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Chapter Text

Helping his aunt clean out her attic was not what Danny had planned for his first week of Summer vacation. He wasn't complaining, though. No matter how boring and tedious the work was, it most definitely beat fighting ghosts, and was a surprising break from hearing his parents rant about how to catch his alter ego. 

His day did get slightly more interesting after finding a book. Now, he wasn't much of a reader, and usually he avoided anything that so much as looked like a history book, but this one was different. His hand paused for a moment, the pads of his fingers tingling as they touched the worn spine. Yeah, definatly not normal, but also not cursed. He handled a lot of cursed artifacts, enough to be able to recognise the use of harmful magic. And while this book felt magical, it didn't feel harmful.

His curiosity got the better of him, and the teen found himself pulling the book free of the shelf, dust clouding up slightly around the object. He glanced over the cover, frowning when he found the cover coated in layers of dust. 'I shouldn't be surprised,' he tells himself, 'the entire attic is covered in dust.' 

A quick glance around reveals to him the almost-clean attic, stuff sorted into three separate piles consisting of junk, trash, and keepsakes. It was reasonably enough to ask for a break at this point, right?

Just as he started towards the attic hatch, a head of grey-streaked red poked through. "How's it comin' along up here, hun?" Aunt Alicia asked, her voice a bit louder than necessary. 

"I was actually about to take a break, if that's okay." Danny responded, looking around at the neatly piled stuff. The woman eyed the room for a minute before letting out a gruff noise of approval. 

"Alright darlin', head down to the kitchen for a minute. I just made some fresh lemonade." She ducked back down the hatch, leaving him to follow. He barely made it through the kitchen doorway before she shoved a glass into his hands and pushed him towards one of the chairs. "There's some rhubarb pie in the fridge if you're hungry." She hollard from the other room. 

His stomach growled at the mention of food, but he ignored it for now. Taking a sip of his lemonade, he set the book on the table and waited for her to come back. Thankfully, she wasn't gone for too long, striding in with her heavy work boots and looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't ya hungry, hun? Ya haven't eaten since dinner last night."

"Ah, I'm alright Auntie." Danny smiled at her as she moved to stand in front of the sink, picking up a butter knife and a washcloth. He took a second to straighten up in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck while he thought. "Actually, I had a question for you." He reaches forward and pulls the book towards himself.

"Oh? What can I help you with?" She asked, lowering one of the glasses she was drying as she turned to face him. He held up the book to where she could see, causing her to raise her eyebrow again as she set her cloth and cup down. 

He swallowed under her sudden scrutiny. "I- ah, I found this book while I was cleaning up that old shelf in the back and I was wondering if you knew what it was?" The words seemed to rush out of him, though he didn't mean for them to. But could you blame him? His aunt's stare was intimidating.

She made a small noise under her breath as she took the book from his hands, pulling a dust-covered cloth from the front pocket of her overalls. It only took a few seconds for her to expertly clean away the layers of dust. Honestly, Danny was a bit impressed. That was probably better than what he could do with his ghost powers.

Alicia let out a long whistle as she looked over the over of the book. From his seat at the table, he could tell that what he had originally thought was some sort of weird design or water damage was actually chain links, wrapping around the book from cover to cover, sealing it shut.

"Well, I certainly forgot I had this." Her tone was light as she examined it, a small smile breaking through her usually furrowed expression. She handed it back to him, and Danny caught sight of the title. Itbwas written in elegant Latin, and not for the first time he was glad for his ghostspeak, allowing him to read 'A Grimoir of Elegant Spellwork' in fancy cursive script, printed on the rich brown and blue leather. 

The chains binding it were rusted and old, but the book looked almost brand new. Again, his hands tingled where they made contact with the book. He looked up at his aunt again. "So, what is it?" He asked, his tone carefully nuteral. 

She leaned against one of the chairs, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Well, I don't personally know the contents, but my Grandma told us it was a book of witchcraft." She spoke in a hushed tone, like it was some sort of secret, but at least now he knew where his theatrics came from. Straightening up, she turned back to the sink. "If you want it, you can have it. Lord knows there are plenty of ways to break a chain these days." With that, she started back into the dirty dishes.

He stared at her back for a moment before taking one last sip from his lemonade and then dashing to the guest room, stuffing the book into his bag. He only had two more days here, he could finish up upstairs and then look at the book when he went home. 

—

Two days later, Danny found himself sitting on his own bed, curtains drawn and door locked. He may have gotten better at dealing with ghostly stuff, but his paranoia still ramped up anytime he used his powers out of ghost form.

Taking a small breath, he focused his on intangiblity, letting the feeling rush through his arms and down to the tips of his fingers, before forcing it to spread out further. He felt a slight shock, something akin to static from hot metal on a warm, sunny day, as his power connected with the book. He flinched slightly, but didn't stutter as he focused solely on the book. A muffled metallic clink had him dropping the ability, looking down at the book with a pleased expression.

The rusty chain lay piled between his crossed legs, and the book remained in his grasp. Now that the chain was gone, the could see the mix of floral and Astral designs that crept up the edges, twining together into something the teen could only describe as 'pretty'. 

He traced the lines before flicking the book open. On the first page, one usually reserved for names or dedications, the teen found a short phrase, written in the same cursive Latin scrawl on the front of the book. "'To see inside, speak your truest desire'?" Danny read aloud, slightly confused by the translation from Latin to English that his mind made. 

As he spoke, the words lit up with a bright blue light, startling the teen into dropping the book. His whole body buzzed with the energy it let off, and it took him a moment to realize what it had done. "Holy shit!" He shouted, before clasping his hands across his mouth and staring at the door. Thankfully, after a few moments, he concluded that no one had heard his outburst. 

A small smile worked its way onto his face as he gently picked the book back up. He, Daniel James Fenton, had just cast his first-ever magical spell. 

Danny spent the next few hours flipping through the book, glossing over the different spells and potions until he finally found one that just seemed to call out to him. With a big grin on his face he slammed the book shut and hurried out of his room, fumbling slightly with the lock for a second before he just decided to walk through the door altogether.

"Jazz!" He yelled down the hall, skidding to a stop outside her door. He knocked insistently on the flimsy wood until he heared the annoyed groan of his sister. She opened the door suddenly and quickly, causing him to fall face first into her pink carpet. 

"What do you need, Danny?" She asked, a weary yet fond tone to her voice. He sat up and nudged her door closed behind him before shoving the book into her hands. "Huh?" She looked the tomb over carefully before looking back up at him. "What's this?" She asked, the weariness replaced with curiosity.

He smiled up at her. "It's a spellbook!" He exclaimed happily. "I got it from Aunt Alicia's attic." 

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you ask her before you took it?" She asked him. Danny crossed his arms and huffed at her.

" 'Cours I did. Who do you take me for?" He grumbled. She huffed a laugh put before ruffling his hair. 

"Okay, okay. I belive you." She said. "But what's in here that got you so excited?" She asked him, handing the book back.

"I'll show you. But first, you need to read this." He opened it to the first page and held it up for her. Jazz stared at him for a moment before conceding and stuttering out the phrase, completely butchering the pronunciation but getting close enough.

After a moment of nothing, she looked back at him, her teal eyes relaying her confusion. "What was tha-" She was cut off by the book lighting up again, a bright teal flash of light this time, blinding both siblings for a second. 

Jazz blinked away the spots that dotted her vision. "What was that!" She whisper-yelled at him, her eyes wide in shock. Danny rubbed at his own eyes, the only answer given a small giggle before he began to flip through the pages until he came across the one from before.

"Here," the ravenette said, shoving the book back into her hands. 

"I don't know what you expect from me Damny, I can't read whatever language this i-" this time shebcut herself off, staring open-mouthed at the page that, just a second ago, she swore was in a different language. She looked back up at Danny, silently demanding an explanation.

He took pity on her this time. "Like I said. It's a spellbook. That thing I had you read was a spell. It was supposed to be a translation spell, but it only works on the person who cites the spell." He explained.

Witchcraft. First quack science, then ghosts, and now witchcraft. 'Why not?' Jazz thought to herself dryly as she took a look at the spell that had her brother so excited. 

Only, it wasn't a spell, but a potion that had him excited. A love potion to be exact. She looked up at him again.

"Don't make that face." He huffed, pulling the book out of her hands and resting it on the floor infront of both of them. "It's a simple potion for beginners. The list of ingredients is short, and I'm pretty sure I could make this in my room, after I raid the spice cabinet." He defended.

She rolled her eyes at him, but looked back down at the book. He was right, the list was really short. Only five ingredients, and all they needed was to be ground into powder and mixed above a fire. The small chemistry burner in Danny's room would probably work. 

"And how exactly were you going to test this one?" She asked him pointedly. 

He rubbed his neck, looking away from her. "Well, I was just going to test it on some of the squirrels and birds at the park. The recipe says that you can expand it with fresh water, and coat food with it." He mumbled. 

Jazz smiled at him. Of course her little brother would want to test it on animals. And there was nothing in the ingredients list that would hurt any animal. Still…

"Danny, you did read the warnings for this potion, right?" She asked, pointing to the little dotted paragraph to the side of the potion description when all she got from him was a blank stare. She read them aloud for him. "Warning, this potion may cause some of the following: dizziness, drowsiness, watering eyes, nausea, and psychosis if the dosage is too great for the subject." 

The teen flinched, his eyes turned down as he nodded along with his sister. "Yeah, that isn't great." He murmured. He was silent for a binute before he sat up, his excitement renewed. "What if I used the portal gun and tried the potion out in a different deminsion! That way if any of the animals go psycho on me, I can just escape back home!"

He looked to her, eyes practically glowing in the low lighting of her room, and she found that she couldn't say no. "Alright." She conceded.

"Yes!" He whooped, punching the air as he stood up. "Thank you, Jazz!"

"Ah-ah-ah," She caught his attention again. "There are gonna be some ground rules." She stated firmly. His excitement toned down slightly, but didn't wilt. He stared at her expectantly. "Alright. Rule number one, try not to get into any trouble with any authority figures if you can help it." He blushed slightly, thinking back to the time he punched Vlad on television. "Rule number two, stay away from shady places. That's how you get mugged or kidnapped." 'Easy enough', Danny thought, nodding along. 

"Alright, what's the last rule?" He asked, his knee jumping as he stopped himself from rushing off to dig out the portal gun right then and there. She nodded. "Right. Rule number three. Have fun." She smiled at him as he threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly, before he was up and out of her room. She smiled as she winced at the crashing noises coming from the sub-basement vault.

The next day, Danny was outfitted with a canvas bag full of snacks and animal food, a portable bird bath, a few bottles of water, the potion, the spellbook, and the portal gun. 

Their parents would be gone for the weekend, and both Sam and Tucker were out of town visiting family, so it was just the two of them. 

"You're sure you got everything you'll need?" Jazz asked him, hand resting on his shoulder as he triple checked his bag.

"Yeah. If all goes according to plan, I'll be home sometime tomorrow." He promised. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Stay safe." She murmured into his hair.

Danny smirked up at her. "Careful is my middle name." They both snorted, hugging each other for a few more seconds before pulling away. Once Jazz was safely on the back porch, he hefted the portal gun up to his shoulder, setting the coordinates to random before aiming towards their fence. One trigger pull later, there was a Jack Fenton sized swirling green vortex hovering in the air. Turning around he called out to his sister one more time before jumping through. "Bye Jazz! Try not to fall for any more suspicious-looking bikers!" 

Snickering to himself, he heard her indignant shout as the portal closed behind him. Looking around, he smirked when he found himself exactly where he wanted to be. 

The sky was cloudy, blocking out all of the sky and letting the barest amount of sunlight through, but the park that surrounded him was beautiful. Lush, short trimmed grass covered everything, with small concrete paths leading through the trees and to the occasional bench. Bushes and flowers dotted the area here and there. It was perfect.

It only took him an hour or so to find a somewhat secluded area that was filled with wildlife. He found the perfect spot about half way from the iron gate that bordered the park, a bench facing inwards and a perimeter of thick trees and shrubbery. Nodding to himself, he dug around his bag, pulling out a baggie of glowing pink bird seed and nut mix. 

Grabbing a handful, he tossed it onto the ground and walked a slight distance away. Ignoring the bench, Danny plopped down on the grass to wait. He was slightly annoyed with the glowing pink that the mix gave off, but it was practically unnoticeable in the light of day, only glowing slightly because of the overcast. He sat there, staring at the spot as if he could spontaneously manifest the small creatures. 

He didn't notice the two black haired men walking down the path. Nor did he see how both eyed him suspiciously before turning and hurrying back the way they came. No, Danny was way too focused on the magical bird seed, silently urging anything to approach.

He sat there for half an hour before the first critter approached him. A bluejay descended from the small mismatched group congregated in the branches above his head. The bird hopped around cautiously for a few minutes before determining it safe. Danny forgot to breath for a few moments as the bird pecked at the seeds, watching for any minute changes in it.

After a few minutes of nothing but normal bird behavior, Danny dropped his head in defeat, groaning aloud as he tried to think of what went wrong. Sighing, he tossed his head back to stare at the gray sky, contemplating what to do now.

Something nudged his foot. At first he ignored it, but whatever it was kept at it. He finally gave in and glanced down when he felt something poke through his shoe and stab his toe. It didn't hurt, if anything he would compare the feeling to a splinter stabbing into his foot. Glancing down, he froze as he realized what had poked him. Sitting near his foot was the bluejay.

It pecked him again, chirping at him worriedly before hopping up to his knee. Danny found himself not breathing again as he reached out slowly, his fingers trembling slightly. The bird didn't flinch when his shaky, too cold fingers made contact with blue and black feathers. Carefully, oh-so gently, the teen stroked his fingers down the soft, fluffy feathers of its back. All the bird did was coo and nudge closer to his palm.

Another loud chirp announced the arrival of another affected bird, along with a sudden new weight atop his head. A new bird, a finch this time, chirped loudly as it began to tugg an knots in his hair. The bluebird, not to be left out, flapped it's wings, propelling itself up from his knee to his shoulder, where it sat and began to mimic the finches actions.

A few minutes later the bird seed, and the nuts mixed in, were gone, the modified bird-bath was set up with a few doses of the potion, and Danny was covered in a mountain of infatuated wildlife. Four more birds had joined the fray, two dove pigeons, another bluejay, and a Crow all sat perched on his shoulders, his head, and in the hood of his Nasa hoodie. A few squirrels perched around him, snuggling into his pockets and chattering at him whenever he moved. Danny was in heaven.

Of course, when it came to any amount of peace Danny had, the moment had to be ruined in the most unexpected way possible. And here in an unknown city, in an unknown park, in a random universe with a highly experimental substance that could possibly lead to a psychotic break? That disturbance came in the form of a brightly dressed, masked teenaged falling from the sky. Right into the electronic bird-bath.

Time seemed to freeze, and for a second Danny thought that Clockwork was about to pop out of somewhere. But it was less that time had frozen, and more that it seemed he was viewing the world in slow motion. It suddenly snapped back, and Danny found himself on his feet, headed straight for the teen that was now lying prone on the ground. 

"Oh, Ancients. Please don't be dead!" He whispered as he bounded over. A pained groan had the teen had Danny sighing in relief as he got closer. He reaches the teen just as he sat up. "Are you okay?" He asked, reaching down to help him up. 

The boy didn't react to his words, instead staring up at him as if in a daze. Glowing pink liquid dripped down the teen’s domino mask, trailing down his jawline before dissipating into his skin. Danny's eyes widened. "Oh, Ancients. It can be applied topically." He realized. 

He grabbed the boy's hand, hoisting him up to his feet. He grew slightly annoyed when the boy straightened and was taller than him by at least half a foot, but he quickly let it go as he fumbled for something to say. The boy finally moved as he tried to think of words, grabbing his hand and bringing it up to his mouth. A delicate kiss was placed on his knuckles, making Danny blue screen for a moment, his face turning hot red.

Before he could formulate a coherent response to that, another figure landed in the clearing, this one dressed in dark grays and black, a cowl with pointed ears hiding his identity. He looked around the park for a moment before pressing his hand against his ear. Danny had done the same thing enough times to recognize the action, and quickly decided that he didn't want to find out what or who the guy was.

Tightening his hold on the teen's hand, he dragged him deeper into the park, heading into the nearest thicket of trees to keep out of sight. The boy followed along easily, not once faltering as he followed Danny through the trees, a dopey look on his face the entire time.

Once he was sure they had lost the possible-supervillain, he dropped the boy's hand and began the painful task of detaching all of the love-struck animals from his person. It took a bit longer than he would have liked to get all of them off, and he used some language that would have gotten him on Jazz's 'no sweets' list for a week, but eventually all the critters were settled, albeit unhappily, at the black-haired teen's feet.

Doing a quick count, and a short mourning of his fountain, he nodded to himself and pulled out the portal gun. "Okay. While this has been fun, I really have to be going now…" He fiddled with the gun settings, turning away from the teen as he did. 

"Will you return?" Danny nearly dropped the gun at the other boy's sudden question. Taking a deep, grounding breath, he turned a bit towards the boy, though his attention didn't leave the gun. 

'Almost got it,' he thought as he began to flip through the different saved detention coordinates. "Ah, no. I don't think I'll ever come back to this universe." He answered the teen honestly. Y'know, like an idiot. He was still staring at the gun, so focused that he didn't see the dangerous glint break the teen's dreamy, love-struck look. 

Two things happened very quickly. The gun in his hands was suddenly split in two by a sharp-looking katana, and his feet were no longer firmly on the ground. He barely had time to register the sudden change of position before the black haired teen was suddenly running, carrying him. And leaving the broken portal gun behind. He vague heard something along the lines of 'no, I won't let you' as he made another startling realization. The squirrels had fled back to the trees, but the birds were able to catch up to the two fairly quickly. 

Danny realized that he had probably just broken at least one of the rules Jazz had set for him. He was being kidnapped. Great. Just his luck.

This was not how today was supposed to go.

Chapter Text

He was in shock. That's what Danny tells himself as he's carried away from the park, the colorfully dressed teen's shoulder digging awkwardly into his stomach. Because what other reason would he have for not doing literally anything to get away? He had a large number of ghostly abilities at his disposal, it would have been laughably easy to escape the teen's grasp. 

And yet, Danny found himself hanging limply, his only movement clutching the cape that kept whipping around and hitting his face. His mind was blank, stuck between panic and exasperation. The halfa didn't even really notice when his kidnapper switched from running to grappling, only vaguely aware of the fact that they were no longer on the ground.

'Why is my luck this bad?' Danny asked himself. He was still having a bit of a hard time registering the fact that not only had he just been kidnapped, but his only way home now lay in pieces, hidden in the bushes of a park he had no clue how to get back to.

Slowly, as time passed, Danny notices the teen slowing down, crouching slightly before jumping and landing lightly in a dingy alleyway. The boy peeked around the entrance before jiggling what sounded like a door handle, the latch making a click sound as it opened. 

The door swung open silently, and a few dizzying seconds later Danny found himself right-side up again, the costumed teen placing him gently on a plain brown couch. He watched the teen close the door, before heading deeper into the… apartment? It had to be an apartment, right? Yeah, Danny was going with apartment. 

Rummaging noises accompanied by the clinking of mugs and the whistle of a tea kettle snapped Danny out of his pointless pondering. The teen returned a moment later with two mugs, setting one down before handing one to him. He grabbed it automatically, but refrained from drinking it yet. Instead he took the moment to observe the teen who had just abducted him. 

It was hard to tell much about his face, the domino mask hiding his eyes, but the midnight black hair was cut short, a slight undercut keeping it from looking wild. His outfit was odd, a material obviously made for protection against rough hits, (he totally wasn't the least bit jealous about that). Paired with the red, green and yellow coloring, Danny was now sure that he was staring at some type of superhero. But that didn't seem quite right. Vigilante, maybe? Yeah, let's go with vigilante. 

The boy frowned at him. "You should drink that." He said, bringing his own mug up and taking a long sip from it. Danny copied the motion, the hot beverage sweet yet tangy on his tongue. Blinking in surprise, he pulled the mug away from his face and set it down on the coffee table in front of him.

They sat in silence again, Danny patting his knees as he fought not to stare at the teen again. He could feel the teen's eyes on him, though. Almost like a physical touch. He knew it was a ghost ability, one that stemmed from his growing power and connection with the 'zone, but a shiver still wound its way down his spine. Ability or not, that dude had one intense stare.

Fighting off the red dusting his face, Danny cleared his throat. "Well, as much fun as this has been, I really do need to get going." He said, standing and inching his way towards the door. The teen followed him up, frown carving little furrows at the edge of his lips. 

He shook his head firmly at Danny. "No."

"N-no?" Danny questioned. The teen moved quickly, grabbing his hand and yanking him back to the couch. 

"No." He said again, a touch more aggressively. He situated himself on Danny's other side, putting himself between Danny and the door. "I don't want you to go."

"Why not?" Danny asked. 

The boy looked away for a second before turning back, the dopey expression from earlier at the park gone without a trace. "You said you weren't going to come back." He said. 

Danny's brain stalled at that, before he remembered. A slight groan escaped him. "Of course, the potion." He mumbled to himself, slapping his opened palm against his forehead with a dull thwap. The teen scowled at him, grabbing his hand and pulling closer to him with a small huff. The slight blush Danny had willed away a few minutes ago returned, not that he could focus on it. 

How could it have slipped his mind? 'A side effect of ingesting too large a dose can result in psychosis', that's what the book said. Only, instead of going crazy and, say, trying to kill him, the teen was infatuated to the point of not wanting to let him go. 'Jeeze, I really am an idiot.' 

For the first time since he got to this dimension, Danny took stock of his situation. He was in an unknown place, taken hostage by a love-struck stranger in spandex, with no idea how this world functioned. He had no way of contacting his sister and friends, as he had 'conveniently' left his Fenton Phone at home, a choice he was very much regretting, and he was down four bottles of water, all of the love potion(not that it would do him any good to have it, seeing as it was what got him in this situation in the first place), and the portal gun. 

On the bright side, he still had some snacks, a person who would probably be more than willing to fill him in on how this place worked, some birds that had been extremely well-behaved for the entirety of this unexpected wild ride his life had decided to take, the spellbook… wait.

"Of course!" Danny exclaimed suddenly as he whipped around to grab his bag, startling both the teenager and the birds that had just started preening his hair again. 

"What are you looking for?" The teen asked warily, one hand twitching around his mug as he eyed Danny's bag suspiciously.

Danny didn't answer him, instead pulling the book free with a small sound of triumph, one of his fangs peeking out of his mouth as he began to flip through the pages. The boy set his mug down next to Danny's before smoothing closer, peering curiously over his shoulder as he glossed over the different sections the book held. All the while, he mumbled out the names of the chapters until he came across one in particular. 

"Aha! Here it is!" He skimmed the page, reading over the potions ingredient list as the other boy frowned at the strange writing. 

"What is it?" The teen asked.

Danny glanced over at him, letting out a small squeak at just how close their faces were, but chose not to bring it up. Clearing his throat, and desperately willing his blush away, Danny began to explain. "Back at the park, you landed in a bird fountain filled with glowing pink liquid, remember?" The boy nodded at him. "Well, that was a love potion. And I got the potion recipe from this book." Danny tilted the book upwards slightly as he spoke. "So, I figured that if this was a potions book, then there had to be a potion that would cancel the effects of the potion that's currently influencing you right now!"

The boy's eyebrows furrowed, his face scrunched up in concentration as he mulled over what Danny had just told him. Sitting back, he let Danny continue to read over the cure's ingredient list. Finally, he spoke again. "So you're saying that my actions aren't my own at the moment?" The boy asked.

Danny hummed, setting the book on the table as he turned towards him. "Yeah. You're under the influence of a love potion right now. You aren't actually in love with me." The boy scowled at the comment, but didn't interrupt as Danny continued on. "And the dose that you got dunked in was a pretty big one. So any emotions you feel towards me, your actual emotions or not, are going to feel… amplified for as long as the potion remains in effect."

The boy huffed, clearly not liking the implication that his feelings of love were fake, but seemed to get what Danny was saying. At least, Danny hoped he was.

They sat in silence for a while, the only noise being made coming from the birds as they continued to pluck and straighten Danny's hair.

The vigilante was the first to break the quiet. "I don't believe you." Well, so much for that hope. "While I do believe what you say about the 'love potion', I don't believe that all of my feelings are false." 

Danny stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, that I know myself." He answered the halfa. "While you may be telling me the truth about being 'under the influence', as you put it," He didn't say it like that, did he? "-I believe that I would know if something was tampering with my emotions."

"Alright?" What was Danny supposed to say to that? He had already explained it to the best of his ability, if he wasn't convincing enough then there wasn't much else he could do, right? "So what now?"

The boy lifted his hand to rub at his face. "Now, I will help you."

"Help me? With what?" Danny was still confused. Honestly, confusion should just be a personality trait at this point.

"With the antidote. I will help you get whatever you need." Well that was… actually pretty amazing, all things considered. "But, I won't stop trying to convince you that my feelings are real." That was less amazing. But at least it was better than nothing, right? 

"Well," Danny started, "if we're going to be working together, what do I call you?"

The teen stood then, turning so that he was still blocking the escape, not that Danny was going to try again anyways, with how this was going so far. "In costume, you can call me Robin." He said. His hands began to move upward, towards his face. Towards his mask. "But my real name is-" Danny moved quickly, one hand slapping over the vigila- Robin's mouth, and the other one batting his hands away from the mask.

"No, don't just reveal your identity to me." Danny stated firmly. "No big reveal until after I get you the antidote. I would rather you be in your right mind if you do that." Robin huffed, but lowered his hands back down to his sides. After a moment, Danny did the same. 

"Tt." Robin turned away from him, the scowl back on his face. "Fine," he said. "If it makes you feel better, my identity will stay secret. For now."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief and stuck out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Robin. I'm Danny." Robin didn't hesitate to grab his hand in a firm handshake, making Danny smile slightly. This was better. 

But when Danny loosened his hand, Robin quickly brought it up to his face, placing a kiss along his knuckles like he did at the park. Danny blushed again, pulling his hand back to himself with a squeak. He sighed as Robin smirked at him. This was going to be a long day, he could already tell.

Looking back at the book, he felt himself wilt slightly at the long list of ingredients and preparations he would need to get done. It might be more than just a long day.

He definitely wasn't getting home by tomorrow. Sorry Jazz.

—

Back at home, Jazz felt a fleeting shiver. Something in her gut told her that she might not see Danny the next day. With a sigh, she began prepping her emergency go bag. If he wasn't back by the start of the week, she was going after him. 

—

On the other side of Gotham, three vigilantes began their search for their missing teammate. 

"Anything on the comms?" Nightwing asked as he launched himself gracefully to the next roof. 

"Nothing." Oracle reported. "I tried to hack it, but either he turned it off completely, or he isn't wearing it anymore." Behind her desk, she stared at the multitude of cameras that showed her the city. The last camera that had caught sight of him was the one outside the park. She was still working on which direction he could have gone, wondering what had happened to make him avoid the CCTV's. 

"Hmm. That doesn't sound like our baby bat." Nightwing hummed worriedly. Pausing, he turned towards where he knew Batman was searching. Even if he were too far away to see him. "Anything over on your end, Batman?" He asked.

"Hnn." Batman grunted over the comm. "Nothing so far. Red Robin, report."

A gusty sigh was heard over the link. "Nothing here either. Honestly, it's almost like he's hiding from us." Red Robin hunched over the edge of one of the buildings, scanning the sidewalk below for any familiar shapes. "Batman, are you sure he landed in the park?"

He asked. 

Before he could respond, Oracle piped up again. "Wait! I think I found something! CCTV footage caught a glimpse of him headed south about four hours ago." All three men straightened up. "No sign of injuries, I don't see any blood or limping, and he's grappling just fine." All of them relaxed slightly at the news. "Huh. That's weird." They tensed back up. 

"What is it, Oracle?" Nightwing asked. "Is he okay?" 

"Huh? Yeah, he's still okay. It's just that…" She trailed off, eyeing the camera feed closely. "It- it looks like he's carrying someone."

"Meet back at the cave." Batman ordered, grappling in the direction of their base. Night wind and Red Robin hesitated for a second before following. 

When they entered the cave, Bruce had already taken his cowl off and was sitting at the bat computer. The footage was pulled up and playing as they approached. It wasn't much to go on, just a quick glimpse of Damian swinging between two buildings. Like Oracle said, he looked perfectly fine. No obvious injuries despite having been flung by Killer Croc just an hour or two prior. What was weird about the footage was the black haired figure slung over his shoulder. 

The angle wasn't the best, the only thing they could make out was black hair and pale skin, and a very familiar looking canvas bag hanging from his shoulder. Nightwing was the first to point it out. "Hey, Tim. Doesn't that bag look familiar?" He asked, turning to look at the man. 

Tim's eyes studied to bag for a second before he recognized it. "Yeah! Wasn't that the same bag that black haired kid at the park had? The one with the glowing pink birdseed?" 

Nightwing nodded, pulling his domino mask off. "I thought so too. But why is he with Damian?" Both turned to look at the clip again, trying to puzzle it out in their heads.

They were brought out of their musings by Bruce. "What kid?" He asked them, looking between the two with an expression between demanding and curious.

Tim was the one who answered him. "Me and Dick were in the park earlier, before the Killer Croc attack, when we spotted this kid digging around in his bag. He pulled out a bag of glowing pink birdseed and set it out, before sitting a little ways away and watching it. It was a bit weird, but he didn't seem to be hurting anything, so we left him alone." Dick nodded along with Tim's explanation, not once looking away from the screen.

"We don't think he's a meta, there wasn't anything off about him from what we could tell." Dick added before Bruce could ask. Bruce hummed in response before turning back to the computer. 

"Oracle, have you found anything else?" He asked, his tone all business.

"No sir. That was the only thing I've been able to find so far. I'll let you know if I find anything else, and I'll keep trying his com." Bruce grunted as she turned her com off. Sighing, he ran his hand down his face.

"Go change." He told the other two in the cave. "Until we have more leads, there isn't much we can do." Tim didn't need to be told twice, already halfway across the cave. Dick hung back, looking at Bruce intently.

"Don't worry too much, B." He said softly. "Damian can take care of himself." With that he followed Tim, albeit a bit slower.

"I know." Bruce sighed, looking at the floor a bit longer before turning back to the computer. There may not be a lot he could do at the moment, but that didn't mean he was going to sit there and do nothing. 

Chapter Text

Damian wasn't sure what to think. This isn't how he expected his day to go, and that's coming from someone who was quite adept at 'rolling with the punches', as Drake would put it. Days, or nights, tended to vary when it came to the life of a vigilante. And one was not a Robin, let alone the son of Batman, if they weren't able to be flexible. In some cases, quite literally (looking at you, Grayson). 

So he started his day as usual, not making any big plans ahead of time incase he was needed, eating breakfast that Alfred provided, keeping his suit with him when he went out to walk Titus. And, lo and behold, he was needed. 

Releasing Titus with an order to return home that he knew the dog would follow, he ducked into the nearest store bathroom and changed before rushing to aid his father.

The fight wasn't hard, for a fight against Killer Croc that is. Damian can admit that he was getting a bit cocky. Which was his downfall, as the moment he began to let down his guard, assuming the fight was over, Killer Croc grabbed him by the leg and threw him. Hard.

He thought of many things as he flew through the air. How irresponsible he was to let his guard down, how it went against all of his training with the League, about what he was going to do to get back at that- 

It was around this thought when he began to drop. His training kicked in, causing him to flip and angle his feet. He had been to this park before, and knew that there was nothing blocking his way. He would be able to do a perfect roll, then he would be back on his feet and ready to head back to the fight.

Or, at least, there shouldn't have been anything there. But there was. And Damian found himself crashing into a pink- why was the water pink?- birdbath. He was drenched almost immediately, the fountain spraying him as he landed on it, soaking his face and head as he rolled onto the grass.

The liquid seemed to soak into his skin, a sensation that was frighteningly similar to a Lazerus pit, but missing the sense of dread and rage that usually came with the toxic green goo. In its place was a new feeling, one that left him warm, tingly, and light-headed. He groaned as he lay there, struggling to sit up. Why was moving so difficult?

"Are you okay?" A voice called from somewhere above him. He opened his mouth to retort that 'he was perfectly fine, thank you very much, but found his voice gone the moment he looked up. Standing over him, hand outstretched, was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

 Fluffy raven black hair and inhumanly bright blue eyes, which stared down at him with genuine concern. There were squirrels clinging to his pants, one poking its head out of his hoodie pocket, and birds perched on the boy's shoulders and head. Sunlight was rare in Gotham, and yet Damian swore that it peeked through the clouds just to give this gorgeous stranger a bright halo. 

'He's and angel', Damian couldn't help but think. He continued to stare at the boy, not bothering to answer or get up. He wasn't completely sure his legs would support him if he tried to stand, a fact that should have made him more wary than he was.

His attention was brought back to the boy in front of him when he saw those amazing eyes widen, an expression that was a mix of horrified and mortified crossing his face. "Oh, Ancients," the boy groaned, "it can be applied topically." The teen grabbed his hand and hoisted him to his feet with surprising strength. Straightening, Damian was slightly pleased to find that he was taller. The shorter teen huffed, seemingly looking for something to say. Not giving him much of a chance to answer, Damian brought the teen's hand to his face, gently kissing the bony, pale knuckles. The resulting deep red blush, and squeak the boy made had Damian preening slightly. 

As the boy seemed to try and orient himself, a dark figure decended into the clearing just a little ways away from them. He felt a twinge of annoyance as he recognized his father's suit, not wanting the moment he was having to be interrupted just yet. 

Luckily, it seemed the teen had the same thought as he did. Well, probably not the same thought, but a solution to the problem he was facing that suited both of them. Damian felt the grip on his hand tightening slightly before they were moving, the boy ducking into the trees, dragging him along, before Batman had the chance to spot them. 

Damian happily followed the teen, marveling at the feel of the cold, calloused fingers that occasionally twitched in his hand as they walked. He was content to let this handsome stranger lead him, stride quick and purposeful as he wove through the trees and around bushes. 

When they did come to a stop, it was almost half-way across the park from where he originally landed. The boy dropped his hand, much to his disappointment, and began to remove the various wildlife from his person. Damian found himself watching in amusement as he tried- and failed- to remove the birds from his hair, words thst Alfred would never tolerate muttered under his breath as he did his best to avoid their sharp beaks. He did eventually manage to weasel them off, setting them gently on the ground near his feet. 

Brushing nonexistent dirt off of himself, the teen glanced at him and the assembled animals before heaving a sigh and pulling not a… gun? At least, Damian thought it was a gun. It looked a bit more high-tech than an average gun, and Damian wondered how the teen had managed to hide something that bulky in his canvas bag. As he began to fiddle with it, he spoke again.

"Okay. As fun as this has been, I should really be going…" He trailed off as he turned away, little beating noises coming from the gun in his hands.

Damian frowned at his words. He was leaving already? "Will you return?" He asked hopefully. He wasn't sure what he would do if the answer was no.

The boy startled at his words, but turned towards him as he answered. Part of Damian was a bit annoyed he didn't look up from his gun. "Ah, no. I don't think I'll ever return to this universe." The boy's words were a bit off-handed, as if he wasn't truly paying much attention to what he was saying. All the while he still refused to look up. 

Damian froze at the words. That was not what he had wanted to hear. Not at all. His mind glossed over the 'this universe' part, and instead focused on the part where he said that he didn't think he'd ever return. 

While he wasn't the most calm and reasonable person in his family, Damian did have a reputation of being rational most of the time. This was not one of those moments. His body acted before his mind could, pulling his katana free of it's sheath and cutting down in one, smooth arch. The device in the boy's hands fell to the ground in two pieces, leaving the teen to stare at it in shock. 

"No." Damian stated afterwards, grabbing the boy's arm and tossing him over his shoulder. "I won't let you." He began sprinting, no real idea of where to go in mind, just the fact that he needed himself and the teen away. Quite quickly the Robin found himself outside of the park and tearing down the streets. The very crowded streets. 

People of Gotham were generally used to the weird shit that happened on an almost daily basis, but seeing Robin carrying a teen on his shoulder, away from the park, on the ground, in broad daylight? That definitely garnered him more attention than he wanted at the moment. 

"Tt." He sneered at the people who had begun to rummage around their pockets for their phones, pulling his grappling hook out from his belt and swinging up to the rooftops for better stealth. The boy still hadn't reacted to his sudden kidnapping, the only action telling Damian that he was still conscious was when he felt hands grip his cloak tightly, right at his lower back. Despite the highly- effective insulation his suit and cape had, he could still feel those icy fingers through the bunched cloth. It made Damian wonder if he was a meta with some sort of ice power. It was something that could wait, though. Right now, he needed to focus on where he was, and where he could go.

His first thought was to take the boy back to the Batcave, but he quickly dismissed it. While that would be the perfect place to keep him from leaving, and to get some answers, his family was there. And they would have even more questions than he did. No, the Batcave wouldn't do. Maybe one of the safehouses? 

He looked around, taking note of where he was and trying to remember if there were any safe houses in this direction. A vague memory of Red Hood showing him a map on his phone surfaced. He nodded to himself and jumped, aiming for the alleyway below. Landing lightly, he peered around the corner, making sure that no one was here, before turning and unlocking the door hidden by a dumpster. 

It was only once he was inside that he set the boy down, placing him gently onto the bland brown couch. Seeing his face for the first time since picking him up, Damian expected to see anger or fear. Instead he saw a vague look of shock and confusion. But he wasn't freaking out, not that he could tell at least. Something in him warmed at the fact that he was so calm. A level head was quite admirable. 

Turning away from the teen, he headed into the kitchen. Opening the first cabinet, he was meet with dishes. Cheep plates, bowls, cups, and mugs. The next cabinet over had an array of different dry boxed foods, but he was looking for something specific. A pleased hum escaped him as he found a small tin of tea behind a box of crackers. 

The motions of making tea soothed away the remaining tension in his body, heating water and steeping the bags, and pouring into mugs. He let out a sigh the scent wafted from the mugs. This wasn't his favorite blend, but it was good for calming nerves, or so Alfred said. Something sweet and slightly tangy. Picking up the two mugs, he made his way back to the teen.

The boy hadn't moved from where he was sat down, resting his head in his hands. He looked up as Damian approached, carefully taking the mug that was offered to him. He glanced at it, but made no move to drink it. Instead the teen seemed to observe him, taking in his vigilante suit, along with any physical features that were visible. Usually such scrutiny would have Damian bristling, moving to take such close attention off of himself, but with him, he found that he didn't mind one bit.

Still… Damian frowned at the boy. "You should drink that." He said, bringing his own mug to his lips and taking a long drink. The boy copied his actions, taking a sip from the mug. He watched the boy blink in surprise at the taste before setting it down on the table. Damian took another long sip from his drink, observing the teen much like he was just observed.

The birds from the park had followed them here, which was very odd. They nibbled and pulled at the boy's hair, pulling out small bits of leaf litter and debri he had picked up on their trek. His clothes consisted of a Nasa hoodie, obviously loved jeans, and a pair of ratty red and white running shoes. Under the dim lamplight of the living room, his skin looked exceedingly pale, almost sickly. And his bright blue eyes seemed to glow, as he purposefully kept his eyes fixed on the tabel. 

 His eyes weren't the only thing that gave away his nerves, though. His hands bounced along his knees, the only thing making noise in the quiet of the safehouse. It wasn't hard at all to hear the little sigh he let out as he stood. Clearing his throat, he turned towards Damian, but had his body angled towards the door. "Well, as much fun as this has been, I really do need to get going."

Damian stood up as well. "No." He said simply. The boy froze as Damian took his hand.

"N-no?" He repeated. Damian sat him back down, putting himself between the door and the boy. 

"No." He repeated firmly. "I don't want you to go."

The boy looked up at him, confused again. "Why not?" He asked. Damian had to stop himself from scoffing.

Instead he turned away taking a moment to reign in these new, strong emotions. When he turned back, his expression was cold. "You said you weren't going to back."

The teen's face stalled, before he groaned. "Of course, the potion." He mumbled quietly. His palm met his forehead with a strong, painful sounding slap. Scowling, Damian grabbed the boy's wrist, pulling it away from his face and into his lap, huffing slightly. A light blush spread across the boy's pale face, turning his cheeks a very attractive shade of pink. He waited for the boy to explain himself, admiring the 'view' he had as he waited.

"Of course!" He suddenly exclaimed, startling Damian as he dove for his bag. He watched carefully as the boy rummaged through his bag. "What are you looking for?" Damian asked warily. 

The teen didn't answer him, continuing to dig until he found what he was looking for. With a quiet 'aha!' he pulled a book from the bag, and for a moment Damian could have sworn the boy had fangs. Instead of fear or suspicion though, all Damian felt was intrigue. 

But he turned his focus back to the boy's find. He eyed the book with a healthy amount of suspicion. It radiated the same feel as the artifacts that Zatana and Constantine handled. A tingling feeling in the air, something significantly other about it. He didn't trust it, not without knowing what it was. The birds, that were also startled by the teen's sudden movement, settled back on the boy's shoulders and head, one of the Bluejays pulling harshly on a lock of raven hair. The boy didn't seem to register it, but Damian shot a glare at it anyways.

Setting his mug down on the tabel, Damian moved closer to the boy, peering over the teen's shoulder as he began to flip through the pages. None of the writing made since to him, the script shifting constantly in a Latin-like dialect. 

He stopped on a page, his finger following along as he, presumably, read the strange shifting script. "Aha! Here it is!" He stated excitedly. 

"What is it?" Damian asked. He was beginning to get impatient. He hated being left in the dark. The boy glanced over at him, letting out a small squeak at how close their faces were. Looking back down at the book with a slightly deeper blush than before, the boy cleared his throat and began to explain. 

"Back at the park, you landed in a bird fountain filled with pink liquid, remember?" Damian nodded. That was what had happened. "Well, that was a love potion. And I got the potion recipe from this book." He lifted the book as imphasis. "So, I figured that if this was a potions book, then there had to be a potion that would cancel the effects of the potion that's influencing you right now!"

Damian sat back slightly, brows furroing as he thought over this new information. 'It makes sense,' he thought. 'Usually I wouldn't be this…out of control.' He glanced over at the boy, who was looking over what he could only assume was a potions recipe. Just to be sure, he asks what he thinks he already knows. "So you're saying that my actions aren't my own at the moment?"

The boy hummed in acknowledgement, setting the book on the table and turning to look at him. "Ueah. You're under the influence of a love potion right now. You aren't actually in love with me." Damian scowled at that, a protest welling up in his throat, but he remained quiet, letting the boy continue. "And the dose you got dunked in always a pretty big one. So any emotions you feel towards me, your actual emotions or not, are going to feel… amplified for as long as the potion remains in effect."

Damian huffed at the boy's words, but thought them over. While it was true that his emotions were a bit much, from what he usually experienced, he also didn't feel wildly out of control. He found it hard to believe that the emotions he felt were all fake. He wouldn't be so infatuated with someone without it having some sort of founding, potion or not. Yes, maybe some of this interest was artificial, but the thought of all of it being fake didn't seem possible. He was an Ah Ghul. He was taught for most of his life how to handle his emotions, as well as his mental and physical states. An assassin must be in control of themselves all the time, after all.

The silence between the two stretched on, only broken by those birds that had followed them, until Damian spoke again. "I don't believe you." He said, c quite confident in his evaluation of himself. The boy's face dropped, a look of exasperation crossing his lovely features. "While I do believe what you say about the 'love potion', I don't believe that all my feelings are false." 

The boy looked at him, confused once again. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, that I know myself." Damian stated. "While you may be telling me the truth about being 'under the influence', as you put it, I believe that I would know if something was tampering with my emotions."

The boy sighed. "Alright," his expression was carefully blank as he spoke. "Then what now?"

Damian rubbed his hand along his lower jaw. "Now, I will help you." He stated plainly. There was nothing else he could do, aside from keeping the teen locked in a safe house for the foreseeable future. While he wasn't opposed to that idea, it wouldn't be the best. His family would get curious eventually, and it was obvious what the boy thought about the situation as it was now.

"Help me? With what?" The teen asked stupidly. 

"With the antidote." Damian responded resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Not that the boy would have been able to see it anyways. "I will help you get whatever you need." The boy's expression lightened. "But," Damian added, "I won't stop trying to convince you that my feelings are real." He counted it as a win when all the teen did was shrug in response. 

"Well, if we're going to be working together," the teen looked at him. "What do I call you?." Damian stood up, being careful to keep his body between the teen and the door. He didn't seem to be trying to leave at the moment, but one could never be too sure.

"In costume you can call me Robin," Damian said, his hands lifting towards his face. "But my real name is-" the teen moved suddenly, leaping forwards at a speed that would be impossible for most, and slapped one hand across his mouth, the other batting his hands away from his mask. 

"No, don't just reveal you identity to me." The kid spoke, his voice firmer than it had been a few moments prior. "No big reveals until after I get you the antidote. I would rather you be in your right mind if you do that."

Damian huffed, but lowered his hands. He had no doubt that he wanted the teen to know, but…

"Tt." He responded with a scowl. "Fine, if it makes you feel better, my identity will stay secret. For now." 

The boy sighed in relief before offering his hand. "It's nice to meet you Robin. I'm Danny." Damian took the boy's -Danny's- hand, giving it a firm shake. Danny smiled at him slightly. When he felt Danny's hand loosen around his, Damian held it tighter, bringing it up to his mouth and planting a kiss on the boy's cold knuckles. He couldn't help but smirk when Danny let out a small, startled noise and yanked his hand back. With a sigh, the boy returned to his book. Damian left him to it, walking back into the kitchen.

If there was one thing he knew, it's that his family wouldn't let him go off and help this stranger without a word. And if he knew his brothers, they would be seeking him out regardless. The best thing he could do was call in. 'Hopefully father will keep them from doing anything rash.'

Turning on his comm piece, Damian winced as his ear filled with static. Hurriedly he pulled the comm out, rubbing his ear as he glared at the small black bud. 'Odd, our equipment almost never breaks.' Puzzled, and a bit annoyed, Damian slipped the bud into one of his utility belt pouches. It didn't matter if the comm was fried, they always kept spares hidden around. Especially in safe houses.

It wasn't hard to find one, pulling out the fake bottom of one of the kitchen drawers. Comm in hand, he went further into the apartment for a bit more privacy. 

Turning it on, he tuned it onto the public channel and was immediately greeted with a worried-sounding Oracle. "Robin! Oh, thank God! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Tt." Damian scoffed. "I can assure you, I am fine." Better than fine, actually. But she didn't need to know the specifics. "I was only checking in. Let the others know that I will be busy for a while." With that, he shut the comm off again, ignoring Oracle's protests. With that done, he returned to the living room.

Danny was sitting on the couch again, mug drained of tea and scribbling on a sheet of paper. He looked up as Damian entered, stretching a bit as he set the pencil down. Damian glanced over the paper. "Is this everything?" He asked. 

Danny nodded. "Yeah. That's all the ingredients." He grabbed the book and shoved it back into his bag and stood up. Grabbing their mugs, Damian took them to the kitchen before returning, looking the teen over. 

"Are you ready?" He asked, holding out his hand. Danny nodded, takingnhis hand and following Damian out the door. Damian surveyed the alleyway before crouching down. "We'll have to travel by roof, if we want to avoid attracting too much attention." He told the boy. The teen grimaced, but didn't protest as he was lifted onto Damian's back. He weighed very little, a fact that he would have registered before, had he not been in such a panic about Danny leaving forever. It was worrying, how little effort it took to carry him. Sure, he was a Robin, and could lift a lot more than one person if need be, but he could barely feel the teen on his back. 

Ignoring that for now (he was definitely going to bring that up later-) he aimed his grapple towards the nearest roof, and they were off. 

—

"Nothing?" Dick asked Tim, hovering beside the man as he typed away at the Batcomputer. They had, after an hour of persuasion, convinced Bruce to go upstairs for a bit. In his absence, the two, along with occasional input from Oracle, had been working hard to find their missing brother.

"Not even the body cameras!" Tim groaned, his head hitting the desk in front of him with a light thump. "They aren't turned off, but the feed is so messed up that I can't get anything useful!" He pulled up a tab that showed nothing but static and the occasional random shape, the entire thing covered in a blue-green haze. "And his comm is still offline. I can't even track its last location, it just pings off everything!" His head remained on the table, and a small part of Dick was glad about that. He already had one brother missing, he didn't need a second with a head injury.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off suddenly by a frantic Oracle. "Guys! Damian just called me on a backup comm!"

Both batboys straightened and stared at the screen, full business mode. "What did he say?" Dick asked.

"He said that he was okay, and that he was going to be busy for a while." Oracle's frantic typing could be heard over the comm, a testimate to how much she didn't believe the words. 

Dick and Tim shared a look. "Did he say anything else?" Tim asked.

"No," the answer was quick but a bit hesitant. Like she wasn't focused fully on the conversation. Knowing her, she probably wasn't. "Dammit!" She cursed suddenly, making both men jump. "I can't even track the backup comm. Unless he has a signal scrambler on him, he shouldn't be able to do that." They shared another glanced this one worried. It usually took quite a bit to make Barbra this frustrated. 

Something beeped on the Batcomputer, making both Tim and Barbra snap to attention. "What is that?" Dick asked.

Tim answered him this time. "We set an algorithm to scan through CCTV footage and alert us if it found Damian." He pulled up said footage, showing Damian room hopping with a slightly blurred figure on his back. He dipped in and out of frame for a solid minute before the camera lost track of him. 

"Where was that?" Dick asked. 

"I'll send you the coordinates." Oracle responded. He nodded, even though she couldn't see it, and made his way to the changing room. Re-emerging a few minutes later, Nightwing headed towards the last place his little brother was seen. 

–

It was an hour later when Nightwing finally found his missing brother. Crouched on a rooftop, looking at a piece of… paper? He didn't get a good look, because the moment he landed Robin was on his feet, tossing his cape over his back and shoving the paper into one of his belt pouches. 

"Baby Bat! We've been so worried!" Dick ignored how his brother was acting, slinging an arm over his shoulders. Or, he tried to. Robin ducked before his arm made contact. Nightwing frowned, but didn't say anything as he eyed his youngest brother with concern.

"Tt." Robin practically snarled at him. Straightening with his signature scowl, he eyed Nightwing with disdain. "What are you doing here, Nightwing?" He demanded, pulling one of his knives free and brandishing it threateningly at the man.

Nightwing raised his hands in a plactating manner. "Easy Robin!" He cautioned the teen. He watched the boy put a bit more distance between them, one hand reaching up to his shoulder. Before he could get a good look at what the teen was reaching for, one of Damian's knives flew past him. Strangely, he didn't see Robin move, but there was no one else here, from what he could see anyways. He ignored it, focusing solely on his brother.

"You gave us all quite a scare, Robin." He sat down on the edge of the roof, letting Robin maintain his distance for now. 

Despite the mask, Dick could see Damian's confusion and agitation. "I told Oracle I was fine." He growled, sheathing his knife but not coming any closer. 

"You disappear after a fight, no word and no way to track you. Why wouldn't we worry?" Dick raised an eyebrow at the teen. 

"Well, you've seen me now. As you can tell, I am fine. Now, I have something I need to do." The teen walked over to the other side of the roof, peering down into the alley below.

"Hold it, Baby Bat." Nightwing jumped to his feet, closing the distance in a few long, paced steps. "You have to come home! You can't just run off without letting anyone know where you are!" He grabbed Robin's shoulder, briefly pausing at how cold and bony it felt, before Damian whipped around, grabbing his arm and twisting. 

Releasing Robin's shoulder with a pained noise, he had no chance to block as Damian released his arm and gripped a bit higher. Before he could really register what was happening, Robin had flipped him over the edge of the roof. Acting on instinct, Nightwing reached out and caught the railing of the nearest fire escape. 

Quickly, he made his way back up to the roof. But Robin was gone, no trace of him left on the roof. Sighing, Nightwing crouched back down, rubbing his sore shoulder. This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

Standing, he made his way back to the Batcave. Maybe if he got there quickly enough, he could keep the footage of this moment from reaching the group chat. 

The buzzing from his pocket told him he was already too late.

Chapter Text

Danny watched Robbin as he peered out of the photo-booth, being careful to keep both of them hidden behind the cheap plastic curtain. Ever since the encounter with that…guy on the roof, the teen had been extra careful as they traveled, sticking close to the shadows and hiding in obscure places anytime they stopped. A few times Danny let his own invisibility spread to the teen, not that Robin knew that. 

By the time they had made it to the mall, the sun, as hidden as it was behind the smog, was hanging low in the sky, not too far off the horizon. In a few hours it would be dark out, and if this city was as dangerous as it seemed during the day, Danny did not want to find out how it was at night.

Peeking over Robin's shoulder, Danny grimaced at the multitude of people that milled about. The teen wasn't a huge fan of crowds on a good day, a side effect of being a paranoid half-ghost he supposed, and today was decidedly not one of the best he had ever had. But he also wasn't alone at the moment. 

Glancing down, he bit back a wince at Robin's suit. It would be hard to wander around a mall while wearing something as attention-grabbing as a hero costume. Or at least, he thinks it's a hero costume. 'I should really ask about that later,' he thought to himself. 

Sitting back, he cleared his throat. "Robin?" He asked quietly. The teen in question turned towards him slightly, still eyeing the crowd but obviously listening. "Uh, no offense or anything, but if you're gonna help me track down these ingredients, we may need to get you some new clothes." He gestured to Robin's attire. The teen ducked back behind the flimsy purple plastic, hand on his chin as he mulled over Danny's words. Finally, with a small "Tt," noise, he turned to look at Danny. 

"You're right." He nodded, rummaging through one of the pouches on his belt. Pulling out a small black leather wallet, he took one last peek out of the booth before handing it over. "Take this," he said, "and go grab something from one of the outlet stores. I'll wait here." He settled in the back corner of the booth, hidden in the shadows of the booth quite well without Danny's ghostly help. 

Danny nodded and, wallet in hand, made his way out of the photo-booth and across the plaza as quickly as possible. Finding an outlet store took no time, being in a mall made that pretty easy. The nearest one sat between a craft supply store and a toy store with a rather large display of bird and bat themed stuffed animals. 

The inside was a bit different from what Amity would have had, soft dark tones and gentle music playing instead of bright, eye-catching colors and loud hip-hop that the teenaged cashires normally blasted. He kinda liked it. 

Danny didn't spend a whole lot of time looking through the selections, just grabbing whatever and hurrying to pay. Though, anxious as he was to return to Robin, he didn't grab anything too brightly colored. 

He ended up with a black hoodie, a pair of jeans, some socks and a pair of white running shoes, a black beanie with a red bird print on the front, and a pair of sunglasses. The cashier didn't look at him once as he was paying, only reciting his total in a bored voice. The teen had a mini freak out over just how much Robin kept in his wallet, 'who keeps four hundred dollars in their wallet!?' but didn't let himself get hung up over it.

Back at the photo booth, Robin didn't comment on his choice of clothing besides a satisfied hum before turning his back to the teen and reaching for his costume's zipper. Danny was quick to turn around and slip out of the photo-booth, leaning against the wall beside it as casually as he could.

Robin stepped out once he was done, and Danny almost did a double take as he let the curtain fall shut behind him. Clothes that would have been at least slightly baggy on him fit Robin like a glove, showing off his lean muscle definition in a way his padded suit couldn't. The beanie messed his hair up in a way that could only be described as 'roguish'. 

Turning away, Danny willed his slight blush away. "W-where to first?" He asked, his voice breaking in a way that it hadn't since he hit puberty. 'Damn this attractive boy and his unfair muscles.' The teen was grateful that he had come alone. Sam and Tucker would never let him live this down.

Danny could practically hear the smirk in Robin's voice as he answered. "We should start with the Occult store." From his tone, Danny could tell that he wasn't the only one who seemed to detest the idea of walking into one of those places. Sighing, Danny motioned for Robin to lead the way.

—

Dick sighed as he entered the mall. Ever since that confrontation with Robin on the rooftops, neither Tim nor Barbra had been able to spot him. The only real lead they had was the direction the teen had been headed. He was either here at the mall, or at the animal shelter down the street. Of course, Damian could have changed direction completely to throw them off, it would be just like him to do that, so this 'mission' was more of a goose chase than anything.

"Why are we here again?" Duke, who had arrived just as Dick was leaving the manor, asked from where he walked beside the man. 

Dick smiled at his brother. "We're here to look for Damian." Duke nodded, but still looked a bit unsure. 

"Why would he be here? He hates the mall."

Still smiling, Dick tossed an arm over Duke's shoulder. "True. He might not be here at all. But it's worth a look. We don't have any other leads." Duke nodded again, shoulders releasing a bit of their tension as they walked.

Suddenly though, he was tense again. Concerned, Dick glanced over at him. "What's wrong? Did you see something?" A simple enough question, but to anyone in their family, it had a deeper meaning. 

"Yeah. Over that way, someone's a bit… bright." He pointed to a storefront a bit away from them, keeping his voice low as he responded, letting Dick know that it was his meta abilities at play.

"Hmm." Dick hummed, looking towards where Dick had pointed. An occult shop, one of those ones that burned so much incense that you could smell it from the food court. Standing at the door were two teens. One that looked like a potential Bruce Adoptee™ and another in a black hoodie and beanie. All in all, not very eye-catching. But there was something suspicious about the second teen, specifically the fact that he was wearing sunglasses indoors. Despite the fact that it was almost dark, and a regular cloudy day in Gotham to top it off.

The teen turned slightly towards them, saying something to their friend, and that's when Dick caught a good look at their face. Despite the plain clothing and sunglasses, Dick would always recognize one of his siblings. And that teen was most definitely Damian Wayne. 

"Not so much of a goose chase after all." Duke looked at Dick, question clear on his face, but Dick was already moving. Weaving expretly through the crowd, he made it to the shop entrance rather quickly. By the time Duke caught up to him, he was surveying the storefront, peeking through the display window while hiding behind a fake palm plant. 

Damian stood facing away from the window, shoulders tensed as he eyed the store's interior. The other boy was nowhere to be seen, most likely having disappeared into aisles already. With one last glance around, Dick slid soundless into the store, Duke following close on his heels. 

Inside, the smell of incense was enough to make his eyes water. Stifling coughs, Dick looked around for the teen, who seemed to have vanished in the scant few seconds he looked away. 

Ducking into the nearest aisle, he only had enough time to give it a quick once-over before someone grabbed his arm. Suddenly, the man found himself in the back of the store, shoved against a wall with a knife pointed at his face. Duke was similarly pinned next to him, a nervous look on his face while faced with a very pissed off Damian.

"Damian!" Dick acted normal despite the sharp blade aimed at his face. "Finally! We've been looking everywhere for you." 

Damian lowered the knife with a scoff. "Grayson. Thomas. What are you doing here?" The teen's tone was cold, his scowl evident behind his sunglasses. Duke flinched at the tone, knowing from experience that it never led to anything good.

"Dami, you need to come home." Dick used his 'no nonsense older brother' tone. It didn't have the intended effect, making the boy's scowl deepen as he looked behind himself. 

"Grayson, now is not the time. As I said before, I'm busy." The teen seemed… antsy. He shifted from foot to foot, and though he was obviously aware of any movement they made, from a twitch of their hands to natural movements like breathing, he was keeping his focus behind him. 

"Busy with what?" Dick pressed. "We can help, if you tell us what you need." The 'we're family' went unsaid, but it was heavily implied. 

"Tt. It's nothing I need help with." The teen rolled his eyes behind his tinted lenses. Backing away from the two, he turned his body towards one of the aisles. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He made to leave, but was stopped by a strong hand gripping his shoulder. 

"Damian." Dick looked hard at his younger brother. "Whatever is going on with you, we can help. You just need to come home." His hand released the teen's shoulder but snagged the fabric of the hoodie he wore. 

Before Damian could retort, a voice called out to them. "Is everything okay over here?" The kid that Damian had been standing with earlier was suddenly by Damian's side, eyeing Dick's grasp on the teen's hoodie with wary eyes.

Letting go, Dick put on one of his most charming smiles. "Yeah, all good here!" He replied cheerfully. "Just some family business. Don't worry about it." Usually people fell for his charismatic charm immediately. Anyone else would have nodded and walked away, would have left them to talk it out. But not this boy, apparently.

"Uh-huh." He was now glaring cautiously at Dick, one hand twitching up and grabbing Damian's sleeve. To the surprise of both Dick and Duke, instead of shaking him off Damian twisted his hand around to twine his own fingers with the teen's. 

When they began to ease backwards, towards the door, Dick found his hand shooting forward to grab his brother once more. Only, this new teen was faster. Dick found himself stunned by a sudden, extremely strong and solid punch to his jaw. Duke let out a strangled noise as he went down, landing on his ass as he stared up at the teen, stunned. 

Taking advantage of the temporary distraction, the teen tightened his grip on Damian's hand and pulled him along as he fled the store. Duke helped Dick to his feet, watching the man rub his jaw, a deep bruise already forming. 'For such a scrawny kid, he sure packs a punch'. 

Making eye contact, Dick gave Duke a nod, one slightly angled towards the door. Without hesitation, Duke took off after them, Dick only a few seconds behind him. The people in the mall eyed them with a mix of curiosity, annoyance, and Gothamite Suspicion™ as they searched for the two teens. 

"Do you see the 'bright' kid anywhere?" Dick asked as they stopped in the middle of the mall. Duke looked around intently before slumping his shoulders with a sigh.

"No, I don't. It's weird, he was so bright before, and now I can't see any of the light." Glancing at Dick, he saw the older slump his shoulders as well, a dark purple bruise already pretty prominent on his cheek.

"Nothing?" He asked, his voice tinged with exasperation. Exasperation for the situation, Duke knew, not for him and his wacky meta powers.

"The only glowy thing I can see are the lights in the fountain." He responded, putting his hand on Dick's shoulder. 

Groaning, Dick straightened up. "Why is it always our family?" He grumbled as he and Duke continued to search the crowd. The case of their missing brother (was he technically a runaway, if he refused to come home?) was getting weirder and weirder the longer it went on. 

—

Damian stared at Danny appraisingly as they watched idiots 1 and 2 run past their hiding spot. Part of Damian wanted to jump out and attack, a feeling of anger in his stomach at the fact that they interrupted a mission that was very important to him. But another part of him was over the moon, learning more about Danny's personality. 

Once he was sure his brothers were out of earshot, he turned to the teen, who's unnaturally cold hand was still gripping him tightly. The boy glanced back at him as he moved, eyeing him closely. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because he turned back to look out the curtain of water with a hum, his fingers flexing gently around their clasped hands. 

"Danny." His tone was carefully neutral as he pulled the teen's attention away from their pursuers. 

"Yeah?" Asked the teen, gaze flickering from the distorted figures through the water back to him. Obviously keeping a watchful eye on, what he considers, a possible threat. Another thing to add to the growing list of why Damian thought he was perfect partner material. 

"That was an… extreme reaction back there." He pointed out, a small smile growing on his lips as he realized just what he could do with this information. 'Brown might be onto something about 'teasing and blackmail material' after all.' 

The teen's blue eyes swung back to him, narrowing slightly at his smirk before going back to watching the two men outside. "Uhh, I mean. I saw two strange men, one of them holding onto your hoodie. If anything, that dude got off lightly." His free hand reached up, cupping the back of his neck and rubbing over the skin in a nervous way. 

Damian chuckled, a sound that surprised him, before poking Danny's side lightly. "Still. You punched a, in your words, 'Strange Man', in the face. For my sake." The teen stiffened, his head ducking slightly, refusing to look away from the water. For a moment Damian worried that he had said something wrong. Until Danny's head came back up, and Damian had to fight off a snicker at how bright the teen's face had turned. 

A dazzling display of red that on anyone else would have been distasteful. But this was Danny, not someone else. He thought the ravenette looked beautiful.

The teen stuttered, trying his best to respond in some way, and Damian was amazed that he was so easily flustered. He'd have to remember to do it more often.

Clearing his throat, Danny changed the subject rather hastily. "Um, I think they're gone." His voice was high pitched, another thing that Damian loved about embarrassing the teen. In a more controlled tone, he continued. "I think it might be safe now."

Nodding, Damian shuffled back towards the singular dry spot Danny had led him through, effortlessly leaping out of the fountain and onto the mall floor. Sadly, it seemed that Danny lacked his precision. The teen made it to the dry spot easily enough, tossing Damian his bag, but the moment he crouched to jump out after him, his foot slipped. Damian watched as, with a startled yelp, Danny plummeted headfirst into the water fountain. 

Rushing over, he looked over the rim of the fountain. Danny sat there, looking extremely accurate to a soaked cat, right down to the annoyed expression. He may have been able to hold back laughter earlier, but Damian was only human. Pearls of rare laughter bubbled out of him, genuine instead of his usual sarcastic chuckles. Danny glared at him half heartedly, flicking his fingers at the teen's face as he clambered over the edge and onto the floor.

"Oh, ha ha." He grumbled, wringing out his hoodie with a bit more force than necessary. Once finished, he stood there with his hair dripping and clothing damp, and Damian couldn't help but take him in. His clothing was extremely baggy before, but now stuck to his thin frame. Revealing the muscle hidden beneath his wiry exterior. He was lean, built like a swimmer or a runner. Still way too thin for Damian's liking, mind you. 

Handing his bag back to him, Damian waited until he was situated before speaking. "Did you get what you needed?" He asked softly, resisting the urge to run his fingers through the drenched locks of the other's hair. 

"Yeah," Danny answered him, holding up a bag with the Occult shops logo on the front. "I got it." 

Nodding, Damian grabbed his hand, his thumb worrying gently over the slightly bruised knuckles as he made his way towards the building's exit. The teen followed without protest, but looked at the direction with questioning eyes. "Why are we leaving already?" He asked.

Damian looked back at the boy, not stopping as he expertly dodged around people, pulling Danny along beside him. "Well, to start with, our location has been compromised. And it's getting dark out." He started evenly. "Not to mention, I want you out of those wet clothes sooner rather than later." He smirked again as Danny blushed and squeaked at his phrasing. 

Laughing again, he pulled the boy out into the chilly night air, ducking into the closest alleyway. Out of costume, the teen had to use his assassin training to make the journey back to the safe house on foot, carefully avoiding any cameras or Vigilantes that would have no trouble helping his family track him down, as well as any petty criminals looking for an easy target. The last thing he needed was his potential significant other hurt by some miscreant. It was way past sunset when they finally slipped through the door, sighing as it shut behind them.

