I Don't Cry When Reading But Damn, This Was Close

I don't cry when reading but damn, this was close

Dp x DC crossover prompt

Ok so I was watching rise of the guardians and whent oh I have an idea. So I've seen the prompts where danny gets stuck in the DC verse and his powers conform to DC logic. Well there, ghosts are invisible.

So let's put this together. Danny scared, hurt, and tired, gets yeeted to the DC verse by either running from ghost hunters or just getting lost in the ghost zone.

So danny hearing about this world haveing heros and deciding to try and track down the heros. Only for them to ignore him?? He trys to get their attention in his human form, no luck. He helpd multiple heros as phantom and they acted like he didnt exist.

So danny getting fed up flys up to their space base and walks straight into a big important meeting. But no matter how much he yells, crys, or pleads nobody bats an eye at him.

At this point a certain blond decides to finally show up to the meeting to see a kid breaking down in the conference room begging for help and his colleagues ignoring him. Constantine really needing a smoke before dealing with this situation.

What is your preferred way of receiving undying appreciation? Seriously it's great, I'm grinning like a madwoman, I love it so much

Two bros, chillin in the batcave, 0 feat apart cuz they’re best friends

Also because Danny weighs like a wet baby crow in ghost form and he likes to have his Perch.

Duke would sooner take up Condiment King duties than turn him down

i drew this because i. wanted to, i guess

You should give yourself a profile picture because some people might think you’re a bot

Haven't thought about it, but you're absolutely right. Thank you very much

There are two dpxdc posts that keep banging around my head and I would love to find them and read them again, reblog and all that jazz but they're really good at hide and seek. Can someone help me please?

One was about Cass. She met Danny while running away from her father. She saw Dash bullying and drop kicked him or something and Danny as a way to pay back invited her to Nasty Burger. He was infodumping about stars all the time they were there but Cass barely understood anything. She did understood what star means and thought Danny was similar to them so she nicknamed him that. Danny nicknamed her Moon. They didn't get to finish because she saw her father and had to run again. They met years later when Cass was part of Batfam and Danny was on a run. He helped her with something and she invited him to BatBurger (she started doing it as a way to show gratitude for everyone that helped her after meeting Star for the first time). Then they somehow recognised each other. I'm nearly sure it was in form of ask.

Second one was summoning type of deal. There was some big threat to Earth and Justice League couldn't handle it so they tried to summon this powerful being (I think it wasn't Ghost King but who knows). Danny arrived there in his full eldritch glory. Constantine was there to use his soul as a bargain chip but summoning rendered him unconscious so one hero (I don't think it was specified) stepped up to offer his soul but Danny instead asked for 24 hours from their life. They agreed because damn, something was destroying Earth but it was hard. They all thought they'll die 24 hour before their time. Instead week or so later Danny shows up in Watchtower in his humanoid form (not sure if straight up as human or in Phantom form) and is all happy and excited for his 24 hours of mandatory mentorship

Please help me find it. Whether you tag me in comments or copy paste link or whatever else is easiest. Pretty please

Duke had ambiguous relationship with being one of the two, up until recently only, Gotham’s daytime hero. On one hand it felt amazing to fill this niche, to see all this thankful people still not used to the fact that there is a name they can call upon for help before sunset. It was great to just sleep at night because he did his part, to be recognized and loved. On the other hand it was a little scary. Until Danny joined them, he was the one with least training or experience and Gotham’s criminal side didn’t go to sleep when sun was on the sky. It was a little calmer since obscuring shadows always stayed crime’s favored home, even despite being haunted by evergrowing colony of vigilantes. But it was still Gotham and one Signal, even when joined by Lar, didn’t felt like enough. It was only so much ground he could cover, only so much pleas he could hear over noises of the city, only so much he could know without Oracle’s omniscient eyes because Babs had a normal job and also had to sleep. He wasn’t mad, he knew she was more needed at night but he still wished there was someone coordinating from behind the screen. It would be encouraging and he would fell less out of place when his family was sometimes talking in half-words because apparently anyone other than Duke knew that case and no further explanation was necessary.

At least he had Danny now. Danny, who choose to shadow him during his training before Bruce even finished his question. Danny who always joined him, even if he had spent previous night tailing others during their shifts. Danny who was meta too, was open to play with their powers and who had superhearing that pointed them to places where they were needed. Danny who was reluctant to fight humans because he was afraid of hurting them (after watching some of his fights on hacked Amity Park’s city cameras, yeah it was valid concern) but never hesitated to do whatever was necessary to protect civilians and other vigilantes equally.

Danny who hated his powers but used them daily to help. Danny who joked whenever he was scared or concerned or overwhelmed but didn’t want anyone to know. Danny who joked a lot.

Danny who just challenged him for a race.

