Untitled

CALL YOUR SENATORS!!!

👏🏾Education 👏🏾is 👏🏾a 👏🏾right,👏🏾 not👏🏾 a👏🏾 service 👏🏾

"Danyal, its time to end this game and return with me."

Danny should had known Clockwork had something in mind when he sent him on this mission. He knew he should had been suspicious of the time keeper when he noticed the little 'this is going to be fun' smile on his face when he sent Danny off into the portal.

"Get back here you demon spawn 2.0!"

But how was he supposed to know that he'd wake up in this world version of himself in a pit full of corrupted (AND NASTY) ectoplasim at the tender age of five or that when he swam up to the surface he'd be meeting face to face with what was apparently a cult.

"-O just spotted him a block away! I'll try to cut itty bitty bridie off!"

An Assassins Cult his, new to him, loving yet a little insane mother was in charge of (though during the few months he stayed in the compound he heard rumors and gossip from maids and others alike that if his grandfather returned from the dead he'll take over once again, no doubt punish Talia for creating another heir after the failure of the last one, most likely was going to kill Danny and that... that was can of worms Danny didn't wanna deal with yet)

"Ten bucks says they try to stab RR when we get the feral thing home"

"...Losers bet...."

Danny had lived with his mother for a while after being brought back from the 'dead' for apparently the first time, it turned out training a five year old with an actual sword and a dumbass hidden revenge seeking teacher was a terrible idea.

"I swear if this one tries to murder me like the others I'm asking Zatanna if there is a curse on me."

He dealt with her high demands of perfection, the endless training, and the constant comparisons to his apparent older brother Damain... Who didn't know Danny, or rather Danyal existed.

Nor did his father (when Danny, using his powers he's kept hidden since 'waking' up in this Realm, he sneaked his way around the base and discovered how he came into the world. And tbh he couldn't blame his mom how she made him, she was an assassin first and foremost, being naturally pregnant would had painted a target on her for to long... but he also felt it was unfair and an asshole move on his unsuspecting father as well)

"As your elder brother I demand you to stop running!"

Now don't get him wrong, he did like his new mother (total badass assassin lady and all that) and he knew she loved him in her own... deadly way. But yeah, she really shouldn't be taking care of kids. He could tell she struggled with wanting to be a normal mother but her first instinct after so many years was to be an assassin first.

Something she was trying to engrave into Danny with as well.

"Ah, hello Beloved. I see you've learned of our Danyal."

"Talia. Back away from him and leave Gotham now."

"I can not do that. The League needs an heir and since Damian refuses to return... I have decided to create a new one and I shall not be leaving until he returns with me."

"Talia."

Hence why when Danny, or rather Danyal al Ghul had gotten decent control over his powers he decided to leave the League. Again nothing wrong with the life his mom leads, to each their own, but he... really, really didnt want to be an assassin. Or an assassin heir.

So here he was, after almost a year on the run, using his powers and training to out smart and out maneuver his mother and her many band of Assassins, in Gotham. One of the last places he ever wanted to run to cause he knew his father and brother lived here.

It was just his luck that his mother had managed to intercept his train ride that passed into Gotham for a few hours and forced him to run into the city...

Add her assassins into the mix and running into Robin, who heard from Oracle his mother had been spotted chasing a young boy across the city, that same night.

After that it became a full on "catch me if you can" chase for not only his mother but for the batclan as well.

And after two whole days of chase, it seemed like the final showdown was about to begin because everyone was on top of this rooftop, his mother and her assassins on one side, his father and the batclan on the other and Danny well... he was right in the middle of all of it.

"Danyal. Come here," his mother ordered.

Nah. He loved her, just as she loved him. She wasn't exactly the sanest though. Neither was his dad, since he was a surprisingly popular out and proud furry. Danny was waiting. As soon as the two sides went after each other, he was going to make a run for it. His mom stepped forward, and the batclan leapt forward.

Danny dodged and weaved as the two sides clashed, trying to prevent the other from getting to him. Once he was pretty sure they were all distracted, he jumped down onto a fire escape and made himself invisible, running away. He couldn't hold it for long, but it should hold long enough for him to lose his tails for a bit. *** Danny was pretty sure he wasn't followed. He'd managed to make his way to the observatory. It was easy to sneak inside. He'd decided to use the techniques his mom had shown him. Danny was still tired from using his powers earlier. He paused at the gift shop, looking longingly at some of the posters, toys, and clothes. He could live without it, but it would be nice to have one of those.

Danny shook his head. He didn't want to steal.

Sighing, Danny moved on. He wanted to check out the movie room. It would be a nice place to sleep for the night, and he could fall asleep listening to the stars. Following the signs, he made it to the theater room. It was easy to find the console. From there, he turned on a video about the Hubble telescope and the James Webb telescope. Those would be fun.

Danny started them up, then meandered down to the rows of chairs. He laid down in the first row, spreading himself out across two of the seats. They were cushioned nicely. He'd been taught how to fall asleep when in uncomfortable situations. Danny drifted off hearing the narrator talk about the galaxies.

***

He woke up hearing two people talking, asking who had been the last to lock up for the night, how could they have left the projector running. Danny scrambled to get up and hide. It was child's play to sneak back out. His stomach grumbled. He'd had to steal food this past year in order to say alive. He didn't like it, but it was necessary. Danny made his way to a fancy looking grocery store that wasn't that far away.

His mouth watered seeing the fruits and vegetables. He'd hated them in his last life, but he appreciated them so much more in this one, where he rarely got enough to eat. Danny went in, looking for an adult to hang around who he could pretend he was with. There. There was an elderly gentleman stocking up his cart, filling it full. Danny made his way to the man and hovered around him, but not too close.

Danny stole an apple and an orange, hiding them in his hoodie. He also snuck a chocolate bar. Life was tough. Some sugar would do him good. Not only that, but chocolate was full of magnesium. That was an important micronutrient. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the elderly man say to the cashier.

"Add an apple, and orange, and a kit kat bar. I'm afraid my grandson has squirreled them away. He refused breakfast, so of course he is hungry now." Danny's head snapped up, assessing the man.

He had white hair and was balding at the top. He looked stern, but there was a kindness to him. Afterall, why else would he have paid for Danny's stuff? He followed the man out of the store.

"Thanks. You didn't have to do that," Danny admitted, scuffing the ground with his toe, ashamed yet grateful.

"No. There is a a small bakery and coffee shop down the street. If you help me put the items in my car, I'm more than happy to get you breakfast," the man explained. Danny nodded. It was a good trade, not only that, but it was easy to help the man. He told Danny his name was Alfred Pennyworth. Danny just said his name was Danny.

