DeeDevotee

Later that day, the same task force member who was fist-fighting Bruce Wayne is now holding his own against Batman.

And in a moment of frustration, he yells out the words, "God damnit! First that charade's billionaire and now this! When I first applied to the job, I didn't know I'd have to fight a dirty-ass SUNDUCKER!!"

Batman: ...

JL: ...

Suicide Squad: ...

Oracle over the comms: ...

Task force member #2 to the other task force members: "...When he said that'll he would get real racist to repeat offenders during training. I didn't think this was what he meant."

Task force member #4: "Yeah, he's like the most nicest guy I know."

Task force member #3, taking a sip from his water bottle: "Well, you clearly never sparred with the guy."

"How dare you stop fighting me, you cryptic daddy issues wanna be motherfu-"

Red Hood, shouting from the side: "Hey, wait! You can't insult him unless you're a Gothamite."

Without hesitation, the task force member slapped the Gotham Knight's emblem to his chest with his birth certificate attached to it, showing that he was born in a Gotham hospital, with another form attached to it showing that he renewed his Gothamite passport yesterday evening. (Author's Note: he does not care 🤣)

Danny Fenton to the task force captain: "Should we stop him?"

The justice league FINALLY investigates Amity, and realizes that they’ve made a grave mistake by letting a burgeoning hero shoulder a large problem without any training or support. They rectify this immediately by offering a position in the JL along with an assortment of mentors and other teen heroes to bond with. 

Not necessarily Phantom, that was more or less just the statistical probability given how many of her “fights” are with him in particular. Perhaps they buy in to the Phantom is a menace idea. Or perhaps someone didn’t do their research well enough. (GIW media blackout anyone? Maybe it’s hard to get any digital info on the town and what they can get is heavily censored, not that they’d know.)

But they did want her rogues to know that she would be getting help from here out. It was a carefully crafted intimidation tactic from the Bat himself, hoping the threat might deter some of these “ghosts” from causing trouble to begin with.

And it seems to work, based on the Phantom’s reaction. Staring at the League, fear and despair hit his features pretty quickly; though oddly it seems mixed with a few other things like hurt, betrayal, even a flash of anger. Then his eyes flick to the Huntress and new confusing emotions cross his face like guilt and something that almost looks like a twinge of pride. Before anyone can start analyzing those reactions, Phantom disappears.

Huntress startles and checks a map on her arm, then groans. “Gone again. Won’t be catching him this time.” The League tries to apologize for distracting her so much that Phantom got away. Red Huntress waves them off. “This is obviously more important. Besides, Phantom’ll be back. He always comes back.”

.

.

.

After all this time, after all the calls Team Phantom had made to the JL, files and files they had saved to try and sway the Justice League into helping them, useless. They took one look at Val- at Red Huntress and at him, and he knew that look. They didn’t trust him, they were hostile without having to be, distrustful hating looks as they asked Huntress to join the Justice League.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut. Not now not now he thought to himself as he scrubbed his face and slung the last of his bags over his shoulders and invisibly flew to his car. Only a few more things to do. Making himself tangible (and double checking he was Danny and not Phantom) he ran down the stairs into his basement calling his parents. “Mom!! Dad! Ghosts are attacking the high school!” Muttered curses, sounds of weapons crashing to the floor and shouts of “DARN GHOSTS” followed the stampede of his parents running past him and out the door as he sends them on a ghost chase across town. He plugs in a flash drive and lets it run while he looks around the place of he was born in (the place he died in) and shuddered.

I like to think that Danny goes off grid in a Jungle (not in the US or Northern America). That or somewhere else, but he IS off grid.

He needed time and did lots of healing, and has finally become a great member of society, though he is typically alone.

Five years (or months, if its that bad), he gets tracked down. Reason? Magic and Other-adjacentness has disappeared almost completely. That, and the world population has declined sharply (from about 8billion to less than 4 billion in 5 Months/years). It took a while to figure out the connection, but the world benefitted from the portal opening and many that died over the 5 month/year period, did so from a lack of Ecto//Lazarus which kept them alive directly/indirectly.

