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Chapter Text

Clark was aware of Phantom. The entire League was aware of Phantom. He one of the first heroes. He’d saved the world while Superman was trying to decide if he wanted to be a hero or not. A lot of people didn’t remember how young Phantom was, but Clark knew. He’d met the man once, just once. It was a year after Superman made his debut, and Clark had finally worked up the courage to take himself to Amity Park. At the time, already so much had changed since Phantom saved the world and more than a decade had past. People forgot. Superman was saving the world from aliens and meteors every other week by that point. But a decade before, it was just Phantom. Ten years flew by, and Phantom went from the savior of the world to that old timer who micromanaged one small town.

So yes, Clark had taken advantage of the fluff piece Perry wanted written about a decade of heroism. Even if it meant having to write over half the article about his alter ego, Clark hadn’t been about to miss the chance to meet his childhood hero. That was how he met Phantom, and how he met Danny Fenton. Super-hearing and Super-vision got much more press coverage, but Superman also had an excellent nose. Danny and Phantom smelled the same. Oh, Phantom smelled more death, but the core scent was the same. It was cold and staticky and honestly reminded Clark of the Fortress of Solitude and the small pieces Clark had of his home’s culture. There was a certain scent around all Kryptonian pieces that also wafted off of Phantom. It was the scent of something ancient and new and a monument to the dead.

Years passed and Clark didn’t know the whole story, but he was about 90% certain he and Bruce were the only ones outside of Amity Park (where the whole city and every one of Phantom’s villains clearly knew) who knew Danny Fenton was Phantom. Bruce, of course, just researched until he figured it out. He asked for Clark’s confirmation once years back and then left it alone. Or, at least, Bruce didn’t do more research and safeguarding than he normally did. Clark suspected Bruce knew as much about Phantom as anyone living.

So, when Phantom created the “Like and Survive- Phantom’s Guide to Young Hero Survival” channel, Bruce informed Clark immediately. Bruce, of course, watched all of the videos, for intel. But Clark watched too. He listened to the podcasts. He had the audio downloaded to his Bat-mp3 (Bruce-created and had yet to break, even in the further reaches of space). He’d go flying and have Phantom in his ear, speaking about what it meant to be a hero.

Clark had looked up to Phantom when he was a child. He hadn’t known it back then, but Phantom was his age. Phantom was a hero at 14 and looked young. And Clark was a 14 year old trying to navigate powers, torn between fear of being found out and the frustration of wanting to do more. Phantom was his idol. And when he started making a series about how to be a hero, Clark listened religiously and wished that he’d had those words of advice when he was a child.

“Today’s lesson,” Phantom said in his ear as Clark did his patrol out in space. “Is that good can come from bad, and that betrayal isn’t the end of the relationship.”

“To be fair,” Phantom’s clone, Ellie, cut in. “It seems like betrayal is how you make all of your friends.”

“Ha ha, laugh it up. Anyway, I know you’ve all met Ellie here a lot. So, let’s do a quick rundown on the facts of how we met. See, when I was in my first year of hero-ing, there was the Fruit Loop who had it in his mind that he should kill my dad and marry my mom and that I should be his son.”

“Dear old dad,” Ellie said dryly. Superman smiled. He heard this episode before. He heard all of them multiple times.

“So, when the whole murder-and-marry plot kept not going anywhere, the Fruit Loop decided he was going to clone me. Which, again, Fruit Loop. But see, with my abilities, you can’t just clone me. At all. The Fruit Loop tried. A lot.”

“A whole lot,” Ellie said. “I have no idea how many siblings I actually had. Cause they would just… melt. They weren’t stable. I was the only one that ever came close to stable, and I wasn’t stable. This asshole had me convinced, convinced he loved me and my siblings and we just needed something from Phantom. So, he sent me in to trap Phantom. And it did work, because Phantom’s nice and trusted me, and I just shot him in the back and helped the fucker capture him.”

“Come on, El, you know kids listen to this,” Phantom said tiredly.

“Well, he is.” Ellie sounded quite indignant. From Superman heard between the Like and Survive series, and Batman’s research, The Fruit Loop, aka Plasmius, aka Vlad Masters, could be properly classified as a fucker by anyone’s measure.

“No disagreement. Anyway, so what the Fruit Loop said the thing he’d needed wasn’t going to stabilize Ellie. Instead, we, the Team, had to do something else to stabilize her. What the Fruit Loop needed was something to make a new stable clone, but it wasn’t going to do anything for the ones he’d already made.”

“Gotta tell you, finding out you’re going to die by melting the same second you find out your dad actually doesn’t care about you at all just sucks. Luckily, Phantom saved me.”

“I just wasn’t in time for the others.”

“Don’t feel guilty for that,” Ellie cut in. “Remember, what do we always tell the kids?”

Phantom chuckled ruefully. “That we can’t save everyone, and it’s not our fault if time isn’t on our side or someone else gets in our way… I’m still trying to learn that myself.”

Clark hummed in agreement. He was too. Everyone in the Hero Community was. It was a hard pill to swallow when someone died or got seriously injured because you couldn’t get there, especially if you had power that could have saved them if you had been there.

“Anyway, you lot should know how close Ellie and I are now. What happened back then was painful and complicated. Hell, it’s still painful and complicated. Are we friends? Cousins? Distant relatives? Siblings? Is she my kid? Am I a parent?”

“I mean, you’re not my parent,” Ellie said. Danny Fenton had kids, which was a fact Clark just knew. Phantom nor Ellie, or the rest of the Team ever talked about them on the videos or podcast.

“We settled on Sibling-Cousins. Like if you meet a long lost twin,” Phantom continued. There was a pause where he probably considered how his words sounded. “Which is also weird and all. Anyway, the point is this-”

“One, if you meet a clone of yourself that you didn’t know about, they probably aren’t on your side to begin with, because who clones someone without their consent for good purposes, am I right?” Ellie said. Clark could imagine her rolling her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean they have like to stay your evil twin.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that’s “one”, but that’d probably be “two”,” Phantom said.

“Yeah, so what’s one?”

“Your clone is a person too. They have wants and needs and feelings. They have memories and things they care about that have nothing to do with you. You may have to fight them, but always remember that they didn’t ask to be made. They’re just as stuck in the situation as you are. So don’t ever forget that.”

When Clark thought back about it, it was good that he was such a religious listener to Like and Survive. Kon was asleep on Clark’s sofa with his head pillowed on Clark’s leg and Clark had been petting his hair for an hour.

He wasn’t on planet when Kon was found. Bruce had a full DNA breakdown and every one of CADMUS’s remaining notes in hand when Clark arrived. Bruce’s newest Robin was right behind him, glaring at Clark like he might be a threat, one the tiny little boy would take down if he had to. It wasn’t lost on Clark that Robin was making himself one more obstacle between Superman and the room which held Superman’s clone.

“Lex Luthor?” Clark asked weakly once Bruce finished explaining the situation. He was looking through the pad with the notes, flipping through rapidly, reading all the notes and data that confirmed exactly what Bruce told him.

“Yes,” Bruce stated. His voice was neutral. Robin shifted, readying himself to get into a fight if he had to. Clark would bet anything that Robin had bonded to Clark’s clone, and that Bruce, in his infinite paranoia, had been fighting Robin tooth and nail about getting attached to someone who might stab them in the back. Still, Clark knew Bruce well enough to know that he’d probably bonded to Superman’s clone in his own way as well.

“I want to meet him,” Clark said. Robin became even more tense. “I won’t hurt him,” he added. “I just want to meet him.”

“He’s in there,” Bruce said, nodding to the door behind him.

Clark walked around the pair. It didn’t get past him that Bruce had put his arm around Robin, stopping him from follow Clark. Clark didn’t walk too fast or too slow, not wanting to show any sign of aggression, hesitation or concern. It wouldn’t do to show this Robin weakness. Clark had a feeling the boy was going to take after Bruce’s infinite paranoia and his infinite ability to hold a grudge. Stars knew that all of Bruce’s other children could hold grudges longer than the Bat himself.

The door swished open, allowing Clark inside. He could feel how the insides of the walls were lined with some type of kryptonite-lite or something. He was going to have to have a talk with Bruce about that. It gave Clark a bad headache the instant he stepped inside. He had no idea how his clone was handling it. Considering how small the boy seemed to be trying to make himself, Clark would guess it was hurting him quite a bit.

“Superman,” the boy said through gritted teeth.

“You’re in pain, right?” Clark asked.

“What made it obvious?” the boy snapped. Clark set that aside for a moment. Even he was getting agitated from the pain, of course a clone who hadn’t been alive for very long and hadn’t had time to learn to handle pain would be crabby at the bare minimum in this situation.

“What would you like to be called?” Clark asked instead.

That had the boy hesitating. “My friends called me Kon.” Friends. More than one.

“Kon?”

“They… they said “Connell” is a normal human name.” There was an ache and desire in his gaze. Clark swallowed.

“And it sounds like my name.”

“Yes,” Kon said.

“Kon-El… that’s not bad.”

Kon’s eyes were mistrustful. “Are you unhappy about it?” His words were as wary as his gaze.

“Well… I’m not happy. But I think we should go somewhere else for this conversation. This room is giving me a headache.”

“Is it?” Kon asked.

“I’m just better at hiding it,” Clark answered.

Superman reached out, offering Kon a hand up. Kon stared at his hand for a long moment. Superman kept an eye on his face. The boy was so expressive. He hadn’t learned to hide his emotions yet. Superman was looking for a hint that he didn’t know what the hand was for. But he did recognize what it was for. He just wasn’t certain about accepting it. So, Clark waited.

Finally, finally, Kon reached out an accepted his hand. Clark gently pulled him to his feet. Kon stumbled and Clark caught his shoulders.

“Easy,” he cautioned.

“Where are we going? Batman said I had to stay here.”

“Well, normally we listen to Batman, but this is an instance where I override him. We’re going to the observatory. Have you gotten a chance to stargaze yet?”

That earned him a curious look and a shake of the head. Kon was still holding his hand. He hadn’t let go. That left nervous butterflies in Clark’s stomach which didn’t lessen as he guided him out. When the door opened it revealed that both Robin and Batman were still hovering nearby. Clark raised a brow at them.

“We’re going to the observatory.” He dared Bruce to try and tell him no. Whatever Bruce saw in his eyes, though, kept him silent. Bruce nodded once and stepped aside.

“Kon, are you okay?” Robin asked, the sound bursting out of him.

Kon’s heart sped up just a little, Clark heard it. Clark also caught the smile that Kon pulled on. “A bit tired, Robin, but I’m fine. We’re going stargazing.” He couldn’t keep his childlike wonder at the idea out of his voice.

That sound eased Clark’s concern. He could practically hear Phantom’s voice in his ear. Clones were people. They were people with wants and needs and reasons. They had memories and experiences that had nothing to do with the people they were cloned from or for. No matter what. Kon-El hadn’t been alive all that long. He was still a child, and a child who wanted to see the stars at that.

Clark had an easy time leading Kon through the base. The boy’s eyes went everywhere, taking in everything. Clark knew he could be concerned, worried that Kon was just a trick from Lex Luthor, that he was storing all of this information for Lex’s later use. But he wasn’t concerned. For one, it was Bruce’s job to be concerned. Bruce had already run a ton of medical tests on Kon and done multiple brain scans searching for any type of mind control. For another, Kon hadn’t let go of his hand. And once they arrived at the observatory, Kon headed right for the window, moving past Clark to take the lead. He still had Clark’s hand and just dragged Clark along with him.

“It’s beautiful,” Kon gasped. He laid his free hand on the glass, his eyes fixed out at the thousands of stars. “Have you been to all of them?”

“Hardly,” Superman said, amusement running deep in his tone. “There’s far too much in just this galaxy for any one person to see all of it, let alone the entire universe.”

“Well, maybe I’ll be the one who manages it,” Kon said. “T- Robin says you won’t know until you try.”

Ah, so Kon did know Robin’s name. Interesting.

“Well, he would know,” Clark said. “Listen, how are you feeling now?”

“Huh, a lot better.” Kon turned away from the window, regarding Clark with a new wariness. “And you?”

“All better,” Clark confirmed.

“Are you going to lock me up too?” Kon’s eyes shifted from Clark for a fraction of a second, like he wanted to look out the window again. He probably did. He was probably afraid that Clark would steal the stars from him when he’d only just offered them. But Kon kept his gaze on Clark. Clark was the most dangerous thing in that room for multiple reasons, after all.

“I won’t,” Clark said.

“Batman thinks you should. He wants to.”

“If he wanted to lock you up, he would have found a cell for you so wrapped in kryptonite you would have lost all of your senses and barely be breathing.” Kon shuddered. Clark didn’t blame him. He had come on too strong with that explanation, even though it was true. “What I mean is that Batman is extremely cautious. He wouldn’t just let you run around when there was no one in the Watchtower who could stop you.”

“I wasn’t going to do anything.”

“He doesn’t know you yet. But trust me, he’s my best friend, and that room you were in wasn’t made for you. It was definitely made for me. In case something happened.”

Kon scowled. “He doesn’t sound like a good friend.”

“He’s a great friend,” Clark said. He searched for a way to explain before finally settling on something he thought the boy might understand. “Listen, you know about doctors, right?”

“They’re supposed to heal you,” Kon said, nodding as he spoke.

“Right, but that also means they know how to cause a lot of damage. Batman probably knows more about Kryptonite than me. And that means if something happens, he can help me. Things have happened many times before, and when he’s around, he’s always able to help me the fastest with the least consequences. His way of showing love just involves a lot of paranoia… though that’s also how he shows hate too.”

Kon grinned. “Kinda sounds like Robin.”

It was Clark’s turn to shudder. “I bet. The kid’s going to be scary when he grows up.”

“He’s already scary. I want to be just like him,” Kon said cheerfully with a big smile. Clark had never seen Lex Luthor grin, but he would bet that the way Kon smiled was how Lex would look if he smiled.

“Not a bad role model,” Clark said.

