#please don’t think I hate Steph 🙏🏼

[monstera-modd]

Through new skin and connections #6 DPxDC

When Danny Said He Wanted a Break, This Is Not What He Meant! Also apparently now he has a… boyfriend?

24 Hours Earlier…

It all started when his parents surprised him and Jazz, with an unexpected trip to Gotham, New Jersey—for a ghost expo.

So, they packed up, and for the last thirteen hours, they had been crammed together in the GAV. Fortunately, all of his parents’ ghost-hunting gadgets had been stuffed into the trunk, leaving him with only one thing to worry about: the gun his dad kept fiddling with in the front seat. Thankfully, it hadn’t exploded or shot him. Yet.

Finally, they pulled into the Orchard Hotel. Old Gotham, his mom had said—for the charm. Whatever that meant.

All Danny saw was fog. Or smog. Either way, it didn’t matter—he wouldn’t be able to see the stars at all. Stupid city.

Once they had everything set up in their room, his parents announced they were heading to the expo, telling him and Jazz to enjoy themselves. Jazz, for her part, declared she was staying in for some peace, quiet, and no ghostly business.

"No, you don’t count, Danny."

Which left him alone.

Well, he was in Gotham—might as well take some pictures of gargoyles or something for Sam.

For the next two hours, he explored, checking out things he could show Sam and Tucker when he got back—the ancient Egypt exhibit, Ivy’s gardens, etc. Things were going well.

Then, between one breath and the next, his ghost sense went off.

A wisp of blue mist curled from his lips.

He managed to track the ghost into Gotham’s sewer system, twisting and turning through the tunnels as he chased it down. Finally, he got close enough to yank out the thermos and seal the ghost inside.

"Man, can’t I just get ONE day off!"

His voice echoed down the tunnels.

Then, silence.

Too silent.

A low, hissing growl reverberated around him.

Slow. Measured.

Like something huge was waiting in the dark. Sizing him up.

Danny stiffened, fingers hovering over the thermos’ lid, ready to open it again in case his capture had company.

Then he saw them—two yellow, slitted eyes gleaming from the shadows of a side tunnel.

Unblinking. Watching.

His stomach dropped.

Not a ghost. Run. Run. RUN.

The water rippled.

Danny barely had time to shift before something massive lunged from the depths.

Killer Croc.

He bolted. But he didn’t see the teeth until it was too late.

Fangs clamped down on his shoulder.

Pain exploded through him.

His vision blurred as Croc’s jagged teeth pierced flesh and ectoplasm alike, locking onto him like a vice. But it wasn’t just pain—something wrong crawled through his veins, spreading outward in a sickening wave.

Danny screamed.

Instincts misfired as his ghost form glitched between tangible and intangible. His breath came in ragged gasps, hands shaking as the burning spread.

With a strangled cry, he lashed out—a ghostly wail ripping from his throat.

The sonic blast slammed into Croc, sending him staggering backward with a snarl. He wiped his mouth, flicking away a droplet of glowing green blood.

Danny staggered, clutching his shoulder. His legs felt… weak. Heavy.

Something was wrong.

He needed to leave. Now.

Croc lunged again.

Danny shot up through the ceiling, flying fast.

He only stopped when he crashed into a dumpster.

________

Tim was not pouting.

And he was totally at the manor right now—not walking around downtown Bowery tracking a case. Pshh, you’re crazy.

…Okay, maybe he was kind of tracking a case. But none of this was his fault.

He had almost gotten caught while out, and now he’d lost the person he was tracking. And to make things worse, he couldn’t use his phone or call Oracle because that would ping his location here—which, again, was not the manor.

This was all Steph’s fault.

Like, yeah, okay, maybe he did eat Alfred’s last cookie. Big deal. That didn’t mean she had to be a total bitch and tell everyone he hadn’t slept in over three days. And then get him benched over it.

