#nbsk

Author's notes: I didn't expect people to like this specific story so much.

This is how Tim joined the Team.

Officially it’s been a week since Danny moved into Wayne Manor with Alfred and Bruce, he has already met Dick and Barbara – who caused him a slight melt down due to her slight resemblance to Jazz –, heck, Bruce and Alfred already are preparing the paperwork for Danny to go back to school! But there is one thing that still bothers Danny…

“I have a question.” Danny starts one late morning during breakfast. Bruce and Dick stop chewing on their food to look at Danny while Alfred passes him his food. “I’ve noticed that there are no kids in this house… so, who is the kid that always follows you around?” Danny asks as he specifically looks at Bruce. And I know that it is not a ghost nor a shade because he has no ecto-signature, and my ghost sense doesn’t go off when he is near.

masterpost PART 7/PART 9

When Danny and Constantine met:

“What the bloody fuck is that?” Constantine exclaims the instant his eyes lay on the pale teenager lounging on a window seat.

Alfred looks at his fellow country man with a frown, the butler clearly not approving of his chosen set of words.

Danny lifts his gaze from his book – Aristotle Metaphysics – and looks at the trench coat wearing blonde man that is very rudely pointing at him with a shaking finger, one dark and thick eyebrow lifting in silent question. First, he looks at the trench coat man but when he notices Bruce standing by his side Danny directs his questioning gaze to his foster guardian.

Bruce meets Danny judging eyes and after a weary sigh he answers. “Constantine, this is Danny Nightingale. Danny, this is John Constantine, he is an expert in the occult that I consult for magic and supernatural related cases.” B informs.

“This wet, sad, trench coat man is the Hellblazer?” Danny verbally questions as he points from head to toe towards Constantine with his still open book. Danny, as always, spoke before thinking.

“And where exactly have you heard of him, master Danny?” Alfred inquires with his own lifted eyebrow.

“One hears many things in the streets.” Danny answers as he shrugs his shoulders.

Neither adult is convinced by the answer but they let the boy be.

“How come you always find troublesome kids, Batsy?” Constantine questions the dark knight as he still looks at Danny with squinted eyes.

“What do you mean by that?” Bruce questions back.

Constantine opens his mouth to answer him but the very disturbing, eerie voice in his head makes him stop.

If you answer that question with the truth, John Constantine, I can assure you that every single fragment of your sad, broken soul will be dropped into the deepest part of the Nightmare Realm.

John looks at Danny and notices the bright, neon green shift in the color of his eyes and a cold shiver runs down his back, making goosebumps bloom on his skin – goosebumps covered by his trench coat –.

“He has a vast pool of latent magic.” John quickly and masterfully lies. “Perfect warlock material.”

At the words of the blonde, Bruce lifts an elegant eyebrow. “Would you like to learn magic, Danny?” He finally says after pondering for a bit.

“Nah, I’m good. Besides, I don’t think blondie here would like to teach me.” Danny answers and then goes back to his book.

“Yeh… fuck no.” Constantine agrees and then takes a sip from his flask.

After that Bruce and Constantine go down to the cave to talk about JL related stuff and Alfred goes back into the kitchen to start with preparations for supper. John was invited out of courtesy to eat with them but the warlock refused, quickly vanishing – running away – as soon as the business he had with Bruce were finished.

***

The instant John materializes into his wandering home he allows himself to let out a sigh of relief, whatever that thing at Batsy’s place was, it won’t be able to find him in the house of mystery.

“You know? I expected this place to look more like, I don’t know, witchcore from the seventies.” The voice of the thing says.

John turns on his heels so fast he almost gets dizzy as he sees the form of a male teenager with short, dark as the void hair, eerie ice-blue eyes and the most ominous, eldritch like aura John has ever seen and felt in all of his years as since starting in the occult lounging on his old couch.

“I’m not gonna lie, though, getting a hold on you is as hard as mapping the realms. I guess that’s because your place literally moves around. But now that I know your energy signature it was easy to track you down.” The thing comments as it? He? They? Proceeds to sit up on the couch.

“What the fuck are you?” Constantine asks again, this time directly at the thing.

“B already told you.”

“Bullshit.” The blonde snarls as he gets ready to fight.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The thing says and his eyes glow in that same eerie neon green – eldritch neon green –. “I came here to talk and explain the situation, warlock. Do not make me make you listen.” And just like that chains materialize around John, subjugating him and making him kneel. Absorbing his magic like a new born baby to their mother’s breasts, hungrily and instinctual. “This is me been nice.”