“So…” Kon trailed off. He shifted a bit.

“So?” Superman pressed.

“What now?”

“I’m not sure,” Clark admitted. Given the way Kon’s face fell, Clark had a feeling that he may well have broken his heart. After all, it’s heart breaking the first time you realize adults don’t have all the answers.

“What’s going to happen to me?” His distress made Clark’s chest ache. He wanted to fix it immediately.

“Well,” Clark said. “I was thinking maybe you could come home with me?”

“Home? With you?” Kon’s eyes got huge, and Clark had to wonder if Ma would recognize Clark in that look.

“Well, yes,” Clark said. “Look, I don’t really know much about parenting. I don’t even know if that’s what we want from a relationship or who we will be to each other. But I know two things: One, you’re a person and two, you’re a kid. And kids deserve spaghetti after a hard day and a bed to sleep in.”

“I haven’t had spaghetti…” Kon trailed off.

“And… and a bed?” Clark hoped the answer to that wasn’t also no.

“The team’s let me try theirs before,” Kon said.

“Ah, so one of the bunks. Well, you’re going to get to sleep on a good bed tonight. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” Kon asked. He offered Clark his pinky. Clark smiled in return and hooked his pinky with Kon’s.

“Pinky promise.”

It had taken a little production to get Kon out of the Watchtower with him. Batman really hadn’t wanted him to go, either of them. Robin hadn’t either. He clearly didn’t trust Clark and he was worried about Kon. He only relented when Kon repeated what Clark said about Spaghetti and a real bed. That was made Bruce relent too.

Clark knew he’d need Bruce’s help later. They’d need to either fabricate an identity for Kon as his son or cousin or something. He’d also need to call his parents and let them know they were grandparents. But those wasn’t the numbers he pulled up first on his phone when he was certain that Kon was deep, deep asleep.

Clark hit call and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang twice before someone answered.

“Phantom.”

“It’s Superman,” Clark said quietly. Phantom had excellent hearing as well.

“Something happened?” Phantom had a way of packing a lot of emotion into a few words. He clearly was bracing himself to hear he needed to leave Amity Park and come running, but he also wasn’t presuming a catastrophe yet.

“My archenemy cloned me by using both of our DNA,” Clark said.

“Oh, fun,” Phantom said sarcastically. “Are they safe?”

“He’s asleep with his head in my lap.” He looked down at his clone. He kept treading his fingers through Kon’s dark hair for well over an hour now. Kon looked cute asleep. He looked young, younger than his supposed teenage body should be.

“Is he an evil twin?”

“No idea,” Clark said. “And he knows my secret identity now.”

“Ancients, and Ellie calls me a sap.” Phantom chuckled. “Okay. I’ll talk to Ellie and the Team. We’ll get back to you. How would you feel about coming to Amity Park.”

“I wouldn’t mind. You mind if it’s a civilian meeting? There’s a real chance I may legally claim him as my kid. I don’t want to force him into the news already.”

“I understand,” Phantom said. “And that’s fine.”

“Thank you,” Clark said. “And thank you… for your videos. I was pretty scared when I got the call. But I just… I remembered what you said.”

“Yeah?”

“And he’s a kid. It’s hard to look at someone younger than you and assume they’re going to slit your throat.”

“Or shoot you in the back,” Phantom said. “Go ahead and bring him in a couple of days… and Supes… thank you too.”

“For what?” Superman couldn’t help but feel baffled.

“For telling me that. I know I get comments and the like. But it doesn’t… it doesn’t feel real sometimes, you know?”

Superman smiled to himself. “I understand.” He was used to being praised, and still sometimes it still didn’t feel like enough. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“See you then, Supes.” Phantom hung up.

“Who’s that?” Kon asked, sounding sleepy.

“That,” Superman said. “Is my hero.”

“Your hero?” Kon blinked more awake. He didn’t try to sit up or pull away from Clark’s hand. Clark took that as permission to keep petting.

“Yes. He’s my age. He’s been a hero for longer than me. And he’s got a clone too… and they’re like family.”

“He does?” Kon stayed where he was, but he wasn’t asleep at all anymore. He was wide awake and his eyes were huge with surprise.

“Yes, we’re going to go see them in a few days. His clone, Ellie, I think she’ll like to meet you. And I think you’ll like her.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“They made videos for young heroes. Would you like to see?”

“Yes!” Kon did sit up then, but only to snuggle into Clark’s side. Clark pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and tucked it around Kon. He had a feeling Kon had done this with Tim or one of the Team. He seemed entirely comfortable there. The thought that he might actually be comfortable with Clark warmed his heart.

Clark pulled up a video called “What to Do When Your Best Friend is Mind Controlled”, and hit play. Phantom was the one with the commentary on this one, and two of his human friends were off screen and adding to the story, but Ellie was there to heckle and make jokes. For an episode about such an (obviously) painful topic for Phantom, it was really funny. That was part of why Clark knew Phantom had a great support system. His human friends didn’t come on often, except perhaps Red Huntress who was Amity Park’s other hero, but they were all there for the mind control episodes. Whenever Phantom looked the tiniest bit upset or uncomfortable, one of the others would start goofing and Phantom would fall into a fit of giggles. It was nice to see people love another.

And, as Clark hoped. Kon broke into his own fit of giggles really, really quickly. By the time the video was over, Kon had tried to take the phone so many times that Clark just cast it to his TV so they could watch there. He had a full playlist of every video. The pair of them watched until after the sun rose and they fell asleep tucked against one another on the sofa.

Chapter Text

Tim did his research. He liked to be thorough. He liked to know what could possibly happen. He always had. It was easier when he had a plan. His parents reacted in manner A if he did action B. Mrs. Mac returned at time Y, which meant he needed to be in location X by time Z. People could be deeply predictable, after all. Even people like Batman, who trained himself to seem like he could pop up anywhere at any time. That predictability was how Tim planned routes back when he was just a hidden photographer. Now that he was Robin, he knew that a lot of stuff he could never predict happened all the time. But that was all the more reason for him to learn everything. He’d already seen Batman get out of scrapes by knowing random trivia about the Grey Ghost, knowing about 16th century Germanic profanity, knowing about how to cook the perfect Pho, and knowing how rubber bands are made.

Batman had years of experience on Tim, which was all the more reason Tim made it his business to learn everything he could.

Wanting knowledge was why he started watching Like and Survive after the first episode released. For months he spent his days watching Phantom talk about being a hero, and then spent his nights following Batman and Robin all across Gotham. It made him sneakier, and it made him cleverer in the field. Really, he shouldn’t have been surprised that he ended up being a hero, since he was gathering all the information he could about being a hero for years before he inserted himself into Bruce Wayne’s life.

Tim was a good hero, even if he still didn’t have a lot of experience yet. He was also the sneakiest human he’d ever met. If he didn’t want Batman to know he was there, Batman had a hard time finding him. Batman knew he was there this time, even if Tim was hidden. He wasn’t talking to Tim, but then Tim wasn’t talking to him either. The distance was safer.

They’d had an argument the night before after they returned from the Watchtower, and Tim had been benched for the night. Tim argued with Bruce all the time, but mostly about not going off the rails. He didn’t get angry at Bruce and he definitely didn’t get angry at Batman. But he’d been furious at Batman. He was furious for how Kon was treated the whole time he was in the Watchtower. He’d spent the hours after ge was forced to take Kon to the Watchtower stalking back and forth in the little observation room attached to Kon’s cell. Batman had been busy getting information. He hadn’t had to watch Kon get progressively more and more sick. Batman didn’t like Kon and it seemed obvious to Tim that he didn’t care about Kon at all.

Batman hadn’t demanded Superman give more information after he left or demand that he call in. He also didn’t make Superman take the personalized Batphone Tim had made for Kon. Instead, he’d left Kon completely isolated. Bruce’s side of the argument was that Superman was best equipped to handle Kon. But that was because Bruce saw Kon as a threat, not as a person. And he clearly definitely didn’t see Kon as an isolated kid who hadn’t even been alive for more than a few months, all of which, except for the weeks Tim managed to hide him, were lived in a sterile, terrible place.

Superman was a good man, and Tim didn’t doubt that. But he could do absolutely anything to Kon and there was no way for Kon to even call for help.

It was for the best that Batman had benched him. Tim hadn’t even wanted to look at Bruce after their argument. He was liable to just trip Batman into the harbor rather than help him. And that wasn’t a good thing for criminals to see.

Tim perched in his hiding spot, watching Bruce work. Superman’s numbers had a special ringtone, one Tim knew well. He was listening out for it, and when it came, he wasn’t surprised.

“Clark,” Bruce answered. He was sitting at the Batcomputer. Superman had called from his secure-civilian number. “It took you a while.”

“Yeah, I know. We were up late,” Superman said, sounding abashed. “We slept til afternoon and then headed to the farm.”

Smallville! Kon was in Smallville! Tim immediately began programming a drone with the location. He was going to get Kon his phone back if he had to walk to Kon to do so.

“You’re with your parents?”

“I’m not stupid enough to keep them from their grandson,” Superman said wryly. “And I needed to discuss a few matters with you before I called for your help.”

“What do you need?”

“Can you start working on an ID for Kon? We’ve decided he’s going to be Connor Kent, officially. We just haven’t decided we should have him be my son or cousin.”

Bruce was silent for a moment. He probably wasn’t happy about a “dangerous unknown” being adopted. When Bruce finally spoke, his voice was carefully neutral.

“You’re adopting him, then?”

“Well, we haven’t totally figured that out. Ma and Pa offered to have him live with them. They basically loved him on sight, and Kon’s warmed up to them pretty quick. We haven’t decided if he’s going to stay here or live with me in Metropolis. There’s pluses and minuses to both, after all.”

“What’s stalling your decision.”

“Ah, picked that up, did you? I called Phantom last night.”

Those words made Tim’s stomach drop and then rise in a sharp swoop. Phantom’s popularity faded over the years, but most people were at least vaguely aware of Phantom’s heroism over fifteen years past, when he exposed his own existence and saved the world at the same time. At the time, the Anti-Ecto Acts had been in place, meaning that the government had given themselves the right to capture and experiment on Phantom. He had risked himself by revealing his own existence. The AE Acts were repealed within that year, and that repeal set a precedent which got anti-meta laws struck down left and right. Tim had studied everything on Phantom religiously when he became interested in Batman.

Tim hadn’t just gotten into Like and Survive because it was a superhero talking about his experience. It was Phantom, the first hero.

“It’s the clone thing,” Bruce said.

“Of course, it’s the clone thing.” Tim didn’t need to see Superman to know he was rolling his eyes. “Phantom and Ellie understand a lot better. They’ll have suggestions.”

“He didn’t give you them when you called him?”

“We’re staying here with Ma and Pa today and tomorrow. Day after that we’re headed to Amity. I’ll let you know when I knew what we’re going to do. Ma’s going to call Alfred and give family history to help you put together an ID for Kon.”

Bruce was silent again for a moment. “You’re certain about this?”

“I am. I’m also going to see if Phantom has any other resources to check on Kon. We don’t want some magic mind control to go off. So, if I suddenly disappear off the face of the earth you’ll know where I am.”

“I understand,” Bruce said. Tim didn’t, but he was going to find out.

“Good. Look, this is still really new. But… well, he’s a kid. What little we’ve gotten out of him about CADMUS is horrifying. You’re taking care of that for me, right?”

“We don’t need a news story about Superman razing a research facility to the ground,” Bruce said, his voice filled with a dry humor. “I’m on it.”

“Thank you… I’ll talk with you later. Ma’s about to be done with dinner.”

“Have a good evening, Clark.”

“Night, Bruce.”

The line went quiet. Bruce was silent for a moment, as was Tim. Both of them sat still, waiting for the other to blink first.

“You’ll be there to meet them when they get to Amity Park, I take it,” Bruce said, looking at the air rather than where Tim had stashed himself.

“You can try to stop me if you want,” Tim challenged.

“Just don’t go anywhere that you’ll need a passport to get to.”

Tim swallowed heavily. He knew what Bruce meant. Bruce had only just gotten stable after everything, after Jason. Tim wasn’t going to risk bring Bruce back to that brink again.

“I won’t,” Tim said. “You’ll know where I’ll be.”

“Alright,” Bruce said. He stood and went to get dressed to go out.

Tim slipped out of the cave and went to make his own preparations.

Amity Park wasn’t very big, especially not compared to Gotham. It was a city, and it had (small) skyscrapers, a couple residential districts and some business and industry. It was still close enough to actual farmland that it hadn’t seemed too crazy when the Manson-Foley foundation began supporting farmers in the surroundings areas. It was too big to have closed boarders, but small enough that it was possible for two heroes to patrol the entire city. It helped that most of Amity Park’s rouges were ghosts and Phantom and Red Huntress were specifically specialized to hunt ghosts. According to the records Tim had found over the years, the ghosts took ill to anyone coming into their “haunt” and causing trouble. There were enough recordings of Phantom’s rouge’s physically throwing outside super villains out of the city that most villains didn’t bother the place. As such, it didn’t get a lot of press. Its main industry nowadays was tourism and education.

Tim spent the entire flight reading about Amity Park. He knew that the small city attracted paranormalists, believers, thrill seekers, the curious, the skeptics, researchers and people like John Constantine who dealt with the supernatural on the regular. A college dedicated to studying ghosts had been set up two years after Phantom saved the world. The school wasn’t huge, but enough ghost scientists, biologists, philosophers and engineers came to study there that Amity Park had become something of a college town. Certainly the inventions of the Fenton family, and the programming of one Tucker Manson-Foley were more than enough to draw in all kinds of inventors curious about the value of ectoplasm in building and computing.

While Tim spent a lot of time reading up on industry, it was mostly to soothe himself because he could find very little about the young heroes Phantom welcomed to his home. Phantom was good at keeping those things secret. It had been a couple years since he started releasing videos. The original outrage about young heroes started around Jason Todd. It got worse after Jason’s death. Even if not everyone knew what happened, one day the second Robin disappeared and Batman was going off the rails. Tim listened to Phantom the whole time as he continued to follow and document everything.