“Oh, you’re gonna lose so hard. I’m in”

“We’ll see, Shiny guy” Fenton smirked, shooting his grappling hook. He could, in fact, fly and even seemed to like it, but Bruce insisted he learned grappling and parkour too. Duke because of sheer experience was much better at both. Still, it was nice when younger boy came up with the ways to spend their patrols between crimes. It took some time but his newest brother was opening to him more and more.

Duke grappled with wide smile on his face.

It was always amazing when he wasn’t on his way to the next crime scene. Fall, shot let the momentum carry you, release the hook, fall, repeat. Let the wind against your body and sounds of the life beneath you be only things that affect you. Fly as if you managed to overcome human’s bound to the ground.

It was nice and liberating.

He outrun Danny few cycles before. When they finish he should tell boy what mistakes he noticed.

He made a few steps after landing on the final building and turned to observe as Lar shoot last time to join him.

“You’re learning worryingly fast” Duke started which wasn’t objectively true, but was given circumstances. Danny was doing wonders for someone running on sheer caffeine, felling of responsibility and misplaced guilt. “Try shot farther from you and release hook soon after crossing point of balance. It’s faster that way.”

“Okay” halfa nodded “Let’s try again. To the puking gargoyle!” He once again tried to cheat by starting without warning but Duke was way too used to fell for that.

Gargoyle Lar was talking about probably wasn’t meant to puke. It was located on top of one of Gotham’s most luxurious hotels and from any civilian reachable perspective it was average sculpture, like many other in this gothic city (Danny said once his friend Sam would love it and then shut down for the rest of the day) but when examined closer it looked like it was doing its best to release its stomach contents back to the world. Rooftop it was on was often used as meeting spot for various vigilantes, partially because it was quite secluded, partially because nobody lived on the top floor to complain about disturbance (or eardrop) and partially (mainly) because puking gargoyle was iconic. Jason called it Bill sometimes.

Although, before they made it there, Duke heard three knocks in his comm. Danny heard trouble. Halfa still wasn’t confident in his grappling abilities enough to try briefing while doing it. It was okay, Duke didn’t like it either. He landed on the nearest roof, other boy hot on his heels.

“Mugging on… ten, up to four streets away” He had announced before he took of flying.

Yeah, it was a little problematic how he couldn’t give more specific direction. Signal couldn’t blame him though, it was power Lar developed while in Gotham, it would be unfair to expect him to had it perfected already. Especially since they learned about his hatred towards his abilities. It was kind of disturbing when he thought about it for too long, so he didn’t. They had mugging to stop and snack break to take relatively soon.

His comm. Picked up muffled “Fuck, they’re talking back” followed after few seconds by “they’re stalling” with few more curses. Dick would probably yell at Jason for being bad role model if he heard that.

Thankfully they made it on time and soon Signal was tying up unconscious criminal while Lar run damage control with the victim., also scolding them for antagonizing his attacker. Victim, androgynous university student called Sage, was surprisingly calm and while Danny was lecturing, they just smiled and without any warning loudly clapped few inches away from young vigilante’s ear, making him visibly flinch.

“I knew gossip about your super hearing was true.” They announced with proud grin “I was making sure you knew where I was… Plus, this asshole deserved it.”

Boy just rubbed his ears with pained expression.

“Never ever do that again. Even people with normal hearing don’t like it and this shit hurts a lot”

“Sorry”

“And! I would know where you were if you were asking if you could take out your ID from your wallet or if you tapped your feet. We’re not always around and not always we can make it on time. Don’t risk so much please. I want to get my high school diploma and I can’t when I hear idiots making armed muggers angry when I take a test. I’ll leave and come to the rescue, you know? And it’s easiest way to fail the test. So please, don’t do it.” Danny pleaded. He was in fact homeschooled and for all Duke knew he hadn’t had problem like that yet, but maybe he talked from experience from his hometown. That tracked for all Duke knew.

Sage nodded and after moment of consideration they asked for pen and piece of paper. They scribbled something as soon as yellow vigilante offered it to them before giving a note to younger boy.

“If any of you two ever have trouble with biology, give me a call. I’m veterinary student, I know thing or two.” They shrugged. “Thank you for saving me but I gotta go, there is only so much prof’ll excuse, y’know?” Then they spun around, little metal pieces on their pants chimming gently “Bye~” they added with joking tone as they walked down the alley.

Signal glanced at his partner who just kept starring at the number before he shrugged and hid it in ne of multiple pockets in his suit.

“Batman is gonna run me to the ground at situational awareness training if he founds out” he said with grimace, once again rubbing his ear back online.

“It wasn’t so bad.” His reassurance was met with unimpressed look (it was amazing how expressive vigilantes could be while covering majority of their faces) “Alright, yeah, you’re in trouble buddy”

Danny sighed dramatically.

