Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone in Gotham and almost everyone who’s ever heard of the Justice League is familiar with a concept known as The Batman Metric (patent pending). It is the famous way to measure how much of a threat something is. For example, if there’s an alien invasion happening and Batman pulls up on the scene with just Robin? Well, the JL as well as all the bystanding civilians heave a sigh of relief because that means it’s not going to be so bad or dangerous. The seriousness of the situation kicks up when Red Robin is brought along. That’s when people start to sweat. If Signal or Spoiler come along? You best pack up and go on a little vacation because things are VERY bad. What’s that? Alfred is here with new Wayne Tech weapons? Your only solace at that point is that Nightwing isn’t there. Nightwing showing up means doom because it essentially means we need TWO Batmans for this threat. 

Then, Danny came along. The bubbly yet enigmatic ghost boy along with his slew of enemies meant a few new terrifying tiers to The Batman Metric . See, the thing about Danny is that he’s dead. Very dead. Very extremely dead. However, because he died from the broken ghost portal his parents made, he became a ghost himself (and a very powerful one at that). Therefore, despite being dead, he managed to get himself adopted into the Batfam. 

With Danny joining, the Batfam a new foreboding layer came into play. Danny made a joke one time about how if shit really hits the fan then Bruce should leave someone back at Wayne Manor to be the heir and so that the Phantom isn’t lonely. Bruce took it seriously. Thus a new level to The Batman Metric was born. 

Danny also brought some of his enemies with him to Gotham which sparked a new lowest tier on The Batman Metric . Someone like the box ghost comes to call? Bruce isn’t gonna waste anyone’s time with something so pathetic. The kids have got homework, and training, and hobbies, and friends. Bruce will just show up on his own and handle it. If Batman shows up on his own, it’s not a threat. 

Or so everyone thought…

One day Bruce got a call from the JL. Lex Luthor laid a trap for Superman. He teamed up with Ultra-Humanite and they pretended that Ultra-Humanite was holding hostages at the Metropolis Federal Bank. In reality? It’s so much worse. In addition to Ultra-Humanite and Luthor, there’s Joker, Cheetah, Copperhead, The Shade, Star Sapphire, and Solomon Grundy. All of whom are enhanced by some shiny new weapons and tech made and supplied by Luthor, himself. And Superman is trying to fight them all on his own until the rest of the League arrives. 

Bruce can tell what the odds of coming out alive are and he very much doesn’t like it. So he sneaks out. Not a word to anyone in the Batfam, not even Alfred (although he knows). 

When Bruce shows up to the fight alone and with zero backup , the Justice League’s faces collectively fall. They understand. The Batman Metric has gotten a new tier again. It’s looped around. Now, Batman alone doesn’t only mean easy and pathetic. It can also mean that he knows that they are all royally fucked no matter what and everyone involved is going to die. So he leaves the kids at home to spare their lives. 

In the past, whenever Bruce thought everyone was gonna die, he’d bring Danny along because the kid is already dead. You can’t become more dead, right? So when Danny spotted Bruce sneaking out in full gear, he was more than a little curious. The Phantom goes invisible and intangible and tails Bruce all the way to the battle. Upon seeing the carnage and the chaos, Danny freezes for a moment. He’s seen a lot of shit over the years but this? This is something that not even the Justice League can win. But maybe if he were to help…

Danny knows that he shouldn’t. He should go home and forget what he saw and never, ever talk about it. But that’s his dad fighting there. So he helps out. As subtle as he can manage, he fires ecto-blasts and concentrated ghostly wails all while neglecting to notice the nature of the weapons the villains wield. 

After one attack, Bruce spots it. It was a split second but just right there he KNOWS he saw Danny’s powers at play. Bruce makes his way over all while still fighting and growls at the patch of air he knows is Danny, “come with me. Now .”

Danny is terrified. He knows he’s in huge trouble. He follows Bruce and then turns visible and tangible again. 