The next few minutes went by quickly enough, with Damian shoving Danny into the bathroom with a change of clothes that would likely be too big on him before retreating to the kitchen to make a warm beverage. He didn't want Danny sick, after all, and Alfred always had warm drinks ready after cold or rainy patrol nights. 

Leaning against the counter with his own mug in hand, Damian listened absently to the running shower just down the hall as he thought. Ever since dragging Danny to the safe house, he really hadn't had a chance to think clearly. Nothing about this situation was 'normal', though life in his family rarely was. Being an animal-themed vigilante at night, patrolling the streets with your animal themed vigilante family kind of made it difficult to be normal, after all. 

But going from being in a fight against a semi-dangerous opponent to being head over heels in love with a boy you had never seen before? That was a type of 'weird' that didn't happen often. In a way, the teen's love potion explanation made a lot of sense. Even if he had developed feelings for someone, he would never abandon a fight mid-battle to run off with them, it went against a lot of rules that he followed on a daily basis, any time he donned his suit. 

And while the potion explanation explained his odd behavior, his entire being screamed at him for even thinking that his feelings weren't real. The incident at the mall further cemented that denial for him.

Though, there was still a bit of doubt nagging at him. The 'what if's', what if it really was all the potion, what if the cure made him hate the amazing teen he was getting to know, what if he lost him? The thought of never seeing the boy again made his chest ache so badly but were these his feelings? Or was it the potion?

'No.' He decided, shaking the thoughts away. 'I will still feel the same. Even after the cure.' The confidence he felt at the thought didn't feel like his own, but it wasn't the potion either. He found himself strangely sure of that, for some reason. 

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he realized that the shower had cut off. The small apartment was silent for a minute, and he found himself holding his breath. He only breathed again when he heard the bathroom door creak open. He didn't hear Danny's footsteps, but the room got slightly colder when he entered. Turning around, Damian almost burst into laughter again.

He was right about the clothes being too big, they hung off of his lean frame almost comically. To be fair though, they were Todd's clothes, and that man was huge. Anyone would drown in his clothes. But it wasn't the clothes he was humored by. Danny's hair, now washed and dried, stuck up in all directions like a soft black pom-pom. His expression told Damian that he had tried his best to tame it, but had failed. 

Handing the second mug over, Damian let himself relax. Love potion or not, he was sure that his affections were real. 

After all, no one else had ever made him laugh this much in a single day before.

—

The next day, Cass listened to Dick as he explained what had happened at the mall, gingerly holding an ice pack to his purple cheekbone. She said nothing as he ranted about the encounter, letting her other siblings comfort(tease) him about it. She said nothing, thinking on every detail he gave her. 

When he turned to get her opinion on the story, she was already gone. Dick went about it the wrong way, trying to entice their youngest home without thinking of the why of it. All they really needed, was to know what he was doing, what was so important to keep him from his family. 

She left the manor, no particular place in mind. From what she had heard of their progress so far, it seemed as though she would have more luck wandering about rather than looking for the teen on surveillance cameras. She was confident in her ability to find her brother. It was what would happen when she succeeded that was the real mystery.

Chapter Text

The next day started bright and early. Well, as bright as Gotham got, anyways. Damian was naturally an early riser, and honestly expected to be the only one up for a while. Most of his 'siblings' slept in any chance they got, Cain and Grayson being the exception most of the time. 

He was pleasantly surprised, however, when a sleep-muddled Danny wandered into the kitchen only a few minutes after him. He watched in amusement as the teen rummaged through the cabinets clumsily, seemingly not realizing where he was or who he was with.

Or, he assumed the teen wasn't aware of his presence in the room. He was proven only half right, as the teen handed him a bowl, going back to digging through the cabinets until he re-emergerged with a box of cereal and a second bowl. A victorious trill emerged Danny's mouth, the sound far from human. That was one theory confirmed.

A bit more awake now, the teen jumped slightly as he turned back towards Damian. In response, Damian simply raised an eyebrow at the teen, taking the box of cereal from his hands and pulling a carton of almond milk from the fridge. Danny continued to stand there with a blank look on his face, before shrugging to himself and settling himself on one of the barstools at the counter.

They ate their breakfast in companionable silence. Danny was the first to break the silence. "So, what's on the agenda today?" He asked, taking his bowl to the sink. Damian didn't answer immediately, thinking it over in his head. Absently, he noted a bit of milk that clung to the corner of Danny's mouth.

Pulling out the list from his pocket, he looked over the ingredients before responding. "I suppose our next stop would be a grocery store." He answered, standing to follow the teen into the living room. 

He had an odd look on his face, but Danny only nodded, tossing on the hoodie that he had tossed in the drier before he had gone to bed, along with his canvas bag. Turning, he posed quite ridiculously as he faced the Robin. "Okay, lead the way!" His voice was light and playful, reminding Damian of his friend John a bit. A small voice in his mind that sounded a bit like Grayson told him to be thankful for the sunglasses that sat perched on his face.

With a small smile, Damian took Danny's hand, using his free hand to wipe the milk off the teen's face. Now slightly red and stuttering, Damian had zero trouble leading him out the door and into the shadows.

He recovered quickly, keeping close to Damian as they trekked quietly in and out of alleyways. It wasn't long before they found themselves slipping quietly into a supermarket. The light-up sign on the building was missing a letter towards the beginning, and had one blinking towards the end of the name. The door also squealed loudly as they pushed it open, almost drowning out the annoying bell that rang, announcing their entrance.

No one looked at them twice as they began to explore the aisles. Cheap, off-brand products lined the shelves. A lot of them past their expiration date. 'Alfred would not be impressed by this place.' Damian thought as he put a box back in its place. 

Danny was ahead of him, looking over the shelves for the ingredients that they needed. He kept glancing down at the list, then looking back up. Occasionally his head would tilt as he peered at the aisle signs. 'Cute.' Damian couldn't help the small smile that turned the corners of him mouth.

As he moved to follow after Danny, who was just turning around the corner to the next aisle, something stopped him. He was aware of his surroundings, much more so than he had been at the mall. The front door squealed open, the bell going off with a high-pitched ding! Glancing at the noise, he madeneye contact with a familiar set of feminine blue eyes. Cain.

She glanced around a bit before looking back at him, a silent 'why?' in the way she shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head slightly. He rolled his eyes, but didn't move as she approached him.

"Hello Cain." He greeted when she was close enough, his voice low and a bit cold. She nodded at him.

"Hello." She signed. "Why are you here?"

Damian scoffed. "I could ask you the same." 

She scrunched her nose at him, but made no move to sign. Waiting for his answer.

"I'm busy." He responded.

"With what?" She asked. He started to walk, then. Danny was out of sight, and he had no way of knowing which of his other siblings were hiding in here.

"It's a…Personal mission." He decided on. She kept pace with him as he checked the next aisle. No Danny here. 'Maybe the next one?'

"Personal mission?" She repeated. Damian sighed. 'At least she isn't trying to drag me back to the manor.'

"Yes. A personal mission." The next aisle was empty as well. 'How far did he get?' "One that is delicate." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Cain was frowning slightly, but in a confused manner. 

"Does this mission have anything to do with him?" She pointed down an aisle, to where Danny was looking between two canisters of salt. A small sigh of relief left him, tension dropping from his shoulders. Beside him, Cain's face cracked with a small, knowing smile.

"Yes. He is an essential part of that mission." Damian's cheeks tented lightly with blush, not that he noticed. Cain did, though. That blush told her all she needed to know.

"I understand now." She signed to him. "A new brother." He glared at her, but she continued before he could retort. "Your 'courting' him, yes?"

The blush that stained his face darkened. "Well, yes. At least, I'm trying to. He seems convinced that my feelings are artificial." At her questioning glance, he elaborated. "We met when I landed in a fountian that he had made. The water was contaminated with a 'love potion'. Though my thoughts and actions are slightly skewed at the moment, I do know myself better than that." Her face scrunched slightly, but she didn't object. 

"What are you doing about it?" Danny was moving again, Salt canister added to the cheap green basket he had grabbed when they entered.

"I'm helping him collect the ingredients for a cure." They followed from a distance, watching as Danny pulled a bag of…something from the top shelf, sending a few more bags raining down on top of him. His surprised cry went semi-ignored by the two.

"Alright." She patted his shoulder gently before turning away, headed back towards the front of the store. She turned back to face him for a moment. "Don't worry, I'll stall the others. Good luck romancing!" And with that, she was gone. Damian watched her slip through the door before turning to catch up with Danny.

He had just finished putting the bags back up when Damian made it to his side. The teen glanced at him over his shoulder as he chucked the last bag up. "Hey, Robin. Who was that?" 

Maybe his situational awareness was better than he first thought. "My adopted sister. She came to make sure I was in good health." Damian looked over the items in the basket, mentally ticking them off the list. "How much more do we need?"

"From here?" Danny pulled out the list again. "Umm, this is it. We can go pay now, but the last thing we need could probably be found at a flower shop." Slipping the list back into his pocket, he offered his hand to the teen absently. Damian took it immediately, taking the lead and heading towards the checkout.

"So, where to after this?" The teen asked. Damian was silent as their items were scanned. The cashier read out their total, and Damian tossed him a few bills before grabbing their things and walking out. 

Back in the Gotham air, he decided. "How about lunch?" He started towards the nearest restaurant, which just so happened to be a Bat Burger.

"Sure, I could eat." Just as the teen said it, his stomach growled loudly. His face turned red, a hand coming up to rub his neck. His blush deepened as Damian chuckled, allowing himself to be pulled along the sidewalk. 

In no time, the two were seated in a booth, farthest from the window and hidden by a few fake plants, should anyone walk in. "What's good here?" Danny asked as he glanced over the menu. 

"I wouldn't quite know. The only thing I get from here is the veggie burger. And my siblings are a bit… biased, when it comes to ordering." Seeing as how they all claimed that their namesake meal was the best. 

The teen looked over the menu for a few more minutes before sighing in defeat. "Could you order something for me?" He asked. 

Damian nodded. "Of course. Do you have any preferences I should know about?" It would be horrible if he ordered something the teen was allergic to. 

Danny shook his head. "Nah. Anything is fine. My friends often joke about me having an iron stomach." Chuckling a bit, he went a bit further. "Heck, I'm pretty sure I ate a spork once!" 

For both their sakes, Damian hoped that the teen was exaggerating. Human or not, swallowing something like that was not healthy. He ignored it for now, simply nodding and heading to the front counter. 

The teen standing behind the counter looked at him with a bored expression, a mock of Batman's cowl sat awkwardly over his head. "Welcome to Bat Burger, home of the Batburger and the Jokerized fries. How may I take your order?" He asked in a monotone voice.

Damian ignored the part of him that wished to scoff at the boy, placing his order quickly and paying, before heading back to their booth to wait. 

Back at the booth, Danny was fiddling with the salt shaker. He pushed it from one end of the tabletop to the other, again reminding Damian of a cat. All he was missing were the ears and whiskers. He filed the picture his mind provided away for later, sitting down across from the teen. 

Abandoning the salt shaker, Damny sat back up. "So, what's with this place?" He asked. Damian raised an eyebrow at the random question. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this place is named 'Bat Burger'. Unless they actually use bats in their burger patties, which I hope to all the Ancients that they are not, what's up with it?" Damian couldn't decide if he wanted to be amused at the teen's question, or disgusted at the thought of honest-to-god bat burgers. He eventually landed on neither, instead focusing on the odd curse he used.

"'Ancients?'" He voiced his curiosity.

Danny gave him a look. "You tell me, and I'll tell you?" He suggested. 

'That sounds fair.' Damian decided. "This restaurant is themed after Gotham city's vigilante protectors."

Danny nodded. "Cool. So, are you one of those vigilanties?"

Shaking his finger at the teen, Damian smirked. "Ah-ah-ah. It's my turn, now." The teen across from him made a show of letting his shoulders droop before motioning for him to continue. "What, or who, are these 'Ancients' you keep referring to?"

"Ancients are the oldest, and strongest, beings that inhabit the Infinite Realms." He answered. "Now, it's my turn again. Are you one of the 'helpers' for this city?" His discrete wording was appreciated, as while they were talking the door dinged, a couple walking in and sitting in a booth not too far away from them.

"Yes. I am a 'helper'. One of the main ones, in fact." He couldn't help the way his chest puffed up slightly with pride as he spoke. Danny noticed, giving him a knowing smile, but said nothing. Instead wiggling his fingers as he waited for Damian's next question. "What is the 'Infinite Realms'?"

At his question, Danny's eyes seemed to take on a gleam. Though what it meant, Damian didn't quite know. The best way to describe it was a mix of fondness and excitement. "The Infinite Realms is basically the realm of the dead. Though it holds more than just ghosts, it holds entire civilizations, as well as portals to any and every dimension that exists." He blushed as he realized what he had said, looking away from Damian to examine the table in front of them.

Damian sat there for a moment, a bit stunned by his explanation. Sure, Damian knew that other universes existed, so it was no surprise to him. What did surprise him though, was how blunt and honest the teen was with him. If their roles were reversed, Damian couldn't say that he would be as up-front as Danny was being with him.

Not wanting to make the teen uncomfortable, all Damian did in response to this information was nod. "Makes sense. I suppose that you are one of the 'beings' that inhabit this realm?"

"Ah, no. Though I do spend quite a bit of time there, I'm not from there. I have a family in the mortal realm." Danny chuckled and rubbed nervously at the nape of his neck. Before Damian could respond, the teen at the counter called out their order number.

Damian stood up without a word, fetching their food and bringing it to the table quickly, a bit eager to get back to their questions.

Danny reached for his food, looking over his tray with a small smile. "Thank you." He said before digging into his burger. Damian watched him with a small smile, taking a bite of his own burger. 

Swallowing, he picked up where they left off. "You aren't human though." At his words, Danny seemed to choke on his food, swallowing hard and coughing loudly into his fist while thumping his chest with his free hand. 

"W-what do you mean?" He asked when he could speak again, his voice rough and squeaky. 

"Exactly what I said. You aren't human, are you?" He took another bite of his veggie burger, watching as the teen struggled to find a good response. 

Finally, after half of Damian's burger was gone, Danny sighed. "How did you know?" He asked, slightly exasperated.

Damian chuckled and began to list off his evidence on his fingers. "Your hands are constantly cold, you are concerningly light. You have fangs. Your eyes have a sheen to them, and glow in dim lighting. And just this morning, you trilled like a bird." With each piece of evidence, Danny's face grew a shade redder until he was sporting a bright lobster red.

Sighing, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. "I really need to get better at hiding it." He mumbled. Looking back up, he refused to meet Damian's eye. "Yeah, I'm not completely human. But I am half."

"And what is the other half?" Damian couldn't help but ask.

Danny twitched, but didn't flinch away. "Um. Well, to be honest, I'm part ghost." Damian blinked at him. "The ghosts from the 'Realms' refer to me as a 'halfa'. Half ghost, half human." He did jazz hands with a small 'ta-da!'. 

Again, Damian could only blink as he tried to process that. He had seen a lot over the years, as a child assassin and as Robin, but this was a new one for sure. How could someone only be half ghost? Does that mean that Danny had, at some point, died? That generally is the only way someone becomes a ghost, is it not? 

Something clenched painfully in his chest at the thought of Danny being in such a perilous situation. He hoped that was not the case, but he knew that it was most likely wishful thinking. "You're being incredibly up-front and honest with me."

Danny looked a bit surprised at the sudden change in topic, but only shrugged. "I mean, what's really the point of lying? I doubt that you're gonna do anything to me." That… was actually a very valid point. Damian had no urge to do anything to him, anything to hurt him anyways. In fact, it was only Danny's hesitance that kept him from spilling all his secrets, along with his family's secrets. Another thing that endeared him to the teen. His sense of honor. 

"Anyways," Danny pointed at him with a fry, "who are the other 'helpers' of the city?" 

Ah, an easily answered question. "Well, there's Batman, for starters. Nightwing occasionally helps out, but he mostly stays to patrol around one of Gotham's sister cities. Red Hood is more of a crime boss than a vigilante, but he protects his district fairly well. Red Robin, Signal, Orphan, and Spoiler are the other vigilanties that patrol Gotham regularly with Batman and Robin. And Oracle is the 'person in the chair'. She gives them most of their information while they are in the field." He listed off the names of his siblings alter egos easily, pausing after he was finished to take another bite of his food. 

Danny nodded. "Okay, cool. But if that's all the vigilanties, then why are there more names on the menu items?" He pointed to the menu with another one of his fries before shoving it in his mouth. 

"That's simple enough." Damian scoffed slightly. "They are the names of the villains that Batman and the others often fight." Danny hummed, raking a long drink from his cola. 

"Makes sense." He nodded. "Any other questions for me?" He added before sticking the last bite of his burger into his mouth, making his cheeks puff out like a chipmunks. 

Damian thought about it for a moment. He had a lot of questions, some branching from his inner detective and some that were decidedly not. In the end, he decided that he would only ask one question. The rest of his questions could wait.

 He had plenty of time, after all. They might almost be done collecting the ingredients, but they still had to make the potion. Not to mention, while he did appreciate Cain's ability and willingness to derail the rest of his family, they would find him eventually. And they, too, would want answers. He only hoped that, by the time his family did manage to track them down, Danny would trust him enough not to run.

"One more question before we go." Sipping on the rest of his drink, Danny waited patiently for him to continue. "That… gun, the one you had back at the park. What was it for?"

The look that crossed the teen's face could only be described as a mix of realization and horror. "Oh Ancients. I completely forgot about that." Running his hand down his face, he sighed heavily. "That gun was my 'easy' way home. It's basically a portal gun. It uses ectoplasm to tear temporary holes in the demintional barrier, it's how I got here in the first place." He explained quickly.

Groaning again, he let his face hit the table with a muffled thud. "I can't believe I just left inner-dimensional tech in a random park." He muttered into the cheap wood.

Damian frowned, part of him wishing he had known this sooner and another part happy that he destroyed it so quickly when they first met. Still, even destroyed and hidden away in the underbrush, it wasn't safe to leave it there. 

Resisting his urge to run his fingers through the teen's hair as he had his crisis, Damian pulled his phone out of the hoodie pocket he had shoved it in. Scrolling through the contacts, he clicked on the one person he could trust with this at the moment. Typing quickly, he sent a message to Cain, who responded a few seconds later. She sent a confirmation text, saying she was en route and would text again when she got back to the manor. 

Satisfied that the issue was being taken care of, he tapped the table next to the teens head. He peeked up, his expression still stuck on dread. "I've taken care of it." He told the boy. His face switched from dread to confusion, one eyebrow raised incredulously at him. In response to the silent question, he held up his phone. 

Danny's expression cleared, a tired kind of relief settling. "Oh. Okay, good. My sister would kill me a second time if she found out I left something that important just laying around." A worrying statement, now that he had a bit of context about Danny's 'situation', but a discussion could wait. 

"Well, I suppose we should head out. You said something about a flower shop?" They both stood, the teen stretching until three little pops were heard before standing straight with a sigh. Shaking his head, Damian grabbed the teens hand and led him out of the restaurant, pausing as he stood at the crosswalk. 

Where was the nearest flower shop again? 

—

Cass sighed inaudibly as she rummaged through the bushes. Damian's text had been annoyingly vague in it's instructions, just a simple request to look for and retrieve a damaged, high tech looking weapon. 

The location was easy enough to find, remains of an electronic birdbath laying prone in a small clearing. From there, she tracked the pair's movements through the underbrush, broken branches and tracks in the mud making it pretty easy. 

It was just her luck that they stopped in a fairly overgrown area, the grass stopping just above her mid-calf. This was where she had been, bent over moving stalks of grass, for almost twenty minutes now. 

Finally, though, her fingers brushed over a metallic casing. Moving quickly, she dug around in the green vegetation. With a few careful tugs, she revealed two pieces of what she assumed was some type of gun. Silver and green, with a bulky shape and some sort of slimy, Lazurus green liquid pooling in the glass canister. 

She didn't waste any time on trying to figure out what it was, just gathered the pieces and shoved them into her bag. While she was extremely curious about the gun, along with the reason her possible future brother-in-law had it, the only thing she could really think of at the moment was where she could hide the bag where her family couldn't find it. Because if she wanted answers, she knew that they wanted them even more.  

Chapter Text

It had taken a while, but after three hours of searching the city Danny and Robin finally found themselves standing across the street from a small, brightly colored shop. Even across the street from the store, Danny could smell the different fragrances of all the flowers wafting through the polluted city air.

"Finally!" Danny sighed with relief as they waited at the crosswalk. Robin huffed beside him, whether in agreement or amusement Danny didn't know. For his own sake, he was going with agreement. 

The pair didn't have to wait long on the crosswalk, though Danny could feel Robin's impatience anyways. It seemed that Danny wasn't the only one uncomfortable with wandering around the city all day. Just as they made it across, Danny saw Robin's shoulders tense out of the corner of his eye. 

The teen dropped his hand, his head turning to stare at something just out of Danny's line of sight. Ignoring the part of himself that was disappointed in the loss of contact, Danny cocked his head slightly to the side as he tried to find what had caught Damian's attention. 

"What is it?" He asked the teen when he couldn't find anything of interest in the alleyway his companion was glaring into. 

Robin made a harsh "Tt." noise as he started towards the alleyway. "Go in ahead of me." He said over his shoulder when Danny made to follow him. 

When Danny made a noise of protest, he turned back towards him. Grabbing his hand again, he placed a gentle kiss above his knuckle, making the teen red with the unexpected gesture. "I'll catch up, just head inside, ruhi." He disappeared into the alleyway before Danny could reboot. 

Sighing exasperatedly, he turned and headed inside. He stumbled as he stepped through the door, the scents of different flowers almost overwhelming. Which was confusing to him, until he caught sight of the perfume extracts that lined one of the display shelves. He held his breath as he walked past them, aiming for deeper into the store. His hope was that the further in he got, the less powerful the smell would be. 

Yes, being part ghost meant that he technically didn't have to breath, but not breathing made it harder to appear fully human. And he would rather keep any semblance of normalcy he had at the moment. 

The teen was so focused on getting away from the overpowering perfumes that he didn't really look where he was going. More importantly, he didn't see what he was about to walk into. Or, more accurately, who he was about to walk into. All Danny knew was that one moment, he was power walking down the only available aisle, and the next he was on the floor, flowers scattered on his head and in his lap. Groaning, he sat up, picking a marigold off his shoulder. 

Across from him, a blond with split-dyed tips styled up in pigtails clutched the remains of a premade bouquet, dark crimson roses and white poppies squished to her chest. Almost immediately, memories of Sam ranting about 'flower language' popped into his head and he winced at the arrangement that screamed 'mourning a dead loved one'.

"I am so, so sorry." Danny stuttered as he began to gather the flowers covering him. The woman stared at him for a second before following his lead, grabbing the ones that had fallen on the floor. When they had collected all of them, they stood up, the girl brushing off her white t-shirt that clearly read 'I <3 My Lesbian Girlfriend', scattering yellow petals everywhere.

"It's fine." The woman spoke with an accent that he couldn't quite place. 

Handing her the flowers, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. Not from any sort of empathy, he couldn't detect any strong emotions from this woman, but just a general feeling. He felt bad for her. "I'm sorry for your loss." He blurted out before he could stop himself. 

She froze, giving him an odd look. "I… haven't lost anyone?" She sounded very confused. 'Huh?' Both of them gave each other confused looks. "What makes you think someone died?"

"The flowers." He pointed to the messy bouquet in her hands. "That's generally an arrangement for graves or memorials." 

The lady glanced down at the flowers before looking back up. "I was gonna give these to my girlfriend." Suddenly, her face flushed slightly. "Oh, I grabbed funeral flowers for an anniversary!" Most people would have looked mortified, but all she did was laugh and toss the flowers into an empty display vase. "Oh, Ives would have never let me live that down." Shaking her head, she turned back to him. "Say, you seem to know your flowers. Think ya could help a girl out?"

Danny startled at the sudden question, but nevertheless let his eyes wander over the different arrangements. Finally his eyes landed on one that looked really pretty, and had romantic meanings. He gently picked them up and handed them to her. "Here. Red tulips, red chrysanthemums, and daffodils. A great bunch for a serious relationship." She looked over the bouquet thoughtfully before letting a smile stretch her face. 

"Thanks kid! Ivy will love these. Moving the bouquet to one arm, she stuck out her hand. "The name's Harley Quinn. It's nice ta meet 'cha!"

Danny smiled back at her, taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. "Danny. It's nice to meet you too." 

"Well, I better get going. Don't wanna be late!" With that she hurried down the aisle, stopping by the register to pay for her flowers before swinging out the door with one last friendly wave at him. Danny waved back, watching until she was out of sight of the front window before turning back to his mission.

He was still looking for the illusive last few ingredients when Robin slipped into the shop. Danny didn't notice his presents at first, sorting through different seed packets in hopes of finding the one he was looking for. It was a gentle hand on his arm that told him his companion was back. He didn't turn from where he was looking, but he tilted his head slightly towards Robin. 

"Hey, everything okay?" He asked the teen. Robin was silent for a moment, but didn't feel as tense as he did before.

"Yes. It was merely an… annoyance. Another of my siblings, though they didn't know I was here. They have left now." He looked over Danny's shoulder, observing the packets with a small hum. "Have you found what you needed yet?" 

Danny sighs, finally looking at the vigilante. "No, sadly. This place has no organization system. It's just, 'flowers here, seeds there, and ridiculously strong perfume up front'." He finally finds what he's looking for, holding the bag up with a small 'aha!' "There it is! Now all that's left are the dried poppies, and we should be good to go."

Robin nodded and set about helping Danny dig through the flowers. Sadly, it seemed that the store didn't sell pre-dried flowers. Though they had some luck, after all, because they sold 'do it yourself' kits. Something pretty useful, when they didn't have time to dry the flowers out themselves. Purchasing the kit, along with the seed packet, Danny found himself outside the store a few moments later. He tapped his foot on the sidewalk as he waited for Robin, who claimed he would buy the flowers, but had wanted to look for something himself while they were there. 

The ravenette didn't have to wait too long. He turned as he heard the door open behind him, Robin carrying a bag in one hand while hiding the other hand behind his back. The teen had no problem finding Danny, walking up to him and handing the bag over. Peeking inside, Danny spotted at least three different types of poppies. Including the type that the book listed, so that was cool. "Perfect." He said, looking back up. Robin remained as he was, one arm flat by his side and the other hidden behind his back. 

Tilting his head, Danny gave the teen a curious look. "Is… everything alright?" He asked, worry building up in his chest. 

"Yes. There is nothing wrong." Even with his calming words, Robin still didn't move. He almost seemed… hesitant. As if he were debating something. Before Danny could ask, the teen huffed out a breath and shoved something at Danny's face.

 Bright red filled his vision, blindsided him for a moment. He brought his hand up, closing around a stem as Robin let it go. Pulling the brightly colored plant away from his face, he stared at the soft petals blankly. It took him a moment to realize that Robin had just given him a flower. And not just Amy flower, but a bright red rose. He couldn't help but blush as he remembered the symbolism it provided.

Clearing his throat, Danny kept his eyes diverted as he willed away his blush. "Thank you." He murmured, running his fingers over the soft petals. 

Robin cleared his throat too, ducking his head slightly. "You're welcome." His reply sounded almost… shy, to Danny. A quick glance revealed that Robin was blushing as well, a shade of red that was complemented by his soft caramel skin tone. 

The door to the flower shop opened with a loud bell chime, startling both teens out of their bashful trance. "We should get going." Danny said quickly, starting down the sidewalk at a hurried pace. 

"I agree, but the apartment is in the other direction." Robin called out to him. Cheeks coloring a deeper red, Danny turned quickly and sped to Robin's side. 

"Right, yeah. I knew that." He mumbled as they walked. Robin's snort told him the teen found that statement hard to believe. Danny resolves to keep his eyes on the sidewalk ahead of him. He totally doesn't smile when Robin's warm hand slips into his colder one. Nor does he squeeze it back. Yeah, totally didn't happen.

—

Cass ducks her head, embarrassed not about the fact that she had been caught, but the fact that it had happened so soon. 

In front of her stood Alfred. In his hands, a bag. Her bag. The one with the mystery gun in it. 

"I don't suppose you have a good explanation for this, do you?" He phrased it like a question. Both of them knew it wasn't. 

"I have an explanation." She signed to the man. He merely lifted an eyebrow at her. Sighing, she explained everything to him. Damian's weird behavior, the boy Dami was trying to romance, the fact that the gun belonged to him. She told him every detail she knew of. It would do her no good to lie, after all. She could lie to her siblings, to Batman, but she could never lie to Alfred. No one could lie to him. It felt like a cardinal sin to even try.

When she was done, he looked over the bag before letting out a little sigh. "I do not think it wise to lie to everyone else." He told her. She ducked her head again. "But," her eyes shot up, silently urging him to go on. "I suppose, as long as no one is hurt and he is safe, I will not tell Master Bruce." She smiled at him as he handed the bag back to her. "Now, if Master Bruce asks, I will not lie to him." He warned her.

"I wouldn't ask you to." She replied immediately. He smiled at her, giving her shoulder a gentle pat.

"I do believe we have other matters to attend to, don't you think?" He asked after a minute. She gave him a confused look, trying to think about anything. "Even should Master Damian fail in his attempts at 'wooing' this boy, I have no doubt he will wind up here at the manor." He explained. "Would it not be best to go ahead and prepare a room for him?"

Cass thought about it for a moment, letting a slow smile spread across her face. Nodding, she followed Alfred up the stairs, letting him lead her to an empty room. The room beside Damian's, to be specific. 

Whipping out her phone, she texts her brother a simple question, getting a response a few minutes later that made her giggle. Alfred looked over at her curiously, so she showed him the message. Reading over it, he chuckled softly before handing the phone back to her. "I believe that can be arranged." 

—

Damian frowned when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Pulling it out, he quickly read over the message Cain had sent. A bit puzzled, but equally curious, Damian popped his head into the kitchen. Danny looked up from where he was carefully pressing Poppies with an old Phone book.

"What's up?" He asked, turning back to the task at hand when he settled back down again. 

"Do you have any hobbies besides potion brewing and universe hopping?" Damian asked the teen. 

He received a surprised noise in response, but no immediate negatives. Instead, Danny looked back up at him curiously. "Uhh, I really like astronomy. Y'know, like the stars and stuff?" Damian nodded and typed a response to Cain's question before settling down across from the teen. 

"Really?" He asked. Danny nodded, a smile working its way onto his face. "Would you tell me more?" If he thought Danny was bright before, he was positively beaming now. In fact, Damian was pretty sure that he was actually glowing, a faint luminous quality about him. 

He spent the next hour listening intently as the teen explained Red Giants to him, enjoying how animated he had become while talking about his passion. 

It was a nice distraction from the fact that they had everything they needed for the potion now. A small part of him had hoped that he might be able to delay a bit longer, but it seemed that it was wishful thinking. 

He pushed all the negative thoughts away, determined to enjoy what time he had left. Even if he was sure that the potion wouldn't affect his feelings, he couldn't help the dread that began to build in his gut. 

Instead, he asked another question about space, focusing solely on the way Danny's fangs reflected the light from his icy blue eyes as he dove into another long-winded explanation about his favorite topic.

Chapter Text

Delicately pulling the last poppy free of the sand-like mixture from the kit, Danny sat back with a sigh. It had taken less time than he thought it would to dry the flowers out, only having to leave them sitting overnight surprisingly, but now he could move on to the next step. Brewing the potion 

Beside him, Robin sat up from where he had been slightly slumped over the table. His gaze was hidden by the sunglasses, but Danny could feel the intensity of his stare as he set about shaking the flowers out. "Alright." He started after a moment, sweeping the grainy substance up with his hand. "Now we can start brewing." 

Robin grunted, standing and gathering the shopping bags as Danny grabbed a pot and set some water to boil. Over the next few minutes, Danny began to carefully measure, grind, and pour the ingredients into the boiling water, stirring as needed. From his position next to him, where he had been handing Danny the ingredients he needed, Robin watched with increasing interest as the liquid began to glow under Danny's administrations. 

A quiet gasp was heard as the kitchenette was cast in warm golden light, the not-quite Latin flowing from Danny's mouth slowly fading out as he brought the potion to a simmer 

Backing off, Danny wiped his brow with the back of his hoodie sleeve. "Whew. Okay, now what?" He questioned himself, dragging his finger along the page that listed the potions process. "It says…" Robin leaned over his shoulder, scowling slightly at the words that only Danny could read. 

He let out a groan as he read the next step. "What? Is something wrong?" Robin asked, his scowl softening into a concerned look.

Sighing, Danny closed the book. "Nothing is wrong per say." He nudged past the teen, heading back over to the stove. "It's just, the next step is a bit… long. And there's no way to really speed it up." As he talks, he grabs a Mason jar from the cabinet, a small churr escaping him as he hunted down its lid. "The potion needs to settle, at room temperature, for three days." He poured the glowing, steaming potion into the jar, hissing slightly at the warmth that met his hands. Quickly, he screwed the lid on tight and put it down on the counter, wrapping a hand towel around the jar to conceal its glow.

Looking over his shoulder, he flashed Robin a nervous smile. To his surprise, the teen didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the news. A small, almost pleased, smile settled on his face. "That doesn't sound too bad." 

Leaning back against the counter, the two fell into silence, Danny awkwardly patting his thighs as he tried to think. "I guess we just… wait now?" He suggested after a few minutes. Robin nodded, following him into the living room. The both sat down on the couch, Robin grabbing a book from the side table. After looking around for something to do himself, Danny grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. 

Flipping through the channels, he finally settled on some sort of news outlet, where he observed what a normal news channel was like. He had to admit, though it was nice to see that the weather report didn't have any mention of dangerous drivers, it was kind of… boring. Nevertheless, he leaned back into the couch and listened to the different stories they reported on. 

He was just beginning to dose off when Robin shut his book with a snap sound he thought only existed in cartoons. Danny sat up as the boy stood, shutting off the TV and grabbing Danny's arm in a firm yet gentle grip. 

"Where are we going?" He asked as the teen lead him out the front door and into the alleyway. A slight chill hung in the air, not that it bothered him. Having an ice core was good for that. He could feel Robin's little shiver at the change, though. 

"Out." Was all the answer he got as the teen pulled him along, down side streets and alleys that were beginning to become familiar. Danny fell silent, following the teen without hesitation. Eventually, Danny found himself in a familiar place. The Batburger that Robin had introduced him to. He didn't have time to ask any questions, because the next minute he found himself in the booth from last time, Robin ordering at the front before joining him again. 

He started to ask why they were back here, but Robin pulled his phone out as soon as he was settled into the cheap pleather seat, typing quickly and scrolling through something with an intense kind of focus. Instead of interrupting, Danny made himself content with tapping his fingers on the tabletop, finding the rhythm a song he half remembers hearing at Dorthea's castle.

Robin didn't look up from his phone as he stood to collect their food, still staring at something as he sat their tray down and gestured for Danny to grab his. It was only after they had both gotten halfway through their respective meals that he finally spoke.

"What do you enjoy doing in your free time?" He asked, finally putting his phone away and turning to face the teen. Even through those sunglasses, Danny could feel the intensity of the boy's stare. 

Danny stuttered for a minute before saying the first thing that came to mind. "Video games." Robin raised his eyebrow. "I mean, I don't usually have a lot of free time, so what time I do have is usually spent relaxing at home, playing games with my friends." He defended. 

"Hmm." The vigilante took another bite from his veggie burger, looking over his phone's screen again. "Are you bothered by cold temperatures?" The teen looked up at him again.

Danny's mind drew a blank. Cold temperatures? "No?" His answer sounded more like a question, but all Robin did was nod before applying himself to his food again. Shrugging to himself, Danny did the same, wolfing down the burger and fries while he tried to puzzle out what Robin was planning. 

When both of their plates were cleared, Robin led Danny out of the restaurant and down a new sidewalk, taking him further into the city. He didn't answer any of the teen's questions as they walked, only giving Danny a slight smile in return to any attempt at getting information. 

It was only when they came to a stop that Danny realized what Robin had planned. "An Ice Rink?" 

"Yes." Robin nodded, pulling him into the large off-white building. "I have heard that this is an acceptable activity for teens." The way he said it made something else click in Danny's head.

"Is this what you were looking up at Batburger?" 

Robin's cheeks turned a light shade of red, answering Danny's question for him. He smiled at the teen, bumping his shoulder slightly as they approached the lobby desk. 

As they paid and waited for the man to return with two pairs of skates, something else came to Danny. 

"Hey, Robin?" The teen cocked his head towards him, making it obvious he was paying attention. "Have you ever… been skating before?"

Robin was quiet for a moment. "No. But I don't think it will be hard. I am, after all, an experienced and adaptable person." Danny held back a small groan at the almost cocky way Robin spoke. Danny remembered that confidence from his first time on the ice. 

His eight year old hubris had taken a mighty fall that day. Jazz still teases him about it, every time it snows.

Danny said nothing to Robin, though. If he, at eight years old, hadn't heeded the advice given to him, then why would a talented, agile teen superhero listen? The only way to learn that lesson was to fall. But just like eight year old Danny, Robin would have someone there to catch him when he did.

—

Damian laced up the sleek black skates he had been given before sitting up, watching with amusement as Danny tied the slightly bulkier white ones he had been handed. Hair in his face and tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth, his fingers moved clumsily over the laces, finally achieving the right know after a moment. 

When Danny stood, so did he, both of them gripping the handrails as they wobbled past the benches and to the ice. Danny reached the ice first, transitioning from unstable to graceful in a few quick slides. The teen did a loop on the ice, heading back towards him as he set the first bladed shoe onto the slippery surface. 

Almost immediately Damian's leg slid forward, the blade having zero traction. Grunting, Damian pulled his leg back towards him before throwing his other leg onto the ice. His skates teetered shakily from one side to the next under his full weight, before collapsing and sending him sliding, belly first, towards Danny. 

Danny was quick to slip out of the way, letting Damian's momentum carry him a bit further out onto the ice. When he finally slid to a stop, he just laid there for a moment, his face burning from more than the ice cold ground. 'You are an ex-assassin, vigilante sidekick to Batman.' He scolded himself, pushing himself to his knees. 'A bit of ice should not be able to best you.' 

"Are you okay?" Danny called out, gliding over and coming to a sharp stop about an arms length from him. 

"Fine." Damian grumbled through gritted teeth. Taking a steadying breath, he pushed himself back to his feet. 

"Are you sure you don't want help?" Danny asks, following close behind him as he tries to push off. His knees shook with the effort of staying up right and keeping his feet from going opposite directions. 

"I'm fine." He repeated, completely focusing on moving his right foot forwards. His left decided that it would be the perfect time to move as well, and Damian once again found himself belly down on the ice. 

From above him, he could hear the concerned noise Danny made as he inched closer. With a defeated sigh, Damian admitted to himself that ice skating was not as easy as it looked. This time, he didn't try to tell Danny that he was fine, allowing the teen to pull him to his feet. 

Part of him expected Danny to let go as soon as he was steady. But he didn't. Instead, Danny held him upright as he slowly skated backwards until Damian could reach out and grip the safety railing himself. "This was a bad idea. We should leave." Damian ducked his head slightly as he began to pull himself along the wall.

"No." He turned around in surprise at Danny's firm response. 

"No?" He echoed the teen, not moving from where he held himself up with the wall as the teen glided up beside him.

"No. You wanted to skate. So we'll skate." 

"But, I do not know how to skate." Damian pointed out. 

Danny smiled brilliantly at him. "That's okay," he said cheerfully. "I'll teach you!" Without waiting for a response, the teen grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the wall.

"Wha- hey!" Damian stammered, his legs beginning to shake again. He grips Danny's arms tightly, not wanting to fall again.

Danny laughed lightly as they moved about, never once faltering when Damian slipped and scrambled for a foothold he wouldn't be able to achieve. 

Eventually, when he felt that his legs would hold him, he let go of Danny's arms. Danny shot him a questioning glance, not letting go of Damian's arms until he nodded. 

Slowly, Danny eased his grip, backing away as Damian stood as still as possible. Both teens considered it a huge success when he didn't begin trembling immediately. Emboldened by his newfound steadiness, Damian tried to push off again. Beneath him, his skates collided as they both slipped under the shift in his weight, sending him back towards the floor. Only this time, Danny didn't get the chance to move out of his way.

His landing was softened by the cold body of his companion, both of them letting out little 'oof's' as they fell. When the world stilled again, Damian found himself sprawled across Danny's chest. Danny himself was starfish-ed on the ice, facing the ceiling. 

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They were too shocked to speak, still processing what had just happened. Damian was the first to recover.

"I-I apologi-" he didn't get far into his apology before he was interrupted. Danny had sat up a few seconds after he had, staring at Damian as he tried to formulate words. But now his head was tipped back, mouth opened. Laughing.

His laughter was airy and soft, yet loud enough to echo all around them in the empty rink. Honestly, it reminded Damian of the sound snow makes as it falls in the dead of night, the little hitches when the flakes hit the window. He found his gaze stuck on Danny's face as the teen bellowed, mesmerized by the carefree expression he had. 

As his laughter faded into hearty chuckles, Danny let his head tip forwards again, meeting Damian's gaze, through the askew sunglasses on his face. A delicate blush spread across his pale cheeks, his eyes softening in a look of fondness that was usually reserved for couples that had been together a long time. 

Damian's sneeze broke their trance. Abruptly, in a slightly startling display of power, Danny levitates off the ice, his skates making a slight clack sound as they settle against the rink once more. Clearing his throat, he offers a hand to Damian. 

"You okay?" He asked as the teen stumbled up. 

"Yes. I'm alright." Damian couldn't help the way he clutched the sleeves of Danny's hoodie. Taking a deep breath, they tried skating again. As Danny pulled him along the ice, he gave tips to help him along. 

"Spread your legs a bit, and don't angle your feet towards or away from each other." He advised, using one of his skates to guide the other teen's feet in the right direction. "There you go. Just like that." His encouragement and praise made it impossible not to preen a bit. With his feet facing the same direction, he slid forwards without much resistance, the blades sliding along the ice instead of cutting like they had before. 

"Alright. Now, to turn, angle one foot in the direction you need, and lean forward a bit." Danny demonstrates as he talks, not letting go of Damian once as he glides them from left to right. "And to circle, aim one foot outwards, and the other at an angle." They moved in a wide circle before straightening out again. "There we go! Now, ready to try this again?" The teen waited for Damian's response as they slid to a slow stop.

Damian hesitated for only a moment before nodding. 'I can do this.' He told himself as Danny slowly released his grip from Damian's wrist, backing out of the way a bit quicker this time, but staying close enough to reach out and grab him should he falter. Luckily, he stayed standing once released, feet angled in the same direction. He started to push off physically with his skate again, but paused. So far, every time he did it that way, he had crashed quite quickly to the ground. Instead, he relaxed his knees slightly and leaned forward, forcing himself not to flinch as he began sliding forwards. 

Damian's body relaxed when he found himself moving slowly, Danny still right beside him. A small sigh escaped him, before he turned one of his feet slightly to the left. Miraculously he didn't crash to the ground, but instead turned slowly in the direction he wanted. The teen couldn't stop a small laugh that escaped him as he began to pick up speed, letting his reflexes take over again as he slowly got the hang of it. 

Beside him, Danny cheered loudly. "You got it!" He shouted, fist bumping the air as a purr rattled from his chest. Distracted, the teen didn't notice the slightly mischievous tone Damian's smile took. Nor did he see the leg that slid his direction. Instead, the rumble in his chest was abruptly cut off with a loud yelp as he hit Damian's leg, flying forwards and landing ungracefully onto the ice.

He whined from his place on the floor. "What was that for?" He grumbled, pushing himself to his knees.

Damian pretended to turn his nose up. "For laughing at me, when you're clearly more experienced at this than I am." His voice held a note of laughter, his eyes sparkling with an unusual light behind his tinted lenses. 

"Excuse me? You're the one that wanted to go skating!" Danny stuck his tongue out in a childish display, huffing good naturedly as he crossed his arms and pouted. 

Damian snorted. "Well, I suppose you have a point there. But you won't get an apology from me." His smirk stretched into a wicked smile. "Unless you can catch me, of course." He challenged the teen.

"Seriously? You couldn't even skate until a minute ago. Do you really think you can beat me in a speed contest?" Danny pushed himself back to his feet, hands on his hips as he cockily grinned. 

"Try me." With that he was off, gliding across the ice in fast, controlled motions. Danny's laugh echoed behind him as he pushed off as well, gaining speed every few minutes as he practically launched himself forward. 

Damian didn't know how long they dodged and weaved around each other on the rink, only that it felt much too soon when the manager told them they would be closing soon. Both he and Danny had a nice sweat going, despite the cold of the air, as they slid over to the exit and sat down to unlace their skates. Neither talked as they put their own shoes back on and returned the skates. It was only when they left that Danny heaved a loud sigh and tossed his arm over Damian's shoulder. "That was awesome!" He exclaimed, leading the teen in the vague direction they had come from. "We should totally do that again sometime!"

Damian ignored the small part that whispered that there probably wouldn't be a next time if he let the teen leave, instead humming his agreement. 

"It's still a bit early." Damian remarked as he nudged Danny in a different direction. Truly, he would rather avoid the diamond district. As clean as it was, there were also more cameras there as well. "Why not do something else before we return?"

"Hmm…" Danny brought one of his hands up to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully as he narrowed his eyes in thought. "I know!" He snapped his fingers and pointed at Damian. "Why don't we catch a movie?"

Damian thought about it for a moment. "I suppose that would work. As long as we don't have to sit through an insufferable romance." He shuddered at the memory of the last romance movie he had been forced to watch. The Notebook was not his favorite from Brown's list, and he would give up his sharpest knife to never hear the title again.

"Deal." Danny said immediately. Plans made, Damian took the lead again, pulling Danny through a shortcut to get there faster. 

In the end, they watched a nice horror/comedy, something with dolls and old cliches that were obviously being made fun of. While it was not one of Damian's top choices, he could not say he hated it. Anything that made Damian able to hear that beautiful laugh was worth suffering through.

—

Jazz slung her bag into the Specter Speeder, looking through all her messages one last time before chucking her phone in after it. Both of her parents had called earlier that day, saying that their trip had been extended slightly. A friend of theirs has met up with them and invited them to another convention, this one a few hours drive from their current one, taking them further from Amity. 

Her father had claimed that they would 'be back before you know it, Jazzy-pants!' But her mother had been a little more realistic, estimating that it would be at least another week and a half, possibly two weeks. Jazz had assured them that it was fine, she would watch Danny while they were gone. Having no reason to suspect anything amiss, her mother had bid her goodbye, asking that she tell Danny that just because it was Summer Vacation, didn't mean he could stay up all night and sleep through the day. 

Sighing, she ran a mental catalogue of what she had packed. Clothes, food, water, a few ecto-weapons, a can of Fenton Pepper Spray, and a Fenton Phone. The Boomerang sat in the back seat, a last resort if she couldn't track her brother down the normal way. A box of ecto-contaminated blueberry scones sat in the passenger seat, a gift for a certain Ghost of Time. 

Jazz knew she wouldn't be able to find the dimension her brother was in without help, and she also knew of Danny's allies as Phantom. If anyone were to know Danny's location, it would be Clockwork, after all. Heck, he was probably already expecting her. 

Not seeing any reason to keep the ghost, or her brother, waiting, she hopped into the Speeder, firing it up and pushing carefully through the ghost portal. A wave of coldness raced through her as she passed into the neon green dimension, forcing a shiver out of her.

 Once through, the craft sped off, following the GPS Tucker had set up for it through the odd floating structures. Getting to the clock tower would take a bit, Jazz knew, so she engaged the autopilot and leaned back. 

She shoved her face into her hands with a loud sigh. 'Oh Danny.' She prayed. 'Please be okay.'

Chapter Text

After what felt like days, but was most likely only a few hours, Jazz saw the clock tower in the distance. A sigh left her as she disengaged the autopilot and took over steering, pressing her foot on the gas pedal just a bit too hard. The Speeder lurched forward, everything inside flying forwards with it, startling her enough to let up on the pedal. Now going at a more appropriate speed, she maneuvered the craft through the green and purple landscape until she reached the tower's small island. 

The doors, wide and tall wooden sheets that fit perfectly into the blocked stone arches, sat open wide. A gesture of welcome, she knew, but the effect was mostly ruined by the fact that the top of the tower was made up of four large stone arches. An easily accessible way into the tower considering the lack of glass panes and general lack of gravity in the 'zone. But a gesture Jazz appreciated. It meant that he knew she was coming, and though his seemingly endless knowledge of everything in and out of the zone made an odd sensation course through her, Jazz also knew that the Ghost of Time wouldn't have opened the doors unless he was willing to help her.

Carefully, she flew the Speeder through the opened doors and landed it on the smooth stone floor. The redhead took a moment to collect herself, while simultaneously praying to whatever entity listening that the Ancient wouldn't be in a 'riddle mood', as Danny called it. Pushing open the door, she straightened her spine and unfolded from the Speeder, blueberry scones in hand. 

Out of the Speeder's sound dampening walls, the sound of ticking grew prominent. The sound reminded her of an echo-y grandfather clock, a sound she remembered from her visits to Grandmama Fenton's as a kid. She followed the sound up the stairs and to the top floor, where she knew the ghost would be.

Just as she predicted, the Ghost of Time floated in the center of the room, a small smile visible on his cloaked face as he watched his screens. She only had a moment to catch the look before he turned his head towards her. "Right on time." He chuckled as he waved his hand, all of his screens going dark. Gesturing with his hands he invited Jazz deeper into his layer. "Would you like to join me for some tea?" He asked.

He shifted from man to a child as he led her over to a small nook, a tea set already placed on the table. Jazz handed the scones over to the ghost as she tucked herself into one of the wooden chairs, smiling pleasantly as he opened the box and hummed in appreciation. She watched as he settled on the other side of the table and poured her a cup of tea. Taking the moment to organize her thoughts, the woman busied herself in doctoring the tea with sugar and cream, ignoring the worrying green tint as she took a small test sip before nodding to herself and taking a longer drink.

Across from her, Clockwork did the same, meticulously spooning in sugar and cream into his cup before stirring and Sipping.

Jazz let the silence continue for a moment before setting her cup down on the matching saucer it had come from. "As lovely as this is," She began, "I'm afraid that I'm not here on a social call."

Clockwork nodded. "Yes. You're looking for young Daniel, aren't you?" He phrased it like a polite question, but Jazz knew that that wasn't the case here. Nothing this being said could be taken at face value, Danny had warned her of that the first time she met him.

She nodded, taking another sip of her tea. "Yes. He took a trip to another dimension, hoping to try something he found. He was supposed to come back yesterday, but hasn't. If he were anyone else, I wouldn't worry, but. Well, he's Danny." They both shared a small smile at that statement. "But, I'm sure you already know that." She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to say otherwise. 

The ghost let out a small laugh as he shifted back into an old man. "I am well aware of Daniel's situation, yes." He admitted to her. "But I can assure you that your brother is in no danger."

"While I believe you, I would still rather talk to my brother myself." Jazz bit back a sigh and prayed the ghost would help her without a fuss. Most of the ghosts Danny had introduced her to hadn't been as kind, let alone patient, when it came to favors. 

The ghost took another sip of his tea before floating out of his chair. When Jazz started to stand, he gestured for her to remain seated. "Excuse me for just a moment." His incorpreal body tilted towards her as if to mock a bow before he dipped through the floor.

When he floated back up, now carrying a sheet of paper, the woman had a scone lifted to her mouth. It was quickly set down on her plate, forgotten the moment it left her hand. Instead, she found her full attention on the ghost.

"Before anything else," his form shifted back to that of a young adult, the paper being carefully hidden behind his back. Not as effective when you're not solid, but Jazz gave him an A for effort. 

She had already prepared herself to accept some sort of deal from this meeting, so his words didn't surprise her all that much. Instead, she tilted her head and waited for him to continue.

"When the time is right, give this to the young Robin that follows your brother." He brought the paper out from behind him and handed it to her. The toxic green paper was old, almost scroll-like in its age, and had what looked to be some sort of summoning circle etched carefully into it. 

Gently tracing the inked lines, she looked back at him. "What is this?" She asked curiously. 

He was silent for a moment. "You already know what it is." He told her. "But, if you really want a hint, I suppose you could say that it is a failsafe. Should you find your brother in an unreachable spot." His cryptic words made her frown slightly, but she filed it away for now. 

"Is there anything else I should know?" She asked instead. The ghost hummed as he floated back towards his screens, the grandfather clock in his chest ticking slightly louder as he shifted back into an infant. 

"Your brother will have a difficult decision to make soon. And he will try to make it himself, without having all the information." 

His serious tone was out of place, contradicted by his current form, but Jazz ignored the part of her that shifted uncomfortably. "When he comes to you for advice, and he will come to you, tell him to follow his heart. His heart leads to the best outcome." 

Jazz puzzled over that bit of information. The way the ancient phrased it almost made it sound like Danny was in love or something. Then again, knowing Danny, he probably was in love. A troubling fact when he had left home with a love potion of all things, but surely Clockwork would tell her if it was important? 

Standing, Jazz moved towards the old ghost. "I'll do what you ask." She told him honestly. He nodded, his seriousness dissipating slightly. 

"Very well then. You'll find a clear path to the Dimension you seek just outside the clock tower. If you wish to catch it, I suggest you hurry. I'm afraid that this is as much as I can help you, though."

"This is more than enough." Jazz told him as she speedwalked to the stairs. "Thank you, Clockwork." 

She was down the stairs before he could respond, missing how he turned back towards the screens observing as Daniel grabbed at someone's hand, fingers covered in salt and oil. She missed the secret smile that grew on his face as he watched the scene play out. 

Jazz found the portal he meant as she drove out of the clock tower, a large and strangely colored swirl that broke up the usual green and purple of the Realms. A deep, midnight blue color that was covered in wisps of black and gray, almost smoke-like in the way they swirled. 

She didn't even hesitate to drive straight into it. The sensation of exiting the zone rippled through her, making her veins buzz and her ears ring slightly. Scrunching her nose at the feeling, she shook her head slightly and looked around her new surroundings. 

The first thing she saw was concrete. Gritty gray floors, and metal walls. Light filtered in through dirt stained windows near the roof, illuminating abandoned pallets and ripped tarps. She knew a warehouse when she saw one. 

Grabbing her bag, she hopped out of the Speeder before turning back and snagging the keyring. A few button presses, and the vehicle vanished from sight with a singular beep! Even after watching Danny and Tucker work on that feature, she still felt the tingle of amazement watching the hunk of metal fade from view without so much as an outline.

Turning away from the marvel, she wandered around the dust-covered space until she found an exit, leading her into the salt and smog tainted air of a city's docks. Her eyes burned at the pollution, but she adjusted to it quickly. Wiping her eyes and fighting the newly appearing itch in her throat, she walked towards the high-rise city in the distance.

It didn't take her long to reach the city, and barely an hour into her arrival she found herself wandering the filth-ridden alleyways it had to offer. Her bag thumped rhythmically against her back and the Boomerang digging uncomfortably into her spine as she traversed the underbelly of the city in her quest. 

It was only hours later, when she was beginning to question if Clockwork had sent her to the right place, that she felt it. It was faint, as if a distant echo, but it was undoubtedly something Ghost related. She paused, closing her eyes and stretching her senses out in search of the source. North of her, about seven blocks. The feeling of creeping frost that was cold, yet it was accompanied by the sensation of a warm hug. Her brother's presence, she knew immediately. She lived with him, after all. It was a feeling that accompanied every morning at breakfast, a greeting after coming home from school. 

Jazz took a moment to sigh in relief, before focusing back in on her brother's presence. It was moving, she realized after a moment, heading further into the city at a steady pace. Frowning, she tried to focus in closer, pick up a path or something he could be walking. 

Her concentration was interrupted by a warning from her other sense blaring his her mind. Eyes snapping open, she ducked and spun, throwing one of her legs low to sweep the legs of her attacker. Her foot struck true, sending the would-be mugger stumbling backwards with a pained huff as his breath left his lungs. 

Readjusting, she dropped into a loose fighting stance, waiting for the man to right himself and come at her again before diving, sliding past him and kicking a pressure point behind his knee. Her attacker dropped, clutching his leg and groaning in pain. 

He apparently had no sense of when a fight was lost, as he stumbled back tonhis feet rather quickly, his leg threatening to buckle as he charged at her. Sidestepping his clumsy attempt at a punch, she delivered one of her own to the side of his jaw, the bone under her fist making a slight cracking noise that she could only hear with her slightly enhanced sense of hearing. 

The man dropped for a final time, out cold as a deep purple began to form in the shape of her knuckles. Jazz couldn't stop the satisfied huff that escaped her as she stepped dantily over the man. Her satisfaction quickly turned to annoyance, as she realized that the fight had allowed her brother to become out of reach of her enhanced sense. With a dissaointed sigh, she turned back the way she came, disappearing easily into the long shadows as she made her way back to the Speeder for the night. 'I'll try again in the morning.' She told herself. Her chest ached at being so close yet so far from her brother.

—

Jason stood on the rooftop overlooking an alleyway, his jaw hanging open as he watched the tall, redheaded Goddess of a woman dissappear into the shadows. Shaking his head clear, he dropped down into the alley and made his way over to the criminal. 

A kidnapper, one he had been tracking for a while after busting a human trafficking ring about a week back, layer out by a beautiful woman. The irony didn't escape the anti-hero, a dry smirk overlaying his face. He let out a low whistle of appreciation as he caught sight of the deep purple and blue bruise on the man's jaw, shaped almost like a heart. There was no way the man had escaped this fight without a fracture at the very least.

Quickly tying the man up and setting a signal for the police to follow, he turned back to the direction she had walled off in. There was zero sign she had even been there, besides the goon she downed. Hurrying up to the rooftops didn't wield any answers either, no trace of the woman anywhere. He wanted to search for her, get her name, 'Maybe her number too…' but he was called away by Oracle hacking into his comm and redirecting hum to an armed robbery in progress. 

He hoped to find her again, but for now he had a job to do. Besides, if she was going around taking down petty criminals like a pron he had no doubt they would cross paths again. Especially if she kept wandering around Crime Alley at night.

—

Danny felt something at the edge of his consciousness, a slight tugging that was familiar to him. Before he could try and focus on it however, a warm hand latched onto his, causing his chest and face to warm, while sending his brain into another small meltdown. He wasn't sure exactly when he started to have this reaction to Robin's touch, but no amount of telling himself that it was just logical to hold hands while walking around a dangerous city at night calmed his racing heart. 

'Stop it.' He told himself. 'In three days he will probably lose all romantic feelings for you.' His heart clenched painfully at the thought, but Danny refused to let what if's cloud his judgment right now. If it was all temporary, then he would just enjoy it while it lasted.

—

Back in the ghost zone, Clockwork smiled at his screens. Everything was happening just as it should be.

Chapter Text

The next day started much like the first. Robin was up earlier than him, but not by much. A pot of tea was brewing, and the teen was watching some bubbling oatmeal cautiously, spoon held like a weapon. Danny blinked at the scene before him sleepily before sitting down at the table. 

He must have dozed back off, because the next time he opened his eyes was when Robin sat a bowl and mug down in front of him. Rubbing his eyes blearily, Danny let out a yawn and stretched, a chirp of thanks humming in his chest as he dug in. Both boys ate in comfortable silence, the only noise the scraping of spoons against the bottom of their bowls.

"Huh," Danny blinked down at his empty bowl. "I usually don't like oatmeal. That was really good." The boy across from him flushed and preened slightly at the praise.

"Of course it's good," he said in a slightly monotone voice. "It's Alfred's recipe." It was obvious that the teen was forcing his tone to sound normal, not that Danny noticed. 

"Well, you'll definitely have to teach me to make it some time. Jazz is always saying I need to eat healthier." Danny hummed as he stood, taking both of their empty bowls and washing them in the sink.

"Who is 'Jazz'?" Robin asked. The jealousy in his tone was hidden well, though his tense shoulders would have anyone noticing it. Fortunately for the teen, Danny's back was to him. 

"Oh, Jazz is my older sister. She's away at college most of the time, but she always visits me when she can. She calls every night too." Danny's core purred quietly as he thought of his sister. The purring died down when he realized that he hadn't tried to contact her at all since being kidnapped. 

"Crap." Was all he could really say as he set the dishes on the drying rack and hurried to the living room, wiping his wet hands on his shirt as he went.

Robin made a confused and slightly concerned noise behind him, following closely as he began to dig through his bag. "Is everything alright?" The teen asked.

"Umm, maybe?" Danny answered uncertainly as he rummaged through his belongings. A frustrated hiss escaped him as he came up empty for what he needed. "Double crap. I left my phone back at home." He dropped his face into his palms as he groaned. "Jazz is gonna kill me." He muttered quietly.

Apparently loud enough for Robin to hear, though. The teen crou he'd beside him, looking over the scattered objects as Danny began to shove them back into his bag. "Why would she 'kill' you?" He asked. 

Danny let out a nervous laugh. "Because I was supposed to be home by now? And I haven't contacted her to let her know I was staying longer?" His voice was light, but the dread that colored it was quite obvious. 

Robin was silent for a minute. "I doubt she would hurt you," he said eventually. "Not if she's as good a sibling as you say she is." He placed a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder, the warmth of it tingling through his body and triggering an involuntary purr to start up. Robin flinched slightly in surprise, but didn't remove his hand. 

Danny was quick to stifle the reaction, his face going red from embarrassment. "Danny…" the teen started. "You can purr?"

Danny groaned again, burying his face in his hands in an effort to hide himself. He would have turned intangible and slipped through the floor, if not for the warm hand still planted firmly on his shoulder. "If I say no, would you believe me?" He asked instead.

A small snort was all the answer he needed. Lifting his head back up, he turned towards the teen. "So, what are we doing today?" He asked, quite bluntly changing the subject. 

The smirk on Robin's face made it obvious that the teen knew what he was doing. He had mercy on him though, considering Danny's question.

"I chose yesterday." He pointed out. "So… what would you like to do today?"

His question stumped Danny for a moment. Considering, it only took Danny a few moments to come up with an idea. "How about an arcade?"

Robin made a face of distaste, but nodded in agreement anyways. Danny noticed almost immediately, a sour feeling in the air that only he could feel. "What's the matter?" He asks with a frown. "If you don't want to go to the arcade, I can think of something else."

Robin just shook his head. "I assure you, my distaste has nothing to do with your suggestion." At Danny's disbelieving look, he elaborated. "I've only been to one once. It was… not the best experience I've had. A group from my class invited me, and my older brother encouraged me to go." His lip curled slightly in distaste from the memory. "The only reason that they invited me in the first place was because they believed that they could convince me to cover the day. When I said no, they proceeded to leave, and I had to call my brother to pick me up."

"That's horrible!" Danny wasn't quite sure which he felt more. Sympathy for the teen, having had his fair share of bullies, or anger, for the way they treated him? In the end, he landed on sympathy, trying to plan out where else they could go. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Robin replied simply. "I got my revenge easily enough." At Danny's curious look, he shared a secretive and slightly sadistic smile. "After the 'incident', all parties involved, besides myself, found themselves suspended, grounded, and blacklisted from quite a few prestigious colleges." Danny blinked at the teen in surprise. "A bit more tame then what I would have done in the past, but effective enough to make a statement." He added catching the shocked look on Danny's face. 

Danny grinned at the teen. "Nice." Was all he could really get out, his mind wandering a bit. Finally, he came to a decision. "So, then you've never really had a full arcade experience, huh?"

Robin's eyebrow quirked, a look that screamed 'that's what you took from my story?' plastered to his face. Nonetheless, he nodded. "No, I can't say that I have." He admitted.

Danny's smile grew. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to fix that." Jumping to his feet, the teen slung his bag around his shoulder before grabbing Robin's hand and hauling him up as well. "Robin, I'm going to show you just how fun an arcade can be!" Without letting the teen respond, Danny led him out of the apartment and through three different alleyways. 

Coming to a stop at the intersection, Danny tossed an almost shy look at the teen he had manhandled outside. "Uhh, which way is the arcade?" He asked.

His bashful question startled a bark of laughter from Robin, before he took the lead, pulling Danny in the complete opposite direction he had been headed.

—

Damian watched Danny as he collected two cups of coins from the teen behind the prize counter, sending a smile of thanks to the bored looking teen that slumped behind it as he made his way back. Returning to the teen's side, Danny handed him one of the cups before pointing towards the variety of different games. 

"Okay," he started. "So we use these coins to play the games, right? And if we win, we get tickets." He explained. Damian already knew this, having had the same conversation with Grayson when he had been here the first time. He nodded along anyways, listening intently as though it was the first time he had heard it. 

"And if we get enough tickets, we can exchange them for prizes." Danny turned him back towards the counter, the shelves behind the glass case and along the wall aligned with a variety of different trinkets. There were also a fair share of plushies, many different sizes and makes lining the upper and middle shelves. "The lower the prize is, the less tickets they cost. Things like toy rings or candy cost five to ten tickets, cars and small figurines about twenty five." He continued, pointing to the prizes as he mentioned them. "Those small stuffed animals and toys cost about fifty to seventy five tickets each. The price will keep going up until you reach the top shelf. Their biggest prize, that huge stuffed bear, costs about twenty thousand tickets." 

The amount of tickets was quite large, especially for something he could buy himself just down the road, but he refrained from pointing that out. The excited light in Danny's eye was too bright to be squashed so callously. And with the way the teen eyed the plushie, like it was some sort of personal challenge, made Damian partially sure that they would end up leaving with it.

"Easy enough." Damian said, when he noticed the silence that had descended between them. Danny's smile was almost blinding, despite the lack of bright lights in the building, as well as the sunglasses that had become an almost constant fixture since he had received them. 

"Alright!" Danny grabbed onto his sleeve. "What do you wanna try first?" For the next three hours they played many different games, from air hockey to packman to skee ball, and just about everything in between. They were all relatively easy to play, and seemed to be a great way of gaining tickets. 

Danny was particularly good at most games, beating high scores left and right, and even beating his own scores when he replayed one that he deemed fun.

 Personally, Damian didn't care much for the arcade cabinets, despite playing the ones that did catch his attention. Not all of the games were bad, though. He found himself playing more of the physically active games as time went on, games like Dance Dance and basketball. 