At the cafe, Mr. Pennyworth got some tea and scones while Danny got hot chocolate and an egg quiche with vegetables. It was really yummy. Danny tried to savor the drink. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had something so yummy. Definitely not since waking up in this body.

"Some of my grandsons will be here shortly. They were in the area. I do hope you won't mind them joining," Mr. Pennyworth told him calmly.

"Okay," Danny mumbled. Maybe he should try to leave before that... he was kinda gross and stinky.

He didn't really have a chance to leave though, as it felt like just seconds later, three men entered the store. The oldest, silver just starting to enter his hair, sat down next to Danny. He shifted uncomfortably. It was going to be harder to leave now. He didn't want to act suspicious and attract attention though.

"Bruce! What a surprise. I'd thought it was just going to be Tim and Damian."

"I was the one who drove them out here! Tim wanted to check out the observatory," Bruce said joyfully before turning to look at Danny. It kinda unnerved him. It reminded him of his mother's gaze, picking him apart, looking for Danny's flaws. He hated it. He needed to get out of here!

"Hello there! I'm Bruce Wayne! Nice to meet you! Where did Alfred pick you up at?" Was this something Mr. Pennyworth did often? Danny thankfully didn't have to answer as the boys sat down. One was older, probably sixteen or seventeen while the other looked to be twelve. "Here's yours," the elder one said sliding a cup to Bruce. He then sat next to Alfred, the twelve year old sitting at the end of the table.

"Thank you Tim." He was turning to ask Danny something again, something Danny didn't want. So he decided to jump in.

"Tim! You wanted to go to the observatory. What did you want to see there?" Tim blinked.

"Uh, they updated the documentary to include new information since the James Webb telescope was launched a little while ago."

Perfect.

“Wow. You know a lot about the stars. Would you like to come with us to the observatory?” Bruce was smiling, but it was softer this time and didn’t feel as fake. It still felt weird. Why was this family accepting him? It was really suspicious. 

“Oh no, I couldn’t. It’s your family that you were going to do with Tim and Damian,” Danny protested. 

He wanted to go. He did. But he shouldn’t. Also, this was Gotham? He’d heard so much about this city, who in the world were these people that they were like: ah, let’s take that street urchin in his ratty and stinky clothes to an observatory! Were they trying to kidnap him? Probably. Ah well, he could kick their asses when they revealed their hand and then leave. Danny was still trying to lay low and hide from his mother and his father, the Batman. Mother might suspect him of going to an observatory. She did know him, and knew that he liked stars. Probably? Was he giving her too much credit? She had him on purpose because her other son hadn’t turned out the way she wanted. Mother hasn’t been thrilled to discover his interest in space. No, she’d just wanted the perfect soldier, the perfect heir. 

She’d lost that when she’d killed her son and revived him in the Lazarus Pit. 

Older Danny’s memories had meshed with his younger, reincarnated selves ones, but older Danny had so many more memories and a lot more life experience. Little Danny? Not so much. The love he had for his mother had stayed though. 

“Oh, I insist,” Bruce said, putting his hand gently on Danny’s shoulder. 

Danny bit his lip. He glanced around at the others. Damian hadn’t said a word, just watching Danny. He had the same gaze as his father, Bruce, had initially. As if he was trying to look into Danny’s soul. Alfred looked serene and calm as ever. Danny felt safer if both Tim and Alfred would come with. 

“Will you be coming too, Mr. Pennyworth?” Danny asked, trying to give his best innocent and cute look at the older gentleman. He also subtly pushed off Bruce’s hand, not liking it on him.

“I’m afraid I must get the groceries home. They would not survive a trip to the observatory,” Mr. Pennyworth said. Danny frowned. That sucked. 

“Oh. Well, I wouldn’t want to impose…” yes, nice and easy, get away from this nice but really weird family. 

“You wouldn’t be imposing! Don’t worry about cost either! I have plenty of money,” Bruce chuckled. 

“Yuck,” Danny blurted, then blushed. Okay, so he kinda hated rich people. He blamed Vlad. Tim let out a surprised laugh, although he tried to stop it as quickly as he could. Damian, however, bristled.

“How dare you say that! Father is one of the most generous men on the planet and his charities help the people of this city and those all around the world!” Bruce put his hand on Damian’s shoulder. 

“It’s alright, son. I don’t think Danny knows who we are. I’m Bruce Wayne, does that ring a bell?” It did, but Danny didn’t want to tell him that. 

“No,” Danny told the man before finishing off his hot chocolate. It was a little cold at this point, but it was still good. He’d finished the quiche during his discussion with Tim. Decisions though. He really, really wanted to explore the observatory while it was open and not at night… 

“I’ll go, but you have to answer one question first,” Danny told Bruce, looking up at him. He was going to have so much fun messing with this trillionaire. 

“Of course!” Danny was going to make him regret that. They would either let him leave or still take him after this question. Probably let him leave. 

“You’re not a pedophile, are you?” 

Bruce’s eyes widened, and he looked stunned. Damian stood up and started yelling. Mr. Pennyworth looked perturbed. Tim looked like he wasn’t sure if he was going to laugh or cry. What could he say? He was a bit of a chaos gremlin. 

***

To Danny’s utter amazement, the Waynes still wanted to take Danny to the observatory. 

They had to have some sort of ulterior motive. No one would have taken Danny after he asked Bruce that so bluntly. Were they connected to the Bats? Or his Mother? Either way, Danny was just going to use them a bit, making them go with him to every single exhibit, check out all of the telescopes, and watch as many of the movies in the theater as possible. Tim though, Tim had been the one to surprise Danny by getting him a few items from the gift shop. A little model rocket, a poster of a few different galaxies, and even some astronaut food. 

It was really nice of the teen. 

Damian had been extremely bored and clearly did not want to be there. He kept trying to tell Danny what to do and how to act, which just made Danny want to do the exact opposite. It was honestly fun to make the other kid mad. When he did, he would hide behind Tim’s leg and give the older teen the most innocent look he could manage. Bruce looked super tired from dealing with their squabbles. 

If he couldn’t handle it, he shouldn’t have invited Danny along! 

That led to the interesting conundrum. It was becoming dark, and the observatory was about to close. Bruce and his kids didn’t seem to want Danny to leave. It was super suspicious. They were outside now, Danny holding his little bag of goodies. While he could be subtle when he wanted to be, now really wasn’t the time for subtlety. Walking forward in front of the little family, Danny turned to face them. He was prepared to run if they made any weird moves. 