“What the hell were you thinking!? Following me here!!! Are you insane!? How could you be so stupid!!!”

On and on Bruce is shouting at Danny while the JL keeps fighting and the battle rages on around them. Finally there’s a break in Bruce’s scolding. 

“Well if it’s such a life threatening situation then why didn’t you bring me !? The very dead member of the team!? You know that there’s a high chance that everyone here will die!!! So why would you not take advantage of the one member of your arsenal who can’t!?” Danny shouts back. 

Bruce sighs and puts his head in his hand. “Because Danny,” he says, “see those shiny new weapons they’re using?” Bruce picks up his masked face and looks Danny right in the eye before speaking very slowly and gravely seriously. 

“They’re laced with blood blossoms.”

Chapter Text

Danny’s face grows deathly pale. Well, even more deathly pale if that’s possible. His heart is pounding, his thoughts are racing. For the first time since Bruce found him and took him in - Danny feels fear. He’s scared, no, terrified. 

“Blood blossoms?” Danny asks in a whisper. The poor kid is shaking like a leaf. Bruce nods gravely. “Now do you see why I left you at home? Those aren’t ordinary kryptonite weapons. It’s kryptonite laced in the one thing that can hurt or maybe even kill you. I can’t risk that Danny.” Bruce says with a stony look on his face.

But those eyes. Oh, those eyes! Forever windows to the soul. Those damn eyes reveal that Bruce isn’t stone cold. He’s scared for Danny’s life and safety and he cares for Danny deeply. Danny sees that. He understands. But he’s not the only one who saw it. 

Despite having started their little chat on the outskirts of the fight, the battle shifted so that now Bruce and Danny are in the middle of the action. So Bruce tries to scope out a way to get Danny out of there quickly and safely. But it’s too late. Because those damn eyes gave it away. Joker noticed their little chit chat and he saw the look in Bruce’s eye. He knows that this Phantom kid is someone the stone cold, emotionless Batman cares about. 

“Lookie here! Batman brought along someone he cares about!!! Turn all your fire to the Phantom! First to kill the corpse wins!” The Joker shouts, followed by a cackle. “I told you that lining these things with blood blossoms would pay off Lexi-loo!” 

Luthor and his gang who are now calling themselves “The Injustice League” immediately turn all their fire onto Danny. 

Bruce snaps back into action. “Shit, ok, too late for a subtle departure,” Bruce says. The JL begins freaking out. They can’t just let this kid get blasted. Especially because it’s not just any kid but Bruce’s kid . They can only imagine what fresh hell will break loose if Danny gets hurt, or worse. After all, they remember what happened when Jason...

They take their fighting up a few notches but Bruce? Well he’s ready to nuke half the planet in exchange for Danny’s safety right now and it shows in the way he’s fighting whilst trying to shepherd Danny out of there. 

But then it happens. 

It was almost inevitable. 

But still, he was so close to getting Danny out safe. He thought that Danny would make it. That he’d be smart enough to fly off and not look back. That Danny wouldn’t be stupid and rash and reckless. 

But that’s not who Danny is. If there’s someone to save, especially if that someone is family, Danny is going to save them. No matter the cost. 

Copperhead gets the clever idea to turn his weapon onto Batman whilst he’s distracted trying to protect the Phantom from all the incoming attacks. He makes sure the Phantom notices this shift in aim. Copperhead smiles because that naive little ghost boy fell right into his trap. 

Danny notices the blast coming towards Bruce and without thinking, launches himself in front of it to protect him. Bruce is left with barely a scratch from a piece of shrapnel that grazed him. 