As Danny's power grew, it started to become more obvious. Even in his human form, he gave off an aura of power, one invisible to the human eye but still felt by everyone around him. People in Amity Park don't usually notice this due to it subtly growing over the years and the full of ghost battles giving them a tolerance for much more overt displays of supernatural power.

The same could not be said, however, of people from outside Amity.

Or, is this noodle + Jack Fenton Height?

(Though, I always HC Danny to be taller that his Dad when he grows up).

Either way, there's this dude on campus from out of town. He is visiting his big sister (shocker when others found out) and deciding where to go for college.

Dude has golden retriever on his face only. The rest of his body is giving out danger signals (OPM reference) despite how the golden retriever energy seems to blanket him.

Cur Bruce being stared down with a Batman worthy glare by the mountain of a man that is Dan - who Danny only called his little rascal.

2.

Danny used to be scared of ghosts. Hard not to when your parents constantly warn you how dangerous they are. It was comforting when his mom and dad would sit next to his bed at night telling him that if a ghost did try to hurt him they'd catch them and keep him safe.

Now he was a ghost and ghosts aren't so scary. They at alot like humans actully with wants and fears. He can't even remember why he thought they were scary.

Actually its humans who are kinda weird looking. They are so fleshy and oddly proportional. Their eyes are too small and dull. Then again Danny had trouble recognizing their faces now. They blur together most of the time.

What Danny didn't know was that he didn't remember what ghost used to look like in his human eyes. From twisted elongated necks that stretched from ceiling to floor, to hollow stretched black holes where their eyes would have been, to the rotted hanging jaws peeled of lips. Ghosts were a parody of normal anatomy, all twisted into horrid forms.

And their voices.

Their voices all sounded so familiar but strange, for a moment you wanted to listen and then you wanted to never hear it again.

He used to listen to them outside his window when he went to the countryside to visit relatives. He'd hear is grandfather tap on the glass.

"Danny you've gotten so big." he'd say "Why dont you come out and play with your Pop-pop? I can still throw a ball around."

Danny used to hide under the covers because he knew they just buried granddad a few days ago.

The thing's knarled black fingers would tap restlessly and get more insistent with each call. Its white pinprick pupils stared into his. Danny could only look at it paralyzed in fear.

Now Danny could play a few rounds with the old man and he couldn't understand how he didn't recognize his granddad.

Now he couldn't understand why people were so afraid of him. He was taking a bit of vaction/tour and whenever he transformed to do some light hero work people would run. Not just the bad guys but the citizens as well.

He didn't get it. Other heros around here didn't get that treatment. Was it because he was new?

He had no idea just how different he looked in the eyes of people who were not ghosts, or liminal, or other-adjacent.

Amity loved their hero Phantom.

Amity would fight for Phantom.

ALWAYS.

---

After Amity returned to the living realm, it took a while for people to notice the consequences.

Amitians that were not around when they pulled the city into the Infinite, screamed when they returned. To them, every one had been replaced by something other, and due to the block on their area/zip code, they couldn't even tell anyone, so they moved away and just hoped everyone would eventually move on.

The Amitians that stayed for a short while after returning, started to see the city people normally. Their subconscious locked away the fear and made them forget that they were initially afraid of almost everything. Similarly, those with connections (in the spiritual//magic sense) flocked to Amity in droves. The city was a ley line and its connection to the -other (it's what the community of spiritual and magical beings call the dimension they draw power from. It's an umbrella term)) had been made stronger.

Tourists and visitors typically entered the city by mistake or sped through jt to get to another state as quickly as possible. Since only ecto-infused tech could work within the city limits, people who tried to photograph the weird but their phones would not see anything. The reputation of being a ghost town started to grow.