“What makes you think we have anything to do with your parents? Whoever they are,” Bruce asked. Danny rolled his eyes. 

“Please. Any normal person would want to get away from me as soon as I asked if they were a pedophile. The fact that you didn’t leave me alone right after that? Super suspicious. I may be five, but I’m not dumb,” Danny told them, annoyed. Sometimes being so little was helpful, sometimes it really, really sucked! 

The three people studied Danny. He fidgeted. 

“Well? Are you going to answer my question?” Danny demanded. 

“We’re with… Batman,” Bruce reluctantly said. 

“Yeah, I thought so. None of you really seem like people my mom would associate with.” Apparently, that was funny, as Tim covered his mouth with a hand to muffle his laughter. 

“Why would you think that?” Damian questioned, crossing his arms and… pouting? Ancients, was the twelve year old kid really pouting? It was only because Danny had been taught how to read even the most subtle body language by his assassin mom that he could tell the other boy was upset.

“Uh, you’re not all stabby and don’t really seem super dangerous,” Danny explained. That seemed to get Tim even more, as he made a strangled sound and pulled out his phone. 

“I need to tell Jason. He’s going to love this so much,” Tim managed to wheeze out. Danny was not waiting around till Jason showed up. He was getting out of here. 

“Anyway, good to know that you’re with the caped furry. I hope to NEVER see you again,” he told them cheerily. 

“WAIT!” Damian yelled, grabbing Danny’s hand. Danny frowned at the surprisingly strong grip. “Don’t you want to meet your older brother?” 

“Uh, no,” Danny told the other boy. Damian’s face went stony at the answer. “I’ve been compared to my older brother my entire life. Mother said that once I beat my teacher, I could learn his name and once I beat her I could learn my father’s name. I don’t want to know, though. Mother always said I was slower than him, I didn’t learn as quickly as him. I wanted to yell at her so many times that I wasn’t him! I’m Danyal. I’m Danny. I don’t want to be my brother. I want to be nothing like him! Mother boasted how he’d completed his first kill at three. I’ve never killed anyone. I love my mom, but she’s not exactly sane and really shouldn’t be raising a kid.” 

“So I ran away, and there’s no way I’m going to get involved with Batman, because if Mother picked him to be my father, then he’s probably not really sane either. I mean, he runs around at night in his fursona!” Danny argued. He tugged at his arm. “Now let me go!”

Damian wasn’t letting go though. In fact, his grip just got tighter. Danny tried a few techniques he’d learned from his Mother, but none of them worked. Damian had a smug expression on his face as Danny struggled to get away. Bruce and Tim got closer, caging him in. 

Well, screw that! 

“Yeah, no, bye!” Danny told them, turning intangible to Damian’s hand slid off him, his eyes ridiculously wide in shock. 

Not bothering to see the other’s reactions, Danny turned and ran, gripping his bag of goodies tightly. He heard them chasing after him. His legs were short, but all he needed to do was get to the shadows, then he could turn invisible and get away. It didn’t matter if they saw he had powers at this point. He just needed to get away. 

***

The bad thing about spending the whole day in the observatory was that Danny hadn’t picked a nice, safe spot to sleep for the night. Once he was sure he was far enough away from the Waynes, he’d dropped his invisibility then wandered. He’d received so many looks from others. Whatever. Danny could take care of himself. He could tell it was going to rain. He needed to find a place to get some shelter and keep warm for the night. 

Danny found a nice little space to hide and keep warm, under the roof of a large building. The overhang was large enough that it kept him dry. The thick stone slabs on the… bank. It was a bank. The outside of the bank was warm. Well, warmer than elsewhere. From up here, Danny could watch the street and everything that was going on. The bag rustling, he pulled out the model rocket, admiring it. It was really, really nice of Tim to buy this for him. It was a model of the Javelin, the type of rocket that was a spaceship and a jet. It was used exclusively by the Justice League. 

This type of technology hadn’t existed in his old world. He really wanted to fly in one. Or look at the engine of it. Saw how it worked. The specs on it. Danny wanted to know about the aerodynamics of the plane, the material used to make it both sturdy and heatproof for reentry into the atmosphere. He couldn’t always let his adult side take over, or dominate him. So Danny let his younger side out, making the Javelin fly around above him, making soft zooming noises. He thought about if he went with his dad, with Batman, maybe he could get to fly in one. 

Danny shook his head, dispelling that thought. 

It was a nice one, but he didn’t want anything to do with the Bat themed vigilante or the bird themed ones that seemed to flock around him. Danny just wanted to be a normal kid. Well, as normal as he could be. It wasn’t worth sacrificing his normalcy or his freedom to fly in a Javelin, as cool as it would be. Danny put the model on his chest and sighed. He tensed as he heard two people land on the ground by the entrance to the bank. It was Nightwing and Red Hood. Nightwing was hiding something behind his back, a smile on his face.

“That sure was a big sigh! Are you doing alright up there, Danny?” Nightwing asked kindly, giving him a small wave. 

Oh great. 

“I’m fine. Go away,” Danny ordered. 

“Okay. If you come down though, I’ll give you this!” Nightwing brought out what looked like a Build a Bear in an astronaut costume. It was tempting, but Danny wasn’t falling for it. 

“Pass,” Danny told him. Red Hood snickered. Danny eyed him. 

“Are you going to try and convince me to come down too?” He asked the anti-hero. 

“Nah,” came the robotic voice. A voice changer. “I’m just here to watch Goldie fail.” 

“Little wing!” Nightwing complained. Wait a minute. 

“Little wing? Red Hood is bigger and taller than you. How is he little?” Danny asked. 

“Well, he’s younger than me,” Nightwing explained, as if it explained anything! 

“So… Do you call people older than you Big wing?” Danny questioned. The logic wasn’t really logicing for him. Red Hood started chuckling. It sounded kinda weird with the voice modulator. 

Ancients, this place got weirder and weirder the more he learned about it. 

This place wasn’t going to work for the night. He got the feeling that Nightwing was like an overactive golden retriever puppy. Sorry Nightwing, Danny preferred Rottweilers and Doberman. They reminded him of Cujo. He really wanted to sleep. It’d been such a good day at the observatory messing with Damian and hanging out with Tim. He’d liked Mr. Pennyworth too. 

He was shivering and cold, his head was pounding, and snot was dripping from his nose. He’d caught a cold. Danny coughed weakly. His immune system was pretty good, and it had always been good as a halfa. Not eating enough, not getting enough sleep, and being soaked for a while had taken their toll and how he was sick. 

