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void-of-unparalled-chaos · 4 months

Text

Star Shoes

"Things had been going so well for him lately. He should have expected the other shoe to drop. Or the metal pipe in this case."

In which Danny and his totally normal boyfriend who is definitely not Red Hood are abducted by cultists. Danny is super concussed, but he's got the spirit.

@deadonmayn Day 2: Jason Has Magic | Ritual | Danny and Jason are abducted by the same cult | "You were never monstrous to me."

AO3 Link

One day! Danny had asked for just one day! One day free from ghosts and vigilante stuff! A single day off! Was that too much to ask?

In retrospect, he should have known something bad would happen. Things had been going too well for him lately.

Six months ago he began his degree in astrophysics at Gotham University. Since moving to Gotham, Danny and his apartment had yet to be caught in any sort of rogue attack or crime. It was certainly odd considering he was living in the crime capital of the country, but Danny decided he would take it.

Most of his classes were able to be taken online, which was much more accommodating for Danny’s schedule. Sometimes a baby ancient of space just had to stretch themselves out amongst the stars and let their form slip. Frostbite said it was important for his development. He even offered to write Danny a doctor's note, but something told him it wouldn’t go over well with the school.

Danny Fenton requires up to five days of star exposure per month or else he breaks out in fins and eyes that may cause you feelings of cosmic terror. Please excuse him from lecture.

Yeah. That would work.

He didn’t need a note if the lectures were online anyway.

The online lectures were also easier for him on bad tremor days. Sometimes his legs would ache and shake and randomly lock too much for him to walk. It was so much easier to float on those days and just… let loose. His human visage had begun to feel too small and restricting. He could put up with it normally but it itched. It was harder to stay restrained when he also had to deal with the tremors. Luckily for him, the bad days had been decreasing lately.

By far the best part of the past six months was Danny’s new boyfriend. Jason was great! Better than great! Jason was amazing! They had only been dating for a month but Danny swore if anything happened to Jason he would kill everyone in Gotham and then himself (again). He had a sharp way with words that never failed to make Danny laugh, and though he may seem rude and grumpy on the outside, he was secretly a big sweetheart.

Danny had once seen him cry because of a feral (possibly radioactive) Gotham rat that was “just too small”.

There’s really no repairing your facade after that.

Truly, Jason was everything Danny could ask for in a boyfriend. Danny had worried that the questionable functionality of his legs would be a turn-off, but he had been pleasantly surprised. Jason never pushed him past his limits, in fact, he fought to keep Danny from doing so. On the bad days, Jason would make him soup and drape heating pads over his limbs. He would knead his knuckles into Danny’s muscles and press kisses to his trembling fingers. It didn’t make the bad days stop, but they became more bearable.

Danny was so lucky.

So really, he should have expected the other shoe to drop.

Or the metal pipe in this case.

Groaning, Danny struggled to open his eyes. His head hurt like he had been doing shots for twelve straight hours and his mouth tasted like iron. He must have bitten his tongue. Or lost a tooth. They grew back so fast that it was honestly hard to tell.

“D…n..”

Someone was talking.

“Da…n…”

Someone needed to shut up. Danny hated that name.

“D…ny!”

Ugh.

Vision swimming, Danny peeled open his eyelids. This… he was in a pawnshop? Why was he in a pawnshop?

“Danny!”

Oh.

Jason is here.

Hi Jason!

“Hey, baby,” Jason huffed in amusement.

Did he say that out loud? Fuck. He probably has a concussion.

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t with all the blood on your head.”

Blood? Danny tries to feel his face for it but instead finds his hands bound behind his back. He struggles to free them, not accomplishing much besides wiggling around on the carpet like a sad worm. He pauses once for breath and then resumes his wiggling in earnest.

Now hypothetically, Danny could just phase out of the restraints. One issue…

Jason was completely in the dark about the whole Phantom thing. They had only been dating for a month and like- how could Danny even bring that up?

Hey, just so you know I’ve died before and I’m technically still dead depending on how you think of it? Apparently I’m also a baby god which is news to me too so if that’s distressing for you imagine how I feel! And while we’re at it, I should let you know that your entire concept of the afterlife is probably wrong. Enjoy that crisis!

Okay, so Danny wouldn’t use those words exactly but that’s the gist of it. It’s some world-changing information and people have been dumped for less. Danny doesn’t want to scare Jason off!

And even if he was fine after that conversation, what about Danny’s other form? The one that Frostbite keeps calling his true form? It was… a lot, and he hadn’t been joking about the cosmic terror. If he were being honest, Danny barely felt human some days.

Danny allows his head to fall back to the floor with a thunk.

“Careful, darlin’,” Jason sounded concerned from where he was bound adjacent to him, “I think it's stopped bleeding. Don’t want you to open it again.”

“It’s fine. Worse than it looks.”

“...Do you mean better than it looks?”

“Yeah, that. Head wounds bleed a lot.”