“That’s one way of saying it… Let’s keep going, I want to stop at least ne more crime before snack break”

In the end there was no other crime to stop before Duke strong armed his brother for a snack break. He was hungry and he couldn’t leave younger boy to run by himself. As a way of making amends, he dropped to convenience store to get them food alone. Normally he would get BatBurger but Danny was strongly against it. He liked fast food, he was normal teen, but joints made him anxious (understandable, his whole support system died in explosion of such place). He didn’t let any of them inside , Drive Thru being as far as he could let them.

Well, convenience store snacks were cool too. Danny clearly agreed, sitting on the edge of the roof of highest building around and eating his sandwich like it was purest ambrosia.

Duke used this time to share some of his school gossip and stories of what his civilian friends were up to. He wanted younger boy to feel included (and it felt funny to talk abut such mundane things while in hero suit six stories above the ground). Danny chocked on his soda and laughed few times (it felt genuine!!!), commenting when it fitted. When he mentioned some petty argument one of his friends had with Izzy, younger boy almost fell of the building and muttered

“It’s like vegan vs meat fight all over again.”

“What?” Duke asked, trying not to snort. Though he was curious. Danny rarely shared stories from before Gotham.

“My friend Sam is an ultra vegan and once she changed cafeteria menu to match it. My other frien Tucker is me-” he froze “was. Tucker was meatlover and Sam was vegan.” He finished in hurt tone. “Somehow they organized opposing protests in the second they of their conflict. Like full on two crowds of random people with banners and shouting and insulting each other, all on the school grounds” it didn’t took to be a detective to hear tears in his voice. Duke wasn’t quite sure what he should do.

“Damn, that’s crazy.”

“And I haven’t gotten to Lunch Lady part yet” why did it sounded like a threat?! What did that woman do to one up two opposing protests? “Changing menu enraged a ghost of a woman that worked on it and she came back to punish whoever did that.” Alright, that was certainly a way to be weirder that two opposing protests “She was first ghost I have fought, y’know? I had no idea what was happening, my power were acting up ‘cause I had them for like month or something, it was a mess. At some point she created mecha suit out of meat and destroyed school yard” Danny let out watery laugh “It was still me who got detention because of course. It was so fucking weird back then and now I wouldn’t even bat an eye. None of my friends would. But –ah” He gasped then raised his mask to dry tears that collected under the lenses. “Sorry for bringing the mood down”

“It’s okay. Thank you for sharing this”

In his defense, Duke felt greatly out of his depth. Danny practically never shared stories from his live before, which wasn’t all that weird, but regardless, left him underprepared for sudden openness. They sat in hopefully comforting silence when younger boy was slowly collecting himself back together. Then they awkwardly ate their sandwiches until Lar tensed, halfway through the bite. He gulped quickly and shared what got him so alarmed.

“There is a robbery this way… three streets away.” He stood up and flew, continuing over the comm. Duke grappled right after him. There was no time to hang out on random roof “Jewelry store… six, seven, eight… approximately eight hostages, one is a child, at least two armed robbers” he stopped speaking, listening to something “They just shot someone” he added with clear strain in his voice. He sped up, checking his pockets for medical equipment. Signal checked what most likely was their destination and called an ambulance there.

As much as he would like to, they didn’t rush inside the moment they got there. Lar’s hearing was great but he couldn’t run all the reckon.

For example he hadn’t heard anything about the fucking bomb. It was cliché bomb with timer, red numbers counting down. When he checked, they still got fifteen minutes. They exchanged grim glances of mutual understanding before vanishing from the sight.

Photokinesis rules, especially when it let him vaguely see his patrol partner while he was invisible.

They slipped inside thanks to shared intangibility and then went their separate ways. Danny flew towards middle-aged man sitting against counter in growing puddle of blood. Duke prepared to knock out at least one robber with element of surprise. It was the one who previously showed around a remote with cartoon-like big red button, so he counted it would prevent any premature explosions. He sprung to the action when injured men disappeared from mundane sight, causing both robbers to shout and shot. They missed miserably (not weird since they didn’t saw their target) and he quickly knocked out one with purple helmet, kicking gun out of pink’s hands. He dropped hi invisibility so they didn’t shot blindly and hurt any hostage. Second one didn’t go down as easily as their partner. Hero and criminal exchanged blows, not giving each other moment to think. Duke was cautious. Bomb was still there. Until he wasn’t, blinded as ghost of light from exploding bomb. Person he was fighting used this little break to press something n their chest pocket.

“You knew what’ll happen if you try to stop us.” Feminine voice from under the helmet was maniac. Signal met enough bad people to know what it mean. He jumped behind the counter for the cover while yelling:

“Lar, the bomb!”

Sounds exploded.

God bless Danny and his construct abilities. Small, transparent, neon green shield arose at the same time as explosion, that couldn’t affect anything outside ectoplasmic dome. And people’s ears.