Weakly, Danny stumbled off of the couch, clinging to the blankets around him. They dragged behind him like a little cape. He made his way to the door that had to be Red Robin’s bedroom. Danny knocked. It was faint, way too faint. Gritting his teeth, Danny knocked harder so it could actually be heard. He waited, swaying slightly. Oh, there was movement from inside the bedroom. The door opened, and Danny was looking up at Tim. What was Tim doing - oh. Tim = Red Robin. If his brain was currently trying to boil itself to make him feel better, Danny would think that over a bit more. 

“Who’re you?” That’s what Danny tried to say, but it came out really mumbled. The black and white haired guy looked up. There were so many nicknames that were flitting through his head at this point. Magpie. Skunk. Cow. Panda. Penguin. Sebra. There were so many animals that were black and white. 

“I’m Jason. How’re you feeling?” Jason got off of the toilet, kneeling down beside the bathtub to feel Danny’s forehead. He had to move a damp washcloth to do so. 

“I feel yucky. But not as bad as before,” Danny reported. Jason nodded, removing his hand.

“Seems like your fever has gone down a bit.” That was good. “You up to taking some Motrin? It will help even more. Your choice.” 

It was nice of them to give him the option. Little Danny had never gotten to choose what happened to him. Mom and Grandfather had always decided for him. Was giving him a choice a reverse psychology thing? He’d be more likely to take it if he had a choice? Also, Jason was new. Danny didn’t know this guy, didn’t trust him. 

“I’ll pick after I talk to Tim.” Tim hadn’t lied or done anything to make Danny mistrust him. He also hadn’t pressured Danny. Jason nodded. 

“Okay. I’ll get him. We took shifts watching you.” 

With that, Jason got up and left the bathroom. Danny sat up a bit, the washcloth on his head falling off into the tub. He’d been propped up on some stacked towels. He was still in his underwear, thank goodness. The bathroom was sea themed, the walls a pale blue. The soap holder was shaped like a seashell and the toothbrush holder looked like red coral. There was a painting with palm trees and the beach on it. The shower curtain, which had been pulled back, was covered in fish. It was a cute little bathroom. He hadn’t really focused on it last night when he’d changed clothes, more intrigued by what he could learn about his brother. Assuming it hadn’t been that long since he’d passed out.

Danny brought up his knees, bringing them to his chest. Here, in the bathtub, he felt so small and alone. It didn’t last long, as the door opened. Standing in the open doorway was Tim. Behind him, Danny could see Alfred and Jason. Tim left the door open and walked in. Like Jason had, he knelt next to the bathtub, leaning against the porcelain tub. 

“Jason said you wanted to see me.” Tim’s tone was neutral. 

“Yeah. He mentioned Motrin, and that I didn’t have to take it,” Danny explained. Tim nodded. 

“Yes. You can take some Motrin, if you want. It will help get rid of your fever and some of your symptoms. If you don’t want to take it, you would need to get back in the ice bath the next time it spikes. We have a new bottle, unopened. I can open it in front of you, if that makes you feel better.” Relief flooded his body. Yes, that would make him feel a lot better. Never could be too safe after having grown up with assassins. Plus he’d been unconscious for a while. They would have had plenty of time to tamper with things. That did include the Motrin bottle, but it would be harder to hide that. 

“That. Can you open it in front of me and let me read the bottle before I have any?” Danny turned to the side, turning closer to the edge of the tub. It was faint, but he could hear Jason and Alfred whispering in the hallway. 

“It’s ironic how he likes Tim. Demon Brat hated Tim’s guts and loved Dick,” Jason mused. 

“I would prefer if you did not refer to Master Damian as that around me,” Alfred scolded. 

“Sorry. Habit.” Alfred merely tutted in response. 

Danny did not want to focus on that. Yet his mind was already whirring. Demon Brat. That could only be his older brother. Alfred had called him Master Damian. Which meant the Damian Danny had met the other day. Danny had met his older brother. He felt… conflicted. Older Danny lamented, as his older sister, Jazz, had been incredible, one of the best siblings someone could ask for. Danny hadn’t like Damian. At all. But… Tim had been Damian’s older brother. So that meant he was Danny’s brother too. Tim wouldn’t replace Jazz, no one could. But Danny was looking forward to an older sibling, one that he wasn’t being compared to. 

This didn’t mean that he was living with Batman! Wait, this meant Batman was Bruce! “Danny? Are you still with me?” Tim asked worriedly. He was holding the unopened Motrin bottle. One of the others must have brought it to him. He’d missed that. 

“Huh? Yeah. Can I see it?” 

Tim didn’t answer, handing it over. Danny skimmed the ingredients on the back. He also turned it over, checking the seal. It all looked good, so he let Tim pour himself some. Danny tipped his head back and took it like a shot of alcohol. That came from older Danny. Tim kept a calm, expressionless face, but Jason had clearly seen Danny throw back that little cup of Motrin, and he didn’t look thrilled. 

Danny got out of the tub on shaky legs. Alfred brought him a towel, and he reluctantly let the elderly gentleman help dry him. Danny made his way back to the couch, where he was basically swaddled in blankets. Danny refused to let someone feed him, insisting he could do it himself. Tim sat on the loveseat that was diagonal from the couch. He was resting his legs on the coffee table. After finishing the soup, which he’d thanked Alfred for, Danny sneakily made his way over to the loveseat. He wanted to sit next to Tim, snuggle into his side. 

Being sick made it harder than normal. He was so weak right now. Danny could tell Tim was keeping an eye on him. It would be okay, as long as he wasn’t rejected. Pulling himself and his mess of blankets onto the seat was the hardest part. Tim didn’t react as Danny slowly leaned against him, resting  his head on Tim’s left arm. He wasn’t pushed off, so he counted that as a success. Tim kept working, fingers flying across the screen. Not that Danny could see it, as the brightness was lowered when he came closer. There also seemed to be a privacy screen on the laptop. 

Tim probably had a lot of sensitive stuff on there, as Red Robin. 

Jason stretched out on the couch, returning to reading Pride and Prejudice. Not before snapping a picture of Danny and Tim on the couch. Danny glared at the man, but he wasn’t cowed by his best one. Darn. Thankfully Tim wasn’t having it. 

“If you send that to Dick and he comes here disrupting what trust I’ve built so far, there will be glitter in all of your safe houses and you won’t be safe for months,” Tim threatened, not even bothering to look up from his laptop. Danny couldn’t help but laugh a little. It came out raspy and ended in a cough. 

