amazing

[is-not-a-bell]

Ghost blobs lead someone to Danny (Part 2)

When Tim entered the Batcave in the morning he didn't know what to expect. Alfred had mentioned that Bruce barely left the cave after coming home later than everyone else. But weirdly he didn't sound upset about it.

He wasn't expecting a loud chirp. Was this a weird new security measure? A prank? A flash of green above him flew away toward the batcomputer. He quickly ran over calling out. "Bruce?"

Tim stared at the bat computer. Bruce was working on... something but what the heck were the green blobs floating around him. Were they humming? "Hey Bruce? Are you aware of the blobs?" "Yes, they came with a victim I found last night." "Last night? They're here?" "Due to their appearance and the nature of their injuries. I assumed it would be safest to treat him here."

Tim looked at the monitor containing a report on the victim. Found in an abandoned warehouse with severe injuries along with 'blob ghosts' and the victim claiming to be a ghost. The victim or Danny didn't have any vital signs but was still conscious.

Danny's claim of being bad at being a ghost was explained when the boy transformed into a living breathing human with vital signs. Sewing the wounds were difficult because not five minutes later the stitches were dissolved. Not even the sutures meant for Superman lasted. That's when the blob ghosts did something to the sutures. They gave off a faint green glow, but they didn't dissolve like the rest of the stitches so they had to resolve to using them for the rest of the injuries.

Last part of the report was far more clinical then the rest. Which was cataloging the injuries. At first it was thought to be from an autoposy, but... There are clear signs of struggle, Danny was obviously strapped down with something that had burned his skin. He was vivisected.

Tim stopped reading it and looked away, some of the blobs turned their attention to him. The humming was louder now, it was rather soothing to hear. One floated closer to Him. He cautiously reached out to it and brushed it gently on its head.

The blob liked it apparently and leaned into his hand. The others seemed to take this as an invitation and swarmed Tim. "Uh Bruce!" "Oh that's normal. They'll calm down... eventually." The man spoke matter of factly and he could just barely see a smile creeping on to the man's face.

Traitor

A few of the blobs were grabbing his sleeve and tugging. They barely had any strength. If this was how much they bite, Tim could see why Bruce allowed the creatures into the cave. And it seemed they were leading him somewhere. Just like in Bruce's report, Tim glanced at the man once before following the ghost blobs.

They arrived in the medbay, where Danny was left in one of the more private rooms meant for long term recovery. Tim heard the same chirp from before. But this time there was a responding one. So it was a sort of alarm then, one to warn of an intruder and the responding one must be to say he wasn't a threat.

The new blobs greeted him like the ones before. But they did get out of his face to let him see Danny. The boy was incredibly pale and still. Tim thought he could be dead if it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of his chest.

His heart rate did not improve much and his body temp was still worryingly low. Tim hoped that it was normal for Danny. Tim was hoping to get some case work done before going to his office, but the blobs seemed content to have Tim there. Tim does have a laptop, so he could call Tam saying he's taking slow day. It would probably be for the best if someone was with Danny when he wakes up.

[bluerosefox]

That Good Ol' Fenton Charm

Hmmmm

Single dad Danny (to deaged Ellie and Dan) meets his neighbor Selina Kyle after one of her cats get into their apartment and he finds his kids playing with it.

Cue meet cute where Selina at first is just flirting like always but Danny charms her (aka being a bit dense but somehow adorkable, its charming)

[idontcaboose]

Luthor's Cricket part 5

Previous. Masterpost

Lex was able to distract the teen with a different documentary in the living room of his Penthouse. Said teen, however, made it loudly known that some of the information they were using was false, stupid, and downright biased. Granted, Lex was not paying attention when selecting the first documentary on the list. Apparently, it was a supernatural one called ‘All but Paranormal’ or something of the like. From the shouting, Lex could gather that they were able to interview Zatanna and Dr. Fate, Phantom took great exception to whatever Dr. Fate had to say about Ghost, Demons, and other supernatural creatures. Lex did bark a laugh at Phantom's remark of “Fate's biased view is just as blatant as that glaring beacon of a head!” and “If Fate is a Doctor, then I fear for the intellectual competency of the rest of the world! This means you too, Mr. Luthor!” Lex simply ignored the last part.