When the two ran out of coins, they moved on to playing some of the cash only games. Majority of them were claw machines, small toys and candy in some, though most were filled with plushies. Damian didn't like them very much, only able to win a Keychain and ghost plush set after his fifth try.

Danny had more luck with the grab games, winning quite a few animal plushies with only a twenty dollar bill. When asked how he did it mainly by younger children, he would wink and tell them that it was a practiced skill, one that took him years to develop. Damian knew better though, having felt the slight chill in the air and seeing the almost imperceptible way Danny's fingers phased into the toggle. He said nothing about it, especially after being handed the first of many animal-themed toys. A particularly soft cat plush from one of the farm animal themed machines. 

It was two hours past lunch when they finally headed for the counter. A new teen stood slouched over behind the casing, bright pink gum popping loudly as she examined their tickets separately. Deeming them legitimate, the girl fed them through the ticket counter before handing both boys a slip of paper.

In the ticket area, Danny had Damian soundly beat. Whereas Damian had stuck to more active games, Danny had played all manner of games. So it was no surprise when Danny had about four thousand more tickets than he did.

"What prize do you want?" The girl asked them. Looking between each other, Danny motioned for Damian to go first. 

The teen nodded before looking over the different prizes that were offered. He had an impressive amount of tickets, not quite enough to get the large bear, but enough to get just about anything else. Thinking it over, Damian pointed to a decorative white box, one with a small cartoon ghost peeking around the corner. "That one will do." He told the girl. 

She popped the bubblegum in her mouth rather loudly, looking at his slip of paper before nodding and handing it to him. "Anything else? You've still got, like, twenty left." Another quick glance at the cheaper prizes had him pointing out two little plastic rings, one with a gaudy green jewel and the other with a frosty, sleek jewel. She added the two rings to his bag before sliding it over to him. "Thank you for playing. Have a nice day." The girl recited in a bored voice, waving him away from the counter before turning to Danny. 

Leaving Danny to his pick, Damian walked out to the lobby. Almost immediately, the sound from inside the arcade was dampened. A sigh escaped him as he leaned against the ugly red and blue wallpaper, settling in to wait.

He didn't have to wait long. A total of five minutes later, and Danny was stumbling out the door, the noise rising and falling again as it swung closed behind him. It took Damian a moment to realize it was him, though. The only visible part of him were his legs and his arms, the rest of him was blocked by the large, fluffy, black furred bear. 

Danny peeked around the comically large bear, looking around the lobby before his eyes locked with Damian's. He visibly perked up before trotting over, reminding Damian of a puppy in his actions. Stopping in front of him, Danny shoved the large bear into his arms, looking satisfied and just a bit smug, a fang peeking from his grin.

Damian couldn’t help the small smile that pushed at his usually stoic expression. Rubbing one of the bear's vibrant red paws, he looked at Danny over the toy's head. "Thank you." He said simply.

Danny nodded, a proud smile on display, before grabbing Damian's hand and leading him to the exit. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" He bounced a little as he walked, cheerful and full of energy. Damian allowed himself to be tugged along as Danny looked around the different shops and stores that lined the sidewalk. Spotting what he was looking for, the teen picked up his pace. Damian saw what he was headed for just a few moments before they got there. 

A small Mom-and-Pop style café sat tucked between a hair salon and a clothing store, two outside tables with umbrellas sitting near the entrance. Opening the door, both of the boy's were met with the smell of warm baked goods and coffee. Danny's shoulders relaxed in a way that he only saw when the teen was tucked away in the apartment. An almost dazed look overcame his face as his nose twitched, the teen smelling the air. 'Enhanced sense of smell?' Damian couldn't help but wonder as they picked a seat, a booth towards the back corner of the establishment, and sat down. A waitress walked over after a minute, a brunette that appeared to be in her twenties, and stopped by their booth with her notepad in hand. "What can I get for you gentlemen today?" She asked in a friendly tone, looking between both of them and their bags from the arcade.

"Hmm." Danny rubbed his chin. "Can I get a chef salad and a lemonade?" He asked after a moment. 

She nodded and jotted the order down before looking at Damian. "And you?"

Damian glanced over the menu's vegetarian options. "A fruit salad with a lemonade as well." He decided. Another nod as she wrote quickly.

"Will that be all?" The two teens glanced at each other before nodding. "Alrighty then! We'll have that out to you in just a few minutes!" With a final smile and nod at them, she walked quickly to the counter, handing her note to someone in the kitchen before turning to clean up a table that had just been vacated. 

They sat in silence as they waited for their food, Damian watching as Danny rummaged through the cheap plastic bags from the arcade. He made that purring noise again as he looked over all the stuffed animals and animal themed keychains that he had gotten Damian from the claw games. A small chuckle escaped the teen as he ran his finger over a raven-themed Keychain. At Damian's curious look, he held it between them. 

Damian snorted at the words printed in white over the cartoonish avian. Birds before nerds! The raven had a pair of glasses in its talons, a smug look curving its beak. It was one of his favorites that Danny had won, and once he got back to the manor, he intended to put it on his schoolbag. 

The waitress returned with their salads and lemonade, and the two teens applied themselves to their meals. "So," Danny started after a minute, both of them about half way through their food. "What do you want to do now?"

The teen chewed another mouthful thoughtfully as he considered all the options he had. Swallowing, he had an idea. "What about the local animal shelter?" He suggested.

Danny raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look like he hated the idea. "Sounds fun. I love animals!" Scooping another mouthful, he munched and swallowed before continuing. "Though, If you want to adopt a pet, I would suggest waiting until after the love potion isn't affecting you anymore."

Damian rolled his eyes. "For your information, I am fully capable of taking care of a pet. I happen to have quite a few back home." Did the bats in the bat Ave technically count as pets? Damian decided that they did, just for the argument's sake. And it's not like he's lying even if they didn't count. Titus, Alfred the cat, and Batcow all counted as well. "Though, I was thinking we could just volunteer there for the rest of the evening. I often give the shelters a hand when I'm not busy."

Danny smiled and nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan!" He then proceeded to speed-eat, consuming his salad at such a fast pace, Damian was quite sure he could out-eat a speedster. Damian followed at a slower pace, having no desire to choke.

When they were done, Damian signaled for the bill, leaving an extra thirty as a tip to the woman. 

The two of them decided to stop by the apartment before heading to the animal shelter, dropping off their stuff before leaving again. Like most of the last few days, Damian intertwined his fingers with Danny's, leading him down the paths that would help them avoid Oracle as much as possible. 

The shelter was the same as it always was, a bland white and gray brick building with two glass doors. A bell rang above them when Damian pushed in, making one of the attendants behind the desk perk up. The woman, having worked there for as long as Damian had been visiting, recognized him immediately. "Welcome back. We weren't expecting you until this weekend!" She greeted him as they approached the desk. The woman glanced at Danny. "Ah? You brought a friend?" Her eyes flickered down to their hands for a second. "Well, if you're here to help out, we'd appreciate it." She told him, handing him the sign-in sheet and a pen. "Two of our volunteers called in sick today, so we could use the extra hands." She winked at him as she took the paper back, now with two new names. "You know the drill by now, yeah? Get dressed and meet me in the kennel room." With that she left, disappearing behind the employee only door. 

Danny looked around curiously as Damian led him through a different set of doors, stopping at a table to grab a pair of gray work pants and a white apron. Danny took a set as well, and Damian led him to the bathroom. "You can go first." The teen said, leaning against the wall beside the door. 

"Thank you." Damian nodded and headed in. 

"So." He heard Danny through the door. "You volunteer here a lot?" 

"Yes, I do." He answered, pulling his head through the apron's neck piece. "I usually work on Saturdays. It's one of the activities that my siblings allow me to do without constant supervision." 

"Ah," the teen shuffled slightly outside as Damian quickly switched his jeans for the soft work pants. "I guess you have a lot of siblings then, huh? Or just one or two with a lot of free time."

A scoff escaped him as he readjusted the beanie. "As if Father would allow them to skimp off any physical work." A snort could be heard from the other side of the door. "No, I do have quite a few adopted siblings. I am the only blood son, though I am also the youngest. They rarely like doing anything alone, because of some misguided notion that my age makes me vulnerable."

"Ugh, tell me about it." Danny groaned. Damian pulled the door open, letting Danny slip past him and close the door again. He took the teen's spot leaning against the wall. "My sister found out about my less than human attributes, and my ghostly activities, and now she's constantly butting in." He ranted, his voice muffled by more than the door. "It's like, yeah I did something stupid that changed my life once, but I've grown since then, y'know? I love my sister with all my soul, and I appreciate the help and support she gives me. But I do not need a babysitter!" Grunting as fabric rustled, along with the thump, thump of shoes hitting the floor. "At least she's gotten a bit better at it. I'm honestly surprised she hasn't tried to track me down here yet."

"She can do that?" Damian couldn't help but ask. 

"Yeah, she knows people in the 'zone who should have no trouble finding me." The door swung open, revealing a slightly disheveled teen in all his glory. 'Cute,' Damian thought, moving closer to fix the boy's hair. 

Danny swatted playfully at his hands but didn't stop him straightening the wild locks of hair that fell across his face and stuck up in every direction. 

Once he was satisfied, he grabbed the teen's hand and led him through the halls until they wandered into the kennels. The woman was standing there, notepad in hand, as she jotted things down. Her head shot up as they entered. 

"There you two are!" She smiled at them. "I was almost afraid you got lost back there." Damian scoffed at the notion, but said nothing as the woman flipped back towards the beginning of her notepad. With a quick jerk over her wrist, the page was torn free and held out in their direction. "Here, your tasks for today." She told them. "I'll be in the front, restocking and logging. Have fun~" her voice turned almost songlike as she left them alone once again. 

Danny let out a hum as he examined the list. "Alright. Looks like we're on cleaning duty first." He looked over at Damian, awaiting instruction.

Damian nodded. "Over here," he led Danny to a supply closet, handing him a broom and dustpan. Danny took them, watching as Damian pulled on a pair of gloves. The two then proceeded to work in companionable silence, tidying up the empty kennels while the dogs parked in the yard out back. 

They were about halfway done when Danny asked him something. "You said you had pets at home, right?" 

Damian paused where he was drying out one of the dog dishes, the two having moved to the sinks. "Yes, I did mention that." He set the bowl down and moved onto the next one. "There's Titus, my dog. Alfred, a cat that I named after our butler-"

"You have a butler?" Danny interrupted. 

Damian glared at the teen half heartedly. The raven haired boy ducked his head. "Sorry." He mumbled before pulling his head back up and gesturing for the teen to continue, sending suds flying to the other side of the sink.

Shaking his head at the teens' antics, Damian answered his question. "Yes, he has been my father's butler and caretaker since he was a child. I mentioned him this morning, did I not?"

"Oh yeah!" Danny snapped his soap-covered fingers. "He's the one with the really good oatmeal recipe, right?"

Damian nodded. "Yes, that's him. Anyways, Alfred the cat was named after him, and the last pet I have is a cow." Danny opened his mouth, a confused look on his face, but decided against it and let Damian continue. "She has a black bat-shaped spot on her chest, which is how she got her name." A small smile worked its way onto his face at Danny's curious glance. 

"What's her name?" He asked. 

He kept himself from glancing at the teen. "Batcow, of course." 

"Batcow?" The teen repeated, dubiously. Damian nodded, picking up another bowl. “Is there a hidden reason that that is so funny?” He asked.

“Considering the fact that Father is a vigilante that dresses as a bat to fight his rogues, I would say yes. There is a reason that the name is considered ‘funny’ amongst my siblings.” 

The teen was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information he was just given as he scrubbed the metal dishes. Then, he groaned loudly, dropping his head again and mumbling something into his chest. 

“Pardon?” Damian cast him a slightly concerned look, eyeing the awkward position his neck was in. It took a minute for him to lift his head again, his face stained red in embarrassment as he avoided eye contact.

“I can't believe that I technically kidnapped you first.” He said. Damian cocked his head to the side, considering the teen for a moment. 

“How so?” He honestly didn’t know what the teen was talking about.

Danny gave him a blank look. “When we first met I dragged you into a secluded, wooded area. How is that not kidnapping?” 

Damian mulled it over in his head. “I suppose that is kidnapping.” He agreed, “But why bring this up now?” 

The teen turned even redder, something Damian wouldn’t have thought possible. “I- may have dragged you away because I thought your dad was some sort of villian.” He admitted quietly. 

Damian blinked at the teen before a snort of laughter broke free. He managed to reign himself in quite quickly, his shoulders still shaking with suppressed chuckles. He didn’t blame the teen, how could Danny have possibly known? He wasn’t familiar with the Heros and Villains of this dimension. However, the thought of Father, Bringer of Justice and Hope, perceived as a villain almost instantly, was very humorous. 

However, that brought up another question. “If you thought that Father was a villain, then what did you think of me?” 

The blush on Danny’s face lessened slightly. “Well, I thought that you were a hero.” He said truthfully. “I mean, you were dressed in bright colors, and you fell from the sky. Honestly, I would have been extremely worried if you hadn’t been a hero.” 

Damian found himself blushing slightly as he thought over the teen’s words. “So, you thought that Father was one of my rogues?” 

“Yeah, I did.” His face had turned back to its original pallor as he finally met Damian’s eye. “I mean, you seem pretty capable. It didn’t seem like that much of a stretch, did it?” Damian didn’t answer him, his own blush growing as a pleasant warmth grew in his chest. He liked the fact that the teen didn’t doubt his abilities just because of his age. Ignoring the way his face flushed at the unintentional praise, he reached into the sink for another bowl. Only, the sink was empty, and Danny was draining his sink of its murky water. 

“Done already?” The voice of the shelter’s manager made Danny jump slightly beside him. Damian didn’t react, simply turning around and nodding. She let out an impressed whistle. “That was fast. Good job, you two!” She patted Danny on the back and gave Damian a nod of approval. “Well, if you two are planning to stick around, you could help feed the new litter that was brought in this morning.”

Damian couldn’t help the hopeful glance he shot at Danny, he was just slightly surprised that the teen mirrored his expression. “We’d like to help.” He told the woman. She nodded and led the two to another room, this one filled with blankets, cat posts, and toys. There was only one box in the room, and both Damian and Danny could hear what was in it the moment they walked in. They spent the next half hour feeding the kittens, which couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old if their sizes were anything to go by. 

After the kittens were fed, both boys were free to interact with the shelter’s inhabitants. It was then that Damian found another thing to love about Danny. All the animals loved him. One gentle touch had the most skittish dogs dropping into playful stances, one well-placed scratch making the most feisty cats into purring lumps of clingy fur. ‘He can’t get any more perfect.’ Damian couldn’t help but think as he watched the teen be swarmed by small, warm bodies, musical giggles and purrs echoing from him. 

The sun was setting behind the smog-swamped skyline by the time they finally pulled themselves away from the shelter. As they walked, Damain turned to Danny. “Have you always been that good with animals?” He asked. 

“Ah, no. Not really. I was about the same as anyone else when it came to animals, I guess?” He shrugged. “After my, uh, ‘Accident’, they just sort of, started to like me? It’s like we just sorta, click, on a spiritual level.” His face scrunches up at the mention of this ‘Accident’, but he powers on before Damian can ask. “It doesn’t work with all animals, of course. Usually just ones that are used to people. Like pets. But wild animals react to me the same way they react to anyone else. It's kinda why I got so excited about the love potion.” He was blushing again, Damian noted. 

“Have you ever had a pet?” Damian asked, the teen having fallen silent. 

“No.” He sighed. “I always wanted a dog when I was little, but my house was never safe for one.” 

“What do you mean? How was your home too dangerous for a pet?” Damian couldn’t imagine a household that was safe for children, but unsafe for a pet.

Danny’s shoulders slumped, a tired yet bored look resting on his face. “My parents are ‘Ecto-biologists, scientists that study ghosts and what they’re made of. Though they aren’t very good scientists, most of their work is really biased. But the reason I couldn’t have a pet was less about their researching habits, and more to do with their non-existent lab safety.” He gripped his left arm tightly as he spoke. “Our house was basically ground zero for ecto-radiation. It probably doesn’t help that they built a portal to a dimension made primarily of the stuff in the basement.”

Damian knew that most people would probably be horrified, hearing this. But he grew up not too far from a glowing green pit that healed the weak, killed the healthy, and cursed any survivors with unbridled rage. Still, at least Grandfather had put guards around them, safeguards that kept just anyone from accessing the dangerous waters. Danny’s parents, in comparison, were complete idiots.

There is no way that Damian is letting the teen return to a place like that. Even if the cure does rid him of the romantic attraction he feels, there is no way he could just allow someone to go back to such a dangerous situation. His vigilante persona wouldn’t allow it.

The rest of the walk was quiet, Danny heading straight for the shower as Damian rummaged through the cabinets for a sufficient dinner. A few cans of tomato soup later, Damian found himself sitting at the table as a pot simmered behind him. He found himself staring at his phone, wanting to share the new information he had with his one confidant, but not wanting to share anything that Danny wanted to stay between them. 

In the end, he sent a few pictures he had taken during the day.

___

 Cass pulled her phone out of her pocket, turning away from the sight of Tim slumped over the Batcomputer’s keyboard. Replacing his death wish with decaf was Alfred’s idea, but it had been her that had been adding small doses of melatonin to his power snacks. Both together had seen the teen passed out in less than an hour, a cozy blanket draped over him as he slept. 

An attachment from Damian sat in her messages, and a tap had her smiling brilliantly. All in all, there were about fifteen pictures, all of them featuring the raven haired beauty her youngest brother was absolutely enamored with. Some, he was focused on one arcade game or another. In the others, he was covered in animals, all of them staring at the boy adoringly as he pet and played with them. 

She sent a string of encouraging emojis before slipping her phone back into her pocket and making her way stealthily out of the cave. With both her and Alfred, Tim was going to be out of commission for a day or two at the least, but Tim wasn’t the only one of her siblings that were focused on this case. The only question on her mind as she wandered into the kitchen, ‘How am I going to distract Dick?’

___

Red Hood frowns down at his screen, reading over the messages that Oracle had sent him. Apparently Demon Brat was missing, having disappeared after being thrown by Killer Croc during a daylight fight, only showing up on a few cams around the city before a semi-violent encounter with Nightwing that didn’t end with anyone getting stabbed. 

He wasn’t necessarily concerned, he knew the demon could take care of himself, but the other bats were freaking out trying to find the kid. He told them he would keep an eye out for him, and he would. But right now he was a bit more hung up on something else.

He couldn’t seem to get the image of that red haired Goddess out of his head. He hadn’t been able to find a trace of her since that night, any possible cam she could have crossed conveniently going off-line that night, and no eye-witness reports after she had taken down his target. It was like she had just… disappeared. It left the detective in him unsettled, itching to find something, anything. 

Sighing, Jason turned back to his laptop screen. Something else he needed to check out, the alarms in one of his safe houses had been disarmed, along with all of the cameras and audio devices. It was one of his more out-of-the-way safehouses, one just outside of Crime Alley. Where he was now, it would be almost four in the morning before he reached it. 

Making a decision, he turned around and cut off the lights of his ‘office’. Walking out, he heads home for the night. Who or whatever is in his safehouse, it can wait for tomorrow. Right now, he needs sleep. As much sleep as he could get, plagued by his nightmares. Who knows, maybe tonight will be his lucky night. 

Just as he was nearing his apartment, his com went off, Oracle patching herself through to tell him about a robbery in progress not too far from his current location. Looks like he wasn’t getting sleep tonight anyways. 

Chapter Text

In the end, he didn't get to check out the apartment. After the robbery, which was not close to his current location, thank you very much- He stumbled across several sep arate break-in attempts, along with a handful of muggings and a small-time drug dealer who just happened to make the mistake of propositioning one of the Alley's kids. 

When he finally stumbled into his apartment, the sun was painting the smog-covered sky with orange and pink hues. Any thoughts about the apartment were lost in his exhausted haze as he stumbled through his bedroom door, taking his helmet and mask off before flopping onto the squeaky mattress. He didn't bother with the rest of his vigilante gear, fading out of consciousness. Any and all thoughts of checking the safehouse fled his mind, his brain muddled by exhaustion. The man was out before his head hit the pillow. The only thing that managed to push to the forefront of  his mind before he drifted off, was the hopeful thought of sleeping until dusk. 

Sadly, he didn’t get that. Barely three hours later, Jason found himself awoken by the familiar sound of his phone ringing. Grumbling, he threw his arm out towards the sound, feeling around blindly for the device. Several things crashed to the ground from his nightstand, an empty plastic cup, a vanilla and lavender scented candle that was gifted to him by one of the alley kids, and a book he had been reading during his down time, all hitting the floor with various thuds. Finally his fingers grazed the simplistic black case of his phone.

Fumbling around with it, Jason tried to hang up on whoever wanted to interrupt his much needed sleep. He bit back a groan when instead, he picked the call up. Faintly, his brother’s voice filtered through the speakers. “Hold up a sec,” he rasped. Squinting at the bright screen, he clicked the speaker icon. Letting the phone drop back onto his chest, he sighed. “Alright, what is it?” 

“Hey, Jaybird! How’ve you been?” Dick asked, his voice much too cheery for Jason’s current mood. 

“Cut to the chase, Dick. What do you want?” He growled out, not really up for all the ‘sibling pleasantries’ crap. He really, really just wanted to go back to sleep. 

Jason could practically hear the pout in the man’s voice as he spoke. “Aww, what? I can’t just call my baby bro?” Even with how tired he was, Jason could hear the forced cheer in his brother’s tone. He stayed quiet, waiting. And- “Alright, fine. I did have a reason.” - there it was. As much as Dick liked to boast about the power of the eldest sibling, even he wasn’t immune to the uncomfortable silence. 

“Spill.” He grumbled. Maybe if he made this call quick enough, he could hang up and get a few more hours in. 

“Well, you know how Damian went AWOL a few days ago, right?” Worry crept into the man’s voice.

“...Yeah.” How could he not know? It was broadcast across all the comms by Oracle, not to mention the way the group chat blew up with any and all possible sightings of the teen, not that most of them panned out. The family was so tightly strung that even the sight of black hair or green eyes was enough to set them off. Jason thanked whatever entities that resided out there that the others were at least thorough enough to make sure it was the right kid they were following before trying to grab him. 

“Well, we’ve been running into a few, er, dead ends over here, and I was kind of hoping to get your help. You have eyes and ears in places cameras can’t reach.” Which was Dick’s way of saying Oracle had nothing. Which, while concerning, wasn’t really all that unexpected considering the demon brat’s background.

“What about Replacement, or Cass, or Steph? Surely they would have an easier time tracking the brat down, yeah?” All of them were extremely capable, as well as charismatic. Well, Tim and Steph were, at least. Cass was better suited for tracking people down quickly. Honestly, it was a bit surprising that they hadn’t found him yet. 

“Well, Tim is out for a bit, sadly. And Cass is acting… weird. Steph is checking around places Damian usually visits, but so far no dice.” 

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

“Huh? Oh, Tim worked himself a bit too hard and is currently passed out in his room. Alfred said to let him sleep, so he’s off the roster until he joins us again.” Dick rambled. Jason could imagine the hand motions going on right about now.

“What did you mean about Cass? And what about Bruce? Isn’t he looking for the kid?” With every word, hope that he would get any more sleep slowly died. 

“Well, Bruce has been looking, but he had to attend a set of super important board meetings at WE. He tried his best to postpone them, but they were pretty insistent about it.” Dick told him, a bit of genuine humor leaking through. 

“And Cass?”

“Ah, Cass. That one’s a bit harder.” Rustling from the other end, telling Jason that Dick was more than likely running his hand through his hair. “Well, for starters, she doesn’t seem all that worried. I mean, she’s plenty worried about Dami, but it’s less like an ‘Oh God He’s Missing!’ kind of way and more like a ‘I hope he’s eating alright’ kind of worried. And she’s been disappearing quite a bit. Not answering her phone until she gets back.” 

“And you didn’t find that suspicious at all?” Damn, were all of his siblings morons?

Dick laughed. “I’m not dumb, Jay. Of course I found it suspicious. But when I asked Alfred if he knew anything, all he told me was that she knew what she was doing, and that we should probably leave it alone and focus on the task at hand.” Yeah, that sounded like Alfred alright. But if Alfred knew what Cass was up to, then it probably wasn’t anything too bad. 

For now, Jason dismissed it. “Look, Dick. I’ll tell you what I told you when O gave me the news the first time. I’ll keep an eye out, but the kid can take care of himself. If he was really in danger, he would at least tell us, yeah?” Jason ignored the part of him that worried that the teen was a bit too much like him. Stubborn, and way too cocky. Thinking he could do things on his own without help. When Dick didn’t respond, Jason sighed heavily. “I’ll look around later tonight, if it’s not too busy. Alright?”

The grin Dick must have had was practically audible. “Yeah, alright. Thank you, Jason. Just, if you do find anything, call me. Okay?”

“Dick, you’re the first one I’ll call if I find the demon brat.” With that, he hung up. Letting the phone fall from his hand and onto the bedspread, Jason groaned. Flinging one arm across his face, Jason sighed. As much as his body begged for sleep, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to doze off again. Instead, he pushed himself up, slipping off the bed and stumbled over to the closet. Donning a pair of jeans and a plain gray T-shirt, he then headed to the kitchen. If he was gonna be up, food was a must.

Unfortunately, Jason found his kitchen in desperate need of a restock. His cabinets were bare aside from a box of out-of-date crackers, and his refrigerator didn’t have anything much either. Standing up from where he was crouched, digging through yet another empty cabinet, he sighed. Looks like the only way to go is fast food. And, much to Jason’s annoyance, the closest fast food joint just so happened to be the Batburger about two blocks away.

He was tempted just to ignore his hunger and grab some groceries for a proper meal, but the last time he had eaten was yesterday morning. And his stomach was having none of it. A loud gurgle from his abdomen made his decision for him. Slipping on a pair of shoes and grabbing his wallet, Jason began the trek. His bike would have been better, but he wasn’t gonna risk losing it just for some greasy burgers. Besides, a little cardio never killed anyone. 

___

Jazz had been wandering around this perpetually gloomy city for the better part of two days, and she was beginning to think that this was all just a wild goose chase. She couldn’t track Danny like any other decently strong spirit would be able to, not ghostly enough to see or feel the ambient ectoplasm the teen let off naturally. But she was somewhat ghostly. One of the perks of being a strongly contaminated liminal, she was able to find areas coated in larger doses of ectoplasm. While it didn’t work that well in Amity, a city submerged in the stuff, it worked pretty well in places that didn’t give off a whole bunch. Places like this city. 

She sighed as she passed another spot, the shimmering light blue mist sending a shiver down her spine as she passed. It wasn’t the strongest one she had come across, not by a longshot, but it was fresher than most of the one’s she had been finding. She felt like she had been all over the city at this point, having found the park where Danny had most likely tried his ‘experiment’ if the broken bird fountain was anything to go by. A mall that had had two spots, one in an occult shop that smelled way too strongly of incense along with one that coated the entirety of the plaza’s water fountain. An ice rink, which was a somewhat pleasant surprise. It warmed her that her brother still enjoyed the activity she had first introduced him to. 

A grocery store, a movie theater, a flower shop, tons of random alleyways and sidewalks had been doused in her baby brother’s presence. There was even a rooftop that curled with the wintery mist. Not that she had climbed up there, not after spotting the brightly dressed cosplayers parkouring from roof to roof. She didn’t know enough about this dimension, and if there was a chance that they weren’t just fun dressing adrenaline junkies,  she didn’t want to be on their radar. 

Jazz looked up as she neared another spot, this one a bit different than the others. Sitting in front of her was a plain brick building, the front window along with the glaring neon sign above declaring it ‘The Batburger!’ Some sort of restaurant, judging by the strong smell of burgers and fries that waffed under the plexiglass door. Her stomach gave a singular growl at the aroma. 

Turning away, she focused on another point in the distance, this one a bit fresher, and started towards it quickly. Loitering around would only make her more hungry, and the quickest way to solve that was to find her brother and get home. Where she knew that the money in her wallet would work. In her haste, Jazz didn’t notice the man until she ran into him, tumbling backwards. She would have landed hard on her rump if not for the two strong, burly arms that wrapped around  her.

With a startled gasp, she looked up. Two beautiful green-tinged blue eyes met her teal ones, the same shocked look reflected back at her. A lock of white hair slipped down his forehead, drawing her attention further upwards. Raven black, a shade lighter than her brother’s true black, sat messy along his head. That singular lock had strayed from a rather soft-looking tuft of white that stood out proudly against the darker strands that surrounded it. 

Tingles ran down her arms from where he touched her, almost like a ghost’s signature, but much weaker. ‘Liminal,’ she thought, letting her gaze drop back down to meet his. A small, friendly smile spread across her face, finally registering the position they were in. Her, bent over backwards, legs locked underneath her in case her support failed suddenly. And him, towering over her, both arms tucked snuggly around her waist, almost like they had done a drop during a tango. It was a bit of an awkward position, especially to keep holding like this. The backs of her knees were beginning to ache from the strain of staying like this. 

“Umm, are you planning on letting me up anytime soon?” She asked, her smile widening slightly at the blush that spread across the man’s face. Cleaning his throat, he straightened both of them up quickly, holding her until she regained her balance. When he was sure she was steady, he smoothed out her clothes and took a step back. 

Both of them were silent for a moment, before Jazz decided to break it. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“I’m so sorry.”

Both of them paused, looking at each other as they registered their overlapped words. Opening her mouth, Jazz stuttered in her apology, before motioning towards him. “You first.” She giggled when she saw him make the same gesture, only to halt when she spoke. He froze for a minute, before nodding.

“I’m sorry, I should have watched where I was going.” She laughed slightly and waved him off. 

“Yeah, I should have watched where I was going too. I’m sorry.” Jazz smiled at him once more, nodding to him, before turning around. 

She didn’t get very far down the sidewalk before  he called out. “Hey, wait!” Turning, she watched him jog over to her. “I really am sorry for almost knocking you over. So, uh. Maybe I could buy you a burger as an apology?” He gestured towards the restaurant behind them.  

Jazz almost said no, almost told him it really wasn’t necessary. But her stomach took that moment to betray her. A loud growl interrupted any answer she might have given him. He smirked at her as a dark red blush spread across her face. Ducking her head slightly, all she could really do was nod. He said nothing as he led her into the establishment, something she appreciated greatly. 

As soon as the door opened, she was flooded with the wintery chill of her brother’s presence. A cold that would have made most people shiver and tense, but instead she found herself relaxing into the familiar feeling. Strangely enough, it seemed the man in front of her had the exact opposite reaction, the muscles in his back tensing dramatically until they reached the strongest point, ‘where Danny must have been sitting,’ . As they passed the booth, the man’s tense muscles seemed to give all at once, causing the man to stumble. Jazz leapt forward, catching the man while silently cursing to herself under the brunt of the man’s weight. Thankfully, he recovered quickly, murmuring another apology to her as they walked past the booth and over to the counter. ‘He’s a stronger liminal than I thought,’ she kept a close eye on him as they came to a stop.

As they waited in line, the man turned to her. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t really know what happened.” It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. 

“Oh! It’s no problem, really!” She rushed to assure him. “Besides, it’s not like you could help it, right? That dizzy spell must have come out of nowhere.” Did he not know that he was a liminal? It was a possibility, she supposed. She wouldn’t have known about her own liminality if it hadn’t been for Danny’s doctor friend Frostbite. She shook her head, glancing around to keep from staring at the man. 

Behind the counter, a bored teen in a cowl glanced at them before letting his eyes drift around again. “Welcome to the Batburger, home of the bat burger, what can I get you on this bat-tacular day?” His tone made it clear how much he wanted to be anywhere else but here. 

The man  turned to her. “Well? What do you want to eat?” 

She frowned a bit at that, looking up at the illuminated menu above the costumed teen’s head. None of the options made much sense to her, all seemingly named after something… maybe a character? Sighing, she gave up, instead turning back to the man  beside her. “I’ve never eaten here before. Any recommendations?”

“Hmm,” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding to himself. “Alright.” Turning to the teen, he ordered. “Two batmeals, both large, with soda for drink.” 

The teen typed the order before looking back up. “Would you like either of those jokerized?” He asked. 

The man’s lip twitched at the question, but all he did was shake his head. “No. No Jokerized fries, thanks.” Jazz couldn’t sense emotion like Danny could, but even she could practically feel his irritation. No, she could actually feel it. A surge of energy, much like the ones Danny gave off in tense situations, filled the air. It sent an almost slimy sensation down her back, raising the hair on her arms with the almost toxic aura it had. She couldn’t help but frown at the man’s broad, leather covered back in concern. 

“That’ll be ten seventy two, and your order will be out in a bit.” He reached for something out of view, lifting up two large disposable cups with a bat symbol printed on the side. “Here are your drink cups, refills are free.” Business concluded, the teen grabbed his phone from the pocket of his black apron, leaning against the counter as he scrolled aimlessly. 

The man headed towards the drink fountain, Jazz following him as he pointed out all of the themed drinks and explained what they really were. She settled on a cola, or as it was called here, the ‘Batgirl Fizz’. At least at Nasty Burger, they called things by what they were. Well, when it came to the drinks, anyways. As the man poured his, Jazz decided to find a seat. The restaurant itself was pretty empty, a couple near the door and a tween swinging their legs as they perched on one of the stools near the counter while their guardian paid for their meal. Even with all the available seating, Jazz still found herself drawn to the booth that had the strongest layering of Danny’s presence. 

The man found her a few seconds later, grimacing slightly as he sat down across from her, but relaxing into the cheap red upholstery after a moment. The two of them sat quietly, His fingers drumming on the faux wood tabletop as Jazz tapped her foot on the slightly sticky tiled flooring. 

Eventually, she broke the silence. “I’m Jasmine.” She told him suddenly, holding her hand out to him. He glanced up at her, surprised, but took her offered hand anyways. 

“A very pretty name.” He complimented her. “I’m Jason.” His handshake was firm, the calluses on his fingers brushing against the ones that decorated hers, sending shivers down her spine for a completely different reason than earlier.

“Call me Jazz.” She could feel the blush lightly dusting her cheeks. ‘God, I hope he doesn’t own a motorcycle. Danny will never let me live it down.’ She opened her mouth to say something else, whether it be something she would later regret saying she will never know, because the teen at the counter took that moment to call out their order number.

Jason quickly dropped her hand and stood up, his own face flushing slightly as he muttered something about grabbing their food and being right back. She took the time he was gone to compose herself. ‘Your here to look for Danny. Not to get flustered over hot men.’ she told herself firmly. ‘Even if they are built like a tank with actual muscles.’  

By the time Jason made it back, Jazz had gotten over her slight meltdown, her exterior cool and collected. She had on her ‘Nice Face’, as Danny called it, a small smile that reached her eyes, but didn’t crinkle the corners of her eyes.

Jason sat their food down carefully before sliding back into his seat and dividing it between them. Once properly divided, he ripped the wrapper off of his burger and took a large bite, chewing slowly as his stomach audibly growled. Jazz’s stomach responded in kind, prompting her to follow his lead. Tearing the thin foil wrapper, she took a much smaller bite than he did, her eyes opening wide for a moment as she tasted the burger. ‘A bit better than the Nasty Burger.’ she thought after her second bite. Reaching over, she nibbled on one of the fries that came with her burger. ‘The fries could use work.’ she decided, wincing at the sogginess of it before swiping it through a small dipping cup of ketchup. Taking another bite, she nodded at the slightly altered taste. All in all, not bad for her first meal from another universe.

Jazz was half way through her burger when the silence was broken again. “Soo,” Jason Drawled out. She glanced up at him, her chewing slowing down as she waited for him to continue. “What are you doing here in Gotham?”

She swallowed her bite of burger, taking a sip from her cola before responding. “Well, to be completely honest, my baby brother is missing.” She told him. His face was blank for a moment, before concern and a bit of anger replaced it. 

“He’s missing? Was he kidnapped? How do you know he’s here?” The anger, no more like a fierce protective rage, was nonexistent on his face now, but it was practically tangible in the air between them. 

“He is missing, but he wasn’t kidnapped.” She rushed to assure him. “He came here of his own volition, but he hasn’t checked up with me in a few days. I got worried, so I decided to come after him.” Jason’s face had a doubtful look about it, but he didn’t say anything, instead nodding as he polished off his burger and started in on his fry. She didn’t miss the way his face scrunched slightly when he tasted the grease himself, dipping it in his own serving cup of ketchup before the next bite.

“What does he look like?” Jason asked her after a moment. 

“Well, he’s about five three, with messy black hair and icy blue eyes. His teeth are kind of sharp, like fangs I suppose, though he’d never bite anyone, not without a reason anyways.” Her worry for her missing sibling slipped in that moment, causing her to ramble. “His eyes also kind of glow sometimes, and he has these really pale freckles on his face that kind of look like constellations. He also has a light scar that runs up his neck and partially onto his face, from an accident he was in a few years back.” She took a breath to continue, but Jason held up his hand to stop her. 

“Alright, I think I’ve got it.” He took a sip of his drink. “Do you need any help looking for him?”

“Oh, no! I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Jazz responded immediately. “We just met, I really wouldn’t want to waste your time like that.” He frowned at her as she spoke. “Besides, I’m confident that I’ll be able to find him eventually.” He didn’t seem to take comfort in her words, but kept his mouth shut, focusing instead on the rest of his fries.

They sat in silence after that, both of them finishing their food quickly. The entire time, Jason had a look that seemed to be a mixture of worry and deep thought.

Piling their trash on the tray their food came on, Jason was quick to throw it away himself before meeting her by the front door. He patted her shoulder as they walked out, pausing on the sidewalk to shake hands again, slipping a piece of paper into her palm. “My number.” He told her when she gave him a curious look. “If you need anything else, you can call me, alright?” She didn’t get the chance to object before he was walking away, disappearing around the corner before she could really gather her bearings. Her chest squeezed lightly as the man left her line of sight, an almost sad feeling overcoming her. Shaking her head, she turned back to her original task.

Huffing out a noise that was half sigh, half laugh, she turned to face the opposite direction. There, in the distance, was that feeling of another ‘hot spot.’ It was fainter than it was earlier, meaning that it was probably from at least a day or two ago, but it was something. Sighing again, she started off in that direction. Completely unaware of the eyes that still watched her from around the corner. Or the tracker that had been oh-so-casually slipped into her pocket.

—

Jason watched from around the corner as the Goddess woman strided off in the direction of middle/upper Gotham, a destination clearly in mind despite her obvious lack of knowledge of the city she was traversing. When she blended into the crowd, ‘How?! She was six feet tall with flaming red hair, how did she disappear that quickly?’ , he turned to the tracker on his phone, a little red dot showing him exactly where she was. According to the tracker he had slipped into her pocket, she was headed towards what was well known as a teenage hangout spot, something on par with what a normal person would search when looking for a missing younger sibling. 

Not that Jason thought that she had lied to him. No, it was just good to have proof in her actions as well as her words.

… Damn he was becoming as paranoid as Bruce, wasn’t he?

Shaking his head, Jason returned to his home screen. There were more important things he could focus on. Like how there was apparently another missing teen in Gotham, this one also with black hair and blue eyes. Granted, Demon brat’s eyes were green, not blue, but his point still stands. 

As far as he knew, B hadn’t picked up any new strays. Though, it would explain Damian’s sudden disappearance if that was the case. None of them really knew how the teen would react, should Bruce’s adoption tendencies strike again, but He’s pretty sure that it was Tim who had money on storming out. 

Then again, if that WAS the case, then why was everyone so worried about the brat? Things just weren’t really adding up right in Jason’s mind. Both cases were connected somehow, his gut told him so. And if there’s one thing he had learned in all his years of being a vigilante/crime lord/ anti-hero, it was to trust his gut.

Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Jason decided to head home for now. A rudimentary plan was beginning to form in his head, most of the details spotty due to his lack of vital information, but a plan nonetheless. But he needed something from home to enact it. After all, Jason Peter Todd-Wayne the civilian might not be able to help in the case of (possibly) two missing teens, but Vigilante and Anti-Hero of Crime Alley, The Red Hood, would be more than capable of tracking them down, and kicking the asses of whoever kept them gone for so long.

And if there was the possibility of getting to spend a bit more time with a beautiful, kickass redhead, well, no one could really say anything about it to him right? It was just an added bonus of the mission.

Chapter Text

Day three, and once again it was Damian’s turn to pick an activity for the day. And Honestly? He is a bit proud of what he chose, confident that it would bring Danny out of the slump he seemed to be in. 

The vigilante knew exactly what had the teen upset. It was glaringly obvious, as the next day they would be trying out that potion. Today might be their last day like this. He himself had spent most of the night awake, his chest squeezing uncomfortably as he fought off the negative thoughts that ate at him. ‘What if the potion does work? Will I hate him? Could we still be friends? But, what if it doesn’t work? Will he stay? Will he accept my feelings, return them? Or will he keep trying to get rid of them? What do I do if he rejects me?’ 

Some of his worries had eased when they met in the kitchen a few minutes after dawn, Danny being unusually quiet and seemingly deep in thought instead of groggily sipping tea. Whatever thoughts plagued him seemed to be a bit similar to his own, and from the bags under the teen’s eyes Damian could tell that the teen had gotten less sleep than he had. The tension in Danny’s shoulders had eased some when he received a bowl of oatmeal, a slight purr vibrating from his chest as their hands brushed, but the odd emotion behind his icy blue eyes stayed, darkening the pretty color with what could have only been a mixture of uncertainty, melancholy, and some sort of confusion. 

Damian didn’t like it, his heart aching for the teen, wishing he could take all the bad emotions away and leave only happiness. But he couldn’t. Not like he wished to. Not yet anyways. He doubted that Danny would take any attempts at physical comfort from him literally, not until he took that potion at least. So that only left one other option for him to try. 

That led to where Damian found himself now, walking hand in hand with the ravenette as he led them down the least camera-infested path, something that was becoming harder and harder as they reached the more upscale part of Gotham. Beside him, Danny was whining, wanting to know where Damian was leading him. 

“Come onnnn, Robin! Pleeease tell me where we’re going?” The teen batted his eyelashes, an adorable pout forming on his lips when Damain refused to answer. It was hard, resisting the urge to give in to the puppy look the teen was using on him. Under different circumstances, he might have caved by now. But he remained strong, the want to see the look on the teen’s face when he discovered where Damian had taken him overpowering his want to spill the surprise. 

Doing his best to keep his internal struggle from showing on his face, he readjusted his sunglasses and chuckled. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” He told the teen, grinning slightly at the way he huffed and folded his arms, dragging Damian’s hand up along with the motion.

They fell into a companionable silence, allowing Damian’s thoughts to drift once more. Danny was acting pretty chipper now that they had left the apartment, but it took more than a cheerful voice and silly actions to fool a robin. He could tell by the teen’s eyes, still a darker blue than normal, filled with that confusing mix of emotions. Part of Damian was a bit… relieved? That the teen was actually having some sort of inner turmoil. He felt horrible about his relief, but it was still there, even if he didn’t know exactly what those emotions meant in terms of the teen’s thoughts. As good of a detective as he was, one thing Damian was not, was a mindreader. 

Hopefully, today’s activity will be enough to at least begin to turn the teen’s emotions, make him want to stay. Even if it didn’t have the intended result of successfully wooing the boy, he was hopeful that it would be at least enough to make him hesitate. If he could make Danny want to stick around, then there would no doubtably be more time to make the teen fall for him. 

He ignored the part of him that tried to make him see reason, that warned him that there was still a chance that the potion would work as intended and by lunch tomorrow he might not have any romantic feelings for Danny at all. Now, in the daylight with his Beloved’s hand in his, he was back to being more self-assured that the thoughts that plagued his mind earlier were nothing more than trivial anxieties. He refused to consider how this would turn out for Danny, should the potion work after today went as he planned it. How much pain it would cause the teen, finally allowing himself to fall for Damian only for the other to reject his feelings. Even like this, a small part of him nagged about this possibility. The voice sounded oddly like Todd, repeating a warning he heard often from the man. ‘Your cockiness will be your downfall.’ 

He was pulled from his thoughts once more as his eyes caught on a sign ahead of them. Rare joyful excitement coursed through him, making the teen pick up speed until both boys were in a steady jog, Danny still holding tight to Damian’s hand as he was dragged along.  

Slowly coming to a stop, Damian turned to watch Danny’s face as he read the sign on the front of the building. He wasn’t disappointed in the least. At first, his eyes narrowed slightly, his head tilting in slight confusion as he read over the thick black letters. Then, his eyes widened, his pupils expanding slightly as the emotion that lingered behind his eyes dispersed, replaced by a kind of wonder and excitement. Damian’s chest eased off as they turned back to their usual icy blue. 

His reaction to the Astronomy Museum was more than that, though. He released Damian’s hand to bring his own up, now fisted, and began to bounce with a new, barely contained, energy. His hair began to float and flow, blowing in a nonexistent wind. For just a few seconds, his worn sneakers left the sidewalk as if his body forgot gravity existed, before dropping back down soundlessly when the teen suddenly turned and grabbed Damian’s hand and dragged him up the stairs. 

Damian let Danny pull him along until they reached the front desk, where the teen bounced impatiently as he waited for Damian to pay for their tickets. A short transaction later, and Danny was bounding off, barely giving Damian enough time to slip the ID bracelet around the half-ghost’s too thin wrist. Nodding his thanks to the smiling woman behind the desk, he began following Danny, his pace slower as he watched the ecstatic teen jump from exhibit to exhibit. When he finally caught up, Danny began rambling a mile a minute, delving into the details as he explained each and every exhibit there was, even going as far to explain things that weren’t mentioned at all in the descriptions given. 

The teen was sure that Danny would faun over all the space facts and samples for hours, if he could. But there was another thing here that Damian wanted Danny to see. Because even though Gotham was the worst place for stargazing, they more than made up for it with their state-of-the-art, Wayne Enterprises funded, dome projectors. Who would have thought that one of the inventions he thought was wasted on such a place just a few months prior would be one of the things that would cheer up his beloved the most?

Trying his best to be conspicuous, Damian began to slowly herd Danny in the direction of the Planetarium, discreetly adjusting his cap to cover more of his hair as he walked underneath a security camera. Years of training kept him from looking directly at the camera, instead keeping his attention on the ravenette, who he was certain hadn’t taken a breath since they walked through the door. If it were anyone else, Damian would have been inclined to worry. Not for the first time, he wondered how people didn’t catch on right away to Danny being more than human. The signs were pretty obvious. Perhaps it was another ability of the teen’s? To appear normal, or perhaps influence the way people perceive him? It was a possibility, he supposed. ‘I’ll have to ask him later’, he thought to himself.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Danny finally reached the door to the Planetarium. A delighted gasp, his first inhalation in almost half an hour, as he hurried back and began tugging Damian. “Come on! These are always a must when visiting!” The smile the teen wore sent warm shivers down Damian’s spine. Ignoring his… reaction, Damian chuckled at the enthusiasm his beloved was practically bursting with. He let Danny lead him into the well-lit room, taking a seat towards the front, about two rows away from the center of the room.

Damian did a quick scan of the room as Danny fidgeted in the seat next to him, checking automatically for threats as well as exits. He doubted that anyone would attack a Space Museum, but it was ingrained in him to be prepared for anything. The only other people present in the room, of which was littered with plenty of potential escape routes, were a young couple in seats near the back across the room from them, and the hologram operator. 

They sat there for a few minutes, before the operator held up her hand to get the room’s attention. As the couple’s conversation trailed off and silence settled, the operator gave a bright smile. 

“Hello everyone!” She greeted them in a soft tone. “My name is Alison, and I’ll be your guide as we explore the solar system today.” Turning around, she dimmed the lights and turned on the projector. The machine gave a soft, almost unhearable whirring sound as it started up, before tapering off into silence as the now darkened room was lit up with the image of a beautiful night sky. “Now, are we all ready to explore? The galaxy awaits us!” 

Her voice slowly faded into the background as a new, slightly louder noise started up beside him. Turning his head, Damian was slightly surprised at the aweing sight that met him. 

In his seat, Danny was hyper focused on the illusion above him, staring starry-eyed at the replica of their galaxy. His eyes were far from the cool dark pools they were this morning, now glowing in the dim lighting, casting an eerie, almost mystical, blue light across his sharp cheekbones and the soft curve of his nose, making his fangs flash as he turned his head to keep track of the stars and planets shown. It was an impressively beautiful and intimidating sight, though any hint of a true threat was erased by the semi-loud, grumbling purr that resounded from his chest. If he didn’t know what type of supernatural creature Danny was, he would have put money on the teen being some type of fey, beautiful and enchanting enough to tempt even those with the strongest of will. 

What really caught Damian’s attention, however, was a different light shining from the teen’s face. At first, he was sure it was some sort of trick of the light, a stray strange ray cast from above or something. But, as he observed them, he came to a slightly startling realization that some of the dimmer ones were moving, swirling slowly across Danny’s face in an intricate pattern. Then there were the others, a mix of icy blue and Lazerus green that stayed where they were, glowing more brilliantly the longer the show went on, resting among the swirling, slow-paced stars.

‘Freckles’, his mind supplied. ‘He has glowing freckles.’ 

His physical abnormalities weren’t the only thing that Damian noticed. Along with the awe-inspiring display on the teen’s face, a strong feeling of content seemed to radiate from him as well. Waves of calm that seemed almost infectious, loosening muscles and relaxing his body in a way that Damian rarely did in public spaces. Taking a moment to glance around the room, Damian wasn’t all that surprised that he was not the only one feeling the effects produced by Danny’s strong emotions. 

The couple across the room were practically melted into their seats, as well as each other, gazing at the ceiling in a dazed sort of wonder, almost looking high off the effect of Danny’s joy. Their guide wasn’t nearly as affected, it seemed, despite being closer to the pair than the couple was, though Damian did note the occasional hitches in her speech as she continued to speak, times where she would trail off and gaze up at the ceiling with the same sort of wonder as Danny and the couple, before giving herself a firm shake and picking back up where she left off.  

The feelings lasted the entire show, only fading away when the projector switched off and the lights came back on. Disappointment that he knew wasn’t his own flashed through him, before the foreign emotions faded from his being completely. It didn’t take the son of the world’s greatest detective to figure out that they were from Danny, the same emotion he had just felt flashing across the teen’s face as he slowly came out of his daze. 

Sighing, Danny straightened up in his seat, stretching and groaning softly in satisfaction as his back let out a series of pops. Damian was a bit more focused a bit lower, watching as the shirt Danny wore rode up over his well-defined stomach. The disappointment he felt was his own this time, when Danny dropped his arms and his shirt slipped back down, effectively covering him once again.

Unaware of Damian’s thoughts, Danny stood up and held out a hand to Damian. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hungry.” The teen said. “How about we go and grab something to eat?”

Taking the offered hand, Damian nodded in agreement as Danny pulled him free of his seat and led him out of the Planetarium, through all of the exhibits, and through the entrance. Damian made no effort to take the lead as Danny paused on the steps. It was hard to keep from laughing as Danny turned his head up slightly, taking a few deep sniffs of the air around them before starting off down the street, following his nose like a bloodhound. The walk was much quicker than Damian thought it would be, Danny taking odd shortcuts that should not have worked as well as they did, and before Damian knew it, he found them both standing in front of a Batburger. Similar to the one they had visited near the apartment, differing only by the lack of noticeable grime.

Shaking his head in wonderment, he followed Danny into the establishment. 

‘Were enhanced sense of smell part of his ghostly powers as well?’ Damian couldn’t help but wonder. The animal comparisons were happening more and more on their own with no help from his pet obsession. Part of him wondered if the teen also had some sort of mind reading powers, because he had to be doing this on purpose at this point. There was no way he wasn’t doing it on purpose. 

—

Across the city, Jazz was well aware of the fact that someone was stalking her. Whoever it was, they were good at it, because she had yet to catch sight of them. At first, part of her had wondered if maybe she was just imagining things, and maybe she was being a bit too paranoid. But she had been walking in circles for the past two hours and they were still there. Keeping a constant distance between them as they followed, not too far yet not too close either.

Honestly? She found herself more pissed off than scared. This person had been tailing her for two hours, two hours that could have been spent trying to track down her brother instead of trying to lose a pesky tail. 

After walking around the block for a seventh time, Jazz had had enough. Turning in a new direction, she walked straight into an alleyway she knew had nothing more than a dead end. Slowing her pace to a stop, she stayed facing the wall as she waited for her stalker’s next move. Standing there for a few minutes made her realize that he(or she) was not going to make the first move. 

‘Alright then.’ she thought, annoyed. Still facing the wall, she called out to her stalker. “Y’know, if you’re just gonna follow me around all day, the least you could do is introduce yourself.” Her tone stayed calm, showing none of her inner emotions just yet. 

It was silent in the alleyway for a few minutes, long enough for Jazz to wonder if maybe she had just imagined it all. Then a thump and crunch of thick, steel toe boots hitting the ground hard sounded loudly behind her.

Striving for bored and uninterested, Jazz turned around to observe the person who had been following her. The first thing she registered was the jacket. Leather, well crafted, and filled with hidden pockets. The second thing she saw was the red helmet that hid the man’s face from her. Though, it’s not that she needed it to figure out who he was. She would be an idiot not to recognise the screwed-up ecto-signature the man produced. Still, if he wanted to play games, that was fine. She could play. 

Ignoring the part of her that hummed with recognition (and joy), she gave Jason a very obvious once over, taking in every detail of his clothing that she could in an effort to make it believable. “And who are you supposed to be?” She asks him, noting the way he jolted where he was standing. In surprise, maybe? But what did he have to be surprised about? Did he expect her to recognise him in that get-up?

“I’m Redhood.” He says, voice slightly distorted by some sort of voice changer. “I don’t mean any harm to you.” Pausing, like he was trying to think of what to say. She let him. “I heard that you were looking for your brother. I… figured that you could use some help.”

He wasn’t telling her everything. But he also wasn’t lying to her. As far as Jazz could tell, and she was pretty good at picking out the liars now, he was sincere. “What’s in it for you?” she asks after a moment. Again, he physically reacts, body stiffening. Before she had a chance to really decipher what that odd reaction could mean, he answered her question.

“I’m a vigilante. It’s my job to help people.” While it wasn’t a complete lie, it struck her as only half a truth. He was good at speaking half truths. He wasn’t lying about the vigilante part, but his reasoning was off a bit. Clearly that was not his only reason for offering her help.

For a moment, Jazz stood there, staring the man down as she weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, she didn’t like that he, a virtual stranger, was somehow tracking her down, following her around silently, offering to help her, all while not being fully honest with her. But on the other hand, someone who actually knew this city would be a huge advantage in tracking her brother down faster. Not to mention, someone who she could count on to tell her crucial things about this world. Things like vigilanties, apparently. And at least he didn’t seem malicious at all. No ill intent permeated the air, only a genuine want to help. To help her.

Finally coming to a decision, she nodded at the man, stalking forwards until she stood face to face with him. A smirk worked its way onto her lips when she realized that she had a few good inches on this tank of a man. “Alright.” She says, her voice low enough that only he would be able to hear her. “I’ll accept your help.” She lets him relax a bit, stepping away from him and walking past, to the mouth of the alleyway. Looking around, she makes sure that they are the only ones there. 

When the street proves to be clear, she steps out onto the sidewalk, turning to look back at where ‘Redhood’ was still standing in the shadows. “Oh, one thing though?” She turned away from him again, starting down the empty street. “Loose the helmet, Jason. It’s a bit of an attention grabber.”

She giggles to herself as he audibly sputters, clearly not expecting that from her. A few minutes later he catches back up with her, his vigilante outfit replaced by a t-shirt, jacket and jeans. “How did you know it was me?” He asked. Turning to look at him, she couldn’t miss the lingering emotion behind his eyes, equal parts suspicion and awe. 

Jazz smirks before laying it all out for him. “I mean, it was kind of obvious.” She shrugged. “You’re the only person that I’ve talked to since arriving in Gotham. Meaning that you're the only person I told about my brother. Was it supposed to be a coincidence, me telling you about my brother and then a few hours later being offered help by a masked vigilante who somehow knew exactly what I was doing?” 

He goes quiet after she explains, his expression thought full. Then, he chuckled, reaching up to rub his neck. An action she had seen her baby brother do hundreds of times before. “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.” He seemed almost… bashful? She had to admit, it was kind of cute.

They continued to walk in silence for a minute before he clears his throat. Turning to look at him again, she raises an eyebrow in a silent question. “So, um. Do you have any idea where you’re going?” He asked.

Jazz pauses, her face dusted with red as she shakes her head no. “Honestly? I have no idea. I’ve just been following his trail.” She gestures off into the distance, where she could vaguely feel another spot of her brother’s presence. 

Jason frowns at that, obviously wanting to ask what she means, but decides to leave it for now. Instead, he makes a suggestion. “How about we regroup back at my apartment, and come up with a plan. One that's a bit better than just running around the city blind.”

Snorting, she shoots him a look filled with sarcastic suspicion. “I thought you were a vigilante? Don’t people like that usually discourage following strangers to a secondary location?” She outright laughs at the look on his face as he stutters, trying to find a way to defend himself. Still laughing, she manages to agree anyways, letting the blushing man take her hand and lead her through the streets, presumably to his apartment. 

Chapter Text

Later that night, Danny found himself wide awake. Not for the same reason as the night before, though. He lay there, in the guest room’s bed, staring at the ceiling with a dazed expression. His core buzzed in his chest, the events of the Astronomy Museum played on loop in his head. Its vibrations were making it difficult for the teen to fall asleep. 

He had to admit, even though he felt exhausted from not sleeping the night before, along with all the excitement from today, it was pretty nice to have his core purring so contently. Definitely better than the way it ached the night before, while his mind was plagued by all the ways things could go wrong with the potion. All the ways something could go wrong when Robin drank the potion.

The teen’s core died down at the reminder of what would happen tomorrow. As relieved as he would be, knowing that Robin would be freed from the love potion’s effects, he knew how easy it would be for something to go wrong. He could have made the potion incorrectly, or Robin could have some sort of reaction to it. Or it could not work at all! (It should have been telling that that last one didn’t make his chest ache the way the other worries did.) 

Of course, he could just be worrying about nothing, and everything would work out perfectly tomorrow. Then everything could go back to normal. He would be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss Robin, though. Part of him didn’t want to go, wanted to keep hanging out with the teen. This week has been the most fun he has had in a long time. More fun than anything had been since the Accident. 

Sighing, Danny rolled onto his side, his eyes tracing the chipped paint. As much as he wanted to stay a bit longer, he knew he couldn’t. For starters, despite what Robin and his own insecurities claimed, Danny was sure that the potion would work. And he had no idea if Robin would feel the same way he does now about Danny. Would the teen want him to stay, after the love potion was no longer affecting him? Would he hate him for putting him in that situation, thinking him irresponsible and reckless for the childish way he used such a dangerous potion? 

Second, both boys were vigilantes. They had things to do, people to protect. Goofing off for a week hadn’t been the most responsible thing to do. And that was ignoring the fact that they came from two different dimensions. At least here, there were more heroes to rely on. There were other vigilanties that could cover for Robin, until he came back. In Danny’s dimension, the only line of defense was a group of teenagers with little to no official training and a lot of first hand experience, and a teen vigilante that held a grudge against the beings she fought. Specifically against him. Not the most comforting thought. Just thinking about it had his core squirming in discomfort, itching to check in on them and make sure nothing had happened. He longed for his haunt, but his core also yearned to stay here, even for just a little longer. 

Another thing that had him wanting to get home as soon as possible, was the fact that his parents were due home very soon. If they weren’t already home. He really didn’t want to explain to them what he had been doing. Not that he thought anything particularly bad would happen if he told them the truth (A lie). They would just give him a hypocritical lecture on how using the gadgets irresponsibly was dangerous and not allowed, and they would probably demand to see the book he had been using on this ‘adventure’. What had him worried was whether or not they would give it back to him. Or worse, if they tried to recreate anything from the book. His parents were dangerous enough, the world did not need to add the power of magic to his parent’s volatile inventions. Or a spell that would summon some sort of spirit. Or some sort of binding spell, one that would leave a ghost defenseless and helpless. 

Shivering at the thought, he tossed onto his other side with a grunt, wiggling to try and get comfortable. Closing his eyes, he prayed for his mind to quiet down and let him sleep. Exhaustion tugged at him, but his thoughts stubbornly refused to be silenced. Nothing he could do would keep them hushed, not that he had much energy to do that anyways. Reason after reason flooded his mind, reasons to get home as quickly as possible. Reasons to stay for as long as he could. With each new thought, his good mood from the day plummeted further. 

The halfa managed a few hours of restless sleep, waking up every now and then in a new, awkward position with the sheets tangled around him uncomfortably. He was pretty relieved when the sun began to shine through the blinds, lighting up the room with beams dimmed by the city smog. Seeing no reason to stay in bed and struggle with sleep, he pushed himself to his feet, shaking the covers free of his body and grabbing the spare pair of clothes Robin let him borrow as he headed towards the bathroom. 

He turned the knobs for the shower until it ran with icy cold water, a sigh escaping him as he quickly stepped under the cool spray. The water felt so good on his back, wetting his hair and acting almost like a balm for his sore, dry eyes. 

This had become a habit, taking showers at their coldest setting, since his ice-core had fully formed. Warm water had made him feel feverish, almost like he was melting any time he took a steamy shower. And definitely not in a good way. The warm water would feel like pinpricks anywhere it touched, his skin turning a painful red if he stayed under it for more than a few minutes. When he had tried to stick it out, his core took matters into its own hands and iced the bathroom over completely, the water freezing in an almost deadly arch. After the third time it happened, he had decided that something needed to change. 

He had tried colder showers, cool but not icy, and found that it felt much better. Eventually he stopped adding warm water to the mix altogether, and that had been one of his best ideas to date.

Jazz had been horrified when she found out, after he had accidentally dripped water all over her one night. He had been way too tired to dry off properly, and had just left his hair to air dry after a-once over with a towel. 

A smile crept onto his face as he washed his hair, remembering the way she had  tried desperately to get him back to the bathroom for a warmer shower. His sister had been so worried that he would catch a cold, taking frigid showers like that. 

She had calmed down a bit when he had explained to her what warm water did to him now, and after getting him to promise to let her dry his hair that night, she didn't bring it up again. Though he did find warm drinks in his room after he got out from then on. Surprisingly, warm coco was something his ice core seemed to relish, despite its apparent intolerance for other warm things. 

Danny stayed in the shower for a good half hour, only cutting the water off and stepping out when he noticed his fingers resembling raisins more than skin. Drying off was a pretty fast ordeal, and not even forty minutes after he had entered the bathroom, he was walking out. Clean, refreshed, and dressed in the ridiculously comfy clothes that Robin had given him to use. He briefly wondered if he would be able to keep them, as he knew that he wouldn't find anything this nice back in Amity. Surely the teen wouldn't miss a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve, right?

Walking into the kitchen, the halfa was surprised to find it empty. From what he had seen, Robin was quite the early riser, getting up with the sun, or even before the sun, most days. Beating Robin to the kitchen, well after the sun had risen, made his core churr worriedly. ' He must have been up pretty late.' Thsr had to be it, right? He hoped that was the reason Robin was sleeping in.

Resolving to ask the teen later, Danny turned his attention back to his next task. Breakfast. Looking through the cabinets brought hum across a large variety of things, canned and dried foods mostly. Shuffling some boxes around and reading their labels, Danny finally pulled one free with a pleased chirp. Acting his feet back on the ground, he looked over his prize.

On the front of the box was a blue and black dressed vigilante drawn in a cartoonish style, leaning against a spoon with a smile. The spoon dipped into a large bowl of black and blue 'puffs', clearly themed after the vigilante, turning the milk a blueish purple color. 

"Nightwing Blueberry Bursts?" Danny read off the brand, remembering the Nightwing was one of the vigilanties that Robin had told him about. ' He must have been pretty popular,' Danny mused. Popular enough to get his own cereal. "Good for him, I guess." The teen murmured, pouring himself a bowl. He pretended not to be a bit jealous as he took a seat at the table. So what if this Nightwing dude had his own cereal? It's not like he wanted one, nope. What would his own cereal even taste like? Ectoplasm bites?

He took a bite of the sugary food with thoughts of glowing green cheerios floating through his mind. His bowl was emptied and washed within minutes, the blueberry flavored cereal put back into the cabinet where he had found. He had to admit, he kind of wished that he had had the oatmeal that Robin had made him the other day. That would have been better, but the cereal hadn't been that bad.

Breakfast finished, the teen looked around for something to do. Preferably something quiet. He might be worried about the vigilante sleeping in the other room, but if he needed the sleep then Danny didn't want to wake him up. 

Eventually, he settled on reorganizing his bag. Since being kidnapped by a lovestruck vigilante, he had acquired a lot of extra stuff. Stuff that, at the moment, was just shoved carelessly into his bag. 

Sitting down in the living room, he turned his bag upside down. All of his stuff fell out, piling on the cushion beside him. At the top of the pile, the trinkets and stuffed toys, mostly ghost themed, from his and Robin's trip to the arcade. A small smile crept onto his face as he moved the memorables to the side. Under them was Robin's vigilante suit and mask.

If Danny was being completely honest, he had forgotten that he had shoved the suite in his bag. 'I should probably return thes,' he thought, pinching the thick fabric between his fingers. For now though, he neatly folded the kevlar-lined suit and put it to the side, setting his domino mask on top of it before turning back to what was left of the pile.

A few granola bars, a half-empty bottle of water, and his spellbook sat at the bottom of the pile. He grabbed the spellbook first, not paying much mind to the snack bars that fell off of it. His smile faded as he traced the starry pattern on the edges. 'You've caused a lot of chaos,' he couldn't help but think, the tingle of magic making his fingertips feel odd. Abruptly, he shoved the book back into his bag, the snacks he had left following soon after. The trinkets and stuffed toys followed, hiding the spellbook completely from view. Zipping the main pocket closed, he opened a smaller pocket, carefully tucking Robin's suit in for safe keeping. 

Settling the bag's strap over his shoulder, the teen sighs. He had hoped that Robin would be up by now, the time nearing lunch now. For a moment, he contemplated checking on the teen, but he quickly discarded the idea. He would know if something were wrong, wouldn't he? He was sure that Robin was alright, he hadn't heard anything besides the teens even breathing and soft snores. This didn't really help to calm his core, so he promised himself that he would check on the teen if he wasn't up within the hour.