“Impossible… the only way for you to have control over my very magical essence is only if you…

“Owned every single part of your soul that you have sold?” The thing interrupts, completing Constantine’s train of thought, showing the warlock a small but extremely bright orb of light that he has manifested in the palm of his hand.

All hope bleeds away from Constantine as his eyes gain this desperate gleam, his face falling in horror at the implications of this eldritch being owning the majority of his soul.

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER.

“What the fuck?” John mumbles to himself as he finds himself sitting on his usual seat by the round meal time table.

On top of the small table there is a teapot with freshly brewed and perfectly heated tea in it, two mugs – one for him and the second for the eldritch being – on each side of the table. Sitting on the other side with the other mug in front of them is the eldritch being, looking at him with an awkward smile on his pale lips.

“So, let’s start again.” It proposes. “Hi, my name is Danny, I’m Bruce’s new foster kid and I’m also the High King of the Infinite Realms.” It awkwardly informs.

John’s eyes squint as Danny’s words settle in his brain. “The fuck?”

“Yeah, it’s a long story.” Danny says as he nervously rubs the back of his neck. “Good thing time is not an issue here, right? Ha-ha.”

And so Danny proceeds to tell the warlock how he came to be a halfa, how he became the high king, why he has all the fragments of his soul that he has sold over the years – Danny just wants to return them to Connie – and how he ended up as Batman’s newest kid.

“Fuck kid.” Constantine comments and then takes a sip of the very good tea his new, and apparently now only, patron brewed.

“You can’t tell B, nor anyone, you understand?” Danny says.

“No, yeah, I get it. Private shit like that is only up to you share, it’s your life, and death, after all.” The warlock agrees.

Danny as Corvin:

After what happened in Amity Park and inhabiting for a couple of months in the Infinite Realms alongside Clockwork, Danny has become a bit more morally gray.

While living on Gotham’s streets, plus his sadness and grieve, Danny developed and mastered umbrakinesis.

Danny, now seventeen and much more psychologically traumatized, is still kind, easy-going, helpful and compassionate but he is now much morally gray and has no issue in using his powers to punish those he believes deserve it, he has also kept himself from forming friendships and bonds with any other individual but the city’s ghosts and Lady Gotham herself (until Batman and Alfred convince him to go live with them. Maybe Lady Gotham also had something to do in there). Before the ‘Amity Park Incident’ Danny had already been training with Pandora to be able to fight and protect himself without his powers, which he found extremely helpful once he moved into Gotham City (not every lowlife deserves a taste of his ghostly powers).

Danny survived Gotham’s streets by volunteering in shelters and public kitchens (also by punching noses into skulls and kicking metaphorical nuts).

The first time Danny went and rescued Batman from the Court of Owls the only thing he did was change into his ghost form and, just in case, put on a black helmet that he took from some random motorbike he found on the street (one never knows with Gotham’s cults).

From then on Danny was haunted (ha!)by Batman to go live with him (Bruce) as a form to repay him for saving his life. It isn’t until Danny meets Alfred face to face (they had talked via telephone before, when Alfred asked Danny to help Bruce) and talks to him while drinking tea at Robinson Park (Alfred bought Danny a cup at a nearby café) that Danny accepts to move into the manor.

“This is not for you, Bats.” Danny tells Bruce as they discuss when Danny is gonna move in. “This is for mister Pennyworth.”

After that, Batman was struggling with some cases, which meant that he stopped sleeping, which meant that Alfred also stopped properly sleeping and Danny wasn’t gonna have none of that so he proposes to help Matches Malone gather information (Bruce said no but Danny still did it). So, by once again borrowing a random helmet left alone on a random motorbike on the street Danny proceeds to ask around. When people ask him for his name, he says it’s Corvin (because he saw a crow sticker on a bus stop).   

Danny slowly makes a reputation as an informant; he trades info for info. He doesn’t work for the mafia or cartels (except for Red Hood when Jason was/is a crime lord), so whenever Black Mask, Penguin or Two Face (or any of Batman’s rogues) try to get a hold of himself Danny vanishes using his ghost powers.

Neither Bruce or Alfred are happy with Danny exposing himself so openly to danger but the fact that the boy always arrives before two a.m. (three a.m. on weekends), has good grades and actually follows the rules set by the two adults gives them little to no room to make him stop. Besides, one night Bruce followed Danny as Matches Malone and found out that Danny fights feral and dirty (thank you very much Pandora for making him learn how to fight without his powers). After that night Bruce gives Danny his own brand-new helmet (he had been borrowing random helmets so far) and his own motorcycle (a beautiful Wayne Enterprises original that Danny personalizes).