“Fine, Baby Bird. I’ll wait. I just want to rub it in Dickie’s face.” Jason didn’t sound that put out. 

It was worth it though, to be able to stand under the warm spray. It had been a long time since he’d been able to shower. A few months? It was good to wash the grime from his skin and watch it go down the drain. Some of it had come off when they’d put him in the ice bath, but not all of it. Danny probably needed a haircut, as the wet hair was getting into his eyes a little. 

After he got out, Danny investigated the cabinets. There were a lot of interesting products in the bathroom. Tim’s lotion wasn’t as thick as the one they’d used in Nada Panbarat. He… might have put too much on. There was a surprising amount of makeup in here. And perfume. Well, technically cologne because Tim was a man. It all smelled horrible though. Danny ignored the cleaning supplies. There was shaving equipment, but nothing else that was very interesting. It was only after his investigation that he realized he didn’t have any clean clothes to wear. 

Looks like he’d have to ask Tim for some. 

Danny exited the bathroom in a towel, padding over to where Tim was still on the couch. 

“Um. Do you have any more clothes for me?” Tim looked up. 

“Oh. Yeah, Jason brought some. It’s in that box over there. Hopefully it all fits. We had to guess your size.” 

Looking through the box, Danny found some nice blue pjs with stars all over them. His heart clenched. These… had been bought for him. Bought because they knew he liked the stars. He went back to the bathroom to change into them. Once that was done, Tim seemed surprised that Danny crawled back on the couch next to him, snuggling back into his spot. Really, why wouldn’t he? Tim checked his temperature and made him take a bit more Motrin. Tim was hesitating. There was something he was worried about. Older Danny advised him to wait. 

“Do you… do you want to sleep in the bed with me? It will be more comfortable than the couch,” Tim offered. Ah. That’s what he was nervous about. Little Danny was practically screaming in happiness and excitement. Older Danny was trying to keep their cool and not potentially screw everything up. 

“Yeah. If my fever gets worse, you’ll be right there,” Danny agreed. 

He could pretend, just for the night, that Tim was his family, his big brother and he was Tim’s beloved baby brother. Ancients, that fever was making him a bit delusional. One night would be okay. 

***

He’d been with Tim for a full day now. 

Danny needed to make a decision. Was he going to stay or was he going to go? He was in limbo here. He couldn’t really just stay here with Tim, could he? Was Tim even an adult? He looked like he was on the edge between being a teenager and an adult. Tim did have his own apartment though, so probably adult? If he did leave, where would he go? Metropolis? Central City? Star City? Those all had heroes though. Heroes who were friends with Batman. That would surely get his dad to come and try to catch him. 

If he stayed here, with Tim, his dad might leave him alone? But he’d also have to see him. Was that a bad thing, little Danny wondered. Older Danny didn’t know. They had judged Batman based on how he looked. Bruce… had been weird and a bit awkward, but older Danny had been so, so awkward when he’d been a teenager in their previous life. Maybe Bruce had never grown out of that? It would explain how he had no shame when it came to running around in his fursuit. It wasn’t even that great of a fursuit, older Danny snarked. Their friend Tucker had made much better ones. 

Danny sighed. 

He was so comfy in the bed. He didn’t want to get up, but he was getting hungry. Tim was still out, the covers wrapped around him, drooling on the pillow. Danny sat up, alert, when he heard the security system beep, allowing someone in. 

“Timmy! Baby Bird! Are you sick and hiding? Alfred doesn’t go and make soup for just anyone. Tim?” called out a masculine voice. Danny didn’t recognize it. Worried, Danny crawled closer to Tim and started shaking him. 

“Wha?” Tim sleepily asked. It was too late though, as the door to the bedroom opened. 

“Good morning Sunshine! It’s -” the man halted in the door frame, his mouth open in shock. Tim’s eyes widened. 

“Don’t!” The man didn’t listen, running forward and leaping onto the bed. He was going to touch them! He was going to touch Tim and Danny! Panicking, Danny held onto Tim’s arm, turning them both intangible and invisible. 

“Tim? Danny?” The man sounded surprised and shocked when he landed on the bed, the springs creaking. 

“This feels… weird.” Tim said. Danny could see his faint outline turn towards him. “It’s okay Danny. He’s not going to hurt us. Dick’s just super physically affectionate.” Danny thought that over. He didn’t want to turn off his powers, not yet. 

“He’s the one that you told Jason not to text yesterday?” Tim sighed. Dick sat up, looking to where the sigh had come from. 

“Yeah. Dick’s over affectionate. I didn’t think that you’d… want to be smothered in his hugs and attention. Not yet. We’re still building trust here.” 

Feeling better with the answer, Danny let go of his powers before crawling behind Tim, peeking out at Dick. Oh boy. He could practically see Dick vibrating with the urge to hug Danny. No thank you! Older Danny didn’t trust it and little Danny wasn’t used to hugs. So it was a no go for now. Tim accepted a hug though. 

“I brought breakfast. It’s only for two, but I can go out and grab some more,” Dick offered. 

“Thanks,” Tim sounded relieved. Dick laughed. 

“No sweat. I can’t cook either. I’ll see you two again in about… oh, thirty minutes or so? That’ll be enough time for me to grab the food and for you two to get ready for the day.” Dick ruffled Tim’s hair. His hand reached for Danny, but pulled back after Danny leaned away. He left the bedroom. Shortly after the security system beeped. 

Danny crawled out from behind Tim. 

He’d made his decision. 

“You can start eating. Dick won’t mind,” Tim said, sipping on his coffee. 

Well. He had permission? Hesitantly, Danny pulled out one of the hash browns. It crunched so satisfyingly, with a nice, warm mushy middle. Greasy food was something older Danny had all the time in the other world. Little Danny hadn’t tasted it yet. This was his first time. He hadn’t been desperate enough to dumpster dive for food yet behind a McDonalds. Danny finished the first one, then grabbed the second one savoring it. The security system beeped. Dick was back. 

“Boys! I have noms!” Dick cheered. He was grinning as he walked into the open concept kitchen and living room. He was carrying three bags of food. 

“Dick, how much food do you think we can eat?!?” Tim protested. 

“Not a lot. But I texted Jason, and he’ll be here soon. Oh! Here! I got them to give me all of the Happy Meal toys! I have a few things in the car that I need to bring up, so I’ll be back in a sec. Feel free to dig in!” Dick placed two of the bags on the counter and handed the third to Danny. 

“Wait a minute. You can’t just invite people over to my apartment! Dick!” 

“Sorry Tim! Can’t hear you!” Dick sang as he walked back out. Tim huffed. 