But Danny? Danny took it full force. He gets the effects of the blood blossoms in their gruesome entirety. The first thing Danny notices is that it feels like acid, burning his ectoplasmic form. Danny was never shot while he was alive but he imagined what it might feel like before and how painful a bullet might be. But this? This is so much worse than Danny ever imagined. Worse than he thought possible. He begins shrieking like a motherfucking banshee. His uncontrolled wails being emitted in any and all directions harming friends, foes, and infrastructure alike. Danny is shrieking uncontrollably because not only does he feel the effects of the blood blossoms burning him and eating away at him, but he also feels the pieces of the shrapnel wedged inside of him. Stuck there because his powers are dampened by the blood blossoms. Danny can’t go intangible to shake out the shrapnel. It’s wedged in there, coated with the one substance that can cause him excruciating pain. 

Bruce watches helplessly as Danny slowly melts. He sees the horrifying display of Danny’s body boil and dissolve. All Bruce can do is cry Danny’s name and watch in horror as his kid endures this. He can’t even properly hold Danny despite Danny no longer being intangible because his phantom form is literally turning into a toxic puddle of goo and liquifying before Bruce’s very eyes. 

Finally, the shrieking stops. 

Danny is gone. 

Bruce is knelt before the pile of goo that was - only a minute ago - his son. He is hollow. He is cold and empty. He just watched the most horrific death in the world and it happened to his own son . 

Bruce goes deaf to the battle raging around him. It's all muted and distant. It doesn't matter. Danny's dead. His son is dead. Completely this time. He's entirely and totally gone. And Bruce was helpless to stop it. He couldn’t even make it hurt less. His son died screaming and all he could do was watch. 

Muffled and quiet, breaking through Bruce’s trance, Clark is shouting.

“Bruce!”

“Bruce! We NEED you!”

“ BRUCE!”

Batman looks up. "Huh?" He asks, scarily calm. He slowly stands up, exuding a terrifying level of serenity after what just happened.

“Bruce, we need you! Grieve later, help now!!!” Clark shouts, urgently.

"Oh I will gladly help," the Batman says gently and slowly, "because things have just gotten very, very simple."

Joker lets out a chuckle. “Oh yeah, Batsy?” He asks, teasingly, “and why’s that?”

“Because you just killed my kid. So now? Now nothing in this entire desolate universe can stop me.”

Chapter Text

The runway lights up as the Batmobile drives back into the Batcave. It’s eerily quiet and feels strangely normal. Alfred is waiting with a drink that’s packed with electrolytes as per usual when Bruce returns from a mission. Tim is clacking away at the Batcomputer. Damian is training. Everyone else is out somewhere doing their own thing. 

“Welcome home, Master Bruce. I trust that everything has been handled with the League?,” Alfred greets, not yet knowing what transpired. 

A scream echoes in the back of Bruce’s head. He sees Copperhead's blood everywhere in his mind’s eye. He hears the shouts of the Justice League to stop. That Copperhead is down. It’s not just to beat a man when he’s down.  

“Yes Alfred. Thank you. Yes, everything has been handled,” Bruce says, taking the drink. He cracks it open and begins chugging. God, what he wouldn’t give to numb himself right now. 

What he wouldn’t give to bring Danny back.

Bruce makes his way over to Tim as he pulls off his cowl. He comes up behind him and rests a hand on the back of Tim’s chair as he watches what the little genius is working on. Bruce’s heart clenches as he notices the NASA sticker plastered onto the mouse. The sticker Danny put because, “if the Batcomputer is off limits to stickers, then the mouse will have to do.”

Bruce clears his throat and forces himself to hold it together. He can’t fall apart. Not until he tells them what happened at the fight. 

In the back of Bruce’s mind, the Joker is laughing. It’s the funniest laugh he ever emitted. Batman likes this laugh. It sounds different to all his twisted cackles from the past. It takes a moment for Batman to realize it’s not laughter. The Joker is screaming. It’s raw and incoherent. Batman thinks he’s pleading for mercy but it’s hard to understand him without teeth. Either way, his mercy has died. It’s a puddle of ectoplasmic goo. And someone must pay.

“Tim, can you call everyone here? Tell them it’s urgent. I have an announcement that needs to be made in person,” Bruce says. 