Danny motorcycle is made for speed. Danny personalizes it to take the ambient, corrupted ecto of the city and use it as fuel, the residual been clean ecto. So, whenever Danny uses his motorcycle, he is actually helping the city’s environment (he modifies the others’ motorcycles to do the same). Danny also modifies his helmet a little bit.

Danny is basically the batfam spy, informant and emergency extraction team.

As Brucie Wayne’s ward, Danny has to go to galas, which he loathes, but since his new siblings also have to attend and suffer alongside him it’s not that bad.

Strangely, Gotham’s old rich people community adores Danny. He hasn’t climbed onto the expensive and antique chandeliers, he doesn’t full his mouth to the brim with food like a street gremlin, he spends his time with the older ladies and gentlemen, patiently talking and listening to them.

Danny as Corvin, on Gotham’s streets, allows his new anger against the world and meanness to flourish. Think a Nightwing and Red Hood combo.

Since Danny’s core never stops developing due to his halfa status, he later develops electrokinesis so Bruce and Dick call Virgil to help Danny. This is after Danny has already told the bats and birds that he is the High King of the Infinite Realms and after a visit from Frostbite.

Harley, even after she becomes an anti-heroine and ally of the Bats and Birds, is terrified of Danny and no one understands why. That boy is so polite and nice if a bit eerie sometimes while working as Corvin but Harley knows… she was there when he took care of the Joker after all. Lucky for her Danny didn’t see her or even remembers her been there.

Author's notes: These are the two ideas I had for how Danny dealt with the Joker. Because yes, Danny took care of the bastard.

Scenario 1:

The Joker *maniacally laughing after kidnapping Bruce Wayne’s newest ward*: We’re gonna have lots of fun! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Danny*who just wanted to get back to the manor and have a nap after a horrid school day but ended up kidnapped (he is so out of himself he didn’t notice the clown creeping behind his back) by a crazy fucking clown wanna be, phasing out from the ties and chains that kept him on the metal chair, eyes shining ecto-green and vivid red*: Oh yeah? Well, guess what mofo? I had my really bad, awful day a LoNg TiMe AgO.”

When Batman and Nightwing arrive to Joker’s new hideout to rescue Danny they find fainted goon after fainted goon in the hallways, the closer they get to the center of the whole thing the goons look worse, some have drying vomit all over them and some other are foaming from the mouth.

They arrive to the center of the run-down facilities, which is an underground metal tower (where do villains find these places? Is there like, and Airbnb or something for villainous hideouts?). Batman and Nightwing run toward the rusty railing and look down.

“Danny!” Nightwing screams, voice desperate. He cannot lose another brother.

“Oh.” Danny head pops out from beneath the stair’s platform. He is unharmed but his school uniform is dirty and ripped on one sleeve. “Hey, guys! What took you so long?” The younger male greets.

Both Bruce and Dick jump down (it’s not like the height of the fall is like two to three stores tall) and the instant they land the first thing they do is to run towards Danny and hug him.

“Where is the Joker?” Batman growls as he straightens and looks around.

“I’m killing the asshole today.” Dick growls too, his is lower than B’s, more feral and it makes Danny look at him with wide open eyes.

“Don’t worry, I already took care of that thing.” Danny tells them. “It’s over there.” And then he points to a dark corner.

What Batman and Nightwing find it’s an empty carcass sitting languidly against the corner, paler than he was before, no color on his dry, crooked lips and hair grown and messy, wilted and completely white, the eyes are rolled up so far only the white is seen, tears rolling down the empty eyes as the body trembles in light spams and foam comes out from its mouth.

“What did you do to him?” Batman questions his newest ward.

Dick is still hugging Danny, one arm around his shoulders as the other rounds his face with his hand landing on top of Danny’s head, body facing B and whatever the Joker has turned into.

“I showed him what someone who has gone through his really bad, awful day more than one time is capable of doing.” Danny answers.

Bruce and Dick safe the little piece of information in their minds, Danny hasn’t properly talked to them about his life before Gotham and they are building a file to see if they can find out something.

“Remind me to never piss you off.” Nightwing says as he looks at what is left of the Joker and feels a vindictive pleasure at the sight.

