Danny Fenton Gets Detention at Gotham Academy and Somehow Turns It Into a Support Group for Gotham Rogues
Danny Fenton gets detention on his second day at Gotham Academy.
Official reason: βdisruptive commentary.β
Unofficial reason: he told a substitute teacher that their βvibe felt like a hostage situation waiting to happenβ and then tried to give conflict-resolution advice mid-lecture.
Damian is also in detention.
For unrelated reasons.
They do not speak.
The room is quiet. Boring. Normal.
Then the window opens.
No one touched it.
Danny glances over. βOh. Hey.β
Damian immediately reaches for a weapon.
Because standing outside the third-floor window is a Gotham rogue who definitely should not be there.
βRelax,β Danny says. βHeβs not here for that.β
βThat is a criminal,β Damian replies flatly.
βYeah, but likeβ¦ heβs having a moment.β
The rogue climbs in, looking less threatening and more⦠frustrated.
βI tried it your way,β he snaps at Danny. βDidnβt work.β
Damian freezes.
βYou know this individual.β
Danny shrugs. βWe talked yesterday.β
βYou talked to a rogue.β
βYeah, he needed advice.β
This is already spiraling.
More spiraling happens when another figure appears at the window.
Then another.
Within ten minutes, detention has:
One vigilante-in-training (angry)
One civilian (unbothered)
Three Gotham rogues (confused, irritated, but oddly cooperative)
The teacher has not returned.
Danny claps his hands once.
βOkay, cool, everyoneβs here.β
Damian: ββ¦Everyone?β
Danny: βYeah, weβre doing a follow-up.β
βA follow-up to what.β
Danny gestures vaguely. βBad decisions.β
One of the rogues points at him. βYou said if we didnβt escalate, things would go smoother.β
βThey wouldβve,β Danny says. βYou skipped step two.β
βThere were steps?β
βThere are always steps.β
Damian is watching a known criminal argue about process with a teenager who should not be in charge of anything.
βWhy are you listening to him,β Damian demands.
The rogue pauses.
ββ¦Heβs weirdly convincing.β
Danny nods. βThank you.β
This continues.
Danny mediates.
Not fights. Not threats. Just⦠talks.
He breaks down their plans like theyβre group projects that went off the rails.
βYouβre overcomplicating it,β he tells one. βYou donβt actually want the chaos, you want the reaction to the chaos. Different problem.β
βYouβre focusing on the wrong target,β he tells another. βThatβs why it keeps blowing up in your face.β
At one point, he hands someone a piece of paper.
βWrite down what you actually want to happen,β Danny says. βNot the dramatic version. The real version.β
ββ¦This is stupid.β
βDo it anyway.β
They do.
Damian sits there, absolutely still.
Because this should not be working.
These are criminals.
They should not be calmly discussing motivations in a detention room like this is normal.
And yetβ
No one is fighting.
No one is escalating.
For once, Gothamβs chaos isβ¦ contained.
Directed.
Almost manageable.
Damian finally interrupts.
βYou are interfering with active criminal behavior.β
Danny looks at him. βYeah.β
βThat is not your role.β
βMaybe,β Danny says. βBut it helps.β
βIt is not sustainable.β
Danny shrugs. βNeither is what theyβre doing now.β
Silence.
One of the rogues raises a hand slightly.
ββ¦So whatβs step two?β
Danny smiles.
βGlad you asked.β
By the time the teacher comes back, the room is empty.
Except for Danny and Damian.
The window is closed.
Everything looks normal.
βWhat happened here,β the teacher asks slowly.
Danny brightens. βGroup discussion.β
Damian says nothing.
Because later that night, reports come in.
Fewer incidents.
Plans abandoned halfway through.
Rogues⦠hesitating.
Not stopping completely.
Just⦠reconsidering.
Damian finds Danny on the roof after school the next day.
βYou are altering behavioral patterns,β he says.
Danny leans back on his hands. βIβm talking to people.β
βThey are not people. They are threats.β
Danny looks at him, expression quieter than usual.
βTheyβre both.β
Damian doesnβt respond.
Because he doesnβt have a counter for that yet.
And that is deeply irritating.
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