When people left Amity, for work or school, they always had a hard time making friends or getting acquainted because there was always the energy of "if we don't see it, it won't acknowledge us." It was how outsiders reacted to Amitians. Ghosts were the horrors and Amitians were uncanny Valley (it was the origin of the use of the word in the U.S.). [Word was introduced in 1970 - Bukimi no Valley//Valley of Eeriness].

So, it was no surprise that when Phantom started showing up outside of Amity, that people ran. If those living on the edge of Amity had a rating of 4 (out of 10 on the Uncanny Valley scale) then those living in FentonWorks and close to the building, have a rating of 10. That, plus the ghosts as horrors, means that there is no ... nice way to accurately describe what Phantom looks like.

---

Many that encountered the entity, have been admitted into Psych wards. Others have been too afraid to do anything. Some under the latter have been moved onto life support as they literally starved and wasted away in their beds for fear of catching its attention. It wasn't until the entity made its way to Gotham that people finally got a hint as to what it was.

[HC being followed: Amity Park is the most liminal space in the world and in the U.S. Gotham City is the second most liminal space in the U.S. in terms of ambient ecto].

Gothamites did not reject the entity. It was more of a pause and then a carry on. It felt like one of their own, just a little to the left of things. Lady Gotham was pleased with the presence and Gotham saw no crime during the entities long stay. When Zatanna and John Constantine came across it, they finally got answers to their questions.

---

A JLA meeting was called. Everyone was present (JL, YJ, TT, JLD, Outlaws, etc.). John and Zatanna started off by stating that they had made contact with the entity and had great news to share. The entity was not malicious, had a name, and was, get this, a hero.

They explained a bit about what it was doing and why it was where it was. They also explained that the entity dealt with species of its kind to keep humans safe. It was well known in its home base (the word used to describe a Hero's place of origin//the place they protect the most) and had lots of civilian fans and contacts. They further explain that the entity was confused about the people running away, but did its job all the same.

Batman: you're saying he's a hero? Where is his home base?

The Flash: he?

At that, John and Zatanna zeroed in on Batman.

John: you can see him?

Zatanna: Truly?

Batman: Yes.

---

I have so much to say in this post, but I feel like this would be a good stop. I hope someone takes over and adds to the post. I wonder how it ends, if the JL would accept him.

Fanart of my now favorite Dp x DC crossover Fanfic!

Deadserious

.

>Danny had a problem. He thought he handled it well. He couldn't tell his civillian boyfriend of his half-dead status.

He definitely couldn't let him find out by being summoned by some culty wannabes who wanted to rule the world.

Easy solution: Volunteer to be the sacrifice, turn his eyes green, and act like a Royal prick and powerful being. Get rescued by one of Gothams 50 vigilantes. And claim no memory.

Boom, secret identity underwraps.

He didn't expect everyone to treat him so fragile after.

>

Damian also had a problem. That problem, being his civilian boyfriend, was obviously possessed by a spirit of the ghastly ghost king and was utterly clueless about it.

And it was all his fault.

Danny Fenton was the next June Moore/ Enchantress. Except he was hosting one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Jazz: I-

Danny: Don't do it, Jazz! He's a liar. A pretty lair, but a lair nonetheless!

Jazz: You can tell his pretty? With everything covering his face?

Danny: He gives the vibe of a man who has gone through life flying on pretty privilege.

Jazz studying Batman: Yeah, I see what you mean.

Batman: ....Do you want to be rescued or not?

Danny: Not!

Batman: I apologize, I made that sound like you had a choice. I'm saving your lives.

Danny: The the HELL you are!

Jazz: Actually, I would like to get out of the cage the weird clown threw us in.

Danny through clentch teeth: Fine. Save us. But only because Jazz vouched for you.

Batman: Why are you so angry child?

Jazz: He doesn't trust pretty people. They bullied him through middle school and high school.