That settled, he really didn't have much else to do while he waited. Moving back to the kitchen, he set his bag down on the table, giving the room another once-over. Dishes were done, and he had put all the boxed food back where he had found it. Nothing was out of place. 'Hmm…'

Slowly, the halfa's eyes fell upon the jar. His core twinged oddly at the sight of it, the reason for his own discomfort unknown to him. Maybe it was because the glass signified the potential end of a friendship? 'That… that sounds about right.' He admitted to himself. He really didn't want to mess with it, not until Robin was up. But he couldn't really think of anything else to do for the time being.

Sighing, he grabbed the jar and moved it to the table, setting it down gingerly beside his bag, being careful not to disturb  the tea towel wrapped around it. Setting himself down in one of the kitchen chairs, he let his head rest on the table, staring down the jar with his hands tucked neatly under his chin. 

Danny let his mind drift as he traced over the floral pattern of the towel with his eyes. Part of him was kind of worried that he had messed something up with the potion. The spellbook had said that it would glow when finished, but no light broke through the thin fabric surrounding it. So it left him wondering, worrying, that he had done something wrong. Did he add too much of something, or too little of another? Was the recipe affected by sunlight? Did he make a mistake putting it in the window for the three days set time? Should he have left it on the table or the counter instead? Should he check? 

He really, really wanted to check. His hands itched to unwrap the towel, to make sure that it looked right. But he also wanted to wait for Robin. It felt wrong to do the big reveal without the person who had helped make it, the one who had kept him company through the whole process. Somehow, leaving him out of the last step seemed really unfair. 

Thankfully, he didn't have to suffer through a long wait for the other teen. As if summoned by Danny's thoughts, Robin appeared in the doorway, his clothes rumpled and his sunglasses slightly crooked. Danny lifted his head off the table, a smile curving his lips. "Good morning," he greets the teen, his worried thoughts fading like a morning mist.

Robin smiled right back at him, an action that made Danny's core flutter in a way he couldn't(wouldn't) identify. 

"Have you checked the antidote?" He asked before Danny could really ponder his odd reaction. Danny reflexively glanced at the still-covered jar before turning his attention to the teen again.

Danny shakes his head. 'No, I haven't. I was waiting for you." He watches as Robin makes his own breakfast, getting a hum of acknowledgment in response. After a minute, he continued. "How did you sleep?"

Robin was quiet for a moment, taking a bite from his breakfast before speaking. "I slept adequately enough." They fell back into a semi-comfortable silence as Robin finished his food and washed his dishes. Finally, setting them aside to dry, Robin walks back to his seat across from Danny. With a sigh, Robin gestured to the jar. 'There is no reason to delay anymore."

"Oh, yeah. We should probably go ahead and get this over with, huh?" Danny didn't wait for the teen to respond, reaching for the jar. Pulling it towards himself, Danny found himself hesitant. Exhaling an unnecessarily loud breath through his nose, he roughly tugged the towel free. 

Almost immediately both boys were blinded, the jar producing a bright white light. The light didn't last long, dying down rather quickly to a golden glow that coated the room in a warm light, leaving both boys to blink the black spots from their eyes. When they could see again, they observed the jar, a somber air about them both. When the silence stretched too far to be comfortable, Danny cleared his throat, drawing Robin from his thoughts.

"Why don't we go out somewhere?" Danny wasn't sure where the thought came from, but it was out of his mouth before his brain could truly process it. 

Robin was quiet for a moment, mulling over his words. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. Where shall we go?"

He thought it over for a minute. The mall would be too crowded for something like this, as would the rest of the places that Robin had taken him to. Maybe… "How about the park? The one where we met?" He suggested.

Robin nodded again, pulling the jar out of Danny's hands and sliding it carefully into his messenger bag. Closing it back, he slung the strap over his shoulders and held his hand out for Danny to take.

"I can carry my stuff, you know." Danny pointed out, but still accepted the hand nonetheless. 

"I know." Robin smiled, leading him out the front door. He makes no move to give it back as they traverse the alleyways, instead squeezing Danny's hand lightly. 

Both teens fall silent as they walk, and Danny can't help but think that Robin seems a bit stressed. Definitely more stressed than he had previously been leading Danny to be. If not for the fact that they had been hanging out for almost a week now, Danny probably wouldn't have been able to tell. But all the signs were there. His tense shoulders and stiff, almost formal walk were a bit obvious, when you looked. Despite all of this, his grip was still gentle, squeezing slightly as if to make sure that Danny was still there. The thoughtful care made the teen's core hum pleasantly in his chest.

Danny was pulled from his observations when he, quite literally, ran into Robin. The teen had come to a stop, his head tilted towards the ground. Danny looked around, growing a bit confused when he spotted the entrance to the park barely a block down the street. Turning back to Robin, he tilts his head slightly. "What's up?" He asks the teen.

Robin tugged his hand, pulling Danny closer, yet still leaving a respectable distance between them. He remains silent though, a scowl forming on his face as he debates something in his head. Danny stayed quiet, letting the teen think.

After a few minutes, the teen finally opened his mouth. "I-" Whatever he was going tobsay was abruptly cut off as a scream tore through the air, causing both boys to immediately drop into defensive stances. It was so sudden, one moment they were standing on the sidewalk of an almost empty street, and the next they were amidst a sea of frightened, panicked civilians. Screams and shouts drowned out all rational thought.

Robin tried to keep Danny close to him as bodies jostled and pushed at them from all sides, but the crowd proved too much for his grip. Danny can briefly hear Robin shout his name as the crowd pushes them apart. 

The halfa could do nothing as he was pushed and shoved towards the back of the crowd. Sure, he could take a chance using his ghost powers, but he was literally surrounded by people right now. Changing into his ghost form was very obvious, and using his powers in human form would be equally so. Having a secret identity made it hard in situations like this. He would just have to wait until he could find a nice, private place to transform and go after Robin. 

Stumbling, Danny finally broke free from the crowd, slowing to a jog as he looked around for any sort of danger. There had to be a threat, to cause so many people to run like that, right? But, as he looked around, he couldn't find anything particularly life-threatening. 

It was only as he was passing by an alleyway that he saw anything odd. A suspicious shadow darted behind a dumpster, just barely catching his attention. 'Maybe it was a cat,' he tried to dismiss, but his core buzzed uncomfortably, and he found himself tensing, his hackles rising with the hair on the back of his neck as he went to investigate. Breathing deeply, he started to make his way cautiously into the alley. 

Danny had almost reached the back of the alley, a dead end made of grime-covered brick with rotting cardboard propped against it, when something tried to attack him. His instincts kicked in, his body curling as he ducked a swing and rolled, shoes spinning as he crouched, turning to view his attacker. 

His attacker was a big burly man, not nearly the size of his dad, but not far off. The man donned a baggy black shirt with a worn and stained blue vest over it. But it was the clown mask he wore that was the most eye-catching.

Danny groans silently to himself. Robin hadn't talked much about the rogues in his city, but hadn't there been one that sorta came up at their first trip to the BatBurger? What was their moniker, The Jester or something? Batburger has some sort of fries named after them, the teen was pretty sure. He was kind of hoping that he wouldn't have to encounter any of the bad guys in this city, but his luck was really kicking in right now wasn't it? 'It just had to be a clown.'   Danny really, really hated clowns.

Danny was pulled from his thoughts by movement. The clown-masked moron lunged at him, his knuckles glinting with an oddly reflective… something on them. Danny deftly avoided the man, diving to the side and sticking his leg out to trip him as the teen scrambled to his feet. He managed to beat the man up, planting a foot between the man's shoulder blades to keep him down.

Moving quickly, Danny brought his fist down hard on the man's temple knocking him out cold. At least, he thinks the dude's unconscious. Knowing his crazy strength and notoriously bad luck, the dude is concussed at the least, and not among the living at the worst. Thankfully Danny had great hearing as well, he would have spiraled into an anxiety attack if he couldn't hear the man's heartbeat. 'He'll be fine. Probably.' He fought back a wince as he eyed the purple bruise forming on his temple.

Nudging the man one more time, just to be safe, the teen finally turned and walked back out of the alleyway. Normally he would feel bad about leaving someone like that, but one glance at the obviously deadly set of spiked brass knuckles knuckles made any guilty feelings disappear. 

He was so distracted by the guy that he didn't register the fog-like cloud creeping towards him right away. When he did notice the tendrils rolling over the ground. The smart thing would be to try to avoid the potential murder cloud, because he had no idea what it was, or how it would affect his half-ghost biology. But he was stuck between the fog and a dead end. There wasn't much of a choice here. So, stopping his breath and eyeing the fog-smoke-whatever with a healthy dose of suspicion, he stepped back onto the street. 

The first thing that he noticed was how quiet it was. The fog filled the street, covering abandoned cars and pushing stray trash as it seemed to wander in all directions. The fact that the area was empty was a bit unnerving considering how full it had been just moments ago. 

Seeing as the road was completely empty, he saw no reason to keep to the sidewalk. Not his smartest idea, but he wasn't the smartest person. 

Starting off in the direction he had last seen the people headed towards, Danny looked around at the lifeless block. It was eerie, how fast a place could be deserted. The fog didn't help with the visuals. 

Honestly, Danny wasn't sure what happened next. Just like before with the crowd, something happened out of nowhere. One moment he was jogging down the empty road and the next he was airborne, something hit hard from behind and sent him flying a yard down the street. Instinctively, he sucked in a deep breath, unintentionally inhaling the fog. 

At first nothing happened. Brakes screeched from where he had been just a few seconds prior, but no one got out of the white van. Confused, Danny pulled himself up, groaning at the ache in his side from slamming into a brick wall. Almost as soon as he was upright, a wave of dizziness overcame him. Carefully, he propped himself on the wall he had hit, his mind fogging over. It was getting difficult to focus, a cotton-like feeling filling his head as the world spun in front of his eyes. 

By the time the people in the vehicle finally got out, all Danny could really do was blink. His body felt lax, like he had swallowed a really good pain reliever. He didn't react as he was approached, or when he was grabbed roughly under his arms. Not even when his wrists were bound. It was like he was in his own little world, random thoughts bouncing around his head as he let his eyes roam the clown-masked faces of his kidnappers. 

Vaguely, he registered words, catching short sentences. Not a lot, and definitely not enough to put together a coherent story as to what they were talking about. -"not affected by the toxin-" was that what that fog was? -"he's just a scrawny teen-" they weren't talking about him right? Jazz had assured him he was more filled out! -"maybe a meta?-" what in the world was a meta? Had Robin told him about them? He couldn't remember if he had. "-has the hair and eyes, could be a Wayne kid-" Wayne kid? What was that supposed to mean? "-boss will want to know, maybe something interesting to him-" 

The teen was so lost as to what was going on around him, but he couldn't really find it in himself to care. He was sure these people couldn't hurt him, not really. So he let the darkness that lingered at the edges of his vision spread, one last thought passing through his mind as he faded out. 

'Hope Robin won't be too mad about this.'

Chapter Text

Damian shouted for Danny as his grip was broken by a rough shove, watching as the teen stumbled and was swallowed by the crowd surrounding them. In the span of just a few seconds he lost sight of the halfa, his body being pulled in the complete opposite direction by the forceful push of moving people. He called Danny's name over and over, but he could barely hear himself over the sounds of panicked screaming. Even with Danny's possible super hearing, Damian doubted the teen would be able to hear him over the ruckus.

Growing desperate, he pushed and shoved futility against the bodies that rammed into him, accidentally tripping a few people in the process. He couldn't find it in himself to care all that much, they seemed to find their way back to their feet quick enough that it wasn't much of an issue to him. Even if it was, the unfamiliar feeling of dread building up in the back of his throat took priority over all other feelings. 

Despite his desperate attempts to reach Danny, Damian found that he was not making any progress, the force of the crowd too much to fight against. When they finally began to still, Damian was no longer near the park. He was nowhere near the side of Gotham that the park was located. Instead, he found himself halfway across the city, catching his breath in the diamond district. Around him, ambulances and police vehicles made a barrier. Cops and EMTs rushed about, tending to people coming down from their adrenaline highs and asking important questions about what they had seen, what information they might have.

Damian lingered only for a moment before he was moving again, finally free from the mosh of people. He rushed around, quickly and quietly, looking for any sign of Danny. His familiar messy raven hair, the bright colors of his borrowed clothes, anything. Part of him doubted that the teen was here, 'surely he would have found me by now if he was, right?' , but he had to check. It would do neither of them any good if he were to run headfirst into a dangerous situation if it was not necessary, after all. 

When he couldn't find any sign of the teen, Damian turned back the way he had come, scenarios running through his head as he tried to puzzle out just how much danger the teen could be in. No doubt he could handle himself if it came to it, but this city's rogues were not to be underestimated either. 'There were no notable people spotted, so most likely not the Riddler, not plants or smoke bombs either. There was some sort of gas, wasn't there? So either Scarecrow or the Joker.' His dread grew at the thought, but he shoved it back down, half formed plans taking over as he neared the street that separated the districts.

Damian was so caught up in his own thoughts and worries for the missing teen that he didn't notice the young officer split from the crowd and jogged after him. "Sir? Sir! Excuse me sir!" The cop's words fell on deaf ears, Damian's thoughts drowning the sounds around him out. If anyone were to ask, he would blame his inattentiveness on the love potion, and he might even be right about that. 

He was finally shaken out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, his body being dragged to a stop as he was spun around. He glared at the officer, watching the gobsmacked look he gained as he realized just who he had grabbed onto. "D-damian Wayne?" The man couldn't have been older than 24, and was obviously quite new at his job. Any other officer would have had more grace than to practically yell the teen's name in a crowded area. Damian grimaced as everyone within earshot turned towards him, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that his sunglasses were no longer on his face. 'They must have been knocked off.' He thought to himself as the stuttering officer seemed to recover. 

Straightening back up, the cop moved his grip from Damian's shoulder, circling his a around the teen's back to grip the opposite arm as he turned and began to stride quickly back towards the crowd. Away from Danny. Damian tried to slip from the man's hold, but the officer just tightened his grip with what had to be an overexaggerated look of concern as he led Damian through the throng of people. 

Before Damian could fully process, he was being sat down in the back of an ambulance, a shock blanket replacing the arm over his shoulders. He blinked as he tried to reorient himself, watching with an annoyed scowl as the officer whispered something to a female EMT. It had to be something about him, as she glanced back at him, holding eye contact as she nodded to the officer before dismissing him back to the crowd. 

Once he was out of sight, she approached. "Hello, Mr. Wayne. Is that what you want me to call you?" She asked, her tone a practiced gentle that he had heard adults use when they spoke to children. His scowl deepened, irritation rising steadily at the patronizing tone.

"Tt. That is my name." He knew it could get confusing, being called Mr. Wayne, but his father wasn't here right now. 

She ignores his attitude, giving him an exaggerated smile. Honestly, he would prefer someone a bit more stern. At least they wouldn't try to baby him. "Alrighty then, Mr. Wayne, my name is Amanda." She points to herself, almost as if she thought he wouldn't understand a simple introduction. "Now, can you tell me if it hurts anywhere?" 

Damian's hand twitched, the urge to tighten his grip on a hilt steadily climbing with his irritation. If this were a cartoon, he was certain smoke would be pouring from his ears. 'She is a civilian.' He told himself, counting his breaths and biting his tongue against the insults that wanted to spill out. "Nothing of concern to note, ma'am." He was surprised at how neutral his voice he managed to sound. 

Amanda frowned at him slightly. "Are you sure? It won't do you any good to lie, Mr. Wayne." His teeth almost drew blood with how hard he clenched his jaw. Part of him considered just knocking her out and making a run for the shadows. It was the most favorable option to him at the present moment, but he refrained from acting on the thought. He would rather not have to sit through his Father's lecture on how to treat civilians, especially while in civilian clothes. 

Heaving a sigh, he looked the lady over again, taking in her stance, the way her shoulders were intentionally slumped, the way her foot tapped as she waited for him to speak. Resisting the urge to scoff, he reluctantly pointed out one of his more obvious bruises, hoping that it would appease her.

She made a humming noise, rewarding his answer with a bright, unnatural smile. "There now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She tutted as she cleaned his arm up, rubbing in bruise cream. "Where else?"

Much to Damians annoyance, he spent the next thirty minutes pointing out some of the more obvious injuries he had received. There weren't many, thankfully.

"Okay, it seems that you aren't too roughed up. Don't worry, Mr. Wayne, we've called your father and your older brother is coming to pick you up. Just wait here, m'kay?" She tucked the shock blanket around him a little more before walking off, probably to attend to another person.

'Perfect' , thought to himself. Not about to let this opportunity go to waste, he threw the shock blanket off of himself, leaping to his feet and darting behind a vehicle adjacent to the ambulance. He put his assassin training to use, darting in-between shadows as quickly as possible, nearing the side street that would lead him back into the middle and lower-class districts. 

He had almost reached the spot again when a vehicle rushed in from the way he was headed, screeching to a stop a few feet away from him. He stilled, hoping that it was just some crazed, concerned family member of some other person from the crowd. 

"Damian!" A familiar voice called, relief and concern audible. Nope, it was his crazed, concerned family member. Turning, Damian barely had time to process before his face was shoved into a soft blue jacket. Above him, Richard played up the worried brother act. Or, maybe it wasn't much of an act. Damian had been out of contact for some time now. 

Behind him, he could hear someone approach. He rolled his eyes at the sickeningly sweet voice of the EMT that had looked him over. "Oh good! I was worried when he disappeared from the ambulance!" Her voice lost much of its overly honeyed tone when she addressed Richard. "He wasn't hurt too badly in the rush, just some bruises and a scrape or two. He's mostly in shock, I believe. He should be just fine in a few hours, by tomorrow at the latest. If you do notice something else, you should take him to a doctor, but for now I would say he's alright to return home." Damian could feel Richard nodding along to the woman's words, keeping up the act of the concerned civilian as she gave him instructions for Dmaian's care, and signs to watch out for. 

Once the woman was satisfied, she left, leaving Damian alone with his brother. Well, as alone as one could get, when surrounded by shaken, nosey civilians. Richard was as aware of this as he was, as he didn't mention anything about his leave of absence, instead making a great show of patting him down, checking for injuries as well as any type of possible listening devices. Finding nothing, the man pulled the teen into another suffocating hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! When they called, everyone was so super worried about you!" Barely giving the teen time to complain, Richard led Damian to the vehicle he had arrived in. 

Damian had no chance to slip away this time, Richard closing the door behind him before hurrying over to the driver's side, to where he had left his door open in his earlier rush. 

They didn't talk until they were back on the road, the silence stretching on as Richard threw quick side glances at him. As if making sure he was still in the vehicle with him. He only spoke when they turned a corner, the last ambulance disappeared behind the buildings. "What were you thinking?" Damian shot the man a questioning look, which prompted him to continue. "You had us all worried sick, baby bat! This wasn't like you, not one bit. You are usually so careful about letting people know where you are and what you're doing, what was so different this time? Are you hurt? In some sort of danger? Is it the league? Something else?  Did someone say something to set you off? Something that made you leave? Was it Tim? Or Bruce? Steph, Duke, or… or was it me? I mean, I don't think it was me, did I say something recently? If I did, please say something. I'll apologize if something I said offended you." Damian didn't quite know what to say to Amy of that. His silence, however, seemed to egg the man on. 

"If it wasn't something one of us did, then was it something else? Or some one else? Did something happen during that fight with Killer Croc? Or did something happen after you were thrown? Does it have anything to do with that boy you were with, the one from the mall? Was he the same one we saw you toting around the Gotham skylight? Did he kidnap you? Threaten you? Does he have something over you? He doesn't know who you are behind the mask, does he?" The man likely would have kept going the entire car ride, had Damian not stopped him there.

"There is nothing wrong Richard. I was merely dealing with a very sudden personal matter. And before you pester me about it, yes it has to deal with 'that boy' from the mall." Richard grew quiet, but made a small gesture for the teen to continue. "It is quite a long story, with much to explain. Some things I wouldn't be able to share with you without permission as well, so I will tell you about it later. I promise. But right now, there is a different matter that calls for my immediate attention. I need to go back to the city, Richard. Danny is still back there, and he has no idea how dangerous the situation might be. I fear that if I don't find him soon, something bad will happen."

"Who's Danny?" Richard cut in, an odd look on his face that Damian didn't have the time nor patience to puzzle out. 

He growled in annoyance, rolling his eyes a bit. "Danny is the name of the boy that I have been with for the past week. Again, I am willing to explain as much as I can later. But right now, Danny could be in real danger. He needs me. We were on our way to the park when we were practically mobbed by the panicked crowd, and were separated. I looked around for him when the crowd dispersed, but I fear he did not stay with the crowd after our separation. So I am asking you to turn the car around and take me back. I have to find him. The longer we waste, the more likely it is that he will be harder to find, or that he'll be hurt when we do find him."

Richard was quiet after he finished talking, both of them lapsing into a tense silence once more. "I'm sorry, Damian." Richard finally said, his voice sounding slightly choked in his serious tone. "But if your friend is back in the city, then it's not very likely that he survived. That gas was a new batch of fast-acting Joker Toxin. Anyone who caught a whiff of that died in minutes, so any stragglers have probably succumbed to it by now. Including this Danny kid." A bitter snort almost escaped Damian. As if Joker Toxin would be enough to end his beloved. That was just how the gas worked on humans , and last Damian checked, Danny was not fully human. Who knows how ghost biology would react to Joker Toxin?

"I know Danny isn't dead, Richard. And I don't care if the whole city is covered in that wretched Toxin, Danny needs me." He insisted. Still, his brother made no move to turn the vehicle around, tossing him sad side-looks as he drove on. It wasn't long before Damian could spot the Manor's gates in the distance.

The moment the vehicle came to a stop, Damian was jumping out, not caring that the engine was still going. Anger and worry clouded his thoughts as he stormed up the front stairs. Behind him, he could hear Richard shutting the vehicle off, hopping out quickly to follow him. "Damian, hold up!" He could hear the pity in his brother's voice, and found himself gritting his teeth to keep from lashing out at the man. Instead, he ignored the man, stomping through the foyer and up the stairs to his room. 

He slammed his bedroom door behind himself, sliding the lock in place before pacing to the center of his room. His mind raced, half- thought plots for revenge tempered by plans to find Danny. Anything could have happened to the teen in the time they had been separated, and now he was even further from the teen. He wouldn't be in the place that Damian had seen him last, of that he was mostly certain. Danny didn't seem like the kind of person to sit still and wait for help. He was impulsive, reckless, and didn't always think things through, no matter how much he denied it. They had spent little more than a week together, but all of these traits showed in the teen, so Damian felt firm in his assessment. 

But if Danny wasn't where they had parted, then where would he be? 'The apartment?' Damian shook his head. While it was a good possibility, he doubted that Danny would look for him there. None of the places they had been would make much since either. The park would be the most logical, but that was only if the teen knew where he was. The teen could be lost in the city, not knowing his way back to any location Damian had led him to in the past week. If he was lost, then that made finding him a whole lot harder.

The teen was startled from his thoughts by a knock at his door. "Baby bat?" His brother's reached him, muffled by the thick wood. "Dami, I know you're probably really upset right now. And I am really, really sorry about your friend, but please talk to me? You've been missing for a week! We've all been super worried about you, and we don't want you to deal with this alone. I don't want you to deal with this alone." Something hot and ugly burned in his throat at his brother's words, pity still prominent in the man's voice.

When Damian didn't respond after a moment, he knocked again. "Dami? Are you there?" The doorknob shook as he tried it. "Damian?" 

The teen huffed angrily as he stomped over to his door, twisting the lock and swinging it open hard. Richard jumped back, avoiding the swift-moving wood. Part of Damian was disappointed, he had hoped to hit the man, maybe that would have gotten his feelings across. "Leave me alone, Grayson. I don't wish to see nor talk to you at the moment." Without waiting for the man to respond, he swung his door closed again. 

On the other side of the door, he could hear Richard shuffle his feet, obviously wanting to knock again. After a few tense minutes, he finally retreated back down the hall. Damian didn't let the tension in his shoulders drop until he was sure the man was gone. Sighing, he stepped away from the door, pacing the length of his room as he tried to think of what to do next. 

His anger, which had begun to subside as he thought, was now back with a roaring passion. His brother's words echoed in his head, feeding fuel to the fire. 'Why won't he just listen to me?' Damian couldn't help but think. 'I know that Danny isn't dead. I know more about him than anyone else in this family. I am the one who has spent the past week with him! Why won't Grayson take my word on this? Why does he insist on treating me like a child?' Damian knew that I would take more than a little Joker Toxin to kill someone who was already partially dead. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. And, while he was usually one to rely on research and facts, he couldn't help but trust this gut feeling he was having. 

Taking a few deep breaths, Damian fought to regain control of his emotions. If Richard wasn't going to help him, then he would just have to find Danny by himself. But first things first, he had to get out of the manor. And he had a sneaking suspicion that his family was not going to make it as easy as it sounded. 

Huffing and grumbling under his breath, Damian clenched his hand tightly as he tried to think. Only to blink in surprise at the feel of rough fabric scrunching against his palm. Looking down, Damian realized what the odd feeling was. There, in his grip, was the strap of Danny's messenger bag. In all the excitement, he had completely forgotten that the teens bag was in his possession. 

Idly, Damian flipped the front latch, curious as to if anything in the bag could help him in any way. Tugging the pocket open, he peered inside and was once again surprised. Nestled in the smaller pocket of the bag was a familiar dark fabric. It was his Robin Suit, folded and tucked neatly away for whenever Danny planned on returning it to him. Brushing his fingers over it, he let a smirk overtake his lips as a rough plan began to formulate in his mind. 

Quickly, he pulled it out and discarded his civilian clothes, tugging the stretchy spandex and kevlar outfit on. Next, he pulled his phone from the pocket of his pants, flipping through his contacts until he landed on the right one. Shooting a text to the one person in the house that would be willing to help him, he had nothing to do but wait.

He didn't have to wait long, a light, barely there knock sounding on his door moments after the text was sent. Pulling it open, he nodded and stepped aside to allow Cain to enter. 

As soon as the door was closed again, Cain turned to face him. With a determined light in her eyes and nearly silent voice she spoke instead of her usual sign. "What do you need from me?" She asked simply.

"I need a distraction. There might be one other person willing to help me find Danny, but knowing Richard, I won't be able to leave the manor without trouble." He examined quickly. He didn't need to tell her the entire plan, plausible deniability and all, but he knew that she got the idea. 

Cain nodded, motioning for the teen to stick to the shadows as she exited the room. Distractions were more of Steph's thing, but she knew how to keep someone's attention well enough. 

Slipping silently through the mansion, it wasn't hard to find Richard. He was in the lounge, sitting with his head in his hands. In any other situation, Damian would probably have felt at least a little guilt at the grief he caused his eldest brother, but right now he didn't have the time. 'Later, ' he promised himself. 'I shall apologize to Richard later, when Danny is safe and secure.'

Damian watched as Cain slipped soundlessly into the room, approaching the man from behind. He didn't know she was there until she startled him from his obviously intense thoughts, throwing herself over his shoulders in classic Cain fashion. "Oh, hey Cass." The man sighed.

"What's wrong?" She signed to the man, her head tilted in the perfect picture of innocence and concern. 

Richard sighed again, but turned to face her. Readjusting, she slid over the sofa he was perched on, subtly angling her head towards the door. A sign for the teen watching from the rafters.

"Well, It's Damian." The man started, his full concentration focused on the girl. Giving Damian the perfect opportunity to slip out the patio door and into the gardens. 

He moved quickly and quietly, keeping to the shadows and out of sight of the cameras he knew were strategically positioned around the grounds. He had almost made it to the wrought-iron gate wall that marked the manor grounds when he heard someone clear their throat. He froze, slowly turning around, expecting any one of his family members. Somehow, he didn't really expect to come face to face with one Alfred Pennyworth. 

His grandfather figure was holding a pair of trimming shears, clearly in the middle of pruning the ground's numerous rose bushes. His expression was as unreadable as ever, though Damian swears he caught a flash of amusement in the butler's eyes. "Good evening, sir." The man greeted the teen.

"Pennyworth-" before Damian could attempt to explain what he was doing, and possibly beg for the man's silence, Alfred released his grip on his shears. They fell from his hands, tangling in the thorny bushes with a loud rustling noise. 

"Oh my, how clumsy of me." Alfred tutted to himself, making an obvious show of turning his back to Damian as he bent to retrieve them. When Damian didn't immediately move, the man looked at him over his shoulder, nodding to the fence with a wink. "I wish you the best of luck, Master Damian." 

"Thank you, Alfred." The teen whispered. Turning back around he gripped the top bar of the fence, vaulting easily over it and making a run for the small scattering of trees that lined the edge of the property. It took him no time to reach the city limits, putting his assassin training to use in an effort to make good time. 

Once he set foot on the Gotham city proper, he set off at top speed towards a specific part of the city. Towards Park Row. Crime Alley. The home of one Jason Peter Todd-Wayne. 

Chapter Text

Jason stared dubious at the redhead in front of him, letting what she had just told him sink in. "So, let me get this straight," he shifted in his seat, the leather of his couch creaking underneath him. "You and your brother are from another dimension." He paused, waiting for her confirmation. Jazz nodded. "And your brother only came here because he wanted to test a 'potion' that he found the recipe for in an old, suspicious looking book that he found in your aunt's attic?" 

"That's right." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, clasping her hands together in her lap. In the background, the TV chattered, some news channel discussing the latest scandal. 

"Then, when he didn't come home at the agreed upon time, you followed him here. And you've been tracking him around the city, because he leaves an invisible trail?"

"Well, technically it's visible. But only to certain people? And it's less of a trail and more of just spots he's been where his emotions got high enough to leave an ectoplasmic imprint." She corrected gently, a sympathetic smile on her face as she watched him run his fingers through his unruly hair. 

"Right, right. Remind me to ask how that works later. After I've had at least one good night's sleep." Jason sighed, dropping his head in his hands. This wasn't the weirdest case he had ever taken on, but it was definitely up there. 

"So, can you tell me just how it is that you're tracking him?" 

"Well.." She brought her clasped hands up to her chin, resting her jaw on them while she tried to put it into words. "Basically, when my brother is in a situation where he feels an exceptionally strong emotion, happiness, sadness, rage, what have you, he lets off this, um. Energy signature?" 

Her thumb nail pressed at her lip as she thought about it. "Yeah, let's go with that. So he lets off this energy signature that some people can track. It can differ from person to person, but for me I can see it. It looks like a blue-green mist, and feels kind of cold when I walk through it." She laughs a bit. "Actually, there was one in that restaurant we met at. We sat in the middle of if.

"Is that what I felt when we sat down?" Jason couldn't help but ask. He had felt something odd at the time, a cold sensation paired with some sort of intrusive emotion. At the time, he had brushed it off, sure that his lack of sleep was messing with him. 

"Yeah, I noticed you were kind of tense when we first sat down." She admitted, her index finger rubbing her chin as a pretty red blush dusted her cheeks. "I should probably apologize for that. I sometimes forget that it's not necessarily normal for other people to sense Danny's signature." 

Silence fell over the two of them again, the only sound in the apartment muffled noises from the city outside, and the rambling of a weather reporter on the TV. Both of them fidgeted in their seats, not quite sure what to say. Taking a breath, Jason pulled his drifting gaze back to Jazz. Before he could say anything, both of them were startled by a quick knock. Immediately, both of them turned towards the door, staring at it cautiously. No one in his family ever used doors, and there were very few people that knew where Jason lived. It made sense to get a bit tense. 

After a minute of silence, another knock echoed through the apartment. Both of their weary looks turned to confusion. That sound didn't come from the door. In fact, Jason was sure that it was coming from behind him. Twisting in his seat, he searched for the source of the noise, shoulders tight and hand twitching towards the gun on his hip. 

Again, the noise sounded. A tap, tap, tap, noise that sounded more impatient than the precious one. 'There', Jason spied a shift of color against the dark tint of the window. Standing quickly, he motioned for Jazz to get down, inching closer to the window. He didn't turn to see if she listened to him, but the sound of her clothes rustling put something in him at ease. He just hoped it was her listening to him and not her sneaking up behind him. 

Sidling up to the wall, he pressed himself to the peeling sheetrock next to the window. Pulling his gun free, he took a moment to collect himself before launching into action. In a blur of motion, Jason threw the window open and aimed his handgun, barrel pointed right between the eyes of… Damian? 

Blinking hard, Jason looked the teen over. Yeah, that was definitely Damian, frozen there while dressed fully in his vigilante suit with his hand raised to knock again. Lowering the gun, Jason eyed the teen suspiciously. "Robin?" Jason asked. "What are you doing here? Weren't you, like, missing or something?"

Damian, in true Damian fashion, scoffed at him, pushing his way through the open window and landing silently on the rough carpet of Jason's living room. "I need your help, Todd." He stated, turning to look at the man, ignoring his questions.

Jason groaned, looking at Jazz who was peeking over the edge of the couch. Giving her a thumbs up, he turned back towards his brother. "Sorry to disappoint pipsqueak, but I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Damian paused, his face scrunching up in contemplation, before a soured look replaced it. "Please Todd." He pleaded. That had Jason straightening up a bit. The demon brat never begged. Sarcastic? Yeah, always. Belligerent? When was he not? But begging? He would never stoop so low. Until now, apparently. 

"...what do you need help with?" Jason asked hesitantly. The soured look softened slightly at his words. 

"My beloved and I have been separated, and I need help finding him." Jason blinked at the teen. Shook his head, and looked him over again, not quite sure what he was looking for. Any signs of deception, maybe? Because this had to be a joke. But, the teen looked a hundred percent serious, like he usually did. 

"You have a boyfriend?" He asked incredulously. Because what else would he ask? 

The teen standing in front of him scoffed. "No, I don’t." He told Jason. The man breathed a sigh of relief. "...Not yet, anyways." 

Huffing, Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have not had enough sleep to deal with this." He muttered, walking back to the couch and plopping down next to Jazz, who Damian hadn't seemed to notice yet.

"Regardless of our relationship status, he isn't from here and is currently lost in the city with the Joker on the loose. I need someone to help me find him before he runs into some of the more… unsavory individuals in Gotham." Jason tensed up at the mention of the psychotic clown, his expression hardening into something dangerous. 

"The Joker is loose? When did that happen? Why hasn't anyone informed me of this?" He demanded. 

"I do not know when this happened, Todd. I have been out of contact with the others for a week now. As for why you were not made aware of it, does the fact that you usually attempt to kill him on sight not give you your answer?" Jason huffed again, but conceded the teen's point.

"Alright then, what can you tell me about this missing 'crush' of yours?" Jason leaned back in his seat, letting his head rest over the back of the couch. 

"Like I said before, he isn't from Gotham, I'm not too sure where he hails from to be completely honest. What he has shared about his home life is quite concerning, but that can be discussed later." Striding across the room, Damian took a seat in the chair that Jazz had abandoned. "He has black hair and blue eyes, he is about five three in height, maybe five four. He has these light-colored freckles that glow under the stars, and little fangs. He's exceedingly pale and worryingly thin, though I'm not sure if that is because of his unique biology or not. His skin is cold to the touch, and he isn't very affected by colder climates based on his preferences."

The way he explained the boy made Jason think that the demon brat might have more than just a crush on this person. 'Wait…' Jason thought over the description he was given. 'No way. Could it be? Maybe…' "Robin." Jason made the teen pause in the middle of a description that he most definitely did not need. "This guy you're looking for. Is his name Danny, by chance?"

Damian looked over in surprise. "Yes. How did you know that?" He asked, suspicion clear in his voice. In response, Jason gestured to the woman sitting beside him. The teen's gaze flickered over to her briefly, before turning back for a closer look. He was silent as he scrutinized her. "Who might you be? And what do you have to do with Danny?" He asked finally, looking back at Jason. 

"This," Jason pointed to Jazz again, "is Jasmine Fenton. Danny's-"

Damian interrupted him. "You're Danny's sister? The 'Jazz' he talks so highly about?" He asked the woman. She startled for a moment, having been analyzing the entire interaction between the two, before nodding. 

"Yes. Like Jason said, I'm Jasmine, but all of my friends call me Jazz." She had her hand out to the teen, who shook it carefully. "So, how did you meet Danny?" She asked. 

Damian was quiet for a moment. "It was about a week ago, I had been fighting one of Gotham's rogues with Batman when I was thrown quite a distance. I had landed in a bird fountain, and Danny helped me out of it. He told me later that I had absorbed quite a large dose of a 'love potion'. I have been helping him to collect the ingredients to brew the antidote." He explained, tugging at the strap of a bag that Jason hadn't noticed earlier. 

Jazz nodded, like the explanation made perfect sense to her. Beside her, Jason was caught between finding the situation hilarious, or finding it devastating. Only his crazy ass family.

"Okay, as amazing as it is to know that I don't have to search for two missing teenagers now," the man drew both of their attention back to the original purpose of them both being in his home. "We should probably try and come up with a plan to find him, yeah?"

Before either of them could respond, the TV suddenly screeched. All of them whipped around to stare at it, their startled looks slowly becoming looks of horror. The channel had been hijacked, something not out of the norm for TV stations in Gotham. Many of the rogues had habits of televising their nefarious schemes all over the air, wanting their deeds to garner as much attention as possible. 

It wasn't much of a surprise to see the green haired clown in a purple pin-striped suit on the screen. Even less so to hear him announce himself loudly, like he was in a theatrical play. No, their horror came from seeing the two prone figures tied together in the background. "Hello Gotham City!" The man bellowed, his voice coming off as scratchy and static-ridden through the TV speakers.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I suppose I'll have to make up for all the lost time! So I won't be telling you my plans so soon. What I will do, however, is give our local bats some incentive to get going." 

He strutted across the screen, coming to a stop behind the two figures. Their identities hidden by the brown sacks over their heads. They wouldn't stay that way for long.

"I have here with me, not one, but two hostages! And if you don't find me quickly, both of them will have a not so fun time!" He gripped one of the bags, pulling it up to reveal the split-died pigtails of a very pissed off Harley Quinn. "Our first guest is one you've seen before! Our dear old friend Halrey! We haven't heard much from you since your adventures with Ivy, have we? I thought it was high time that changed!" Jason was sure that it wasn't for the gag in the woman's mouth, she would have cursed the man out. Or bitten him. Actually, she probably would have done both. 

When the Joker pulled the bag off of the second person's head, two twin gasps escaped the two people who recognized the dazed-looking figure. Jason could tell on that alone who the mystery person was. "And this is our new guest! Why, with that hair and those eyes, he could be mistaken for one of ol' Brucie's brood, am I right? But, no such luck today, at least not as far as I know. Instead, he caught my eye for his odd reaction to my Toxin! A nice whiff, and none of the usual side effects! What a fun turn of events!" 

He grabbed the teen's face, turning him to face the camera. "He looks pretty out of it, doesn't he? Maybe we'll see just how out of it he really is later!" The clown cackled manically, his words causing even Harley to stare at the teen with a large amount of terrified worry. 

"Tick tock, Batsy! Wait too long, and our guests might get bored!" With another maniacal laugh, the screen cut to black, slowly fading in with a laughing cartoon Joker face, an hourglass trickling quickly below it. 

The three occupants of the apartment were settled in a horrified silence for a few minutes, the new turn of events setting in. 

Suddenly Damian lurched forwards out of his seat and towards the window with a murderous look on his face. Jason was quick to grab him, forcing him to a stop. "Hold it Demon brat! You can't just throw yourself head first into this. We need to find him first!" The teen growled at him, but stopped trying to pull himself from the man's grasp. 

"Talk fast Todd. I won't just sit here and wait while he's in danger." Damian snarled at him, jerking his arm from the man's grasp and backing away from the window. 

"Okay." Jason ran his hand through his hair, gathering his racing thoughts. "Alright," he turned, snatching up his laptop and setting it down on the coffee table. As soon as the screen was up, Damian was at his shoulder, glaring at the different programs that the man pulled up, as if to threaten them into working faster. "Fuck, the signal is messing up. I don't know if we can trace him like this."

It was then that Jazz, who had been scarily silent this entire time, spoke up. "Hand it here." She didn't wait for him to respond, pulling it in front of her before he could ask what she was planning. Damian rounded the couch to perch on the arm next to the woman. 

"My computer skills are a bit rusty, but it shouldn't be too different…" She muttered as she worked, a look of deep concentration overtaking her pretty face as she worked. After a few tense minutes, she broke the quiet that had fallen as she worked with a triumphant "Aha!" 

She slid the laptop back over to him, letting him see the blinking dot over a map of downtown Gotham, blinking right over the warehouse district. Damian jumped to his feet and began to search around his apartment, pulling out various weapons and pieces of his suit and tossing them over. It was obvious what he wanted. 

As he donned his outfit, he turned towards the redhead. "How did you find him so quickly?" He asked. 

She smirked, a tired and wry action that spoke of an interesting story. "My brother's friend taught me how to bypass some of the more annoying aspects that ectoplasm has on electronics. It's easier to look for a blank spot than to look over everything that you can see, after all."

He opened his mouth to ask more about it, but was cut short by an angry shove. "Move it!" Damian snapped, pushing him once more towards the window before hurrying over and pulling himself out onto the fire escape. 

Cursing, Jason hurried after him, turning around when he heard Jazz move to follow him. "Stay here." He told her.

Her expression shifted into one of exasperated anger. "I can-"

"I know you can take care of yourself." He cut her off. "But me and Robin have been doing this for a long time. We have a rhythm. I don't mean anything by this, but you'll just be in the way." When she still looked ready to argue, he sighed heavily. "Hey, look at me." Her teal eyes met his tainted blue. He tried to project sincerity into his expression. "I promise that we will get your brother back. We've fought this guy before, and we'll probably fight him a lot more. Your brother will be fine." 

She stood defiant for a few more seconds. Then, finally, she backed down. "Alright." She agreed. "But if there is so much as one scratch on him, I'll beat your ass so badly that death will look like a paradise." She threatened him. Her serious expression made even the pit retreated in fear. Yeah, he had no doubt that she would do that.

"You have my word." He promised. 

"Todd!" Damian yelled from the roof. With another weary sigh, he pulls himself through the window and onto the fire escape, hurrying after his brother as he takes off across the rooftops. 

Yeah, he definitely hadn't had enough sleep to deal with this. Was he gonna do it anyways? Yes. Yes he was. 'The things I do for this family.'

Chapter Text

There was no way in Hell that Jazz was just gonna sit tight and wait for her danger-magnet of a brother to be brought to her. As trustworthy as Jason and his… brother? Yeah, she was ninety percent sure that Robin was Jason's younger brother. As trustworthy and honest as they appeared, she wasn't about to take chances. 

She didn't think they would hurt her baby brother, they didn't seem like the types. In fact, she was more worried about them getting hurt than she was about Danny getting hurt. Danny was practically indestructible, unless you had the right equipment. And seeing as they were in a different dimension? The odds were really, really low. But low didn't mean zero. 

Pacing the living room, she glanced at the TV. 'Out of everything that could have happened here, why did it have to be clowns?' Her little brother hated clowns just about as much as he hated their Godfather. She bet that the clown would at least be injured by the time the cavalry arrived, if not half way dead. This world didn't have antibodies for ghost bacteria, right?

Sitting back down, Jazz thought about what she might be able to do. The dot that marked her little brother's location blinked on the screen, drawing her attention. 'Wait a minute,' she tilted her head as she squinted at the dot. 'Is it just me, or is the dot moving?' Sure enough, the dot was moving. 

Earlier, when she had told the two vigilanties that she had found her brother’s location by tracking the blindspots, she hadn't exactly been telling the truth. Yes, she would have easily been able to track the blackout radius of her brother's influence, something had told her to track her brother's signature instead. While she wasn't the best with technology, the system Tucker had shown her was relatively simple, as long as you know what you're doing. 

So at this moment, she knew that her brother was on the move, the blinking red dot tracing his path. 'It can't be Jason and Robin,' she thought. 'It hasn't been long since they left.' her eyes followed the dot as it wound through what seemed to be back alleys and subway lines before coming to a stop quite a ways away from the warehouse district. When it didn't move after a few minutes, Jazz made her decision. 

The woman grabbed a loose notepad left on the coffee table and snagged a pencil from a ceramic mug next to it. Writing quickly, she explained that the dot moved after they had left, and that she was going after it. Underneath the note she jotted down the address that the laptop showed and promised to meet them back here if they didn't meet up with her. 

Signing it, she folded the yellow paper and set it on the keypad of the laptop. A Second sheet of paper later and she was on her way out the door, a rudimentary map of the area drawn with the path she needed to take marked. 

'I hope Jason won't be too mad about this…'

—

Danny wasn't sure when he came back to himself, his consciousness fading in slowly. His mind was still fuzzy, whatever was in that gas still affecting him greatly. 

Opening his eyes, the teen blinked blearily. Confusion was the first thing that really registered. 'Who turned out the lights?' He wondered. That had to be it, right? Someone turned out the lights or something? Man, he hoped that was it. It would suck if he was just blind now. 

'Maybe I have something in my eye?' Damny tried to rub at his eyes, only to frown when he found his wrists trapped by something. An annoyed grumble escaped him as he tugged again, not quite understanding why his wrists wouldn't separate. After a minute, he just gave up. He really didn't have the energy to care all that much. 

A few moments later, he became aware of a presence in front of him. Something about the presence rubbed him the wrong way, like someone had shoved salt-covered lemons into his mouth after a large gulp of a kelp smoothie. Or something equally as gross. He didn't have much of an opportunity to react as the icky presence got closer, as all at once color came back to the world. 

A light angled towards his face had the teen squinting, a whine of discomfort building In his throat. Before it could escape, there was a hand twisting his face in a certain direction. Danny could do little more than stare, dazed, at what he thinks is a camera. Above him, a nasaly voice drones on about… something. He can't really focus on the words. Too much effort for his cotton-covered brain at the moment. 

When he had finally released his face, Danny let his head drop back down. His instincts urged him to do something about the foul presence that was behind him now, but he couldn't really find it in himself to move. For now, whoever the presence was, was safe. But if they came any closer…

Danny was startled out of his instinct-driven thoughts by something beside him moving. Glancing over, his blurry vision made out something pale, with blond, blue, and pink. '...a person,' he realized after a moment. 'A familiar person.'

Whoever it was, they were squirming and struggling against something, their arms moving awkwardly behind their body. Almost like their hands were stuck or something. His jaw dropped open slightly, an offer to help that surely would have come out slurred, if not for the hand from before gripping him once again. His head was tilted once more, upwards this time, and Danny found himself staring at something. Someone?

The most prominent colors he could make out were purple, white, and green. A wide red line that he thinks is a smile splits and, oh, they were talking again? 'Why is a moldy eggplant talking to me?' 

Almost as if the eggplant man could read his thoughts, the nasally voice stopped. Beside him, the squirming person paused, before they began to shake. Laughing? Yeah, he could hear the muffled chuckles coming from his side. But why were they laughing? 'Did I say that out loud or something?'

"Yes, you did." The eggplant growled. The fingers squeezing his face dug into his cheeks in what should have been a painful way, but he didn't really feel it. Is that what the gas from earlier had done? Was it like an anesthetic or something? Who would release an anesthetic on a city anyways?

The man tipped his head upwards again, bony fingers grinding into his jaw. "Now, that wasn't very nice of you. Someone should teach you some manners." There was an uncomfortable amusement in his tone that brushed Danny the wrong way. The longer the man talked, the more his urge to attack him grew. Finally, the man let go, letting the blood rush to the places he had pressed on. The teen couldn't help but flex his jaw sluggishly at the odd feeling.

"Whatever," the eggplant said, turning away from him. "It's not like insulting me is gonna do you any favors, kid. We just gotta wait for the Big Bad Bat to show up." The icky feeling of the man's aura retreated as he walked across the room. Clicking noises, beeps, and the smell of some sort of explosive wafted across the space, and began to grow stronger as the man approached again. 

"Now, while we wait for Batsy, why don't we set up a surprise for him, hmm?" The man laughed at a joke Danny wasn't privy to as he reached past the teen with something in hand. 

What happened next, Danny blames his drugged out state for. 

The man's arm came too close, and Danny didn't hesitate to lunge for him. Eggplant guy fell backwards with a short, high-pitched yelp, dropping what he had been holding and dragging the teen's body with him. 

The purple fabric tasted nasty, like the time he had eaten Dash's underwear. Only, if Dash's underwear was covered in chemicals and gunpowder instead of sweat. Despite the gross taste, he bit down harder. His fangs easily sliced through the fabric, sinking into the pasty white skin of the man's arm. 

The man cursed vehemently as the pain finally registered, frantically waving his arm and pushing at the teen in a desperate attempt to free himself.

By this point, all rational thought had left Danny's foggy mind, replaced by the instinct of an adolescent ghost. The hand shoving at his face made him growl, his jaw automatically locking harder on the arm. This, obviously, hurt more, if the man's sudden change from pushing at his face to trying to sling him off using gravity was any indication. The force, combined with whatever drug he was being affected with, made his jaw ache. A few seconds later, he found that he couldn't hold on anymore. His teeth slid free from the man's arm, and Danny's limp form went sailing.

He landed in a jumble of tied together limbs, hitting the ground not too far from where he started with a dull thud. He grumbled at the feeling before it faded away like every other pain had so far, pushing himself half way up to look around. 

The first thing his eyes focused on were a set of wrists, bound in some sort of scratchy-looking rope. It took Danny a moment to realize that those pale wrists were not his own. Looking up, his eyes trailed over a black, blue and red leather halter-cut jacket, a familiar pale neck, and up to split dyed blond hair. 'Where have I seen that before…' he thought, trying to fight the fuzz clogging his head. 

'Flowers? Something about a date? The flower shop!' He realized with a tired grin. 'But, what is the flower shop lady doing here?' He glanced back down at her bound wrists, eyeing the bruises and red marks that were already forming. 'That doesn't look good.' The teen glanced back up, eyeing the eggplant man, who was examining the bite mark Danny had left. 

The teen couldn't help the flash of pride that ran through him at the sight of it, sluggishly oozing with a mixture of blood and ghost venom. Did people here have the same resistance to ghost venom that people back home did? Oh well, Danny couldn't really bring himself to feel bad about it. His own fault for thinking a young ghost would be easy to threaten. Besides, not like the venom would kill him. Just him really, really sick if he didn't get the right medical treatment.

His eyes went back to the lady's wrists. That bite gave him an idea. With the man still busy whining over his wound, there was nothing to really stop Danny from sliding over to her. Closer now, he looked the rope over before leaning over and biting down. He paused when he felt the lady jerk against him, startled from the suddenness of his attack. When she settled again, he went back to work chewing through her bindings. His fangs helped to make quick work of the cheap rope, twine snapping easily under the constant barrage of sharp toothed attacks. 

As soon as the last thread was snapped, the woman pulled her arms away, tugging at the strip of cloth in her mouth before going for the rope around her ankles. Task complete, Danny let his body fall back to the floor. The fuzzy, numb feeling he had been fighting off rushed back in, leaving him able to do little else than lay there, staring absently into space. 

He managed to move his eyes when the eggplant man stood up, one hand hugged to his chest while the other aimed something black at him. A… gun? Yeah, Danny is pretty sure that that's a gun. 

"You feral brat." The man snarls, his earlier amusement replaced by a pained waver in his voice. "Don't you know who I am? What I do to rats like you?" The gun clicked as he stared closer. "Why don't I show you?" His creeping painted lips stretched into an eerie smile as he pointed the barrel at Danny. The teen had enough presence of mind to brace himself for the bullet that was sure to be fired.

Only, the bullet never came. Instead, something metal slammed into the man's hand, causing him to drop his gun in surprise. The gun went off as it hit the floor, a flag shooting out of the barrel before embedding itself into the wall not too far from Danny's prone figure. 

Another loud thwack had the man falling to the ground, his hand holding his knee. The pissed off woman above him looked like she was tempted to hit him one last time, but she obviously decided against it. Instead, she flung the pipe away from herself, kicked the downed man, spit on him for good measure, and walked over to crouch next to Danny.

Danny looked up at her as she sighed. "Man, when I said I hoped to see ya again, I didn't mean like this." She joked as she slid one arm under his knees, the other wrapping around his shoulder. With a small grunt, she stood up, readjusting the still tied-up teen with a small frown. "Jeez kid, ya really need to eat more. Ya way about as much as a sack of feathers!" She exclaimed. 

Danny just grunted in acknowledgement. Behind them, the eggplant guy groaned. The woman's head snapped around for a second, before turning to look at the teen again. "Alright, let's get outta here before Mista Jay gets back up, yeah?" She didn't give him a chance to respond before she was off, jogging towards the only obvious exit in the building. A few goons tried to stop them, but were easily taken down by a few swift kicks to their lower bodies. If Danny had any more awareness, he would have winced in sympathy as they went down, curling up in pain. 

The door was found open, and almost immediately Danny was assaulted by stray splatters of cold water. He hissed at the feeling, causing the woman to giggle. "Dontcha worry, kid. I'll get us somewhere nice and dry until ya feel better." She promised, turning down an alleyway and crouching behind a dumpster as four men ran by. A thought seemed to strike her as she looked to see if the coast was clear. "Hey, ya wanna meet my girlfriend?" She asked. 

When Danny didn't respond, she giggled. "I'll take your silence as a yes." Standing back up, she dashed back out into the rain. 

"Don't worry." She said after a minute. "Ives is gonna love you!" That was the last thing Danny heard as exhaustion tugged at him, pulling him under before he could try to respond.

—

Jazz stared up at the cloudy sky, wincing as the first raindrop fell. From where she was now, it would take her a while to get to the address Danny had stopped at. If she could even find it in the first place. 'I will find it.' She shook the negative thoughts from her head, turning down an alleyway she hoped would get her there quicker. 

"Maybe I should have just waited for Jaspn to get back." She grumbled, rounding a corner to find herself at a dead end. "Ugh. This is why I hate big cities." She groaned, turning back the way she came. Maybe she should just stick to the streets. So far her 'shortcuts' hadn't been much help.

Spying another opening, she berated herself mentally as she jogged into it. 'Third times the charm.' Aaand another dead end. Great.

At this rate, she would make it to Danny by nightfall.

'…After nightfall,' she amended as the sun set over the tops of the buildings. Sighing, she made her way back to the road, checking the crude map she had drawn out before marching down the sidewalk.

'I'm coming, Danny.'

—

"...Harley? Who is that?" Pamela Isley thought she was used to her girlfriend's unexpectedness, but showing up at their shared apartments with rope burns, a bloody lip, a bruise on her temple, and a tied up teenager? That was something she didn't think she would ever have to expect. 

"Surprise! It's the boy who picked out your flowers!" Her girlfriend exclaimed cheerfully as she set the teen down on the couch. 

Ivy sighed, grabbing the first aid kit they kept by the door. Honestly? She probably should have expected this. 

Chapter Text

Harley dabbs at one of the small cuts on the kid's face as her girlfriend stares at her. Truth be told, it wasn't one of the craziest stories she had ever shared, not even top ten on the list, but it was odd enough. It wasn't every day your girlfriend stumbles into your house, bruised and bloody, carrying a teenager. But a teenager was hardly something to bat an eye at compared to some of the other stuff Harley has dragged home. One of the first living beings though. Most other still alive people she drags in wind up in one of Ivy's greenhouses. Dead bodies make excellent fertilizer.

"Okay." Ivy sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just tell me you kidnapped an already kidnapped kid that you've only met once." Standing, she made her way into the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?" She called over her shoulder. 

"Eh, how about pizza?" Harley yelled back, throwing away the brownish red paper towel and grabbing one of the themed bandaids from the open first aid kit. A Robin themed one, she noted as she peeled the paper back and stuck it over the small cut. The teen didn't so much as twitch as she worked, completely passed out. 

"Pizza? Really?" Came the reply. "We had pizza two days ago." Shuffling noises reached her as Ivy came back, holding a small pile of takeout menus. Bud and Lou followed close on her heels, splitting from her as soon as they spotted Harley. Bounding over, they sniffed at her and the boy. 'Danny,' she remembered suddenly. 'Well, it's nice to have a name for the face.' 

"Alright. How about…" She glanced up from where she had moved to the teen's wrists, cutting through the ropes with a pair of scissors. "Chinese food."

Ivy scrunched her nose slightly at that. "I don't know, didn't you really piss off that one lady at our usual go-to spot?" Harley thought about it for a minute. 

"Yeah." She conceded. "But they deserved it!" The owner's son had no right to flirt with her like that! Especially not with Ivy standing right next to her the entire time.

"Her son flirting with you isn't necessarily a good reason to set Bud and Lou loose in the restaurant." Ivy pointed out.

"I disagree," she wiped antibacterial cream over the forming rashes, frowning sympathetically at the agitated skin. That's gonna hurt later. "But okay, so no Chinese. What about Batburger?" 

Ivy shook her head. "No, the one near here is closed because of Joker's gas. So are the other three that we use as backups." Harley frowned. 

"Tacos?"

"Last night's dinner."

"Denny's?" 

"Not after the Bane incident."

"Fried Chicken?" Ivy glared at her. "Okay, that one's obvious. Umm… Pizza?" Ivy sighed.

"Pizza soun's good." A male voice commented.

Both of their eyes snapped down to the teen, who was now awake. Or, more awake than he was a second ago. His eyes were glazed over, and he didn't look all that present mentally. Yet… "I cou'd go f'r pizza. 's long as it don't eat me f'rst." His words were slurred, a bit off kilter. Like he wasn't meaning to talk. 

Harley shot Ivy a look. Her girlfriend sighed. "I'll give Tony's a call." She relented. 

"Yay!" Harley cheered, high-fiving the dazed teen. He gave her a long, slow blink before wiggling his fingers. 

"I f'lt that." He stated, letting his hand fall back onto his stomach. "I couldn' earl'er."

"Yeah, sounds like you got hit with the good stuff." Harley commented. He blinked again, his eyes drifting over the room before landing on her. Another long blink. 

"Hey, I know you." He told her, his words more clear this time. Like he was focused on saying them properly. She smirked at him.

"You were definitely hit by somethin'." She patted his head before turning and cutting his feet loose. 'Huh, he's missing a shoe.' 

"Flower shop lady." He let his eyes fall closed for a long moment, so long she thought he had passed back out. That was disproved when he opened them again. "Harley." The name was whispered, like he was telling himself. The teen gave himself a little nod, his bangs falling over his face with the action. 

Harley laughed at him, leaning over to push the locks out of his face before going back to his ankles. Thankfully, the worst of his injuries were slight bruises and a bit of rope burn. 

Pinning the last bandage in place, the woman picks the teen's feet off her lap and stands, stretching. "How ya feelin', Danny?" She asks, packing the first aid supplies away. 

"Feel?" He murmurs. "I feel… Fuzzy. Numb. Hungry? Yeah, 'm hungry." He turns his head to the side, catching sight of Bud, who was staring at him curiously. "Dog?" The teen questions, reaching his hand out to pet the hyena. 

Bud allows it. More than allows it, actually. Harley stares at the usually aggressive animal in slight surprise as he shoves his head into the teenager's hand, his tail thumping loudly against the furniture. Lou slips up next to him, nudging Danny's other hand impatiently. "Two dogs?" He lifted his other hand to pet Lou, his fingers clumsily sliding over their fur. " 'm in heav'n." The boy slurred. 

Harley laughed at him, leaning over and scratching Lou behind the ear. "They aren't dogs, Danny boy." She told him. 

He glanced over at her, blinking again. 'Kinda like Selina's cats,' She couldn't help but compare. "Dogs." He told her, looking away again when Bud's tongue swiped across his face, making the teen sputter in surprise. Harley rolled her eyes. "Since ya like the 'dogs' so much, I suppose you will be okay with 'em for a bit?" The boy didn't even acknowledge her as she left the room, his attention solely on Bud and Lou. Harley shook her head as she rounded the corner of the hallway, stepping into her's and Ivy's bedroom. She found Ivy leaning against the wall beside their bedroom window, staring out it as she spoke on the phone. "-yeah. That'll be good. Thanks." With a beep, she hung up, turning when she heard Harley approach. "Pizza should be here in about twenty minutes." She said, leaning from the wall to Harley's shoulder. 

"Great. I get the feelin' that Danny'll be pretty hungry." Harley pushed a strand of brilliant red hair behind Ivy's ear. 

Ivy glanced at her. "Is the kid alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, seems pretty out of it. Like he's high or somethin'. But he's alright. I left him with Bud and Lou." Her girlfriend raised an eyebrow at the nonchalantly statement, but said nothing, turning back to stare out the window. Harley followed her gaze, basking in a rare moment of calm.

The moment was broken by the doorbell ringing. "Huh." Ivy looked at her phone. "Weird. It hasn't been twenty minutes." She stood straight and headed towards the door. Harley followed not too far behind her, snagging her bat as she passed it. After the experience she had just had, she wasn't taking any chances. 

She watched from the shadows of the hallway as Ivy opened the door. "You're not pizza." Ivy glared at whoever was on the other side of the door. 

"No, I'm not. Sorry to disappoint." A young female voice responded, a bit of sass in her tone. "I'm looking for my little brother. Have you seen a teenager, around 15, 16'ish in age, about five three, with black hair and blue eyes?" Ivy shot a look at Harley, tilting her head towards the kid and raising her eyebrow in question. 

Harley shook her head and shrugged, before an idea struck her. Ask for a name, she mouthed at the redhead. Ivy nodded and turned back towards the stranger. "Does your brother have a name?"

The woman was silent for a moment, her shoe audibly scuffing against the steps. "Danny." She answered eventually. "His name is Danny. Have you seen him?" 

Ivy glanced back at Harley. The woman nodded, lowering her bat but keeping it in a tight grip. "Yeah. He's here." Ivy told the stranger, opening the door wider and waving her in. The first glimpse of the stranger that Harley caught was her bright ginger hair, held back from her face by a teal headband, leaving matching teal eyes visible as she glanced around the living room. Her shoulders were tense as she looked around, probably looking for hidden dangers and mapping out escape routes. Or maybe Harley had been spending too much time around the bats. 

The tension bled from the young woman's shoulders as her eyes fell on her brother, who was still busy petting the hyenas. A sigh of relief escaped her as she hurried over, dropping to her knees beside the couch. "Danny?" She whispered gently, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder.

The teen looked up, his eyes widening as he saw who had called his name. "Jazz!" He called out loudly, startling everyone in the room as he lunged to envelope the woman in a loose hug. The redhead, Jazz, let put an "oof!" sound in surprise, but returned the gesture, keeping the young man from falling off the couch. "Wh't 'r you doin' here?" He asked, blinking blearily at her. 

She laughed, pushing his hair back in a sisterly gesture. "What, you really didn't expect me to come after you?" Carefully, she pushed him back down onto the couch, gently pulling his arms from around her shoulders. "But never mind me, what happened to you?"

Danny fell quiet for a minute, clearly thinking hard. "Weeeell," the word was drawn out and slightly slurred. "Th' love potion w'rked, but this r'lly pretty guy f'll out of th sky an' land'd in it. He f'll in love w'th me, and kin'a br'ke tha p'rtal gun b'fore ki'nappin' me. An' f'r tha past week, I've b'n runnin' aroun' m'kin' a new potion. Don't r'lly know if it w'rk'd though, 'cause th're was a crowd, an' I lost R'bin, an' then th're w's this dude in a cl'wn m'sk, an' this weird gas, an' ev'rythin' went fuzzy. Th'n there was th's moldy eggplant g'y, he had a r'lly gross la'gh. But I bit 'em, an' he thr'w me, and I ate some rope. Th'n I was here, with tha nice dogs, and th're's gonna be pi'zza!" The teen rambled about his experiences, his words barely understandable to the two women watching the interaction in a mixture of confusion and interest. 

Jazz, however, seemed to understand him just fine. She nodded along as he excitedly told his tale, expertly dodging stray hands as her brother animatedly talked. When he was finally finished, she patted his knee. "Well, it sounds like quite the adventure." 

"Uh-huh." The teen agreed, his attention straying back to the hyenas. His sister made no move to stop him as he reached out to pet Lou again. 

"Alright, you rest up, m'kay? I'm here now." The teen's eyes flickered to her as she stood up, but his attention was claimed by Bud's wet nose pushing into his cheek. Jazz walked towards the two women, who had retreated to the kitchen in hopes of not looking too nosey. Well, Ivy had retreated, Harley had been dragged out of the living room. Still, both of them looked up when she stopped a few feet away. "Thank you for looking after my brother. He tends to be a danger magnet when left alone." Her hand drifted up to her neck, rubbing her nape as she spoke. 

"It's not a problem! Danny's welcome here anytime!" Harley crowed from her seat on the counter, her legs swinging as she shoved her hand into a bag of chocolate chips she had procured from the cabinet. Jazz smiled at her gratefully.

"Oh!" The girl perked up suddenly. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Jasmine, but most people call me Jazz." She held her hand out to Ivy, who just so happened to be closest. 

"Ivy. It's nice to meet you, Jasmine." Ivy shook the girl's hand.

Harley tossed her treat to the side, hopping off the counter. "Harley Quinn, nice ta meetcha!" She took Jazz's hand in hers, shaking firmly, before letting go at the sound of the doorbell again. "Ooh! That must be the pizza!" Before either of them could react, the woman was off. Ivy sighed at her girlfriend's antics, following after her girlfriend a bit slower, keeping pace with Jazz. 

"Is she always like that?" The woman asked curiously.

Ivy snorted. "You have no idea."

Chapter Text

Damian crouched next to the broken skylight, watching his target pace the concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. Red Hood perched next to him, staring at the man with the same mixture of contempt and rage that he was currently feeling. The teen would bet that his eyes were glowing Lazarus green under his helmet. 

“What’s the plan?” He asked the man, his eyes never leaving the limping clown below them. He ignored the small bit of satisfaction he gained from the fact that the man was already injured. Most likely by one of his two hostaged. Harley, if he had to name who he thinks did it.

“Why do you think I have a plan?” Jason glanced at him, his voice gruff. Damian couldn't help but to roll his eyes. He really didn't have the patience for Todd's humor right now.

"Tt, you are the one who told me that we needed a plan before 'charging head first' into the situation. So I ask again, what is the plan?" He did tear his eyes away from the man this time, turning to stare at his brother. 

Red Hood huffed and shook his head, but looked back through the window again. "I don't see them in there right now. He had to have moved them, right?" Damian nodded, turning back to observe the room as well. "But they have to be somewhere close. I say we search that side room over there first." 

The teen thought it over. While he wanted to go for a more… violent approach, Todd's plan made much more sense. If they could find Danny without letting Joker know that they were here, then they had a better chance of getting the teen out unscathed. Also meaning that they could be gone before Batman made his grand entrance. 