“Let’s get out of here.” Batman says after checking Joker’s vitals. Its heart rate is low but still there and his breathing is even if extremely low. “I’ll call Arkham to come collect him.”

“It.” Danny corrects.

“Collect it.” Batman corrects himself.

Or it could be:

Scenario 2:

Tim has been living with Alfred, Bruce and Danny for some time now but neither Bruce nor Danny allow him to participate in the nighttime activities unless it’s tech support and info gathering (this last one he does it along with Danny, posing as Danny’s baby brother, Alvin, but never alone) but tonight Danny is not in the manor because he is doing some personal stuff (ghost king stuff but they still don’t know) and Alfred is busy with dinner and Bruce is in Blüdhaven checking a case with Dick so Tim decided to go and gather info on his own for a bit, what could possibly go wrong? He had been stalki-ahem following around Batman – and Robin when he was still around – for months and they hadn’t noticed until Danny tattled on him. Yeah, Tim can go collect info on his own.

But he ended up captured by the Joker, who wanted to kidnap the boy Bruce Wayne had a legal battle for. Then Tim gets tortured by the Joker but it’s not Batman who goes to rescue Tim (Bruce and Barbara are looking for Tim, they are on their way but Danny found them faster because Gotham’s ghosts told him where to look).

 “You’re not Bats.” Joker says as he faces the teen in the dark corner.

“How dare you…” Danny whispers a single tear rolls down his cheek.

The temperature starts to drop but Joker is too entertained to notice.

“Hahahaha, oh I know you! You’re little Brucie’s other new boy-toy!”

The temperature drops even more, but the Joker hasn’t noticed, Harley on the other hand…

“Uhm… m-mister J…” She babbles as she looks at Danny, true horror starting to seep into her bones as she watches the shadows turn and twist around the older teen.

“HoW dArE yOu…” Danny’s voice distorts, his eyes turning ecto-green with cold, scalding fury, his hair turns white and vapor like.

“Fuck.” Hayley realizes and runs, never looking back.

Lucky for her Danny’s sole attention was on the Joker, he didn’t even register her.

“Uh? Why is it so cold? Freezee came by and no one told me?” Joker finally realizes the change in temperature and turns around to tell Harley to turn on the heather but behind him is only Joker Jr, spasming on his spot as he beautifully smiles.

“HoW fUcKiNg DaRe YoU.” Danny growls, the sound distorted and guttural.

The Joker turns and what he sees makes his blood run still.

No one hears him scream nor cry for help as true fear in incrusted into the very root of his twisted, rotten soul.

Batman and Bartgirl arrive when all is said and done, they find Danny kneeling in defeat on the ground as he tightly holds an unconscious Tim, Danny has cleaned off the disgusting make up and changed the stupid purple jacket for his hoodie. Danny is crying as he rocks on his places, Tim close against his chest.

“Danny.” Batman calls as he runs towards his boys.

“I was late, B.” Danny cries as Bruce covers the two youngest with both his arms and cape. “I-

“It’s not your fault.” Bruce reassures the older teen. “You got him, Danny, and I got you both.”

While Bruce comforts Danny Barbara looks around, looking for clues of the Joker’s whereabouts but what she finds is:

“Mother of God.” Batgirl gasps as she finds an empty carcass of a man sitting languidly against a dark corner, paler than he was before, no color on his dry, crooked lips and his hair grown and messy, wilted and completely white, the eyes are rolled up so far only the white is seen, tears rolling down the empty eyes as the body trembles in light spams and foam comes out from its mouth.

FASTFORWARD TO SOMEDAYS INTO THE FUTURE.

Tim flutters his eyes open and finds himself in his room at Wayne manor, all of a sudden, the echo of Joker’s laugh invades him mind and a flash of the clown swinging down a bat on him crosses his mind, making him abruptly sit up. “WHAH!” He screams.

“It was the toast!” Someone else’s scream too.

Tim turns and finds Danny, sitting by his bed side on an armchair Tim is pretty sure wasn’t there before.

“Get away from me!” Tim screams in panic.

Danny immediately jumps onto Tim and hugs him tight, holding him down. “It ok, Tim! It’s ok! We got you! I got you!”

It takes Tim twenty solid minutes to calm down, by then Alfred, Bruce and Dick are all in the room alongside Danny.

“W-What happened?” Tim asks and Danny slowly allowed him to un-ball himself, the bandages around his head visible to everyone.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Bruce asks as he sits on the bed right in front of Danny and Tim (who is on Danny’s lap).