With that of the table, fight resolved quickly, even despite the fact criminal got their gun back and tried to shot both vigilantes, with Lar’s back often turned because he kept evacuating civilians. Well, on Signal’s watch nobody got shot, thank you very much.

He managed to knock out his opponent soon after last person was evacuated and younger boy returned to check how else he could help. They quickly zip tied both unconscious criminals and got out to drink some water and resume on their patrol.

“Ambulance already took that man that got shot. They said he was stable. Nobody else had any injuries, few were in shock. I gave them shock blankets and tried to calm them a little before I had to go back to get the rest out. They’re under GCPD care now” Danny reported as they stood on the roof on the opposite side of the street. Signal took big sip to ease his thirst and nodded.

“Good job Lar.”

Younger boy smiled widely and brightened up so much, Duke would be surprised if normal people hadn’t seen some of it too.

It was nice to see him like this.

They sat to rest a little before resuming on running around this cursed city.

Unfortunately peace didn’t last for long. Before they finished drinking, Danny paled, almost dropping his bottle. Whatever shocked younger boy so much, was really, really bad sign. Like, disastrous level of bad sign. Rogue is attacking level of bad. Especially when he pressed his hands against his ears with pained expression and tears in his eyes. He took few breaths to help him collect himself. When he raised his head again Duke whispered:

“What’s wrong?”

“People are screaming. Loudly. They’re terrified. It’s chaos and it’s deafening. I- uh, this way” teen’s voice was a little shaky. He flew, even faster than he usually did. Whatever he heard- “I think it’s Scarecrow”

Well shit. It was full family, The Ultimate Panic Button press, too much to handle alone type of emergency. Duke grappled right after Danny, sending emergency signal.

It was objectively worst thing about daytime patrolling.

When there is issue you can’t handle alone, you’re on your own for a lot longer than night shift. After all, you have to wait until someone gets from whatever they’re doing as civilians, then they make their way to the Cave, then suit up and only then drive or grapple to wherever emergency happened. It obviously takes significantly more time than just getting from different patrolling area.

His intestines were twisted in dread. They had to handle Scarecrow and panicking, gas affected crowd on their own. They weren’t ready. They so fucking much weren’t ready.

“It’s okay Duke” Danny whispered over comm. “I know it’s a lot for you but we will handle this. It’ll be okay. I promise” They won’t, Duke knew that they weren’t enough to make it alright. It was fear gas attack. How many people even were affected? How many victims already? Even if by some unimaginable miracle nobody died on them, even if nobody’s heart gave out after beating too fast for too long, even if nobody’s lungs had lost battle with suffocating gas, even if somehow everyone made it out alive, how many people would be lost in their heads full of nightmares for the rest of their lives. How many people will join his parents? How-

“Duke” Oh, Danny was in front of him, hands on his arms. When did they stop on this roof? “I know it’s scary, horrifying even but I need you to breathe, okay? In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five, six, seven. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four, five, six, seven.”

Oh, he was spiraling. Maybe even panicking.

He was panicking and his younger brother had to handle this. He tried to follow exercise and get himself back together as fast as possible. It was emergency, he could freak out after it’s wrapped up. Was it unhealthy? Maybe, but it was on brand with how heroes had to deal with their emotions. Just calm down for now. Calm down. Calm down! CALM DOWN!

“It’s okay Duke. I know it’s hard” Danny was surprisingly peaceful despite horrified screams probably ringing in his ears. “If you don’t think you can do it, you can stay somewhere safe, on a rooftop or something and tell me where you see people that need my help. You know, like Oracle.” His voice was so soft, his offer so tempting–

No! It wasn’t type of situation where he could stay on the sidelines. Especially not when that left only one, fourteen-year-old, person to handle this shit. Thank that Duke himself was fifteen didn’t mean he should take responsibility.

“I can do this. Let’s go” he announced a little sharper than he wanted. Boy nodded with sad smile and let his hands drop to his sides. Then he spun around and took of flying.

“Tell me if it’s too much at any point.” He added already over comm.

Duke stood for few seconds before he shook whatever got to him and run to catch up to his patrol buddy. He could handle himself.

They got to the place of emergency without further interruptions. Duke’s breath didn’t hitched when he saw streets filled with suffocating, dense gas, it didn’t. He heard screams some time before but actually seeing it made him freeze for a moment.

“Are you sure you can-”

Signal jumped down to the street instead of answering. If he stayed up there any longer, there was no say he could force himself to move. He almost got run over by car that crashed into the wall mere seconds later. There were at least two people inside. Two that were lucid enough to cry. He tried to open the door but they were too crumpled. Window was too small to get in or out. He didn’t have tools to get them safely out. To get them at all. He-

Danny yanked him back and pushed him towards teen girl curled few steps away. They didn’t need to talk, they both understood. Signal handled girl, Lar handled car.