It would be in their best interest to be gone before his father showed up. Until he had this love potion situation with Danny sorted out, he did not want nor need his family's involvement. 

Shaking himself, he gave Red Hood a nod before slipping through the broken skylight, landing nimbly on the support beam below. Hood followed close behind, his thick boots making soft, metallic thumps on the metal as he landed mere inches away. Quickly, the two made their way across the beams, keeping to the shadows to avoid being spotted as they trapeze over their enemy's head. 

When they were right above the door, both vigilanties paused, their eyes snapping over to Joker as they climbed down as silently as possible. Thankfully, the man seemed much too busy examining his arm. What he was looking at, Damian couldn't tell from this angle. If he were to guess, he would assume it was some sort of injury, based on the pained grimace that scrunched up his painted face. 

Ducking behind a large crate, Damian spared a glance back at Todd before focusing his attention back to the main room. He trusted the man to pick a lock. 

From his hiding spot, he observed the clown, taking note of the way he seemed to favor his right leg, as well as the injury on his arm. A bit of pride welled up inside him as he realized that Danny had probably caused at least one of those wounds. Dread welled up right after it. 'If the Joker was injured, how was Danny right now?' 

The teen was pulled from his thoughts as three goons entered the room. He ducked further into the shadows, throwing a glance back at Todd. Thankfully, the man didn't seem to have thrown all of his concentration into picking the lock, being fast to slip behind a rather large barrel as the three came to a stop in front of their boss. 

"Well?" Joker growled at them, an uncharacteristic scowl etched into his palored expression. 

The men shifted nervously for a few moments until one seemed to gather his courage. "No sign of them, sir." He said, taking half a step back as he fiddled with his clown mask. 

Joker sneered at the man, pulling a gun quickly and shooting a round into the man's shoulder. 

The goon dropped to the floor with a guttural scream, clutching the wound as he curled up in a ball. Joker rolled his eyes and gestured to the man with his gun. The remaining two men leaped into action immediately, hoisting up their injured comrade. "Go. And don't come back until you find them!" The clown shouted after their retreating figures. He growled to himself, putting his gun away before he began pacing again. 

His gaze didn't leave the man as Jason went back to the lock, only looking back when he heard the telltale click. "Psst!" His brother's modulated voice hissed at him. He turned and nodded at the man, slinking backwards slowly as he cracked the door open. Silently, they both slid through the doorway, quickly closing the door behind them. 

Breathing a quiet sigh, Damian straightened from his crouch. Todd stood as well, slipping his lock picking kit back into his pocket. Taking a moment to regroup, the teen pulled one of his knives free of its sheath. Hood mimicked him, sliding one of his pistols out of it's holster, holding the weapon alertly as he began moving forwards. 

The room they had entered was dark, no windows to light up the place. Not that the dark was much of an issue, considering the variety of functions a bat suit has. A night vision setting for his domino was basic compared with some of the things Drake had added to it. 

Space was taken up by more large crates, these stacked high enough to be considered walls. Both vigilanties moved silently through the maze they made, shadows as they searched for signs of active life. 

After what Damian knew was only a few minutes, they did find active life. Just… not who they had hoped to find. In the middle of the crate maze, was a table. A single light bulb hung over the cheap wood, making the five masked men sitting idly around it very obvious. 

Hood gestured for him to stop, pulling him down when one of the men glanced in their direction. The goon's eyes passed over them, going back to the table as another slapped down a card.

"Humf," One of the clowns grumbled, shuffling his own cards around. Damian ignored the men, his gaze intently searching the room for any sign of Danny. 'Not here.' Several choice words flashed through his mind, not slipping out solely because of what Alfred would do if he ever heard. 

Glancing back at Todd, he inclined his head towards the men, a silent question. The man seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding. He didn't waste any time slipping away, ducking and weaving around crates and barrels until he was across the room. His gaze caught Todd's, understanding passing between them. 

At the same time, they both leaped forwards, striking the men fast and hard. All five men were knocked out cold before they could even react. Damian worked quickly on tying them up, not really caring that the zip ties might be cutting into their skin a bit harshly. 

"I don't think he's in here." Todd pointed out, peering around a few crates just to be sure. 

"Hmph." Damian grumbled. "Son what now?c the teen questioned, crossing his arms. He did his best to remain impassive, trying not to show how anxiety was beginning to eat at him. 

"If he isn't here, then we need to find out where he went." The man stated, stalking past the teen as he made his way back the way they came. "Looks like you might get to put those blades of yours to use." He called over his shoulder. Despite the helmet, Damian knew the man was smirking. Not a smile, but the sadistic tilt of his lips he did when someone got what was coming to them. 

While that smirk usually irritated the teen, he couldn't help but feel a stirring of anticipation at his brother's words. 

Unlike on their way in, the two didn't go for stealth as they came back out. Jason pulled one of his pistols, clicking the safety off before landing a harsh kick to the door. The wood creaked dangerously, the hinges protesting loudly as the door slammed into the wall. The noise immediately caught Joker's attention, the clown pulling his gun and turning towards them. 

Todd fired a shot at the man, hitting the hand wrapped around the weapon. With a hiss, the Joker dropped his gun, pulling his now-bleeding hand to his chest. Damian saw the look of recognition flash through the clown's eyes as he realized who was stalking towards him, gun clicking as he cocked it again. A strained smile pulled at the man's pale face. "Well well well, didn't expect Batsy to let you loose tonight." The man chuckled, his eyes never leaving the gun in Red Hood's hand. "Does your Daddy know you're here?" He sneered, obviously trying to get a rise out of him.

To his credit, Todd didn't react to the taunt, keeping a steady pace as he wordlessly stalked closer to the villain. With such an obvious threat in front of him, it was incredibly easy for Damian to sneak up behind him. One quick and ruthless strike to the back of his injured leg had the man falling with a pained grunt. He tried to hurriedly push himself back up, but Damian's well-placed foot on his back effectively stopped the motion. 

Todd crouched down in front of the man, his gun clutched loosely as he stared down at the man. The man managed to project an air of lazy confidence, despite the rage that Damian knew was festering behind his calm facade. "Alright." Todd started. "This is how it's gonna go. You," he pointed at the clown, "are going to tell us what we want to know."

An unnerving grin spread the clown's painted lips. "And if I don't?" He questioned. Damian had to hold back a scoff. Of course the Joker would act flippant in a situation with his life at stake. It didn't matter though. It wasn't his problem that the man didn't realize just what kind of danger he was in, faced with the two most violent members of the Bat Family. 

Todd tilted his head, observing the man with obvious disdain. "If you don't? Well, in that case, you'll get a new job! How does being a human pin cushion sound?" The faux cheer coming through his voice modifier was as fake as could be, something that would have no doubt grated on Damian's nerves in any other situation. 

The teen took his brother's words as a signal, immediately sinking one of his blades into the concrete right beside the clown's head. Satisfaction curled in him as red slid down the blade's edge, welling from a fresh knick in his ear. Joker hissed, his head flinching away as he eyed the blade warily. Taking his gaze away from the blade, he sneered at Hood. "Oh please, are you even really trying?" He rolled his eyes. "You'll have to do better than that if you're threatening me. Everyone knows that Batsy wouldn't let you do any actual damage." 

Damian couldn't help but smirk as Hood shifted, resting his gun on his thigh as he readjusted. "Who said Batman knew we were even here?" The growl in his voice was almost a purr as he spoke, and Damian didn't need to see his face to know the sadistic smile he was wearing. Beneath him, the teen could feel the clown stiffen. 'Good,' Damian thought, putting more weight onto his foot. He was finally realizing what situation he was in. 

The two vigilanties stayed quiet, waiting patiently for a response. The silence stretched on for a few minutes before he finally broke. "Okay, okay!" The man's voice shook. "What do you want?"

"That's more like it!" Hood laughed, leaning back on his heels. He grew serious as he settled again. "Now, what we wanna know. Where are the hostages?" 

The Joker scoffed in disbelief. "Seriously? That's what you want to know?" Damian fought the urge to draw another knife. 

"Yeah." Todd tilted his head down, staring at the man as he stood up. "That's what we wanna know. So, Harley and the boy. Where are they?" He rolled his gun from palm to palm in a deliberately absent sort of way. 

The Joker ignored the silent threat. Instead, he let out an incredulous huff, disdain clear on his face. "I don't know." He growled. 

"You don't know?" Todd's voice took on a dangerous lilt. "Now, I find that hard to believe." He stalked closer, until his boot was right in the man's face. With a rough movement, he slid the toe of his boot under the man's chin, angling in upwards until the Joker's neck strained, forced to look upwards. 

"It's the truth." The man spat, his voice strained by the action. "I don't know where they are." Hood didn't say anything, glaring down at the man for a long while. With a staticky huff, he suddenly yanked his foot away. Neither of them felt bad when his face fell hard into the concrete. 

Hood crouched again, gripping his oily green hair tightly, pulling his head back up. "Talk." He growled.

"They left!" The words tumbled out with a pained wheeze. "That feral brat bit me, and Harley got loose, and they left!" Todd hummed, but said nothing. His lackluster response egged the villain on. "I don't know where the bitch took him, but they're long gone by now. Who knows what hole they've crawled into." 

Todd loosened his grip on the man's hair, standing again with a weary sigh. "And we're back to square one." He muttered walking towards the exit. Louder, he called over his shoulder. "I'll be outside! Tie him up when you're done!" 

Damian nodded, but stayed silent until he heard a door close. He knew Todd hadn't really left, more than likely he had found a door to slam before climbing back into the rafters to watch. But his words invoked the intended reaction from the man Below him. 

"Ha!" The Joker laughed. "Did he leave you behind to deal with me? He's more of a coward than I thought." Anger welled up in Damian as the clown insulted his brother, but he stayed as he was. 'A diversion tactic,' he told himself. 'He's just trying to drop your guard.' 

Sure enough, only a moment later, the man attempted to sit up quickly. Probably aiming to knock him down long enough to dive for a weapon. Unfortunately for the clown, Damian was a step ahead of him. His weight shifted on the man's shoulder, shoving him back down quite forcefully. Before he could try again, Damian had a knife out. With one swift movement, the sharp blade pierced through the man's hand, hitting the concrete below it with a sharp tink sound. The man howled in pain, trying to curl his legs beneath him. There was much more Damian longed to do, much more violent things that he hadn't done in years, but he didn't have time for any of that. They had the information they needed, as dissatisfied as it left him, and there was no need in sticking around. One sharp kick to the temple, and the Joker was out cold.

Pulling his blades free, he re-sheathed them and pulled out some zip ties. Once the man was restrained, he stood, heading the way Todd had left. 

Just as he predicted, his brother dropped from the rafters just before he reached the door. "Nice one." He commented as they exited the building, pulling their grapples and launching themselves onto a nearby roof. They hung around until they could hear the sirens in the distance, taking off at the first sign of lights. The entire time, Damian paced the rooftop, impatience blatantly obvious. 

"I'm surprised." Todd told him. "Honestly, it seemed like you would do more than stab him." 

"Tt." Damian scoffed. "I would have, but we have more pressing matters to attend to." He crossed his arms, foot tapping in the gravel. "Not to mention, we have no way of knowing when the others will show up. It would be harder to escape the manor a second time." Todd hummed in agreement. 

"So, what now?"

Damian shot him a look. "Why are you asking me?" 

Red Hood shrugged. "There are several ways we could go about this." He pointed out. "We could search the city by hand. Or we could head back to the apartment to regroup and tell Jazz what happened. We could ask Ivy if she knows where Harley is, assuming she didn't drop Danny off somewhere." He ticked each option off on his fingers as he spoke. "It's up to you. What do you want to do, Demon brat?"

Damian scowled at the nickname, but said nothing as he thought each option over. Searching the city by hand would take too long. Heading back to the apartment had its merits, but that's assuming Jasmine could find the teen without any sort of trackers. It would be a lot different than pinpointing a broadcasting signal. And calling Poison Ivy would be a bit of a gamble. Yes, the chances that she knew where Harley wasn and if she still had Danny with her, were high, but getting her to share the information might be tricky depending on her mood at the time. 

Sighing, Damian came to a decision. "We might as well head back to the apartment. If Jasmine cannot find him, we will contact Ivy."

Todd nodded. "Alrighty then. Lead the way!" Despite his words, he launched himself ahead of Damian, letting out a cackle at the irate noise he made.

—

Ivy sneezed suddenly, blinking in surprise. Beside her, Harley glanced over. "You okay?" She asked, setting down her pizza slice. Ivy waved her off. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." She told the woman. 

"S'mone's talk'n 'bout you." Danny pipped up, talking around the slice of pepperoni he was messily shoving into his mouth.

"Danny, don't talk with your mouth full." Jazz scolded him, dabbing at the mess of sauce on his face. He grumbled a bit, but made no move to stop her. Harley cooed at the scene they made. Ivy rolled her eyes and took another bite of her slice. 

Chapter Text

Jason landed soundlessly into the apartment, his tired mind already running through different plans and scenarios. Absently, he tugs his helmet off, running his fingers through his hair as he thinks. He knew that the most logical move would be to get ahold of Harley somehow. If they wanted any chance of finding this teen before something more dangerous happened, then they needed to talk to Harley. Worst case, she dropped Demon Brat's boyfriend off somewhere in Gotham, leaving him to wander around by himself. 

Best case, she still had him and was just hiding out somewhere, licking her wounds. If that were the case though, he could only hope that the teen hadn't wandered off on his own. It would be a pain to have to comb through all of Gotham's security and CCTV footage for a teenager who had no idea where he was going. 

'I'm getting ahead of myself,' he shook his head. 'First things first, I need to tell Jazz.' Sighing, he turns towards the living room, pausing when he doesn't see the bright ginger haired girl anywhere. "Jazz?" He called out, turning towards his kitchen. Nope, also empty. 'Maybe she's in the bathroom?' The man started down the hall, glancing through the darkened doorways of his apartment. All the doors were opened, lights off, just as they had been when he left. 

A bit worried now, Jason hurried back to the living room, rounding the couch in hopes that she had just fallen asleep or something. That wasn’t the case, he found. The couch was empty.  A curse slipped from him when he realized she was gone. "Fuck. Fuck!" He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. Damn it! Why did he think for a second that the girl searching for her missing brother would just stay put?  

"What are you groaning about, Todd?" Damian asked, slipping through the opened window. The teen must have gotten impatient, waiting for him to return to the roof. 

"She's gone." Jason mumbled. The teen scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall, his foot twitching slightly.

"What did you say? I cannot understand your mumbling. Speak up!" Demon brat demanded, glaring. 

"I said, she's gone. " Jason finally lifted his head from his hands, shooting his own glare at the teen. "She must have figured out he left before we got back or something." Turning his back on the teen, he searched the small space for anything the woman might have left behind. She had to have left a clue, a note or something…

"...bingo!" Jason exclaimed, opening the laptop she had left on the coffee table. Lifting the screen had made a piece of paper fall out, yellow paper fluttering to the floor. He was quick to grab it, crumpling it in his hast as he unfolded it. 

Damian hurried over, his impatient yet disinterested mask forgotten as he leaned over his brother's shoulder. After a moment he huffed in annoyance. "What does it say? I can't see it over your shoulders." He hissed. Despite the tense circumstances, Jason felt a small smirk work its way onto his face.

Part of Jason wanted to tease his brother, but the smarter part of him didn't want to be on the business end of a sword. Instead, the man shifted to let the teen see it easier as he read Jazz's neat cursive script aloud. "Jason, if you're reading this, please don't be too mad. The Dot on the screen started moving, and I'm going after it. I'll try to meet you back here. If I don't, these were Danny's last coordinates." Below her neat scrawl, was a set of numbers. He really didn't have to think very long on where those coordinates would lead him. 

"Looks like Harley took Danny home with her. Well, that makes things a bit…" Jason turned to look at his brother, only to find the teen gone. He didn't have to be a genius to know where he went. "...easy. Damn it!" He groaned again, fighting the urge to bang his head into something. Why did everyone want to disappear today? Was it too much to ask that someone just sit and talk a plan out? ‘Oh jeez, he was starting to sound like Bruce.’

The man ignored the thought, not really wanting to go down that particular path right now.

Pulling out his phone, Jason scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he wanted. Pressing it, he held his phone to his ear, praying she would pick up. 

"...Hello?" A feminine voice asked cautiously. 

"Hey, Ivy." The man couldn't help the small, tired grin that wormed its way onto his face. "So, um. Funny story."

—

The city was a blur beneath Damian as he moved, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and running telephone lines effortlessly. He didn’t bother to look where he was going, trusting his instincts to keep him from stumbling as he parkoured through Gotham. Sweat beaded on his brow, trailing down his mask before drying in invisible, sticky paths due to the harsh wind beating at his face. 

Distantly, in the back of his mind, a voice that reminded him too much of his Father urged him to stop, to slow down and think this through. Logically, he knew that the best plan of action would be to get into contact with Dr. Isley and Quinn first, to check on Danny’s well-being and to garner permission to enter their home and retrieve him. But he wasn’t running on logic at the moment, was he? 

It was almost like there was a haze over his mind, blocking all rational thoughts. Vaguely, he wondered if this was the true effect of the Love Potion, but the thought fled as soon as he acknowledged it, driven off by other, more prominent thoughts. All he could truly focus on were thoughts about Danny. Most of those thoughts were worrying for the teen’s wellbeing, if he was okay, if he had been hurt at all, if he had eaten anything. His other thoughts were about what he would do if he didn't like any of the answers to those questions. ‘ It wouldn't be that hard to sneak into Arkham and break Joker's spine, would it?’

After what felt like hours of movement, but in reality was probably no more than half an hour, Damian spotted his target location. Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Ives's apartment was on a less populated side of town, and covered in lush plant life. More vegetation than any other part of Gotham. From an outside perspective, it was probably beautiful, the old brickwork covered in climbing and creeping flowers and ivy, small gaps exposing windows and occasional reddish gray blocks. 

A flash of red hair was all the prompting he needed to hurl himself at one of the blank spots of the building. Sadly, the teen's dramatic entrance was slightly dampened when the woman slid the glass open, allowing him to twist and roll gracefully to his feet. The instant he regained his balance, he turned towards the woman, body thrumming with anxious energy even as he stared her down.

Isley blinked at him, her phone held loosely in her hand. After a moment, the shock faded from her expression. The woman sighed and raised the phone back to her ear. "You really weren't kidding, were you?" She asked, sounding exasperated. From where he stood, Damian couldn't quite make out what was said in return, but he did recognize the voice. It would seem that Todd had made that phone call after all. "Listen, thanks for the heads up, but I have to go." Isley turned back towards the opened window, pulling it shut again with a sharp click. "Yeah, I'll call you back in a bit. Take a nap or something until then, alright? You sound exhausted." She hung up, turning back to Damian. 

She looked like she was about to say something, probably to address Damain's presence in her kitchen, but the teen was quick to speak first. "Where is he?" The teen demanded. 

She gave him a look, one that he was sure she had given Quinn before, before she sighed. "Of course that's what you're here for." She muttered to herself, bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. Straightening her back, she gestured towards the doorway. "The kid's in there. But there's something you should probably know-" He was off before she could finish her sentence. She growled something behind him, clearly annoyed, but followed him as he darted through her apartment, coming to a stop just at the doorway to the living room. There, laying on an old couch with his head in his sister's lap and two hyenas nudging persistently at his hands, was Danny. All at once, the overwhelming anxiety that he had been feeling all day faded, leaving a content and relieved sort of exhaustion in its wake. 

He stood there, shoulders slumping as the tension they held was released, and only really acknowledged the fact that there were other people in the room when he saw a shadow shift out of the corner of his eye. Immediately his guard was up, the teen snapping around with a knife in hand to glare at the person sneaking up behind him. Instead of flinching or running like people usually did when confronted with his blade, Harley Quinn blinked surprisedly before bursting out into loud gales of laughter. The sudden noise caused Jasmine to jump, her gaze darting around for the source of the sudden commotion, which in turn made Danny jolt, the teen letting out a grumbling whine at the unexpected movement. Shooting Quinn a scathing look, Damian turned back to the siblings.

"Danny?" He called out cautiously, inching his way closer to the couch. 

Almost immediately Danny shot up, lilting dangerously to the side as he straightened up to the best of his ability. Jasmine gave a startled yelp as her brother began to tumble off the couch, hands outstretched to catch the teen. Damian was faster though, dashing quickly across the remaining space between him and the halfa. Gripping the teen's arms, Damian was quick to pull him back up. Danny didn't even seem to mind that he almost fell to the floor, instead throwing his arms around Damian's shoulders in a poor imitation of a hug, pulling the vigilante closer with surprising strength. "Robin!" He trilled happily, awkwardly clutching Damian as close as possible. "Wh'n d'ou get h're?" His slurred words had Damian shooting his sister an alarmed glance.

Jasmine, who had stood up and moved out of the way, gave him a tired smile. "He was dosed with something. I still don't know what though." She scratched the side of her head in a confused sort of gesture. "Had to be a strong substance, to affect him like this." 

Damian nodded, shifting Danny around a bit so that he could sit in the woman's recently vacated seat. Danny twisted with him, spine turned at what would be a worrying angle for a normal person in an effort to keep his grip on the vigilante. With a bit more shifting and cajoling, both teens finally settled down comfortably, Damian sitting upright while Danny laid with his head cushioned in his lap. 

With a sigh, Damian let his eyes rove over Danny's relaxed form, taking in the multitude of bandages that covered his wrists and ankles. "Are you alright, Danny?" He asked the teen. 

Danny nodded happily, a rumble emanating from his chest. "Y'eh," he grunted, tilting his head down to look over his own body. "I th'nk so. Don' feel an'thing." His hand inched its way up his arm to pick curiously at the bandage wrapped securely around his wrist, only stopping when Damian's hand settled atop of his.

"Don't pick at it." Damian scolded him, bringing his hand back to his side and gently flicking his forehead. The teen pouted in response. The both of them were so entranced in their own little world that they didn’t notice the odd tension that had filled the room around them. 

“M’kay~” Danny hummed, snuggling closer to the teen. “M’glad y’re h’re.” He smiled widely up at him, flashing his fangs. “I m’ss’d you!” 

Damian couldn’t stop the soft smile that replaced his usual scowl. “I missed you too.” He admitted quietly. If the giggle he got in response warmed his face a bit, well, there was no one to call him out on it. And it would be heavily denied if they tried.

—

"Should we go?" Jazz whispered, having crossed the room to stand next to Harley. The woman merely shrugged in response. Jazz took that as a yes, quickly turning and leaving the room. Harley didn't move from her spot, watching the lovebirds on her couch as Robin fussed over the hazed teen. 

"Harley!" Ivy hissed from the doorway. Harley stuck her tongue out good naturedly, but still didn't move. Her girlfriend rolled her eyes before coming forward and grabbing her wrist, gently tugging her from the room. 

"Aww! I wanted to watch the lovebirds!" She whined, digging her heels in half heartedly. 

"Yeah, I know. But I really don't feel like bandaging you up when Robin runs out of patients and stabs you." Ivy retorted, depositing Harley on one of the kitchen barstools. 

Jazz glanced over at her, one eyebrow raised. "Is it bad that I can't tell if that was a serious statement or not?" The redhead asked, a tired grin prominent. 

"Ehh," Harley shrugged. "Not really." She stretched out across the kitchen island, tapping a random pattern out on the marble. "But he would have probably stabbed me. He's a very stabby kid." Jazz didn't look the least bit alarmed by that statement, only sighing as she nodded. 

"Yeah, that doesn't really surprise me. Danny seems to have a bit of a type, when it comes to people who could probably maim him." 

Well, there was most definitely a story there. "Oh?" Harley asked, tilting her head playfully. "I don't suppose you would be willin' to tell me 'bout that?" 

Jazz seemed to ponder it for a minute before a sly smile slipped onto her face. "You know what? Yeah, I'd be more than happy to tell you. A little sisterly payback seems to be in order anyways." Oh yeah, Harley liked this girl. "So, a few years ago, Danny had a crush on this girl named Valerie…"

—

Jason sighed, letting his head drop into his hands. Relief warned with his exhaustion as he set down his phone. Damian was already there, probably holed up in a corner of Harley and Ivy's apartment scowling or something, so at least he didn't have to worry about that. Ivy had told him to take a nap, which he was seriously considering at the moment. 

Sure, he had lasted a lot longer on much less than three or four hours of sleep, but with all the twists and turns the past day or so had taken? He really wanted to take a break. Besides, it wasn't like Damian and his dimension hopping boyfriend would be going anywhere else tonight. Meeting up with them could definitely wait until tomorrow.

A tap on the window had him regretting being hopeful. Of course, the moment he decides to actually take care of himself for once, the universe throws him a curve ball. 

'Maybe they'll go away,' Jason thought hopefully, sitting completely still. The silence stretched on for a few minutes before a second, more forceful tap sounded. The man couldn't help the groan that escaped him as he lumbered to his feet reaching the window in a few long strides. 

All the harsh words that itched to get out fled his mind the moment he opened the window. Sitting patiently on the fire escape, with a well worn messenger bag and a classic black duffle bag, was Cass. She was trusted up in her vigilante best, mask hiding whatever expression was on her face. 

Jason fought the urge to bang his head on the window seal, feeling his nap opportunity slip further and further away. "Please tell me there isn't a head or something in there." He quipped in lieu of voicing any of his grievances. 

Cass's shoulders shook slightly with her silent laughter as she shook her head no. "No heads," she signed. "But something too important to keep at the manor. Damian left this in his room." She held up the messenger bag. "And this is something important." She gestured to the duffle. 

Sighing, Jason stepped back, letting his sister slip through. "I don't suppose I could get a nap in before we talk, could I?" He questioned.

She tilted her head in thought. "I don't see why not."  

"Awsome." Honestly, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Will you be okay alone here?"

"Yeah," she perched on his couch, grabbing the TV remote and flipping through the channels. "Take your time, Jason. You look tired." 

This was why Cass was his favorite sibling. "You're the best." He told her earnestly, already heading for his room. 

She smiled behind her mask as she watched him leave, waiting until she heard the door close with a soft click before turning back to face the TV. 'Yeah,' she thought, pulling her mask off as she settled more comfortably into her spot, ‘I know.’

Chapter Text

Jason awoke the next morning to rare rays of actual sunlight peeking through the eternal smog of Gotham's sky's. Stretching, he groaned a bit as his sore muscles twinged, his hand briefly coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes. For a moment, he debated rolling over and going back to sleep, his bed almost too comfortable to leave. But then the events from the day prior were still prominent in his thoughts. Sighing, he pushed himself up, knowing that he couldn't pass back out when there were things that he needed to do today.

He stumbled his way to the door, flinging it open with a hot shower forefront on his mind. Only to pause as the smell and sound of fresh bacon hit him. The man froze, his body becoming taut with tension as he tried to remember if he had invited someone over. It obviously wasn't Damian, as Lover boy probably hadn't left his boyfriend's side. And he seriously doubted it was Roy, the man had a habit of bombarding his phone to make sure that he wasn't halfway across Gotham doing something else. It couldn't be Dick, he had no idea how to cook, and Replacement wouldn't bother making something to eat, instead probably firing up the coffee pot while he waited for Jason. Stephanie knew she had a semi-permanent ban since the 'Glitter Incident', where she had decided that his hood and jacket weren't visually pleasing. Duke was a good possibility, but he had school around this time, didn't he?

Jason grabbed one of his pistols as he began to sneak towards the kitchen, ready to beat the pulp out of some sort of mentally deficient robber, because what criminal broke into a random apartment in the middle of Crime Alley to cook a decent breakfast?

Peaking around the corner, he could just catch a flash of short, jet black hair from behind the opened refrigerator door. His foot inched forwards, preparing his body to launch at the stranger, and just happened to push down on one of the old, squeaky floorboards.

The person ducked into his fridge stood up abruptly, spinning around to look at him, and Jason found himself lowering his weapon with a sigh of relief. Of course, it was just Cass.
'That's right.' He remembered. 'She showed up last night after Demon brat left.' Tucking the pistol into his waistband, he stood from his fighting stance, letting the tension drop for his shoulders. "Hey, Cass. Forgot you were here."

Cass gave him a slightly amused look as she nodded at him. "Good morning." She greeted, her voice soft and low. The girl glanced down at the eggs in her hand. "I'm making breakfast."

Jason chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that." Leaving her to get back to cooking, he turned and headed back down the hallway. Now that he was sure it was just one of his siblings, his most tolerable sibling at that, he was going to take that hot shower.

About thirty minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, steam trailing around him as he scrubbed at his damp hair with a towel. Walking back to the kitchen, he sat down and looked at the simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast that Cass had made and was currently enjoying. His sister looked up from her own plate briefly as he sat, and gestured towards the rest of the food with her free hand. An obvious invitation if Jason had ever seen one. Grabbing his plate, he served himself a decent helping before tucking in himself.

They ate in companionable silence, both deciding to wait until after breakfast to talk. It was obvious that she knew a bit more about the Demon brat situation, considering the fact that she had something of his that he had left behind, and that she had brought it here to Jason instead of taking it to the cave, like Dick or Timmers would have done. But the real question on Jason's mind was what exactly she knew. It wouldn't be so far-fetched to believe that she probably knew more than he did at this point. After all, someone had to have been running interference for Damian to have gone this long without being found.

Swallowing the last bite of his food, Jason stood and carried his plate to the sink, setting it aside for later. He turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as he tried to think of how to start this conversation. 'Well, might as well be blunt about it.'

"So, you know." Cass twister on the stool she was perched on, turning to face him as she finished her breakfast.

"Yeah." She signed. "I know."

"Great." He nodded along. "So, could you tell me what's going on? Because I heard the whole story from two different people, and I still have no idea what is happening."

Cass frowned a bit, her eyebrows scrunching together as she thought about what to tell him. Which was completely understandable, Jason couldn't blame her for being cautious. He would be a bit of a hypocrite if he did.

"Damian is in love." She signed suddenly, a small smile shining through at Jason's sudden snort of laughter. "And from what I've observed, his feelings are reciprocated."

"Yeah, I kinda figured on that one." Jason nodded, pushing off the counter and walking back around the kitchen island. "Andike I said, I've heard most of the story from him already, along with some context from the kid's sister." If Cass was surprised at that little detail, she hid it incredibly well. "What I wanna know is how you got caught up in it. Along with what's in the bag," he pointed to the black duffle sitting on his couch as he spoke. "I really hope you didn't try to copy my duffle bag stint."

His sister's eyes twinkled with amusement as she shook her head. "No heads." Standing, she made her was over to the bag, picking it up off the couch and bringing it back to the kitchen. "I was the first one to find Damian after his sudden disappearance. He was shopping in a more run-down part of Gotham, helping Danny to get some things. I had promised not to tell anyone where he was, and later he called me to find something for him." Pausing in her story, Cass pushed the duffle bag across the marble countertop. Jason tried not to flinch at the sound of glass and metal rattling around as it moved.

Carefully, he pulled the bag towards himself, unzipping it slowly as if it contained a bomb. Knowing this family, that wasn't a far off possibility.

It wasn't a bomb, thankfully. Instead, the man was met with a… gun? Pulling it out of the bag, Jason grimaced at the clean slice through it. Damage clearly made by Damian's favored katana, if he wasn't mistaken. "...what am I looking at?" He asked, taking his eyes off the clunky weapon to raise a questioning brow at his sister.

"I am not sure." She admitted, a small frown marring her face. "Damian told me that it belonged to Danny, and that it could potentially be dangerous." Tugging the bag opened a bit more, she grasped something carefully, pulling it up and out of the bag before settling it on the counter. "There was something else about it though. It is obviously a gun of some kind, but instead of a cartridge it had this." She gestured to the object.

Jason felt the blood drain from his face as he observed the item. There wasn't much to look at per se, just a large glass bottle of some kind, bearing the same katana damage as the rest of the gun. But the sickeningly familiar green substance stuck to the sides of the glass and pooling at the bottom was a bit alarming.

"Is that-" Jason cut himself off, only staring at the congealed liquid, which oddly enough seemed to be glowing now that it was out of the bag. The pit rose up slightly from its usual resting place in his chest, an acidic feeling almost similar to heartburn, at his proximity to the glass. Strangely though, he didn't feel the rage that always seemed to accompany it. Instead there was an intense feeling of… longing? Distantly, he was aware that this was a similar feeling to what he felt the first time he had seen Jasmine, only now it was a lot stronger.

Cass drew his attention back to her by placing her hand over the glass, blocking a bit of his vision of it. The pit rumbled grumpily in him but settled back down now that the green was no longer visible. "Don't worry." She said aloud, giving him a small smile. Seeing him calm down, she switched back to using her hands. "I took a small sample and ran it in the cave. Though it has a similar makeup to the pits, it is not an exact match." She paused, as if considering something. "In fact, it seems to be missing some of the more deadly properties that the pits have. Though it did prove to be radioactive." Jason's sudden alarm must have been visible, because she was quick to add on, "it doesn't seem to be dangerous. At least no more dangerous than a bunch of bananas. Deadly in large amounts, but relatively harmless in small doses."

Jason allowed himself a second to release a relieved breath, silently thanking whatever God was out there that Cass was cautious and aware of things she did. He really didn't want to have some sort of radiation poisoning on top of the pit rage and whatever hellish situations his family managed to drag him into. Wait, speaking of which…

"Hey, Cass? I really need to meet up with the demon brat soon." The girl nodded, her head cocked to the side in a curious manner. "Would you like to come with me?"

Squinting, she thought about it for a moment. "Where?"

"Danny wound up at Harley and Ivy's place last night after the whole Joker fiasco." He began packing up the broken gun as he spoke. "Damian made it there last night, and Danny's sister is there as well. If they haven't left by now, they should still be there."

Cass waited until he had the bag zipped back up to answer him. "Sure. I want to officially meet Danny anyways."

Jason smiled at her. "Great! Just let me get dressed and we'll go."

"Okay," she signed. Suddenly, she got a mischievous smirk on her face. "On the way, you can tell me more about this sister of his." Jason couldn't help the sudden flash of heat in his face, abruptly turning and leaving the room quickly to avoid saying anything. His exit didn't help his case, if Cass's quiet laughs were anything to go by.

—

Damian awoke slowly, the peaceful haze of sleep gently rising as he blinked in the rare morning light that shone through the window. Against his chest a slightly cool body pressed tightly into him, almost as if searching for heat.

Damian sighed happily as his beloved cuddled closer, tilting his head down so that when his tired eyes slid open, letting his gaze slide over Danny's sleeping form. His face was calm and relaxed, soft snores falling from him as he slept and small pool of drool leaked from the boy's gaped mouth, leaving a wet spot on his Robin uniform. An action that he should have found distasteful, but he instead found himself smiling fondly at. For a moment, he allowed himself to be glad that none of his siblings were here to see this, fully aware that they would never let him live it down. After all, there was a file in Oracle's computer labeled 'Blackmail' for a reason.

His gazing was rudely interrupted not long after he woke up, much to his displeasure, by an infamous blond loudly announcing herself as she strutted into the living room. "Good mornin'~" she called, the loud noise rousing Danny. "Rise n' shine! We've got breakfast!"

The teen curled further into his chest, but turned his head towards the woman. "Food?" He rasped, blinking open cloudy blue eyes. Damian frowned at the dazed look, wondering how much longer his drugged state would last.

"Yep! Bacon and pancakes for tha kiddie, and bagels and fruit salad for tha birdie!" She set the plates down on the table in front of them, wisely keeping her distance as much as she could. 'At least she knew how to acknowledge a threat.' Damian's death glare could have also had a hand in her decision, but that was neither here nor there. "Wasn't sure what whatcha wanted to drink, so I got Danny some milk, an' Ivy is makin' some tea right now." Without waiting for a reply from either of them, she skipped back the way she had come, presumably the kitchen.

Damian waited for a few minutes after she left before he reluctantly sat up, pulling a dazed Danny up with him. The teen whined as he was shifted, mumbling something intelligible as he leaned back against the couch upright.

Leaning forwards, Damian grabbed both of their plates and brought them closer, putting a fork in Danny's limp hand. As if on autopilot, Danny immediately lifted the fork to his mouth, making a confused little "mhr-up" sound when he was met with nothing but metal. Damian watched in amusement as the teen pulled the fork out of his mouth to glare at the noticeably bent utensil.

When it became obvious that the teen wasn't going to do more than glare at the fork, Damian sighed. Carefully, he took the fork from the halfa's grasp, stabbing a bite of his food, and returning it to the teen's hand. Again, he brought the fork up to his mouth, this time making a happy sound as he tasted the sweet syrup-covered quick bread. The bite of food seemed to bring him a bit more awareness than before, as his next portion of food he retrieved himself. Satisfied that his beloved could feed himself, Damian applied himself to his own breakfast. By the time Harley returned with his tea, both teens were finishing their plates off.

"Here ya go! Damn, you boys must've been hungry, huh? I'll let Ives know that her cookin' was appreciated." Handing Damian his mug, she ruffled Danny's already sleep-messy hair as she walked by him, electing a half-hearted grumble of complaint at the action.

Damian expected her to leave the room again, head back to wherever Ivy was currently, but instead she shuffled her way over to a worn armchair and sat down with a huff. Kicking her feet up on the table, the woman stretched and wiggled, settling more comfortably into her seat, before grabbing the TV remote.

The three of them sat in a semi-uncomfortable silence for a while, the only sound in the room being the low hum of chatter from some news station, and Danny's odd little half-purrs, half-snores, as he began to nod off again. Damian was part-way to joining him when Harley spoke up. "So, what's up with you two?"

"I fail to see how our relationship is any of your business," he snapped back almost immediately, feeling oddly defensive. 'Strange,' he mused to himself. 'Maybe this is one of the side effects of the potion?' He didn't have much of an opportunity to analyze his reaction more before Harley replied to his snappish deflection.

"That excuse went out tha window tha moment you came rolling in." The woman snorted, moving her feet back down to the floor as she leaned closer. "So, tell me. I want all tha deets." Her eyes held a familiar hunger in their light blue depths.
It took all of Damian's self control not to groan aloud. "I see. You are here for the 'gossip', then?" It seems that hanging around Brown had some merit after all. "You want the 'tea' on me and Danny?" Hopefully neither Brown nor Cain would ever hear the slang he used. It was bad enough that he knew what it meant to begin with.

Harley snorted at his phrasing, but nodded vigorously. "Spill! A girl's gotta know!" As if to emphasize her excitement, she leaned forwards over her knees, scooting to the edge of the chair's cushion in an attempt to be as close as possible.

Damian rolled his eyes, but ultimately caved in. Just because he knew he could ignore the woman, doesn't mean that it wouldn’t be annoying to do so. Sometimes it was easier to negotiate than to deny. A lesson he had learned very well by now, having dealt with the Batgirls. "What do you want to know?" He asked reluctantly.

"Well, preferably everything! But…" She tapped her nail to her chin in a faux thoughtful way before snapping her fingers and pointing at him. "How about how you two love birds met!"

Sighing, Damian settled more comfortably into his seat, relaxing as Danny slid down to lean on his shoulder. "Well, we met at the park just outside of Crime Alley…"

Chapter Text

Waking up warm and comfortable was something of a rarity to Danny. Firstly, because he naturally ran cold. Heating up his bed with his own body was nearly impossible, and while he did tend to spend quite a few nights curled up with his friends, the feeling of his friends bodies pressed up against him was always accompanied by the sting or ache of some sort of injuries. So waking up almost entirely numb to everything besides the warm chest he was curled into? Completely unheard of. The teen's first instinct was to push himself up, and take stock of his surroundings.

Sadly, his other set of instincts seemed to be manning the wheel, so to speak. Instead of being able to sit up and talk, the most Danny seemed to be capable of was pushing his head further into the hand sweeping through his hair. Which seemed to spark a reaction in his core, the crystalline ball of energy hitching before purring a few decibels louder, his chest vibrating with the motion.

Below him, the body he rested on seemed to jolt slightly before settling back down, the hand in his hair scratching that spot just behind his ear that never failed to make him melt. If he hadn't already been limp, he would have gone boneless in an instant. He couldn't help the soft, content sigh that escaped him. For what felt like a long time, Danny didn't move, couldn't move, an inch.

He stood on the edge of sleep, the dark void of rest calling seductively to him, but the faint, whispering voices above him had him holding back from dropping off. Though he was practically buried in what Sam had oh-so graciously dubbed 'Baby Ghost brain', his curiosity was piqued.

Even with his monumental ghost strength the halfa found it rather difficult to force his eyelids open, feeling as if they were glued shut and weighed down by elephants for good measure.

He managed it though, blinking as the bright light of the sun shone right into his retinas. It didn't take too long to adjust, the teen silently thankful that it was just sunlight and not the fluorescent lights that were always prominent throughout his house. Those sucked when waking up.

Groaning at the sting in his eyes, Danny wondered if it was too late to just go back to sleep. Sadly, he could already feel the exhaustion pulling away, taking the promise of slumber with it. Huffing, he turned his face upwards, his gaze meeting with the underside of a chin. That brought him up short, the teen staring dazedly at it for a few minutes, his brain not quite computing.

When the brain cell did click, the teen huffed again, this time in annoyance. He wanted to see the person holding him, not watch their jaw move. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up a bit. The jaw stopped moving, head turning down towards him until his blurry eyes met with a white put mask. 'Huh?'

"Danny." The white-out eyes narrowed at him slightly, a stray lock of black falling across them. His eyes followed the movement, momentarily distracted, before darting back. He knew this person. He knew he knew, his name was on the tip of his tongue, 'what was it…'

"Robin!" He perked up with a sudden jolt of strength, pushing himself up from the other teen's chest to his shoulder just barely managing to miss colliding the top of his head with the teen's chin. Robin's body jolted at his sudden movement, arms coming up to wrap him in a warm, tight embrace.

The halfa's core hitched and stuttered, blood rushing to his cheeks, as he realized just how close they were. If not for whatever was cycling through his system, the teen would have definitely been a lot more embarrassed. More than likely, he would have tried to back up so fast he would have fallen to the floor. But there was something running through his system, and at the moment all his cottan-addled mind could think about was how at this angle his jawline looked so sharp compared to his cheekbones and he would bet his thermos that those eyes were a lovely oval-almond shape under that mask and why did he look so tired, when was the last time he slept like actual sleep and not just dozing, is he alright what-'

"Danny." The teen was pulled from his spiraling mind ramble by one of Robin's calloused hands cupping his cheek. Inside, his core practically cheered at the touch, purr starting back up as his instincts urged him to lean into the teen's palm. Sighing dreamily, he practically fell into the vigilante.

"Hi Robin." He murmured into his padded chest. What he would give to just stay there, curled up to the ravenette, and doze the day away. He rarely ever got to just relax anymore, something always seemed to pop up whenever he found time to just breathe, and he wanted to enjoy it. Even if there was the nagging feeling that there was something super important that he needed to remember.

"Hello, Danny. How are you feeling?" Feeling? How was he feeling at the moment? The only answer he could think of right off the bat was 'fuzzy'. His mind was a hazy space filled with little thought and a lot of urges. Urges like the one that called for him to close his eyes and snuggle back up to the handsome guy in front of him, to let him continue petting him until he was asleep again, to just bask in the vigilante's presence and relax, because he was safe and warm and full and- 'Focus!' He pushed his spiraling thoughts away with more effort than it took to subdue Shulker when he had a new toy.

"Fuzzy." He answered Robin's question. "M' mind is super fuzzy." He physically shook his head in a futile attempt to clear the muck that fogged up his brain. "Ev'rything keeps derailing. 'Ts hard to focus." Robin hummed, skillfully pushing back a lock of hair that had come loose.

His hand trailed down his face to cup his cheek, Danny's face now sandwiched between both of his hands. Not that Danny minded, perfectly content to let his face be squished if it meant he didn't have to move.

"You're definitely more coherent than you were earlier. And your speech isn't as slurred either." The teen spared a small, tight-lipped smile as he gently moved Danny's head to rest next to his shoulder. "It appears that whatever has affected you is wearing off." So he was under the influence? Good to know. He nodded into the teen's shoulder, huffing a bit at the smell of sweat that greeted him. 'Jeeze, do I ever smell this strongly?' He pretended that he didn't already know the answer. Annoyingly, it seemed that Robin wasn't going to let him drift back off, as the teen reached a hand up to gently poke his cheek.

Huffing, the most Danny could do was make an inquisitive noise, letting his eyes open back up to send the teen a half-hearted glare. Robin didn't seem the least bit apologetic for his obviously unwanted actions, only chuckling quietly as Danny pouted up at him. "What do you remember?" He questioned, poking Danny's cheek again.

Danny stuck his tongue out at the vigilante, but let his mind drift back to what it had retained before waking up. "I remember… we were in a crowd." He couldn't help but glance up at the teen, who nodded confirmation. "Right. So we were in the crowd, but we got separated. Then there was this clown guy in an alleyway? He attacked me, and I beat 'em up and left. But the crowd was gone, and there was this… gas cloud. I wasn't gonna breathe it in, but a van came out of nowhere and hit me." He paused, trying to remember anything from before he passed out, but came up blank. Mentally shrugging, he continued. "After that, I woke up. But I was somewhere I hadn't been before. And there was this eggplant guy, with an ugly purple suit and green hair, who had the worst aura I have ever met. And I've met an actual insane one hundred and something year old tyrant!" The halfa's nose scrunched up at just the memory of the awful aura, it's taste a phantom memory on the back of his tongue.

"He got too close, and I bit 'em! He waved me around a bit, and then I was behind the nice flower shop lady, who was also tied up. Did I mention that I was tied up? Anyways, I bit through her ropes, and after that she said something about meeting her girlfriend? And I woke up here. We had pizza, and Jazz showed up! Then you showed up, and I went back to sleep. I think that's it?" His fingers tapped a pattern out on the couch beneath them as he thought about it.

Funny enough, the more he tried to recall, the clearer his mind was. Though still a bit fuzzy, he was more or less back in the driver's seat again. Thank the Ancients. He was startled from his thoughts by someone clapping somewhere behind him.

Jumping, he sat up ramrod straight, turning to flash his fangs at whoever dared to interrupt him and his- friend? Yeah, go with friends, that's a safe bet right now. (He ignored the part of his core that clenched at not being more than that. Now was not the time for internal debates.) His fangs were quickly hidden again once he saw who it was. Flower shop lady, 'Harley,' his mind supplied, 'her name is Halrey,'stood on the threshold of what looked to be a hallway. Tucked under her arms were two bottles of…Gatorade? And a singular bottle of water.

Instead of flinching, like most alive people did when faced with his fangs, the woman laughed, stepping closer to ruffle his already messy hair before dropping one of the light blue bottles in his lap. While he was distracted, she tossed a bottle to Robin, the water, and took a seat in a battered, wall-loved armchair just across from them with her own red bottle.

"Well, ya seem to be a bit more," she twirled her wrist in a swirling motion as she thought, snapping her fingers once it came to her, "aware of tha world around ya today." A mischievous smirk slipped onto her face. "Or, at least more aware of someone." She snickered when Danny blushed, ducking his head as he put an unnecessary amount of concentration in twisting the bright orange cap if his drink opened. "Ahh, I'm just bustin' your chops! But still," Her laughter trailed off as she became a bit more serious, "glad you're awake. Well," she snorted again, probably thinking back to something embarrassing Danny did that he couldn't remember just yet, "more awake, anyways."

She took a swig from her drink, flipping through the channels on a TV Danny hadn't noticed playing. "Oh! By the way, are you always this talkative, or is it the drugs?" Another, way more familiar, voice answered that for her.

"Well, as his sister, I can confirm that he is always talkative. Just not usually this much of a rambler." Danny looked back to the hallway, his core practically bursting with relief from a stress he didn't even know existed when he caught sight of Jazz's long ginger hair.

"Jazz!" He called out excitedly, holding one of his arms out to her in a universal gesture of 'Hug Me!' The woman laughed, ducking through the walkway and crossing the room in three long strides to fulfill his demands.

"What, did you forget I was here or something?" She asked, grinning at his quick denials. "I'm just messing with you, Danny." She giggled, pulling herself out of his hug to pet his head and take a seat on the floor. "You feeling any better?"

"...yeah. I'm okay." Danny hadn't really thought about taking stock of anything outside the odd haze, but now he could feel the ache in his wrists and ankles. It wasn't the worst thing he had experienced by far, and whatever was affecting him seemed to pretty much numb it, so the teen wasn't worried about it. "What was that stuff, anyways?" It might be a good idea to at least get a sample of the stuff. Anything that could numb him was worth looking into.

The room fell silent, Jazz shrugging and looking to Halrey, how had her gaze fixed on Robin. Danny turned his eyes upwards to look at him too, patiently waiting while the teen thought about it.

Eventually, he sighed, bringing one of his hands up to rest on Danny’s shoulder. "You said that the street was filled with some sort of gas?" The vigilante turned to meet Danny's eye. He nodded. "Then, I suppose the only logical conclusion is that you were- are- being affected by Joker Venom."

Those words didn't mean much to Danny, but judging by the stunned gasp from Harley, it wasn't anything good. "Is that bad?" Jazz voiced his question, shifting to sit up straighter on her knees. A concerned look crossed her face at both the tightened grimace on Robin, and the slightly incredulous, slightly horrified expression on Harley's.

"Hell yeah, it's bad!" Halrey practically yelled, her drink bottle abandoned as she launched herself across the room to crouch next to him. Danny grunted, annoyed as she began tugging gently at his eyes and mouth, as if examining him for something. Thankfully, Danny didn't have to withstand it long, as Robin didn't take too kindly to her invasion of personal space. He waved her off with slightly aggressive shoo-ing motions, which surprisingly did the trick. 'Huh, wonder it that works on touchy parents?' "Are ya sure that's what it was? He ain't showin' any of the effects." She backed up a bit, looking back to Robin as she spoke. "He ain't dead, or a laughing mess. An' his mouth ain't stretchin'." Without looking, she poked Danny's cheek, as if to emphasize her point. "You sure it isn't just some sedative or somethin'?"

"Tt," Robin tisked at her. "I'm quite positive in my theory. Besides, Danny isn't fully human anyways, so there is no way to know what effects different substances will have on him." He looked away from Halrley to examine Danny's face for himself, though in a much less intrusive manner than she had.

"Not fully human?" Halrey sat on the edge of the coffee table, he look of shock and horror replaced by a more contemplative expression. "That would certainly explain it. Among other things." Shrugging, she stood and moved back to her seat, snagging her bottle from the floor and taking another sip.

They all sat in silence after that, the only noise in the apartment coming from the TV. It grated on Danny's nerves slightly, but before he could break it himself, there was a loud knock on the door. Immediately three out of four of the room's occupants tensed, Jazz and Harley getting to their feet and grabbing a weapon, Harley her bat and Jazz her Anti-creep Stick.

Where she hid that thing, Danny would never know. Probably didn't want to know, either.

Another loud knock, borderline pounding, on the door, followed by a loud male voice. "Harley! It's Hood! Open up!" All the tension drained from the room, everyone but Danny recognizing the voice. Harley tossed her bat to the side, hurrying to the door while Jazz perched on the arm of the couch, setting her stick down with much more care than Harley showed.

"Who is Hood?" Danny asked, glancing between Robin and Jazz. Jazz looked a bit startled at his question, as if she had completely forgotten that Danny hadn't met this guy yet. Knowing Jazz, it was a good possibility.

"Hood, Red Hood that is, is an Anti-hero." Robin explained. "And, technically, my adopted brother."

"Your brother?" Danny couldn't help but try to sit up straighter, only to slump back down when the world spun.

"Yes. He used to hold the Robin mantle, quite a few years ago. My father adopted him, after he attempted to steal the tires off the Batmobile."

"Don't leave out the part where I threw a tire iron at his head." The voice from the door was a bit clearer now that he stood in the same room, but it was still muffled by the helmet on his head. "That's the best part!" The man took a minute to look around the room, waving to Jazz before his eyes landed on Danny.

He let out a distorted snort when he saw Danny's startled look, pulling his helmet off to reveal black hair with a white strip up the center. He couldn't see the man's eyes though, a domino mask similar to Robin's covering his face. "So," he started as Harley and another girl came up behind him. "This is your boyfriend, huh?" The man laughed as Danny choked on air at the comment, an action joined in by the other people in the room.

'Someone kill me.' Danny groaned in his head, ignoring the part that knew he probably couldn't die a second time. Probably.

Chapter Text

Cass stared at the boy in Damian's lap, a small smile playing on her lips. Jason's comment had sent the poor boy into a crisis, it would seem. When she had walked into the room, he had been a bit tense, his fingers fidgeting clumsily with the collar of Damian's cape, though he didn't appear to be aware that they were. But after her brother's blunt question-like statement, his hands had left Robin's collar to slap his face, one hitting his jaw while the other overlapped slightly as it covered his mouth. They did little to muffle the choked sound that escaped him. 

She watched in amusement as Damian reached up to pull his hands away from his face, chuckling along with everyone else as the teen rubbed circles in Danny's back in an attempt to help ease the coughing fit he was sent into. When he could finally breathe again, he managed to sputter out "It's not like that!", sending the room into gales of laughter once again.  

"Suuure it isn't." Jason drawled, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the arm chair across from the two teens. "And I didn't spend half the night chasing him around, trying to help him find you," he jerked his thumb at Damian as he spoke, his words laced with sarcasm. 

"T-the potio-" Danny started, only to stop, head dropping in defeat as he leaned back into her brother's arms with a sigh. Her smile grew wider as she watched Damian take the teen's hand, letting him play with his fingers as Damian looked back at her and Jason. 'Finally, he's beginning to realize it.'

"Hood, Cain. I assume you have a reason for being here?" Her baby brother's signature scowl was firmly in place, but his body language gave away how relaxed and unbothered he truly was at the moment. 

Before Jason could snap back with more sarcasm, she lifted the two bags from her shoulder and set them gently on the coffee table. 

One of the bags immediately drew Danny's attention. "Hey," he said, his fingers pausing where they were spreading Damian's, "that looks like my bag." Reaching forwards, the teen paid no mind to the way Damian's arms wrapped around his waist casually as he snagged the messenger bag's strap. Flipping the top open, he blinked at it, slightly dumbfounded. "It is my bag." He looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time. Behind the haze that covered his unnaturally blue irises, she could see a deep intelligence, tempered with curiosity. But, thankfully, there was no suspicion or wariness. "How'd you get it?"

"Robin left it behind." She signed to him, pointing to the teen in case it wasn't obvious who she was talking about. Damian opened his mouth to translate for the teen, but Danny was already nodding, leaning into Damian further as he went back to rifling through his bag. 

While his beloved did that, Damian had turned his attention to the other bag. "I hope I am right to assume that this one does not belong to Todd?" He raised a brow at his siblings as he lifted the duffle bag's strap with one finger, not yet intending to pick it up. 

Jason let out a sound that was half a laugh, and half a sigh. "Nah, not this time. That one is all Cass." When Damian didn't look the least bit reassured, the man continued. "Honestly, she brought it with her when she swung by my apartment this morning. She let me check it out and everything." A sparky smile lifted the man's lips. "There are zero heads in that bag, scout's honor."

Danny looked up at the odd comment, tuning to lock eyes with the woman Cass was assumed was his sister. Her brother paid them no attention, instead Damian tsked at the man. "You were never involved with any boy scouts." Despite the slight bite to his words, they held no real heat.

"Au contraire, we've both worked with the boy scout." Jason snickered at his joke, the 'Boy scout' in this situation obvious. Well, obvious to most of the room's occupants, anyways. Damian merely rolled his eyes, shifting to lean into Danny a bit more. 

"Hey, what did he mean about heads?" Cass overheard Danny whisper the question as he laid his head on Dami's shoulder. 

"It is not of importance at the moment. Remind me to tell you of that incident later." Her brother whispered back. She couldn't help but to think that the two were cute like this. 

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she walked closer to the table, kneeling down beside it and unzipping the duffle bag when it became obvious that no one else would. 

"Here." She managed to quietly say, offering the now-opened bag to the teens. It was Danny that leaned forwards to accept the bag, his obvious caution overturned by his curiosity. Pulling the bag open, she watched as the boy's eyes flew open in shock. 

"Is this…?" His question trailed off as he lifted one of the broken pieces of the gun from the bag. Harley leaned over Cass's shoulder to get a better view, cocking her head to the side in a questioning manner. 

"What is it?" She asked, leaning forward to poke one of the pieces herself. "Almost looks like a gun. Though, not like any gun I've ever seen." 

Jazz sat down a bit heavily on the arm of the couch, next to her brother. Her expression was one of dread. "Danny, please tell me that isn't what I think it is." She pleaded, even though it was obvious she knew exactly what it was. 

"I, um. I think it is." The teen lifted another component from the bag, fitting it to the piece in his hand, almost like one of the world's most potentially destructive puzzles. "Ha, so um. Don't be mad, but I completely forgot about this." He let out a nervous laugh as he avoided eye contact with the woman. 

"Danny…" She spoke her brother's name with a tone that Cass had only ever heard Dick use when one of them did something particularly reckless. 

"Well, I'm glad that you guys know what it is. But some context for the rest of us would be very much appreciated." Jason interrupted the two before the lecture could come, drawing the two siblings' attention back to their audience. 

Danny laughed again, this one a bit more out of relief than nerves. "Yeah. Right." He sat up a bit straighter, seeming oblivious to the way Damian re-positioned his arm around his waist to keep him in place. "So, this was what got me here in the first place. And kinda our… easy way home?" He brought his hand up to rub at his neck, small, nervous giggles slipping out of him as he went back to examining the damage. 

"That explains literally nothing." Jason deadpan, making the teen laugh again.

"Right. This is-was-a portal gun. It's kinda obvious what it does, but it makes portals to different Realms and dimensions. Heck, if used the right way, you might even be able to travel through time! I wouldn't suggest that though." The teen shuddered. "Anyways, like I said, this is how I got here. And it was gonna be my way home but, uh, I may have said something stupid to someone while said someone was in a love potion's thrall?" It didn't take a genius to figure out who that 'someone's was. Especially when they were sitting right there, looking both proud and guilty. 

"Right." Jason dragged the word out, taking a moment to digest this new information. After a minute, the man sighed. "At least it isn't a death ray or something."

Jasmine choked while her brother grinned mischievously. "Yeah, definitely not the death ray. That one's too big to push out of the basement anyways." 

"Danny!" Jazz scolded the teen. 

"What?" He asked. 

"We do not own a death ray!" She ruffled her brother's hair, making the already messy head of black fluff up more. The teen screeched at the action, batting her hands away and desperately trying to smooth the mess down unsuccessfully. 

He stuck his tongue out at her in petty retaliation, pressing himself closer to Damian's chest as he glared, probably hoping to escape her range. "Seriously? With all the stuff mom and dad have made, is a death ray really that far fetched?" 

Before Jazz could respond to the honestly worrying statement, Jason cleared his throat. "Well, while that sounds lovely, and definitely something to discuss later," Cass couldn't help her quiet snicker, "we should probably discuss… all of this." He gestured to the siblings and Damian with a twirling motion from his wrist. "So, quick recap. Da-err, Robin, is under a love potion that you," he pointed to the teens in turn as he spoke, "made, and you said something that upset him, so he broke your portal gun," Danny pulled the afferminted device closer, "and now your sister is here to take you back home? Did I get it?"

"That's pretty vague, but yeah. Basically." Danny and his sister nodded. 

"But you said that the gun was your way back home?" Jason tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed in classic bat-detective style. 

The teen shook his head. "No, I said it was our easiest way home. Not the only one." He corrected the man.

Jason nodded. "Right, okay. So, what would the other ways be, exactly?" He stepped closer to the couch, stopping next to Jazz. Cass had to fight the smile that wanted to overtake her at the way he studiously avoided looking directly at the red head, proving her earlier suspicion. 

"Well~" the teen rubbed his chin as he thought. "There are a few different ways we can get back. I could try to open a portal," he ticked down the option on his hand, "we could try and track down a natural portal. Or we could wait for the portal she used to open again," pointing to his sister as he listed the option, he waited for her to nod before continuing. "We could also try and contact Wulf, or Cujo, and they could take us back. So yeah, we have a few ways. Though, they all have down sides…" his hand went from his chin to his neck.

Jasmine picked up for him before anyone could ask. "The downsides to almost all of them is that they could take a while. Waiting for the natural portal I used to open again could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few months, if it ever opened again. And finding a natural portal in a place not doused in ectoplasm would be difficult in its own right." She frowned slightly at her brother, "and he is still learning how to open portals, so that option is fifty fifty at best, and pretty much zero at worst." Danny stuck his tongue out at her again, but didn't interrupt. 

"As for calling Wulf or Cujo, there is always a chance that they won't respond right away. And time can get weird in the Realms, so a minute there could be a minute to a week on this side of the veil." She sighed, tugging at a lock of her ginger hair absently. "Honestly, I think our best bet would be rebuilding the portal gun. It seems like the surest shot we have at the moment."

Danny nodded in agreement, but still didn't look all that convinced. "Yeah, rebuilding the gun would be the best option. But how would I do that? I don't exactly have the parts and tools in my messenger bag." He flipped the latch on the bag absently as he spoke. "So unless you brought some spare parts in your purse, we kinda have to go with one of the other ways."

Jazz smirked a bit. "Well, I don't have them in my purse…" Her tone caught her brother's attention, the boy cocking his head to the side as his dilated pupils locked on her. 

"But..?" He prompted the woman when she didn't continue. 

"But… we might have what you need in the Specter Speeder's junk box. Right?" The teen fell silent at her words, their meaning a bit lost on the rest of the room. 

Finally, it seemed to hit Danny, what his sister was referring to. "No way… you came in the Speeder?" Jasmine nodded, her smirk growing as her brother began to clumsily try and stand up, mostly failing due to the way Damian was still holding him. "What are we waiting for then?" The teen demanded.

"Whoa there, pump the brakes, Lover boy." Jason butted in, his attention fully on the teen as he walked over to help Damian settle him back down. "Weren't you just kidnapped yesterday? And under some pretty heavy drugs as well? You are in no condition to jump up and start working on… this," he gestured to the broken gun on the table, "right now. You need to rest."

"But-" the teen started to protest, but was cut off.

"Danny, I'm sure that they will be adequate enough to retrieve this 'Specter Speeder' and bring it back." Danny pouted at him, but Cass could see the fight leak out of him, as he let himself be sat back down. "For now, Todd was right. You were just in a serious and potentially dangerous situation. You are required to rest."

The ravenette huffed, but didn't try to stand up again. "Fine." He grumbled, crossing his arms. "But the minute they get back, I want to start working on this." He pointed to the duffle bag. "And no one will stop me."

"Alright, beloved." Cass bit her tongue at the tone her youngest brother used as he rubbed neat little circles into the teen's back, helping to ease the tension out of his shoulders. It was a bit obvious that he was responding purely to placate the teen. Obvious to everyone except Danny, that is. 

Danny huffed again, but let his shoulders slump as his hands fell to his lap. He was satisfied, at least for the moment, and it seemed that all the excitement from their arrival was taking a toll on him now, from the way he fell completely against Dami, his eyes fluttering half-way closed. "Good." He mumbled. "I guess I could take a nap or somethin' while they're gone." Just a few minutes after his statement, the teen was put like a light, soft snores coming from him as he snoozed against Damian, using her brother's shoulder and chest as a pillow. Damian didn't seem to mind, though. 

"Okay, now that that's settled, I guess we should get going." Jazz stood up, heading towards the door. Jason started to follow her, but stopped half way, turning back to look a Cass. 

"Cass? You coming too, or are you gonna stay here?" Jason asked her.

She thought about it for a minute before shaking her head and signing. "I'll stay here. Been wanting to meet him for a while, anyways."

Her brother nodded. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything, got it?" At her affirmative nod, he turned around again and headed after Jasmine. 

Cass couldn't help but laugh aloud as she hard Jason's sudden outburst as they filed out the door. "Wait, I just realized. Did your brother say he could make portals? What the-" 

Chapter Text

Jazz giggled quietly to herself, quite amused at the look of disbelief etched into Jason's features. They had already made it to the apartment building he lived in, the man wanting to change into some 'civilian clothes' before they headed for the docks, and Jason still seemed to be reeling over the fact that her brother traveled to another dimension so often that he was beginning to learn how to make his own doorways in and out. 

"Is my brother making his own way out of the 'Realms really that much of a shock?" She asked him, stifling another round of giggles as he shoved his hand through his messy curls. "I mean, you're a vigilante, in a world with other heros. Is that sort of thing unusual here?"

It was his turn to be amused. He snorted, letting his hand fall back to his side. "Nah. I mean, we deal with a lot of people, and some have abilities, but none can tear the fabric of reality like it's paper. Well," he paused his hand coming up to rub at the skin just below his domino mask, "except for the speedster. But they usually travel through time, not to different realities." When she raised her eyebrow at him, he corrected himself. "I mean, they can travel to different dimensions, but it's usually pretty difficult for them, and they usually try not to do it often." He explained. "And it's not like we haven't been to other dimension either, we just haven't really been to one that didn't have at least some version of us in it. We've seen and experienced a lot of stuff, but a dimension without the people that make up the Justice League? That's one that hasn't really come up."

"Wow. And I thought our lives were weird." Jazz giggled again, stopping to let Jason open the door for her. His apartment was the same as the last time she had been there, unsurprising considering that she had been there not even a full day ago. The only differences were the still-drying dishes in the dish rack and the faint smell of breakfast hanging in the air. 

"Feel free to look around," Jason waved a dismissive hand at his sparsely decorated apartment as he walked past her and down the hall, "just don't touch anything that looks dangerous. I'll only be a minute." With that, he closed what Jazz assumed was his bedroom door, leaving her alone in his home for a second time. 

She glanced around the open space, taking in the details that she hadn't noticed the first time she had been here. Now that she wasn't worried sick for her brother, she could admit that she was a bit curious. Jason didn't have a lot of stuff lying around, a few well-cared for books stacked on the end table was the most 'clutter' she could find. The coffee table had coasters, and a small succulent, but was otherwise pretty empty. Part of her wondered if the lack of personal items was a personal preference, or a side effect of being a vigilante. Then again, Danny's room was always a mess, so maybe it was a personal thing. 

One thing in the room did catch her eye, however. It wasn't a book, but a picture frame, resting on the window seal. Walking over to it, she crouched down, brushing the intricately carved wood gently with her finger tips. It was smooth and glossy under her touch, worn but strangely pristine. Almost like it hadn't been touched much, besides having been moved around. 