Now, with no lead to follow and no real excuse to keep going, he was stuck wandering aimlessly, trying to pretend he wasn’t sulking. He could just head back, but that meant admitting defeat. And if he was going to be benched anyway, he might as well make the most of it.

He was just passing one of the city’s many dark alleyways when—

BANG!

The noise was loud, echoing off the brick walls.

Under normal circumstances, his instincts would’ve kicked in immediately. Investigate, assess, act. It was part of being Red Robin.

But he wasn’t Red Robin right now.

He was Tim Drake-Wayne.

And Tim Drake didn’t fight crime.

…But he was nosy.

Slowing to a stop, he backtracked to the alley entrance. At first, he didn’t see anyone—just the usual grimy brick walls and trash littering the pavement. But then, his gaze landed on a dumpster shoved hard against the wall, a massive dent caving in the metal.

His brow furrowed. Hesitantly, he called out.

“Uh… hello?”

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—A low, barely-there hiss echoed from the shadows.

Tim froze, his vision slowly adjusting to the darkness. Now, he could just barely make out a long, dark… tail?

Now he was just confused. Should he call this in?

With that thought, he reached down to pull out his communicator while simultaneously keeping an eye on the animal - thing - under the dumpster. However, before he could press the button, he spotted a pale gray hand peeking out. And wasn’t that concerning? Because now, this might not be an animal at all, but a person . A meta ? Maybe something like Croc?

That theory was confirmed when the pale hand turned into an arm, then a torso -thankfully attached to a head ( don’t ask )- and… yeah, it was a snake person.

A snake person who, as of yet, hadn’t noticed Tim as they slowly regained their bearings and looked around.

Then Tim kicked a tin can.

Alarmingly familiar glowing green eyes snapped up to meet his.

Is this one of those pit monsters Damian is always going on about? Tim wondered as the creature let out a loud hiss, baring very long, very sharp fangs– fangs he would very much prefer to stay on the other side of.

“Umm… are you okay?”

Okay, maybe talking to the possibly hostile snake creature wasn’t the best idea, but honestly? He was at a loss for what else to do.

“I won’t hurt you… if… if that’s what you’re thinking,” he added, shifting nervously under their unwavering stare. The way they were looking at him sent unpleasant memories clawing their way to the surface– not something he needed right now.

Then, without warning, they hissed again -eyes darting in every direction- before lunging straight at him.

Moving on instinct, Tim rolled out of the way. When he stood back up, ready for a fight against what he now definitely thought was a snake person—probably a venomous one—he realized... there was nothing there.

Nobody but him stood on the empty street. No sounds of movement, no creature slithering through the trash. Just… nothing.

_______________

this is part 1! i was too excited to add more and love the suspense!🫶🏼😆💚

Edit: why does this look smaller on my phone than on my computer 🫠 I thought I wrote more! Also added a bit more to this chapter!

Now up on my AO3!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64163269

[monstera-modd]

Now up on AO3!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64163269

Through new skin and connections #6 DPxDC

When Danny Said He Wanted a Break, This Is Not What He Meant! Also apparently now he has a… boyfriend?

24 Hours Earlier…

It all started when his parents surprised him and Jazz, with an unexpected trip to Gotham, New Jersey—for a ghost expo.

So, they packed up, and for the last thirteen hours, they had been crammed together in the GAV. Fortunately, all of his parents’ ghost-hunting gadgets had been stuffed into the trunk, leaving him with only one thing to worry about: the gun his dad kept fiddling with in the front seat. Thankfully, it hadn’t exploded or shot him. Yet.

Finally, they pulled into the Orchard Hotel. Old Gotham, his mom had said—for the charm. Whatever that meant.

All Danny saw was fog. Or smog. Either way, it didn’t matter—he wouldn’t be able to see the stars at all. Stupid city.

Once they had everything set up in their room, his parents announced they were heading to the expo, telling him and Jazz to enjoy themselves. Jazz, for her part, declared she was staying in for some peace, quiet, and no ghostly business.