Red Robin: Wow, he must not trust himself then. After all, he's the prettiest boy I've ever seen~♡

Danny: *Barks and growls at him*

Jazz: Danny!

Danny: That one reeks of pretty privilege. He can not be trusted.

Red Robin: Jokes on you, I'm into this.

Batman: fruitloop energy?

Danny: yeah, you've probably got millions or Billions of dollars, and a secret underground cave and an interest in adopting kids.

Red Robin: Yikes, he's got you there B.

Jazz, going into protection mode: I said, STAY BACK!

Danny: Jazz, I'll get the case and get us out.

After fiddling with the door lock, he gets them out in 10 seconds (the bats checked). He also disables the bombs in 5 seconds. He holds out his hand for his sister and they usher each other out and away from the bats.

Danny had spent the last six years building something stable out of the Infinite Realms.

Which, honestly, still sounded ridiculous when he thought about it too hard.

At twenty years old, Danny Phantom was somehow the acting Leader of the Infinite Realms version of the League of Assassins, mediator of territorial disputes, protector of portals, the peacemaker, and — according to Frostbite — “a deeply beloved young lord.”

Danny personally thought that title lost meaning the third time he had to stop two eldritch entities from starting a war over haunted soup recipes.

Still, the system worked.

So Danny did his rounds.

Checking territories. Listening to complaints. Solving problems before they became catastrophes.

And unfortunately, that included Walker’s Prison.

Previous Part 5 Next

~

Danny couldn’t help the faint shake to his limbs. Pariah Dark was nothing like he… she…was the first time they met. The Pariah Dark he’d faced before as an objectively evil looking man who looked like he was stuffed into his armor. There was nothing to him but a one track mind to conquer and destroy. He’d dragged Amity Park into the Infinite Realm and had felt stagnant and angry. 

Danny had been afraid during their first meeting, but the need to defend his haunt was like a driving force. He didn’t have time to think and plan, he had to work with what he had. This time was nothing like that. 

Panya was, well, she was a gigantic, pretty ghost lady who was potentially terrifying. Danny could feel that in his core, the call of the King and the need to obey. That hadn’t been an issue before. This time she felt calm and over protective and he didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. 

He could feel the weight of her words and the care she put into each one. She was disgusted by his parents and had meant every word about needing to get him out of there before something terrible happened. The worst part about that was that he could all too easily imagine exactly what those terrible things were. 

He’d had enough nightmares to fuel a lifetime and as painful as leaving alone would have been, he’d been considering it for some time. Danny thought he might move to the same city as Jazz, not to squat in her dorm room but to see her on weekends or when she had time. She could be the one to make room for him in her own plans for once. 

It really didn’t matter where he ended up as long as he was out of his parents house. Panya’s offer.. to be a part of her own fraid? He’d known almost immediately he couldn’t pass that up. He ached for… something. He didn’t know what it was he wanted, but his core did. He was afraid, but reassured at the same time. 

Confused, that’s what he was. 

“This place is unreal,” Danny whispered as he set his bags down and looked around Panya’s lair. Pariah’s Keep was huge, but it probably had to be if it was supposed to comfortably house her. She must have been something well over twelve feet tall when they fought the first time, which means she had shrunk down… for what? His comfort? To fit through the portal more easily? 

That was one more thought that made him hunch in on himself. The Fenton’s portal was just gone, ripped out of existence which Danny didn’t even know was possible. Its removal made him feel flighty and jumpy but everything that had happened that day had. 

Would Jazz be mad he hadn’t done more for their parents? He should have fought for them and protected them from a ghost as dangerous as Panya but as far as he could tell, his parents had jumped the gun like they usually did. To them, ghosts were all the same and one as powerful as Panya didn’t register in their minds. They’d been subdued so easily and Danny… was feeling guilty over not feeling more. 

Maybe they deserved it. Maybe he was more afraid of them than he’d realized but when it came time for him to make his decision about leaving, he hadn’t felt much of anything for his parents. Not everything he should have. All that talk about ripping him apart molecule by molecule must have gotten to him. 