Behind the glass in the frame sat an old picture, creases from being folded up paired with ridges and yellowing that came with age. In the photo, there was a very small, scruffy-looking boy that clung to the leg of a woman. The woman herself didn't look to be in the best condition, her clothes baggy on her thin frame and her face slightly gaunt, but there was a loving look in her eyes as she gazed down at the small boy beside her. Despite her ragged appearance, Jazz couldn't help but think that the woman was strangely beautiful, in a weird way. 

There was a somewhat bittersweet air that clung to the frame, so strong that even she could feel it, which was odd because sensing emotional imprints was more of Danny's thing than hers. 

'Maybe I shouldn't mess with it,' Jazz thought, standing up reluctantly. It felt oddly personal, to be messing with something that was obviously sentimental in some way. So she backed away, leaving it in favor of looking around some more. She peeked at the books he had left out instead, raising her eyebrow at some of them. She really never would have pegged him as a Pride and Prejudice fan, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to fit him. 

It was only a few minutes later that Jason walked back into the living room, his vigilante gear replaced by a black leather jacket, plain t-shirt, and loose fitting jeans. Slinging a bag over his shoulder, he paused and raised and cocked his head to the side. "Are you a fan of Pride and Prejudice too?" He asked her, walking over and crouching next to the couch where she had sat down. 

Jazz nodded. "I read a lot of different things when I was younger. Pride and Prejudice was one of my favorites for a while." She admitted to him, setting the book back on its pile before she stood. "So, are you ready to go?" She asked, offering him her hand. 

Jason looked her over for a second before taking her hand. She didn't have to pull him up though, the man standing up on his own. Gripping her hand firmly, he gestured towards the door with his free hand. "Yep. Lead the way," he said, a roguish smirk on his face. 

Jazz rolled her eyes at him, but didn't bother protesting as she walked out, pausing to let him lock the door back before pulling him along, down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but she was pretty sure that this had been the way she came from when she had first gotten here. 

Jason let her lead him through Gotham's grimey alleyways, not once protesting. Even though she was pretty sure she took a few wrong turns, and had led them in a circle at least twice. Thankfully, luck was somewhat on her side today, because the pair managed to make it to the warehouse she had left the Speeder in before the sun had a chance to set. 

Dropping his hand, Jazz grabbed the edge of a metal cover that replaced one of the warehouse's broken windows. With one heave, the tin was bent upwards enough for her to slide through. The redhead held it open for Jason, waiting for him to slip through before she dropped it, only flinching slightly at the loud rattly bang it made as it slammed back into place. 

"It should be in here," she told the man, walking forwards as she tried to remember where exactly she had parked it. The only downside to having a vehicle with an invisibility setting, it made it hard to find if you don't remember exactly where it was left.

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm not seeing anythi-" Jason's voice cut off mid-sentence, a metallic thump ringing out. "Gah!" the man shouted. "Son of a-" Jazz turned around quickly, hurrying over to where he was half-crouched, holding his shin. As she got closer, she could hear him muttering words that, under normal circumstances, she would have felt inclined to scold him for. Seeing as how he was in pain though, she decided to let it slide, just this once. 

"Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down beside him, her hands hovering between the two, uncertain if she should interfere. 

"Yeah, m'fine." Jason gritted out, massaging the tender skin of his leg. "Just hit it on something, I'll be fine." As if to prove his words, the man stood up, only stumbling slightly as he reoriented himself. "What did I even kick though? I don't see anything here." 

"Well," Jazz sat back on her heels before pushing herself up as well, "that'd probably be what we're looking for." Turning to where the man had stood only a few seconds ago, the redhead carefully reached out her hands, waving them about slowly as she searched for the invisible vehicle. It only took a few seconds for her fingers to brush the cold, thick metal of one of the Speeder's rear thrusters. "Aha!" She exclaimed, letting her hands follow the thruster back to the body and over the framework until she felt the handle of the door. "Great work, Jason! You found it!"

"Found wha-" Jason's half-confused, half-exasperated question trailed into silence as she unlocked the door and pulled it open, causing the vehicle's invisibility to fall and reveal the sorta-futuristic looking hovercraft. "...somehow I wasn't expecting this." He finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. A silence that went relatively unnoticed by Jazz, who was busy digging through the clutter in the back seat. When Jason received no response, he walked up to the door himself, ducking his head in to check out the surprisingly spacious inside of the impossible vehicle. "What did you say the Speeder was again?" He asked, climbing inside to peer at Jazz around the driver's seat. 

She didn't stop rummaging as she answered him. "Uhh, technically I didn't tell you what it was? I just said that I arrived in it." Shoving a bag out of her way, she paused to blow a strand of loose hair from her face before diving back in. "But technically it's a spacecraft, only its made to withstand the Ghost Zone, not outer space." Huffing, she sat back from the mess in front of her. "This isn't working. We'll just have to take the Speeder back with us and let Danny hunt down what he needs." Shuffling back towards the front, Jason watched as she slid awkwardly over the front bench seats, twisting until she sat upright once again. "But where would we hide it? As much as I appreciate Harley and Ivy's generous hospitality, we probably shouldn't stay there. I wouldn't want to intrude anymore than we have already…" her hand came up to rub her chin as she tried to think. 

"Don't worry about that." Jason spoke up, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts. "I know a place you and Danny can crash. And don't worry," he reassured her when she began to protest, "it's a private, out of the way spot with an underground garage." 

Jazz still hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Alright." She agreed, only a bit reluctant to accept his offer. "But only if we aren't bothering you." 

Jason laughed. "It's not a problem, Princess."

"Princess?" She repeated the nickname, tilting her head and squinting at him, ignoring the way her cheeks warmed with a light blush. 

"I-uh," he stuttered, his face flushing a deep red. "I didn't, mean to say that." 

Jazz giggled at the man's embarrassment, waving off his stuttered apologies. "It's fine, Jason." She reassured him, trying her best to stifle her snickering. "Not the first time someone's called me that." Though, she wasn't about to reveal that the other person that called her princess was her Dad. Still, she had to admit that it was kinda cute to see him all flustered.

"I think I'll just shut up now." Jason muttered lowly, sliding out of the way so that Jazz could settle into the driver's seat. He forced his embarrassment away, instead focusing on trying to understand all the different buttons and switches she pressed and flipped to start the Speeder up. 

"Oh," Jazz suddenly starts, just as they began pulling out of the warehouse. "You didn't stare at my butt when I was climbing over the seat, did you?" 

Safe to say, Jason felt one hundred percent justified in his half-strangled noise of denial. Her laughter didn't help as his face turned crimson again. Forget about her being a goddess, she was the fuckin' devil. 

'That probably shouldn't make her more appealing…'

Chapter Text

Danny didn't know what he expected to happen after his sister and Robin's older brother left, but being locked in the most intense staring contest of his (after)life was not on the list. Yet that was where he found himself, sitting on Harley's beaten up couch with a surprisingly soft throw blanket draped over his shoulders, his glacial blue eyes locked with the Silvery blue of Robin's sister.

She was completely silent as she watched him, and Danny couldn't shake the feeling of being analyzed. Every twitch, every odd hitch in his already slow breathing, seemed like it had been noticed and filed away in some sort of filing cabinet in her head. Yet, strangely, the teen didn't feel threatened. Yeah, her intense attention was a bit uncomfortable, but it didn't feel malicious at all. Unlike Vlad or his parents, who examined every step he took and every move he made like he was some impossible enigma they were trying to dissect, her attention felt more... curious than anything else. That was probably the only thing that kept Danny from turning invisible.

"Soooo," He drawled, drawing the word out as finally broke eye contact, turning to look at a point just over her shoulder. There was an odd spot on the wall, a patch that looked like water damage. "I, um. I don't think we've been properly introduced to each other." Blinking, he tore his eyes away from the spot on the wall, but still couldn't bring himself to meet her probing gaze a second time. That bit of hair that hung just shy of her eyebrow was a good spot to look, though. It felt less like he was talking to the wall, at least. 'Ancients, why do I feel so nervous? She's just a person!' The teen scolded himself mentally. "I'm Danny." 

Across from him, the girl chuckled. "Hello. I'm Cass." She signed to him, Spelling out her name before using a little gesture and pointing to herself. "It's nice to meet you finally, face to face." Face to face? What did she mean- Oh, right. She was at the Grocery Store, that one day he and Robin had been out hunting down the ingredients for the cure. The cure, which was currently sitting in his bag, resting just a few feet away on the coffee table. 

Before his thoughts could spiral down that path, Cass tapped on the table infront of him. Blinking, he shot her bashful smirk, his face flushing slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, got lost in though for a minute." He apologized.

She merely smiled back, signing a quick, "its alright," back at him. When the teen lapsed back into silence, she made a little humming noise before signing a question. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Uhh... I know a lot about space?" He offered hesitantly, not quite sure what she was wanting. Obviously she was trying to make small talk, but the halfa didn't know she wanted to hear more about him, or if she was attempting to turn it into a conversation about her interests. Or maybe he was just overthinking it, his brain running twice as fast as it usually did, now that it had regained most of its normal function from whatever drug was in his system. 

'Yeah, I'm definitely overthinking it.' The teen just barely avoided grimacing at his internal monologue.

"Oh, yes. Robin told us about that." Cass signed to him, pulling him from his thoughts again. "He sent me a picture from the Planetarium." 

"Huh?" Danny voiced dumbly, his mind going blank for a second as she pulled up a picture on her phone. The image was a bit distorted, a green and blue film warring on the screen. But he could clearly make out the image underneath all the odd coloring. An image of himself, eyes dilated and hair floating in an odd way, as if it was caught in a current. The most obvious thing in the picture however, was clearly glowing frecles that adorned his face, casting an eerie blue and green glow over his cheeks and chin, making the way his eyes reflected the flash all the more noticable. 

Danny could feel the blood rushing to his face as he covered his reddening cheeks with his palms. Closing his eyes, he groaned lowley to himself, ignoring the near silent chuckles that spilled from Cass. "I didn't know he took a picture. I didn't even see him take out his phone!" he whined, groaning again as Cass's laughter grew slightly louder. 

When he finally brought his hands down, she smiled apologetically at him. "Don't feel bad," she told him. "Robin is really good at doing things stealthily."

Danny gave her a ruthful grin, nodding. "That makes sense, what with the vigilante thing." Sighing, he leaned back into the couch, tugging the blanket wrapped around him until it rested comfortably over his legs. "I can be pretty stealthy too, but that's mainly because of..." he trailed off, just realising that maybe it wasn't the best idea to go around boasting about being half ghost.

"Powers?" Cass signed, finishing his sentence for him. He nodded, figuring it was a bit to late to censor himself now. She made an "ah," noise, mimicking zipping her lips. 

"Thanks," he murmured, appreciating her gesture. They both slipped back into silence, though it wasn't as awkward as before. The peaceful quiet was broken by the shattering of some ceramic object, followed by a disappointed moan. They both looked towards the source of the noise to see Robin stalk out of the kitchen with a plate of fruits, glaring at the blond that followed him.

"That was one of my favorite plates!" She pouted, looking mournfully at the few shards she carried with her. 

"If you cared for it so much, then perhaps you shouldn't have thrown it." Robin retorted, settling down in his seat next to Danny. The teen carefully set the place down on the table infront of the teen, gesturing towards it when he only gazed at the bunch of grapes and fruit slices curiously. "Eat. You are far too skinny and light."

Danny huffed at the boy, still too tired to argue much, before popping one of the grapes into his mouth. "My weight didn't seem such an issue before. What changed?" He asked, letting his head drop until it rested just above Robin's shoulder.

"What changed was waking up with your boney elbow pressed into my stomach." The teen reached up and pulled Danny's head down the rest of the way. "I could tell you were a bit underweight before, when I carried you, but your clothing has been a bit.... baggy, up until this point, so I had no idea just how thin you actually were." 

Noticing that Danny had stopped eating, Robin grabbed an apple slice from the plate and held it to he mouth, not bothering to speak until Danny bit into it. "As long as you are in my care, I intend to feed you as much as possible. Pennyworth would be disappointed in me otherwise." The teen sniffed, grabbing another grape and handing it to the ravenette.

Danny snorted, chewing the fruit and swallowing before he attempted to respond. "I've always been on the skinneir side, so it's not that big of a deal, y'know?" He said in an attempt to placate the teen. 

It didn't work, if the frown on Robin's face was anything to go by. "Well," he tilted his head in an almost challenging manner, "I suppose that is just something that we will have to remedy." He didn't give Danny a chance to respond, practically shoving another apple slice into Danny's mouth when he went to protest. He huffed at the teen, chewing the slice obediently. 

Beside them, Cass let out a giggle. Danny merely huffed again, deciding to focus on the fruit instead of acknowledging her amusement. Robin didn't appear bothered by her laughter, instead humming pleasantly as he picked another slice up from the plate, a pear this time. 

Part of Danny felt annoyed at being hand fed like this, but another part practically purred at the attention and care the teen was giving him. The halfa ignored them both, still not all there mentally at the moment. It most certianly wasn't because he couldn't tell if it was his ghost half or his human half that yearned for the moment to never stop. Not at all.

Sadly for whichever half that was, the moment seemed to end once Danny had cleared the plate, only leaving behind the sticky residue from the cut fruits on it's ceramic surface. Having watched him (and helped him) finish off the plate, Robin shot him a slightly smug yet oddly warm smile as he stood to take the plate back the the kitchen. Once again leaving him alone with Cass.

The woman snickered silently as Danny shifted, obviously sensing his embarrassment with what had just occured. Before he could say anything, (what was he supposed to say after that?), Cass was signing at him again. "You two are adorable together," her grin widened as Danny felt blood flood his face. Groaning, the halfa let his head fall back against the couch, closing his eyes, as if that would help him escape the situation. 

'Jazz, stop flirting with the Hood guy and get over here,' the teen desperatly thought. 'I don't know how much more teasing and coddling I can take.' Knowing his sister, the teen knew he would learn what his tollerance level for embarrassment would be. And after all his humiliation at school, he knew that it would be a while before they hit the bar. 

- - -

By the time Jazz finally pulled up in the Speeder, Danny was contemplating just letting his intangibility wash over him. The only thing that stopped him from actually doing it was the knowledge that Jazz would never let him live it down. And that she would definalty tell Sam and Tucker. So it was safe to say he was very, very happy to hear the familiar hum and rumble of the interdiminsional hover car.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad, all things considered. The light ribbing that he got from Cass and Harley was embarrassing for sure, but it was all lighthearted. Much different from the snide remarks and mocking tones of the A-listers. It was nice, in a way, more like the way he and his friends picked on each other. 

That didn't make him any less excited when he heard the firm, heavy knock on the front door before Jazz strides in, followed closely by a raven haired man with a white streak through his hair. Danny couldn't help but stare at him, tilting his head as a questioning chrip slipped from him. 

Three things happened at that moment. Harley and Cass looked at him, both a bit confused and surprised at the most definatly not normal noise he made. Damian glanced between him and the man, seemingly unsure of what to say. Jazz, the most liminal person in the room, opened her mouth, probably to answer his unvoiced question. And, perhaps the most surprising of all, the man seemed to freeze in place. 

Danny watched the man's eyes widened, taking on a slightly green tint as he met the teen's gaze. "What-" before Danny could ask the man anything, he seemed to swallow hard, his throat working as if there was a physical blockage. A croaking, whistle-like sound resounded from him, catching the attention of everyone else in the room. The man's face scrunched slightly, almost like he didnt' know what he was doing. Coughing a bit, he cleared his throat, and... Chrrup?

Danny blinked. That was... not what he was expecting. He chirped back, not really sure what else to do in this situation. The man mimicked his chirp, the dazed look slowly leaving his eyes and being replaced by a look of confusion. "What the fuck was that?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly. 

Danny didn't answer him, instead turning his gaze to his sister. "How the heck did you find a liminal in less than two hours?" He asked, half exasperated and half dumbfounded. 

Jazz returned his look of confusion with one of her own. "You couldn't tell he was liminal?" She asked, not bothering to answer his question. 

"What the hell is a liminal anyways?" Harley piped up, her gaze switching between the three ghost-adjacent people in the room. 

It was Robin who answered her. "I would assume that a liminal is someone more in tune with the dead than a normal person." He turned to look at Danny. "Is that right?"

"Uh, yeah. Basically, a liminal is a person that has been around ambient ectoplasm enough for it to change them. Usually, it makes them a bit more ghost like, whether it be physical changes like fangs or eyeshine, or the development of weak ghost powers like intangibility or enhanced empathy." Danny turned away from his staring contest with his sister to look at Robin as he explained. "My sister and my friends are a bit more liminal than others, and it's not exactly rare to meet someone who is at least a little liminal." He turned to the man once more, this time stretching his senses out. 

Almost immediately the teen was assaulted by the bitter taste of rage. His face contorted at the unpleasant acidic flavor it left behind. Under the thick layer of rage, there was the slightly tangy taste of confusion, along with the slight lemon-like taste of fear. He was about to pull back when another taste hit him. The teen had to physically restrain himslef from full body flinching away from the man at the soured-milk and rot that overpowered everything else. 

"Jeeze!" Danny smacked him lips, trying to get the perceived taste out of his mouth. "What cesspool have you been hanging around?" He asked the man.

"Danny!" He sister scolded, reaching over to cuff his head. He ducked, her fingers barley brushing his unruly hair.

"What?" He asked, glaring at her childishly.

"You can't just ask people that! Its rude!" She chided, returning his glare with one of her own. 

"Trust me, Jazz. If you could sense what I just sensed, you would be asking the same question." He leaned away from her, just in case she tried to cuff him again. "Whatever ecto he was exposed to is bad. Like, not changing the filter in forty years bad. Dude needs a spa day badly." He shot the man another glance with a low, "No offense," before meeting his sister's stare again.

"None... taken?" He looked between the siblings, trying to digest the info given. "Wait, so I'm a liminal-whatever, what does that even mean? And what the heck is ectoplasm?" He turned to Robin, looking incredibly lost. 

"I mean, I just explained what Liminals are. It just means you've been hanging out around death-ooze for long enough to get some freaky ghost abilities, but without the being dead part." Danny broke off his staring contest finally, giving the man his full attention. "And ectoplasm is a green, glowy, kinda radioactive substance that comes from the afterlife. It can leak into the mortal realm sometimes through natural portals, but it usually gets absorbed pretty fast. Whatever you've been hanging around is a prime example of why chores are so important in my house. Congealed ectoplasm left out to sit, or mixed with anything besides fresh ecto is not the safest thing. Especially for mortals. Even in ghosts, it can have some really adverse reactions. Wouldn't surprise me if you're experiencing some of the side effects of it."

The room fell silent after that, half of the room thinking about how eerily close that description was to the Lazerus Waters. Though, it would explain some things, if it was true.

Everyone was startled out of their thoughts by Jazz clapping loudly. "Okay! As fun as whatever that was, is. I believe we have more important things to be doing?" She gave everyone in the room a pointed look before turning back to her brother. "Danny, the Liminal guy is Jason. He said he has somewhere that we can hide out with the Speeder while you recover and work on the Portal gun."

"Sweet, really?" Danny looked over to the man, Jason, and went to smile before he paused. "Wait..." he narrowed his eyes at the man, eyeing him suspiciously. "How do we know he isn't some wacked out fruitloop? And what happened to that Red Hood guy you left with? Where did he go?"

Jason's face scrunched up at the fruitloop comment, a denial on his lips, but Jazz beat him to it. "Danny!" She scolded him again. "First off, he isn't some wacked out fruitloop, have a little faith in me. And second, are you seriously that dense?" Danny blinked at her, a small look of afrontment on his face that Robin fought not to laugh at.

"Hey! I'm not dense!" He protested. 

She merely raised an eyebrow at him, sending a pointed glance at Jason before going back to him. "Do you really not know who this is?" She asked, amusement coloring her tone.

Danny turned his attention back to Jason, staring at him intently. Now that he was focusing on him, he did seem vaguely familiar. But he hasn't met people in this universe, so if Jazz expected him to know who Jason was, then he had to have met him one already, right? If that was the case, then the only people he has met here would be Robin's brothers. He wasnt Dick, too tall and buff, not to kention he would be sporting a bruise from that punch, so that would leave...

"Wait, Redhood?!?"

"About fuckin' time!"

Chapter Text

"Y'know, when you said that you had a place with an underground garage, I was expecting something more..." Danny trailed off as he looked around the shadow-y space, his voice echoing off the concrete.  Honestly, the teen didn't know what he was expecting. The past week had been pretty crazy, so it wasn't too far fetched to expect something crazy, like a cave full of bats or something. He definitely should have been expecting a parking garage in what seemed to be the remains of a dilapidated duplex.

"Well, it's no super secret lair, but I figured this would be better than the other place." RedHood, who was back in his vigilante gear, strolled past him and to a rusted door. With a hard twist of the knob, the door swung open with a loud screech of protest, revealing a stairwell that led up. "Most of the building is pretty shot, but there is a little space in the apartment nearest the door on the first floor that I cleaned up a while back. I haven't had to use it in a while, though, so I don't know how clean it is." He let his warning hang in the air for a minute before trudging up the stairs.

"Well, that inspires confidence." Danny mumbled, turning back to the Specter Speeder. The teen held back a groan at the mess in the back, part of him seriously regretting not listening to Sam when she told him to clean up. 'That'll be something to do when I get back home.' He ignored the odd pang in his chest at the thought, instead focusing on one of the junk boxes nearest to him. Pulling the overflowing cardboard closer to him, he bit back a sigh at the messy contents. A few pieces of scrapped blueprints for ghost exterminating tech that he had stashed away from his Dad, some broken components he had swiped from the lab, and a few extra ecto-cartridges that wouldn't be noticed with his parent's inability to keep stock of what they kept in the lab. Danny set the cartridges aside, but stacked everything else back into the box. None of the components would be of use, sadly, but he knew there were at least a few spare parts in here he could salvage. He would just have to keep looking.

"Danny? Are you coming up any time soon?" Danny startled at the voice over his shoulder, whipping around to face Robin. The Vigilante stood only a few inches away, leaning slightly over his shoulder as he sorted through the boxes. 'Are all vigilantes this silent? I didn't even hear him!' He took a moment to breath before he responded to the teen.

"I'll be up in a bit. I have to sort through... all of this." He couldn't help but groan a second time as he gestured to the mess in the back of the Speeder. "I know that there are some parts that I can use, I just have to find them." Maybe he could use his intangibility to search through the boxes faster...

Robin hummed, eyeing the boxes with curiosity. "There seems to be quite a lot to sort through." He pointed out. Danny made a vague noise of agreement, another groan thrown in to voice his displeasure accurately. "...Would you like some help?" He offered.

"Sure." Danny blinked at the offer, but nodded his head. "I mean, it's like you said. There is a lot to sort through. And most of it is just junk I managed to sneak away from my parents. It might take a while to find anything we can use." He felt the need to warn the teen.

Unfortunately, Robin saw right through him. The teen scoffed, taking a seat next to Danny and pulling a box towards himself, careful of the small metal bits that threatened to spill out. "I can assure you, I am up to the task. I did not become a vigilante by being impulsive and impatient. I prefer to leave those aspects to the speedsters." He cracked a smile, like he had made a joke, as he began to pull things out of the box.

"Speedsters?" Danny asked, taking one of the small gadgets that Robin laid on the floor of the Speeder. This one was from one of the blasters, one that had only one setting. He hadn't felt safe for the entire week it took him to find the blueprint for that one.

Robin hummed as he started to stack things back into the box, much more tidy than Danny's, before pushing it away and dragging another one closer. "The Speedsters are Heroes with speed-based abilities. Though, there are some villains that are Speedsters as well, but none of them visit Gotham often." He picked up a green stained garden glove, tossing a cautious look at Danny, before he set it as far away as possible, before continuing. "It isn't just that they move fast, though. Richard's friends with one, and he once said that it was more like the world was moving in slow motion, rather then him moving faster. So, they're decisions are based on mere seconds of thought, and they are not usually known for slowing down to think." He folded a piece of paper without looking at the contents, seeming to be more interested in the ecto blade that Danny had taken when his mom had thrown it at him as Phantom. He had barely managed to dodge being hit in the shoulder that time.

Danny hummed in interest, silently urging Robin on as the teen finished with another box. Sue him, he found it pretty cool that this world had completely human people with powers. It was kinda nice not to be the odd one out, for once.

"The Flash family, as most of their hero names are some variation of the original's hero name, are able to do a lot with their powers. Father once allowed me to read a report in which Flash managed to create a tsunami to counteract a villain that had made a fire tornado." Danny gaped slightly at that mental image, before shuddering. Normal fire couldn't hurt him anymore, but that didn't mean that he wasn't uncomfortable in super hot conditions. A fire tornado sounded horrible. 'I'm glad none of my rogues have tried something like that before. A ghost fire tornado?' Pushing the thought away, he slid another box away from himself, not finding anything of use in there.

"What else can they do?" Danny asked, breaking the silence that had fallen as they sorted. "Like, can they run fast enough to phase through things? Oh! Can they vibrate so fast that they can run on air? Wait, that would probably be pretty bad, because if they vibrate fast enough that air becomes solid, then what would they breathe? Or could they just hold their breath-" He cut himself off, blushing as he realized what he was doing. "Sorry," He mumbled, quieter than before. "I didn't mean to ramble."

Robin laughed, the smooth sound making his blush hotter. "Don't apologize. It's endearing when you're passionate." He snagged Danny's hand, planting a soft kiss on his knuckles before going back to sorting through the box in front of him, leaving Danny to reboot. "And to answer your question, the Flash family all have a variety of abilities granted to them by their speed. One of which is the ability to vibrate fast enough to pass through solid matter." He paused, shuffling something heavy in his box to the side. "I'm not sure about walking on air, though I do vaguely remember something about one of them walking on lightning? It was a while ago, however, so I am not sure how accurate that is." He pulled a glowing green mace out of his box, looking it over with an interest before setting it down on the floor. "Another ability they have, and one that they use far too often for anyone's liking, is time travel."

Danny paused, a bit stunned at that bit of information, before he broke out into hysterical giggles. Robin froze, head snapping over to look him over as the Halfa practically fell over onto the floor, loud gales of laughter wheezing from his shaking form. "Danny?" He asked cautiously. "Are you feeling alright?"

It took a minute for Danny to calm down enough to respond, giggles still rattling his thin shoulders as he tried to even his voice out. "I-I'm fine. It's ju-just that..." The teen sucked in a deep breath, letting out a shaky breath before he tried again. "I, ahh, I kinda know a ghost that is, um, sorta known as the 'Master of Time'? And he- he kinda has a love-hate relationship with people who mess with the timelines." Another snort escaped him. "It's just a bit funny, knowing how he is. He probably loves this 'Flash Family,' but at the same time, it wouldn't be surprising if he's a bit jealous." Finally, the Halfa managed a none-shaky breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Danny let the conversation drop, silence falling over them again as they began to sort through the last few boxes. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Danny finally found what he was looking for. "Yes!" He shouted, holding a thick metallic-looking case over his head. "I found it! Finally!"

"What is it?" Robin asked, scooting closer to peer at the case. It looked like a brief case, albeit a ridiculously thick one, with metal plating in place of leather. Startling Lazarus Green trails seemed engraved in the metal, tracing an odd, almost sci fi-looking pattern across the surface. The paths cast a glow eerily similar to the one Danny's eyes gave off when he behaved in a more, ah, ghostly manner.

"This," Danny, brought the case back down to his lap, "is my portable workshop." He didn't wait for Robin to respond to his answer, popping the case open quickly. If the outside looked odd, then the inside was like opening a pocket dimension. The interior was lined with a light blue plush fabric, small foam divots holding what could only be tools. Though, not any tool Robin had ever seen. Small metal sticks, the same silvery iron metal as the case, glinted under the Specter Speeder's yellow interior lights. Each one had an odd-looking hole in the ends, like there was an attachment that was meant to push on. Or there was something inside that needed to be pushed out. Spotting the small, black rubber button on the side, Robin could only assume it was the latter.

Curiously, Robin picked one up, slightly startled when he felt the cool metal through his Kevlar gloves. Danny let him fiddle with it, a small smirk on his face as he waited for Robin to give up and hand it back. Robin ignored his look, more focused on searching for the trick to the odd 'tool'. After a few minutes of intense examination, he eventually gave up and handed it back to Danny.

The Halfa adjusted his grip on it until it rested in his fingers like a pen, the familiar weight somewhat soothing. He let his eyes fall closed as he focused, channeling the energy of his core through his human hands. Cold and tingly, he felt himself relax, lazily letting his eyes fall open. He could almost pretend his was tucked away in his room, the door locked and that small 'do not enter' sign that Sam had bought him hanging from the knob as he worked on one of his parents' abandoned inventions. The facade was broken by the surprised gasp that Robin let out.

Still, Danny couldn't help but to let his head loll on to his shoulder, sending the teen a somewhat cocky grin. The teen couldn't help but be a bit proud of the tool, having been one of his first successful inventions made from scratch. And one that was specifically reliant on his ecto signature to work, at that. No one else would ever be able to use this specific set, not even Ellie. For as much as she was pretty much a carbon copy of him, she still had her own ecto signature.

Robin didn't acknowledge his smug look, though. Instead, the teen was focused solely on Danny's hand. The glow that enveloped it, eerily similar to a substance he had grown up with all his life, and the glowing blade that had formed on the end of the small rod. A thin, sharp blade reminiscent of an X-acto knife. Though, almost instinctively, he knew that it was a lot more deadly and precise than a simple X-acto knife. Part of him wished to reach out and touch it. Not the blade, he knew better than that, he wasn't Drake or Todd, but to touch the handle. To see if it was cold, flooded by what he assumed was Danny's power in the form of an energy, or if it was warmed by the other teen's touch. He refrained from doing so though, the experienced vigilante in him saying that it was best to keep his hands off something he didn't understand unless it was proven safe to handle.

Danny let the energy in his had fizzle out, the blade remaining for a few minutes afterwards before fading out as well. "Cool, right?" He asked, slipping the small rod back into it's space before closing the tool kit. The kit was slid to his right, into the small pile of things he had gathered to use.

"What is it? I haven't seen anything quite like it before." Robin tilted his head slightly in a curious gesture. "The closest thing I can relate it to are the tools that some inventors use when working on a project. But these are... much more advanced-looking than those."

Danny felt his cheeks flush at the teen's words, the buzz of pride in his chest from showing off growing at the praise, intentional or not on Robin's part. "Well, you pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one." He pulled the last box over to himself, not sure if there was anything else he really needed now but still willing to look. Just in case. "It's my tool kit. One that I made myself, actually." Danny chuckled a bit, the sound a bit bashful. "I made it after I accidentally melted through my last one. My parents didn't know I had to replace the last one, and I really didn't want to try and find an excuse as to where the last one disappeared to and why I needed another one so soon, so I just decided to make my own." The box was, as Danny had suspected, filled with nothing useful. Discarded blueprints, these ones not stolen ones surprisingly, and the remains of mock one of the Jack-O-Nine-Tails that had an electroshock feature that had kept shorting the grapple out.

Pushing it away, he surveyed the back of the Speeder. It was still really messy, discarded snack containers and random gifts from his allies and friends in the 'Realms, but the boxes being straightened up and no longer overflowing had done wonders for the space. Getting his feet under him, Danny gathered what he could of the materials collected, Robin grabbing the rest without being asked. The Halfa smiled his thanks to the teen as they closed the back door, now making their way up the stairwell. "I actually got the inspiration for them from one of the ghosts that I fight with sometimes. He's a blob in a giant mech suit, and he prides himself in being the 'Greatest Hunter in the Infinite Realms'. Honestly, he's not much of a hunter, so much as he's just a huge pain in the backside. But his suit is pretty cool. It's tricked out with a lot of things, like rockets and nets. The part I took inspiration from, though, is the fact that he doesn't need a control panel to activate stuff. Instead, he uses his ecto signature. And while his suit is ridiculously easy to hack into, the fact that he did it all remotely is what I focused on when making the tool kit." Danny rambled as they ascended the stairs, only stopping to take a breath when they reached the only room that still had a door attached to it's hinges.

Knocking, Danny turned back to face Robin while they waited for someone to open the door. "That is remarkable, Danny." Robin told him, a look that was a mixture of pride and amazement on his face. It took everything in him to keep from actually floating at the warm feeling that look had caused to bloom in his chest. Before he could say anything, the door was opening, Jazz standing on the other side. Honestly, her slightly frazzled appearance had Danny doing a double take. The sweet pop rocks taste of his sister's embarrassment wafted off her, pairing with the light blush that brought out her light brownish-red freckles, had Danny wondering if he was the only one dealing with romantic notions on this trip. Based on the laughter that seemed to come from deeper within the room, he wasn't far off with that assumption.

Danny smirked knowingly at her, making the redhead blush a deeper shade of red. "Not. A. Word." She gritted out, ushering the two of them in before she closed the door behind them. Turning away from them, Danny watched as Jazz attempted to compose herself, taking a deep breath and combing her fingers through her hair in a way that he knew soothed her. When she turned back around, her cheeks had went back down to a light pink, and she had a small smile firmly plastered on her face as she led them down the hall.

The Halfa kept silent the whole way, his smirk never leaving his face as he followed. It was only at the end of the hallway that Danny finally spoke. "I just hope this one doesn't drive a motorcycle."

"Danny!"

Chapter Text

The living room wasn't much better than the rest of the building that Danny had seen, exposed beams and patchy drywall making up the walls, the only window shattered and replaced by a cloudy plastic sheet. The only furniture in the room was a moth-bitten couch, a ripped up blue arm chair, and a beat up looking coffee table. All in all though, it wasn't the worst place Danny had ever been.

Danny sat his tool kit down on the table before plopping himself down on the couch. "So," The teen looked up as Red Hood, now only donning his domino, walked into the room from a hall he hadn't seen when he walked in. "You got everything you need?"

Danny looked over the scraps and parts he had gathered, the glass tubes of ectoplasm tucked safely away in the pocket of his hoodie. Once again, he was kinda glad that most of the damage done was wires and cosmetic. If the trigger or the circuit boards had been injured, he wasn't completely sure that he would have been able to fix it as easily. "Yeah, this should be it. Its pretty amazing luck that more wasn't damaged." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he fiddled with one of the old, broken blasters, pulling it's wiring out. 

"About how long do you think it'll take?" He asked, leaning over the back of the couch to look at the array of broken weaponry and spare parts. He reached over and picked up one of the pistol-looking blasters, making a vague noise of interest. 

"Ah, I'm not quite sure..." Finally pulling the wires loose, the teen discarded the metallic shell of the blaster on the cushion beside him. "If I were to guess, though... I'd say anywhere between a few hours and two days?" Letting the wire drop into his lap, Danny turned to look at Jason. "It really depends on if I missed anything in my first look-over." He reached up and pulled the gun from him, smacking his hand lightly as he did. The man grumbled, but held his hands up in surrender as he straightened up, walking around the couch to perch on the edge of the arm chair. 

"Hmm." Jason looked around, noticing for the first time that they were alone in the room. "Where did Jazz and the brat go?" He asked, turning around to eye the hall, like they would suddenly walk in when mentioned. 

"Oh! They went back down to the Speeder to grab a few more things. I don't think I'll need anything else, but Jazz insisted." A small smile tipped the Halfa's lips upward. "I think Jazz just wanted an excuse to talk to him alone," he stage whispered, making Jason snort at his antics. 

"Ah, so she's giving him the shovel talk?" Danny laughed outright at the mental image, sort of going off what he did when he tried to shovel talk Johnny. The image of Jazz glaring at a teen shorter than her, holding the Fenton Creep Stick(tm). When his laughter faded to giggles, Jason made a contemplative noise, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Y'know, this would probably be the perfect time to give you the shovel talk, wouldn't it?" Danny's giggles abruptly cut off as he choked on air, replaced by surprised coughing. "I mean, I am the only older brother present at the moment. It's technically my duty, isn't it?"

"I-it isn't like that!" Danny stuttered, struggling to get his breath back. "He's under a love potion!" Despite the teen's words, his face turned bright red. He ignored the way his core buzzed sadly at his own words. 

Jason eyed him for a long moment. "...And how do you feel about that?" He asked carefully. "From what I've seen and heard so far, your always so quick to say that. To excuse D- Robin, but you never say anything about how you feel on the matter." Danny didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet. They both let the silence between them stretch for a few minutes, but eventually Jason broke it. "Hey, I'm not usually the person who prompts 'emotional descusion', our family is held together by the fact that no one ever talks things out until they blowup in our face." 

He stood and moved to sit down on the couch beside the teen, pushing the mess of mechanical parts to the side. Resting a hand on the teen's shoulder, Danny couldn't help but to look up at him. "You don't have to answer me, but think about yourself a bit. This family has enough miscommunication issues. I don't want you, or him, to get hurt because you don't know how you feel about this." They intense look faded, replaced by something vaguely amused. "But don't take my word for it. I'm just a guy that likes tasteful romance novels." With that, he stood up again. "Think about it, yeah? I'm gonna go find those two. Hopefully before The demon brat pulls a sword out of his ass or something." And he was gone, leaving Danny alone in the room again.

The Halfa chuckled at that, knowing it was meant to relieve the tension that had formed in the room, but he couldn't help the rock that had formed in his gut. 'How I feel about it...? How do I feel about this?' He had a lot to think about. And, with his project in hand and no one else around for the moment, he had plenty of time to dwell on it, too.

---

"You seem rather infatuated with my brother." Jazz was trying to be casual as she said this, leaning against the side of the Speeder as Robin rummaged around, looking for anything Danny might find useful. 

The teen poked his head out of the back seat, giving her what was probably a scathing look, but she couldn't really tell with the domino mask covering half his face. "...I would not call it an infatuation. I believe that I am genuinely 'in love' with him. Despite how much he objects that I am." He shook his head, ducking back in after a moment.

Jazz blinked. 'Okay. Danny really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?' Sighing, she runs a hand through her hair, wincing as she catches on a knot. Pulling her hand free from the auburn strands, she moves to sit on the door frame. "So, you don't think it's just the potion effects, then?" She asks, watching the teen pause where he was digging through one of the boxes. He shot her a look over his shoulder before he went back to digging. 

He scoffed. "I am quite certain that my affections are my own. I know what it feels like for my emotions to be tampered with, and this truly isn't the same." He sat up and twisted to face her, scowl firmly in place. 

"Okay," Jazz blinked, part of her slightly concerned about that fact. "So, you think the potion will have no effect on you, when you take it?" She noted the way he froze, just for a second, before he continued on like nothing had happened. She also noted that he didn't answer her at all. "You do have doubts, don't you?" She asked, not unkindly. 

Air hissed through the teen's teeth in a "Tt" sound, his shoulders tensing as he roughly pushed the meticulously organized box away, grabbing another and jerking it towards him. "...Of course I have doubts." He said finally, his voice so low she wouldn't have heard it, if she wasn't liminal. "But they are just that, doubts. Errant thoughts of 'what if' that do nothing for me in the end." He sighed, the tension dropping from his shoulders slightly, and turned to face her. Crossing his legs, he met her gaze with a steady look.

 "I admit that there may be a chance the potion will work the way it is intended, and that my adoration for your brother will disappear, as if it never existed." He took a deep breath, and Jazz could see him struggle with the thought. "At the same time, there is a very likely chance that nothing will change, and that my feelings will remain. I have given it a lot of thought, and at this time, I know which outcome I want to happen. So yes, of course I have doubts, but at the same time. What are doubts without hope? Without conviction?" Despite posing it as a question, he didn't give her a chance to respond before continuing. "I believe that nothing will change when I take that antidote, and I will continue to believe that until something does change." 

The way he said his piece, with such certainty, had Jazz smiling at him. When she asked him to come down here and help her search for more spare parts, she had been expecting him to be stuck in a love-struck haze. She had been worried that he wouldn't be able to think about the logistics, to see it from a different standpoint. Or at worse, that he would be ignorant to everything but the love he felt towards her brother. But now, sitting here with him staring at her like he was awaiting her final judgment, she knew her fears were unfounded. 

"Your a good kid." She told him, her smile growing wider as his stony indifference morphed into a half indignant, half proud expression. When he noticed her amusement, his scowl came back. Grumbling something about "Not being a child," he turned back to the boxes, going through them more gently, now that the tension was gone. Sighing, she let her smile drop as the second thing that had been on her mind popped up. "For your sake and Danny's, that your feelings don't change. It might be had to notice, 'cause he's a huge dork and he's always the last to realize that he had feelings for someone, but he really, really cares for you." A bittersweet feeling filled her, and she couldn't help the wistful smile. "I love my brother, and I don't want him to have to go through that heartbreak." She stood, heading for the stairwell. 

"Oh, and by the way," She called over her shoulder, "I don't think there's anything else in there that Danny'll need!" She giggled as she heard his cry of outrage, hurrying up the stairs. Giggling, she was completely surprised when she ran into something solid halfway up the staircase. Gasping, she flung her arms out in an attempt to catch herself. At the same time, something wrapped around her waist, pulling her back up against the solid thing. Her arms wrapped around the mass, clutching tightly. 

It took her a minute to realize that she wasn't falling. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Then blinked in confusion. Her vision was taken up by a mixture of black and red, the solid thing warm where she was pressed up against it. The redhead let her eyes drift upwards, trailing from the red, to black, to tan, and eventually to the narrowed eyes of a domino mask. She couldn't help but to stare, dumbfounded, up at Jason. 

He looked as startled as she was for a minute. Then he laughed, the action shaking her as his chest vibrated with the sound. "Hey there." He greeted her, "I didn't expect you to fall for me so soon." It took a second for both of them to register what he had said. Jazz let out a small giggle of her own at the cheesy line, her head still light from her near fall down the stairs. On the other hand, Jason was now blushing a bright red, the color so close to matching the red on his bat insignia. 

"That w-was te-terrible." Jazz managed between her giggles. Still blushing, Jason joined her in laughing again.

"Yeah, it was. Not exactly my best line." He agreed, helping her stand up-right again. When their laughter had finally calmed down, he sighed. Leaning against the grime-covered wall of the stairwell, he cocked his head to the side. "So, what did you and the Brat talk about?" He asked.

Jazz sighed as well, brushing imaginary dust off her blouse. "We came to an understanding." She replied simply. 

"An understanding, huh?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I wasn't sure that he was viewing the whole picture, but I was wrong." She smiled softly. "He has a much better grip on the situation than I thought he did." Sighing, she looked back to the man. "And you?"

"And me, what?" He asked, standing up again as she started to ascend the stairs once more. 

"What did you and Danny talk about?" She couldn't help but giggle again, when she looked at him over her shoulder. The fact that he didn't think she would know... "It was a bit obvious that you wanted to talk to him. I figured you'd take the opportunity while both me and Robin were out of the room." She smirked at his shocked look. "Hey, don't forget that I'm an older sibling too." The redhead couldn't help but tease him a bit. 

Jason was quiet for a moment. "Fair enough," he chuckled, nodding to her when she glanced back again. "I did talk to Danny," the man admitted. "I had my own concerns. Decided to pull his head outta his ass, and gave him something to think about." Before she could ask what he meant by that, the door at the bottom of the stairwell was flung open, hitting the wall with a loud thud. Jazz shrieked, dashing up the remaining stairs as Robin chased after her, giggling the whole way. Behind her, Jason laughed, the sound echoing loudly through the stairwell. "Better run!" He called after them, making the redhead laugh harder as she reached the door. 

Skittering into the living room, Jazz practically flung herself behind the couch. Danny made a noise of surprise and confusion as Robin bounded after her. "What's going on?" Her sweet baby brother asked, his head whipping between her and the other teen. She giggled again, popping up from her hiding spot to rest her hands on his shoulders. 

"Nothing's going on. Right, Robin?" She asked pointedly, grinning at the vigilante as he stood up straight. He glared at her, but didn't try to approach. 

"...Right. There is nothing happening." Sending her one last scathing look, he took a seat in the arm chair. Danny didn't look convinced in the least, but he let it drop. Going back to his project, the two watched as he began soldering a wire into the gun's circuit. 

"So," the teen started, not looking up as he reached for another wire, "did you find something we missed in the speeder?"

Jazz choked on a laugh, trying her best not to acknowledge the 'if looks could kill' glare that the teen vigilante was giving her. "It was as I had assumed," Robin answered, apparently opting to ignore Jazz for the time being. "We gathered everything you could possibly need, and left the rest. Now your sister is as assured of that fact as we are." Okay, maybe not ignoring her existence.

Jazz fought to keep a smile off her face. 'Danny really did know how to pick 'em.'

Chapter Text

Danny hissed as the wire he was soldering zapped him. His fingers healed almost immediately, just the lightest pink any indication that he had been hurt, but the electricity flowed up his arm, making his litchenberg ache. He rubbed his arm before tuning it out, turning back to the gun with an annoyed grumble.

Seconds later the same thing happened again, making the halfa hiss again. His core stuttered at the feeling, making an uneasy warbling sound as the current spread slightly further up his arm. The teen brought his fingers to his mouth, blowing cool air on the tingling appendages. Once they were sufficiently numb, he went back to work.

The wire he was soldering buzzed threateningly as he melded it to it's proper circuit. Finally, the darned thing stopped, it's excess electricity funneling into the board. New wires lit up, popping small sparks as energy flowed through. One such wire right under Danny's wrist, hitting directly on the edge of his death scar.

The teen couldn't stop himself from jerking away with a loud yelp, practically falling out of his seat as he cursed under his breath. "Fuck!" He muttered, rubbing his wrist. His arm tensed and twitched as he tried to massage the pain from it, fingers spasming as his scar buzzed. It took a few minutes for the feeling to pass, and a few longer to flex the soreness out of his fingers. When he could comfortably make a fist again, he turned and leveled a glare at the damned scientific abomination.

His glare faltered after a second, his shoulders drooping in exhausted defeat. "Why couldn't Mom and Dad have been, like, dentists or something?" He questioned quietly. Danny would rather have lectures on proper dental hygiene than have to deal with this. Sighing, he sat back down and pulled the gun towards him again. 'Better just to get it fixed.'

From across the room, Robin stood up from where he had been leaning against the wall. The teen stalk across the space separating them, coming to a stop just in front of Danny. The halfa took his eyes off of his work to look up at him, being careful to rest his hands decidedly away from the live wires. ". . .You good?" Danny asked after a minute of nothing but Robin's intense, searching stare.

Robin stayed silent, giving Danny no warning as he carefully pushed the gun away. Before Danny could ask what he was doing, the teen grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, all but dragging him from the room. It was Danny's turn to be quiet, though his silence was more because of shock and less because of... whatever was up with Robin.

Danny decides that it's too much trouble to try and form a coherent question. Instead, he just lets Robin lead him down the hall, turning and coming to a stop at a closed door. Robin knocks, then takes a step back and waits. Jason opens the door moments later, leaning against the frame as his eyes rake over the two of them.

"What's up, brat?" He asks, his gaze meeting Danny's over Robin's shoulder, conveying a silent question of 'What's this about?'. In response, the teen shrugs, sending back an 'I have no clue,' look. Jason rolls his eyes slightly before focusing his attention back on Robin. "Did you need something?"

"Danny needs to take a break." Robin states bluntly. Danny lets out a protesting "Hey!", but is ignored by the brothers in front of him. "I merely intended to let you know that we are going out. So that you do not worry needlessly about us being gone." With his piece said, Robin began to turn away.

"Hold it, Hell spawn." Jason stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "You just gonna run around in your suit?" When Robin didn't immediately respond, the man shook his head. "Come on, demon brat. I'll give you a change of clothes. It's a miracle that the bat brigade hasn't already tracked us down yet." He dipped back into the room, leaving the door open as he searched around for something for Robin to wear. "Speakin' of which, did you turn off all the trackers in your suit or something?"

"No, I haven't touched any of the trackers." Robin told him through the door. He tugged Danny closer, his thumb feathering over the pulse point of his wrist. Danny let out a sigh at the action, the rhythmic motions chasing the last bit of pain away. "In fact, I had a rather odd experience with my comms earlier this week. They were filled with static when I attempted to use them to contact Oracle. When I was unable to get through to her, I had to retrieve one of the spares from the safe-house." Jason hummed as he returned, clothes in hand.

"You think the same might have happened to your tracker?" He asked as he handed the clothes over. Robin had to drop Danny's hand to take them, and Danny tried not to pay attention to the sad whirring noise his core made in response.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the conversation. "Oh, that? It was probably me." He admitted a bit sheepishly. They both stopped and turned to look at him. When they didn't say anything, he began to ramble. "So, uh. It's kinda a ghost thing? Ecto beings and extremely contaminated liminals tend to radiate ecotplasm, which messes with electronics and, well, technology in general. So, it might be my fault that some things aren't working right?" He let out a nervous laugh, his hand coming up to massage the back of his neck.

Robin was the first to break the silence. "That does make sense." He admitted. "It would explain why we had such a difficult time tracking the Joker's location when you were taken, and why your sister had such an easy time of it finding you when she gave it a try." Behind him, Jason gave a nod, accepting the explanation given, before letting out a laugh.

"Ah, no one in this family ever dates a normal person, do they?" He snorts again before stepping out into the hall and letting Robin into the room.

"Hey!" Danny groaned in fake indignation. "You already knew that I was Spook-tacularly abnormal before this!" Both brothers froze for a minute before groaning themselves at his amazing (horrible) pun.

Reaching out, Jason plants a heavy hand on Danny's head to violently ruffle his already messy hair, electing a yelp from the teen. He laughed as Danny swatted his hand away, pushing the teen slightly so that he stumbled back a step. "We need to keep you and Dick-face as far apart as possible. If you two meet, we're all doomed."

Danny opened his mouth to retort, planning on saying something about this Dick guy having great taste in wit, but was cut off as Robin swung the door open again and stepped out. Turning, he gave the teen's new outfit a look. An old band tee that was slightly too big, a pair of worn jeans that bunched slightly around his calves, a pair of sneakers, and the sunglasses that Danny had gotten for him. All in all, it fits perfectly with the 'average teenager' theme that they're going for.

"Where did you get the sunglasses?" Jason asked, looking the teen over as well. Robin didn't respond to him, instead grabbing Danny's wrist again and leading him to the stairwell. "Be safe you two!" He called after them, "I'm serious! If you get into any trouble, bat related or otherwise, give me a damn call!" Danny glanced back at Jason as he was pulled along, waving at the man as he rounded the corner. The teen couldn't help but smirk at the exasperated look on the man's face as they disappeared from view.

Danny didn't speak as Robin led him down the stairs and through the parking garage. He was content to follow the teen as they continued on, coming out of a maintenance tunnel and stepping into the street. Weak sunlight broke through the ever-present smog, warming the two of them as they walked. It was only when they were about half a mile into this walk that Danny finally broke the silence.

"So, where are we headed?" He asked. Robin stopped abruptly at his question, causing him to bump into the teen's back. "Oof- Robin? Hey, what's-" Danny looked around for what could have made the teen freeze, until something gave him a pause. He looked back at the teen, who was now staring pensively at the ground. A bashful yet thoughtful look on his face. "Oh, I know that look." Of course he knew that look. It was the one Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Dani always described when he did something impulsively. "You didn't plan that far ahead, did you?"

When Robin didn't respond right away, Danny couldn't help but to chuckle. "Glad I'm not the only one who makes split-second decisions." He jokes, smiling at the teen. His smile slowly falls when all Robin does is flinch and frown. "Hey," Danny starts, his playful tone dropping into something more gentle. "It's fine, Robin. I wouldn't mind just wandering around for a few hours." He felt a blush threaten his face as he let a small, mischievous smile tug at his lips. "Especially when I'm wandering around with such amazing company as you."

The cheesy line did the trick, just as Danny was hoping it would. Robin's frown evened out, his expression going back to that look of resting apathy that it usually was, but Danny had spent the past week with him. He could see the slight blush, the way the corners of his lips twitched ever so slightly. He didn't say anything, but Danny could tell that he was pleased, at the very least.

They started walking again, though at a more sedate pace than before. They passed stores, apartments, small vendors, not stopping once but enjoying the calm atmosphere of the city during mid-day. The pair kept away from any alleyway's, though. Just because the city seemed peaceful out in the open, that didn't mean that there weren't crooks and robbers hiding out in the shadow-y, secluded places.

Sometime during their stroll, Robin had loosened his grip on Danny's wrist, his hand trailing down the halfa's arm until their palms were touching. This time, Danny didn't ignore the way his core buzzed and purred at the contact, instead basking in the warm feeling it sent resonating through his chest when their fingers intertwined.

Eventually the two had to come to a stop, their stomachs demanding they find somewhere to eat. The solution to that problem was relatively easy, as they only had to backtrack a little bit to find someplace decent. A Bat Burger seemed to be calling them from across the street, the smell of fast food wafting from the door as it swung closed behind a couple.

Ordering and settling at a booth was a relatively simple affair, and soon they were sitting across from each other once again. Neither of them spoke, neither of them really needed to. Both of them were just relaxed, reveling in each other's presences. They hadn't really left each other's sides since the love potion took effect, excluding certain pesky clowns of course, but something about this time was different than all the time they had spent together before. 'It might be that I'm finally not ignoring everything I feel now,' Danny thought, a smile crossing his face again as he stared at Robing from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you." He said it quietly, but Robin heard him nonetheless.

"For what?" Robin asked, his head tilting to the side.

'Cute,' Danny couldn't help the thought. "For pulling me out of my own head. I can kinda take after my parents when it comes to projects. Especially important ones. My friends and Jazz usually have a hard time convincing me to take a break, so it's kinda nice to have someone not afraid to yank me out by my foot." He chuckles, his hand raising to rub his neck again.

Robin catches it before it makes contact. Bringing it across the table, he places a gentle kiss on the knuckles before setting their interlaced hands down on the tabletop. Danny fights his blush as Robin smirks at him. "You'll find that I am more than capable of interrupting, should it be necessary for you to take a break." Quieter, he mumbled "I's not like I haven't had plenty of practice with Drake and his horrible habits."

Danny perked up, his blush fading as he focused on something else. "Who's Drake?" He asked.

Robin froze for only a second before responding. "Drake is one of my adopted brothers." He admits. "He has the same habit of delving deep into a topic and completely forgetting about the world around him. It takes the whole family to keep him from dying of his own ignorance to his body's demands." The irritation in his tone is tempered by a small amount of fondness, and Danny can't help but to smile knowingly at him.

"Is he really that bad?"

"Yes. Out of all of my siblings, the most self-care rules have been put in place because of Drake. Not that they're followed half the time, but the evidence does speak for itself." He huffed, letting his chin lower to rest on his arm. "If not for our family, Drake would have long since worked himself into the grave."

Danny smirked, sitting up straighter. "You just made a pun!" He accused, his smirk widening into a smile at the look that crossed the other teen's face.

"I did no such thing." He denied, sitting up as well.

"You so did!" Danny giggled, rubbing his thumb across Robin's knuckle. "Don't worry, I won't tell." He winked at Robin, before looking away. "But, back to your brother. That sounds tough."

Robin sighed, but let it go. "Yes, forcing Drake to take proper care of himself can be a very demanding job at times. But, sadly, he's family. And as such, it is my 'moral' obligation to make sure he doesn't perish."

"Yikes. That sounds like a soul-sucking job." Danny tried to tease.

It fell flat when Robin looked him dead in the eye and nodded. "That statement is more true that any of my family would care to admit." Danny choked, his mind wildly trying to think of how to backtrack. Then Robin cracked a small smile, a light and airy laugh leaving him, and Danny knew he had been played.

"Your evil," He grumbles half-heartedly at the vigilante, fighting back a small smirk of his own.

"Trust me," Robin's smile turned slightly devious. "I can be a Lot worse."

Their order was called before Danny could even try to snark back, 'Flirt back? Was Robin flirting with him?', and Robin disentangled his hand from Danny's quickly, hurrying off to get their food before Danny could protest. Leaving said teen to deal with the blush that now encompassed his entire face.

By the time the teen made it back with their food, Danny had managed to wrestle his blush from a full cherry red to a warm pink. Thankfully, Robin didn't mention it, instead just pushing Danny's meal towards him and digging into his own. Danny followed in suite, pulling the wrapper from his burger taking a bite.

They two teens ate in silence, content with the cozy, comfortable atmosphere that surrounded them. But they were only half-way through their meal when the quiet was broken, but not by either of them. A hand slammed down on the table between them, startling both teens. Pausing mid-bite, Danny turned and looked at the hand, before following it up to it's owner's face. Unsurprisingly, it was someone Danny didn't recognize. But a quick glance at Robin made Danny certain that he knew who this was.

"What are you doing here?" The teen growled. 'Yep,' Danny looked between the two, growing wary at how tense Robin had become as he glared at the... Man? He looked a bit young, but he wasn't exactly a teenager, either. Danny was gonna go with guy, then. 'He definitely knows him.'

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Why haven't you come home in the past week, or checked in with us at all? Do you know how stressed everyone has been, searching for you?" The guy crossed his arms, glaring down at Robin with that 'Your doing something stupid and annoying' look. Honestly, it was kinda eerie to see that look on someone besides a teacher. "You need to come home, and at least explain what the hell is going on with you."

Robin didn't respond, which seemed to annoy the guy. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Seriously?" He asked, one hand falling to rest on his hip. "You're just going to ignore me?" Danny glanced at Robin from the corner of his eye and, sure enough, the teen was staring resolutely at the table as he munched on a fry. By all accounts, it seemed like the teen was ignoring the dude.

Danny knew it was an act when Robin caught his eye, tilting his head ever so slightly down. Danny followed, looking down at his hand. The vigilante lifted three fingers briefly, before letting his hand rest on the table, all his fingers flattening out except for one, which he scrunched up almost like he was pointing. But why was he pointing at the table? Was he pointing at the table? Or maybe...

A small tap, so quiet that for a moment Danny thought that he had imagined it. A few seconds later, another tap. It was only when he heard the third tap that he put it all together. Thinking fast, Danny ducked under the table just as Robin surged up from his seat, is fist making contact with the guy's solar plexus with a meaty thump. Danny couldn't help but wince in sympathy as the dude dropped to the floor with a wheezy gasp, but he didn't bother to check on the guy either. Instead, he slid out from under the table, snagging his burger as Robin grabbed his wrist. In seconds they were out the door and across the street, sprinting around the corner.

From behind them, Danny could hear the man stumble out of the Bat Burger, calling after them. "Wait! Damn it, come back!" He yelled. Danny was forced to bring his attention away from the man as Robin took a hard left. The teen yelped as he was pulled into the alleyway and behind a dumpster. His nose wrinkled at the awful smell, but before he could complain, Robin slapped a hand across his mouth. Danny glared grumpily at the teen, but Robin merely pointed towards the mouth of the alley.

Danny watched as the man ran past them, a strange sort of pride bubbling in his core when he heard the wheezy breaths of the dude ass he passed them. Secretly, he wondered if he could get Robin to use that move on him, one day. Immediately, Danny shook the thought from his head. 'This is no time for those kinds of thoughts,' he told himself.

Both of them stayed crouched down there for a bit, just until they were sure that the guy wasn't coming back. Only when the guy's footsteps had faded from Danny's enhanced hearing, did they deem it safe to venture back out. The halfa couldn't stop his sigh of relief to be away from the trash, taking a deep breath to clear his nose.

The walk back to the parking garage was just as quiet as before, but defiantly more tense. Robin kept to side streets, ducking away from lights and sidewalks that seemed crowded. Honestly, after the last time they were out and about, Danny couldn't really blame him for that one. It took way longer to get back, But Danny didn't complain.

In turn Robin didn't protest the way Danny kept close to him, practically back to chest. Occasionally, their shoulders would bump, or their arms would brush, and it took every bit of self-control he had not to grab Robin's hand. Not that the teen would have minded, with the state he was in, but Danny knew this wasn't the right time for that kind of thing. Not when they were trying to get back without being followed, and defiantly not when he was still trying to sort through his own feelings himself.

By the time they made it back, the sun was casting it's last rays on the city's clouded horizon, turning them various shades of purple and red. Once back at the top of the stairwell, Robin split from him, probably to tell Jaosn about what had happened. Danny stood there for a moment, before heading towards the living room. Settling back down, he gazed at the portal gun's tangled wires with a fresh set of eyes.

His gaze flittered over the circuits and plating, freezing on something he hadn't noticed before. There, hidden by a mass of tangled cables, was a little button. An OFF button. Groaning, he slapped his forehead before reaching out and pressing it. With a click and a beep, the wires made one last spluttering spark before falling dormant. "Of course," he scoffed, half bitter and half exasperated. "Why do my parents have the bad habit of putting an off switch in the worst possible place?" He asked the space around him. Only the silence answered him back.

Shaking himself, Danny sighed and focused on the now safe wires, getting back to work. Now that they weren't zapping him every five seconds, he might actually be able to make better progress with it.

- - -

Tim hissed as he shifted the ice pack on his chest, his breath wheezing just slightly. He had been expecting to deflect a knife, or some sort of thrown projectile. He had been braced and prepared for it, too. He hadn't expected the brat to actually punch him. And, like a complete newbie, he had left his torso unguarded.

He was glad that he was alone in the cave for the moment. Dick was back in Buldehaven, negotiating for time off so that he could better lend a hand, both in searching for Damian and covering for him while the kid was still AWOL. Duke was out dealing with the last of Joker's goons wandering around, Jason was back to ignoring all messages that were left for him, so either he had found something and wasn't in the sharing mood, or he was just being his usual, non-helpful self. Bruce had been called away to deal with a League matter, however reluctant he was to go, and was set to get back just before patrol. And Steph was upstairs with Cass, doing 'Girl Stuff' that they refused to talk about.

Part of Tim wondered if Girl Stuff included whatever Cass and Alfred had been working on. He was incredibly curious about what she and Alfred were up to in there, but had left it alone, more focused on their current predicament. He could investigate Cass's... whatever is in there, later.

Readjusting the ice pack again, Tim pulled away from his thoughts and looked over the security footage that Oracle had sent over again. The video played, just a corner of a busy Gotham street, but then it glitched slightly. Static overlays the clip for a few seconds, before clearing up again, revealing two figures on the opposite side of the street. One was obviously Damian, wearing clothes slightly too big for him, and the other was a teenager. Around the same age as the missing vigilante, and just shorter by an inch or two, there was no mistaking the fact that they were walking together. Tucked close to each other's sides, heads tilted close and holding hands, the two looked like a couple. It had been such an unexpected thing that Tim had questioned if Babs had sent him the right clip. But there was no denying that it was Damian in the video. So the question remained, who was the other guy?

When Tim had first received the video, he had posed that same question to Babs. Both Dick and Duke had seen him before, when they had confronted Damian at the mall, but there was no other real record of him. Running face recognition of the fuzzy, distorted images had brought up nothing, not even a slight match. It was almost if the teen didn't exist, which was not all that astounding in their line of work, but usually meant a lot of trouble.

Sighing, Tim leaned back in his chair, letting the video loop again. 'Just who are you, mysterious Snow-White?', he asked himself, rubbing his eyes. Groaning, he stretched as much as he was able with his new bruise before standing, shaking out the purposefully baggy shirt he had slid on to keep the ice from melting on it. He was trying his best to keep his new injury on the down-low, at least until he could figure out how to explain how their usually predictable, unpredictable wildcard of a little brother got the drop on him in the most unpredictable way possible.

Was it kind of hopeless to hope that Alfred wouldn't notice the odd attire? Yes. Did that mean the teen wasn't going to try at all? No, no it didn't. If Tim had his timing right, he might be able to slip right on up to his room, with no one any the wiser about his current physical condition. And with the abnormal amount of sleep he had been getting for the past few days, it probably wouldn't raise any alarms if he didn't come back out for a while.

Of course, Tim's perfect plan was shattered almost the minute he stepped out of the elevator, to find none other than Alfred himself re-arranging a stack of papers on Bruce's desk. The butler looked to him as he stepped out into the office, his sharp gaze raking over Tim with an intensity most hero's, and maybe even some villains, wish they had. The teen fought the urge to squirm under the man's gaze, and almost drooped alarmingly the minute he looked away.

Hope flared in Tim's chest when Alfred didn't immediately scold him with some witty quip, but it's embers were extinguished just as fast as they appeared when the man simply gestured to the chairs in front of the desk. Cursing mentally, he took a seat, careful of his now aching ribs.

"I would like to assume that you were not attempting to hide an injury from me, were you Master Timothy?" The butler asked, his tone not giving anything away.

Tim shook his head mutely, keeping his gaze fixed on the Superman paper weight they had gotten Bruce for Christmas one year.

"Good. Then I suppose you will have no trouble pulling up your shirt and letting me treat it properly, then?" Tim knew it wasn't a request, complying immediately. The butler let out a "Tsk," before getting to work, poking and probing the afflicted area to make sure nothing was broken before applying a layer of bandaged, then the ice pack, and one last layer of bandages. The cold was now pressed firmly against the bruise, dulling the ache with the cold that it radiated. Tim couldn't really help the sigh of relief that escaped him as the pain eased up.

"Thanks, Alfred." Tim sighed, leaning back in the comfortable chair for a minute before standing again.

"It was no problem, Master Timothy. But please, if you injure yourself, get it treated properly. A poorly placed bandaid will do a broken bone no good." With that, the man turned back to the desk, wiping some dust off one corner.

Shaking his head, Tim sighed and left the room, headed for the kitchen. Despite all the sleep he had gotten, and the excess energy now in him, he really just wanted a cup of coffee.

Chapter Text

Jazz blinked up at the ceiling, sleep making her eyes heavy. The woman had been having the nicest dream just seconds prior, warmth and chocolate and strong arms wrapped around her... She really wanted to go back to it, her eyelids begging to drop, but she fought it. Something had woken her up, and after the last few times that had happened? The redhead had learned to trust her senses.

Pushing herself up, she winced at the uncomfortable stiffness in her neck from the couch's arm rest. 'Maybe I could steal a jacket or something...' She pondered for a second, before shaking her head. 'Jacket later, Jasmine. What woke me up?' The girl looked around the dilapidated room, scanning for any potential dangers. When all the danger she found was the mildew-laden wallpaper, the woman let herself relax a bit. But now she was confused. If it hadn't been a ghost or an attacker that woke her up, then what did?

Another look around the room yielded an answer. There, sitting by the only uncovered window, was her baby brother. She frowned at the teen in concern, not that he saw, and stumbled her way to her feet. Her concern grew slightly when the teen didn't react as she shuffled to his side, crouching low enough for her shoulders to bump against his thigh.