"No, you don’t count, Danny."

Which left him alone.

Well, he was in Gotham—might as well take some pictures of gargoyles or something for Sam.

For the next two hours, he explored, checking out things he could show Sam and Tucker when he got back—the ancient Egypt exhibit, Ivy’s gardens, etc. Things were going well.

Then, between one breath and the next, his ghost sense went off.

A wisp of blue mist curled from his lips.

He managed to track the ghost into Gotham’s sewer system, twisting and turning through the tunnels as he chased it down. Finally, he got close enough to yank out the thermos and seal the ghost inside.

"Man, can’t I just get ONE day off!"

His voice echoed down the tunnels.

Then, silence.

Too silent.

A low, hissing growl reverberated around him.

Slow. Measured.

Like something huge was waiting in the dark. Sizing him up.

Danny stiffened, fingers hovering over the thermos’ lid, ready to open it again in case his capture had company.

Then he saw them—two yellow, slitted eyes gleaming from the shadows of a side tunnel.

Unblinking. Watching.

His stomach dropped.

Not a ghost. Run. Run. RUN.

The water rippled.

Danny barely had time to shift before something massive lunged from the depths.

Killer Croc.

He bolted. But he didn’t see the teeth until it was too late.

Fangs clamped down on his shoulder.

Pain exploded through him.

His vision blurred as Croc’s jagged teeth pierced flesh and ectoplasm alike, locking onto him like a vice. But it wasn’t just pain—something wrong crawled through his veins, spreading outward in a sickening wave.

Danny screamed.

Instincts misfired as his ghost form glitched between tangible and intangible. His breath came in ragged gasps, hands shaking as the burning spread.

With a strangled cry, he lashed out—a ghostly wail ripping from his throat.

The sonic blast slammed into Croc, sending him staggering backward with a snarl. He wiped his mouth, flicking away a droplet of glowing green blood.

Danny staggered, clutching his shoulder. His legs felt… weak. Heavy.

Something was wrong.

He needed to leave. Now.

Croc lunged again.

Danny shot up through the ceiling, flying fast.

He only stopped when he crashed into a dumpster.

________

Tim was not pouting.

And he was totally at the manor right now—not walking around downtown Bowery tracking a case. Pshh, you’re crazy.

…Okay, maybe he was kind of tracking a case. But none of this was his fault.

He had almost gotten caught while out, and now he’d lost the person he was tracking. And to make things worse, he couldn’t use his phone or call Oracle because that would ping his location here—which, again, was not the manor.

This was all Steph’s fault.

Like, yeah, okay, maybe he did eat Alfred’s last cookie. Big deal. That didn’t mean she had to be a total bitch and tell everyone he hadn’t slept in over three days. And then get him benched over it.

Now, with no lead to follow and no real excuse to keep going, he was stuck wandering aimlessly, trying to pretend he wasn’t sulking. He could just head back, but that meant admitting defeat. And if he was going to be benched anyway, he might as well make the most of it.

He was just passing one of the city’s many dark alleyways when—

BANG!

The noise was loud, echoing off the brick walls.

Under normal circumstances, his instincts would’ve kicked in immediately. Investigate, assess, act. It was part of being Red Robin.

But he wasn’t Red Robin right now.

He was Tim Drake-Wayne.

And Tim Drake didn’t fight crime.

…But he was nosy.

Slowing to a stop, he backtracked to the alley entrance. At first, he didn’t see anyone—just the usual grimy brick walls and trash littering the pavement. But then, his gaze landed on a dumpster shoved hard against the wall, a massive dent caving in the metal.

His brow furrowed. Hesitantly, he called out.

“Uh… hello?”

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—A low, barely-there hiss echoed from the shadows.

_______________

this is part 1! i was too excited to add more and love the suspense!🫶🏼😆💚

Edit: why does this look smaller on my phone the my computer 🫠 I though I wrote more!