“I remember walking out of the manor and then I remember-ugh!” Tim’s head throbs and he holds it between his hands.

“It’s alright, Tim. Don’t force yourself.” Dick says.

“I-I don’t remember…” Tim admits, his tone ashamed.

Danny and Bruce lock gazes, a silent and quick discussion between them.

“That is fine chum.” Bruce says, a calming smile on his handsome face. “You fell down on the sidewalk when you were walking out.” He masterfully lies. “Luckily Danny found you when he was coming back home.”

“I-I fell?” Tim asks as he turns to look at Danny.

“Yeah, buddy.” Danny lies, he has never a good layer but if it’s for his new family he can be a layer. “You slipped on some soapy water. You scared me to death!”

“Ugh, so embarrassing.” Tim says as he holds his head between his hands.

What actually happened: Danny absorbed Tim’s madness and trauma and used his core’s power to clean it away from Tim’s soul before Bruce and Barbara arrived to the scene. Bruce tried to interrogate Danny into what had he done to the Joker but the only thing he got from him was just the acceptance of the fact that Danny was who destroyed to Joker without killing him, as Bruce’s rules state.

After that Bruce decides to properly train Tim, at least for self-defense proposes, but Tim understood that this was Bruce’s way to encourage him into the vigilante life. Months later Tim Drake-Wayne put on his own cowl, The Sparrow. Both Bruce and Danny almost have an aneurysm when he appeared to aid Batman one night.

Masterpost

I bit more for the NBSK universe:

The butler-ing thing

The first thing Danny did when he finally accepted to move into the manor was to ask Alfred to teach him how to Butler:

“I beg your pardon?” Alfred asks the teen when he questions him about the ‘Butler-ing’ thing.

 “Yeah, well, I don’t feel very comfortable just moving in here. Actually, the reason I accepted was so I could help you, mister Pennyworth. So, if it’s not much to ask, would you teach me how to help you? I’m not a great cook but I do know how to make pancakes, I can help with the garden too, oh! And I’m pretty good at cleaning devious substances!” Danny says as he stands before Alfred, who was preparing to clean the silverware.

“My dear boy, all I want is for you to be safe, and master Bruce did not invite you to stay so would work, he and myself want to offer you a second chance in life, that is all.” Alfred tells Danny as he continues preparing what he needs to polish the silverware.

“But it makes me feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” Danny responds. “And I’m also kinda bored.”

“Then why not going back to school?” Bruce suddenly speaks, making Alfred and Danny turn to look at him as he walks down the stairs. He is wearing an elegant, ebony three-piece suit with an ash black dress shirt underneath, not tie and the last two buttons unclasp. Danny now knows that this is his part of Brucie disguise.

“Marvelous idea, master Bruce!” Alfred exclaims with a pleased smile on his lips as he turns towards Danny, Bruce already reaching the last step of the stairs.

Danny makes a face at the suggestion.

“None of that, young man.” Alfred states. “I know, let us compromise. You go back to school and I will teach you some of the, and I quote, butler-ing thing.”

Danny’s face gets even sourer as he ponders the idea.

“Alfred, call the guy, tell him to send the necessary papers for Danny to attend Gotham Academy.” Bruce says as he fixes his cuffs.

“Right away, master Bruce.” Alfred accepts as he nods, a small but gleeful smile on his face.

“But I haven’t said yes!” Danny fights.

In the end Danny does goes back to school… he doesn’t hate it but he doesn’t love it either.

_____________________________________________________________

Hi, I'm Danny

“Who are you?” It’s the first thing Dick ever said to Danny.

Dick had come to the manor to ask Bruce about a lead in one of his cases. Things were still kinda turbulent between the two, but Bruce has been more open and they have been meeting up and talking about what Jason’s death has done to them and also have been talking about how Dick feels and used to feel as a teen, not only as Robin but as Bruce’s son. So, when that day he walked into the small dining area – a cozy space with lots of windows and a smaller wood table – where they usually take breakfast and found an unknown teen with eerie ice-blue eyes and too pale skin, he starts to feel some anger rising up. 

Danny looks at the newcomer, that he immediately recognizes the angry blue bird furry that covered for Bruce after he organized his ideas by smashing Bruce’s head against a brick wall several times – Bruce is sad bat furry, btw –. Danny had been studying for the stupid exam he has to do for Gotham Academy, reading in silence with a mug of pipping hot black tea and milk that Alfred had brewed for him sitting in front of him on top of the wood table when he felt a ball of anger stand by the door.