“You’re fretting,” Panya observed as the doors to her Keep shut behind them. “I suppose it has been a long day for you. So many changes. Would you like to see the part of the Keep that will be yours?” 

“Mine?” 

“Of course. I offered you a space in my lair and in my fraid.” Panya turned her attention back to him and her eerie stare was getting easier to look at somehow even if maintaining eye contact put a crick in his neck. “Ghostling, you have been terribly neglected.” 

“I’m alright,” Danny muttered, drawing his legs up as he hovered beside her. “I manage,” 

“You shouldn’t have to scrape by. Growing into your core takes time. It can be dangerous if you are not prepared.” 

Danny bobbed his head into a nod. “Yeah. I know. Frostbite helped me understand my ice powers.” 

Panya made a noise that was all approval. “Good. An ice core? How fitting. Who assisted you for your other powers? It is instinct for the Neverborn, but those souls that travel here on their own have a bit of a learning curve.” 

“The others? I figured them out on my own after a while. I still mess up sometimes,” He admitted quietly. 

That approval slipped away, but Panya reached out to pat his head as if completely unaware of how to offer comfort. “Messing up is part of learning. I will assist you with your abilities, if you’d like.” 

That was a hell of an offer. It was kind and not something Danny ever would have expected from the Tyrant King. It might have been nice to use his wail without draining himself completely. Maybe help making more than one duplicate successfully. No one had ever offered before. The ghosts he knew around Amity probably just assumed he was getting on well enough on his own. 

“I did not expect you to be so shy,” Panya mused. “Not after having the nerve to brawl with me.” 

“I’m not shy,” Danny grumbled. “I’m adjusting or something.” 

“My mistake,” She said with the quirk of her lips, but Danny got the feeling she could feel his emotions better than he could hers. 

Doors down a corridor opened, a mist flowing out only seconds before a familiar suit of armor stepped forward. Danny had hoped not to see Fright Knight again any time soon but that thought probably went out the window when he followed the Ghost King to her lair. 

“Panya…” Fright Knight muttered, voice almost reverent. He stood frozen for only a moment before nearly charging towards them. Danny backpeddled several steps but Panya didn’t move an inch. She stood as the sentient suit of armor wrapped her into a hug.

“Hello Deimos,” Panya greeted, her voice a touch quieter. “Have you been waiting?” 

“Only since you roused,” he muttered, pulling away from the embrace but his hands remained on her shoulders. “And then I heard about the Observants. You should have called us to assist you. Instead you hoarded the fun for yourself.” 

“Ha,” She smirked. “It was my right, do you not agree?” 

Fright Knight chuckled, “If I must.” 

Danny watched but he was at a loss. This wasn’t at all like the dynamic he saw the first time. Fright Knight wasn’t worried about angering Panya or showing off with his menace and waves of fear. He wasn’t even speaking in annoying rhymes. Panya greeted him by name which he hadn’t heard her do before, but the name tugged at something in his mind. It was something familiar. 

“I trust you can,” Panya snickered and that was equally daunting. He hadn’t heard Panya laugh before, but then again, had he even known her for two hours? 

Deimos turned, stiff in the black shining armor. “Who is the ghostling?” 

“This is Phantom. We call him Danny. He is mine now.” Danny hardly had time to react to belonging to Panya when Deimos seemed to… brighten? 

“Ah! This child is the Phantom I've heard so much about.” 

“Glad I made an impression,” Danny said dryly. “You don’t even remember meeting me?” 

“Sadly, I do not. I was not the Fright Knight you have crossed paths with,” Deimos said, sounding amused. 

“Huh?” 

“Ah, yes. I’d forgotten you weren't both there,” Panya mused. “No wonder there is confusion.” 

Danny just blinked, looking between them. “Both? There’s more than one Fright Knight?” 