Phantom had always, always been welcoming to any young hero (or villain) who wanted to learn or needed a place to hide, or rest. Tim had wanted to go before, but there had never been time. There wasn’t exactly time now, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t there to greet Kon when he arrived. He knew Kon had received his phone, but he hadn’t done more than send a thumbs up emoji in response to Tim’s questions and concerns.

Tim had been staring at that emoji off and on during the flight and the drive over. Now he was in Amity Park a full day before Kon would get here, in his civilian clothes, though he had his gear with him anyway. The Drake name and credit card had gotten him to Amity Park easily enough. He assumed he could just pretend to be a curious rich boy and tourist. But he was only in Amity Park a half hour before got cornered by Red Huntress in some alley he’d ducked into when he realized he was being followed.

He didn’t know exactly how she knew, but even before she spoke to him, he knew she knew he was a hero too.

“Phantom’s a little busy today, Buddy,” she said, standing on her hoverboard, floating about him.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Tim said, trying to be innocent.

“You’re not looking to get into the hero game, are you? You’re already in it.” Her words confirmed what he’d been concerned about. She knew and he didn’t know how.

“Why would you say that?” he asked. He kept his body as relaxed as he could. No need to get tense and give the game away.

“Because I was 14 when I took up my own mantel. I know a thing or two about hero kids. There’s a weight we carry that other kids just don’t.”

“Oh,” Tim said. “Um, well, I am here for Phantom. But I’d actually really like to talk to you too, while I’m here.”

“Me, huh? That’s funny, I don’t get nearly the press coverage.” She sat down on her hoverboard and leaned forward. She seemed entirely engaged with him, like she cared what he had to say.

“You don’t have powers, right?” he asked. “I always… It was so cool that you don’t. That you did everything anyway. I really admired you when I was little.”

“You’re still little,” she said.

Tim frowned. “Our heights aren’t that different. And I’m still growing.”

“Well, I’ll give you that. My husband used to say that too. But his mother’s tall like a dream and his father’s a brick shithouse. Of course, he was going to grow up tall. How about you? Tall parents?”

Tim flushed. “Well, no…”

“Short isn’t bad. It means there’s even more spaces for you to make trouble in.” Her smile was wicked. Her tone had him relaxing for real.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Tim said. “I do want to ask you questions. But I need to see Phantom too.”

“Why?”

“He’s… got guests coming tomorrow.”

“What, you want to meet the big guy?” Superman. She meant superman. She had some idea.

“No. The younger one’s my friend. I-”

Red Huntress laughed. “Oh, I know your type. I was like that too. If anything happened to my husband back when we were dating, I would go anywhere and do anything to save him.”

Tim flushed. “We aren’t dating. We’ve only known each other like a month.” That was as long as he could hide Kon in Titan tower before Bruce forced the issue.

“And too my understanding, he’s a little young.”

“You know,” Tim said.

“And you know,” Red Huntress said. “How much do you know?”

“I know that the reason they’re here is because of the 22nd episode.” The one where they talked about cloning.

Red Huntress hummed. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Tim Drake,” he said.

“Where did you come from?”

“Gotham.”

“Hmm. Okay. I’m going to set you up with a couple of my friends. They’ll make sure to get you to your friend. They’re on the Team.”

“They are?”

“Yeah, from the beginning. They’re also a little bit weird, so I think you’ll have more fun that way.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Tim. Tell you what, I’ll come see you this evening and I’ll answer your questions then.”

“Thank you. I assume you have patrol?”

“I do. Now, let’s get you settled.”

Settled it turned out meant a guest room in the Manson-Foley house. According to Tim’s research, the Manson family were the local millionaires-turned-billionaires. Tucker Foley, of Foley Programming, married the Manson’s only daughter. He was new money. They were older money. The Mansons had a large mansion. The Manson-Foleys had a decently sized house. Three stories, a basement and an attic with land big enough to keep the small farm the couple was clearly running. He got dropped off in front of the all black house with the chromium edging and was greeted by a very pregnant woman in a black and purple house dress, with a lot of piercings and purple lipstick.

“The hell?” she said immediately.

“Meet Tim Drake, young Hero from Gotham,” Red Huntress said. “He’s a nervous puppy waiting for Superman and his clone to show up tomorrow. Him and the clone are friends.”

“His name is Kon,” Tim snapped. He realized that he’d given Red Huntress was too much information. It was easy to peg him as Robin with the information she knew. And given the way Ms. Manson-Foley’s eyes sharped when Red Huntress said his name, she knew exactly who Tim Drake was.

“Okay, Kid. Why don’t you come in. You got anyone who’s going to try to come find you?”

“The people who care know where I am.” If Bruce didn’t know then he was being willfully ignorant, especially because he’d called Alfred when he arrived. And he honestly didn’t care if his father knew or not. It wasn’t like Mrs. Mac checked in on him anymore. He was entirely self sufficient at this point.

“Mm. I get that. Well, come in. I’m about to feed the hoard.”

“Hoard?” he asked as he stepped inside.

“Call me Sam, by the way. Tuck’s out. I’m going to text him we got guests so he doesn’t have a heart attack when he comes home.” She didn’t seem the least encumbered. He watched her text and gather an inordinate different number of bowls and feeds. Tim quickly rushed to help her. He had the terrifying thought that she’d probably carry it all out on her own if he hadn’t been there. She had to be at least seven months pregnant.

“Does your husband work outside the home?”

“Eh, sometimes. He’s front loading some office shit so when the baby’s born he can just work from home. One of use has to be here for the hoard anyway.”

Tim didn’t have to ask again who the hoard was. It turned out that the Manson-Foleys owned a small farm, which included six dogs, seven cats, nearly 30 chickens, half a dozen goats and more beehives than Tim could count on the limited tour he was taken on.

All the while, he got a running monologue from Sam.

“I looked you up. You’re like 14, right? Ancients, when I was your age I was so damn focused on saving the world. I was just angry and I had no idea how to channel any of it. I was busy trying to pretend I didn’t have money and I wasn’t part of the problem and I wasn’t one of the other girls. I ended up making up an entire diet out of thin air and gave it an entirely pretentious name too. Ultra Recyclo Vegetarian? What even is that?”

“I’m not sure?” Tim said. He certainly had never heard of it. Sam had just been quiet enough he thought he was supposed to answer. Sam cackled, sounding a bit like the chickens she was feeding.

“Yeah, of course not. I made it up. It was like vegan on steroids. Nearly gave myself a stomach condition. I was basically eating grass and pretending like I was better than everyone else.”

“So… are you still…?”

“Vegan-ish? Mostly. Definitely vegetarian. I only eat eggs from my own chickens or drink goats’ milk and cheese from goats that I’ve helped to raise or are from a trusted local farmer. And I try to grow my own food. But yeah, mostly vegan food. I’m helping to fund a series of vegan cookbooks focused on recipes that go for different diseases that normally might make a vegan diet prohibitive. Of course, Tuck and I have spent years promoting local farmers, natural as much as possible, who pay their workers well. See that was the problem when I was your age, I wasn’t paying attention to the human cost. A lot of people at 14 can’t seem to see the human cost. Which is why I’m very interested to have you here.”

“Oh?” he asked. He continued to follow after her as she strode around in her wellingtons, moving between a number of large dogs like it was nothing, like the dogs wouldn’t be taller than her if they stood up on their back legs.

“My best friend’s sister works in Gotham. And so, we get reports. Phantom was the first well known hero, but Batman was the second. He was the first one to drag kids along with him. Now, we were running around as kids. But the first Robin was extra tiny.”

“He isn’t anymore,” Tim said.

“I assume as much. But Batman seemed super protective of his Robin. So we just didn’t say anything. Hey, free training program. Cool. But then the second one died.”

“That was never confirmed,” Tim said weakly.

“Phantom’s dead,” Sam said. She paused and looked Tim right in the eyes. “He checked… and Batman didn’t have a kid again. Until you.”

“I’m not-”

Sam waved his objection away. “Batman knows about us, and we know about him. He’s also a paranoid idiot. After what happened last time, you wouldn’t be here if he didn’t know it was safe. You’re safe here, R. The Team’s gonna figure out who you are even if Red and I keep our mouths shut. But that’s why Red brought you to me. You’re safe here. And she thinks you’re worth trusting our secret with.”

“How… can she know that?” he asked weakly. “We just met.”

“First off, Batman trusts you. That’s not a small thing. Second, our friend in Gotham tells us all about Batman and Robin. We know he went way off the deep end. We were debating about stepping in. We aren’t friends, but we know about death… and grief… and then you showed up. And Batman soothed and relaxed… He didn’t pick you, did he?” There was something in her eyes that was just far too knowing.

“No,” Tim said. “I forced him to take me. Batman needed a Robin and there wasn’t anyone else. So, I made him take me.”

Sam’s expression had gotten quite soft. “From what I know about Batman, no one makes him do anything. Which either means he decided that you were right and took you. Or you managed to out stubborn the most stubborn man in the universe, which means he picked you anyway. The man does know how to invest in talent. I’ll give him that.”

Tim’s face heated up. “I thought you didn’t know him.”

“I mean, I’ve met him. But our friend knows him. And Danny really, really trusts him. He stopped being so on edge when you showed up. I gotta say, we’re all unsure about child-heroes. Yeah, we all were. Doesn’t mean kids should half to. But since you’re stubborn enough to out-stubborn Batman, that means that you’d go out anyway. Batman’s a better hero training program than just some videos and podcasts we can produce.”

“Don’t discount those videos,” Tim said quickly. “You have no idea what it means to us. One of my friends is a hero that got really, really hurt. But listening to Phantom and the Team helped encourage her to find a way to keep doing the work. You and Tucker are the off-screen voices, right?”

“Some of them,” Sam agreed.

“I think I know who you are. And she really loved what you had to say, about being powerless and having to find other ways to help. And I listened to you all the time as soon as the videos started. I was lonely and I just admired Batman and Robin so much. Listening to Like and Survive was part of how I came to an informed decision about being Robin. I knew what I was getting into because someone was willing to tell me. And I still listen all the time.”

Sam’s expression had gotten quite soft. She reached up and tousled his hair. “You’re a good kid, Tim. You’re going to be a great hero when you grow up. Just keep caring about people. Think of the big picture and the little picture. That will save you a lot of heart ache, and most of all, it will make you more effective than you’d ever be otherwise.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Sam. Thank you.”

“Good,” she said. “So, would you like to hear about how I got my carnivorous husband to start loving veggies?”

“Sure,” Tim said. He had a feeling she was going to tell him the story whether he wanted to hear it or not. But he found that he did want to hear it after all.

Chapter Text

Clark woke him midafternoon. Back in the lab, he’d was schedule to wake early. His sleep cycles were often interrupted by the Lab Coats coming to test him at all sorts of weird hours. It was only once he met Tim and the others that he really got to learn about the beauties of sleeping in. He liked Clark waking him up best of all so far. Because they’d spent all night watching really cool videos and talking about what was in them.

Kon learned so much stuff about being a hero. And he learned that not only did Clark listen to all those videos, videos about how to be a young hero, but that he learned things from them too. And when they discussed what was in the videos, Clark didn’t talk to him like he was an idiot, even when Kon drew a totally wrong conclusion. Kon had loved it because it felt like Clark was talking to Kon like he was a young hero, like he was the person Kon thought he wanted to be, like the person Tim seemed to think he could be.

Kon slept on Clark on the sofa. And Clark woke him by rubbing his back and humming songs until Kon tried to smack him to make the annoying sound stop. Kon hit way, way too hard, but because it was Clark, he didn’t hurt him at all. Clark just laughed and hit back the same amount. It didn’t hurt at all. The type of hit that would break furniture just felt like the friendly slaps on the back Kon had seen the team give each other.

Clark made pancakes for them, which Kon hadn’t had before. They were delicious. While they ate, he heard Clark talk about his childhood with his Ma and Pa. They were the humans who rescued him and raised him into a man with love and support.

“I’m going to call Ma and then we’re going to head out. We’re going to go stay with them for a couple of days.”

“We are?” Kon asked. “Why? Aren’t they older? And they don’t have a lot of money, right? What if I break something? We can’t just replace it.”

“Well, first off, if something does get too broken, I have people I can call to replace it. But that aside, I trust you.”

“You trust me?” Kon was shocked. When Batman came to get him, it was clear Batman didn’t trust him at all. And none of the Justice League seemed willing to argue with Batman, except for Tim, that is.

“I’m sure you’re still figuring out your strength. But none of the Titans reported injury while you were staying with them. You and I can work on finding your limits, but I never broke them when I was a toddler who actually had no control. So yes, I have faith in you.”

Those words warmed his heart and stomach.

“Are they going to be alright with me being there?” Kon felt self-conscious. These people were important to Clark. From his stories, they sounded amazing.

“The second I tell Ma we’re coming, she’s going to fuss at me for not bringing you sooner,” Clark said. “Don’t worry. They’ll love you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they raised me,” Clark said. “Trust me. You’ll understand when you meet them.”

Clark stood and grabbed his phone, which was on his charger on the kitchen counter. He had to bend over to talk on it and not unplug it. They’d run the battery out watching videos. Kon nervously sipped his juice, watching Clark start the call.

“Clark!” Kon heard. Clark didn’t have to put it on speaker for Kon to hear it, after all. There wasn’t exactly a way to make the call private so long as Clark didn’t take it to outer space if Kon really wanted to listen. But Clark didn’t seem like he was trying to hide it.

“Afternoon, Ma.”

“What happened? You never call in the middle of a workday.”

“I’m still off for a day or so. I just got back yesterday. Look, Ma, something- something good’s happened.”

“Did Lois finally propose?”

Clark let out a surprised laugh. “Not that. Not yet.”

“Then what is it?”

“I said good, but it’s complicated too-”

“Clark, just tell me.”

“You have a grandson.”

There was silence on the line. Kon didn’t even bother to breathe.

“What?” Ma asked.