“Did you get anything good?” he asked, looking at the bag Dick had handed Danny. 

Honestly, he didn’t know. Reaching in, he pulled out the first one. It was Wonder Woman, her lasso up in the air. Okay, that was kinda cool. Flash, Green Lantern, Hawgirl, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and…. Batman. Annoyed, he passed Batman to Tim. 

“Can you put this in the trash please?” Tim took the Batman toy, looking at it and biting his lip. 

“How about I hold on to it? For now?” Danny didn’t have a chance to answer as Dick came back into the apartment. 

“Alright! Food time!” 

The three of them ate. Danny didn’t talk much, listening to the two brothers talk. He tried to squash some of his jealousy. It was so… normal and mundane. How was work? How were their friends? How was Tim’s boyfriend? When would Danny have a nice life like that? He’d really like some friends please. Honestly, some friends, a home, three square meals a day, and a nice normal kindergarten weren’t much to ask for. 

Oh, he needed to ask Tim if he could live with him. Permanently. That was a lot to ask though. Maybe he should do the long con. Ask Tim if he could stay for a bit. Then just just never leave. Yeah, that might work. Danny sipped from the chocolate milk that Dick had gotten him. Halfway through breakfast, Jason came. He slotted right in with the others. He felt… ignored. Unseen. Left out. Ancient' emotions were so much stronger when you were little. Danny tried so hard not to cry. Not to show how sad he was. 

He slid down off of the barstool, ignoring the looks he got from the others. They didn’t stop talking though. Danny went back into Tim’s bedroom and climbed onto his bed. He spent a few minutes dragging all of the blankets into the corner, where the mattress was pressed against the wall. His little nest of blankets. Maybe he could pretend for a little bit that he was being held and snuggled by his older brother Tim. He was being stupid though. Getting so attached to some guy who had shown him kindness. Expecting to fit right in, when they’d all been brothers for years. 

It still hurt though. 

He wished he could fast forward. To where Tim and the others trusted him and he trusted them. Then he could get the physical affection he craved safely. Danny was pulled out of his thoughts by a gentle knock on the open door. Tim entered, but stayed by the doorway. 

“Danny? Are you feeling okay?” It was nice that Tim was checking on him. It was probably because he’d been sick. 

“M’fine,” he mumbled. Tim clearly didn’t believe him, crawling in bed to feel his forehead. Danny let him. 

“You’re not warm.” Tim looked into Danny’s eyes. He squirmed. It felt like Tim was analyzing him, staring into his very soul. 

Seeing something in there, Tim just… picked him up. Danny didn’t protest. He wrapped his arms around his brother’s Tim’s neck, burying his face into the man’s T-shirt. Tim let out a short, surprised laugh. Danny got carried back out to the group. He turned to pout and glare a little at Jason and Dick. He wanted some alone time with his brother Tim! Dick in particular looked smug. 

“Told you,” he said with a blinding grin. 

“Yeah. Yeah you did. I didn’t fully believe it, but you were totally right,” Tim responded. 

“You’re the chosen one, Timbo,” Jason teased. 

“Oh, shut up.” 

Danny didn’t mind anymore, that the brothers were talking. He was snuggled against Tim. His brother person. 

***

The rest of the day wasn’t bad. It also wasn’t great. Danny played a bit with the toys except for Batman. He had the Justice League fly around in the Javelin. While Tim hadn’t been willing to throw Batman, Jason had. He’d done it pretty gleefully too. Dick had rescued the stupid toy from the trash though. Whatever. It was pretty clear Dick was Nightwing and Jason was the Red Hood. He was smart. Also, Dick had brought out the astronaut Build a Bear toy. Overall, the day hadn’t been bad. Dick had left, but Jason was lingering. He’d made a really nice sage and apple chicken dinner with peas and mashed potatoes. It had been really good. 

Danny put down the toy Javelin. 

Something felt off, felt wrong. 

Little Danny had gotten it beat into him to always follow his instincts. He got up and went over to Tim, tugging on his pants. 

“Something’s wrong. I don’t know what,” he alerted his brother Tim. Immediately, Tim’s hand went to his forehead. Danny batted it away. 

“No, I’m not sick again. It’s something else, I don’t -” 

Danny didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as the security system went off. Next thing he knew, there was the sound of an explosion outside, and the living room wall became dented and discolored. 

“Fuck!” Jason cursed. “Tim!” Danny yelped as he was lifted into the air. 

“I”ve got Danny! I’m going to set off the emergency beacon! B, Nightwing, and Robin are on patrol tonight. My gear’s in the bedroom and in the hall. You think you can hold ‘em off?” Tim yelled over the sound of another explosion. The wall was buckling. It wasn’t going to withstand another hit. 

“You got it. My gear’s downstairs on my bike. There’s plenty of kitchen knives though,” Jason responded with a vicious grin. 

Danny felt like a football as he was carried into the bedroom. He was lightly tossed onto the bed, bouncing on the mattress. Tim hurriedly stripped and opened a panel in the wall, frantically changing into his outfit. Once he was dressed, Tim looked back at him. 

“Stay.”

Danny huffed. Yeah, no. Danny wandered out, behind Tim. The wall was broken, and there were ninjas. Specifically members of the League of Assassins. His mother was there too, looking as calm and poised as ever. 

“Timothy. My father would be disappointed if you were to be harmed. Do step aside. I merely wish to collect my son,” Mother said. 

“Yeah, that’s not happening. He doesn’t exactly want to go with you. He wants to stay with Timmy,” Jason laughed. “Guess he takes after Ra’s that way.” 

“Really Jason?” Tim complained, his bo staff at the ready, body tense and ready to leap forward. Danny approached, standing next to his brother Tim. “Danny! Get back in the bedroom!” Tim hissed at him. 

Nah. 

Danny was going to help in this fight. If needed. The fighting started. Tim and Jason were holding their own. For now. Mother hadn’t joined the fight. She looked Danny in the eye. Little Danny wavered. This was his MOTHER. She’d raised him. She’d taught him everything he knew. Older Danny rebelled. Just because she was his mom didn’t mean that she was good! Talia had been cruel to them! She’d gotten them killed! It was her fault, her fault that they remembered who they were before, that their conscience was split in two. Hadn’t Tim been kinder to him? He’d taken care of Danny when he was sick. He’d tried his best to give him space and go at his pace. He’d gotten him food and let Danny snuggle him as much as he was comfortable with. 

Tim and Jason were losing. They were outnumbered. Mother was walking towards him. Tim growled, doing his best to keep all of the assailants away from Danny, uncaring of the wound he received. Seeing how Tim was fighting for him… they were in agreement. 