“There is, ghostling,” Danny whipped around to find a second Fright Knight standing behind him. Two huge ghosts in identical black armor that felt like the same sort of amusement that could teeter into terror between one blink and another. Danny would have thought it was a simple case of duplication but they weren't entirely the same. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling but with the ghost in front of him, he could confirm that this second Fright Knight was the one he’d met before. If one was fear, were two of them a lot of fear? 

Danny jerked back from him too, floating backwards until he accidentally bumped into Panya. 

“You’ve nothing to fear from them, child,” Panya said. “This is Deimos’ twin, Phobos.” 

“Phobos…” Danny repeated. 

“An honor to meet you again, Phantom.” Phobos greeted, and then surprised Danny further by pulling off his heavy black armor. Danny hadn’t even realized there was a person under there. There had never been a hint of a face under that helmet.

Unlike Panya, Phobos didn’t shrink after taking the armor off. He was still a huge man which made Danny think of all the Spartan movies he watched as a kid. His eyes were a glowing green, his skin was tinged gray, and his hair was black and floating in wisps around his face. Somehow, he was scarier without the armor and then it was double trouble when Deimos tossed aside his own armor and revealed that the twins were in fact identical. 

“And an honor to meet you for the first time,” Deimos continued. 

Danny looked between them, wondering why the hell he was suddenly surrounded by huge ass ghosts and why were they all being so friendly? Friendly was not what he associated most ghosts with. They were usually troublemaking pains. 

“Wait,” Danny paused, something in his brain knocking loose. “Deimos and Phobos are the moons of Mars! That’s why I know those names.” 

All three stared at him in surprise but it was Panya who started laughing quietly. “You are correct. They are the sons of Mars. Ares.” 

“Oh. Cool. Not my area, but cool. It’s definitely cool to have a moon named after you!” 

Deimos snickered, “Most people are more intimidated with us being the gods of dread and fear.” 

“I just kinda followed the Ghost King here. Dread and fear are kind of a given,” Danny said, wondering if he was running his mouth but the others just looked entertained. 

“Yes, let’s talk about that,” Phobos said, drifting into a room that Danny hadn’t noticed before but it was clearly some kind of sitting room. Could spooky castles have livingrooms? For some reason he thought it would be gloomy and dusty since Panya had been sleeping for so long but it was well kept. “I’m not opposed to the ghostling joining our fraid, but I find myself needing to know how it happened.” 

“Every time one of you calls me a ghostling, I feel like you’re calling me a little kid. Cut it out.” Danny said. 

Deimos smirked at him while dropping down onto a sofa that looked like it was taken out of a dracula movie. “We are, because you are. Only a handful of years dead. Only a handful of years alive if your halfa status is true. You are a little kid.” 

“I am a halfa, I’m not a kid.” Danny huffed. 

“Are you sure?” Deimos asked with a teasing lilt Danny hadn’t been expecting at all. 

“He did defeat Panya,” Phobos said, tossing her an amused look. “Technically.” 

“Technically,” Panya agreed good-naturedly as she nudged Danny towards the seat. Catching so many hints of their emotions was strange. “But I will also defend Phantom from the brunt of your teasing. Considering his ghostling status is part of the reason he is being adopted.” 

“Huh?” Danny frowned. 

She sat and crossed her legs while Danny just floated in a seated position. “Danny, you are a child. You are young. You should still be swimming in mentors. Instead you have had to deal with far more than any other your age. Maturity and responsibility were forced on you. You have been hunted for sport and mortal science.” 

Danny tried to focus on her, but he saw the way Deimos and Phobos’ frowns grew the more she spoke. 

“You have been tossed around by Time. You have been targeted by the Observants and your mortal government.” Panya continued without giving him a moment to respond. “You were neglected in the home you were born into and your halfa nature put you in severe danger. You are strong, and you are meant for the stars, but you are young. Do  you understand? I offer you a place in my fraid to protect you and allow you time to mature at your own pace where you are not constantly defending your haunt.” 