They got separated after that. Duke was in some sort of haze. Find panicking person. Get them out. Give them antidote. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. One woman, nurse, asked if she could help so he gave her spare gas mask and handful of syringes. Find panicking person. Get them out. Give them antidote. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Ignore still bodies that you won’t be able to help. Shove them in one place out of the way and go back to living. Repeat. Find panicking person. Get them out. Give them antidote. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Rest of the Bats gradually joined them, but they haven’t saw each other. B fought Scarecrow himself. Find panicking person. Get them out. Give them antidote. Repeat. Repeat. Re- He run out of antidote. He run out. He- He had to take people to the nearest clinic that has them. It wasn’t that far. Farer than he would like but not really that far. Ok, change of plans. Find panicking person. Take them to clinic. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Re-

“Signal, do you hear us?” Batman’s voice finally broke to him. He blinked few times before answering.

“Yeah, sorry. What did you say?”

“Everyone is accounted for. Everyone go back to the Cave.” Oh, okay. They made it. “Good job Signal.” It didn’t felt like it.

“Are you alright Duke?” Tim was next to him, looking at him with concern. He shrugged. He wasn’t but there was nothing anyone could do at the moment. He just needed a moment to process everything. And probably cry or scream. Or both.

“Oracle, are you sure there is no one else?” Danny interrupted with undertone he couldn’t quite place at the moment.

“Positive. This is area with really high amount of cameras and I see no one, no one also walked into blind spot and haven’t returned.” Babs was calm and collected although slightly annoyed.

“But I-” there were noises as if boy was fiercely rubbing his ears without turning his comm off “I swear I can hear so-” with every word Danny sounded more and more desperate “Oh. Oh shit. Oooh shit.”

Something bad was happening.

“Lar, what’s wrong?” Duke asked looking over at Tim, who was already checking their brother’s location.

He got ignored, like anyone who tried to ask Danny for his wellbeing.

“Lar, where is your mask?!” Babs sounded exasperated and concerned at once “You’re in the middle of the cloud!”

They froze. Then Signal raced towards Danny. Whatever the fuck happened, younger boy needed his help. He was probably too horrified to get out or inject himself with antidote. It was surprising that he was still so lucid.

“You know how I don’t need to breath, right? I gave it to one dude that asked how he can help.” Danny latched onto distraction from his fear like it was lifebelt for his sanity, which it probably was.

“You always carry at least one spare” B pointed out in his harsh Batman tone “and you need to breath when you’re talking.” He added with more concerned, ‘I would lecture you but you’re not in shape for that’ undertone in his voice.

“Yeah” was more sigh than word “There was two of them so I didn’t have spare and I had to fight Scarecrow for a moment and I accidentally breathed during that. Since I didn’t fall in mindless panic right then and there I thought- I thought it wasn’t working” his false confidence morphed into whisper that was oh, so small and scared “I thought it wasn’t working but it works, it wo-”

He screamed so loudly Duke stopped in his tracks.

“Lar, whatever you are seeing, it is not real” Damian called with dread clear in his voice

“I know, I know” he sounded desperate, he knew it on intellectual level but it could only take him so far. He knew but couldn’t believe it. Duke could understand that. “I know. After all, they are dead and they loved me. They wouldn’t be like that.” Finally, he found Danny standing, pressed in the corner of some dead end, shaking like a twig, with hood of his head, holding one hand to his chest like he was injured.

“Knowing doesn’t help.”

All yellow vigilante wanted to do was to drop from the rooftop, hug him and get him as far as possible from whatever he was seeing. But before he moved, Danny’s aura grew and strengthen and green energy blast hit wall one store beneath him. Then there was deafening, broken yell full of rage and sorrow.

“NO, I WON’T”

Next blast fired into nothingness.

“I think it’s safe to say we lost him. I’m turning his comm off so we don’t lost our hearing. Signal’s comm should handle it.” Oracle said with forced calmness.

Duke stayed at the roof, still like salt pillar, when Danny kept screaming and attacking whoever he saw, after he turned to his ghost form. It was first time when Duke saw him like that outside of photo. B wanted to know what was happening. Signal wasn’t sure what words left his mouth. He couldn’t d anything again. He didn’t have any antidotes, he wasn’t strong enough to force crazed boy out of poisonous cloud that was slowly killing his mind. He was useless.

It took him longer than he would like to realize and even longer to get his body to work enough to make a report that Danny seemed to be able to physically interact with his hallucinations.

“The fuck that means Narrows?!” Jason yelled and Duke really had enough for this day and he would love if it finally ended thank you very much.