Oddly enough, even with the obnoxious commentary from Phantom and the absolute frustration of his magically inclined contacts ignoring him, it was not as tiring as he thought it would be.

“Phantom.” Lex called as he left his office. 

 “Yes, Boss?” Phantom paused the TV and turned to him with a small lopsided smile.

“Do you eat?” Lex asked. 

Phantom clearly did not expect the question with how his face displayed shock and confusion. “Uh, ya. I can eat human food. It's not needed, but it's nice to have. Why?”

“It is about time for dinner, I am thinking Foie Gras-” 

“Do all rich people eat such pretentious sounding food? Seriously, what is wrong with just burgers, burritos, and mac n’ cheese?” Phantom said with derision.

“Some people like to experience the finer things in life-” 

“When was the last time you enjoyed a “finer” thing that wasn't the direct cause of flaunting your power?” Phantom asked seriously. “Just one time.”

Lex…. He found himself at a loss. When Was the last time he actually enjoyed food for its taste alone. Most food prepared at the Galas were pretty cardboard at best. The high-end restaurants were better quality, but Lex only went to those as a power display, and even then, it was for a business deal or a ‘relaxed’ meeting of sorts. Even when he is home alone, he would order high value items so the staff wouldn't spread gossip about his ‘actual’ tates to the papers. The cooks he employed were fantastic at their jobs, the food was always flavorful and filling. 

But….

Probably the last time he actually enjoyed a meal was when his younger sister visited. She brought with her some greasy, cheesy mess of a burger wrapped in foil from a truck from the park across the street. She had laughed at his disgusted face and said “If it was good enough for Bruce Wayne and his kid to stand in line for, it's good enough for us!” 

That was about eight years ago.

After that meal, they had fought, and she stormed out. She has only contacted him through email for Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas. 

Lex ordered pizza from his cooks that night.

Next

[kizzer55555]

Will Somebody Kill Them!

New idea. So the league of assassins is trying their usual tricks and attempting to get a very wealthy businessman to cooperate with their corporation. Unfortunatly, Vlad Masters does not wish to work under anyone. Nor share his technology with them. Because of his refusal, the league decides to send a warning as a consequence for defying them. And luckily for them, Vlad has 3 young children in his care that would make the perfect example. Unfortunatly….these kids are really hard to assassinate.

Meanwhile…Danny, Ellie, and Dan are bored. But suddenly they gain some…’enrichment’.

It gets bad enough that the League even reaches out to others. The Light, the League of Shadows, Slade, Deathstroke, the Court of Owls. If anyone can kill these kids there will be a massive reward. (And Vlad is just in the corner sipping his tequila.)

[nelkcats]

The Cat Statue

In the center of Gotham stood a cat statue, its eyes were emeralds and glowed toxic green. It always seemed to be looking at you.

No one in the city dared to do anything against the statue. There were rumors that the last time people tried to demolish it, all the construction equipment was damaged, and the workers were sick for weeks. There were people who tried to steal it eyes, but their skin burned without explanation after touching it.

Unlike most inhabitants in Gotham, Selina was not afraid of the statue. She adored it. She asked it questions from time to time, and though no one believed her, the statue always answered; a whisper in her ears, snowflakes in summer, the touch of a hand on her shoulder.

Selina knew the statue wasn't normal, she'd known it since she was a child. But instead of fearing it, it made her feel safe. That's why she used to keep the bats and other rogues out of the place, it was her place, no one else's.

Danny was trapped in the Infinite Realms so he'd been looking for ways to entertain himself. One of them: Statues. Statues hidden in every dimension, statues that brought comfort to those who leaned on them. Though the connection was tenuous, Danny could interfere with their lives if they asked.

Selina had become one of his favorite persons. It was for that reason that when he saw her injured and she asked him for shelter, a great dome of ice formed around her, the statue's eyes glowing brighter than ever.

The Joker backed up a few steps, frowning as he noticed the dome, he had chased Catwoman to the spot and thought he had her cornered. He was about to make another move when spikes of ice began to form on the dome as a warning. Honestly, Danny wouldn't mind killing the clown.