“Yeah, sure. Everything alright?,” Tim asks, a bit concerned. 

Bruce just nods slightly before turning and heading to the storage closet to grab a box of tissues. 

Alone in the storage closet, more memories from the fight flash across Bruce’s mind’s eye. 

1 month. 3 months. 6 months. Batman is calculating exactly how long it’ll take Lex Luthor to recover from the injuries that Batman is inflicting on the poor sod. The bastard is crying and screaming like a tantruming child but it does nothing to stop the blows from the Bat. Batman is painting a mural in red and there’s nobody that can stop him. This is what you get for killing a child of the Dark Knight. Water your garden of blood blossoms with your own blood, Luthor. Batman only stops when he can’t recognize Luthor’s face anymore. Time to move on. It’s hunting season and there’s a Cheetah nearby. 

Bruce comes out of the storage closet and sits down as he waits for everyone to arrive. One by one the kids come and they’re all fidgety. They know something’s wrong. Bruce doesn’t call urgent, in-person meetings unless something goes really wrong. 

Stephanie is the last to arrive. She’s celebrating that for once she’s not last because Danny isn’t here yet. 

“Hey B, Steph just got here. Now we’re just waiting on Danny,” Dick informs Bruce. 

That simple statement was like a punch to the gut or a blow to the heart for Bruce. He, once again, clears his throat as a means of subtly choking back tears. 

“Danny’s not coming. Here, I’ll explain everything,” Bruce says solemnly to Dick as he guides him over to where everyone is gathered. 

“What do you mean ‘you’ll explain everything ’? You feeling alright, Bruce? You usually leave us in the dark,” Dick jokes, understanding that something is seriously wrong and reverting to his one coping mechanism.

Bruce ignores him and stands in front of the gathered Batfam. 

“Wait, where’s Danny? Shouldn’t we wait to start until he gets here?,” Duke asks. 

Bruce uses all his willpower to not break. He wishes they’d stop asking that question. 

He wishes Danny could be here.

Bruce coughs. “Danny is,” he starts before swallowing the rock in his throat, “Danny’s not coming.”

Bruce pauses as he hears the screams of the Justice League echoing in his memories. That they don’t kill. That murdering the Injustice League won’t bring Danny back. But Batman wants a new rug for his study and cheetah print is very in right now. Right before striking the killing blow, Superman grabs Batman and lifts him into the air, restraining him so he can’t escape and grapple away or pull some other stunt. “Danny wouldn't want this, Bruce.” And he’s right of course. Clark is right. Clark knows him and his family better than anyone else in the JL. He is - no - was like an uncle to Danny. And Danny wouldn’t want this. 

The family breaks out into confused and concerned murmurs. 

“Did he get hurt somehow?,” Barbara asks, concerned. 

“Definitely not. Daniel is resilient and intelligent. He wouldn’t get hurt when he’s out on a regular patrol,” Damian adds. 

Oh. That’s where they thought Danny was. Out on patrol. That’s how the kid managed to get out without anyone questioning him. Of course. Always so clever. Always one step ahead. 

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose in a feeble attempt to stop the tidal wave of thoughts. He has to tell them. This is their brother, their friend, in Alfred’s case - his grandson. 

“No, Danny didn’t get hurt on patrol,” Bruce says. He takes a deep breath. “You all know the Justice League call I just got back from?”

Everyone nods, wide-eyed with nerves. 

“Danny followed me there. He snuck out and tailed me all the way to the fight. I didn’t bring any of you because it was too dangerous. There was no hope of making it out alive-“

“BATMAN METRIC NEW TIER,” Dick blurts out, not knowing how to cope. “Sorry, I just- go on.”

Bruce looks up at him with a sad, rare, warm smile. “It’s alright, Dick. We all cope with stress in our own ways.”

Now everyone is freaking out. Bruce being soft? What the hell happened to Danny? Was he captured by ghost hunters or something?

