#tim is the most paranoid bastard and has records kept physically and digitally and would find it suspicious if he didn't update those
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elizabethemerald · 10 months ago
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Danny is, if nothing else, a magnificent bullshitter. He would almost call bullshitting his way into and out of situations to be his greatest strength, if it weren't for the whole saving people thing. He doesn't know these people. Not the way they seem to know and accept him. But that doesn't mean he can't bullshit like he does.
He takes the time of Nightwing leading him through breathing exercises to come up with a plan. Or at least the approximation of a plan.
Things he knows: His parents cut him open last night, so even if he were to leave the Batcave (Batcave!!) he wouldn't have anywhere else safe to go. And he's still badly injured and in need of medical care and time to recover. Care the Waynes seem willing to give, though he doesn't know how much time he has.
He feels a guilty at the idea of taking advantage of the heroes, learning their secrets, pretending to be someone they care about when they don't really know him and as soon as Desiree's magic breaks they'll remember and hate him.
But maybe he could pay them back? Actually that would be perfect. As soon as he's back in fighting condition, he could help protect them while they are out protecting Gotham. He could infuse their computers with ectoplasm so they could hack through any non infused firewalls in existence. He could make and give them protections against being overshadowed. He could spend the rest of his life paying them back.
With his plan, such as it is, in his mind he relaxed back against the medical bed. He saw the relief on Nightwing's face. And on Bruce Wayne's face, and wasn't that a trippy thought. It's ok, he could do this.
"I'm sorry I made y'all worry about me." He said, his words slurring out of him. Oh, whatever drugs he was on made him speak a little more honestly than he thought.
"It's ok, Baby Spooks!" Nightwing said with a smile. Bruce stepped and put a large hand gently on Danny's shoulder. He had to fight down a flinch at the reminder of what his dad had done to him.
"'Wing, was anyone else hurt?" Danny had to ask, he had to make sure that Desiree didn't hurt Gotham's heroes when she placed him with them. He also hoped shortening his hero name would be an acceptable nickname until he learned his real name.
"Nope, we were able to get you out of there in time. You took quite a beating last night." There was a moment of confusion on his face before it slipped away to acceptance. Got it, don't ask questions about the past, they would put it together faster if he did that. "I'm going to head up, Alfred should be down to check on your bandages shortly."
That left Danny alone with Bruce. Bruce Wayne. Batman. THE Batman! Well Bruce had called Danny his son, so he could play of that. He knew how fathers and sons were supposed to act, even if his relationship with his own dad had been so wrong lately. Danny grabbed the hand that was on his shoulder and placed it on his face, leaning into the gentle touch.
"Thanks for saving me dad." Danny whispered. The drugs in his system were dragging him back to sleep, but he briefly saw Bruce's face twist in surprise before softening into a loving expression.
"Of course Danny. We'll always be there for you."
.
Danny learned a lot in the next couple of days. Nightwing's name was actually Dick (And Danny almost popped a stitch trying not to laugh the first time he heard that. Fortunately he could blame the drugs). Tim was Red Robin, Damian was Robin, Duke was Signal, Oracle and Nightwing had history that everyone made fun of, same with Stephanie (Spoiler) and Tim. He knew there was someone named Cass that wasn't in the manor right now that Steph had the hots for and someone named Jason that Bruce had a complicated history with.
After a few days Alfred, the family butler, but obviously so much more, said Danny was healed enough to return to his room in the manor above the Batcave, but he was still on bedrest for another week. He trusted Alfred even though he wanted to get out and start helping protect the Bats to pay back his debt. Instead he snuck into the Cave and infused the Batcomputer with ectoplasm. Tim suddenly found his multiple hacks and searches that he was running finding results far faster than he had expected.
Not being able to help more was killing Danny a little. He already hated owing people debts, and he hated people he cared about being in danger. And despite his best efforts to the contrary he was starting to care for this strange family. He hoped once he was recovered and could help out more directly they would be able to forgive him for using them, though he doubted they would ever forgive him for learning their secret identities, though he promised himself he would take that secret to his grave, if he actually got a grave the next time he died.
The bats have so many folks around, even if they aren't always working together. Enough that folks like to joke/write about Danny just kinda showing up acting like he already lives there. He just kinda blends in.
I'd love to see more magic motivated versions of this. Some kind of spell that affects the bat's perceptions of the past and present, making them actually miss that this boy wasn't with their family too long ago. Maybe it changes their understanding like it's a time line shift, maybe it fogs their mind just a tad and makes them glaze past something like it wasn't even there. I like the second if only because I feel like that would make it more likely for the bats to realize a spell was a foot.
Imagining this from Danny's side, hes terrified this whole time of getting found out. He knows how and when he showed up here and maybe even how flimsy whatever magic is in place is. Imagining a Desiree wish that was either very carefully worded or Not so carefully worded. Maybe he placed himself with the Wayne family with the expectation that he would quietly mooch of some rich idiot until he was ready to be on his own. Or maybe he wished himself to be a part of the batclan, taking up a mask and patroling with them as a bird that Doesn't Exist.
Ofc eventually the spell has to be broken, leaving the bats confused worried scared angry probably even amused, and a billion other things. WHY did this teenager decide to adopt himself into the Wayne/bat family? Who the hell is he and where did he come from. Someone call Zatanna, there is some magic Fuckery going on.
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