“I’m bringing him to meet you, okay? We’ll be there really soon. I’ll explain in person.”

“Oh, you better. Hurry up, young man.”

“Bye, Ma.” Clark hung up.

“Wow, smooth,” Kon said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Clark said. “I realized halfway through that I shouldn’t talk about these things over the phone.”

“Still. You can leap tall buildings in a single bound. You’d think you’d be able to handle talking to your Ma.” Kon was grinning now.

“You don’t have to hold a conversation with a building before you leap over it, son.” Clark sounded exasperated. He plucked his phone off the charger. “You ready?”

“Is that all you’re taking? Normal people generally pack more things, right?” At least the Titans had. While Kon asked his question, Clark ran around the room, cleaning the kitchen up at an inhuman speed. All of the dishes were cleaned and put away rapidly.

“I have supplies at the farm,” Clark said. “Clothes, toothbrush, all that. I also have supplies in the Fortress and at Batman’s home.”

“Really?”

“It’s better to have a few places that have a stash of supplies. I learned that from Pa, actually.” There was a gentle, happy look in his eyes that made Kon’s chest ache. “Anyway, I know I didn’t bring you back with a change of clothes…”

“They’re in Titan Tower,” Kon said.

“We can go grab them if you want.”

Kon shook his head. “Batman revoked my access.” And he didn’t want to go back when he knew he wasn’t allowed.

“Right,” Clark said. His voice was a little odd, but Kon didn’t have time to examine it before he cleared his throat and continued to speak. “So, can I guess you don’t have a phone, or…”

“Oh, I have one. Tim upgraded it and personalized it so it could stay with me and not get broken.” He smiled at the thought. Tim was so cool. All of the Titans were cool. His smiled dropped, remembering what happened. “Batman confiscated it.”

“Right. Of course, he did,” Clark said. He blew out an annoyed breath. “Well, I’m sure we can have Tim send it to you. He’ll probably want to know you’re alright.”

“Really?”

“I’m not your jailer, Kon,” Clark said. “I mean, I need you to stay with me for now while we sort a few things out.”

“Like what?”

“Like your civilian ID, who you’ll live with and where, school, getting you clothes of your own. Stuff like that. It’s going to take a few days.”

That sounded nice, actually. It sounded normal for a hero anyway.

“Okay. I’ll stay with you for now.” He wasn’t certain that was what he wanted. But he liked the idea more and more since Clark had brought him back to his apartment. Clark trusted him with his secret identity, his home, and even with meeting his parents. Kon wasn’t going to pay that back by being a sneak.

“Good. Now, let’s go to Kansas. I don’t want to keep Ma waiting.”

“Especially after you hung up on her,” Kon teased.

Clark didn’t answer, but he cast Kon a withering look that had Kon grinning in return.

The trip to Kansas took no time at all. There was a pair of elderly white humans on the farmhouse porch waiting to for them when they landed. Kon got a front row seat to Clark looking very uncomfortable.

“Son,” Pa said.

“This is Kon,” Clark said, just biting the bullet before it could bite him. “He’s my clone.”

“Huh,” Pa said in response, neither upset nor sounding exactly pleased.

“Well, looks like you two should come in. Kon, it’s lovely to meet you. Is Kon short for something?” Ma said, putting on a smile.

“Kon-El,” he whispered. Ma swept over and took his hand. She held on with both of her hands for a moment before tucking his hand into the crook of her arm. She tugged him up the stairs and inside.

“Kon-El. That’s lovely. Did Clark give it to you?”

“No ma’am,” Kon said. “My friends did… but Clark said it fit me. So, it’s my name.”

“Good boy,” Ma said. “So, tell me about yourself.”

“Um… well, I’m a clone, of Superman and Lex Luthor. And I was in a CADMUS lab for my whole life until about a month ago when the Teen Titans rescued me. And then I’ve been with them until a couple days ago when Batman found out.”

“And Bruce decided to be paranoid,” Ma said. She patted Kon’s hand. “Are you alright?”

“I… a lot better than I thought I would be,” he admitted. “Clark’s so nice. He pet my hair for hours yesterday and we stayed up late watching videos. And he made me pancakes for breakfast. I’d never had pancakes before today. And they were really good.”

Ma guided him to the kitchen. She nudged him to sit down. “Have you had coffee before?”

“I have,” Kon said. “Tim really likes it a lot.”

“Bruce’s boy? He’s a nice young man,” Pa said. He and Clark and followed them. Pa started getting cups down while Ma started to put water on to heat.

“He’s really cool!” Kon said. “He doesn’t have powers but he’s so smart and he can win spars a lot because he’s always thinking. And he’s great with tech stuff.”

“I’m glad you have friends, son,” Pa said. “We were worried when Clark said we had a grandson. We know how hard it was for Clark.”

“You had a hard time making friends?” Kon asked. He had a hard time believing it.

“I had to not stand out,” Clark said.

“Clark, how long have you known about Kon?” Ma asked.

“About a half hour before I met him yesterday,” Clark said. “Sorry about not calling you yesterday. It was pretty late.”

“We understand,” Pa assured him. He was not putting together a tray of muffins which just smelled delicious. “It was too late to call anyone. And this is something you need to tell in person anyway.”

“Was it too late?” Kon asked. “But you called Phantom.”

“Oh?” Ma sounded very interested.

“Yes. Phantom was cloned as well. And they have a really good relationship… I just want to make sure we’re making the most informed decisions.” He laid a hand on Kon’s shoulder.

“Informed about what?” Ma asked, poking for more information more than anything else.

“Where I’ll live. My civilian identity,” Kon said.

“You have a civilian name picked out yet?” Pa asked. He set the tray of muffins down on the table.

“Well…. My friends said maybe Connell. Because it’s like my Kryptonian name. But I don’t know…”

“Connell’s pretty English, if you ask me,” Pa said.

“And if you do decide to have a non-civilian life, it may make it too easy to link your identities,” Clark said. He squeezed Kon’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, son. I don’t want to take your name from you, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“How about Connor?” Ma suggested before Kon could open his mouth and assure Clark that it was alright.

“Connor?” Kon asked.

“Good American name,” Pa said. “No one will question anything, especially if Superman slips and calls you Kon in public.”

“Connor Kent,” Clark said. The sound shot pleasure down his spine. Oh, that sounded lovely.

“Connor Kent,” he whispered to himself. Then he grinned. “I- I like it. So… that’s my name now?”

“If you want it to be, then yes, it’s yours,” Clark said. Kon had to tip his head up to look at him as he spoke. Clark was smiling too.

“Then I want it.”

“Welcome home, Connor,” Ma said. Kon smiled brighter than he thought was possible.

Kon liked Ma and Pa. (Martha and Jonathan were their real names. He knew that now.) Pa took him and Clark out to help him tinker on some old piece of farm equipment. It was already broken beyond repair, but Clark said it was a good way to practice control when he wasn’t comfortable with his strength. If Kon slipped up, it didn’t matter, because it was already ruined. So, Kon got to learn about machines and how to use them, all while hearing Clark and Pa gossip about people in town.

When it got later, Kon was sent inside to help Ma cook. That was when the drone carrying Kon’s phone arrived. He popped a quick message to Tim and got absorbed in discussions with Ma. She let him ramble on for over an hour about Tim and the Titans. She showed him how to chop vegetables more efficiently than he’d learned in Titan Tower. She also showed him how to set a table and lectured him about different place settings. It was really interesting.

Dinner was delicious. Then they sat in the living room and watched a movie. Kon got to sleep in the guest room. The sheets were clean and smelled so good. The farmhouse felt so homey. He didn’t know where he wanted to stay yet, but he knew he could be happy there.

The next day Clark took Kon out to part of the field to work off some steam. It wasn’t really a strength test. It was a bit of light wrestling. Really, Kon just felt energized afterward, but also less like he needed to go-go-go. He took a shower afterwards and helped Ma make breakfast. He helped Ma make all of the meals that day.

It was just pleasant. They liked him so fast. They told him they loved him, and he believed them. Clark looked so happy when they said it too. It was a good trip. He wanted to see them again as soon as they left. But he was more excited to go to Amity Park. He’d heard from Pa just how much Clark had looked up to Phantom when Clark was still young. He was going to get to meet Clark’s hero, and that was really exciting.

They arrived in a designated landing area Amity Park had for visiting supers. It was clear, which Clark said was because Phantom cleared it so that Clark and Kon could visit as civilians. Once they were inside Amity Park proper, Kon was grateful for the thoughtfulness. Amity Park wasn’t big like metropolis, but there was something about it. A sound, a scent, a flavor in the air. It was death itself. But everyone just seemed so normal about it. He could tell the feel of the place affected Clark too, but he was much better at hiding it. The place already felt weird. It felt like the buildings were staring at them. He didn’t want to stand out anymore than they already might be just by being outsiders.

“Mr. Kent, over here!” There was a tallish black male human, likely in his late 20s or early 30s. He approached then with an easy smile, that went with his style which Kon thought Tim might call “Fresh”.

“Mr. Manson-Foley. It’s good to see you again,” Clark said.

“Glad you’re here. We got a surprise guest yesterday. He insisted you’d be here today.”

“A guest?” Clark asked.

“Tim Drake, the tiny terror,” Manson-Foley said.

“Tim’s here?” Kon asked. A wide smile spread across his face. Of course, Tim would come to him. Tim was good like that.

“He showed up yesterday. My wife loves him and is almost ready to petition for custody.” Manson-Foley’s smile got fond and warm. His heartbeat sped up just a little. He loved his wife, Kon realized.

“And what do you think?” Clark asked.

“Kid’s a tech genius and if I didn’t know he wouldn’t leave Gotham, I’d try to convince him to stay.” He looked fond again, and he laughed. He liked Tim, which just raised Kon’s opinion about the man a lot more.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Manson-Foley,” Kon said. Ma had told him how to introduce himself, but Kon had gotten so caught up when he heard Tim’s name that he forgot for a moment. “I’m Kon- Connor Kent.”

“Connor Kent, huh? Well, you can call me Tucker. It’s good to meet you. You prefer Connor or Kon?”

“Kon’s easier,” Kon said.

“Yeah, but what do you prefer?” Tucker just looked at him patiently. Kon’s cheeks heated.

“Um… I’d like to go with my civilian name for now.”

“Well then, Connor. Let me take you to your friend. He’s hanging with my friends at Nasty Burger.”

“Is the food bad?”

“It’s just the name of the restaurant,” Clark explained. He laid a hand on Kon’s shoulder. “Come on, son. I know you want to see Tim again.”

Kon’s face heated more. He was pretty obvious, huh? Well, Tim had stayed with him as much as possible since Kon was rescued. He was a really good friend and Kon always was happier when he was spending time with him. Tim was important to him.

“This way,” Tucker said. He turned and guided them through the city. It wasn’t a short walk to the Nasty Burger, but Kon didn’t mind as much. The city still felt like it was watching them, but it didn’t feel as threatening about it.

Clark and Tucker spoke as they walked. Clark was asking Tucker about his business, and Tucker seemed happy to chatter. Kon felt left out. He wasn’t ignored, Clark still had his hand on his shoulder and he’d flash him a smile from time to time. Kon didn’t actually want to contribute either. He didn’t feel like Tucker or Clark were trying to talk over his head. Kon knew what that felt like very well. No, it was that Clark sounded so smart when he was asking questions, and Tucker sounded so smart when he answered.

At one point, Tucker laughed and accused Clark of grilling him for an article. Clark laughed in response and told him he could do that if he wanted, and then turned up the heat on the questions. Tucker just seemed delighted. Clark remembered the things Tucker said and happily brought them back up to try and trip Tucker up. He didn’t have to write everything down to remember either. And Tucker was clearly super smart. He sounded like Tim when Tim was explaining some bit of tech. Of course, Tucker liked Tim because they were smart about the same thing.

As Kon listened, he just felt his own age so much. Not his biological age, but his chronological age. He felt like a child. He had so few experiences to relate to what they were talking about. Kon wasn’t programmed or built to be stupid, but he didn’t know about tech stuff. His phone was still a new and exciting little gadget to him. But Clark and Tucker and Tim and all of Kon’s other friends had lived and breathed technology their whole lives. Even Ma and Pa knew so much more than him.

Tucker and Clark weren’t trying to leave Kon out at all. But Kon was just aware of the fact that he’d been made and raised in a lab. His skills came from implanted memories, which basically just taught him how to fight and do basic skills of life, like bathing or reading. Most of his real memories were of cold people treating him like less than an animal, less than a thing, and then one month of friendship and safety with people who saw him as a person. He picked tech stuff up quickly, but he hadn’t had time to develop and idea of what he really liked. There was nothing he was passionate about, at least not the way Tim and Tucker were passionate about tech, and the way Clark was passionate about journalism and seeking the truth.

He'd worked himself into a sad little funk by the time they arrived at the Nasty Burger. There really wasn’t anyone else there except a large table where one man and three women sat, along with Tim, who had a big smile on his face as he spoke quickly to the one black woman at the table. Tim looked happy. Kon’s funk eased instantly. He broke away from Clark’s touch and flew, literally flew over to Tim, wrapping his arms around him.

“Tim! You’re here!”

“Kon! Are you okay?” Tim wriggled himself around and grabbed Kon’s face. He started to run his eyes and hands across Kon’s face and body, checking for any sign of injury. Kon laughed and just dragged Tim against his chest in a tighter hug.

“I’m fine. I’m fine! Ma and Pa are so nice, and Clark’s so cool! Ma showed me how to bake a pie! I’ll have to cook for you later.”

He felt Tim go limp in his arms for a second, and a relieved sigh pass his lips. Then he threw his arms around Kon’s neck and squeezed him as hard as he could.

“There weren’t any aftereffects from the cell?”

“No, they cleared up once I left,” Kon said. His chest ached with how fond he felt of his friend.

“Good,” Tim said. He pulled back to look at Kon. “Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t respond to my messages.”