“It means that his arm suddenly started bleeding and his hair unnaturally raised before he yanked his head into wall with enough strength to give normal person severe concussion.” He snapped. “If someone has an idea how to stop it, get here right fucking now and do it.”

On the street below boy kept doing his thing, flying and causing serious property damage like rabid Luthor’s mecha suit. He kept yelling, pleading for his parents to believe that he was still Danny, screaming at Vlad that he won’t become his son and at someone else that he (Danny) won’t destroy world again. Whatever that meant, because world was very clearly still not destroyed.

Suddenly boy fell to the ground back to his human form as if his powers just stopped working. Duke wanted to jump down and do something, anything, to help but before he could Phantom stood up again and returned to his fight.

“I won’t lose this and even if I do it’s not the same. They’re ready for you.”

After moment long enough for hallucination to reply he added.

“I know. I’m you. You’re me. They’re ready for us.” He announced weakly, once again pressing himself into corner. Something moved in deepening shadows. Gas almost fully dissolved or got blew away by wind. “You’re lying! They wouldn’t!” he yelled in desperate denial to whatever he heard or saw.

Now that he was staying still, Cass jumped from somewhere and quickly inserted syringe into Danny’s bloody arm. She quickly retreated, properly assuming that just like gas, antidote won’t work right away. Boy froze for a moment. His aura shifted in a way that usually preceded something truly powerful.

Then he wailed.

It was absolutely deafening, terrified, barely human sound of most basic, almost animalistic fear and grief. It was like thunder, like tsunami hitting shore, like explosion, like avalanche and like death of star itself all at once but somehow clear and distinguishable. He could almost see these images moving along sound waves.

So strong, it alone caused similar destruction as previous, imaginary fight.

Duke hoped it wasn’t sign of crossing the point of no return as he pressed hands against his ears to protect his hearing. He was so glad he wasn’t in direction halfa send it because he knew there wouldn’t be getting away with his life, let alone hearing.

Danny fell on a ground, barely catching himself on a wall to stay at least sitting, clearly drained from whatever sonic attack he just used (no, they did not know about this power, Duke read whole Danny’s contingencies to try to learn what haunted his brother so much he deemed them necessary, this one was not mentioned). He whimpered, shaking like leaf on a strong wind, with eyes locked on point somewhere in front of him. As wrong as it sounded, this more familiar reaction to fear gas was reassuring. Boy suddenly started franticly looking around before he slumped, his body so slack Duke was scared he passed out. His aura dimmed to almost non-existent, normal human level.

After a moment, Cass came up to him again, giving everyone else a sign that it was safe. Multiple vigilantes appeared out of their hidings and jumped down inside the alley, getting closer to barely lucid teenager without making him feel cornered. Duke pushed them out of his way and crouched few feet away from Danny, far enough to no make him uncomfortable but close enough to catch or hug him if needed.

He was the one to comfort his patrol buddy and nobody could even think to stop him.

“Danny are you back with us?” he asked in as soft voice as he could manage. He repeated after a minute of silence. He almost missed breathy affirmation hiding between hastily taken gasps “That’s great. Can you try to breathe a little slower? I’ll help you, ok?”

Duke knew how to handle it, he sometime helped in emergency hotlines for a reason. He got it.

Danny clutched on him like his life depended on it. He needed a moment to reboot, before continuing to go with procedure, on his knees, with hands wrapped around younger boy just as tightly.

After time that could both be minutes or hours he got Danny to breathe properly and calm down a little. Younger boy was still shaken, only vaguely cognizant from fear, stress and exhaustion and in all honesty, Duke wasn’t too far from similar state but he had enough training to postpone it until he was back in his room.

Boy seemed to need inhuman strength to just raise his head and look at others. His unfocused eyes swam over all of them, but Signal doubted he actually comprehend what images light tried to paint in his brain. He tried to smile too but it turned out as pitiful grimace at best. His eyes still shone with tears. He whispered something, but it was so quiet it sounded more like silent sigh.

“Can you repeat, please? I didn’t hear you properly” Duke tried, as calm and soothing as he could manage.

“I’m sorry Duke”

It was so quiet he was almost sure he imagined it. It also didn’t make any sense and most certainly wasn’t what younger boy said before (it was too short for it).

“Why?” he whispered, even though he logically knew there was nothing to apologize for and he shouldn’t even suggest it but he was too bewildered to proceed properly.

“I know you’re scared. Your heart gives you away. I’m sorry”

Well, it simultaneously explained everything and nothing at all.

“Don’t be. You have right to be scared too.”

Danny didn’t answer. They just sat in silence, still in each other’s arms barely holding on their false calmness, surrounded by family of vigilante detectives who for once respected their space.

“Signal, Lar, are you ready to go back to the Batcave?” Bruce interrupted, but there was concern clear in his voice. Or at least clear for anyone who learned batlanguage during their training. Danny shifted a little, as if he just realized they weren’t actually alone.