“Father, it’s unlike you to act so softly to such blatant disrespect,” Damian says, concern lacing his voice.

“Yes, Damian. But this isn’t a typical situation,” Bruce takes a cup of water from the coffee table not caring who it belongs to and takes a sip before continuing. 

“As I was saying, there was no hope of making it out alive so I left all of you behind to spare you. Danny of course, let his curiosity get the better of him. He showed up to the fight. As soon as I noticed I tried to get him out. Luthor laid a trap and he armed his new crew with a plethora of kryptonite weapons. But what Danny didn’t know is that they were laced with blood blossoms,” Bruce explains. 

A gasp echoes through the Batcave. Everyone starts asking questions and the overlapping noise brings Bruce back to the memories of the fight. 

Bruce stops fighting Clark’s grip on him and just sighs. “Tell me he’s not really gone. Please, Clark. Tell me that he’s alright. He was just a child. Tell me I didn’t let a child die twice ,” Bruce pleads. Clark just looks at him sympathetically and whispers an apology. Bruce goes slack. He puts on his stone cold emotionless mask. Clark sets him back on the ground. Bruce goes to the Batmobile and leaves without another word. They all let him. 

Bruce puts up a hand to quiet everyone. 

“The JL and I were trying to shepherd Danny out of there. We were so close. But then Copperhead turned his weapon on me. Danny saw and jumped in front of the blast, taking the full blow to protect me. The blood blossoms did what they’re intended to do and-,” Bruce stops to collect himself. Everyone waits with bated breath. 

“Danny died. For real this time. Danny is gone. Permanently. There’s nothing left.”

“NO!,” Damian shouts, charging at Bruce and hitting him. “NO! You liar !!! This is sick , Father!!! It’s not funny!!!”

“Yeah, this is fucked up ever for you, old man. Whatever game you’re playing, I suggest you stop,” Jason adds. 

“I’m completely serious,” Bruce says, restraining Damian in a way that the family won’t see his tears. Bruce knows Damian would be so ashamed if they saw him crying. 

“I’m sorry,” Bruce says. So quietly. So softly. So broken. He looks like a father who just lost his son. That’s the only thing that convinces everyone that he did and that what he said is true. 

Cass grabs Barbara’s hand. The two are slack jawed and wide eyed with shock. Steph pulls her knees to her chin and curls into herself, shaking slightly and breathing heavily. Duke sits down exhales, his eyes darting back and forth as if he’ll see something like a lamp that doesn’t exist or the tooth fairy or the queen of England and he’ll know that this is all just a horrible dream. Tim is chugging one of those 1.5L Starbucks Cold Brew bottles as if it can undo what he just heard like some magic potion. Alfred reached for the tissue box and started offering it to the kids and taking care of them because he doesn’t know what else to do right now. Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair before laughing in shock and disbelief. Dick’s laughs turned into sobs as he put his head in his hands and just started shaking. 

Bruce looks around at his family. All broken, all shocked, all grieving and he feels his heart twist. 

Something’s gone .

He clutches Damian tight as the boy, always so tough and prickly just melts in his arms and shudders. It reminds him of Danny. And Bruce can’t help but realize-

Something’s missing.

The bats have all gambled with their lives countless times. They always make it out. Not always unscathed. Not always whole. But always alive . They bet against all odds and won over and over again.

But this time they lost.

“What about the Pits?,” Jason whispers, his voice breaking through Bruce’s train of thought. “Can’t we just dip him in the Lazarus Pits? Won’t that fix him?”

For Jason to be suggesting that, Bruce knows how desperate he is for Danny to come back. After all, Danny was the only other member of the family who died before. He’s the only other member of the family that could connect with Jason in that experience. That could relate to dying and then un-dying. Bruce didn’t even think of it before but Jason probably feels so incredibly lonely right now. 

