John stared, betrayed, at the armchair that he had just stubbed his toe on. Yes, it was only nine in the morning and yes he had only gone to bed at four in the morning after being up for nearly thirty-seven⌠nine, what-the-fuck-ever hours, but that was fine. That was normal. The armchair being in his way was not.
Heâd wandered the House of Mystery plenty of times when half asleep or with his face in a book or bleeding out⌠whichever of those. Point was, he never stubbed his toe on any of the furniture in any of those states. Him and the House got along pretty well these days. Sure it was a little rough in the start, but now the House looked out for him just like he looked out for it.
That meant that if he stubbed his toeâ if the House let him stub his toeâ then the House was trying to get his attention about something.
And that was never good.
John rubbed at his face as he spent a moment considering just going back to bed. He was trapped, drained, spent, out of everything. Heâd be no good if it was something actually dangerous. But if it was actually something dangerous, the House would have (or should have) done more than just stub a toe. Maybe it was just a clogged pipe or some shit like that and the house was feeling bitchy.
âRight then House, lead the way, show me what you're having a mare about â John said with a sigh and headed for the closest doorway. He trusted the House to put him in the rooms that it wanted him in.
It was concerning, then, when John had moved through a few rooms without anything of note. If it got to several rooms he was backing out until he had more sleep. Anything that could confuse the House like this was dangerous.
âFuckingâ really?â John asked towards the ceiling as he was looped through the kitchen after having just left the kitchen.
A cabinet slammed into the back of his knee, right into the bend. Clutching at the spot, John hobbled out of reach with a string of curses and a glare at the door.
It hung open with a pointed little creak.
âRight, fine, kitchen it is. Gonna be any help with that, mate? Any hints?â John asked as he started opening cabinets. âClogged sink? Burner out? Something rank in the back of the fridge? Small child hiding in one of your cabinets?â
The small childâs face scrunched up in a scowl. âIâm not small.â
âYouâre in cabinet, bruv.â
âI just squish well!â
â⌠yeah, that isnât better than being small, Tiny,â John said.
âTiny?! Iâm, like, fifteen!â
John thought the tiny kid might be actually offended, not that John cared. He backed up a step and crossed his arms. âAnd yet still inside a cabinet. Get the fuck out of there.â
The childâ seriously fucking whatâ glared at John before they finally moved to get out of the cabinet. The stacked saucers and tea cups rattled as they pulled out of the fucking kidâs body as the kid moved to sit on the counter in a huff.
John would so be washing everything in that cabinet before next tea time.
If he remembered.
Maybe.
âOkay Tiny, what the fuckââ
âYou canât kick me out!â
John paused, just for a moment, but quickly got his feet under him and asked, âYeah? Why not?â
âBecause the House let me in! It says I can stay so I can stay and you canât kick me out,â Tiny said in a rush.
John was pretty sure if the kid was breathing, they would be hyperventilating.
Wait.
What?
---
AN: This used to be possibly black smoke custody, but I went back to it (only had the first few paragraphs) and this is much, much more Tired Dads energy. Poor Danny, stuck being called Tiny.
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It started out as a joke that turned into an actual event: Bring Your Sidekick To Work Day. It sounded absurd, of course it did. The Justice League was hardly work and certainly not a social club, but once it had been said people started to actually think about it. More and more of the heroes were taking on mentorship rolls for the next generation. While the heroes, of course, tried their best to provide what their mentees needed, they were still grown, experienced heroes and their sidekicks were kids.
Kids who lived a life that most could never understand.
Eventually it have been talked about enough in passing and over rushed meals and before meetings that it ended up on the agenda.
âRobin believes it would be beneficial for the younger heroes to know others in the same positions as themselves,â Batman had explained, as if that answered anything. The Big Bat wouldnât even clarify who Robin was.
But there they were, Bring Your Sidekick To Work Day. It actually was a pretty nice event with snacks, drinks, and several enthusiastic sidekicks. It turned out Robin was Batmanâs sidekick.
âPartner,â Robin insisted boldly, whenever the term sidekick was used within his hear range (which was disturbingly good).
The kid was the very opposite of Batman: bright, personable, and always in motion. Flash was more than a little concerned how quickly Robin and Kid Flash seemed hit it off. âTheyâre plotting something.â
âHn,â was Batmanâs reply, though he was watching the two whispering sidekicks too.
All in all it was a cheerful success.
It made Johnâs skin crawl. He jiggled the unlit cigarette in his fingers. He didnât do social events, not outside of bars, and he really, really didnât want to be here.
âWe can just go back to the House,â a small, nervous voice suggested hopefully from behind John.
That was the thing, though, he wasnât here for his own sake.
âNo, we canât,â John said with a sigh.
âWe really can, though. We havenât even talked to anyone. I bet they havenât even noticed weâre hereââ
âJohn! I did not think you would be attending,â Wonder Woman said as she approached, a smile in place. A good chunk of the founding members trailed after her.