“Ah… I just got caught up,” Kon said. He pulled back as well to look at Tim, only to realize he was hovering above the table. He quickly sunk them down to the ground. He cast his eyes to Clark guiltily.

“It’s fine,” Clark said. “Everyone here already knows about us.”

“You don’t have to worry,” the one man at the table said. He had his arm around the woman Tim had been speaking with earlier. Kon’s entire being screamed out when he saw him. This man wasn’t human, not entirely, not enough. He was powerful and dangerous. He had white skin, black hair, and blue eyes. He had the type of look Tim had jokingly called “Batman Adoption Bait” before. But he was an adult, and he wasn’t human. He wasn’t even alien. He wasn’t like Kon or Clark or M'gann.

“What?” Kon asked weakly.

“Everyone in town knows to keep their mouth shut, especially because we get young heroes often enough,” the man said. “My name’s Danny. You probably know me as Phantom.”

“Oh,” Kon said. He knew his eyes had to be huge. How could Clark even stand to be near Phantom? He was making Kon’s senses go crazy.

The woman Danny had his arm around laughed. “He’s giving you the same fish look Clark gave when he first met you.”

“I wasn’t that bad, Val,” Clark said. He pulled up a seat at the table and sat down.

“You were absolutely that bad,” the one pregnant woman at the table said. She’d been sitting on Tim’s other side. Tucker had settled next to her and was now holding her hand. So, that had to be his wife.

“Your memories are faulty,” Clark insisted.

“Not that faulty,” the last person at the table said. She looked just like Danny, but a little younger and very obviously a woman. She felt similar to Phantom, very similar, but she didn’t set Kon’s senses off nearly as badly.

“Are you Ellie?” Kon guessed.

“Ding ding ding,” Ellie said with a big smile. “Am I as bad?”

“No,” Kon said. “But you smell the same…. Ah, that sounds creepy, doesn’t it?”

“It would from anyone else,” Tim said from the place at Kon’s side. Kon still had an arm around him, but Tim didn’t seem to be upset about that.

“Yeah, well, Danny’s way, way stronger than me,” Ellie said. “You and I are going to have a long convo later, after we’ve had food.”

“Yeah,” Danny said. “Sorry about my whole everything. I know I’m a lot.”

“That’s not your fault,” Kon said quickly. “I apologize for freaking out. It’s just…”

“You’ve never met a more powerful predator before,” Clark supplied. “They are right that I freaked out a little bit too, the first time I was here.”

“It’s normal for anyone with enhanced senses, apparently,” Tim said, sounding excited.

Danny chuckled. “You should see the way some people flip out. It’s pretty funny. You did a pretty good job not running away.”

Kon’s face was pretty red at those words. “Am I going to live this down?”

“Eh, Clark’s an adult, that’s why we tease him,” Tucker’s wife said. “Now, I’m Sam Manson-Foley. You met Tuck. And that’s Danny, of course, Danny Gray, and his wife Valerie Gray.” She indicated the woman that Tim had been speaking with.

“You’ll probably know me as Red Huntress,” Valerie said.

“And I’m Danielle Fenton, but just call me Ellie or El. Everyone does,” Ellie said cheerfully. “Now, we didn’t get your name.”

“Oh, I didn’t say. I’m Connor Kent, and I’d prefer to be called Connor… except by Clark and Tim. They can still call me Kon.” Kon turned his gaze down to Tim and grinned.

“Connor Kent, huh?” Tim asked, a look of affection on his face.

“I’m Kon-El too, but for a civilian name, Ma and Pa thought Connor would be good. And I really like it.”

Tim beamed at him. “I like it too. B’s already got it on the paperwork trail he’s building for you.”

Kon’s smile dropped. “He’s what?”

“I called his yesterday,” Clark said, drawing Kon’s attention again. “I told him I didn’t know if you’d like to be considered my son or cousin, so it’s not finished yet. But B’s the best at this kind of thing.”

“Why would he help me?” Kon asked. “He hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you-” Clark started.

“Because Clark asked,” Tim said. He sounded pissed. Kon winced. Shit, he hadn’t meant to make things awkward between him as Batman.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Clark said again more firmly this time. “He’s just very cautious.”

“Paranoid. He’s paranoid,” Tim said.

“Weren’t you the one that said his paranoia was right a lot?” Kon asked. That seemed to bring Tim up short. “We don’t know that there might not be something in my head.”

“We’ll actually check that today,” Danny said.

“You will? You can do that?” Kon asked.

“Yeah. I’m going to take you and Clark to a friend of mine. He’s really good with healing stuff.”

“You didn’t exactly tell me much about this friend of yours,” Clark said. “But we’re going to the Infinite Realms, right?”

“Yeah, his name is Frostbite. He really knows healing. He’ll be able to find it if there’s a problem, and get it out,” Danny said. “Don’t worry. He’s patched me up from worse stuff. All of us really.” He flashed a smile. “Connor, how about you sit down. Did you eat before you got here?”

“We did,” Kon said.

Danny was still grinning. “You feel like you could eat more?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, then let me order you a Nasty Breakfast Burger. I promise you’ll be ruined for any other burger after that.”

“I still think a Batburger’s got to be better,” Tim said. He pulled away from Kon and nudged him to go sit in the empty seat near Clark. Kon went where he was directed.

He didn’t like being quite so far away from Tim. But he didn’t mind when the meal progressed and Tim went back to excitedly asking Valerie questions. She was also a hero with no powers who had been a hero longer than Batman. So of course, Tim wanted to ask her a ton of questions. He was pretty relaxed, and so was Clark, even once the waitstaff came to give them their food.

Kon still had a lot of complicated feelings. He probably would for a while. And he didn’t know what he wanted yet. But he also felt like maybe, just maybe, that he’d be able to work things out here in Amity. He trusted Clark a lot, and he trusted Tim more than anyone, and both of them trusted these people. And he was really excited to get a chance to talk to Ellie later. He was hopeful that things would go okay.

Chapter Text

Bruce’s therapist made house calls. That was one of the rules he’d set when he agreed to start seeing her nine years ago. He already knew she could keep secrets, but he didn’t trust the integrity of her offices, especially once she started working at Arkham Asylum, and even once she started seeing other outside patients as well and had to maintain an office in midtown. It also wouldn’t do for Bruce Wayne to be seen going to a doctor from Arkham. Really, it hadn’t been that long since being seen going to a therapist at all was perceived as a weakness that would practically be like throwing chum in the water.

Bruce called her the day after Tim left. Alfred told him that Tim had arrived safely and Bruce called his therapist. She couldn’t come until the day after, but that was fine. She had her own boundaries that she set, one of which was that she would never be at his beck and call.

Alfred showed her down to the Cave. Sometimes Bruce had their session in the upstairs part of the house, but he really didn’t want to be up in the empty manor at that moment.

“I hope the trip was uneventful,” he said.

“It was fine, just plenty of time to over think,” she said. She walked over to the chair he’d already brought down for her. Alfred would be down with some snacks shortly, so this was just the small talk part of the session.

“What are we over thinking about today, Dr. Fenton?” he asked, pulling on a little smile.

He liked Jasmine Fenton. Despite what Clark may think he knew, Bruce knew all about Phantom and his team. He’d had a source from the inside for longer than Clark did, for over ten years, actually. He’d helped fund Dr. Fenton’s education, and even helped her get the position in Arkham himself.

Jazz let out a big, big sigh. “They won’t let me work on Dr. Quinzel’s case.”

“Ah,” Bruce said. “I’m not surprised. You’re both friends.”

“I’m also the most effective person there,” she said.

“Well, so far Arkham’s psychiatric has produced two super villains,” Bruce pointed out.

“Crane was doing questionable research before he got there,” she said. “He just started experimenting on the patience to further his research. And I warned them about putting Dr. Quinzel with the Joker alone, and they didn’t listen.”

“Yes,” Bruce said. He’d heard her bitch about her superiors as good bit. Jazz was great at bitching, and she liked having a good bitch session with Bruce, which he always enjoyed, even when she was bitching about him to his face.

“Yes? Is that all you’re going to say.”

“You’re their best therapist for a reason. And you’ve been there the longest of the hirers since Batman started sending people there.”

“That’s because I have an unfair advantage.”

“Heroes die all the time,” he said. “Having practice from a young age doesn’t guarantee survival.” And he knew that was bitter certainty.

“Well, I wasn’t a full hero. I’m also a little bit liminal. They can’t kill me easily, and my martial arts training and the creep stick does the rest.”

Bruce chuckled. One day he’d convince Jazz to let him have one of her parents Fenton Anti-Creep Sticks. So far it had just been a fun game between the two of them. “I swear the league should hirer you. You’d be a terrifying assassin.”

“Mr. al Ghul is just afraid that I’ll convince him to give up his wicked ways,” she said, looking smug.

Bruce bit his bottom lip to try and control a smile, especially when he heard the elevator ding. Alfred returned with a tray with tea and snacks. It gave Bruce a moment to control himself. Honestly, he suspected Jazz’s theory may be right. She had such a good track record with almost every patient in her care. Only the most stubborn (Crane and Joker, for instance) were truly resistant to her work. She also had cases where her patients made real breakthroughs and then some moron on the board of directors would decide to move her to another case or would move around who had to be cellmates next to Crane and Joker and suddenly there would be a terrible relapse. Neither Bruce nor Jazz could figure out if there was active sabotage or just incredible incompetence at play. Honestly, it could be either or both, knowing Gotham.

“So,” Jazz said once Alfred was gone, and she had a cup of tea settled in her hands. “How is my most stubborn patient?”

“I thought Crane was your most stubborn patient,” Bruce said conversationally.

“First of all, you know I don’t talk about my clients,” she said. “Second of all, you know Crane’s more creative than that. He at least tries new things.”

“I try new things,” Bruce said defensively.

Jazz raised one brow. “You seem very determined to make the same mistakes regularly, Bruce Wayne. Please at least come up with a more convincing lie.”

Bruce let out a heavy sigh. This was the other reason he liked her. She knew him. She’d been fighting things scarier than him since she was a teenager. She never backed down, no matter how angry or combative Bruce could get. But this wasn’t one of those combative days.

“I had a fight with Tim,” he said.

“A fight like you chewed him out for something that wasn’t his fault or which he couldn’t have known about and then he accepted your words and pulled out a miracle, or a fight like you and Dick fight?”

“Me and Dick. Hell, he reminded me of Jason a little bit there. Scared the hell out of me.” He smiled just a little at the memory. He couldn’t help being proud of Tim. He liked following Bruce’s orders, but he’d been willing to say “no, you’re wrong” to Batman from the moment they met before Tim was even Robin.

Jazz’s expression went softer. “What happened?”

“He’s in Amity right now,” Bruce said. “We fought and he just… he didn’t say that was where he was going, but he promised not to leave the country.”

“So, he danced around your wounds again rather than running into them. But that doesn’t explain what happened.”

“Superman’s been cloned.” And this was also why he could talk to her. Nothing could get her secrets out of her. He could talk about a lot of things with her that he couldn’t talk about with anyone else.

“Ooo. Yeah, Danny called me and said they were having special guests.”

“Well, that would be Superman and Kon-El,” Bruce stated.

“And Tim went to Amity as well?”

“Kon is his friend. His really close friend. I’m about 98% certain they’ll be dating before the year is over.” Bruce covered his face with his hands and groaned. “Not that it’s a problem. I’m not-”

“The number of men you’ll admit to sleeping with to me tells me that’s not the problem. It’s the whole clone thing.”

“It’s not even that. If Superman had gotten cloned on purpose to have a kid, I wouldn’t have a problem.” Jazz raised an eyebrow. “Much,” he amended.

“Then what’s the issue?”

“Lex Luthor had Superman cloned, and he mixed his own DNA in, so there’s a half Lex Luthor, half Superman clone running around. He’s only been safely away from the lab he was made and abused in for a month. He hasn’t been tested enough. We don’t really know if he’s safe.”

“You don’t trust him.”

“I don’t know him enough to trust him. And even if I did, I’d still be worried because we don’t know how he was made. The Titans destroyed the CADMUS lab on their way out. It covered their tracks and meant that Lex shouldn’t just be able to make another clone, but it also means we don’t know how he was made.”

“So you had to test him.” Jazz’s words were calm. She was listening and not making judgement, yet anyway.

“Yes. He needs to be tested more than I could manage in the time he was at the Watchtower, before Superman came and collected him.”

He gripped his hands into fists and then let them go.

“Bruce,” Jazz said. “You’re a smart man. I need you to be painfully honest right now. Tell me out loud as directly as you can manage why you feel paranoid about Kon-El.”

“Because I don’t believe Superman and Tim can be impartial. They have big hearts. Everything I know about Kon-El says he’s a loveable young man. Tim doesn’t make connections like that, not that quickly. I’m not even certain Kon-El would be capable of knowingly manipulating Tim.”

“Bruce,” Jazz said, her voice gentle and firm.

“Because someone has to be paranoid. Someone has to be the bad guy. And it’s better if I’m the one. I’m not his friend or potential parent. And I have the reputation. My paranoia isn’t going to rip apart the Justice League. Everyone knows how I’m like. This way, Kon-El has a chance of having friends and a family and we can still be certain that he’s actually safe, that he’s honest and no one is controlling him.”

Jazz’s expression had shifted as he spoke. She was giving him the sad, complicated look that she gave him when she was about to call him a self-sacrificing moron.

“Well?” he asked.

“You already know what I’m going to say, Bruce,” Jazz said. “You’re a self-sacrificing moron, and it’s what gets in the way of your relationships, even more so than your stubborn insistence that you’re right.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I did know you were going to say that.”

“It would have been better to talk to Tim about this, tell him that you wanted him to be right and this way there wouldn’t be a questions.”

“Well, Superman said he asked you brother to get Kon-El checked out.”

“So, he’s going to see Frostbite. Don’t worry, if that happens, then you’ll truly know for certain. I’ll even call Danny and tell him to invite Technus as well. Between the two, they’ll have cover everything. Then you’ll know.”

“Then we’ll know,” Bruce said.