It really was better than it looked. With Danny’s healing, it was probably entirely gone by now.

Jason looks like he is about to say something else when the backdoor opens.

In comes the most stereotypical cultists Danny has ever seen in his life. Actually, they were stereotypical but worse. The robes they wore looked plasticy and the black was off with a gross yellow undertone. Overall it was giving purchased off some shitty cheap website vibes. Like Wish.

They circle around Danny and Jason so perfectly synchronized that Danny knows they had to have practiced this. He imagines them running through their steps as if they were practicing for a dance recital. Did they have a choreographer?

“Why would we have a choreographer?”

Oh, Danny is speaking out loud again. Did he say the stuff about the robes?

“What’s wrong with our robes?!”

“I love you, baby, but I need you to shut the fuck up.”

Understandable. Have a nice day.

Danny passes out.

When he wakes up again they are in a different room. Jason is struggling against a cloak’s hold and cursing up a storm in true Jason fashion. The cultists look a little worse for wear. The one holding his boyfriend looks like he might have gotten into a fight with a weedwhacker.

“Touch one hair on his head and I’ll fucking kill you!” Jason snarls.

He’s largely ignored by the cultists who continue with their preparations.

Danny finally takes stock of where he’s at. He’s still on the floor, but the carpet feels slightly different. The room is bare compared to the one they were in before. A desk and office chair are pushed against the wall to make room for the summoning circle. A summoning circle that Danny was currently resting in. As an offering. Great.

Flashing lights distract him from their predicament.

The guy closest to Danny was wearing light-up sneakers. Danny didn’t even know they made those for adults. Neat!

“Hey man, where did you get your shoes?”

He can’t see the cultist’s face but he assumes he’s raised an eyebrow with the way the hood crooks to the side.

Danny genuinely wants to know! The lights look like little stars blinking in the darkness. He has to have them.

Danny is about to ask again but is cut off by a loud curse.

Jason?

Jason!

Danny has to save Jason!

He growls, eyes flashing for the briefest of moments before he can tone them down. Jason can’t know about Phantom. He’ll have to figure something else out. Actually, he might not need to figure anything out! Depending on who this circle summons this could be a nonissue.

Danny cranes his head to look at the circle.

Groaning, he allows his head to fall back against the floor for the third time that night.

This isn’t just any summoning circle. This is his summoning circle.

He lifts his head again to double check and yup, these idiots are using him as an offering for himself. Great job. Gold star.

This is both good and bad. Good because they are in no immediate danger outside of the world’s worst Grim Reaper cosplayers. Bad because Eldritch horror.

If these yahoos actually go through with the ritual and summon Danny, he’ll be forced into his ancient form in front of Jason. Probably. Danny wasn’t entirely sure that the ritual would work in the first place what with him already being there.

Danny spends too long thinking about the summoning logistics and not enough time actually stopping it. Before he can come up with a plan the cultists are chanting. He can feel the tug in his chest getting stronger and fins pushing against his skin. This was happening whether Danny wanted it to or not.

“Jason, close your eyes!”

“Danny!” Jason was still squirming in Weedwhacker’s hold and valiantly trying to get to Danny. His teeth snapped dangerously close to the cloak’s fingers. Ancients, Danny loved his boyfriend.

“Trust me, Jason!” Danny yelled, choking down the mist trying to escape from between his shark-like teeth, “Close your eyes!”

With one last glance to verify that his boyfriend’s eyes are squeezed shut, Danny lets go.

His very being unravels.

It feels good to be this big, no longer vacuum-sealed into a too-small bag. The fins along his tail flick, stretching now that they are no longer confined. The luminescent lights travel up and down them as if doing a calibration run. His body parts disappear into fine vapor whenever they move before reforming in their new positions. The very pulse of the universe thrums in his chest. He can feel so much. He can see so much. He lets out a cool, dead, misty breath.

His eyes open.

The screaming starts.

Danny grins, displaying his sharp teeth proudly. He flies through the air, knocking person after person to the ground. They fall like blades of wheat to a scythe, small and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Just a speck in the eye of a giant.

Jason’s eyes are still closed. Good.

Danny plucks him from Weedwhacker, setting him gently to the side. He can’t stop himself from getting into Weewhacker's face and screeching. He watches with satisfaction as he crumples to the ground seizing.

The screaming eventually stops, the cultists catatonic on the carpet. Jason’s eyes are tightly shut. He’s breathing heavily, unmoving from where Danny had placed him.

Softly, ever so softly, Danny covers Jason’s eyes with his hands, careful not to prick him with his claws. He winds himself up tight, shoving himself back into his body like clothing in an overpacked suitcase. Gradually his claws shrink back into normal human digits.

His fingers shake with familiar tremors, still covering his boyfriend's eyes. Danny breathes shakily as Jason’s hands slide over his own.

“Danny?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I open my eyes now?”