Danny shifted uncomfortably, “I still dunno what’s going on. Did the Observants do something to you? Is that why you were a tyrant? You’re not the same as before.” 

“Essencially, yes,” Panya agreed. 

“I was worried about her too,” Phobos said, looking directly at Danny. “I thought staying close would be the best way to keep an eye on her when she was last woken but before the rest of the fraid had arrived, you had taken care of things. I owe you for that. That and perhaps an apology for frightening you.” 

“You’re the Fright Knight,” Danny mumbled and managed to shrug as if he hadn’t been so bothered by their first meeting. A lie, and they all knew it. 

“You carry worries,” Deimos said. “Would you share them with us?” 

Danny fought back a shiver, not sure what to do with so much attention on him. He could feel so much from them. /Concern/Understanding/Patience/. There were even undertones of fury from the Fright Knights on his behalf. When had someone last been angry for him? When was the last time he had such a focused audience. His parents only ever cared about ghosts. Jazz had been in college for a while now. 

The silence grew as they waited, none of them rushing him but that only flustered him more. He felt the phantom sensation of his heart beating faster and faster despite it not beating at all. 

“Worries…” He cleared his throat. “Besides the Ghost King that tried to take over my town being something closer to sane and trying to adopt me?” 

“Yes, besides that,” Panya said, though she smiled. 

Okay, so deflecting didn’t work and he could almost feel their patience being directed at him. Was that something they learned with age or did they just care? How could they care after only knowing him for five minutes?

“Leaving means I gave up my haunt,” Danny started, feeling the itch under his skin already. What was he supposed to protect now? 

Phobos made a noise of sympathy. “In desperate times, haunts do occasionally need to move. It must be jarring for someone so young but we will find you another one. You need ties to mortal spaces after all.” 

“I don’t have any mortal spaces left. I can’t go home. My parents…” 

“We,” Phobos began, gesturing to his brother and himself. “Know a thing or two about absent parents who only look for you when they need your assistance. You are not responsible for your parents' choices, ghostling. You are not at fault for seeking to protect yourself.” 

“I just left them…” He said quietly. It had only just happened and already he was filled with regrets.

“I sense you have put them before yourself for some time,” Deimos said. “That should be the burden of the parents, not the child. Don’t tie yourself into knots for seeking safety.” 

Safety? Was that what his core was after? 

“My fraid fell apart,” He finally muttered. “I’m not good at having one.”

“No, Phantom,” Panya cut in this time, using the same gentle timbre she had in the lab. “Your fraid is alive, that’s all. They care about you a great deal and from what Chronos has told me, they have proven it before. The problem lies with the fact that they are still living. It is difficult to be a part of a fraid that way. They’re unable to give you what you need. It is not a failing.” 

“I’m alone.” 

“Not anymore,” Panya said. “You are a part of this fraid now as well. Your parents can’t hurt you now.” 

Danny fidgeted and floated in a small circle. That part was true since Panya had ripped their portal apart. He wasn’t sure if they could recreate it. “What about Vlad’s portal?” 

“Who?” 

“Plasmius?” Danny tried again. “He has a portal too. He’s also a halfa.” Vlad also hadn’t been the same since Ellie had destabilized. They talked sometimes but it had been weeks. The man had stopped trying to woo his mother when he was faced with the loss of a daughter he’d been trying to get to know. 

“Does he now…” Panya mused. 

“My parents don’t know about it,” Danny said. “But he has one.” 

A new voice cut in, “That won’t be a problem. He’s not eager to share it with them.” 

Danny turned with an unnecessary gasp caught in his throat, “Clockwork!” 

“Hello Danny,” he greeted, the familiarity making the twins pout. The ghost of Time allowed Danny to crash into him in greeting, the pair spinning once before stopping. 

“I should have known you’d show up. I figured I’d have gotten a post-it while packing if this was a bad idea.” 