"Danny?" She called her brother's name softly, reaching up to let her hand rest on his knee. Danny hummed questioningly, but didn't try to look at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the sky, staring blankly at the dreary clouds that covered up the night sky. "...It's really cloudy here, huh? Can't really see the stars from here." She tried, shifting closer so that she was leaning against him. The physical contact seemed to work at snapping him from his daze.

The halfa shifted against her, blinking rapidly. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before looking back to the sky. "...yeah." He agreed, frowning at the smog. "Kinda sucks. I thought about just going ghost and flying up past the clouds to see them." He admits it just as quietly, like it's a secret.

"Why haven't you?" Jazz asked, slightly curious. Back home, it wasn't that out of the ordinary for the teen to hover just above the stratosphere and stargaze.

Her brother didn't answer with words, instead finally shifting his gaze from the window to fix on something behind her. Turning, she followed his gaze to the other teen in the room. Robin was asleep, sitting upright the arm chair with his head and crossed arms resting on his chest. Her own stiff neck throbbed in sympathy at the obviously uncomfortable position, not envying what the boy would feel when he woke up.

Turning back to Danny, she sent him a small, knowing smile. "Did someone finally manage to get through that thick, Fenton-patented skull of yours?" She teased him lightly, poking him gently in the side. Her smile fell when he didn't react to the jab, instead turning his attention back to the sky once again.

"Hey," her tone dropped back into one of gentle concern. "You know, you can talk to me about anything, right?" He didn't respond right away, so she continued to fill the silence. "I mean, I'm your big sister, after all. It's my job to be there for you, isn't it? To share my grownup wisdom with the younger souls?" She couldn't help the playful smirk that made it's way onto her face.

"I know." Danny interrupted her, not unkindly. He shot her a half grateful, half exasperated look. It only lasted for a second, before dropping back into the blank expression it had been moments prior. When he didn't make another attempt at breaking the silence, Jazz sighed. Part of her was hoping to get something else put of the teen, but past experience made it seem like he was done talking for now. Just as she was about to stand up and head back to bed, he surprised her with an admission that was so quiet, she almost didn't hear it.

"...I'm scared." Danny whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Jazz stayed quiet, waiting for him to offer her more. when she didn't immediately react, the teen took a deep, steadying breath. The kind he does when gathering his courage, his sister could tell.

"I'm scared." He says again, just slightly louder than the first time. "I ignored how I felt at first, 'cause I knew it was just the potion talking, but then me and Jason had a talk when you went to talk to Robin." He smirked half-heartedly at her as she blushed in embarrassment. Before she could try and defend herself, Danny continued. "He...he gave me a lot to think about, and now that I'm paying attention, its hard to ignore it. Being around him, talking to him, just holding hands..." he trailed off with a frustrated huff, tugging harshly on his hair as he tried to put his feelings into words.

Jazz reached up and gently clasped his hands in hers, pulling them down to rest in his lap. He blinked, looking down at their hands, before taking another breath and giving her fingers a light squeeze. "Being around him makes me feel- it makes my core buzz, just thinking about him. When we hang out, eat together, just wander around in silence, I can feel myself vibrate, from how much my core purrs and hums. Holding hands with him makes my stomach flutter, and I feel all floaty, like in one of your dumb romance novels." Tue comment gets him a light shove, but still the redhead stays silent, letting the ravenette ramble on.

"I can't really describe how I feel around him, because it's so much more than words. I don't think I've ever felt like this before. Not when I had that crush on Paulina, and definitely not when I was dating Valerie. And you remember how down hard I was for Val." She did remember how absolutely love sick he had been with her, his first real girlfriend. The way he would just sit and drift off in thought, how he would talk about her for hours, how he would be drawn to little trinkets and such that reminded him of her.

Jazz also remembered how he was when she had broken up with him. She didn't know all the details, but she had seen the aftermath first-hand. Sure, he had seemed fine, if not a bit down in the dumps, when at school or hanging with his friends. But in the privacy of their home? He had spent days crying his core out, eating his weight in ecto-infused mint chocolate chip ice cream and watching trashy TV-shows to distract himself.

Part of her wondered if it would have been worse, had she not been there to build him a blanket nest when he camped out on the sofa, or to drag him put of bed to take a shower, or to force him to eat something other than ice cream and Nasty-burger leftovers from his last trip out of the house. Danny performed to laugh about how he had acted, always downplaying how badly he had been affected by his first heartbreak. But Jazz had been there, and now she knew. When her baby brother fell, he fell hard.

"The way I feel, just hanging out with him, its better than anything. My ghost side is like a fricken' cat, all content and happy, and it makes me feel warm in a way I haven't felt since my ice core developed." Just thinking about Robin seemed to trigger a reaction in Danny, Jazz couldn't help but notice the way his chest vibrated against her ear. "Its amazing, but its terrifying." With the way she was pressed against the teen, she felt the way his core stuttered, obviously reacting to whatever negative thoughts were running through his head.

"I can't help but think, what if the potion works? What if, when he's cured, he hates me? What if he never wants to see me again?" A whine squeezes out between his shallowing breaths, worrying the redhead as she listens to the teen spiral. "I don't know what to do, Jazz. Part of me is screaming to leave, to get as far away as possible before he has a chance to tell me he hate me. But the other part of me wants to chuck that stupid cure out the window, to curl myself around him and watch the jar break on the sidewalk."

He pauses, letting out a hoarse-sounding chuckle. "I sound nuts, huh?" Snorting, he hunches his shoulders and wraps his arm around her shoulder, burying his face in her auburn locks. "I don't know what to do, Jazz. I don't want him to hate me, but even the thought of leaving makes my core ache. I don't know what I'm gonna do when we get the portal gun fixed."

"Oh, Danny." She murmurs, tightening her hold around his waist. She ignores the way the action makes her shoulders ache, and the wetness growing in her hair. Instead she focused on rubbing soothing patterns into the shirt on Danny's back. His sobs stayed quiet, racking his body but not rising above choked gasps, until they pettered out into quiet sniffles. "It's alright to be scared." She told him, when his breathing evened out a bit.

This isn't the most straightforward situation we've ever been in. I'd even go as far as to call it an awkward situation. But it's okay to be scared. But it's also okay to be hopeful. Don't focus too much on all of the 'what if's', they'll just make you pull away more. Have a little faith, okay Danny? I think it'll all work out just fine."

Danny huffed out another laugh, this one wet and tinged with relief. "Thanks." He whispered.

"Any time, Danny." She smiled softly. "Now, I don't know about you, but I need some more sleep before the next big catastrophe." She couldn't help but joke a bit.

The halfa laughed again. "Yeah, sleep sounds really good right now." he admitted, stretching as he stood up to follow her back to the couch. She watches as he settles down onto the pallet they made on the floor, the teen sighing as he goes limp on the pillows and blankets. Only once she was sure he was settled did she take her spot on the couch again, letting her eyes slip closed. Her worry for her brother slid away as she faded from consciousness, but even asleep she couldn't help but to offer her hand to him. Similarly, even asleep, Danny couldn't resist the comfort of holding his big sister's hand, a small smile flickering onto both of their faces as they dreamt.

- - -

"Your keeping secrets."

Cass looked up from where she was painting Stephanie's nails, her brush hovering over the keratin with a healthy dollop of bright purple as she considered the girl infront of her.

"What makes you sure?" She asked, turning her attention back to the nails.

"You don't seem as worried as everyone else." Steph pointed out. "Everyone else is acting like he's been kidnapped or something, which we know he's not, and are driving themselves into the ground trying to find him." She took a second to awe over Cass's skilled work before continuing. "But you seem just fine. It's like you know something we don't."

She looked up as Cass finished with the last coat of light purple polish, meeting the girl's analytic stare with a raised eyebrow. After a few minutes of silence, long enough for the polish to partially dry, Cass seemed to come to a decision.

Standing, the girl gestured for Stephanie to follow her before slipping out of the family room they had been hanging out in. Curious, Steph followed. The teen wasn't quite sure what to expect, but being led through the manor halls and to the family wing wasn't it. All the blond could do was stare at the nondescript bedroom door. "Uhh," she tugged on Cass's shirt sleeve, "I might not live here, but I think that that's Damian's door." She pointed to the door just to the right of them, an exact replica of the door in front of them barring some scuffing in the door's frame.

Cass just giggled, pushing the door open and pulling Steph in before closing it quietly behind them. Not that Steph really noticed, as her attention was stuck on the absolute space-themed wonderland that filled the room. The usual dark red curtains were traded out for a rich midnight blue and pulled tight over the windows, leaving the room in semi-darkness. The only lights came from the usual small table lamp, and small pin lights that seemed to be strung up along the ceiling. Dispersed between the small lights were glow in the dark stars of various sizes, mimicking the night sky. The canopy bed in the center of the room was made up with star patterned sheets and what had to be the coziest blanket the girl had ever seen. Instead of the usual nature pictures that decorated the guest rooms, the walls had a lot of star maps. At least, Stephanie was pretty sure those were star maps.

All in all, it was very pretty. But it still answered none of the teen's questions. "Sooo," She drawled, doing a slow spin until she was facing Cass, who was leaning against the door. "Did the twerp suddenly get a new hobby or something? That still doesn't explain why he's giving the bats the run around." Her tone turned joking as a smile overtook her face. "Is he going Catwoman on us or something, and trying to steal some super rare space rock or something?" The thought was so ludicrous that the blond couldn't help but giggle.

Cass giggled at her comment as well, but shook her head. 'This isn't for Damian,' she signed, standing up and making her way across the room to sit in the desk chair, turning it around so that it faced Steph.

"It's not?" That didn't make much since. "Did Bruce adopt another kid that I don't know about or something?" She suddenly gasped, a new theory popping into her head. "Oh! Does the twerp have a problem with the new kid? And he ran away, to make the family choose? Honestly, that sounds like something he would do." She rubbed her chin, nodding. Yeah, that sounded plausible.

Cass giggled again. 'No. B didn't adopt another kid.' Steph pouted, crossing her arms and letting her shoulders slump in an exaggerated way. She had no other guesses about why the squirt was missing, or why there was a new fully decked out room in the manor, or how the two fit together. So what could it be?

Thankfully, Cass seemed to take pity on her. 'Damian is trying to woo his new boyfriend.' She signed it slowly, so that Steph knew that she hadn't misunderstood. And man, was the blond glad she did. This new information stumped her for a minute. A... boyfriend? The demonic, violent, horribly repressed kid that used to claim that any and all emotion was a weakness?

"What?" She mumbled, still trying to process what Cass had signed. "WHAT?!?" She practically yelled when it finally hit her. "A boyfriend? He found someone that can tolerate his brash, annoying self? Wait, you said he's trying to 'woo' them? Oh god, did the demon brat kidnap a civilian? Is that seriously what happened? Is Bruce gonna get sued after this? Is Damian gonna get sued? Oh, man!" The girl starts to pace around the room. "What have they been doing? Is Damian really trying to seduce some random guy? Does he even know how to seduce someone? B is horrible at flirting, what if it's genetic? He should have come to me! Or Dick! Wait, no, scratch that. Dick is just as bad at flirting, it's usually just a bunch of puns. Maybe that's what he was worried about? Is that why he stayed away? How does Alfred know?"

Cass let her ramble on for a while, an amused smile firmly in place as she watched Steph pace the super fluffy moon-shaped rug. Eventually, Steph froze, turning to look at her. Waiting for her to provide answers to all of this. Because the girl wouldn't have shown her all of this only to leave her mostly in the dark.

Sure enough, Cass straightened up in her seat, and explained the whole story. The teen, the fight, the love potion, the accident that caused Robin to be covered in it. How the teen had been trying to make a cure for it, but Damian was trying to prove to the teen that his feelings were real. How Dami's potential boyfriend had been kidnapped by the Joker. How he had gotten away. What they were doing right now, as the other's desperately tried to track him down.

By the time she was finished, Steph had been stunned into silence. Eventually, she groaned, face palming hard enough to be head half-way across the room. "Can no one in this family have a normal 'falling in love' story?" She didn't try to wait for Cass to answer, instead sighing before looking around the room again. When she turned back, she had a small, worried frown. "So, he's under magic influence at the moment? Are you sure he's okay?"

Cass considered her for a minute before replying. 'He is in love.' She signed, 'and while it is caused by a potion, he appears to be clear-headed about it. I believe him when he says his feelings are real.'

Steph nodded, feeling a bit relieved. If Cass wasn't worried, then she didn't have to worry either, right? Though now, there was a new dilemma to be had. "So why can't the others know?"

Cass didn't even bother trying to sign, instead sending her a pointed look. The blond nodded after a minute of thinking about it. "Right, yeah. This family is, like, insanely paranoid." Damian was probably right to try and hide his new relationship until it was more stable. "But wait. If this room is for Damian's boyfriend, then..." Her eyes widened comically. "Does Alfred know?"

Cass smirked. 'Yes.'

"Does anyone else know?" Had anyone else been acting weird? Dick and Tim seemed pretty worried, Duke was concerned too so not him. Kate wasn't in Gotham at the moment, so that only left... "Does Jason know?"

Cass's smirk grew wider. That was all Steph needed. "Seriously? Jason knew before me?" She dropped to her knees in despair, ignoring the way Cass cackled at her.

- - -

Jason fought the urge to deck Dick. The man had shown up halfway through his patrol, distracting him in the middle of stopping a robbery, and making him miss the man behind him. He had taken the crook down easily, but not before taking a two by four to the head.

Now he had a headache as he faced his annoying sibling, who was practically fluttering about like an actual bird. "Are you sure you're okay, Hood? That hit looked pretty nasty." The man hummed, his hand outstretched like he wanted to check for damage.

"I'm fine, bird brain." Red hood grumbled, slapping his brother's hands away before they could reach him. "My helmet is still in one piece. It was just a fucking plank of wood." Nightwing frowned at him, obviously not convinced. "What are you even doing here, anyways? You know my rule about the Bats in Crime Alley." He focused a hard stare at the man, noticing the way he guiltily looked away.

"Well, maybe you should answer your phone then! How else was I supposed to talk to you?" Dick whined, pouting at him. Jason rolled his eyes, not that Dick could see it through the helmet. "I needed to update you on Robin."

Jason gritted his teeth, cursing in his head. 'Well, it's not like I haven't lied to him before.' "I haven't found anything new out yet." He states, silently grateful for the voice changer in his helmet. His voice would have been a touch too stiff without it.

"I figured that was the case." Nightwing admitted. "But that's not what I meant." He moved closer, throwing an arm around Jason's shoulder. "I had him. Someone called the other day, while I was at the manor. Baby bat had been in a crowd when it had been gassed. Thankfully, he managed to get away and to a safe place, and I came to pick him up." Jason shrugged the man's arm off him, but made no move to create more space in between them. Unaffected as ever, Dick just crossed his arms as he continued. "He kept telling me that we had to go back, because a friend of his was left behind, and he refused to accept that his friend was probably dead or dying." The man hung his head and sighed sadly. "I mean, I get being in denial, but he was adamant about it. And when I finally got him to the manor, he sneaks out the moment I'm distracted!"

"So, what your saying is that you were duped by a teenager?" Jason tried to be sarcastic about it, but he couldn't help but laugh a bit, already having heard half of the story from Cass.

Nightwing slapped his arm, letting out a noise of denial. "I didn't get duped, he snuck out!" He protested.

"Yeah, he snuck out. With you on watch." Jason cackled, smacking the man back.

Dick let out a huff, pouting again and turning away with a muttered, "Betrayed by my own brother!" It didn't last long, though. He turned back a second later, a serious, solemn look on his face. "I think he's out there looking for his friend again. I don't envy the first person to find him if he does find his friend."

Before he could stop himself, Jason found himself talking. "I mean, how do you know he is dead?" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Now he had Dick-wing's full attention. 'Well, I already shoved my foot in my mouth.' "There was that kid on the Joker's broadcast, and he looked around the brat's age. Could that have been the kid he was looking for?"

Dick rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "You know, I think you're right. The broadcast wasn't the clearest, but that kid looked familiar. And he had to have gotten away, right? We would have found him or his... body," He winced at the wording, "if he hadn't. So maybe Damian is still searching for them." The whites of his domino's widened with his eyes. "Maybe he already found the kid."

Jason couldn't help the way he stiffened up, but did his best to play it off. Seeing as the man beside him made no comment on it, it seemed to work. "I've got it!" Dick shouted suddenly, startling Jason a bit with its suddenness. "Okay, I have to go, little wing! I have to talk to RR and Oracle. I'll update you on what I find, alright?" Before Jason could say anything, the man was off. Backflipping off the roof, he was already too far away for Red Hood to grab him by the time the man made itade it to the roof's edge.

Jason leaned against the railing and sighed. His head still hurt like a bitch, but he had a far bigger headache to worry about now. Hopefully Danny wouldn't be too upset to be under the Bat's scrutiny. Honestly, he wasn't too worried about the teen's reaction. No, the headache he was dreading was breaking the news to the Demon brat. That isn't going to go over so well.

Chapter Text

Just like Jason predicted, Danny didn't seem perturbed by the news that the others were looking more into him. A little uncomfortable, sure, but not really bothered. The teen just shrugged when he was told about the conversation he and Dick had. Damian on the other hand...

"I'll kill them." The teen muttered, pacing behind the stool Danny was perched on. The look on his face was down right murderous.

"No you won't." The response is out before he could even really think about it, not that he was actually worried. "You haven't made a murder attempt in years."

Damian paused at that, glaring at the man over Danny's head, but didn't bother denying it. "Fine, I won't kill them." The teen relented, grasping his chin with his hand as he thought it over. "But I don't have to kill them to take them off the case..." 

Jason let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night. "You can't maim them either. Alfred wouldn't approve." Damian huffed a breath through gritted teeth, not responding as he continued to pace a hole into the worn flooring. 

"Robin, it's okay," Danny pipped up, turning to look at the teen over his shoulder. "It's not really that surprising, is it? I mean, I did punch your brother in the face before grabbing you and running away. Can you really say that it was completely unexpected for them to try and look for me?" A small, very out of place grin wormed it's way onto the demon brat's face at Danny's comment, before it was quickly stifled back into his usual expressionless expression. "Besides," Danny continued, either entirely unaware or just uncaring of what he caused, "It's not like they'll find anything on me. I don't exist here."

"I... suppose you're right," Damian admitted reluctantly, moving to lean slightly against the teen's shoulder. "I just hoped that we would have a bit more time before my paranoid family began sniffing around." 

"I'm sorry, but did you just say that you punched someone? Which one was it?" Jason ignored the exchange between the two, more hung up on that little tidbit. Why hadn't he heard about this?

Danny shot him a confused look, then turned that look to Damian. "Uhh, I'm not sure. Robin, which one was he again?" 

"That would be Richard. You punched my eldest adopted brother." Damian brushed the teen's bangs from his face, not paying any attention to the way Jason gaped at them, stunned. He was silent for a moment, before he burst into uproarious laughter. 

"You punched Dick?" Jason couldn't hide the glee in his voice if he tried. "Oh man, that's amazing. Please tell me that there's footage of it somewhere." 

A more familiar smile flickered across Damian's face this time. "I'm not sure if we have the footage, but I'm sure that it would be no problem to retrieve it from the store's security cameras ourselves at a later date." The smile fell into a more grim expression. "Of course, that will have to wait until after we plan around this... inconvenience."

Jason sobered up quickly, back on the task at hand. "Right. Well, first things first, we should probably try and keep you out of the public eye." He pointed at Danny, who was fiddling with something in his lap. "I know it sucks, but you probably shouldn't go outside much for the time being. Now that the other's are looking for you, its too risky to chance any of O's camera's catching a glimpse of you."

Danny frowned at that, his attention shifting back to the man. "I... guess that makes sense," H" He pouted, looking disappointed. "That's gonna suck."

"Do not worry," Damian pressed himself more tightly to the teen's side, as if to remind the teen of his presence. "I will not leave your side until it is safe to do so again." That seemed to cheer the teen up a bit, his cloudy expression brightening as he leaned back into the vigilantie's touch.

Nodding, Jason made a noise to gain their attention back. "Well, there's also problems that come with that, too. We can't stay here." He gestures at the apartment space around them with a wave of his arm. "This place is basically an OSHA violation. I was fine with us crashing here for a day or two, but if we're gonna be dodging the bats and birds, then we need to move shop."

Damian nodded in agreement, letting go of Danny and moving to start packing up their belongings. Danny, on the other hand, frowned. "I don't see the problem with staying here." He commented, leaning back on the bar stool until the front legs picked up off the floor before coming back down with a dull thump. "It's a bit rundown, sure, but I've stayed in worse before." Like Devine intervention, just as the words left his mouth, the stool under him gave an ominous creak before giving way. Danny let out a yelp as he was sent tumbling backwards, head first towards the crumbling counter behind him. 

Both Jason and Damian lunged forwards to catch him, missing entirely as the halfa dropped through the decaying wood. They froze for a minute, trying to comprehend Danny's suddenly headless body, when the teen sat up quickly with a small screech. He was on his feet in an instant, making the two brothers jerk in place as he practically flew past them to duck behind Jazz, who had just walked into the room. "Uhh," Jazz stuttered, looking between her brother and them. "What happened here?"

Jason started to respond, but was beaten to the punch by Danny. "We were talking about how we should be moving to a new safe house!" He answered in a tone of strained cheer. "Which, I for one, think is an excellent idea! Say, Jason, did you have a place in mind? Maybe one without so many, uh, spiders?" 

'Spiders?' Jason shook his head. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if Danny was anything like the rest of his family when it came to compromises, then that bar stool breaking was definitely a gift. "Uh, yeah. I had one in mind, it's a little more crowded, but it's in much better shape than this place." Not that it was much of a challenge in the first place.

"Well, that's great and all, but what about the Specter Speeder? I thought the whole point of us hiding out here was so that we could keep it hidden." Jazz pointed out cautiously. "I don't know about you, but I really don't want to just leave it somewhere too far away from us. What if we need something out of it, or someone stumbles across it?"

'She has a point.' Jason frowned, crossing his arms as he tried to come up with a solution. "She's right. We can't just leave it here, and parking it out on the street would bring too much unwanted attention to us."

Danny scoffed from where he was still hiding behind his sister. "That's an easy fix." He stated. "Just put it in Camouflage mode."

Jazz frowned at her brother. "You know turning something invisible isn't always the best way to solve your problems, little brother. Turning it invisible won't stop someone from accidentally kicking it. Or worse, someone crashing their car into it thinking that there isn't anything there."

"Uhh, I didn't say turn it invisible. I said turn on Camouflage mode." Jazz's stern frown dropped into a look of confusion. "Wait, you did know that there was a Camouflage mode, right?" When all he got was an embarrassed silence in response, an exasperated look crossed his face. "Seriously Jazz? We gave you a manual and everything!"

"Hey!" She started, defensive. "It's not my fault that you and Tucker decided to finish up just as exam week was starting! I barely had time to eat and sleep. Did you honestly expect me to read the forty-eight page booklet on all the updates you made?"

Danny blinked in surprise. "Sam made the manual forty-eight pages?" They both stared at each other for a minute, before Jazz broke into a fit of giggles. The teen followed suit, a very undignified snort escaping him. "That actually does sound like Sam." He acknowledged. "Did she make an actual book, or was it a PDF?"

"Take a wild guess." Jazz snarked at him, giggling some more when Danny shook his head with a groan. "Yeah, you remember her three-hour lecture on why excess use of paper was leading to deforestation and why it was better for the environment to switch to digital documents." Both shuddered at the reminder, making Damian and Jason glance at each other. 

"Tucker was actually pretty hyped after that one." Danny admitted with a wry grin. "He and Sam spent the rest of the week persuading the school to go digital. They almost succeeded, too, if Technus hadn't invaded the computer lab and deleted the online teachers planner." 

Before they could delve more into... whatever those memories were, Jason interrupted. "Well, if you have a way to hide the Speeder, then I believe we should get packed up." He turned away from the siblings, going over to help Damian stuff the pile of wires and circuits into a box. Behind them, Danny let out a squawk of panic, rushing forwards with shouts of 'Be Careful with those!' 

Safe to say, it wasn't even an hour later before they were piling into the Speeder, Danny in the driver's seat. The teen fiddled with some buttons before the vehicle's exterior seemed to ripple, going invisible for a minute as he adjusted something. "Okay, what kind of disguise should I go for?" He asked, turning a dial. 

"Something in black." Damian stated from the back seat, where he was buckled in behind the driver's seat. "The most common vehicle color is white, with the second being black, so it would be less likely to draw attention."

Danny nodded, the dial making a light clicking noise before he pushed it down. A generic looking car body was visible in the rear-view mirror, it's color shifting in a way that reminded Jason of Miss Martian's Bio-ship. "Okay, I think we're good to go now!" The teen shot his passengers a fanged smile as he put the vehicle in drive. 

"Uhh, Jazz?" Jason glanced over at the woman. "Does your brother have a driver's license?" Maybe he should have asked before they started driving.

"No, but he practically re-built this thing. He knows how to operate it." Came her unbothered reply. He would have believed her, had the teen driving not promptly flew over a speed bump seconds later.

Thankfully, they made it to their destination in one piece. The moment the speeder came to a stop, Jason was sliding out of the back, silently praying for the poor soul that would have to grade Danny's driving when the teen did go to get his license. The man was followed a few seconds later by Damian and Jazz, Danny pouting as he pulled himself out of the now normal-looking car. "Oh, come on! My driving isn't that bad!" The teen whined. 

"Beloved, you are a being with many skills. Driving does not appear to be one of them." Damian wrapped a possessive arm around the teen, pulling Danny into his side as he surveyed the apartment complex in front of them. "Are you sure that this is the place?" He asked, turning to shoot a look at Jason.

"Yeah, I'm sure, brat." He started forward, holding the door open for them as they filed in. The man nodded to a woman with a baby stroller as he led them towards the elevator, earning a polite nod from the woman and an excited wave from the little boy strapped into it. Once on the lift, he clicked the button for the fourth floor. "It's owned by one Harold Treeny, a middle-aged man from Connecticut that inherited the building from his aunt. He's never visited, but puts a lot of money into maintaining it, yet he keeps the rent low for the people who live here, and gives leniency to single mom's and the elderly when it comes to late payments." 

Damian shot him a look from the corner of his eye. "This Treeny wouldn't happen to be one of your aliases, would it Todd?" He asked, though it was obvious he already knew the answer. 

Jason chuckled. "No, not one of mine. It's actually one of Roy's. He wanted a place to stay, should he ever need to crash in Gotham, and he just lets me use it when he's not here. Though, we have discussed letting it fall into the Red Hood's hands, just for a bit." He let the conversation drop as the elevator doors opened, giving a friendly wave to an elderly couple that shuffled into the elevator as they exited. It was only when they were safely in Apartment 405 that he picked it back up. "The gang activity in the area has started to uptick in the past couple of weeks, and he's a bit worried about this place being caught in the crossfire."

Damian turned away from him, inspecting the rest of the apartment now that his curiosity was sated. Jazz, however, frowned. Leaning on her brother's shoulders, she looked to him. "Are you sure it's a good idea to stay here, with that going on? What if something happens?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. The activity hasn't spread more than a block since the last time I checked it, and I have some of my men spread around to alert me should that change." Jason shot a comforting smile at her, but it did little to release the tension that had coulded in her at the mention of gang activity.

Thankfully, Jason wasn't the only one who had noticed the woman's discomfort. Danny pressed his shoulder back into her chest gently, drawing her attention. "Hey, don't worry so much. It's not like a couple guys with guns would be any match for your's truly." He puffed up his chest in an exaggerated way, preening visibly when his sister laughed at him.

"Okay, okay. I guess you have a point." She admitted, ruffling her brother's hair and snagging his bag's strap while he squawked in protest. Darting gracefully out of her brother's reach, she gently sat the bag down on the coffee table before turning back around. "Okay! I don't know about you boys, but I for one think we could all do with some food." She looked around the room, clearly waiting for their responses.

"You still have an appetite after that harrowing experience?" Jason joked, barely flinching as Danny elbowed him. 

"My driving was perfectly fine!" The teen protested, a pout forming as he crossed his arms.

"You drove over four different speedbumps like they weren't there, hit several potholes, and almost snagged a manhole cover with your rear... tire." Jason listed off, taking a page out of Jazz's book and violently ruffling his hair. "I'd call that a harrowing experience for any normal person."

Danny pulled away from the man's overzealous hair ruining efforts, patting down the loose strands with very little success. Giving up, he turned and glared at Jason. "Since when have any of us been normal?" He gripes, tugging the hood of his borrowed hoodie over his head and tightening the strings a bit. Tossing one of the agglets into his mouth, he chewed on the plastic as he thought. "I could eat." He decided eventually with a shrug, plopping down on the thrifted couch with an appreciative sigh. 

Damian settled down next to the teen with more grace, letting his arm rest beside his lap so that it occasionally brushed against Danny's leg. "Food does seem like a good idea," the vigilante agreed. Now everyone turned to Jason, as if waiting for his opinion. 

Jason sighed, finally allowing himself to acknowledge the hunger he felt. He hadn't eaten since before patrol last night, and now that they were safe for the time being, his stomach let him know just how much it appreciated not being fed. "Alright, alright!" He tossed his hands up in mock exasperation. "I know a good Thai place just a block from here. They have decent vegan options," he answered before Damian could ask, "and the owners know me. We can place an order and have it ready by the time I get there." When no one protested, the man pulled out his phone and dialed the number, not bothering to ask before placing an order he usually gave for when the other Outlaws were in town. It had a bit of everything, and plenty of servings. Of course, they would be more likely to have leftovers after, but all that meant is that Jason might not have to cook for a bit.

----

Cass and Steph watched as Tim and Dick argued, their heads bouncing back and fourth between the two like it was a tennis match.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Dick asked, arms crossed and pout firmly on his face. It had been there since Tim had told him that he had already been looking into Danny, though they still didn't know the teen's actual name.

"I didn't say anything earlier because I thought it went without saying. We've seen this kid with Damian multiple times, you got punched by him!" Tim clutched his coffee mug close to his chest as he rambled, preventing Cass from slipping anything melatonin into it. Part if her was sure that, on some level, he had begun to suspect some sort of tampering. 

...maybe it was time to brainstorm a new way of enforcing Alfred's healthy sleep schedule on her workaholic brother.

Cass was pulled from her thoughts by Steph's loud sigh of relief. Both Tim and Dick had left the room, probably headed to check whatever working file they had on Danny. "Man," Steph whined, stretching until her back popped slightly. "This is harder than I thought it would be. How have you not told them something super cryptic and usless yet?"

Cass smiled at the girl, standing as well to follow her to the kitchen. They both nodded at Alfred as Steph began to dig for snacks. Cass leaned against the counter, accepting the oatmeal cookie Alfred handed her gratefully. 

"It is tempting." Cass admitted, biting down on the award winning pastry. "But Damian needs this." Her littlest brother was always so prim and proper, when not being serious and focused. It was good for him to let loose a bit, and expand his social circle past Jon Kent and Skylar from his art club.

"Your right," Steph pulled her head out of the fridge. "He does need to let loose once in a while." Diving back in, she made an "aha!" noise as she pulled out a leftover slice of chocolate cake. Snack found, she started to search for a fork. "So, how do we distract them?" She asked.

"Melatonin works well for Tim." She admitted quietly. "But Dick will be harder to distract."

"Hmm," Steph took a minute to think about it, slowly chewing. "Oh! I've got it!" An devious smirk worked its way onto her face as she gestured Cass closer, whispering her plan. When Cass pulled back, she had a thoughtfully look on her face. 

"That could work." She agreed, a similar smirk appearing on her face. Behind them, Alfred shook his head fondly before going back to his prepwork for dinner. As long as things didn't get too out of hand, the man was content to let the girls have free reign. After all, he too agreed that Master Damian needed this break.

Chapter Text

Damian let the door shut quietly behind him, flipping the lock before he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. Outside the bathroom, he could hear Jasmine and Danny playfully arguing about something mundane, their voices somewhat pleasant in terms of background noise. Jason had left not long ago, having said something about having some business that needed to be taken care of while he waited for their order to be filled. 

He had sat in the living room, Danny's bag resting beside him, when something had caught his eye. Only now, alone in the bathroom, did he dare to take the pilfered object out of his pocket. a soft golden light engulfed his hands the minute he pulled it out, casting his face in a yellow glow when he brought it closer to examine. 

The cure, a potion that cancels other potion effects on a person. In any other situation, he would find such a thing remarkable. Even now, he couldn't help but wonder if it would work on other magic-based effects, slightly in awe of how versatile it could potentially be. But that awe was tempered by the knowledge of what this jar was for in the first place. 

He stared hard at the golden liquid, observing the way it swished and swirled in the jar, trails of what looked like a cross between glitter and stardust tracing hypnotic patterns in the thick solution. 'I could drink this right now,' the thought came unbidden, his fingers digging into the ridges on the lid slightly. Part of him wanted to. Wanted to twist the cap off and drain the contents. Wanted to prove, once and for all, that his feelings weren't just because of the potion.

Another part of him wanted to drop the jar like it had burned him. To throw the jar and watch the potion splatter uselessly onto the wall. Or swirl down the drain of the sink, any possible traces of it washed away by water, like it never existed. It couldn't have the chance to prove him wrong if it was gone, after all. 

Damian did neither of those, instead sitting the jar down gently on the counter. Sighing, he allowed himself to drop his facade of calm and collectiveness. His shoudler's drooped with tiredness, his head dropping into his hands as he tried to sort out his feelings. Coming from an emotionally dysfunctional family didn't help him much when it came to feelings, but he tried his best not to fall back on his training. 

He knew fear, it was a garantee to feel it at least once in a human life. But for a child assassin? Fear is something one becomes intimately familiar with. Maybe not his fear, but the fear of others. So he had little trouble identifying the fear that pushed forth the more... destructive ideas. 

The determination and confidence that directly contradicted that fear were as much of a hindrance as they were helpful. Wilfulness is something that Damian had always displayed, even when he was loyal to his mother and Grandfather in the League. 

Mother had always said that it was a trait from his father, a will of steel that kept his resolve for justice strong. Having lived with his father for a few years now, that wasn't hard to believe at all. 

And now, in the midst of his conflicted feelings, he couldn't help but to fall back on that belief once again. It was different from suppressing his emotions, to instead focus all his being into the way he wished for things to turn out. If his will was half as strong as his father's, then Damian would have nothing to worry about. A little bit of fear wouldn't change thst.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his head from his hands and stood. The teen had no idea how long he had been sitting there on the edge of the tub, his legs tingling with the pins and needles feeling that always accompanied a loss of blood circulation. The apartment outside the bathroom had fallen quiet, only the chatter of the TV and the occasional shuffling of movement telling Damian that the siblings were still out there.

Picking the jar back up, Damian let his gaze trace the swirling golden patterns once more. He could drink it now, and be done with it. He could throw it and damn the consequences his actions would surely bring. But now was not the time for rash decisions. The most logical thing to do was to wait, and not force results. So for now, he would find a way to slip the jar back into it's poor hiding spot in Danny's bag, burried under the prizes from their arcade date, and enjoy the time he was given to spend with Danny. Because no matter if the potion worked or not, Danny would have to return home. 

A knock on the bathroom door startled Damian from his thoughts, the teen fumbling with the jar as it slid from his hands. Heart pounding, his quick reflexes helped him re-capture the jar before it could smash on the tiled floor. 

Breathing heavily, Damian stuffed the jar back into pocket and twisted the lock, throwing the door open. On the other side was Todd, his fist raised to knock again. The man blinked at him, lowering his fist to rest on his hip in a way that Brown would refer to as 'sassy'.

"There you are. You doin' okay, Demon brat? Danny said you'd been in there a while." Jason gave him a quick lookover, not moving from the doorway as he searched for possible hidden injuries.

Damian scoffed. "I am perfectly fine, Todd " He sniffed hauntingly as he shoved past the man, heading towards the living room. 

"Alright, alright!" Todd tossed his hands up in the air in an exasperated manner following him down the hall. "Just making sure. It would suck if you died on me and left your boyfriend here all alone." Despite the teasing tone, Damian could detect the slight bit of serious concern radiating from him.

Before he could come up with a response that would calm his most volatile brother, Damian found himself in the living room. Danny turned around at the sound of their approach, a smile stretching his face and showing off a flash of those enticing fangs. "Robin!" He chirped excitedly. "Come sit down! Jason brought food back. I already put a vegetarian plate together for you."

Sure enough, as soon as Damian had settled onto the couch, Danny was shoving a plate of mouth watering food into his hands. The teen gave the plate an expiramental sniff before taking a bite, pleasantly surprised by the flavorful mouthful.

The teen couldn't help the small smile that quirked up his lips as he watched Danny dig into his own plate, his a mixture of both vegetarian and meat-ladened sides, though mostly vegetarian, with gusto. 'Yes,' he thought, taking another bite of his food, 'it was a good decision to hold off.'

The jar doesn't make to it's bag that night. Damian told himself that it was because Danny was too observant, that he would notice right away that something was out of place, no matter how meticulous Damian was with putting everything back. In reality, he ignored the fact that it was his own reluctance that kept the jar stashed in his pocket.

----

Back at the manor, Cass and Stephanie had begun phase one of 'Distract Dick, no matter the Cost'. Personally, Steph really liked the plan's name, but Cass insisted that it was a placeholder for the true name, still pending. 

Steph crouched in the shadows, sight of her blocked by the wall she leaned against. The batcave itself was empty for the moment, Cass and Alfred having managed to spike Tim's decaf with melatonin and lead the boy up to one of the family rooms for a nap. But she knew her target would be here any minute 

Sure enough, after ten minutes, Dick came Striding out of the locker room, nightwing suit snug across his chest as he made his way towards the corner she was hiding behind. 

Taking a deep breath, Steph pulled her bowl away from her chest as she stood. Faking a jog, she waited until Dick began to round the corner before she struck. Purposely running into him, she let the bowl tip towards the man and slid from her fingers, dousing the blue and black of his suit in the most eye catching shade of pink she could whip up.

She let out a convincing shriek of surprise, forcing her feet to slide instead of catching herself. Landing on her butt, the girl was treated to the most amazing sight, a dumbfounded look on a bright pink Nightwing.

"Oh, god! Dick!" She stuttered in her hasty movements to get back up, selling the whole 'horrified Surprise' act even further. "I'm so, so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, and I was just gonna dye my hair in the sinks down here, 'cause Alfred threatened to make me scrub the upstairs sinks if I stained any of them bright pink, and- and- oh, I'm sorry!" 

Her rambling apology seemed to snap him out of his stunned state, the man looking himself over for the fist time. "Hey, Steph, it's okay!" He grimaced when he saw the color, but tried to put on a calming smile as he reassured her. "It was an accident. We can just wash it out, m'kay?"

Steph almost couldn't believe how easy this was going. "Yes!" She exclaimed, tugging the man back towards the locker room. "Go and change out of it, and I'll get it clean in no time!" She didn't give the man much of a chance to protest, shoving him into the locker room and shutting the door behind him.

A few minutes later, and he had returned. Donning a t-shirt and jeans, he held out the costume for her to take. "I'll swing by later to pick it up, but for now I have to go and talk to some people." giving himself a once over, he nodded to her one last time before he made his way to the elevator. 

She waited a few minutes, making sure that he was actually gone, before she took the elevator as well. Stepping out from behind the broken grandfather clock, she made sure the coast was clear before hurrying up the stairs and to one of the unused guest bathrooms.

Closing the door behind her, Stephanie turned and faced the silent girl that was already waiting for her. "Got it!" She smirks deviously, holding up the pink monstrosity that she had created. "How about you? Did you get the goods?"

Cass grinned back at her as she grabbed something from behind her. Turning back around, she proudly held up two complete nightwing suits for Steph to see.

"Nice!" Steph couldn't help but to laugh, already imagining the look on his face when he found all of his spares missing. "And you locked the storage room too?" Cass nodded her affirmation, miming a key locking before giving a thumbs up. "Perfect! Now that step one is done, I think we can safely move on to step two!" 

Carefully, both girls peeked into the hallway, looking back and fourth for any wandering souls before declaring the coast clear. Moving with quiet efficiency that only a bat could accomplish, the pair made their way to a laundry room on the second floor. Honestly, Steph had no idea it was even here before, and would have just used the one down stairs, if not for Cass. Apparently, this laundry room was so seldom used that it was one of the places she went to when the hustle and bustle of the manor became too much.

Once the girls had reached their destination, Steph waisted no time in throwing the nightwing costume in the washer, purposely going against the washing instructions for their suits. Cold water instead of warm, a healthy dose of bleach, and about half a cup of the detergent that Alfred had told her was for their lounge wear only, instead of the one m0ade specifically for the kevlar- laddened fabric. Confident that the suit was probably done for now, she left her handiwork to finish on it's own. They still hand one last thing to do.

Turning to her partner in crime, Steph let her mischievous grin turn slightly more sinister. "Okay, now. Where can we hide Nightwing suits where they won't be found?" She asked, tucking the two spare costumes under her arm as she let Cass take the lead. 

Walking confidently, the two wandered the mayor's maze of corridors, taking so many turns that Steph was sure her head would spin trying to remember them all. It's times like this that the girl is reminded how easy it would be to get lost in this place. How anyone could live gere without maps on the walls telling them where they are, Steph will never know.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally came to a stop in front of a closet. It looked like every other hallway closet they had passed, oak door with a shiny copper handle waiting to be opened and used as storage. There was nothing special about it, besides the fact that islt resided in a part of thr manor that usually went unvisited by anyone besides Alfred. And Cass, Steph supposes, because why else would she lead Steph halfway across the house when there were several perfectly usable closets on the way here?

She opened her mouth to ask the question on her mind, but Cass beat her to the punch. Pulling open the door, the raven haired girl crouched down and began to feel along the floor of the closet for something. Steph stepped closer, watching curiously as her fingers found purchas in a groove between the floorboards. With one swift move, she pulled upwards, the floor lifting with a low creak to reveal a small cavity hidden beneath.

Stephanie gasped in surprised delight, dropping to her knees beside Cass to examine the little hole. It was about three feet long, and two feet wide, forming a cute little cubby that ran only half a foot deep. The small space was empty, save for a few dust bunnies and a lone mothball rolled into the corner. It was perfect.

"Awesome find!" She praised her friend as she dropped the spare costumes in, letting Cass gently lower the panel back into place. Step two complete.

Standing back up, the girls dusted off their hands and knees before turning to head back to the laundry room. Their timing was amazing, as the washer cut off just as they passed the threshold. 

Opening the washer, Steph was greeted by a bleach-splotched nightwing costume. None of the pink from the hair dye mixture surviced the wash, sadly, but it did an amazing job, turning the blue bird on the chest purple. Paired with the gray and tan-ish splotches decorating the shoulders and back, Steph was confident that it would be tossed into the storage room to gather dust with Discowing once this was all over. 

Tossing the ruined costume into the dryer, Steph hopped up onto the slowly warming surface, kicking her legs happily. "How mad do you think Dick is gonna be when he finds out that this wasn't an accident?" She asked concersationally.

Cass brought her hand up to her chin, rubbing it contemplatively as she mulled over the question. Shrugging, she signed 'Probably not too mad. Not when he finds out it was for Damian's love life.' 

Steph snickered, nodding. "Yeah, Dick is a huge softy. He'll probably forget all about this as soon as Damian tells him why. He always qets excited about these little milestones little Dami hits." She giggles again, the image of Dick fake swooning in front of Damian too funny for her.

Cass giggled quietly too, silently thinking about how Dick might get them back for this. While he would get distracted by Damian's love quest, he was not one to forgive and forget such actions. Sooner or later, the man would get his revenge on them, probably in an extremely embarrassing manner. 

Cass couldn't wait.

Chapter Text

Soldering the last wire in place, Danny wipes the imaginary sweat from his brow as he sets his tool down, the plasmic blade retreating onto the metal. Slowly, the haze that always seemed to invelope him during repetitive actions lifted, leaving the teen to blink as he took in the space around him.

Part of him was slightly surprised for a second when he found himself not in one of his familiar work spaces, like his bedroom or the ops center, but that part of him was placated quickly as he identified the aparmtment around him. Outside the apartment window, the clouded sky was still in the dark of early morning. Meaning that Danny had been sitting there for a while. 

He remembered Jason leaving, and Jazz heading to bed not long after. He and Robin had stayed up, just relaxing on an actually clean couch and watching movies, but eventually Robin had nudged him along to bed as well. Only, after tossing and turning for what felt like hours, Danny had found himself wide awake. 

It was around one in the morning that the teen had given up on sleep, using his more ghostly side to slip undetected past the bedrooms and into the living room. His only distraction sat on the coffee table, untouched from the time it had been set there. 

He knew that he had lost himself in his work for an hour at the least, and probably four or five at the most. From the slight stiffness in his lower back and the cramp in his knee, the teen would hazard a guess of three hours. 

Shaking the tension from his body, Danny flipped the plastic piece of the casing over, pressing the red power button before clicking the casing back into place. He couldnt' helt to hold his breath as his finger's glazed over the outer switch, a hesitance stalling his movements before he pushed past it. Before he could chicken out, he closed his eyes and pressed upwards on the repourposed light switch.

Almost immediately a hum filled the air, the metal and plastic heating slightly in his hands as electricity flowed through its messy insides. When it didn't explode in his fookishly unprotected face, Danny allowed himself to release the breath his was holding. His curiosity grew the longer he listened to the steady humming, prompting him to Crack his eyes open, just a smidge, to catch a glimpse. 

Opening his eyes fully, the teen straightened from his slightly fetal position, unfurling his legs and pushing his spin against the back of the well-loved couch he sat on. The gun was glowing, just as it was supposed to, with it's bright neon green engraved trails. A faint green glow slowly swirled through the glass walls of the storage vials, the ecto filtration up and running, working hard to replenish the gun's stores.

It would only be a few hours before those cartridges were filled up enough to make a tear in the fabric of the veil that separated the living world from the dead, but just a tear wouldn't be enough. The vials would have to be at least half way full to open the portal home. Ripping a hole through the fabric of one dimension straight into the other, completely bypassing the middle ground, would take a lot more ectoplasm than just opening a passage to the realm itself.

Flipping the switch back off, Danny listened carefully as the humming sound died down to just a low whirring noise. Satisfied, he grabbed one of his tools and channeled his energy into it, not even observing the Philips head screwdriver tip that manifested before he got to work reassembling the casing, more that just popping the plastic casing into place. Once it was finished and looking like it was fresh from his parent's lab, the teen slipped it carefully back into the bag. 

Zipping it closed, Danny's lips pinched into a firm pout, a conflicted expression covering his face in a perfect replication of his inner turmoil. 

On the one hand, the completion of the gun brought with it not only that content, fuzzy feeling of accomplishment, but also the hope of finally going home. He had been ignoring it up until this point, but Danny really did miss home. His room, his house, his friends, his stars‐‐

But on the other hand, the thought of leaving, and maybe never seeing Robin again made his core burn. A very uncomfortable feeling for an ice core. There is no reason to put off trying the antidote, no reason to linger here after it work its magic. Pun fully intended.

Part of him was hopeful, whispering of the possibility that the potion wouldn't work. Or if it did, that Robin would ask him to stay. Or, if he didn't ask for Danny to saty, then maybe he would request that the teen visit occasionally. 

As much as Danny wished that he could rely on his hope, he knew it was a fools errand. He had already acknowledged his crush on the teen vigilante, but acting on it with no garuntee that the other teen's feelings were real... 

Danny shook his head, disregarding his thoughts. There was no use thinking on it now. He was pulled fully out of his spiraling by the sound of the window behind him sliding open.

Turning around, Danny's eyes came to rest on Jason, decked out in his vigilante gear, pushing himself through the opening that should have been too small for him. The man moved so quietly for someone of his stature. Of not for Danny's enhanced senses, he would have had no idea the man had come in at all.

It seems that Jaspn wasn't expecting him either, because when the man turned, he tripped, hitting his knee on the corner of the table with a decent thud. Muffled cursing followed as he rubbed at the sore spot, likely already developing a good sized bruise.

"Fucking hell, kid! What are you doing, just sitting in the dark like that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!?" Jason cursed vehemently, struggling with his helmet for a moment before it slid off. Setting it down, he turned and settled a glare on the teen.

Danny laughed a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he met Jason's glare with an aapologetic look of his own. "S-sorry," he stammers.stampers. "I, uh. I couldn't sleep."

Jason sighs, kneeling down to undo his boots before addressing Danny again. "You're fine, kid. Just, turn on a light next time, yeah? It's unnerving to enter a room and see glowing eyes peering at you from the dark like some Lovcraftian horror." 

Danny didn't bother with abverbal response, instead flashing a cheeky fanged smile at the man, letting ectoplasmic shine leak into his eyes ever so slightly, just enough for them to flash green for a second. Jason froze for a moment at the unnataural desplay, before shaking hismelf out of his brief stupor. Shooting Danny an indecipherable look, he stalks into the kitchen without another word.

Danny stands, following him as he goes about ruffling through the cabinets and fridge. Pulling out eggs, flour, milk, sliced fruits and berries, butter, and everything else. The teen couldn't help but to tilt his head, curious as he watched the man Crack a few shells, dumping the contents into the bowl before adding in the dry ingredients and mixing with milk. 

-

An hour later, with dull gray sunlight trickling through the window, Damian wanders in. His hair is slightly disheveled and pajamas rumpled, but his sunglasses in place, he pauses and takes in the scene before him.

Danny, who had at some point joined Jason in the kitchen, was shaking the blender from side to side as he swayed erratically to some pop song he had heard Brown blasting once. Behind him, Jason was subconsciously bobbing his head along to the beat as well, too consumed in flipping pancakes and measuring the fruit he dropped into the batter. 

Damian decided not to comment on any of it, instead settling down on a bar stool and watching, taking in the mouthwatering smells of Todd's cooking. It wasn't long before the teen found hismelf joined by a sleep rumpled Jasmine, who took in the scene before her with wide eyes.

The pop song gradually switched to something slower, one of those cheesy love songs that Richard enjoyed listening to, before Todd reached over and switched it off. "Go sit down, kid." He told Danny, flipping the last perfectly golden pancake onto a plate and adding just a touch of powdered sugar over the fruit-infused flatbread. 

Danny scrunched his face in distaste at the endearment, but said nothing as he turned the blender off and walked around the counter to settle on the stool next to Damian. Once he was settled, Damian reached over and pressed his arm lightly into the other teen's, their shoulders rubbing together. "Good morning," he greeted before pulling away, giving Danny his personal space back.

"Oh! Good morning, Robin!" Danny's cheerful smile was much too bright for so early in the morning, but Damian reveled in his metaphorically seared retinas. 

"Good morning, Danny." Jasmine reached over, ruffling the teen's naturally messy black hair. He squeaked in faux outrage, making a poor attempt at ducking away from his sister's hand, before playfully shoving her arm away.

" 'Morning, Jazz," he grunted, his tone slightly more annoyed than it had been durning Damian's greeting. That shouldn't have warmed his chest the way it did.

His sister laughed at his faux hostility, giving his hair one last ruffle before turning to Todd. "Good morning, Jason." She greeted him, her voice softening in an odd way. Damian couldn't help but notice the look Danny shot his sister, a mixture of contemplative and suspicious. 

"Good mornin', Jazz." Todd's voice softened in a similar fashion to Jasmine's. The teen across from Damian shot the same suspicious look at the man. 

Thankfully, communication between the two stopped there, as they became too focused on their breakfast to continue ogling each other. Damian himself tore his attention away from the others, looking down at the plate of food that Todd had set down in front of him. 

They all ate their meals in companionable silence, the only sound in the room that of chewing, and forks scraping along ceramic plates as they finished. That silence continued as Danny stood, collecting the plates and setting to work cleaning them. 

The silence was only broken as Jason let out a loud sigh, patting his knee as he stood. "Well, if you all don't mind, I'm going to so catch up on my sleep." 

"Alright," Jasmine nodded to him, setting her empty cup on the counter as she grabbed a pitcher from the fridge. "Sleep well, Jason!" She called after him.

"Wake me up if there's an emergency! And try not to get the police called!" He calls out behind him, not bothering to wait for a response before shutting the bedroom door behind him. Rolling his eyes, Damian stood from the table, pushing his chair in and wandering into the kitchen. 

Letting his arm brush against Danny's, the teen peered over the halfa's shoulder. "Do you need help with those?" He offered, leaning over the slightly shorter boy. 

Danny hummed, thinking on it for a minute, before nodding. "Yeah, sure." He smiled, scootching over to make space at his side. Damian slips into place, taking over rinsing the sudsy cutlery and placing them in the drying rack. With the additional help, it wasn't long before the sink was empty, all evidence of their quiant breakfast gone.

"Hey, you two done yet?" Jazz called from the living room, already lounging in her chosen spot, an armchair situated in the corner, facing the room in a way that let the person seated there see the whole room. It was obviously Todd's favored spot, considering the books resting on the side table, just shy of the automan, which held the woman's legs aloft.

"We're done!" Danny answered her, walking around to flop down dramatically on the couch. Damain followed suit, though he sat down more gracefully than his beloved. "Sooo~" the teen drew out the word. "What can we do that won't get the police called on us?"

His sister hummed, resting her chin in her palm as she considered his question. "Well, most board games are off the table, our family is way too competitive." Both her and Danny shuddered, as if reliving a previous memory. If their family was anything like Damian's, then the teen could tell where they were coming from. "And video ges are out for the same reason. So, maybe we could watch a movie?"

Danny shrugged, letting his head roll to face Damian. "What do you think?" He asked.

Damian blinked, warmed by the teen's consideration. "A movie sounds... adequate, I suppose." He agreed, grabbing the remote from the table and handing it to Danny. "Though I do request the we leave any romances out. Those are something Todd and the girls enjoy."

Danny took the remote, shooting him finger guns. "No cheesy romance movies, got it!" His eyes fix on the TV as he speaks, the teen completely missing the way his sister face palmed at the, admittedly, adorable gesture. "Aha!" He exclaims after a second, grinning madly as he clicks on a thumbnail. "This looks cool!" 

As much as Danny held his heart, Damain wanted to strangle him in that moment. Instead, he merely scowled and settled back against the cushions as Danny clicked play on a children's movie adaptation of his father's and Richard's earlier adventures through Gotham.

After the intro credits, Damain feels a weight on his shoulder. Glancing down, he is met with a face full of black hair. Letting himself relax a bit, Damian couldn't help but to admit to himself that maybe this movie would be bearable, so long as the halfa kept such close contact.

- - -

Dick can't help but to groan in horror at the fabric that Stephanie had placed in his hands. Her guilty, kicked puppy expression made any anger he may have felt melt away.

"I am so, so, so sorry about your costume," the girl blubbers, her apologies rambling on as he continues to stare, wordlessly, at what used to be his vigilante suit. The outfit was practically unrecognizable, black base stained with gray and pink splotches, the bird on the chest purple instead to wash.

But the worst thing wasn't the stains that marred his suit. No, the worst thing was the fact that it was four times smaller than what it had been when he gave it to Steph to wash. That's right, his pseudo sister had somehow managed to shrink his suit, along side her accidental vandlilization. 

Finally pulling his eyes away from the unrecognizable nightwing suit, Dick met his pseudo sister's eyes. "I'm not mad at you," he tried to reassure her, "it's obviously an accident. But why didn't you just give it to Alfred to wash?"

Steph diverted her gaze to the floor, head bowed in shame. "Alfie was busy, and I didn't want that disappointed look he gives when one of us messes up." Her words were muffled slightly by her lavender sweater, but audible all the same. "Besides, I wash mine all the time! I was sure I knew how to do it!" Her voice choked put slightly, her shoulders shaking as she continued to glare holes into the concrete floor. 

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dick hurriedly put his hand on her shoulder, trying to rub comforting circles into it. "It's okay! I have more suits, somewhere! No need to cry!" 

Was he a bit panicked at his sister's excessive emotional reaction? Yes, yes he was. But who could blame him? Steph was one of the most emotionally available people, not being an official Wayne and having her own home to return to probably helped her in that regard, but still! As a big brother, family relations or not, it was his job to comfort. And the woman in front of him did not look comforted.

Unbeknownst to the man, the girl was not actually crying, instead starting at the floor as she tried not to blow her cover by laughing at the deer in headlights expression he had on his face.

When her shoulders finally stilled, Dick gave her one last pat before pulling away again. Taking another look at his ruined suit, he sighed. "I appreciate that you tried to help, wether it worked put or not. But maybe we should leave doing the laundry to the rest of the family, yeah?" Dick smiled as Steph wiped her face with her sleeve, finally bringing her gaze back up to his. His own expression stuttered slightly at the determination on her face.

"You might be right there," she admitted sheepishly, her voice cracking slightly. Clearing her throat, she seemed to think about something for a minute. "But that doesn't mean that there aren't other things I can do to make it up to you!" She shot him a hard smile of her own before turning and dashing to the elevator.

Dread builds in his gut as he tries to call after her. "Steph, wait! You don't have to make it up to me!" He tries to run after her, only to slip on something. 

Looking down, he's met with his costume, which he had, at some point dropped, tangled around his feet. Cursing under his breath, the man desperatly tries to untangle himself, cursing even more as he comes free only to watch as Steph's feet dissappear above him.

Dropping his head, Dick groans. He is sure that, whatever Steph comes up with, it's gonna be chaos. And once she gets an idea into her head, it's nearly impossible to talk her out of it. The best he can do is hope that, whatever she's planning on doing, Alfred will put a stop to it if she goes too far.

Taking another look at his suit, Dick can't help but to thank the paranoia that Batman had instilled in almost every Robin. That paranoia assures him that he has more suits around here somewhere, so the loss of one isn't a big loss. 

Standing, Dick debates for a minute, before deciding to look for one of his spare suits instead of going after Steph. Surley she couldn't cause too much chaos in the hour or so it would take him to dig out one of his spares?

Chapter Text

Jason eyed Danny from his position on the couch, pretending to be completely engrossed in his book. Ever since the other morning, the teen had been acting... weird. At least, weirder than normal.

It had started when Jason had got up the day prior. As per usual after a gruling patrol, after breakfast and a shower, he had passed out as soon as his head touched the pillow, and stayed asleep until the sun was just an hour or two from setting. He probably would have slept in longer, but his stomach had made it's need for food known, and his bladder wasn't too happy with him either.

When he walked into the kitchen, intending to put together the world's greatest sandwich to tame his hunger, he had come in to the sight of the Demon brat and Jazz fast asleep, Jazz curled up like a content cat in the arm chair and Damien sprawled ungracefully on the couch. Both had been covered in throw blankets, and a Disney movie played on in the background. The only person not asleep had been Danny, who on first glance seemed to be back to working on his gun. And Jason would have left it at that, if not for the teen seeming to panic as he walked into the kitchen.

He had startled, flailed a bit as he whirled around to face the man. The gun had been hastily shoved under a pillow, out of Jason's line of sight. "Heeeey," The kid had drawled, his midwestern accent making the word roll off his tongue naturally. "I, uh. Didn't hear you get up?"

"...Okay?" Jason had raised an eyebrow at the teen, still not awake enough to deal with whatever was going on with him. "I got hungry. It's almost dinner time." He pointed out, his tone dry.

"It is?" Danny blinked owlishly at him before looking at the time. "Huh, I guess it is."

Jason couldn't help but smirk at the kid. "What, to absorbed in your work or something?"

It was meant to be  a joke, just some light ribbing that was natural between him and his friends and family. Instead of laughing or rolling his eyes, like Jason was used to, the teen seemed to grow tense. His eyes drifted to the wall above Jason's shoulder, obviously trying not to look directly at the man, as he tried to laugh it off. "Me? Absorbed in my work? Psh, nah! I would never! Haha..." his laugh was audibly strained.

An awkward silence fell between them, Jason staring as the teen figited in place. "Uh-huh. Right, okay." Jason had to force himself to break the silence. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starved. How's about you wake those two up, and I'll make us all some sandwiches?" He had barely finished talking before Danny nodded enthusiastically, practiacally leaping to wake the others in the room.

Jason didn't mention Danny's weird behavior to either his sister or Damien, but he couldn't let it go either. And the more he observed the teen, the more he was convinced that Danny was hiding something.

That led to now. With Jason's face half-burried in his book and Danny fiddling with the gun's casing. Fiddling, not actually doing anything besides screwing and unscrewing the screws that fixed everything together. Every few minutes, he would put down his weird glowing screwdriver and pass his hand over the odd glass beakers on the back, almost as if checking for a change in them. Jason was left to assume he didn't find what he was looking for, as he would flip the gun and pick up his screwdriver again and repeat the process.

Finally, Jason had had enough. He closed his book and set it aside with an overly loud sigh. Just like he knew it would, his movement drew Danny's attention immediatly. "Okay, I can't stand this anymore." Jason let the exasperation leak into his tone and he stood from his arm chair, only to walk a few feet and flop down next to the teenager.

Danny let out a startled half-chirp, half-wheeze sound that shouldn't be possible for human vocal cords, quickly shoving the gun under the nearest pillow. "W-what do you need?" He asked, clearly trying for casual.

Jason shot him a look, one that conveyed just how much Danny wasn't fooling him. "What I need," Jason began, "Is for you to tell me what the Hell is going on with you. You've been acting off since yesterday, and I want to know why."

"Nothing is going on!" The teen answers, a little too quickly. He looked away from Jason, his eyes going his hands. It was way too obvious that he was lying. 'We definatly have to work on that,' Jason couldn't help but think, frowning at him.

Sitting up, Jason sighed. "Yeah, alright. The thing is, you see, when you look away like that, it makes it kinda obvious that you're lying to me." The teen jerked his gaze back to Jason's immediatly, swallowing hard as he met the deceptivally relaxed facade that the man wore. "Now that I have your attention, lets try this again. What happened between  yesterday morning and now that has you so..." He trailed off as he tried to think of the word to descripe the teen. "...Paranoid?"

Danny seemed to hesitate, guilt shining through his unnaturally blue eyes. "I-" He stopped, as if searching for the words. Sighing, he seemed to deflate in defeat. "I've been lying about something." He admitted, his voice quiet.

Caution rose steadily in Jason. "Lied about what?" Had he lied about his feelings? Or maybe the potion? Was this about the 'cure' they seemed to have? Or maybe the original Love Potion? Jason's mind ran wild with thoughts and theories. "Is it something to do with you and Da- I mean, Robin?"

The teen seemed to sense the double meaning to the seemingly innocent words. "No!" He shook his head frantically. "No, no no! Nothing like that, I promise!" His assurences, despite the desperation in how he expressed them, seemed genuine enough.

A small sigh of relief escaped him as he nodded at the teen. "Okay, not to do with that. Then, what is it?" His suspision fell back to the gun, stashed not even a foot from him. "Does it have to do with that?" He gestured to the weapon, where it barely peeked out from the cushion.

The halfa's flinch was all the comformation he needed. "Y-yeah." He mumbled, his head dropping in shame.

"Is there something wrong with it?" God, Jason hoped not. The kid was the only one who seemed to understand how it functioned. Heck the only person that Jason could think of that might be able to help would be Tim, and that was if he didn't have an anrism at the spare parts that were used to make the damned thing.

"No, there's nothing wrong with it." Danny chuckled sheepishly as he reassured the man, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck nervously. "The opposite, actually. It's, um..." His other hand came up in a slighly aborted gesture. "It's fixed. Tada?"

Relief that he didn't have to try and understand whatever rocket science went into that abomnible creation temperarily stopped him from realising the full impact of the teen's words. "It's...fixed?" The teen nodded, not looking at him. "Like, fully functional and ready to use?"

"Well..." Danny's hand fell from his neck as his other came up in a so-so gesture. "It's functional, but it can't be used yet." Finally, the teen's head came up, though he still refused to look Jason in the eye. "It has no energy to function yet, so it's in power-collection mode, I guess." Turning slightly, the halfa pulls the gun from under the pillow, handing it to Jason for a closer inspection.

"So, it's fixed, but you can't use it yet?" He turned the gun this way and that, examining the Sci-fy weapon for anything odd. Well, odd-er than a gun that's soul purpose was to shoot a hole in the fabric of space and time.

"Nope. It's basically like a toy without it's batteries. It's cool, and fun to goof off with, but it doesn't do any of the things it's supposed to." His fingers grazed over the glass tubes on the back. "It'll take a few days for it to absorb the needed ecto for us to get home, so it's basically just a waiting game." As he spoke, a slight green sheen formed along the glass's surface, seemingly following the motion of his hand. When Danny pulled his hand back, the glow faded, but didn't disappear.

Satisfied, Jason handed the gun back to the teen. "Okay, so it's fixed. Why does that have you acting all weird?" It didn't make much sense. The whole reason they came here, to one of his more secret safehouses, was so that Danny could fix his gun. Why would he try and hide the fact that it was done, charging up and safe to use?

Obviously, Danny thought the answer was more than obvious. "Your serious?" He asked, his face screaming his disbelief. "You can't think of the one reason I wouldn't want to tell everyone?" When Jason shook his head, Danny let out a shocked giggle. It faded a bit into a whine of distress, making Jason eye the kid worriedly.

Before he could try and comfort the kid, as awkward and stilted as it would be, he spoke up. "If mine and Jazz's way home is ready to go, then what excuse do I have to stay?" The words were whispered, and wouldn't have been audible if Jason hadn't been right beside him.

The words struck him like a wooden plank to the head. Of course, how dumb could he be? Of course the kid would see it like that, like the only reason he was there to begin with was because he had no way home. To suddenly have a way home again? Why would he stay? He had no reason for remaining in this dimension. No reason, other than the fact that he was falling in love. But someone like the kid, like Danny, wouldn't see it that way. Especially if he still thought that Damien's feelings were purely caused by that potion.

Jason bit back a curse. Shook his head. Now was not the time to figure out the thought process the teen had gone through. Not when he was actively curling in on himself. Jason got the feeling that the kid hadn't really processed what completing the gun meant either. He knew what it meant, obviously, but it hadn't sunken in until his hand had been forced. Until he'd had to say the words out loud. The look of desperation and despair and acceptance on his face was heartwrentching to look at.

"Y'know, you don't necessarily have to have a reason to stay." Jason pointed out, speaking in a hushed voice.

"What do you mean? Of course I have to have a reason!" Danny turned to look at Jason again. "If I don't have a reason, that means I have to leave. I have responsibilities, a home, a life! I can't just up and disappear without having some sort of excuse for it! People would be worried, or want to know where I was!"