“Yeah, sorry for that. Are you ready Duke?”

“Don’t apologize Lar.” Damian interrupted. “You were under influence of gas that causes many to lose their minds. It’s only appropriate that you take time to recover, especially since-” he stopped, looking for a way to phrase what he tried to say “since it looks like you were affected more than other people.”

Duke didn’t almost whine when Danny slipped from their hug and frantically looked around absolutely destroyed dead end, he didn’t. He was giving younger boy much needed comfort but it didn’t mean he couldn’t take it for himself too.

“I did this” he said with disbelief, pain and something else, that could only mean they were in trouble.

“Yeah, gotta admit I didn’t know you’ll take ‘fight your fears’ so literally, squrit.” even voice changer couldn’t help Jason to sell his false amusement as anything other than concern.

“You haven’t stop me.” Danny continued with furrowed brows and before anyone came up with excuse he added “I gave you tools to do it.”

He meant these damn contingencies. Ones that repeatedly appeared in database no matter how many times Tim or Babs deleted them. Ones that were step by step guide through perfect murder of already dead being.

“What tools?” Steph asked without curiosity. She knew it too, she wasn’t stupid, she just tried to force Danny to say it out loud.

“I know you read my contingency files, Tim literally cited it few times. Nearest stash with weapons that you could use to stop me before I almost leveled all these buildings is like, quarter of mile down the road.” He was angry, of all things. Angry and disappointed. Duke shifted to face other vigilantes and put arm on Danny’s shoulder to keep him calm (and down because he wouldn’t put it past younger boy to try getting up and he wasn’t in shape for it).

“Too strong.”

Danny let out surprised hum, asking Cass to continue.

“Tools: too strong. Hurt you badly.”

“I-”

“You do not deserve that.”

He sucked his breath through his teeth.

“You don’t know it”

Duke dropped his hand to rub circles on his back. He was a little too emotionally exhausted to participate in that conversation.

“We know enough.” Tim interrupted a little too harshly “You don’t have to be brutally murdered because you’re scared.”

“I am threat to people around me. You’re heroes. Your job is to take out threats. Why haven’t you stop me?”

Bruce sighed and crouched in front of them, seeing just how far gone Danny was.

“You aren’t a threat champ.”

“You’re too big goodie-two-shoes for that kid” Jason added “You haven’t even kill anyone. Almost everyone else in this family did, hell, I and Demon brat tried to murder Red Robin and they still refuse to hate us.”

Both Danny and Tim sucked breath trough their teeth but it seemed like they did so for two different reasons.

“I don’t want you to like me despite everything.” halfa’s voice was harsh and cold like frozen carbon dioxide “I want you to stop me when I become too dangerous to be left unsupervised or alive at all Red Hood. I’m not a threat you can afford to ignore because you think I’m good.”

“You aren’t a threat” Bruce repeated stubbornly, as if he hoped that if he says it enough times Danny will believe it.

“I will destroy whole world.” He spat in same tone.

Everyone loudly refused to believe it. Even Cass almost shouted.

“Yeah, I don’t like it too, but I know it’s inevitable. Inciting incident already happened and I failed to prevent it. I try to not go same path but it’s lost cause. I need you to stop me when I finally snap.”

“Or we can prevent you from snapping. It seems like more efficient way.” Damian said, eyeing him warily.

Danny laughed at that, hysteric, broken, joyless giggle that made Duke shudder.

And he laughed and laughed and laugh-

He stopped abruptly, dark expression on his face.

“Good luck with that. You failed already.”

In silence that fallen after this announcement sudden clap sounded like gunshot.

“I got it!” Tim almost yelled with delight in his voice. It gave Duke mental whiplash by just how out of place it seemed in this conversation.“You met an alternative evil future version of yourself!”

That gave everyone a pause. It- it made horrifying lot of sense. How could they miss for so long?

Danny sighed and went almost boneless under Duke’s arm. He quickly rearranged his hand to adjust to it.

Can he go to his room and have his well deserved breakdown already, please? This day was getting more and more overwhelming with every passing minute.

“It’s a lot of words to describe older me”

“What did he even do?” Damian asked which was highly inappropriate at the moment and really showed that his victim handling training was still lacking but nobody out right told him to shut up. They were curious.

“I’ll go mad from grief and turn whole world into wasteland in mere ten years.”

Yeah, if they knew it before he became part of the family (B spiritually and mentally adopted him weeks before he even stepped inside Batcave), they would go out of their way to learn ways to stop or fight and contain him.

Still, not this crazy murder plan Danny himself prepared. They all believed in second chances. Most of the time at least. Joker lost his second chance fifteen chances ago, they just still hadn’t come up with a way to get rid of this fucker without alarming B.

“You won’t” Red Robin assured quickly, earning loud groan.