“If we were to dip him in the Lazarus Pits, we’d need a body. There’s nothing left to dip. Just a puddle of ectoplasm on a street in Metropolis,” Bruce says, solemnly. 

If there was anyone besides Bruce and Alfred who wasn’t crying before, they’re crying now upon hearing that they don’t even have a body to bury or try to resurrect. 

Tim is shakily stumbling over to his laptop to begin working out how to clone Danny. He tells himself it’s just so they can have a body to bury. He’s lying to himself. He doesn’t wipe away the tears. 

Damian grabs Danny’s sweatshirt that was cast on the side of the couch and hugs it tight, burying his face in it. He inhales the lingering scent of his brother. He’s determined to memorize it. 

Jason and Dick are numbly hugging each other. They don’t even know what to do with themselves right now. Dick just knows he needs to be a big brother and Jason just knows he doesn’t want to be alone. 

Steph grabs the nearest blanket and wraps herself in it, trying to use it as a shield against the world. She wants to be alone and fall apart but she also fears nothing more than being alone right now. She needs everyone. 

Barbara notices and wheels over to Steph. She gently takes her head and pulls it down onto her shoulder. Barbara runs her nails through Steph’s hair soothingly as she stares off into space, numbly processing and Steph cries. 

Cass is just silently letting the tears fall. She’s still as a statue. She’s frozen. If anyone touches her, she’ll break down. 

The bats haven’t been this wrecked since Jason died. Most of the people in the room right now weren’t even part of the family yet at that point so this is their first big loss. Alfred and Bruce are keeping it together for them all and are being the rocks that the kids need right now. 

Only after everyone goes to bed, exhausted from crying and grieving, does Alfred crack open a bottle of wine. Some Pinot noir to help him cope. He’s sitting in the kitchen, drinking glass after glass and just crying as he goes through photos of Danny. It’s around 3am when Bruce comes downstairs and finds him. 

“Master Bruce! I do apologize. I was just grieving Master Danny,” Alfred says, snapping to attention, standing up, and smoothing down his suit. 

“No Alfred, you’re fine. Don’t worry. I just-,” Bruce sighs. “Could I sit with you?”

Alfred’s expression softens. “Of course, sir.” He pulls out a seat at the kitchen island for Bruce to sit down next to him as they continue going through the pictures of Danny together. Uncharacteristically, Bruce cries. Alfred cries too. They just cry into each other’s shoulders when they run out of pictures. 

“He’s gone Alfred. He’s gone and there was nothing I could do. He died for the second time and I was powerless to stop it,” Bruce cries, allowing himself to be vulnerable with his father figure. 

“I know, sir. But you mustn’t blame yourself. This is not your fault. Young Master Danny would be appalled if you were beating yourself up over what happened,” Alfred says, patting Bruce’s back. 

“He died screaming and I couldn’t hold him. Couldn’t be there for him. Couldn’t make it hurt any less. I was his father , Alfred. The one person who’s supposed to protect him and keep him safe. What’s the point in being Batman if I can’t save my own kid?” 

Alfred has never seen Bruce like this. Never has he witnessed him so broken. Then again, Alfred has never felt so broken, himself. At least when Jason died they had a body to bury. Now they have nothing. No closure.

Oh god.

Alfred realizes that he didn’t even get to say goodbye. 

None of them did. 

But Bruce asked him a question. 

“All the kids you do save, Master Bruce. That’s why you’re Batman. All the people you protect. True, you could not save Master Danny but that is not your fault. You did everything you could to try and get him out safely. You did your job as a father. Now you must continue by saving others in his memory,” Alfred is grasping at straws here in a desperate attempt to console Bruce and himself. 

For a moment, Bruce is the 8 year old kid who just watched his parents die in Crime Alley again. For a moment, Bruce doesn’t try to hold it together. He lets out a strangled cry and just buries himself in Alfred’s shoulder. 

They stay like that, just crying until the morning. 

It’s a perfectly sunny day.