“You need to call and talk to your son,” She added. “Ask about Kon-El and how is trip is going. The boy isn’t a mind reader. You’re putting off the vibe that you hate his friend who he’s clearly very close to.”

“Won’t it be better to wait until we can speak in person?”

Jazz gave a thoroughly unimpressed look. “Bruce, when has that ever, ever worked? Has that ever worked with Dick?”

Bruce squirmed. “Well, not really.”

“How did that work with telling him about Jason?”

Bruce stiffened. He hadn’t told Dick about Jason’s death or funeral. He told him in person when he got back from his outer space mission. If there was anything that should be broken to someone in person, it was the death of a family member. But Dick had been furious at not being informed earlier. Thinking back, Bruce should have called him to come home.

“Badly,” he said.

“And how did it work with Jason?”

“Badly,” he said automatically. Jason was very patient with him in a lot of ways, but even he had his limits. Bruce pushed him too hard, and well…

“You need to work this out in person, but you also need to make a move before he gets home. You don’t want the resentment to build all the time he’s away.”

“Alright,” Bruce said. “You’re right.”

“I know I am.”

“Jazz,” he said carefully. “About… about Jason. About what you offered.”

“Do you want me to speak to Danny?”

“No… no, not yet. But it’s… it’s still on the table, right?” His chest ached just asking the question.

After Jason’s death, Bruce refused to call Jazz until she just showed up at his house and Alfred locked him in a room with her. They got drunk and they talked. Back then she offered to have Danny go find Jason, check on him, see how he was doing, maybe give Bruce a chance to say goodbye.

But Bruce said no then. She said it was an open offer.

Now he just checked from time to time that the offer was still open. It had been so many years, but he didn’t feel ready. Knowing Jason was dead, having held his broken body, having buried him, none of it felt as final as speaking to Jason’s ghost. For all the closure it may bring him, as long as he didn’t speak to Jason’s ghost, then he could still believe Jason would just walk through the front door one day. He wasn’t ready to let go of that yet.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“Thank you… I know I should, but-”

“You don’t have to,” Jazz said. “Danny brought our Aunt Alicia to us after she passed. We’d lived around ghosts for so long by that point, but none of us handled it well. For some of the people in Amity, they love being able to live near the people they love who had passed. For others it’s too painful. My dad adjusted to Aunt Alicia and treats her almost exactly the same, but my mother can’t look at her at all. And I’m not much better than her, while I know Danny and Ellie both spend time with her in the Ghost Zone. If you aren’t ready, then you aren’t ready. I’m not going to force you to ever, ever do this.”

“I should at least see if your brother will check on him… but…”

“But then you’ll know,” Jazz said. “I get it. Death never gets easy, even for those of us who are liminal. I still grieve Danny sometimes. He’s so powerful and brilliant and happy. But most of his dreams died with him. Sometimes I see him, and I just wish he’d never half-died. I wish he was whole and mortal. And some days I’m so happy for him that I can barely contain it. And all of us on the Team feel the same, even Ellie. Grief never goes away; we just learn to carry it. But sometimes the burden weighs down on us too heavily.”

Bruce nodded. “I know… I do know… You know, it’s funny. It just occurred to me that I never asked about if you could do the same with my parents.”

“Huh… you know, it never occurred to me to offer.” She offered an abashed smile. “Would you like me to?”

“No, but I’d like it if you can ask your brother to find them and see if they’ll find Jason and take care of him.”

Jazz smiled. “I can do that, Bruce.”

Bruce felt a little lighter. His parents would love Jason, and Jason wouldn’t be alone that way. It turned out there may be something he could do for Jason even after his death.

“Thank you, Jazz. Really, I mean it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Bruce.” She offered a kind, warm expression in return.

“I have… one more question for you. It’s about Tim.”

“What is it?”

“With what happened with his parents, and now with his dad back… do you think maybe you could talk to him? If I can convince him to see you, that is.”

“How are you going to convince him?” she asked.

Bruce’s cheeks warmed. He cleared his throat. “Oh, well, I… I’m going to tell him I see you are well, and that you’re safe.”

“Bruce! I never thought you’d admit to therapy.” Alfred knew as a matter of course, but otherwise, no one knew at all.

“Well… maybe it’s not actually my ambition to be your most stubborn patient.” Bruce tossed a teasing smile her direction. She responded with a laugh.

“Well, it’s certainly a welcome change.”

Bruce was about to say something about actually trying this time when the batcomputer started to beep furiously.

“I… sorry,” he said.

“Take the call,” Jazz said. She was tense now, looking at the screen.

Bruce stood and made his way to the computer, hitting the accept button.

“Batman,” he answered.

“Batman, it’s Oracle.” Well, that wasn’t good.

“You know I have this time set aside.”

“I know,” she said. “But something’s happened and I didn’t think you’d want to wait.”

“Well, what is it?”

“The alias Red Hood is active again,” she said. That sent cold dread down into his stomach. “There’s more… This new Red Hood made his mark by dropping off a duffle bag of severed heads of mob lieutenants and declared war on Black Mask.”

“Send me everything you have,” Bruce said.

“Already done. I’ll call you back when I have any new information. Oracle out.”

She hung up, leaving Bruce with a computer downloading a file about a bag of severed heads, and his therapist standing behind him.

“I’m sorry, but I have to end our session early,” he said.

“I understand,” Jazz said. “Would you like me to stay for a while?”

“It’s going to be bloody.”

“My brother’s half dead and I spent years in and out of the land of the dead. I also frequently spend time with the who’s-who of your villains.” Her voice was dry as the desert.

“Alright,” Bruce said, realizing he’d been a bit foolish. “I could use the company.”

“Good,” she said. “And this way I’ll be here to remind you to call Tim.”

Tim- hell, he’d forgotten the second he got Oracle’s call.

“Thank you.” His voice was short, but he meant what he said.

He sat down at the computer and started to work, looking at the pictures, footage and information Oracle had already gathered. He heard Jazz push one of the chairs over and sit at his side. He was grateful for her presence, especially once he got the pictures up.

Bruce had become desensitized to violence, but occasionally something would happen that would just shock him all over again. He’d feel the way he did the very second time he saw someone die, even though he’d seen so many dead at this point in his life. In a way, it was a relief to be reminded he hadn’t totally lost his humanity in his pursuit of justice. Still, shock and disgust wasn’t going to help him right now, except to slow him down. Jazz’s presence at his side was a warm reminder that he didn’t have to deal with everything alone.

Chapter Text

Kon and Clark were going to be staying at the Manson-Foleys with Tim. They had more spare rooms than Danny and Valerie did. Still, most of the breakfast group (minus Tucker and Sam, who had a doctor’s appointment they couldn’t miss) made their way over to the Gray household after they’d eaten. It was only for Clark and Kon’s privacy, since it was becoming increasingly clear that everyone who actually lived in Amity knew all about Danny Gray.

The Gray’s owned a building which had probably been a duplex or an apartment building but was now a home. It was a lovely brownstone, which probably had buildings on either side at once point, but now just had a garden and a wrought iron fence. It looked like a picture out of a book. There was ivy climbing up the side of the building and everything. At the top, in a neat cursive script, in purple neon was the word “Grayhaven”.

“Your home looks lovely,” Tim said politely.

“Thanks kid. I swear, my dad probably spends more time making it looks good than Danny or I. Speaking of-” She paused to let them in the front door.

Immediately there was the scream of children and the patter of little feet. A pair of children came running at them. A little girl, maybe about five, and a boy who was about three. They were shouting “Mommy, Daddy!” and threw themselves at Danny and Valerie. Literally. The pair of them jumped higher than humans were supposed to be able to jump and the little girl floated gently into Danny’s arms, while Valerie caught the boy before he could turn himself into a cannon ball.

“Welcome back,” an older black man said as he rounded a corner. “I take it breakfast went well.”

“Pretty well, Damon,” Danny said. “Thanks for watching the kids today.”

“It’s hardly a problem to spend time with my grandbabies. And this way I don’t have to worry about what your parents are letting them get into.”

Danny let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I’d swear they weren’t this bad when I was a kid, but I know they were way worse. At least the food in the fridge doesn’t come back to life anymore.”

Damon shuddered. “There’s that much.”

“Dad, you mind watching the kids a little bit longer? We had to do some lab stuff, I’m afraid.”

“But you just got home,” the girl said.

“Princess, you act like we didn’t just see you right before breakfast,” Danny said. The girl pouted. “Stella, come on,” he said.

“But lab stuff means ghost stuff, an’ that means the zone. I wanna go see Dora.”

“I wanna see Writer,” the boy said.

“I don’t mind watching them,” Damon said. “Ursa’s still asleep anyway.”

“Sorry babies,” Valerie said. “We’re dealing with other people’s secrets today. You know what we say about other people’s secrets, right?”

“We don’t tell em. We don’t hear em.” The pair said.

“Good,” Valerie said. “Now, go with grandpa. Daddy and I will bring you to the Zone this evening, okay?”

“Can we see me?” the boy asked, confusingly.

Danny laughed. Clearly he knew what his son meant, even if Kon had no idea. “Sure, we can do that.” He settled Stella down and nudged her along while the boy cheered. Damon was able to take him from his mother. He got the pair to go back down the hall and out of sight.

“So, three kids now?” Clark asked.

“Yeah, you met Stella and Orion and of course, Ursa’s asleep right now. She’s really a baby.”

“You’re really good with them. I’m guessing Danny got to pick all the names?” He turned his gaze toward Valerie, and she shook her head.

“Stella was a cute name, of course. And Danny swore that if we named him Orion, we could call him Rion (pronounced Ryan). But we end up calling him Ori a lot. And I actually picked Ursa.”

“Cause, she likes watching Star Wars with the kids,” Danny said with a big grin. Valerie elbowed him in the side.

“In any case,” Valerie said. “Let’s head down to the lab.”

“You have a lab?” Tim asked. “I heard Fenton Works had a lab, but-”

“Oh, they definitely do,” Ellie cut in. “I live with them about half the time. They also end up housing some of our more permanent young hero move-ins. They have one of three stable portals to the Infinite Realms in town down in their basement.”

“Did you say three portals?” Tim asked, his voice now a bit strained.

“Yeah, there’s my parents,” Danny said. “Then we have one, and then there’s the one in the Fruit Loop’s old house. The only other stable portal that I know of is in Wisconsin.”

“Why Wisconsin?” Kon asked.

“Because that’s where Vlad’s other house is,” Danny said. “Vlad was the ghost who tried to like takeover everything when I was a kid. He’s still in outer space time-out. Anyway, he’d made me his legal heir, because he’s creepy as hell. And since he is proverbially and legally dead, I got his place here in Amity and in Wisconsin. My parents babysit their own portal, and of course we take care of ours. The one at Vlad’s place is guarded by people with anti-ghost tech, but the Ghoul-School uses it. We still run checks, but it’s secure.”

“And the one in Wisconsin?” Kon asked curiously.

“Justice League Dark handles that one,” Clark said. “I understand that Constantine is considered one of its major nannies.”

“If he ever wants to be allowed at the Ghoul-School, he better stay that way,” Danny said with a smirk.

They were guided to an elevator, which took them down to a basement lab. Kon tensed up immediately, but almost as immediately, Clark laid a hand on his shoulder and Tim took his hand.

The Gray Lab was nothing like the lab he’d been made and raised in. For one thing, the floor was made of a florescent green tile, the color of Phantom’s eyes. For another, there were multiple posters on the wall behind protective covering. The color scheme seemed to be green, black, white and red. The colors of Phantom and Red Huntress. The lab also had both Phantom and Valerie’s gear there.

“Why a green floor?” Tim asked from his side.

“We’ve spilled so much ectoplasm on the floor that it was just easier to infuse the tiles with the stuff,” Danny said. “So, it sucks up the ectoplasm and leaves any contaminants which we can clean up easier. If the floors get too full, I just send some back to the Zone.”

“It looks really cool,” Kon said, startling himself.

He realized he liked how the lab looked. It was still a lab, which made him tense and nervous. But it also wasn’t anything like the CADMUS lab. This was a place where people lived. The dangerous things were locked up because there were kids, even though the kids had that odd smell of death on them too. Kon felt certain they had inherited some of their father’s powers. This was a place that looked like fun, a place he would bet Valeria and Danny brought their kids sometimes, and therefore it was safe.

Despite the way his heart started pounding, Kon felt better too. He was scared, but it was because of a place that couldn’t hurt him anymore. The longer he stood in the Gray Lab, the more Kon was able to relax.

“Uh-oh,” Ellie said. “The Fenton Speeder isn’t here.”

“Ah,” Danny said and then slapped his forehead. “Can you go get it for me, El?”

“Already on it,” Ellie said. Rings of light formed around her middle, then separated and moved over her, changing her from mostly human looking to the Ellie Kon had seen on the videos, with the white hair and the crop top and wide legged pants.

Ellie smacked a button on the big door on the wall, which opened to reveal swirling green death. She jumped up, her legs transforming into a tail and she doze right into the green. Kon slammed a hand over his mouth.

“What is that?” Kon asked.

“That’s the Infinite Realms,” Val said.

“It feels awful,” Kon heard himself whine.

“That’s why we sent Ellie to get the speeder,” Danny said.

“Also, why you guys are getting Fenton-patented lab suits,” Val added. She tossed three bundles, one for each of them. “You don’t have to be suited up. The Infinite Realms aren’t going to hurt you, but it can feel funny for a normal human, let alone you two. Those go over your clothes, don’t worry.”

Kon exchanged a look with Clark and Tim. Tim shrugged and started to pull it on over his body. Kon quickly did the same. The suit went on easily and fit to his body in a way that didn’t make sense given that he was wearing clothes and no one here had taken his measurements. But it was comfortable and easy to move in. He could also feel that there was a lining which blocked some of his abilities. It was weird, but he’d been experimented on with worse blockers. He was pretty sure Lex Luthor had tested some anti-Superman stuff on him as the guinea pig.