Shoulder back. 

Head held high. 

“Mother.” She was looking at him in awe. He figured he still looked like he had in human form, just inverted. He also had no idea what clothes he was in. Danny was… taller than his mother. It dawned on him that his ghost form was the age of her older aspect of him. That both made sense and did not. It was older Danny at the forefront at this moment in time. 

“Danyal,” she breathed. “You have been blessed.” Oh boy. Right, the League of Assassins was basically an ectoplasm Lazarus Pit cult. 

“Blessing. Curse. It depends on your perspective,” he told her, doing his best to sound mature and like an adult. 

“Being revived in the waters of the Lazarus Pit has given me clarity. They have given me a maturity I don’t want and one that has shown me the path you had placed me on. Mother. I love you. I know you love me. It is not enough. I desire companionship. Friends. Siblings. To feel safe and carefree. To be able to play. That is something I will never have while living with you.” Danny saw a muscle in her jaw twitch at his words. He kept speaking, injecting some of his power, making his words stronger and resonate with power. 

“Childhood is precious. The innocence that you seek to rip away from me can never be restored once it has been lost. The League claims to be for a better world and to rid it from corruption. Yet you would sacrifice a child? Your own flesh and blood to do so? Not only that, your desire for me to be strong caused you to have me train with a man who sought vengeance on our family; who ran his sword through my heart.” Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw Nightwing, Batman, and Robin arrive. They were cautious, yet confused as to what was happening. Nightwing stopped to help Jason patch some of his wounds. 

“You are the cause of my creation. Yet you are also the reason I died. You are the reason I was blessed. The reason I have been cursed. You have soured the relationship between my biological brother by constantly comparing us. It will likely take years, potentially decades, for me to unpack and unwind the hate that I feel for him. There is a chance our relationship has been permanently destroyed. While I love you, this… power that I have been given warns me away from you. It speaks to me, telling me how toxic you are and how I will never be happy or at peace with you. Being with you will only make me miserable.” “I love you, Mother.” Danny took a shaky breath. 

“But not enough to doom myself to a life of pain and suffering.”

“It draws you towards your father?” she asked quietly. Ancients, he hated this. Talia was hiding it as best she could, but Danny could see her hurt and pain. 

“No. Someone who would willingly have children be vigilantes is not a healthy parent either.” Danny heard the muffled gasps and intakes of breaths from around him. None of them mattered at this point in time besides his mother and Tim. He stepped forward and cupped her face. 

“Mother. This does not mean we cannot ever see each other again. Nor does it mean that I hold less affection for you. Nothing will ever change the fact that I am of your blood. I beseech you to reconsider your path. It is never too late to take a different one.” Danny rested his forehead against hers. 

He hated that he had to be this cruel and to hurt her with his words. He had to do it so she would let him go. Mother had loved his brother enough to let him so, so it only made sense that she would love Danny enough to separate from him too. Talia stepped back from him. 

“Goodbye Danyal. I will stop my pursuit of you. Till we meet again, my little star.” She turned and walked away from him, jumping off the edge of the broken and ruined wall into the dark night. 

OH. 

She did know him well enough to know he loved the stars. Danny’s core throbbed and he released his hold on his ghost form, shrinking back to that of a child. The bonds holding the assassins faded, and they sprinted away, following his mother. Danny sniffed, tears falling down his cheeks. That had sucked. He hadn’t wanted to do that. It was necessary. Older Danny had done a good job. He wiped his eyes. Tim gently touched his arm. Danny turned and flung himself at his brother the older boy, sobbing. He felt bad. Tim’s apartment had gotten destroyed because of Danny. 

Danny clung to Tim. He didn’t let anyone else take him. Tim grappled them to the Batcave. His Javelin toy had been destroyed. Danny decided to ignore the fact that there was a smaller tracker in the body of the plane. It was obvious that was how Tim had found him a few days ago when he’d hid between the air conditioner units. The astronaut bear had survived though. Dick - Nightwing - wanted to take him, but Danny refused to let go of Tim. He even turned intangible a bit so Dick’s hands would go right through him. Danny didn’t want to leave his older brother person. 

There was a lot of arguing. None of them knew what to make of Danny’s affliction. That’s what they called his ghost form. They’d apparently dealt with ectoplasm Lazarus Pit water before. Jason especially. They hadn’t become half ghosts like Danny though. It sounded like they didn’t even know what that was. Tim tried to convince Danny to talk, to speak up and explain what he knew. He just grumbled and told them not now. He was still hurting. He didn’t want to sleep yet. But Nocturne was calling for him, dragging him under. He let himself succumb. 

***

He had nightmares. Could they be called that, if they were just repeats of what had happened that day? His harsh words to his mother and her walking away. Danny woke up a few times that night, tears falling down his cheeks and a whimper stuck in his throat. Each time he was encouraged to fall back asleep by a large, warm hand that would stroke his hair and tucked a soft blanket around him. After the fitful night, he woke up. 

Danny was still in the cave. He was on a cot, surrounded with soft blankets. During the night, someone must have given him the bear, as he was cuddling it. It was soothing, to cling to it. To bury his face in its soft fur. He ignored the man in the chair next to the cot. His father. 

That was why Danny liked Tim. 

“Danny?” Batman asked, watching him carefully. 

“Where’s Tim?” Danny asked softly. He had regained some of his strength. He could turn invisible and intangible for a bit. Probably. The problem was that he didn’t know where Tim was. 

“Tim is upstairs in his room sleeping. Did you want to see him?” Danny blinked in surprise and nodded. “Follow me.” 

He hadn’t been expecting that. Grabbing the astronaut bear, Danny followed Batman/Bruce through the cave and to an elevator. He stood on the opposite end during the ride up, glancing at his father often. They exited through a clock? It was a cool secret door. He followed Bruce down some halls and up a set of stairs. He knocked on a door. 

“Tim? Are you awake? There’s someone who wants to see you.” There was a groan from within. 

Danny perked up. That was totally Tim! Turning intangible, he ran through the closed door and into the dark room. He jumped on the bed. Sure enough, eyes barely open, that was Tim. Danny crawled up towards his brother’s person’s face. He laid down in the crook of the other man’s arms, nuzzling into Tim’s chest. Danny felt better here. Safer. The door opened and a triangle of light fell onto the bed. Tim groaned, and hand flying up to protect his eyes. 

“It’s way too early for this,” Tim complained. There was a light chuckle from the door. 

“Chum, it’s nearly noon.” 