“I literally just told yo-“

“You know what’s great about future? It’s not set in stone.”

“I literally time traveled back-”

“He time traveled.”

“Tim, we’re same person, why should I talk about myself in third person? Isn’t it sign of going crazy or something? Anyway I time traveled-”

“He.” few voices interrupted at the same time.

Duke would like to ask everyone to get it over with as soon as possible, please, he learned to much that day to stand it too much longer.

“He time traveled” Danny said with sigh “happy now?”

“No, but we won’t get any better now, so please continue” Tim said in this weirdass cheerily unhappy tone of his. The one he used on annoying reporters (Vicky Vale we’re looking at you), prying people at galas and overall when he wanted to choke someone but had to be civil.

“He time traveled to make sure thing that caused me to go rogue happened and I failed to prevent it. My family’s death is what created that timeline. I will be-

“He!”

“He will be so horrible some god damn ghost court sentenced me to full death, not even ghost remain, au revoire halfa boy, we’re glad to never see you again, cease to exist abomination scum sort of way. I don’t think there is much hope for me.”

“What I hear is, we have to get ready to fuck up ghost executors, got it. Beating up government dogs is my fucking favorite part of this cursed job” Jason said with a glee. B gave him side eye but nodded in agreement anyway. Damian and Tim were already looking around with weapons in their hands as if they expected ghost killers to jump at them right then and there (not unlikely with their luck but dear gods, please no), Steph giggled in a way that meant only trouble for poor lad that crossed her.

“I won’t let anyone steal my patrol buddy.” Duke tried to reassure. “Ghost court or self doubt alike”

Cass looked thoughtful.

Danny was just exasperated.

“You realize that ghosts are, like, really strong” he almost asked like he started to doubt their mental capabilities “ and anyone that managed to establish any sort of dominance over them is like, over the scale, god like or more level of strong? I don’t want you to try stop them from giving me well deserved punishment.” Duke was almost sure that Danny had tears in his eyes but couldn’t quite point what exactly could cause them.

“Not deserved. You did nothing bad yet” Cass visibly glared even though her mask covered her whole face. Amazing. “If they want to kill you, why still there?”

“Time controlling ghost decided I deserve to live, still not sure why. He was supposed to execute me I think. Erase me from the timeline probably.” His voice shook. He really was barely holding himself from crying, huh? Yeah, Duke too.

“Well, this means you have credit from father time himself, I think it leaves you pretty clean.”

“Spoiler is right. Someone who controls time is as good judge of crimes that haven’t happened yet as we can get. Also, don’t you think, that if he let you live, it means there is future with good Danny, champ?” Bruce added with warm smile. It was uncanny when he was still in full Batman suit, in public (because damn, they were still in public, thank god nobody really liked to walk in places that were recently gassed) but very much needed.

Danny laughed, tears flowing freely from his eyes. It wasn’t necessarily happy laugh, more of this ‘release the tension’ like in ancient theory of comedy, hysteric relief after near death situation or dam broke after holding back for too long type.

“You’re all nuts” he finally choked out, shaking his head and fruitlessly trying to dry his face “I just said I’m very likely to destroy a world, killing you in the process and you collectively decided to ignore that? Even got sorta mad at me for giving you tools to stop me? I- that’s- you-” he stuttered. He forced himself to breathe few times before continuing so quietly it could be mistaken for next gasp.

“I did nothing to deserve that”

“You don’t have to.” Duke answered in same hushed tone, outstretching his hands for next hug. Danny leaned into that without hesitation, shaking from silent sobs. It was okay. It had been hard day but it was okay now.

“Thank you”

His breath stuttered. Somebody else joined their hug. Tears started running under his helmet.

Yeah, no, Duke deserved to cry too.

*****

Yeah, so Duke's pov was supposed to be only fear gas attack and the talk but then I thought they deserve to just vibe a little, stop some normal crime and play around.

Lar (plural Lares) according to my 10 minutes Wikipedia research is type of Roman protection spirit. They could protect parts of estate, families or whole neighborhoods. Up to your interpretation if Danny wanted to be Wayne's protection spirit or more Gotham wide type of deal. He is running around in his human form btw. Damian designed his uniform. It's mostly ectoplasmic green because Danny tried really hard to leave Phantom in the past, color palette included.

Hope I didn't mess up too badly but English grammar is weird. If you have hidden teacher desires, get your red pen and indulge them. Show me where I made a mistake

Yeah, anyway I hope you liked it, drink water and try to sleep. Take care 💙

DC X DP Prompt #4

It turns out that one of the things Danny inherited from Bruce was his need to make contingency plans.

Or: Danny's family finds out that he has contingency plans for all of them, including if Danny turns evil and how to permanently stop him

Bruce feels a certain way when he finds out his son has a plan to basically commit suicide.