âFuck.â
âYeah, well,â John said with a little shrug. He didnât admonish the kid for cussing, he didnât have a leg to stand on there, but by Supermanâs puzzled face the Big Blue had clearly heard it. âFigured I had better bring the kid.â
âThe kid?â Hal repeated incredulously.
John reminded himself he really shouldnât punch his teammates.
âYeah, the kid,â John said. He stepped aside to reveal Danny who had been hiding behind him. âGeist, Justice League, Justice League, Poltergeist.â
John looked to his right, which for all appearances, was an empty spot of air. âSeriously, kid?â
âSorry,â Danny whispered.
âItâs okay, kid,â John said, holding back a sigh. The kid was sensitive to that sort of thing, so John had been trying. (He still messed up plenty, but he was trying.) John looked back the Justice Leaguers and shrugged. âGhost. Visibility is like that sometimes.â
âAh,â Diana said with a sage nod. John admired the woman for how nothing seemed to phase her. She simply looked to where John had been looking and smiled. âHello, Poltergeist. Welcome to Bring Your Sidekick To Work Day.â
âPartner!â a kid dressed like a damn traffic light called from across the room where he was talking to who was clearly a mini Flash.
âOh,â Danny said. (It was clearly weirding out some of the heroes to hear Danny but not see him.) âIâm not⌠John doesnât let me help that much? I donât know if I count as a sidekick.â
âThatâs because last time you tagged along you went intangible and fell through a bridge, kid,â John grumbled and then immediately felt bad. âYou know weâre working on it.â
âYeah,â Danny mumbled.
John couldnât see Danny, not any more than the others, but he could picture the way the kid would be scuffing his toe on the floor, head down as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
John sighed. âAinât your fault kid, powers take time to master.â
âRobin,â Batman called.
Immediately the tiny traffic light was literately bounding across the space to stand next to Batman. The kid smiled up at the Big Bat like the man had hung the moon.
âYes, B?â
âThis,â Batman said, nodding to the empty space, âis Poltergeist. He came with Constantine.â
âOh,â Robin said. He spun to face the spot of air and held out his hand without hesitation. âCome, Kid Flash and I areâ um,â Robin shot Batman a look, âtalking. You can join us! I bet you will be really useful!â
Flash mouthed the word âusefulâ with a terrified look on his face, but no one actually said anything while Robin just stood there, smiling, with his hand out. And then Robinâs grin impossibly widened, his hand closed around nothing, and he took off across the room.
ââŚanyone else worried about that?â John asked after a moment.
âSo worried,â Flash said.
âHn,â Batman added.
âRight then. I need a glass of shitty punch to spike,â John said and abandoned his teammates to find the refreshments. Thank the gods, the fuckers, for hip flasks.
-
âI live with a ghost now, Bats, youâve got to up your skills if you want to sneak up on me anymore,â John said before taking another sip of his much improved punch.
Batman stepped up into the corner of Johnâs vision, which felt like such a Bat thing to do, so John felt the placement was very purposeful. John wouldnât complain, it let him watch Batman without taking his his eyes off where Danny was sitting with Robin, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl. Danny was pretty see through, but he was slowly becoming more visible the longer he spent in the company of the other teen heroes.
âHow long have you had him?â Batman asked.
John snorted. âThatâs what you go with? Not how it works to fuck a ghost?â
Hal and Aquaman werenât as quiet as they thought they were, but maybe that was on purpose. Maybe they had wanted John to hear. He just hoped the kids hadnât. He might not have a clean mouth, but even he had limits.
âHe doesnât have to be your blood to be your son,â Batman said in that certain way of his.
It had John finally glancing over at Batman. It was a lot to admit and John hated to be on uneven grounds. âHow long have you had yours?â
No one would ever believe him, but John could swear that Batman almost smiled.
âNearly five years.â
John hummed and took another sip of the punch. âOnly six months, not even. And heâs not my son. Kid deserves better than me as a da.â
âThey always deserve better,â Batman said, his voice a low rumble that John swore he could feel in his battered bones. âWe just have to try to be better.â
âYeah, well,â John said with a bitter chuckle. âIâm not you, Bats, I donât think I have better in me.â
âYes you do, youâre here, after all,â Batman pointed out.
John swallowed and looked back the kid, his kid. Danny was almost solid now. His white hair floated as he threw back his head in laughter at something Robin had said.
âYeah⌠yeah I am.â
---
AN: So. So. This has gotten away from me. I blame Moku. So much blame. I can't promise I'll continue it but there is... there is a good bit of plotting TO continue it. It would be after I get done with City Pigeons Bleed Green though, as that's my current family feels fic.
If it gets continued we have a John/Bruce tired dads with issues slow burn fuck buddies to lovers, Danny and Dick being friends (and family), canon divergence, Tim joins the Bat family early, Bats with magic (and the world should fear them), and Alfred's judgemental eyebrow.