“You know, the polite thing to do is to introduce yourself first before asking someone else their name.” Danny comments as he rests his head on the palm of his hand, his elbow against the top of the wood table.

Angry blue bird furry gets angrier, his smile widening and showing some teeth.

Danny struggles to not smile in amusement himself.

“Hi, I’m Dick, I live here. Who are you?” No he doesn’t live there anymore, but the stranger doesn’t need to know that.

Danny does laugh now. “Your name is Dick?!”

Angry blue bird furry gets even angrier, the smile tightening as some teeth are shown. Danny feels the danger but that only makes him laugh harder.

“Yeah, yeah, pretty funny.” Dick let it slide. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Sorry, sorry.” Danny manages to control his laugher. “It’s the first time I actually get to meet someone whose name is Dick. But I guess it’s a nickname? My old english teacher once explained that for some reason in some places Richards are called, ha-ha, Dicks. Like, why? Is it a curse? Which Richard messed up so bad that all Richards are now nicknamed Dick?!” Now Danny is genuinely curious but Dick’s annoyed growl – that sounds so much like Bruce’s – pulls Danny back to reality. “Oh, right, I’m Danny. I also live here.”

“Whah-?!” Dick cannot even form a coherent question.

Why is this boy here?! He lives here?! With what purpose?! I thought-! I thought Bruce-! FUCK!

“Whoa, dude, you ok there?” Danny asks as he can feel Dick anger levels rising to the max. “Maybe we should sit down a ta-

“BRUCE!!!” Dick screams, cutting off Danny, and then he storms off to where Danny now knows is Bruce’s personal office.

“Oh boy.” Danny says with a tired sigh. “I guess it’s referee and therapist day for me, yay.” He tells himself and then follows Dick to Bruce’s office. “At least Tim and Alfred are out today.”

That day there are a lot of screams and a lot of tears.

Damn, and this is what Jazz wanted to do for a living? Danny things as his headache makes his right eyelid tremble. In the background Bruce and Dick are hugging and crying as Danny massages his poor pounding head.

Author's note: I made myself cry last night thinking about this. Here, have some hurt/comfort. Trigger warning: Mentions of grieving and lost of family members.

“AN’ WHAT DO YOU KNOW, HUH?!” Dick screams at Danny as they both stand in the lobby at the entrance of the manor. He has just had one more screaming session with Bruce – there may also have been punches involved – and Danny had called for him, to actually talk and solve the situation. “I already lost everything I had and now it happened again! My baby brother died and I could do nothing to protect him!” Dick continues as he stands right before Danny, screaming to his face as his rage rolls out of him like a tsunami, eyes blood-shot red and puffy while Danny remains stoic, standing like a rock against the tempest, taking it all in a stride, not even flinching. “And the only one that could do something-that still can do something about it, is not whiling to actually get his hands real dirty for once!!”

Dick feels like he is nine again, his parents freshly murdered and the uncontrollable, hot, scalding rage that fills him to the brim – a rage he thought he had reigned over years ago, a rage so big he feels like he is turning into a blood-thirsty monster despite his human frame.

“And then what? Richard.” Danny counters, voice even and ice cold. Hitting against Dick’s rage like a whip. “Bruce, or you or mister Pennyworth, kill the fucking clown and then what? Personally, I’ve got nothing against the eye for an eye rule and the Joker does deserve punishment but, in the end, not matter if you or Bruce or mister Pennyworth do it, neither of you will get anything out from it but proving that the fucker has been correct the whole time. That all everybody needs is just one bad day.” Danny says as the memory of Dan flashes in the back of his mind. “Also, your parents? Not to demerit your feelings nor your loss but, and correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t Bruce also lose his parents when he was like eight? You know, the whole reason why he turned into the Bat? And you lost a brother? Dude, Bruce has lost his son, ancients, mister Pennyworth has lost his fucking grandkid, or does mister Pennyworth’s pain does not count?” Dick freezes. “I get it Richard, you’re angry, and you are in all your right to be, but you can’t let that anger drift you away from the only people that understand and share your pain.” Danny says, eerie blue eyes watery but tears unshed, voice firm but oh so full emotion. “At least you got someone to cry with.” Danny says and then walks away, disappearing on one of the manor’s halls, melting into the shadows as if the shadows themselves claimed him to comfort him.