And that was the root of the problem, Jason realized suddenly. It wasn't that Danny thought he needed a reason to stay, it was that he needed to justify his absence to others. "Danny," without meaning to, Jason's voice softened, something that ususally only happened when comforting small alley children. "You don't have to justify yourself to anyone. If you want to stay longer, then you can. No one would blame you for it, and if they did, then they shouldn't be important to you anyways."

Danny huffed out a laugh. "I know that," He admitted. "I know I don't have to have a reason. But it just feels..." His words tapered off as he tried to think of what to say. Groaning, he burried his face in his hands.

"It feels wrong, because you think it's selfish."

"Well, yeah. It is selfish, isn't it? Because first I was staying because I didn't have a way home, and then it was because Robin needed my help with the potion's effects. But the cure is done and ready for Robin to take, and I have my way home charging up as we speak. The next step should be to just... go home." His hand rested on his chest, gripping tightly at his shirt. "But it, it hurts to even think of leaving. The thought of leaving Robin behind, or Robin taking the cure and me being right? It makes my core ache."

Jason could tell the teen wasn't really paying attention to just what he was admitting. The confusion on his face as he basically poured his heart out, the way he clutched at his chest as if the pain he felt was phyiscally effecting him. It took everything Jason had not to smile as he realized just how far the teen had fallen for his demon of a younger brother.

'It's like he came straight out of a Young Adult romance novel.' The thought, while true, was not helpful in the moment. Instead of bemoaning that his younger brother got to live the fantasy, he tried to think about what would get through to the kid.

Jason wasn't the best at comforting people in dire situations, he was basically flying blind here. Talking out feelings was not any of his families strong suits. But listening to this scrawny adoption bait practically wax poetica about his little brother, the one everyone was sure would either end up filling the mansion with cats, or marrying Jon, because of poor social skills(a distinct lack of interest in pointless civilian matters), made him search through all his people skills for the right thing to say.

"You know, you don't have to stay gone." That was part of the problem, right? Danny didn't want to leave Damian and never see him again.

"...what?" The confusion broke through the heartbreaking agony that the kid had been wallowing in.

"Yeah, you've got that gun fixed, at least enough to get back home. What's stopping you from coming back?" The panic and pain faded from the kid's face for a moment, before returning.

"But what if I'm right, and the potion works? Would Robin even still want to see me again?" The teen pulled his knees to his chest, tucking his feet beneath him and burying his face in his knees. "I know that after the love spell that made me fall in love with Sa- I mean, one of my friends, things were super akward between us. Would he still want to hang out around me?" If the kid didn't have density shifting powers, then Jason would be sure he coulnd't shove his face any further into his knees. He winced in sympathy, knowing that the kid would feel the imprints of his jeans later.

"Well, that sounds like a lot of 'What if's' again, kid." He decided that he'd question that 'Love Spell' bit later. Right now, he had to pull this kid's head out of his own doubts. "And we did talk about that already, didn't we?" Danny made a relunctant sound of agreement. "Right. So what changed? What made that conversation fly out of your head?"

"..." Danny was silent, his chest barely rising as Jason waited for an answer. Finally, a noise barely above a whisper, so quiet that Jason almost missed it. "I don't know."

"You... don't know what brought on all these thoughts?" The man tried to gently press the teen to think about it more. "There must have been something that made you spiral, right? It's not just about Robin not wanting to be around you, is it?" Danny hesitantly lifted his head, side eyeing Jason as he continued to prod. "And it can't be because your scared of what people would think of you. No offence, but you seem more of the 'doing things regardless' type."

"...well, I did mention that thing about my core, right?" The teen brought up hesitantly.

"Yeah, you did." Jason remembered. "The way you talked about it, you made it sound like it was your heart or something."

Danny laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, something like that." The teen sighed, uncurling slightly. "Okay, so to just call a core a heart is a massive understatement. A core is... like a heart and a brain and an immune system and a filter all in one." Jason couldn't help but blink blankly at the teen, his brain trying to process the amalgamation of words that he used to describe whatever a 'core' was.

When he felt like he had a handle on it, he nodded for the teen to continue. "So, cores do all these things for ghosts that the human body does for normal people. It's super important, and if anything happens to the core, it can hurt or even destabilize a ghost, which is basically like a more painful second death, one where you fade from the world instead of existing as a different entity." Jason nodded, focusing more on the core thing than the teen infront of him hinting at dying at some point.

"But it's not just physical injuries you have to look out for. Ghosts are emotional beings. My parents think that ghosts are just emotions imprinted on ectoplasm, not thinking or feeling being. They only got one thing right in all of that." The agony had faded from the teen's face finally, and in it's place, an intense focus as he tried to explain. Jason was counting it as a temporary win.

"So ghost are made of emotion?" It was the only thing that could make sense out of all of that, if only one part was right.

Danny snapped his finger and pointed at the man. "Got it in one. Ghosts are born from ectoplasm rich areas and an intense emotional output upon death. Smaller, less sentient ghosts that are born from emotions imprinting on ectoplasm without a death are blob ghosts."

"Blob ghosts?" Jason asked.

"They have a more technical name that Frostbite uses, but I usually just call the blob ghosts. 'Cause they're litteral blobs with faces that float around. They actually have an important job, keeping ectoplasm from getting stale or too thin in places close to portals and such..." The halfa physically shook his head, black hair fluffing up in a small cloud before settling messily again. "That's something I'll get into later. I was talking about cores."

"Right. Cores, something about... emotions?" The man leaned forwards a bit, resting his elbow on his knee as he reminded the teen where he had diverged from the original topic.

"Oh! Thanks. So, ghosts are made partially from emotion. We have obsession, things that we liked in life, or bring forth a particullarly strong emotional responce. Like, I have two, a main one and a passive one. Both are really good at bringing up emotions like contenment and excitment, which helps to generate ectoplasm and feeds my core. Because I'm half human, I don't have to rely on just my obsessions or the 'Zone to keep my core running. But just as much as emotions feed ghosts, the wrong emotion can hurt them. Things like rejection have to be handled delicatly, or you risk a core cracking. And ghosts being emotional being, we tend to get... attached, pretty easily. Even when we try not to." The kid let out a bitter laugh, running his hand through his hair.

"Wow. That's, uh. Definatly a lot to take in." Jason leaned away from the teen a bit. "Okay, so we should probably do a 'Ghosts 101' sometime. But for now..." Jason sorted through all the information he had just been given, internally thanking his bat training as he did. "So bad emotions hurt you, and things that bring up strong bad emotions can hurt you just as much as a physical injury?"

"If not more so, in some cases." Danny nodded. "Actually, emotional hurt is way worse than any physical injury. We can litterally lose limbs and regrow them in a day or so."

"I'm... gonna think about that later." Jason steered the conversation back on track. "Anyway, negative emotions are bad for ghosts. And you tried not to get attached, right? So you wouldn't hurt when you had to leave?"

"Lot of good that did me!" Danny huffed, crossing his arms.

"So when you think about leaving... oh. Oh."  That made a lot more sense. "Huh."

"Yeah," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't really register it until a few hours ago. I thought that it wouldn't be as bad with me, because of my, ah, unique situation." He gestured to himself vaguely. "But it appears that still being mostly alive does not exclude me from the side effects of emotional attachment." The way he said those last two words made Jason's lips tip up at the corners.

"So leaving would physically hurt you?" Jason clarified the true situation at hand. Danny looked like he wanted to protest, but let his shoulders droop in defeat as he nodded.

"Leaving without knowing if the emotional bond is truly broken or not would be like slowly being poisoned, especially if I never saw him again. And having the bond break quickly would be like breaking a bone." The teen grimaced, rubbing his hand over his chest again, as if he could feel the sensation. Knowing what he does now, it honestly wouldn't surprise Jason one bit.

"Well, what if you left before he took the cure?" Jason didn't know where the thought came from, but it made the teen pause and think again. "You could leave knowing the bond is mutual, and come back later when your more prepared for a negative reaction. Would that work?"

Danny considered it for a minute before hesitantly nodding. "I...guess that would work? At the very least, I could talk to Frostbite about it. If anyone knows how to safely break an emotional bond, or at least prepare for one to break, it would be him." Danny's face screwed up in a mixture of very identifiable emotions as he spoke.

"Hey, chin up." He gently bopped the teen's head, grinning at the indignant look he was faced with. "It would be good to talk to this Frostbite person, whoever that is, and be ready for if it happens. But," he looked Danny directly in the eyes, "that doesn't mean you have to focus on the bad outcome. Robin could be right, and he might keep his feelings, or he might not be in love with you, but still want to be friends." The halfa didn't look totally convinced, but he nodded anyways.

Jason sighed, leaning back into the couch. This was the best he could do on that front for the time being. Deciding to drop the topic for now, the man changed subjects. "You know that you'll have to tell Robin and your sister about the gun, right?"

Danny flinched slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, I know. I had planned on telling them...eventually..." He ducked his head again, this time out of embarrassment. Jason cracked a grin before forcing his expression back to a serious one.

"Well, I won't say anything." The teen perked up, a look of disbelief on his face. "But you need to tell them. Perferably sometime soon." He gave the teen a pointed look as he finally stood up, stretching as he turned towards the kitchen. "The other two should be back soon, so I'm going to get started on dinner. How do you feel about spagetti?"

----

Dick stared in horror at the mess that had been made in Alfred's kitchen. The man had gone out shopping randomly, stating that he had run out of some ingrediant or another that he needed for dinner that night. Barely thirty minutes later, and there were bowls and mixing utinsles littered over every surface. A pot bubbled threateningly on the stove, steam thick enough that Dick almost mistook it for smoke. And right in the middle of it all, sat Stephanie.

She barely looked up from where she was trying to cut a pineapple, the knife making a sawing motion as it stuttered through the fruit. "Steph?" He asked cautiously, making sure that he stayed firmly out of the kitchen. Alfred was not going to be pleased when he came back and saw this mess, and Dick did not want to be incriminated by setting a single toe into the disaster zone.

"Hey Dick!" She called out happily, not looking away from the mess she was making of the pineapple. "What's up? Did you need something?"

"Uhh, no. I'm alright. But what are you doing?" Wait... "Does Alfred know you're in here?" There was no way Alfred knew she was in here. Practically all of the family, barring Jason and Cass, were banned from the kitchen.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked, expertly dodging the question.

'It looks like you're making a huge mess.' "Um, I have a good idea. But I might be wrong! So can you tell me what you're doing?" His smile was slightly strained as he tried not to grimace from the smell of burning sugar.

Steph turned around, letting out a startled noise as she moved to remove the bubbling pot from the stove. Turning off the eye, she set it aside on a pot holder, she grabbed a spoon and stirred vigurously before dumping half a cup of what Dick could only assume was milk into the pot. A horrible hissing noise arose, making the man take a step backwards. Steph completely ignored the terrible noise, using a fork this time to whisk the mixture.

Finally, she set the nightmare concoction aside and turned back to her butchered pineapple. "I told you, after I ruined your suit, that I would find a way to make it up to you!" She sent him a smile that in any other situation would be sweet, but now it only doubled the dread building in Dick's stomach.

"So you're trying to... cook for me?" It was hard to call whatever this was cooking, but he wasn't going to rain on the girl's parade. Alfred would probably chew her out once he gets back and sees what she's done to his domain.

"Would you call this cooking?" The qustion was mumbled, low enough that Dick barely heard it. Lifting her gaze to meet his, she smiled a bit wider as she spoke up. "I'm trying my hand at homeade candy! I tried to make you some homeade cereal, but..." Her gaze drifted over to a baking tray covered in black little balls that Dick now knew was supposed to be one of his favorite comfort foods. It was hard to keep the grimace off his face. "When that failed, I decided that caramel sounded like a great alternitive! But the recipe that Alfred had was a bit boring, so I thought, hey, doesn't fruit go good with caramel? I wanted to try apples, but Alfred said we were out. Then I saw the pineapple and thought, hey, that's kind of the same thing, right?"

Oh, she had to be doing this on purpose. Did he do something to set her off here recently? Siding with one of the others over her? A joke that irritated her? A villian that she had to take care of instead? No, nothing like that had happened. So what was it? What did Dick do to piss her off this badly? She didn't even look like she was mad, which was infinitly more terrifying than her being openly hostile.

"Riiight," Dick drawled out, taking a small step backwards as she brought the knife down with more force than necissary. "I'm just gonna... go look for one of my spare suits... they aren't where I left them last..." Slowly, he backed away from the doorway and down the hall, until he was out of sight of anyone that could be watching from the kitchen. Once he was sure that Steph wouldn't be able to see him, he turned and rushed back down the hall.

He had done something to invoke the scarrily petty side of his baby brother's ex, and if he wanted to survive the next few hours with all his hair and a settled stomach, then he needed to call in some backup. Normally, he would try and hide behind Damian, but with his littlest bat MIA, he had his second option avalible to him.

"Duuuke! I need your help!"

Chapter Text

It's been two whole days since Danny and Jason's conversation, and Danny had yet to bring up the portal gun with Robin. It's not that he was putting it off, he had promised Jason that he would be the one to bring it up. But that was the hard part. How do you naturally bring up a conversation about dimensional rifts and the guns that open them? It wasn't something he just wanted to blurt out! That's what happened the first time, and look how that turned out! 

The point was, Danny was trying to find a way to bring it up without sending the other teen into a blind fury like before. And no amount of pointed glares and subtle gestures from a particular skunk-man was going to force him into that mistake!

It was directly after one such glare, that Danny had had enough. He pushed his chair out from under the table and stood, striding past a startled Jason and stopping directly in front of Robin, who had been flipping through channels on the TV. The teen in question looked up, one perfect eyebrow raised at Danny in a silent question. 

"I'm sick of being cooped up in here." The halfa stated firmly, if a bit exaggeratedly. "Lets go out."

Robin sat up with a sigh, glancing back at Jason for just a second before turning his full attention back to Danny. "As much as I would love to go out with just you and me, I fear that an incident like last time will occur again." 

Danny tilted his head. "By last time, do you mean when we were caught by your brother, or when I was kidnapped by that weird jester guy?" He plopped down next to the teen, letting his head lull back against the cushions. "Because the jester wanna-be probably won't be a problem for at least two to three months."

Robin stared at him for a long minute. "I was referring to Drake. But what do you mean by that?" 

"By what?" Danny's mounting frustration was replaced by confusion. 

"The 'Jester Wannabe' thing, Casper." Jason pipped up from behind him, a small bubble of laughter in his tone. "I've never heard anyone call him that." The bitter snort that the man let out worried the teen, but his attention was brought back to Robin when the vigilante cleared his throat. 

"I was more interested in why you are so sure that he would not be a problem." Robin's words cut Jason's laugh off, the man making a considering hum as he moved from the kitchen stool to the armchair. 

"I mean, unless he's somehow immune to it, he should be pretty sick for a while. My two to three month guess was me being optomistic." Danny admitted. "He'll probably be out for longer than that." Embarrasment flooded him as he purposfully kept his eyes on the ceiling, not wanting to look at either of them. 

The silence that followed his words lasted for only a minute. "What did you do, poison him?" Jason asked. His tone was half sarcastic, half eager.

Realization hit Danny then, as he took in Jason's words. "Um. Kinda?" He squeaked out. Man, he was so not used to talking about ghost things with people who knew little to nothing about the topic. Was it ever this weird for the ghosts that taught him this stuff? "I mean, ghost venom is kind of like a poison. It also isn't really meant to be used on the living..." Oh, Ancients. Danny had no idea what ghost venom would do to a normal, non-liminal human being. The only human he had ever bitten was Dash, and the venom from that wasn't strong enough to do anything more than give the guy a cold. The full force of his venom could knock out a fully materialized ghost, and he had used that on a living person. 

That was a crisis to focus on later, Danny decided faintly. Once he was alone, he would spiral a bit about probably having killed a man. For now, he had confused stares on him. "What the hell is Ghost Venom?" Jason asked, his voice cracking a bit. From what emotion, Danny wasn't sure. He wasn't about to risk finding out, not when the man still tasted of rot. Should he offer to try and fix that at some point? Maybe that was something to leave to Frostbite...

Shaking the errant thoughts from his head, Danny focused on the question asked. "Ghost venom is a, uh, defensive mechanism for young ghosts. It kinda phases out as their cores finish materializing, and they come into their powers, because then they have something else to defend themselves with." That's the basics, anyways. There was a lot more to it than that, especially for halfas like him. But for a normal ghost, that's about how it works. 

"I'm surprised you remember what happened that night." Robin tilted his head, leaning closer to Danny. "When I arrived at Quinzell's home, you were quite out of it. It stands to reason that the rest of the night beforehand would have been worse, symptoms wise."

"Well..." Danny's hand came up to rest on the back of his neck. "To be honest, I don't remember most of the night. Not after being hit by that van, while I was looking for you. I do remember bits and pieces, though. Like calling the jester dude a moldy eggplant." Jason let out a startled snort at that. "But the clearest part of the night was when I bit him. Honestly, it was more instinct driven than anything." 

Danny shook himself again, determined to get back on track. "I don't want to talk about that though. I meant what I said, I really can't stay in this apartment for another day. I need a change of scenery, and I know that you want that too." Robin didn't deny it, merely tilting his head in acknowledgement. 

"I agree with you on that. It would be nice to go out," Robin sighed, "But, sadly, my family is the main factor keeping us here. The other's have eyes all over the city, and if they had any reason to believe that we had been spotted..." 

Danny couldn't help but pout a bit. "If only we had some sort of disguise," he joked, expecting either a groan or an eye roll from the two brothers. Instead, he was met with a considering look from Robin, and a dumbstruck look from Jason. "...What?"

"Oh my god, we're idiots." Jason groaned, dragging a hand down his face before standing up and heading for the hallway closet. Danny glanced away from him to shoot Robin a confused look, trying to convey 'What did I just do?' with his eyes alone. Robin wasn't looking at him, however. The teen's gaze remained on Jason, a thoughtful expression evident as he watched Jason dig through stuff.

Eventually the man found what he was looking for, holding a shopping bag over his head with a victorious noise. Walking back to the two boys, he tosses the bag at Robin, the teen catching it efforlessly despite his irritated glare at his brother. 

"What is that?" Danny asked, trying to peek into the bag while Robin attempted telekenetic fratricide. The teen broke his stare with his brother, nudging Danny's hand away from the bag gently but firmly as he began digging through the bag. 

"Is that a... wig?" Danny blinked at the large clump of blond hair that Robin had pulled out of the bag, flinching in surprise when it was dumped into his lap as Robin began to dig again. 

"Yeah, it's a wig." Jason chuckled as Danny was pelted by something else from the bag, a t-shirt this time. "Sometimes we have to go undercover for detective work. I'm not sure how much the Demon brat has told you about us, but our family is pretty recognizable, especially here in Gotham. So if we go undercover, we need to be unrecognizable. Ergo," he pointed to the bag, and both watched as Robin pulled a light brunette wig, this one a bit less mangled looking than the blond furball Danny had been given. 

"So, what your saying is, you regularly just have disguises lying around in all of your living spaces?" Danny tried to brush his fingers through the artificial hair, surprised and slighly put-off when it felt a bit... too real. Was this real hair? 

"Not in every place." Robin pulled his attention away from examining the content of the bag. "We have a lot of safe houses and hideaways. It would be a waste of resources to fill all of them with the same things. Especially ones that are not used often enough as others." Setting the bag asided, he turned towards Danny. "Would you like some help?" He asked, gesturing to the wig in the halfa's hands. 

"Yes please." Wigs were not his area of expertise. The best person to go to in his friend group for wigs and other non-permenant ways to show rebellion through appearance was Sam. And ever since the Anomorpho incident, he really didn't want to discuss her, ah, talent with disguise. 

Robin took the wig from his hands, smoothing the wayward hair until it actually looked like it was supposed to, and not like someone had skinned a large furbie. Setting the now less raggedy wig aside, he rummaged around the bag again until he came out with a hair net. 

The next few minutes consisted of Jason laughing as Robin tried his absolute best to tame and trap the fluffy, gravity-defying mess that was his hair. Eventually, they managed to trap most of it, some poking out rebeliously through the holes that confined them. Thankfully, the escaping hair had little effect on how the wig fit, though the inner layer caught and tugged on a few strands uncomfortably as Robin adjusts it.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was probably way less than that, Robin was combing his fingers through the wig hair one last time, making fluffy strands brush down into Danny's face. While it was familiar enough to how his own hair settled, Danny couldn't help but marvel at the oddness of the color change. The teens eyes were unneringly drawn to the too light hair that covered his forehead and brushed the bridge of his nose. '

This might take some getting used to,' he couldn't help but think, forcing his eyes away as he watched Robin expertly tamp down his own hair in a net and swiftly apply his own brunette wig. The half couldn't help but be a bit jealous at how easily the wig settled into place, looking so natural that Danny could mistake it for his actual hair. The teen had no doubt that his didn't look nearly as seamless, judging by how Jason looked like he wanted to burst with laughter every time he glanced at him.

"Okay, we're wearing wigs now, is there anything else or is this good enough?" Danny fought the urge to push the hair out of his face, not wanting to risk messing up the wig's placement.

Robin held up a shirt in response. "The wigs make giving us a second glance a bit harder. Now we wear something that doesn't fit with the image my family has of us in their heads, and find a way to naturally cover most of our faces, to make identifying us through facial recognition harder." Setting aside a small pile of folded clothes, Robin stood up and made his way to the bathroom, his own change of clothes nestled in the crook of his arm.

Danny was left sitting on the couch, blinking blankly at the spot Robin was just sitting in a moment ago. "Why does your family sound less like vigilantes, and more like super secret spys from a James Bond flick?" Danny questioned faintly, trying to figure out just how Robin and Jason's family do stuff like that. 

Jason snorted at his question. "At this point, I barely even notice the batshit stuff that this family does. Stalking through security cameras is basically a love language." The man winked at Danny's look of dumbfounded incredulity.

Deciding that thinking about a vigilante family dynamic was something that could also be put off until later, Danny stood and grabbed his set of clothes, headed for the bedroom at the end of the hall. Changing was quite easy when you had ghost powers, and by the time he made it back to the living room just a few minutes later, it was still just Jason sitting there, Robin nowhere in sight and the bathroom door still closed.

Jason glanced up from a book he was looking over, making a vague noise of surprise as he flipped the page. "That was fast." He commented, humming when Danny flopped down, the teen wincing at the way his new pocket zipper dragged on the couch's fabric. 

"Well, intangibility is handy like that." Danny commented, picking lightly at the too-big red hoodie he was in. The sleeves just barely passed his fingertips, and he amused himself with flipping the tiny sweater paws to and fro. 

The silence thelat fell over them didn't last as long as Danny hoped it would. "So, are you gonna tell him soon?" Jason asked, almost offhandedly if not for the pointed way his eyes met Danny's over his book. 

Danny rolled his eyes, focusing back on his sweater paws as he dragged them over his black ripped denim pants. "Yeah? I promised I would. It's just a bit hard to bring up, is all." He mumbled, his fingertips toying with a loose thread.

"What's so hard about it?" Jason asked, his voice not unkind. It wasn't that condescending tone that parents and teachers used on him all the time, instead a bit of sarcasm mixed with genuine curiosity. 

"Well, for starters, the first time I told him, he used a wicked blade and sliced the damn thing in half." He pointed out, his own sarcasm leaning more towards playful than deadpan. 

Jason hummed, considering. "Maybe he'll take the news better this time. I mean, he hasn't tried to break it again while you've been working on it." the man pointed out. Flipping the page, he made another noise, this one of realization. "Your gonna break the news in a more public setting just in case he does take it wrong, aren't you?"

Danny shrugged, pulling his knees up towards his chest. The Hoodie pooled around his thighs at the movement, and the halfa had to resist the urge to tuck ot over his legs completely. Now wasn't the time to go turtle mode. "I mean, both of us could really use the day out of the apartment. This place is nice and all, but me and Robin were outside basically every day before this." He didn't mention that most of their time put and about was more like dates than anything else. That wasn't conductive to his reasoning whatsoever. "Both of us are annoyed at being cooped up. What better time to tell him than when we both can actually breath a bit better?"

Before Jason could retort with... whatever he looked like he wanted to say, Robin came out of the bathroom. His sunglasses, the same ones he had gotten from the mall, what felt like forever ago, covered his eyes, and the brunette hair fell over his face artfully. A few clip on ear cuffs studded his cartilage, the mat black color of the accessories matching perfectly with his perfectly-fitted leather jacket, a pop of color added with the ice blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Lastly, a pair of mat black, low platform ankle boots completed the look, turning the pr and proper boy he had spent the last few days with into the most attractive punk kid he had ever seen.

Willing away his blush, Danny stood and slipped on his own shoes, a pair of black convers sneakers. They were for someone a size and a half bigger than him, but they were still surprisingly comfortable. "You- uh. You ready to go?" Danny smiled nervously, anxiety starting to know at him alongside the butterflies in his stomach. It was a slightly nauseating feeling, and part of Danny cursed his newfound emotional intelligence. This would all be so much easier if he was still in denial.

Sucking it up, as Sam would put it, he shot Robin a smile as the teen dug in his pocket for something. "Here," the teen offered him a piece of cloth. Grabbing it, Danny hummed curiously at what turned out to be a face mask. "I have one as well," Robin pulled out a second fabric mask, putting it on with the same efficiency as everything else he did. "It will go a long way to hide us from anyone on the lookout for us specifically." 

Danny pulled the mask on, the corners of his eyes crinkling being the only sign of his broad grin underneath the fabric. "Man, you have this all thought out, don't you?" Jason's snort from behind him earned a reprimanding glare from the teen, the expression translating scarily well through the sunglasses and mask he wore. 

"Yes, I do. Father is very firm on having a plan laid out beforehand, so as to iron out any details as well as contingency plans, in case something goes wrong." Robin walked around him, grabbing one last thing from the shopping bag before turning to Danny. "Here," he offers a pair of sunglasses, gray frames studded with small runestones at the corners. Danny slipped them on without protest, humming at the way they comfortably darkened the room without completely blacking out his vision. Robin nodded in approval, tugging the red hood of his hoodie until it covered most of his head. "Perfect. I barely recognize you now." The teen hummed, before grabbing Danny's hand.

"We shall return before dark. Call only if you have need of us." Robin shot his brother a warning glare as he tugged Danny out of the apartment and into the elevator. A silence settled between them until they were on the street, blending in with the rest of the crowd. "Now, what do you wish to do?" Robin asked as they turned a corner, the apartment building disappearing from their line of sight. 

Danny hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. We didn't exactly eat lunch before we left." He grinned at the teen, though it wasn't very noticable through the face mask. 

Robin tilted his head in thought, making Danny suppress the errant thought of 'cute' that ran through his head. "I suppose you are right. We haven't had anything to eat, have we?"

"Not since Jazz's attempts at French toast!" Danny replies cheerfully, grinning at the memory of his sister's burnt yet somehow soft and soggy flavored egg bread. Honestly, if the conversation he wanted to have with Robin went well, then he was gonna ask Jason to give his sister some cooking lessons. Maybe get some lessons himself, while he's at it. That man knows how to cook.

Robin let put another humming noise, this one tinged with amusement. "Your sister is not the best in the kitchen, though she is admittedly more reliable and trustworthy than most of my family." The teen let out a huff that could only be described as a stifled laugh.

"What is worse than physics-defying toast?" Danny couldn't help but ask. Not because he thought his sister was the worst person to put in a kitchen, but because Danny always found it interesting when Robin mentioned his family. The way he talked about them, with tones of exaggerated annoyance and feigned disinterest barely hiding the fondess he held for them, it was nice to see the teen be expressive about someone besides Danny himself. 

"Trust me," though his face was fully covered, Danny could still tell his face was set in a serious expression, despite the sweet strawberry flavor of mischief that exuded from the teen. "My brothers and father are much worse. Everyone besides Todd and Cain have a lifetime ban from the kitchen in the manor. Pennyworth is very protective of his precieved domain." 

Danny mulled over Robin's worout. Sending the teen a cheeky smirk, he couldn't help but to point something out. "You know, I noticed that you didn't say anything about yourself not being banned from the kitchen as well." Danny couldn't help but snicker as Robin took a cheap swat at him, embarrassment and amusement mixing to make an almost sweet and tangy taste to his emotions. Like an orange cream filled chocolate.

Great, now he wanted something sweet. Deciding to let the topic of horrible family cooks drop for now, Danny focused on trying to find an enticing food smell amongst the different smells of the city. Pollution and garbage stung his nose, while body sparys and perfumes made his eyes water uncontrollably. After a few minutes, Danny sighed quietly in defeat and turned towards Robin. "Ypu have any ideas on where to eat?" He asked hopefully.

The teen thought on it for a minute. "As luck would have it, I do." Tightening his grip on Danny's hand slightly, he began to weave through the streets as if he were born in them. For all Danny knew, that could be true. Past flower shops and fruit stalls that seemed a bit on the shader side, until the streets began to clear up a bit. Not like when they had visited the arcade or the skating rink, but not as crowded and trash-filled as when they were staying in Jason's abandoned building. 

Finally, Robin slowed his pace until they came to a stop in front of an out of the way shop. A small sign above a glass door with a bell, cursive letters spelling out, 'Grandma's Kitchen' in sleek black-cherry colors. Standing where they were, Danny could already smell the scent of fresh bread and coffee, sweet undertones pointing to muffins or danishes as well. It was good enough to make his mouth water and his stomach growl.

Hearing no complaints from the teen, Robin pushed the door open and led Danny inside, coming to a stop again at the counter. Behind the bar, manning the register with a pen and notepad in hand, a woman with short blond hair and green eyes smiled at them. "Hello!" She greeted warmly. "Welcome to Grandma's Kitchen. What can I get you today?" Her eyes crinkled at the corners, the beginnings of crows feet evident as she took in their appearances.

Robin tutted to himself as he skimmed over the menu hung up on the wall behind the woman. "Your vegan options are quite acceptable. I shall have a croissant with berry jam filling, and an almond milk hot chocolate." He ordered after a second of consideration. 

Her grin widened slightly as she jotted down the teen's order. "Alright, lovely choices. Now, how about you?" Her attention turned to Danny, the boy stuttering slightly as he looked over the menu himself. "Um, the waffles look good. Maybe the waffles with whipped cream and blueberries? Oh! And a milk tea." That sounded good.

"Okay. I'll have that right out to you!" She smiled again as she turned towards the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down, I'll be out shortly if you need anything else!"

With the door swinging shut behind her, Danny and Robin turned to survey the sitting area options. There was no one else in the shop, besides and older woman rubbing down a table near the window. So that left the two teens free reign over where they wanted to sit. 

After the last few times they had eaten out together, Danny wasn't surprised at all when Robin led him to a seat next to the kitchen doors, just out of sight of the windows and front counter. Unlike the other times they ate together, Robin kept ahold of his hand, slinding into the booth next to him instead of in front of him. If not for the fact that he could go intangible, Danny would be half tempted to complain about being boxed in. Y'know, if he could find the will to argue around the warmth that filled his chest and cheeks at the action. 

As silence decended over them, Danny couldn't help but fidget in his seat. His finders found the ends of his sweater paws, tugging at them in a way that almost resembled two kids fighting over a toy. A bit lower, his foot began tapping out a rhythm he vaguely recognized. Something he heard oten, but not something he particularly paid attention to. Maybe one of the background soundtracks for Doomed? Or maybe something Sam made him listen to. No lyrics popped up in his memories, so he decided to tap a little louder. Maybe it was from a boss battle or something? 

Danny was brought out of his musings by Robin, the teen clearing his throat subtly as his gaze raked over Danny. "Are you alright, Danny?" He asked, his hand coming down from the table top to ease his grip on his hoodie sleeve. 

"Y-yep!" Danny stuttered. "I'm fine, everything's fine!" Clearing his own throat, he shot Robin what he hoped always a reassuring smile. It wasn't that convincing, if the look of concern and suspicion on the vigilante's barely visible face was anything to go by. But before he could comment on Danny's oddness again, the clatter of plates and a sqeal of door hinges brought both of their attentions to the lady approaching their table. A different woman than the one that they had seen clearing off another table, she had long dark hair that fit nicely with her warm brown eyes, the corners slightly creased with age. 

"Here you go, one croissant with berry jam, one plate of waffles with blueberries and whipped cream." She set down two plates of delicious-looking food before turning back to her tray. "One hot chocolate made with almond milk, one milk tea, and a sharing sized basket of blueberry muffins." The last item was set down in the middle of the table, almost like a bread basket. "Is there anything else I can get you boys?" She asked kindly.

"Oh, uh. I'm sorry, Miss. But we didn't order any muffins." Danny told her, his Midwestern manners kicking in. Though, he wasn't quite sure how they could make that mistake, seeing as there weren't any other costumers present at the moment.

The woman laughed a bit. "Don't worry 'bout it, hun. It's on the house." In a quieter voice, she leaned closer to Robin and whispered, "Clarissa said that the blond boy was too thin. Make sure he eats the muffins." With a wink and a wave, she was gone. Danny stared after her, gobsmacked. Robin grinned at him, nudging the basket of muffins closer to Danny's plate. 

"You know, she isn't wrong about you being too thin." The teen teased him in a low tone. Danny glared at him half-heartedly, but pulled his own plate closer to him, taking a bite of his waffles. His momentary annoyance is forgotten as the taste hits him. Robin chuckles at the way his eyes widen, but stays blessfully silent about it. Instead, he turns to his own food.

It feels like no time has passed by the time Danny wipes up the last bit of whipped cream with his fork, slightly disappointed that he had finished. Beside him, Robin was polishing off his hot chocolate, having already finished his croissant. When Danny's fork clattered against his plate, Robin looked over at him. "Are you done?" He asked, glancing at his plate, then at his cup. Danny nods, gulping down the last few sips of his milk tea.

"Ready to go whenever you are!" He answers, his bright grin only slightly forced. 

As they stand, Robin casts a glance back at the basket of muffins. "What about those?" He asks, pointing to the muffins. Danny looks back at them as well, before grabbing the basket with a shrug.

As they approached the counter to pay, Danny sets the basket on the counter. "Excuse me, would it be possible to get a to-go bag or something for these?" He shoots the woman behind the register a charming smile. 

She nodded, smiling back at him. "Here you go, honey. Be sure to eat them before they go stale!" She calls after them, waving as they exit the café. Danny waves back at her, pulling up his mask before following Robin out the door with his bag of muffins.

"Okay, now. Where to?" Danny asks, linking his arm with Robin's instead of just grabbing his hand. He couldn't help but to lean into the taller teen, a rumble of contentment running through his core. His nervesness was buried under the positive delight his core was producing, making him feel warm and bubbly as long as he stayed curled up to Robin's side. Logically, he knew that this peace he felt wouldn't last, but what was the harm in enjoying it while he could?

Robin hummed thoughtfully, slowing their pace and moving them out of the way of anyone rushing past. "How about Robinson Park?" He suggested. "The last time we attempted to visit the park, I believe we were... Rudely interrupted." The last part was grumbled with a bite of venom, making Danny smirk. It warmed his cold ghostly core that his prospective partner was prone to violence. Maybe he would be up to a play fight, if the love potion antidote didn't make him hate Danny? 

...A question for later, the teen decided. He ignored the part of him that wondered if it was a question he would even get to ask, if things happened the way he was planning. Instead, but focused on the here and now, tilting his head until his hooded wig brushed Robin's shoulder. "Well, if we do get interrupted again, at least it won't be by thw jester knock-off." He snickered playfully as Robin knocked his knuckles against Danny's forehead lightly, almost like he was scolding him. 

"It would be unwise to say that aloud, as things in Gotham usually happen in the worst way possible." Robin huffed, but Danny could hear the smile in his voice. "But, if you have no objections, then Robinson Park it is." Without further delay, Robin turned to the crosswalk, leading Danny across quickly and down the sidewalk on the other side. 

Doing there best to look like any other teenaged couple roaming around together, they made no effort to avoid crowded areas or places with cameras. It was actually a bit freeing, not having to sneak around just to avoid trouble. And before long, Danny found himself standing at a park entrance. 

As they walked in, Danny spotted a vendor just off the walking path. He was quick to point it out to Robin. "I think he's selling hot chocolate and tea." The smells of chocolate and fragrant leaves waft of the chilled breeze. "We could grab a drink and enjoy these muffins on a bench or something. Like a picnic!"

Robin nodded, agreeing easily. The vendor had more than just hot chocolate and tea, but the two boys stuck to warmer drinks. Danny with an extra sweet hot chocolate, and Robin cradling some jasmine and honey tea, both piping hot and steaming as they settled down on a bench not too far from the entrance to the park. 

Children passed by frequently, running and jumping and doing only things that small humans could do with their limitless energies. Their parents followed at a much slower pace, content to let their children tire themselves out. Couples and joggers and dog walkers waved back and forth across the pathway, all going about their lives as if nothing else truly mattered at the moment but what they were doing. All in all, it was a pretty populated place. Perfect for the conversation that they had to have. Because with how much Danny had learned about Robin over the past few weeks, he knew the teen wouldn't cause a scene in public 

But just because he knew this would be the perfect opportunity to tell Robin about the portal gun, doesn't mean that his original problem wasn't still hampering him. Because, really, how do you bring up a gun that rips holes in the universe for quick travel? Especially when the person you are trying to tell really, really doesn't want you to leave?

The silence between them had been stretching like taffy as Danny tried to figure out how to bring the topic up. The nerves that he had been suppressing bubbled up again like angry blob ghosts in his stomach, making him feel just a tad nauseous along side everything else. When he finally opened his mouth, planning on just blurting it out, Robin stopped him. "The portal gun is finished, isn't it?" It was phrased like a question, but Danny already knew that the teen had his answer.

Danny blinked in surprise, before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Man,there really isn't any hiding things from you, is there?" He joked. In a quieter, more serious tone, he asked, "how long have you known?" Part of him dreaded the answer.

Robin sent him a small smirk, though it was slightly bitter. "I suspected something was amiss yesterday, when I noticed the way you and Todd kept gesturing at each other when you thought I could not see you. Though I didn't make the connection until you stated that you wanted to leave the apartment."

That... Wasn't the worst timeframe, Danny had to admit."Look, I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. Jason discovered it was finished about two days ago, and since then he's been pressuring me to tell you, but I wasn't really sure how to bring it up, and I didn't want to freak you out like what happened the first time and-" The halfway was cut off by Robin's palm against his mouth. 

When the other teen was sure Danny wasnt going to say anything, he lowered his hand with a small laugh. "It is alright, beloved. I'm not mad, or even disappointed that you did not tell me sooner. Although, I am not exactly thrilled that you are finished with the device-" Danny winced slightly at the sharp look Robin sent him, "-I know that you did not intend to keep it from me." 

A different kind of silence fell between them, one that was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn't like before. "Soo... What now?" Danny can't help but ask. It was kind of dumb, but he wanted to know where Robin was in all of this. 'We've had enough misunderstandings.'

Robin shot him a slightly confused look. "Well, I suppose you are planning to leave, soon. Isn't that the whole point?" Well, that made things a bit easier.

"Well, I have to go home eventually. I have a life, friends and school." Danny admitted. "But there still isn't enough power built up to make our way home just yet. And me and Jason have talked about some things..." The hope that was beginning to grow in Robin's eyes directly reflected the feeling growning in Danny's core. 

"We think it would be best for me and Jazz to leave before you take to antidote." Immediately, Robin's face fell. Danny grimaced, wishing silently that he hadn't said that so bluntly. Hurriedly, he continues. "Its just so neither of us get hurt, either physically or emotionall, if the cure works the way I think it does. If, afterwards, you still have feelings for me , ai do plan to come back. And if you don't have feelings for me, or you hate me for what happened, then we'll deal with that when it comes up. But, Robin," Danny grabs the teen's hand in his, squeezing it as he brings it, anlong with Robin's gaze, to his face. "I do plan on coming back."

Robin smiles, grabbing Danny's free hand with his and bringing it up to his face. Laying it against his cheek, he turns his head to lay a small kiss on the meat of Danny's palm. "Then I have nothing to worry about, do I?" 

Danny didn't answer him, too flustered by his braisen actions. Clearing his throat, Danny tore his eyes away from Robin, instead focusing on the dogwalker being dragged across the grass by a pack of five. The scene caused him to snort, breaking the intimate cloud around them. Robin glanced away from him as well, snickering questly at the man being pulled to and fro by the dogs he walked.

After a while, when all the muffins were gone and their drinks were noting but dredges in their paper cups, the two left the park. "Should we return to the apartment, now that you've finally told me what you wanted to?" Robin asked as he led Danny down the street, being careful of any shady alleyways.

 Danny thought about it for a minute, before shaking his head. "Nah, let's just walk around For a bit." When Robin sent him a questioning look, Danny snickered. "You know, I wasn't just trying to make up an excuse to talk to you without Jason around. I really have been cooped up in that apartment for too long. Especially ow that the PG is done."

"PG?" Robin raised an eyebrow, giving Danny a look that conveyed just how dumb he thought it sounded. 

"What? Are you gonna tell me that it's okay to say g.u.n. in a public area here? After some of the things you've told me?" Danny snarked back playfully, nudging Robin away before wrapping his arm around his again and pulling the teen back. He was only a little annoyed when the teen didn't stumble at the sudden action.

"I suppose I was hoping that you would have a better name for it." The tease was layered with something that was a mix of fond and exasperated, and it seemed so right, that tone he used, that Danny wondered if he had reminded the teen about his family. 

Grinning mischievously, Danny lightly bumped his shoulder with Robin's. "Well, of you have any better ideas, I'm all ears. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with calling it by it's initials. Not as confusing, that way." Robin's only response was an eye roll. Silently, Danny cheered for his small victory, a smug smile the only evidence of his inner emotions.

Robin bumped his shoulder in retaliation, but made no verbal attempt to rebuke him. The two fell in step next to each other, strolling around Gotham's streets. Eventually, Danny noticed something. "Hey, when did it get cleaned?" He asked, having not seen as much trash as he had been. Cars actually filled the street, and the crowd around them thickened a bit. With all the activity going on, it was a little surprising that there was a lack of litter.

The teen beside him hummed. "Of course it would be cleaner. We are getting closer to the diamond district." As if to prove his point, a woman in designer heels and coat walked past them, the crowd parting around her ever so slightly as she moved. Robin scoffed at her under his breath, and Danny couldn't help but he reminded of Sam's mother for a moment.

"Well, at least the sights are pretty to look at, unlike some of the people." Danny half-joked. Honestly, he didn't know how a person could comfortably wear so much makeup.

Robin chuckled at his comment, before schooling his expression a bit. "You know, if you want a better view of what the Diamond district has to offer without the strongly decorated people interfering, I know a good leash-free dog park we could visit." 

Danny side eyed the teen. "Didn't we just leave a park?" He asked playfully, already planning on agreeing. Anywhere Robin wanted to hang out was fine with him at the moment.

Robin rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Yes, but that was a normal park with a strict leash-only policy. The dog park has no such restrictions. And, I might add, more dogs as well." Already their direction had changed, Robin pulling ahead by a step or two to direct Danny away from the bustling streets.

The halfa couldn't help but chuckle. ”Lead the way." He snarked playfully, letting himself be dragged along.

- - - 

Dick stared at Stephanie from over Duke's shoulder, tucked safely behind the confused man. The girl stood innocently in front of them, offering a plate of what looked like something out of Alfred's nightmares. The plate had set, presumably abandoned, while Steph had spent three hours cleaning the kitchen up under the weight of Alfred's disappointed stare. The man had added another name to the kitchen's ban list, but she didn't seem to care as Dick had waltzed back into the kitchen to check on her. The spotless kitche had given him hope,but that hope had immediately been dashed when he caught the sight of the plate sitting on the counter.

Steph had looked up at his frozen form, a grin that sat between innocent and devious forming on her face. "Dick! There you are!" She called excitedly, setting the last pot into the dish drained to dry. Quickly wiping her hands off on the hand towel that rested by the sink, she leaned over the counter to reach the plate. "So, Alfred wasn't very happy with the mess I made, but he let me keep the caramel pineapples that I made! I mean, he gave them the stink eye, but he didn't tell me to throw them away, so I'm assuming he let me keep them!" 

Dick took a small step backwards as a strained smile pinched his face. "Oh, that's great, Steph! But, if you think they look so good, then why don't you eat them?" The man prayed that Steph would take him up on it. At the very least, he hoped that she would take a bite of one, taste how bad it was, and decide that this was too far for whatever revenge she was trying to enact. Not even Dami, his babiest baby bat, would result to poisoning.

To the man's dismay, the girl pouted. Giving him her best puppy dog eyes, she held the plate up a bit higher. "But, Iade these for you? Do you not want something I made? I mean, I worked so hard on these." Oh dear Lord, this girl knew how to tug on his heart strings. If not for the fact that this was obviously some sort of plot against him for some reason, guilt would be eating away at him right now.

Some higher being must have been on his side, however, because his angel in a college hoodie walked through the door as he was trying to find a way to turn her down. "Duke!" The relief in his voice caught the man's attention immediately, pulling his gaze from his phone as he took in the scene in front of him.

"Uhhh..." The meta blinked at the two of them, his eyes going to Dick, then Steph, and to the plate in her hands, then back to Dick. "What's going on here?" He asked cautiously.

Dick took the unexpected moment to dive behind the man. In a low voice, he hurriedly explained. "Duke, I have no idea what I did to her, but I'm pretty sure she's trying to poison me and make it look like a genuine accident." He snuck another glance at the plate she was holding, cringing at the hardened yet squishy looking cubes it held. "Honestly, it doesn't look like she's trying hard for the accident part."

Steph's pout flickered briefly into a smile, before she schooled her expression back. "Aww, come on Dick! They don't look that bad!" A humorous light entered her eyes. "I bet Duke would try one, wouldn't you?" Her pleading eyes turned on Duke, and the man felt his stomach drop. 

Throwing up his hands in surrender, he turned hand hurried out of the kitchen. "Sorry, Dick. You're on your own for this one." With his back to the man, Dick could hear him mutter, " I dont feel like being poisoned either."

Feeling betrayed, he turned his wary gaze back to Steph, who was watching Duke leave with laughter in her eyes. It disappearedI almost as soon as it had appeared, her expression dropping back into that mopey, sad look that almost made Dick surrender himself. But he stands firm, keeping a firm distance between them.

Finally, she dropped the sad, pleading act. Her expression morphed into exasperation. "Seriously, Dick? It's literally sugar and cream on a fruit. Stop being a baby and just try one!" 

Dick smiled at her again. "Oh, I really couldn't, I, uh, I had a big breakfast with Babs earlier! Honestly, I'm just too full to eat anything else right now. You understand, right?" He flashed her his most charming look, hoping to get her to drop the topic long enough for him to secretly dispose of the pineapple cubes while she wasn't looking.

Steph rolled her eyes at him. "Y'know what? I'll show you there isn't anything to be afraid of." Grabbing a toothpick from the plate, she jabbed one of the cubes. Before Dick could stop her, it was in her mouth.he frozen in horror, expecting her to spit it out in disgust. Instead, her eyes lit up after chewing for a moment. Swallowing, she reached for another one. "Actually, these are really good. Since you obviously don't want them, I think I will eat them myself." With that, she hurried out of the kitchen, leaving Dick to stare after her in shock.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he chased after her. "Steph, wait!" He calls, trying to get her to slow down. Instead, she giggles and speeds up, throwing another cube into her mouth. Dick groaned, slipping in his socked feet as she stepped off the carpet and onto the hardwood. While he fell over, Steph slipped out of the room, her plate of abomination candy still firmly in her hand.

Slapping his had on the floor, Dick couldn't help but groan again. He didn't believe for one second that she actually liked that treat, he had once seen her eat a ghost pepper out of spite. All the while pretending to be fine, but the minute she was alone, she had made herself sick chugging milk and water to get rid of the spice. And he had been the one to look after her in the days following. 

Two things he had learned from that were one; Steph wouldn't back down from a challenge or dare, even if it was only a precieved one. And two, a sick Steph was very, very clingy. So clingy, in fact, that he hadn't been able to go on patrol for two days after the pepper incident, on the count of a teenager girl not letting go of his sweater any time he tried to leave.

If there was anything to be taken from that incident, it was that a sick Steph was a bad thing, especially when you had a baby brother to be looking for. 

Pushing himself back up, he took off after Steph again. The man had already spent too long at the manor, looking for his spare suits when he could have been out there looking for Damien. He didn't need a clingy Steph holding him up more.

-

Steph watched as Dick ran towards the library, swinging her legs over the railing of the second floor as she tossed another cube into her mouth. Honestly, the girl hadn't been expecting these to actually taste good, but she had been more than willing to force herself to eat one of it got Dick to eat one too. But the taste had reminded her of those mini pineapple upside-down cakes that had been on the food platter at one of Bruce's Galas. Granted, the texture wasn't right for it, but the taste had been pretty close. And, well, if Dick had been about to throw them out while she wasn't looking, then she was gonna eat them instead. No since in a decent snack going to waste, right?

The girl giggled as Dick left the library, heading into the whole first floor before moving upwards to look for her. So she got to enjoy a snack and a show! The only thing that would make this better is if Cass were here.

Sighing, Steph ate another cube before standing up and cackling as Dick finally spotted her on the banister. She disappeared into a hall closet before he reached the landing, watching him turn the corner and dart down the hall. This was way more fun than she thought it would be.

Chapter Text

Jazz looked up from her book as the two boys walked through the apartment door. Smiling, she nodded to them, noting the way their hands stayed laced together as they took off their shoes, only letting go of each other when they had to reach for their wigs. "Hey you two, did you have fun?" She asked, flipping to the next page in her book.

Robin nodded, heading for the bathroom as he pulled his hoodie over his head. Danny hung back, fiddling with his own hoodie sleeve. "Yeah, we had a good time. But, uh, there's something important that we talked about, and... I need to tell you something." The teen took a breath and walked over to her, sitting down on the other side of the couch.

 "Oh?" She questioned softly,picking up a bookmark to save her place before setting the novel on the table and facing her brother. "You sound serious. Is everything okay?" He looked nervous, but not in a scared way. More like, this was news he had already told people, and he didn't like that she was the last one to know. And yes, that was a look that happened often enough that it had a name.

"Huh? Oh, everything is fine. It's just..." He trailed off with a sigh before stuffing his hands under a pillow at the arm of the couch, pulling out the portal gun and presenting it to her. Jazz couldn't help it blink blankly at first, her mind running circles as she tried to figure out what her brother was trying to tell her. It only clicked when he ran his fingers over the ecto-chamber on the back, glowing green mist appearing and chasing his path like an eager pet.

 The finished gun looked slightly more sleek than the original design, her brother having obviously moved things around to make it a bit more compact. She could tell what parts were from repurposed blasters and what was from more obscure weapons her parents had made and discarded, personally impressed with Danny's ingenuity. Her mind could never wrap around how he was able to just look at something and decide if it was useful or not. 

While she was taking in her brother's hard work, the teen in question fidgeted in silence, growing more and more nervous as he waited for his sister's verdict."It looks good." She said eventually, sincerity coating her tone as she gently twisted the gun back and forth. "Better than the original one. I'd suggest hiding it in the speeder when we get back home." Her baby brother did not need their parents either gushing over his improvements or critiquing them. It always made him uncomfortable when they claimed that he would definitely take over their life's work once he hit his adult years, no matter how many times he said he was more interested in space than ghosts. 

And no matter how hard he denied it, he always felt worse after they pointed out how their designs worked better for the functionality of something, even if they were wrong. (No, dad. It wasn't better to 'feel the kick in your spine' when firing a bazooka. Danny's idea for a shock absorbent shoulder holster was amazing and very much needed.)

"...you're not mad that I didn't tell you right away?" He asked in a low voice, shame making his neck bend like it was a physical presence on his mind. "I mean, we still can't leave yet, but I should have told you first out of everyone."Jazz stared at her brother for a moment, before making a loud tsk noise and gently pulling his chin up until he faced her.

 "Danny, I'm not mad. I know you, have known you since the day you were born. You would have told me when you were ready to, and not a second sooner. If it were more pressing of an issue, you would have told me sooner. But you wanted to wait until it was closer to being full, didn't you?" She gestured at the small storage cylinders as she spoke, getting a small nod from the teen. She smiled at him again, leaning forwards to kiss his forehead. He squawked in surprise, wiping at his forehead like her kiss was a particularly stubborn streak of dirt. 

The redhead honestly couldn't have stopped her laughter if she tried, reveling in the outraged glare only a sibling could manage that her baby brother directed at her. Scowling with a pout that he would definitely deny later, he held up the gun again. "We could probably make it back to the ghost zone tonight, but portal-ling directly home would have to wait until tomorrow evening at the earliest." He told her, obviously trying to get their conversation back on topic before she tried any more disgusting displays of sisterly love.

"So we have about a day before we leave?" Danny nods in confirmation. "Okay then. That's a whole day to get our things together and say our goodbyes." She noted the way her brother grimaced, filing it away to discuss later. "And Robin knows all of this? Do we need to tell Jason?"

Danny shakes his head, putting the gun on the table. "Jason was actually the one who made me promise to tell Robin before it was ready." The teen admits. "I didn't know how to bring it up, but Jason noticed I was being weird and kinda guessed from there." The teen chuckled, and part of Jazz was sure there was more to the story than that. But that, too, could wait. Instead, she affectionately ruffles his hair, still somewhat compressed from its time in a hair net.

 He grunts, but doesn't fight her, glaring at her playfully before shooting up off the couch. Turning to watch him, she nods at Robin as he and Danny pass each other, Danny locking himself in the bathroom to change. Also, probably, to break down slightly from the stress his nerves were under all day. Something hits her, as she lets her gaze drift back to Robin, a faint recollection of Clockwork's conditions for helping her get here. 

"Hey, Robin!" She calls for the other teen, who was heading towards the hall. "Can I borrow some of your time?"The teen looks her over, his shoulders tensing with an emotion she couldn't completely identify. She kept her expression open and friendly, which seemed to ease him slightly. Grunting, he settled down on the couch beside her, keeping his back straight and his gaze firmly on her.

 "What might I help you with?" he asked, his tone neutral. She stopped herself at snorting from how proper he was being, part of her not really recognizing him from the boy who followed Danny around in a love struck haze. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled something free.

 "I won't bore you with the details, but I didn't get here the same way Danny did. I got help from an... Ally of ours, back in the Infinant Realms. In exchange for my safe passage here, he made me promise to give something to 'The Robin that follows my brother'. At the time, I had no idea why a bird would want a piece of paper, but I have a better idea of what this is now." She handed her brother's summoning sigil to the teen. 

He looked down at it, his confusion turning to astonishment. "Is this..?" The teen trailed off meaningfully as he unfurled the small scroll, showing off the circles, star placements, and ancient symbols of a long lost language.

"Yeah. It is." She nodded, watching as he carefully and reverently rolled it up, hiding it away for safe keeping. Taking a breath, she met the teens' eyes through the dark lenses of his glasses. "Look, I know my brother, and I love him. I really do. But he's a dense, anxious over-thinker. When we leave, he's probably not going to come back on his own." Robin's face scrunched up, somewhere between denial and anger. But she pressed on, ignoring any attempt to interrupt her. "He's going to think that, as long as you two left on good terms, he can live with not knowing if you actually love him or not. If you leave the choice up to him, he won't come back." Robin looked as though her words left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

She hurried on to finish. "Which is why I'm giving you this. I have one too, so I can summon him back home from here, but that one is for you. And it's multi-use, as far as I'm aware. Just leave a sacrifice on it, and he'll be summoned to you. I'm trusting you to only use it after you take the cure,but this way we can reach a more savory conclusion to this whole adventure, yeah?" She smiled at the teen, knowing that even through the haze of magic, he could clearly see the logic in her reasoning.

Patting the teen's shoulder, Jazz pushed herself to her feet. "Well, I'll leave you and Danny to it." Serious moment over, she headed down the hall, determined to give the two teens some space to enjoy themselves. Stepping into the bedroom, she jumped slightly as she came face to face with Jason. 

He was leaning against the wall just beside the door, obviously having been eavesdropping on her and the boys. He raised an eyebrow at her, not even trying to pretend he wasn't listening. "So..." the man crossed his arms as he straightened up. "Summoning rituals, eh?"

The attempt at a conversation starter was so ridiculous that Jazz couldn't help but snort, the sound being ugly to her own ears. But Jason didn't seem to mind, his lips tilting up at the corners as she laughed. "There are so many different ways you could have phrased that." She shook her head at him. 

"And how many would have made you laugh?" He asked, the question obviously rhetorical. That didn't stop her from pinching her chin in a faux show of deep through.

Giving him a playful side eye, she shrugged. "I'm sure you would have found one or two. Given your extensive library." She waggled her borrowed book at him.

The man rolled his eyes at her, but nodded. "You're probably right." He agreed. "But I still wanna know. A summoning sigil? How did he get that?" His playful demeanor dropped away slightly, revealing his genuine intrigue. 

Jazz sighed. "I've been trying to figure stuff like that out since he turned fourteen." Her wryly grin got her a sympathetic nod. "If I had to guess though, I'd say it's one of the things that came from him beating the king of Ghosts in a duel." 

"I'm sorry, what?" Jason blinked incredulous at her, looking as if he was waiting for her to say sike or something. When she remained carefully neutral, he groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Of course, the demon brat couldn't be interested in a normal person." 

Jazz snorted again. "Your brother is currently under a love spell, one made by my brother from an ancient spell book that comes from another dimension. Was there any hope that Danny would be normal in any way?"

"...you've got a point." Jason rubbed his face before looking back at her. "But back to this summoning thing. Does this mean we might be seeing more of each other?" 

'Danny was never going to let her live this down.' Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Jazz took the chance presented to her and winked at the man. "Are you saying you want to see more of me?" She asked, lowering her voice the way her old high school friend suggested. Oh, if Spike could see her now.

Jazz delighted in the way red dusted Jason's face, the only tell his face gave to what he was feeling. "I mean, I wouldn't object." He practically purred at her, his deep voice rumbling. 

She opened her mouth to shoot the man another flirty response, but both of them were startled by a throat clearing. They both turned to look at the two boys standing in the hall behind them. Danny was starting at the two of them with a look of horror and embarrassment, while Robin just glared at the two in disgust.

"if you two are finished with your vulgar display, Danny and I would like to ask the two of you to join us in playing some classic board games." Robin sniffed at them, turning his nose up as he pulled Danny back to the living room. Jason and Jazz watched them go, both frozen until the two teens were out of sight.

They turned to look at each other, promptly bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. "We should probably go. Before Robin comes back with a stick to separate the two of us or something." Jason nodded, making to follow her I to the hall. Before they passed the thresh hold. "You know, if you want to hang out with just me, all you have to do is ask. I might not know the layout as well as Danny does, but I know a few fun places we could explore in the 'Realms."

Jason smiled at her, his expression softening. "Yeah," he chuckles. "I'd like that." Something occurred to him, and he laughed to himself. "I'd like to see my family try to crash in on us in a different plain of reality." Jazz couldn't help but chuckle too, already planning on taking him to visit Ghost Writer the first chance she got. 

___---___---___

Danny waits until after a few board games, most of which ended with some form of table flipping from either Jason or Robin, to dig through his bag. With the portal gun being fixed, and knowing he had less than a day before he and his sister left, there was only one last thing to do. 

He rummaged through the bag for a while, slowly growing more panicked as the most important thing in his bag continued to evade him. All of his treasures from the arcade were there, along with his grimoire and all the other odds and ends he had brought with him. But the cure, that mason jar full of glowing golden liquid, was gone. 

The teen was thankful that he didn't necessarily need to breath, because at this point, his lungs would be screaming at him. Horror sank its fangs deep in him, making his stomach churn as he cast about in his mind for where he possibly could have left the jar. Last he remembered, e had tucked it carefully into his bag, determined to keep it safe. 

Thoughts and scenarios filled his head, making Danny's skin break out in sweat even as chills ran up and down his spine. Had it fallen out somewhere? Broken when he hadn't been looking? Did someone manage to sneak in and steal it, mistaking it for something of monetary value? 

As the panic in him reached a climax, Robin walked into the room, holding two glasses of water. Upon seeing Danny, crouched on the flood with his bag practically dumped across the floor in a scattered mess, the teen put the glasses down and ran over, sliding to a stop and grabbing one of Danny's hands in his own, cradling it like it didn't suck the warmth from his skin. 

"Beloved, what's the matter?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft for anyone else. He rubbed a pattern on the back of Danny's hand, grounding him the only way he knew how to at this moment. Glancing around at the mess of game prizes and other things, he looked closely for anything amiss. "Was there something in your bag? Something none of us would have put there?" Perhaps it was his old League instincts that had him checking over every item for a second time, then a third. When nothing immediately jumped out at him, he turned his attention back to calming the ghostly teen.

 "Danny," Robin called the boy's name, resisting the urge to just shake the teen.

Finally, Danny turned his eyes to the teen beside him. "I-it's gone." His voice wavered with his emotions, his face turning back to the mess to move around frantically, as though the missing object would just appear. "The cure. It was in my bag, I remember putting it in my bag, but it's gone."

Robin froze, blinking behind his sunglasses. An odd blush lit his cheeks as he coughed, turning his head slightly away. "Oh."

"Oh?" Danny couldn't help the look he shot at the teen beside him, a little bewildered by his tone. It wasn't like Danny had lost something small, like one of his prizes. Yet Robin didn't seem worried like Danny was. Instead, he seemed almost... embarrassed? "What does 'Oh' mean?"

Robin was silent for a minute, his hand going to the pocket of his hoodie. Clearing his throat, he kept his eyes averted from Danny's gaze as he spoke. "I assure you, Danny, that there is nothing to worry about. You didn't lose the cure." Pulling something free from his pocket, he held up the missing jar for Danny to see. "I may have had a momentary lapse in my judgment, and procured this while you were occupied with my brother a few nights ago," he admitted, studying the carpet like it held the secrets of the universe.

Danny practically deflated in relief. "Oh, thank the Ancients." Taking a moment, he just breathed as the jittery feeling of adrenaline slowly left his system. He let his weight fall on Robin, who didn't even grunt as he readjusted to support him. "I was so worried that it had fallen out somewhere. There was no way I'd want to make it again." Robin frowned at that, setting down the jar to wrap his arm around Danny's shoulder. Only then did Danny realize how that sounded. "Not that I wouldn't want to stay longer! It's just, getting all the ingredients was annoying, with how much we ran around the city, and mixing them right was super tedious. Having a reason to hang around for a few more days would be nice, but I don't want to make a second one of these." He pointed to the jar, falling silent as he resisted the urge to ramble until someone slapped their hand over his mouth.

With the way his side was pressed against him, Danny felt a bit of Robin's tension ease out of him. The teen grunted, and they sat in comfortable quiet for a few long minutes. Eventually, Robin broke the silence. "Are you not mad?" He asked, his voice low.

Danny considered it for a moment. "Honestly? No, I'm not mad. In a weird way, I think I get why you took it. I mean, I would have liked to know it was gone from my bag before I went looking for it. I could have definitely gone without that scare. But I'm not mad that you had it."

Robin let out a huff, his breath brushing over Danny's ear. "You are more understanding than most of the people I know. Anyone from my family would have lectured me about dangers and such for taking something so important without informing anyone else." He paused. "Though, many of them would have done the exact thing if they were in my position, despite what the others might say. So I suppose it does not matter what they would have thought."

Danny laughed lightly, shifting until he sat up by himself again, but stayed pressed against the other teen. "Why did you take it?" He asked, his mind turning it over again and again in his head. "I mean, there are lots of good reasons, I know that I haven't been the best with fragile things in the past, but what's there a specific reason you wanted to hang on to it instead?"

Beside him, Robin stiffened again. It was only for a moment,so quick that Danny thought he had imagined it, but he knew it wasn't just in his head. "I simply wished to be certain that nothing happened to it. In the past few days, you seem to have stumbled into many unsavory situations." A white lie, but one Danny didn't quite catch. He knew that Robin was holding back, not revealing his real reason, but the teen couldn't deny his words outright. 

Deciding to let it slide, Danny chuckles again. "You might be on to something there. Honestly, I'm surprised that it didn't break already." Leaning his head against the teen, he sighs, relaxing entirely. "I'm glad you had it. You seem much more responsible than I am."

Above his head, he heard Robin snort. A sound that seemed so much like him, yet very much out of character at the same time. "You have done many things in the past few days. I would say that you seem to be plenty responsible."

A smirk settled on Danny's face, one that his friends had taken to calling his trademark 'little shit' grin. "Well, I've been on my best behavior since you've met me. Trust me when I say, I'm usually much worse."

Neither of them could keep a straight face after that, breaking down into a mess of giggling teens. For a moment, they almost seemed normal. From the other room, Jazz and Jason both stared at each other, small smiles on their faces as they listened to the two boys. 

___---___---___

"Thank you again, Cass. You're a life saver." Dick gave her a quick hug before hurrying over to the vehicles, snagging his bike as he raced out of the cave. From the lounge couch, Steph pouted at her, her arms crossed as she sat decked out in her own purple and black gear.

"Why did we have to hide all his suits if you were just going to give them back?" She asked, standing up and wandering over to where Cass stood, prepping the last of her gear for the night.

Cass shot her a look, one Steph couldn't see through the full cowl she wore. Zipping her pocket shut, Cass turned to face the blond. 'We couldn't just leave a Gotham unprotected for more than a day or two. With Bruce busy, and Damian occupied,' Steph snickered at the vagueness of her statement: 'Gotham needs all her available vigilantes.'

"I thought we were supposed to keep Timmy and Dick busy, so that Damian could woo his bae in peace." Steph waggled her eyebrows, making Cass laugh. 

'Don't worry,' Cass signed. 'I think Dick will stay busy enough with crime that he won't have the time he needs to search for Damian. And if he doesn't stay busy, then we'll just have to call in reinforcements.' With that, she turned and made her way to the vehicles, settling herself on her own sleek, black bike. 

"Reinforcements? Who would you..." Steph trailed off as the answer struck her like a bolt of lightning. A manic grin spread over her face. "Oh, now I really hope that crime is quiet tonight." She cackled as she hurried to follow the raven haired girl, mounting her awesome purple bike and following the rev of the bike's engine. The chance that Gotham would be quiet enough for reinforcements to be necessary were low, but Steph would pay good money to sit and watch whatever Cass had set up as a backup plan.