Cleaned up an old, undone part of BSC for WIP Wednesday~ who knows if this will actually make it into the story, whenever I get around to it!
-
Batman was mid sentence when Constantine jerked back from the meeting table. The base of the chair screeched against the floor as John pushed himself out of it.
"Constantine?" Batman asked; an order for information.
Constantine spun to look at him, blinking rapidly. Black smoke started to pour from the bottom of his trench coat. âWell, this is going to be a right mare.
He collapsed to his knees with a shout of pain. His fingers scrambled at the smooth floor. His back arched. Then as suddenly as it came, all the tension bled away. He slumped wearily onto his elbows.
Flash darted close only to stop himself short, hovering nervously around the Hellblazer. âUm, John?â
âConstantine,â Batman ordered again.
John ignored them both in favor of peeling back the lapel of his trench coat to peer at the smoke pooling there.
âWhat happened, kid?â His voice was gentle in a way that froze the rest of the founders, gentle in a way that they hadnât heard from him before. It was still Constantine, still gruff and with that smokerâs rasp so it was unlikely they had to worry about a possession, but the tone was unmistakably softened.
The swirling black shifted, suddenly. John landed back on his ass as it curled around his torso tightly.
Constantineâs hand hovered just over the bulk of the smoke. âOkay, kid, youâre coming undone here. Can you pull yourself together a little?â
Slowly under Constantineâs gentle encouragement, the smoke condensed and started to solidify into a head with a unruly tuft of smoky black hair pressed tight into Constantineâs shoulder. Thin arms were wrapped around Johnâs waist. It was just as Constantine had addressed the being: a kid.
Wonder Woman lowered her blade.
âThey found me!â The kidâs voice was filled with the static of a thousand overlapping voices at once. Superman flinched back at the sound, but Constantine didnât even falter in the hand that was rubbing circles on the kidâs back. âThey found me and I needed toââ
"Shit, fuck. It's okay. I've got you. You're safe. Nothing is going to get up here."
The kid frozeâ or froze as much as a beingâs whoâs form was made of soot and smoke was able to. âUp here?â They pulled their face away from Constantineâs shoulder just enough to glance around the room with startling bright green eyes. âOh shit, this is the Watchtower! Youâre in your meeting. I forgot, Iâm sorry! I didnât mean to come up here!â
The kid started to practically disintegrate as they spoke. Their legs became see through and whole chunks of their arms were flaking away.
âKid, Danny, donât fade on me,â John urged. âItâs fine. Itâs okay. Iâm glad you came to me. Youâre safer up here than anywhere. Iâm sure that Bats will understand he canât send you back when youâre in danger.â
As he said this, Constantine looked at Batman. His stare was burningâ promising hell if Batman refused.
âWhy donât we get you settled,â Batman rumbled.
For WIP game I'm always down to know more about Tired Dads or Black Smoke Custody if you have anything :3 (I'm a sucker for dad-entine I guess đ )
That's because dadentine is a gods damned delight lol
Ah Tired Dads. So obviously Danny + Dick is a disaster. The boys are very, very proud of this. The rest of the bitty heroes play a part (can't rob Dick of Wally as a friend or anything) but Danny and Dick become thick as thieves. Which means John brings Danny over to visit a lot. Which means eventually just setting up a door to the House in Gotham for easier travel. And when Bruce finally convinces John to let Danny go to school, Danny ends up in Dick's class.
And really, despite whatever the adults say or that they don't live together, Danny is Dick's family. That's his brother and he'll do anything for him. And getting to be a brother earlier- to have a brother who will also do anything for Dick- changes everything.
I couldn't decide which one to ask about since I love all your fics so I used an rng to pick one. It's been a while since I've seen you mention this one though so anything you can say about it would be great!
Oh, Blank Smoke Custody! An old darling. It feels like a life time ago now, this idea. I would still love to write it, but it might become a shorter little thing and some of the large dadentine vibes might end up in the still untitled 'tired dads'.
I have rewritten the starting of this fic several times, honestly. But ah I still love visuals of it so much
There was a popping sound from the kidâ like a log snapping in a bonfireâ and the smoke flared red with hot ash as it drifted off the being. They curled up on themselves, wrapping around their legs as their body seemed to dissolve. In the center of their chest a ball of bright, burning light flickered.
Constantine moved quickly, crouching down in front of the kidâs chair, blocking the screen from view.
There's also this silly bit
Everyone froze, staring at each other.
There was a kid in the House of Mystery. He was just standing there in the hall like it was nothing. Like he belonged.
He looked like he could have been one of the Bats with his black hair and striking blue eyes. Slowly, the kid lowered the sandwich that was half way to his mouth. Without taking his eyes off the heroes, he called over his shoulder. âJohn! You have guests.â
Wonder Woman took a step forward.
The kid took a step back and disappeared.
The only sign that he had been there was a lettuce leaf fluttering to the ground.
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