The next day Dick is walking into the library, wanting to check the books Jason loved so much, when he sees Danny sitting on the window-seat reading a book – The Demon-Haunted World –. The gray light of Gotham’s smog filtered sun-light makes Danny’s skin seem pale and cold, his short, void colored hair absorbing the dim light like a black hole. It’s the beginnings of March but winter’s cold lingers, specially inside the manor’s library, but despite this Danny is only wearing a black sweatshirt with a small NASA logo embroidered on le left side, right above the heart, and a pair of light blue jeans that have certainly seen better days.

It’s now or never. Dick thinks as he gathers all of his courage. “Hey, Danny.” He greets as he walks further into the library, right towards Danny.

Danny lifts his eerie ice-blue eyes and looks at Dick with a blank expression as the older male draws near to him. “Hey, Dick. What’s up? Is it supper time already?” Danny questions as he goes back to his book.

“No, there’s some time left.” Dick says as he takes a seat on the other side of the window-seat. “I just… I wanted to apologize.” He starts as he plays with his fingers, eyes locked on the pattern of the pillow that cushions their rears. “I shouldn’t have screamed at you and you’re also right about me forgetting that I’m not the only one grieving. I act like I’m better than Bruce but in the end me and him are still the same scared, sad and angry children we were when our parents were ripped away from us.” Danny is looking at Dick with seriousness, listening to the shame in his voice. “You’re also right about Alfred, I am so full of myself that I completely forgot about him. Between Bruce’s sadness and my anger who is left to comfort him?” Dick inquires to no one as shame replaces his rage. “So, I’m sorry and it’s alright if you don’t forgive me.” Dick says and finally lifts his eyes, his dark blue eyes locking with Danny’s ice-blue ones.

“I forgive you.” Danny says. “But you should also forgive yourself, you know.”

“I know… but that will take a while more.” Dick admits.

Danny nods his head.

“Man… how come you’re so good at this?” Dick asks as he allows himself to relax, his back leaning onto the frame.

Danny smiles. “I had a sister.” Danny reveals and Dick’s blood runs cold at the use of past tense. “She was into psychology and psychiatrics; she basically raised me. If it wasn’t for her, I can assure you, I wouldn’t be as nice.”

Something dark flashes in Danny’s eyes and Dick swallows thickly. “Oh.” Dick manages to muster. “Do Bruce and Alfred know?”

“No.” Danny shakes his head. “I don’t feel ready to share yet.”

“I’m honored.” Dick tells Danny, who can feel his empathy and sincerity. “What are you reading?” And just like that Dick changes the track of the conversation. “Oooh, Carl Sagan. What? You a space nerd?”

“Mister space nerd, for you, Angry Blue Bird furry.” Danny states with lightness in his voice.

They talk until supper time.

They talk about space at first, then they talk just about books, then they talk about the books Jason liked the most, and in the end is just Danny listening to Dick talk about Jason.

Maybe one day Danny will also talk about Jazz with Dick.

Maybe one day.  

masterpost PART 8

Not so long ago – a year and some months that feel like eons –, before the betrayal of his own parents… before the destruction of his hometown, both his birth and death place, Danny used to find solace and peace in gliding the night sky of Amity Park; the cool air messing his not hair, the clear view of the stars that he oh so much loves… Danny never thought he would have been able to feel that again in the way his motorbike’s engine reverberates underneath him as he races down the chaotic streets of Gotham and the sound of the wind against his helmet/mask as he accelerates the vehicle whistles in his ears.

It's weird.

He never managed to feel so much like himself as Phantom as much as how he feels like himself as Corvin.

In the year that Danny has been working with the Bat-team – Dick’s naming sense is as bad as Jack’s naming sense and Danny doesn’t know how to feel about that – Danny has learned so much about what is to be truly human. He has learned so much about resilience, loyalty and hope from Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Barbara and Tim… his fraid… fuck, they are his fraid… When did that happened? When did he allowed himself to trust again?

Corvin is currently patrolling the Bowery, closer to Crime Alley than what Batman – Bruce – likes. He always tells them to go in pairs when dealing with Crime Alley.

“Careful Corvin.” Tim warns in the comms. “You’re too close to Crime Alley. B is not gonna like it.”

Good thing I’m not Batman’s sidekick then. It’s what Danny wants to say, but instead he says “It’s just a quick look before finishing patrol, birdie.” Danny responds through the comms in his helmet.

Danny loves Tim, the kid is a weird mix between Tucker and Ellie.

“Fine, but be careful.”