He swallows hard, mentally preparing himself. Jason’s going to leave. Jason heard the screaming and felt his claws. He’ll see the cultists and know what he’s done. Jason knows what Danny truly is and he is going to leave.

“...Yeah,” it already sounds heartbroken as it leaves his lips.

Jason’s hands take Danny’s with care, removing them from over his eyes. He blinks, surveying the room and Danny knows this is it. He’s waiting for the look of horror or sneer of disgust he has become so achingly familiar with.

Jason’s eyes meet his own.

“Hey baby,” He presses kisses to Danny’s quivering fingertips with careful affection. Just like on the bad days…

Danny sniffles, turning away with watery eyes and grit teeth. He wasn’t expecting this last scrap of kindness from Jason.

“No no no,” Jason squeezes his hands with gentle pressure. Not enough to hurt, never enough to hurt. “Look at me, Danny. Please?”

Danny’s head pounds, his vision is blurry, his skin itches, and his heart hurts. He just wants this night to be over. But he could never deny Jason.

Jason smiles at him, hands coming to rest on his cheeks. He wipes a stray tear away with his thumb, smudging some dried blood away with it.

“There you are, handsome.”

More tears race down Danny’s face. His voice cracks, “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand, baby?” Jason asks, checking his hair for a wound that’s probably already gone.

“You’re still here.”

Jason pauses his minstations, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I-” Danny stops, addled brain thinking. Jason waits patiently for him to form the words, “I’m wrong. I’m not supposed to be like this,” Danny’s not sure how much sense he actually makes between the persistent concussion and rampant emotions, “I’m a monster.”

The look in Jason’s eyes turned steely, “You're not a monster, Danny.”

“But-”

“No buts. You're not a monster. You wanna know how I know?”

Danny remained silent, swallowing around the lump in his throat. Jason considers him for a minute then continues anyway.

“I’ve seen monsters before. Monsters do awful things with only themselves in mind. Monsters go out looking for someone to hurt just because they can.”

Danny turns to look away again. It doesn’t matter that the timeline is gone or if he’s trapped in a thermos, the very concept of Dan will always haunt Danny.

“Danny,” Jason redirects his attention, gently turning his face back to him. Danny’s not prepared for the pure unbridled devotion in his eyes.

“You are the most selfless person I’ve ever met. You go so far out of your way to help others even when it becomes an inconvenience to you. It doesn’t matter if they are a stranger or not. Sometimes I worry you're going to get yourself kidnapped.”

Like today goes unsaid. Jason looks like he’s on the verge of tears too.

“You were never monstrous to me, and you never will be. How could you possibly be a monster?”

Danny sniffles again, leaning into his boyfriend’s touch. Jason readily accepts him into his arms, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Sorry…” Danny finally mumbles into his… shirt? Whatever Jason is wearing feels hard against his cheek. Danny doesn’t really care. His head hurts too much to think about it, “I shoulda told you.”

Jason quietly laughs, “Technically you still haven’t told me anything.”

Danny nods solemnly, wiping the last of his tears away, “Complicated.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he scoops Danny effortlessly into a bridal carry.

Danny yelps as the movement jostles his head. Jason makes a sound of apology.

His boyfriend’s eyes scan the room again, “How about you explain it all to me when you're no longer concussed? Besides, I have some things I need to explain to you too.”

“Sounds good,” Danny slurs as Jason walks them to the door.

They are about to step over the threshold when Danny suddenly REMEMBERS.

“WAIT!”

Jason startles, looking around wildly, “What?! What is it?!”

“The shoes!”

“The shoes?”

“Yeah! The shoes! The star shoes!”

“...do you mean the light-up sneakers?”

Danny pouts at him but nods anyway, “The star shoes.”

“The star shoes, then,” Jason easily confirms, “What about them?”

“I need to take em.”

Jason grimaces, “...Why? I can just buy you your own pair.”

“No! It’s not the same!” Danny whined, “They summoned me using me as an offering. I didn’t actually get anything!”

“Okay, I’ll go get his shoes-”

“My shoes.”

Jason laughs, setting him down on the table just outside the door, “Wait here.”

Danny waits. His vision is still swimming in a blur of colors. Colors. He’s pretty sure he can taste colors now. The dull brown carpet is disgusting.

Jason remerges victoriously with star shoes in hand. Danny cheers, immediately making grabby hands. Jason passes them over with a look of mild disgust.

“You ready to go now?”

Danny bats his eyelashes, throwing his arms (and shoes!) over Jason’s shoulders and around his neck. He presses in to rub his nose against his boyfriend’s, “Take me home?”

“Of course.”

Danny had the best boyfriend.

#Jason gets Danny a shirt that says “I was abducted by cultists to be used as a bargaining chip and all that I got were these stupid shoes”#My kitten Finley helped beta this fic everyone say “Thank you Finley”#deadonmayn24 #dom24d2 #dead on main #dpxdc #my writing #Star Shoes

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