The point was he knew when stuff was blocking his powers and it never felt great, but this wasn’t like the Kryptonite-laced medical room. He just felt muted. But honestly, with the bad vibes he was getting from the portal, he was grateful not to feel so much.

A small space ship (or large golf cart, as Tim whispered under his breath) emerged from the portal. Ellie popped out from the side door.

“Okie dokie kiddos. Let’s get this show on the road,” she said, clapping her hands cheerfully.

“Right. Going ghost,” Danny said loudly, lifting his hands as rings identical to the ones Ellie used encircled him, changing him from Danny Gray to the recognizable face of Phantom.

“Do you say that every time you transform?” Tim asked from Kon’s side.

“Ah!” Danny rubbed his neck and let out an embarrassed laugh. “When I first got my powers, I wasn’t good at controlling them. And there wasn’t anyone I could learn from. So, I just did whatever worked. I change silently, but I’m so used to “going ghost” that I just do it automatically unless I consciously decide not too.”

“It’s cute a dorky, just like Danny,” Val said. Kon glanced her direction and then did a double take. She was now wearing a fitted red suit. Her helmet was off while she quickly wrapped her hair with deft movements that came from many, many years of repetition. Once her hair was settled, she pulled her helmet on.

“Do you all have villain attacks while you’re in the Infinite Realms?” Tim asked, clearly eyeing Val’s suit with an itchy curiosity and enthusiasm. Kon’s mouth twitched. Tim was a dork too, but it really was cute.

“Most of my villains are my subjects, so they know not to get too funny when I’m away,” Danny said.

“Wait, your what?” Kon asked.

“I second that question,” Clark said from his place behind Kon.

“Wait, I didn’t tell you?” Danny asked, his eyes getting big. He looked a lot like a cute bunny in car headlights.

“When we were kids, Danny beat the old Ghost King in single combat and inherited the title,” Valerie said. “Everyone who lives here was around for it, so it’s easy to forget we haven’t told people. And honestly, we don’t want it getting out.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Clark said. “Right boys?” There was a lot of stress and pressure on those words.

“Yeah, right, we won’t,” Kon said. “Honest.”

“Absolutely will not tell,” Tim added. Kon didn’t know if that was exactly true, but Tim would find a loophole to get the information to anyone he wanted to share it with. It just kind of came back down to if he felt like sharing with Batman or not.

“Right, anyway, load up kiddos,” Ellie said, heading right back to the driver’s seat.

They piled in and Ellie took off before they even had their seatbelts on. Not that it seemed to matter once they were inside the portal. Physics didn’t seem to work like normal inside the infinite realms. To start with, everything was pretty green. For another, it felt really bad, like death itself was itching to bite Kon’s ass. Still, Kon couldn’t imagine how bad it would be without the muffling effects of the suit and the Fenton Speeder.

“The trip won’t take long,” Danny said. “Look, there’s where we’re headed.” He pointed out what looked like a frozen ice mountain.

“Neat,” Kon said, then dropped his gaze. Was this what being car sick felt like? If it was, no wonder people hated it.

Clark dropped his hand on his shoulder and began rubbing in slow circles. Kon let out an uncomfortable whimper. He knew that he shouldn’t be acting like a tubbie, that Clark had to be feeling so much worse, but he felt awful and he wanted to be comforted. Clark’s touch was comforting. Kon just imagined going back to Clark’s place, snuggling on the couch, watching videos. That image helped him keep his breakfast down while they traveled to their destination.

“Well,” Ellie said when they landed. “It looks like we won’t be staying for a tour.”

“We won’t,” Danny said. “Sorry, Connor. We’ll get you out of here as fast as we can.”

“I’m okay,” Kon said. “I need to know nothing’s in my head.” Batman would be angry if they didn’t check, and Kon needed to know that Lex couldn’t flip a kill switch or something.

The door to the Speeder opened. Clark had his arm around Kon, giving Kon a solid support to lean on as they climbed down the stairs, out into the freezing cold.

“Great One!” A boisterous voice called, making Kon wince.

“Sorry, Frostbite, we can’t stay. We need to check on my friend Connor here. He’s Kryptonian and human and he’s not handling the death smell well.”

“Understandable,” Frostbite said. Kon managed to open his eyes enough to actually look at who was speaking. For a half second he was filled with the childish need to go hug the giant fluffy, spikey teddy bear. The feeling was so strong that for a second, he forgot he was suffering. Frostbite smiled at him. “My name is Frostbite, leader of the far frozen, and a very, very good physician. Follow me.”

“I got you, son,” Clark said. Kon noted idly that Clark had been calling him ‘son’ all day. He liked the idea. It made him happy.

“You okay?” Kon asked, leaning heavily on Clark as they were rushed back to Frostbite’s lab (or whatever it was. Kon wasn’t well enough to really pay attention).

“No, but I’m better at pretending,” Clark said.

Kon snorted. “You’re better at everything.”

“I’m just older and have more experience.” Clark gave him a good squeeze. It was a comforting feeling and Kon was grateful.

“Okay,” he whispered.

“Frostbite, is it possible to knock Kon out for this?” Tim asked. Kon suddenly wanted to kiss Tim so much. He was beautiful and perfect and amazing and so smart. Smart was sexy and not hurty.

“We can,” Frostbite said.

“Kon, are you okay with that?” Clark asked him.

“I don’t want to hurt anymore,” Kon said.

“Alright then, young Kryptonian. Come sit down and we’ll make you sleep.”

Kon must have sat down on his own or been sat down, but he didn’t really remember anything after that.

When Kon woke up he was no longer in the Infinite Realms. There was still the stink of death, but it was nothing like the Infinite realms. He opened his eyes and pushed himself up, blinking when he found himself looking right into the upside down face of Ellie staring at him.

“How are you feeling, kiddo?” she asked.

“A lot better. What happened?”

“Well, Frosty knocked you out and ran like every test under the sun. And Clark let himself get checked out too, since you were sleeping peacefully and it’s basically impossible for him to find anyone who actually understands Kryptonian biology. He’s fine. You did have a fun little bio-bug in your head, but it was so badly done that it wouldn’t have been a problem anyway. So Frosty got rid of it and gave you a clean bill of health.”

“So, there’s no kill switch?”

“Not anymore. And really, the bug was supposed to control your will, but it was clearly an early prototype. It seems like the Teen Titans got your ass out before they could do the really, really fucked up shit to you. Little blessings and all that.”

“Yeah,” Kon said. “How come you’re here?”

“Well, cause Clark’s talking to Tuck about tech stuff, and Tim’s been grilling Valeria about Red Huntress, and because they knew you’d want to talk to me eventually.”

“I do,” Kon said. “I just… we’re both clones.”

“Yep, that we are.” She turned right side up, but she was still sitting on air so she was taller than him.

“I just… how do you handle it?”

“Well, it took me time,” she said. “I assume you saw my vid?” Kon nodded in agreement. “So after Vlad dropped my like a rock in the ocean, and Danny saved me and stabilized me, I ended up traveling the world on my own for a while. I only came back after the whole meteor thing. Danny’s a weirdo, cause all his rogues knew who he really was, but his parents didn’t. They were ghost researchers and they thought ghosts were evil and didn’t have actual feelings. It took time for them to come around, and really it took them finally figuring out Danny was Phantom, aka, the guy they used to run around trying to shoot and capture to dissect and study.”

Kon winced. “That’s terrible.”

“It wasn’t good,” Ellie agreed. “But they turned it around. They worked super hard to mend things with Danny and help him once they knew. Eventually, Danny invited me to stay, and the Fentons adopted me. It was the first time I really, really had a family. I had parents who loved me. And really, they gave me a lot of love. They still do. They never treated me differently than they treated Danny or Jazz. I was just their long-lost baby girl.”

Kon swallowed. “Clark offered to adopt me, and so did his parents.”

“Yeah?” she asked with a smile. “That’s good. Being a clone is so... isolating. It’s easier to handle if you have people who love you and support you. I had a couple of years of standing apart from everyone and everything. I learned a lot. I was happy in my own way. Not every clone gets lucky like we did. We were accepted and loved. And that makes it easier, really. Because yeah, your age is thrown to shit and your experiences are weird. But getting adopted into a family is the same as a normal human getting adopted. It’s like the same process. And it’s not as lonely because of that.”

Kon nodded. “I still don’t know what I want.”

“You’re a teenager. No one really knows what they want,” she said.

“Tim knows,” Kon said.

“Tim wants to be loved and he wants to talk about the things he loves. Don’t mistake that for knowing what he wants.”

“Really? Cause if he wants to be loved, then isn’t that knowing what he wants?”

“It’s not,” she said. “Not the way you’re talking about.” There was something sad in her smile, which made him nod in agreement like he understood. He didn’t, but he trusted that she knew what she was talking about.

“Ma and Pa offered me a really nice life. I really like them, and there’s a lot of space on the farm to try my powers out without breaking anything. And Clark grew up there.”

“But?” she prompted.

“But, Clark’s been calling me son, and I really, really like that,” he admitted.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting a dad,” she said. “Jack Fenton’s my dad… which is hilarious.”

“Hilarious?”

“Well, Vlad, the asshole who made me and used me, he made me because he wanted Danny to be his son. He was in love with Danny’s mom and hated Jack and wanted to marry Maddie and take Danny as his son. So, Vlad made us. And rather than actually trying to keep me and my brothers and just loving us for who we are, he instead kept trying to make a perfect Danny. But he couldn’t. I was the only one who made it. But he made me because he hated Jack so much and wanted to take something that was his. But Jack got me too. And he’s such a good dad. He loves me so much. He hugs me and calls me princess whenever he sees me. He talks to me and learns about me. He works really hard to remember my important dates and he tries to buy me gifts that are related to what I like… really, Jack and Maddie weren’t always the best with Jazz and Danny. But after they realized how they fucked up with Danny, they tried extra hard with me. And I got an awesome mom and dad.”

Her smiled was bright and happy. Kon didn’t have a mom and he didn’t have a dad (yet), but seeing her smile just made him smile too. He was happy for her, not jealous or sad, just happy.

“So yeah, if you want Clark to be your dad, then tell him. He can adopt you and you can go stay with Ma and Pa if you change your mind, right?”

“Right,” Kon said. “Yeah, you’re right.” It only occurred to him because she said it, but he really did have the option to change his mind. He didn’t think Clark or Ma and Pa would be upset at him about it. They might miss him when he was gone, though.

And wasn’t that a wonderful and novel thought: having people loving him and missing him.

“Thanks, Ellie,” Kon said. “That really helps.”

“Good,” Ellie said. “Now, I think it’s time for us to get dinner. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“Oh hell, so am I!” She said it and suddenly his stomach just felt empty.

“Great. Let’s go see if we can steal some of Sam’s pot pies without her noticing. They’re to die for,” Ellie chirped happily. “Race you down there!” She headed right through the open door.

“Hey!” Kon shouted, then took off like a shot after her. No way he was going to lose, even with her cheating.

Chapter Text

Jason could say he was a little proud of himself for the stunt with the heads. The League of Assassins was far tougher and held far higher standard than almost anyone in Gotham’s organized crime. Some of the older families especially maintained their stranglehold not by wits or skill or strength, but by just how long they’d been around. Tradition was a hell of a drug. They were an institution, just like Gotham’s old families. Batman had done a lot to clear out the streets, but these rats were like tar: a real bitch to clean up.

That was why Jason was here now. Well, it wasn’t the only reason, but it was one reason.

Black Mask was losing his mind, and as far as Jason could tell, so was Batman. If the way he was hitting the pavement said anything, it was that he was already obsessing about finding the Red Hood. Joker was currently safe behind bars, so he couldn’t have been the one to reactivate the old mantel. Still, using Joker’s old moniker wasn’t just to bother Batman. If the Joker broke out, he’d probably come running right for the man who stole one of his toys. That was one of the ways the Joker was predictable.

Right now, though, Jason wasn’t worried about Joker or Batman. No, he was far more interested on catching up on the past few years of information he’d missed while he was dead and then locked up with the League. It had been easy to gather information on Gotham’s underground, and Jason had devoted his whole being for months to finding out everything he could about the landscape of Gotham. But there were places besides Gotham which could still effect Gotham, which was why he needed to study.

It was easy enough to find information on the resent uproar about teenaged heroes. Jason had sneered at the papers. Where was that care when he was a kid? Or when Dick was still in the green shorts? Oh no, it was all for Jason’s shiny new replacement. Jason was also compiling a shit list of the villains of Gotham who said that Robin would come for them with or without Batman. They were clearly just looking for more cannon fodder.

These stories were what lead him to Phantom.

Jason remembered a little about Phantom. Bruce had taught him about him as part of Superhero history. He was basically the only hero they knew of whose town paid them to keep them safe. It seemed like a good deal to Jason. After all, Bruce was only able to do what he did because he was rich. Not every hero had that luxury.

Jason found the articles about Phantom’s first video, his introduction. It had been interesting, a hero who’d been a hero since his death at 14. Phantom was really, really vague about how he died, except that it had nothing to do with being a hero. It was a dumb accident, which happened in just the right way that Phantom ended up different from most ghosts (in ways Phantom wouldn’t elaborate on). It was a more than one in a trillion chance. The Flash probably had a better chance of making himself the Flash again on accident than Phantom becoming Phantom again, supposedly.

Jason was curled up in one of his safe houses, one of the shitty ones with a mattress on the floor. He had nice blankets, though. And he was happy to lay on his stomach and watch videos. After the first couple, Jason had to admit that he wasn’t just watching because he was researching. Something in his chest ached when he watched Phantom. It was like looking at a long-time object of longing, like a childhood crush, or a toy he’d wanted since he was a toddler. He looked at Phantom and it was like looking at himself. Except that Jason didn’t really want Phantom’s life.

Still, Phantom had died and so had he.

The video he kept rewatching was in entitled: “So, You’re Dead. What Now?”