The comment pulled a deep laugh out of Clockwork. “I would have needed to show up and coax you if you hadn’t come. I know you were reluctant to leave, but it was for the best.” 

“Timeline?” Danny asked wearily 

“No. The best for you,” Clockwork said, and Danny didn’t have a comeback for that one. He wouldn’t usually describe Clockwork’s warnings as tender but he could feel it. Clockwork had been /Worried/. 

“There is no way Chronos is the favorite,” Deimos muttered. “We have to fix this.” 

Phobos shared a look with his brother. “Perhaps not his favorite but he has had a head start.” 

Danny turned back to them, sure he looked as confused as he felt. “Favorite?” 

Clockwork hummed, “I am also a part of this fraid, Danny. Though not many realize it.” 

“Really?” Danny perked up. 

Panya made a face. “I love him as much as I can't stand him.” 

“That tracks,” Danny said immediately, pulling a smile from the Ghost King. Danny turned back to Clockwork, his worries worn on his sleeve. “You don’t think Vlad will be a problem?” 

“No. He will seek me out in a few days to make sure you’re alright but that is all. He will also offer to pay Jazz’s tuition so she doesn’t have to return home herself. She’ll think about it for a week or two before taking him up on the offer.” 

“Well at least that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about,” Danny said, more to himself than anyone else. “What about the ghosts? Will they be able to get through?” 

Clockwork shrugged, “Perhaps through Vlad’s portal, and there are natural portals here and there. Your man-made portals weren’t always there after all. Things will work as they should in the end.” 

“Vague,” Danny nodded though the tension hadn’t left his body. 

“I think it’s time we show you around, ghostling,” Panya said, rising again. “This is your home now, even if we will need to find a mortal dimension for your health and wellbeing.” 

“I have just the one in mind,” Clockwork said. 

Panya gave him a look and Danny thought she’d be heaving a long suffering sigh right now if she needed to breathe 

---

Danny turned with an unnecessary gasp caught in his throat, “Dad!” 

Clockwork paused slightly, but still opened his arms for a hug. He caught the ghostling as his (Danny) laughter turned to sobs. The Ghost of Time allowed his ... ghostling to cry it out. The rest of the fraid looked on in shock, mirroring what Clockwork felt at the moment.

...

..

The GIW passed an amendment to the Anti Ecto acts that protects Halfas and Liminals after they see Danny transform. A week later Danny is captured by a Meta Human Trafficking group.

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So naturally he'd been frantically searching for a way to stop the process, and he found something.

It was an obscure loophole, so far out there that there was a very good chance of it not working, but it was literally the only thing that could stop him from becoming an Ancient.

He hoped. He found it in a damaged scroll hidden away in Ghost Writer's library, covered in dust, so he was mostly running off of hopes and dreams.

There was allegedly certain family that, due to displeasing so many gods, none of their kin were able to become 'one with their fullest potential'. The family was not aware of this curse, and he was pretty sure if they became aware of it they'd find a way to break it, so straight up asking for adoption was out.

However, there was a small loophole to even that; this family also had a very slight cult.

And members of a cult are considered family, sort of.

Yeah, yeah, Danny may have jumped the gun and joined a cult aptly named the League of Assassins, run by the guy he needs to psuedo-adopt him; Ra's al Ghul.

Two fantastic things; he managed to impress them with his sneaking skills and was accepted into the cult, and the process of becoming an Ancient was halted in it's tracks.

Danny: to get adopted. By you.

Talia and Damian shutter while looking at the the mad man (read: child) that got into the core area without being noticed.

Ra's: and why do you need me to adopt you?

Danny: there are multiple curses on your blood line. To escape my fate, I need to be adopted by you or anyone with your blood above 500 years of age. Thus, the particular curse becomes a safety net for me. In exchange, I can teach stealth to your members. After all, I got in here and stayed through your 5 hour meeting before showing myself to you.