The Bowery and Crime Alley have been under the bad influence of the gangs and the mafia for so long that every corner is plagued by angry shades and the rotten smell of corrupted ecto. Danny races the Bowery streets and the border with Crime Alley hoping that the ecto-purifier he put in his bike would clean the air a bit, at least enough to help blobs develop so they can keep cleaning the ambient ecto in the area. Some working gals and pals stroll the streets, hopefully going back to wherever they live, some other individuals eye him warily as he rides away, clearly hiding the drugs they sell but since they are not doing it actively right now Danny cannot do nothing about it.

He slows his bike when he notices a bunch of street kids’ going into an alley, they have duffle bags with them that rattle with something metallic whenever they move, so Danny chooses to park his bike in a dark spot to hide it and goes invisible to follow the kids and make sure they are not biting onto something too tough for them to digest.

When he finally reaches to group of ten street kids of different ages, he feels his eyes go wide in wonder.

Danny with his new family:

After moving to the manor, it took Danny some time to call Alfred just Alfred. At the beginning he called him mister Pennyworth, after many months he calls him ‘Alfie’ or ‘Pops’.

At the beginning and after been officially adopted, Danny calls Bruce ‘dad’ ironically when Bruce/Batman scolds him, but at some point, it stopped been ironic and Danny is not sure when that happened.

Danny listens to Alfred, Dick and Barbara the most. Alfred because he is the grandpa he never had and he adores him, Dick and Barbara because it’s like having two of Jazz (even though at the beginning it annoyed him that the two oldest bat-kids would mother hen him, in the end he accepts that he loves them and really likes when his two new older siblings take care of him).

Danny talks to Dick about his troubles and often seeks his advice.

Danny helps Barbara when setting up or getting new hardware for her super-computer and often spends time with her in the clocktower (unknown to everyone, Danny has asked Technus to keep an eye on her).

Jason and Danny are like chaos gremlin twins. They cover for each other and help clean each other messes the best they can before anyone notices (the usually get caught though).

Tim is Danny’s baby; he pampers him and helps him with his homework whenever he can. After the Joker thing, Danny became even more protective on him, which ended up in a long talk with Dick and Alfred about his over-protectiveness. In the end Danny does tones it down (after Jason smacked the back of his head) but sometimes, if you pay attention, Tim/Sparrow’s shadow seems to have eyes of its own. 

Damian is Danny’s babiest baby. While Tim is Danny’s human baby, Damian is Danny’s liminal baby with a lot of ghost mannerisms, it’s just adorable! Damian gets embarrassed? He growls at you. Damian feels bashful? He tries to stab you. Damian wants to make friends? He punches you in the face or kicks you off a rooftop. Damian’s posh and aggressive attitude only shows Danny how scared he is of this new and strange environment and Danny can understand that to a core level. Between Dick and Danny, they try to guide and teach Damian into been just a boy and enjoy life. Does Danny use some of Jazz’s methods? Yes. If it worked with him, it should do marvels for Damian.

Danny is, to everyone’s surprise, Steph’s voice of reason. When the blonde’s pranks start to go too far, Danny is the one that brings her back to the realm of logic. Steph reminds Danny so much of Dani, he cannot help but act as her responsible older brother.

Much like Tim and Damian, Cass is Danny’s baby (despite her been like a year older than him). Cass is even more liminal than Damian but unlike Damian, Cass is more like a shadow, projecting her emotions much more strongly, so Danny is the only one that 100% understands her even when she is only standing still, all they need to communicate is to look at each other or just been in the same room. It’s insane.

When Duke arrived to the manor everybody else already knew that Danny is the king of all supernatural and blah, blah, blah, and when they explained it to Duke, he admitted that he could see Danny’s aura and that it is so bright it hurts to directly look at him, so Danny creates special glasses for him. Danny is the one that teaches Duke how to control and properly use his powers.

After finishing university and living as an adult, Danny officially works at W.E. as the main developer of WayneTech, but when his royal duties call and he disappears for days the family allegates that he locks himself in his personal workshop/laboratory.

Danny never truly joins JLD, but he does helps them a lot when they properly summon him (he is bound to aid them when they do this, as High King of the Infinite Realms there are rules Danny has to follow). Actually, the only one that knows that Danny/Corvin is the High King of the Infinite Realms (besides the batfam) is Constantine and he tries to not summon him because Connie knows how much Bats hates to risk his kids, even if he knows that the lad is a THE Eldritch God.