“Lies,” Tim said with a sigh. He sad up a bit, jostling Danny. Tim looked down, seeming to realize Danny was there. “Coffee. I need so much coffee.”

Right. He’d only been with Tim for a day or two, but he already knew that his brother didn’t function very well without his caffeine. Tim staggered out of bed, fumbling to get into his slippers. Danny slid down to follow him. Should he go for Tim’s hand? Yes, he wanted to hold it. Using a burst of courage, he took Tim’s hand. Tim stopped in the hallway, looking down at their joined hands. Oh no. Did Tim not want to hold hands?!? Danny’s face burned and he tried to let go. Except… he couldn’t. Tim gripped his hand tightly, then resumed walking, Danny following in surprise. There was a hum from behind them. Right. Bruce. He was still there. Danny had kinda forgotten about him. 

The dining room was empty, so they went into the kitchen. Tim still held his hand as he began to fill the coffee machine with ground beans and water. It was rather funny watching. Mr. Pennyworth came out from what Danny suspected was a pantry. 

“Master Timothy. Wonderful to see you up and about. I’d feared we wouldn’t see you until supper.” Oooh. Mr. Pennyworth had some sass and snark to him! Danny giggled. 

“Master Danny. Wonderful to see you. Would you like some hot chocolate? Lunch will be ready in half an hour. Can you boys wait that long?” Mr. Pennyworth asked this as he confidently strode through the kitchen; checking in the oven, stirring a pot on the stove, and washing lettuce for a salad. 

“Yes, I would like some hot chocolate. Thank you,” Danny responded. He liked Mr. Pennyworth, so he’d be polite. 

“I can wait till lunch is ready. Although I wouldn’t mind a small snack…” Tim said, sitting down at the table. 

Danny sat down next to him. Bruce sat across from them. Before he knew it, hot chocolate was placed before him. He sipped on it and Tim drank his coffee. Bruce was just watching them. Danny did his best to ignore his father. He still had his bear. He wished he had his javelin. It was sad that it’d gotten broken the other day. Alfred gave them a plate with some crackers, cheese, and little meats. It was basically a charcuterie board. It was yummy and he kept going. He stopped when he’d eaten about half of the board. Tim had eaten some along with him. 

The silence was awkward. 

He wasn’t going to break it though. 

When Mr. Pennyworth told them lunch was ready, all three of them walked to the dining room. Danny made sure to grab Tim’s hand again. Danny wasn’t expecting others to be there. He saw Dick, Jason, Damian, and two women. One had blonde hair, the other black. That could only mean Spoiler and Black Bat. Dick got up as they walked in. He had a large grin on his face. He pulled back the chair Tim had been heading towards. Dick patted it. 

“Thanks?” Tim sounded confused. That’s okay, Danny was confused too. He didn’t see a whoopie cushion or anything on the seat, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t some sort of hidden prank. Tim sat down. Danny let go, as he was going to sit in his own seat. Even if he would have a hard time looking over the edge of the table. Danny was rather small for a five year old. He’d been taller at five in his previous life. 

Danny got what Dick was doing when he felt himself get picked up. Except. Danny didn’t want to be touched by Dick. He didn’t want to be picked up by Dick. He only trusted Tim right now. So he unleashed some of his freeze powers to make Dick let him go! He growled, angry at being picked up without his consent. Danny stopped as soon as he was placed in Tim’s lap. 

Oh.

Okay, maybe he could somewhat forgive Dick for that. Danny turned to look at Dick, wincing when he saw the blue and purple hands. There were even little ice crystals on there. The entire room was tense, and there were tears in his eyes as he was trying to hold onto a smile. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what you were doing,” Danny explained guiltily. “I’ll fix it.”He reached out, to try and draw the ice and cold back into him. He could do that. 

Probably. 

Thankfully it worked as Dick’s skin returned to normal. 

“Note to self. Don’t pick up the baby without getting his consent,” the blonde woman muttered. 

“It’s alright, I know you didn’t mean it. I’ll know better for next time,” Dick said. Danny wasn’t sure if he really was forgiven. He cuddled closer to his brother. Dick pushed the chair in, so Danny and Tim were in the same seat. 

***

When Tim had gone to sleep last night, he’d acknowledged that Danny, Damian’s biological little brother, was attached to him. It was becoming all the more clear how attached to Tim he was. The selfish part of him loved it. He’d always wanted a little brother. When Damian had first arrived, he’d been so excited. That feeling had been killed quickly. Danny though. He trusted Tim, and no one else. Tim was the first person he looked to. Danny had tried to protect Tim, when Dick had come in unannounced the other day, using his powers to density shift both of them. 

Tim felt sorry for Bruce, that there was another son that wasn’t really accepting him. But he couldn’t help feeling happy that Danny loved him and no one else. He’d been jealous of the closeness between Dick and Damian. Now though. Now he had a chance to have that relationship with Danny. 

this post is like 11 years old

Paste "chrome://flags" into your address bar

Search the flags for "AI Mode."

Find "AI Mode Omnibox Entrypoint" and disable it

That’s Louis Rossman, a repair technician and YouTuber, who went viral recently for railing against Apple. Apple purposely charges a lot for repairs and you either have to pay up or buy a new device. That’s because Apple withholds necessary tools and information from outside repair shops. And to think, we were just so close to change.

Have an iPhone and are in need of repairs

Have a friend with that problem

Hate Apple and are more than happy to spite them in some way

So I asked the internet, well how hard IS it to repair? And I saw this guy’s video, and while I am no techie, I AM fueled by spite, so I was all “oh, they do that shit on purpose specifically so they can charge me $1200 bucks or make me buy a new computer hunh? FUCK THEM” and I bought all the tools I needed for about $25 and I bought all the parts I needed for about another $25 and I watched a few tutorial videos, and I replaced my own keyboard.

So, once you are doing the actual deed, it becomes pretty obvious that they are finding creative ways to make this much harder than it has to be on purpose. On thing that stood out to me is, instead of all the tiny screws being the same size, there are about two dozen very slightly different sizes. They could easily be all the same size, or like, two sizes at most, but no.

These mother fuckers will take a panel that screws into place and they’ll use a different size screw for each corner. They are so close that you almost cannot tell them apart visually, but they each will only screw into the matching corner. Like, it’s a pretty clear “fuck you” to anyone trying to do repairs.

and it'll give you contact info and websites to A BUNCH of small farms selling their heritage breed fiber directly!! you can also look up by animal breed if you want a specific kind of fiber like, say Navajo-Churro

YOUR BODY DOES THIS ON PURPOSE