For his part, Batman watched the scene from the roof. An indescribable look on his face.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 102

 Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. In for ten seconds, out for eight. Alright. Okay. “Let me get this straight,” he didn’t motion to the three teens- or not teens even if two apparently looked like they were- but it was a close thing. “You-” 

 Phantom perked up, white hair flickering with what he was pretty sure were stars as they turned away from the window looking out into space. “-are two years old.” The fae-esque being who looked more like a fourteen year old gave a half-distracted nod. Which, for a toddler, they were paying attention pretty well. 

 “You-” Klarion looked up from where he was fiddling with the cuffs that had been on him, cat sprawled on his shoulder now that it was out of the carrier. “-are six?” Another distracted nod, the apparently-child seemingly enamored with the sounds the cuffs made when they clinked together. 

  “And you-” He turned towards Marvel, who shrank back before seemingly steeling themself. “-are in fact ten.” The… well they had thought demigod but apparently all three were some sort of realms-being, which had apparently made Constantine pale and start cursing before stomping out of the Watchtower. Another nod and shaky thumbs up. 

 Alright. Okay. They had in fact let a ten-year old join the league, which wouldn’t have been so bad if they had known. Especially the fact that apparently Marvel was only half-human, which suddenly explained so much about how he didn’t know so many things about a human life. Which-

 “You,” he turned towards Phantom again to make sure he was listening before returning his attention to Marvel. “And you have both lived at least a year in the human realm with human companions, but your-” He turned his gaze towards the ravenette in the center. The six year old apparently. “-experience with the human realm is literally just with the Light.” 

 Yet another distracted nod. Okay. Bruce was tempted to scream in a room for the entire situation that had cropped up from the single action of taking Klarion’s familiar and then the boy himself into custody. Then again, it was honestly a much better thing they had apparently caught this. 

 “Alright,” he sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly exhausted. “To make sure I have all of this correct-” Because it was already a shitshow and the amount of shouting had absolutely spooked the child. To the point he’d- according to Marvel- made what was apparently some sort of very distressed noise that had made both him and Phantom running. Or rather flying and portaling. 

 “-in the realms, people there make friends through fighting,” Bruce pauses to make sure he got that part correct. The origin of this entire misunderstanding with the chaos-lord. Lordling? 

 All three nodded, Klarion losing interest in the cuffs and starting to pet his cat. Familiar. Everyone had referred to it as a familiar and Marvel had appeared utterly horrified that they had taken said familiar away. Somehow he was the one the trio were currently trusting and weren’t doing the same towards any of the other league members. 

 “And you have been trying to make friends with the Jr team, which they have been taking as an attack due to this miscommunication.” Honestly they should have gotten more information, though he couldn’t exactly blame any of the teens, what with everything they were currently dealing with. 

 “... is there any sort of guardian or something you might have, that can be contacted? Or anyone that could help prevent a situation like this from happening again?” All three avoided his eyes, suddenly finding things like the table and walls very interesting. 

 Oh. Hm. This could be a problem.

[scraps-n-starters]

Dead Serious Arranged Marriage aus are fun

If I were to do one I'd play with it a little. Give one or both of them a bit of forewarning.

A careful message from Talia, an arrangement set in soul and stone with the opening of the pits. A bit of research, an awareness of the inherent cruelty and callousness of the unliving.

A file flagged with familiar purple as Danny attempts to sort through the mess left by his predecessors. A Crown Prince as his heart still beats, but an Heir Apparent nonetheless.

A cautious meeting between affianced.

(One wary and wise, with word that any Heir Apparent of The Tyrant is not a foe to be trifled with)

(One can tell much by the ghosts the other leaves behind. A Nursemaid with tales of the vicious culture of the League. Test assassins that tell of what one will do to survive. Failed clones, empty echoes, unable to live their own lives but neither left with room for error or mercy. All drowned out by dozens of soft mewls and memories of warm hands and gentle goodbyes. You cannot rescue every animal that comes into your hands. But the echoes of attempts exist. Desert coarse fur and shared water. Danny was a goner before they'd ever even met.)

Likely a warning at 16, a meeting at 17, and a courtship lasting an age and a half

But that's alright

They've got all the time in the world