“So,” Phantom started with. “A lot of people ask me death related questions. Which, my whole deal is about ghosts, so I get it. But we need to go over a few ground rules. First and most importantly: Do not ever ask a ghost how they died. No matter what, death isn’t pleasant. For some of us, it’s fine and we’ll talk about it whenever. For others, it’s just bringing up trauma all over again. But either way, asking is more than just rude, it’s one of the most deeply offensive things you can ask one of us. So I need you all to stop asking me, or asking about Ellie or any other Ghost I mention.”

Phantom was tall. He’d changed since he saved the world that one time. He’d aged. Jason hadn’t realized ghost could age, but Phantom seemed to have managed it. He could easily give Bruce or Jason a run for their money on height. He wasn’t buff like superman, exactly, but he wasn’t a skinny kid anymore either. There was something fun and wicked about his smiles, and his eyes were the most comforting green Jason had ever seen.

They had the same eyes. Jason wasn’t a fool. Whatever was in the Lazarus Pit was the same shit that was in Phantom. But when Jason saw his own eyes, he just felt furious all over again about everything. When he saw Phantom’s eyes, he felt calm.

“Also,” Phantom continued. “I already did a vid about how I died. I gave all the details I’m comfortable giving. And it’s not like I don’t tell people, but I’m not just putting it on the internet. I grew up in the age of internet safety PSAs. I don’t give out personal information like that, thank you.”

Jason smiled. He liked that part. He thought it was funny.

“Anyway,” Phantom continued. “Also. Don’t ask Ellie about how she died. She was born dead. You know, the whole clone thing. It sounds weird, but the only weird part was that she was cloned. There are ghosts that are born in the Ghost Zone all the time. Like, two of my early rouges were the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady. And they’ve got a little Lunch Pail. She’s cute as shit. It happens. That’s another reason not to ask: some people who are classified as ghosts were never alive to begin with.”

He took a sip of water and then went back to talking.

“So, to get to the meat of the situation.” He paused to chuckled here for some reason. “What happens when you die? Well, it kind of depends. So, I’ll share a little more about my death: I died more than once, and I’ve been revived before. In a lot of ways, coming back can suck as much as dying. Bodies hurt in totally different ways than your spirits. That’s part of why my rogues are such a pain: they don’t feel pain the same way the living do. It’s easy to forget. So, they just throw out everything and forget that if they hurt someone it doesn’t just heal. But I digress.”

Another sip of water and he continued.

“So, there’s like a time between death and when you form into a ghost. Which is for the best because it’s really weird to be a ghost proper and get dragged back to being living. Imagine those videos of astronauts who keep setting things in the air, thinking it’s just going to stay where they put it, but it’s fallen because gravity. Yeah, like that. If you’re lucky, you don’t remember.”

Jason didn’t remember being dead. He remembered dying. He remembered the pain and fear and acceptance and the horrible, crushed belief that someone would save him. He had fragmented memories of digging his way out of the coffin, and the time between when Talia found him and his dunk in the Pit. But he didn’t remember being dead.

Phantom continued talking, but Jason zoned out. He’d heard this many times. It was comforting now, listening to a hero who’d died, who was still good and a hero in death. Well, not exactly, but close enough. In another lifetime, Jason probably would have wanted to be like Phantom, but not this lifetime, not in this world.

“And remember, you’re always welcome to ask me questions. We’re starting to get used to young heroes showing up. Don’t worry, just come down.”

Jason pushed himself up. He wasn’t paying attention to the rest of Phantom’s sign off.

“Why not?” he asked himself out loud. “Why not? Once I set the next part in motion, I’m going to be too busy to go. Batman and the mob can chase their tales for a few days. Why not?”

Phantom didn’t seem to care too much about if his rogues were really bad. And he’d died. Jason didn’t have to say that he put a bunch of heads in a duffle bag. Phantom didn’t have to know that part. But maybe he could answer a few of Jason’s questions.

So, why not?

Really, it shouldn’t be so easy for a deadman to get on a plane, but Talia’s fake IDs were basically magic. He got himself a flight to Amity Park. It involved a layover. Amity Park wasn’t that big, but they did have a little airport. Jason had been to some really small airports, but this one really was tiny. Just one runway and like four gates, and everything running on thoughts and prayers. Or ghost powers. Probably ghost powers.

Jason didn’t get claustrophobic anymore, but that didn’t mean he liked being packed like a sardine inside a puddle jumper and then trapped in the plane for an extra half hour because all the gates were full.

Airplanes sucked. The commercial ones did anyway.

Jason occasionally actually missed something about his first life. Most often was the batplane. At least that was the one he’d admit to himself missing most often.

He was almost willing to kiss the ground once he actually got off the plane and into the airport proper. He only kept himself from doing so because he started sprinting to baggage claim. He’d spent the long minutes where everyone tried to get off the plane all at once sitting and waiting. And while waiting, he started staring at the tarmac. As such, he got a great view of the clearly dead, blue and green crew who were unloading the luggage by just phasing into the plane. Jason’s insides ached seeing them. He supposed like recognized like. But he also recognized that the ghosts were probably more efficient than any human crew, and it would be easy for the bags to just be gone if he took too long.

He arrived at baggage claim in time to find his bags before the conveyer took the bags away to god knows where and new luggage started rolling out form a plane which hadn’t unloaded anyone. Jason decided he didn’t care. He was getting out of there.

Amity Park felt good. The moment he stepped outside all of his irritation just melted away. The air tasted sort of like how the air around the pit tasted, but cleaner, fresher. It was the difference between water that had gone bad in its plastic container and fresh spring water. He took a deep breath and shifted his duffle on his back, then headed into the city by foot. Each step he took made him feel lighter and lighter.

There was something about Phantom’s home that appealed to the death inside Jason Todd, and he loved Amity for that. For a moment he wished that he could just stay in Amity Park. But it wasn’t meant to be. He had plans and one way or another, Gotham was his home. Still, he could take his time, soak up the good vibes in the air for a few extra days. Batman could wait for a little while.

Amity was cleaner than Gotham, and smaller. There were also ghosts just around out in the open. They’d float by, or he’d see them sitting somewhere talking with another ghost or a human. The only humans who seemed uncomfortable were obvious out-of-towners. A few ghosts looked at him curiously, but none approached him. That was fine, Jason wasn’t ready to talk to people yet.

After the dozenth ghost he caught staring at him he decided to get food or something, anything to get off the streets. He felt more content in Amity, but that didn’t mean he liked being stared at. So he ducked into a cafe called “Death o’ Espresso”, which clearly committed to its death and dark academia theme hard. He suspected that the local teens probably had a real Dead Poet’s Society running out of the place.

Jason loved it immediately.

He got himself a coffee and a scone and settled down with one of the books he found on the shelves, which turned out to be book written by Jane Austin post-death. Jason loved it. He spent so many hours reading that it was dark by the time he finally dragged himself away, a copy of every one of her post-death books that the café sold stored safely in his bag.

He was pretty sure he was in heaven.

With his duffle many pounds heavier, and hot, fresh coffee in his new “Death o’ Espresso” thermos- size large, Jason finally headed out. It was for the best that his coffee was in a thermos or he’d have spilled all of it on himself and the moron who ran into him.

“God, Tim, you’re such a klutz,” the idiot’s friend laughed.

“Sorry about that,” Tim said. The voice was so familiar that it made Jason’s blood feel like ice. He knew that voice. He studied that voice. Robin. His Replacement. Tim Drake. The kid was in Amity Park. Not only was he in Amity, but he was right there and he’d run right into Jason’s chest.

Jason kept his face blank. He had years of Robin and League training which kept him from reaching out and punching the brat in the face or snarling at him. Tim didn’t know who he was, which was the only thing that consoled him and eased his anger. It was just a coincidence. Hell, maybe Replacement would even look back later and realize Jason could have broken him whenever he wanted. Maybe he’d see how close Jason got and how vulnerable he really was. Or maybe Bruce would. But that was later, because there was no way Tim Drake would recognize him.

“Jason?” Tim’s voice was a whisper. Shit. Jason had been so in his head that he hadn’t been watching the kid. Tim’s eyes had gotten wider. There was recognition in his gaze. He knew Jason. He looked at Jason, who was taller with the skunk hair and the green eyes and the nose that hadn’t quite healed back perfectly, who Jason himself couldn’t recognize in the mirror and saw right past all of it to who Jason was.

“Do I know you?” Jason heard himself ask distantly.

“Tim, you know him?” Tim’s friend asked. A quick glance revealed that he had blue eyes and black hair and was bigger and broader than Tim, total Batman adoption bait. Anger formed in Jason’s chest. Was Bruce collecting more child soldiers?

“Jason,” Tim said. There was hope and longing in his eyes and in his words. Jason’s mind went blank. This didn’t make sense. “You’re Jason Todd, right? Please tell me I’m right.” He was pleading. His eyes were so big that he just looked like a little baby bird. He didn’t look like the little bastard brat Jason saw whenever he looked at pictures of Tim Drake.

“You’re right,” Jason heard himself say. He wasn’t thinking about why admitting the truth could be good or bad, he was just reactiong.

“I’m right. Kon, I’m right!” A joy-filled whoop of a laugh escaped Tim’s lips and he nearly doubled over if his friend hadn’t caught his shoulders before he could headbutt Jason’s chest. They were still standing close, still blocking the door of Death o’ Espresso. What was going on?

“Right about what Tim?” Kon asked. His brows were knit in confusion and concern. Jason got the confusion, and he was starting to feel the concern too, though he wasn’t certain if it was for the kid or himself.

“Kon, it’s Robin. My Robin. My hero,” Tim said. His words were quiet, but his laugh was loud and happy.

“Right,” Jason said. He wanted out of the situation immediately. He moved to step around his Replacement and Kon, but Tim’s hand caught his neck. Jason tensed, only keeping himself from flipping the brat because he didn’t want to be too obvious. Tim also wasn’t attacking him. He was… taking Jason’s pulse.

“The fuck are you doing?” Jason hissed, wrenching his head back.

“You’re alive,” Tim said.

“Of course, he’s alive,” Kon said, entirely exasperated. “With his heartrate like that? You’re freaking him out, Tim. You need to pull it back a little.”

Ah, so Tim’s friend was a meta. That made sense. Tim Drake brings his friend to talk to Phantom, or something like that. That had to be why his Replacement was there.

“Is there anything weird about him?” Tim demanded.

“I am not about to be subjected to a medical scan.” He slapped Tim’s hand away when the brat tried to touch him again.

“Well, he smells like Ellie, or like Val and Danny’s kids.” Kon said like that meant something. Apparently it did because the Replacement turned from Jason entirely and stared at Kon.

“What?” There was something very dangerous in Tim’s tone. Jason was not sticking around to find out what that meant.

He bolted, blew right past his tiny little Replacement and spun around the friend like he was playing football. Then he sprinted away. He heard shouting after him but he didn’t stop or slow down. If anything, he sped up, especially once he found an alley to duck into.

Jason didn’t know Amity like he knew Gotham, but he did know how to get lost in a city. If he couldn’t figure out where he was, then neither could Time Drake. And maybe, by the time Jason found himself again, he’d be able to figure out Tim’s joy made his heart ache so much.

Chapter Text

Bruce had called Tim as Jasmine suggested. She gave him two hours to search for Red Hood and then shoved his cellphone into his hand and forced him to call Tim. The phone rang twice before Tim picked up.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked. Bruce’s heart ached. Did Bruce really only call for emergencies? Jasmine was right to make him call Tim. He’d have to tell Alfred to sit on him and make him call more regularly. Alfred would probably enjoy that.

“I didn’t call because something’s wrong,” Bruce said.

“But something is wrong,” Tim said.

“Yes,” Bruce admitted. “But it’s not something you need to worry about.”

“Robin is supposed to be Batman’s partner,” Tim said. His words came out more as an angry hiss.

“Yes,” Bruce said carefully. “But I don’t want you to try and rush home. Oracle and I are on top of it, and I promise to read you in once you get back. But right now, you’re where you need to be.”

“What, spying on my friend? I’m not going to tell on him.”

Jasmine was giving him a look which clearly said ‘are you sure this isn’t your child by blood? Cause he’s just as paranoid as you’. Bruce was shrugged weakly.

“I’m not asking you to spy on your friend,” Bruce said. “Tim, I wanted to know how you’re doing.”

“Why?” Why did Tim have to be so suspicious? Oh yeah, because Bruce trained him.

“Because I know how important Connor Kent is to you. I understand why you are angry with me, and I don’t blame you for being upset. I did cause him pain and I caused a stressful situation. And I knew that it would cause you distress as well, but I did it anyway.”

Tim was silent for a long moment, so long that Bruce wondered if the call had been dropped.

“Tim?” he asked.

“Did someone drug you?”

That surprised a laugh out of Jasmine.

“Who’s that?” Tim demanded.

“My therapist.” Might as well rip that Band-Aid off.

“Now I know you’ve been replaced. I’m calling Alfred.”

“He hasn’t been replaced. Tim, are you anywhere near Danny, or his friends.” Jazz broke in before Bruce could possibly find himself on the wrong side of an Alfred welfare check.

“Why?” Tim sounded properly suspicious.

“Just put me on speaker,” she said.

“Okay,” Tim said. “Val?”

“What’s wrong, kiddo?”

“Hey, Val!” Jazz said suddenly.

“Jazz? The hell are you doing calling in the middle of the day?”

“I didn’t call,” she said.

“That would be me,” Bruce added.

“Oh, hey there, Batboy. Anyway, Jazz, you got time to talk presents later? You know how much of a bitch it is to buy for Danny.”

“You think I’ll know any better?” She asked. “Just get him a big Lego model. How about the Watchtower?”

“Do they even make that?” Val asked.

“They do,” Bruce and Tim said at the same time. Tim, cheerfully, Bruce with great resignation.

“What do you even get the man who has everything?” Val said with a heavy sigh.

“Sorry, I’m struggling too,” Jazz said.

“So, why are you calling?” Val asked.

“Jazz is my therapist. She reminded me to call my son and check on him,” Bruce said.

“You, therapy? I’m shocked,” Val said entirely dryly.

“Me too. Since when?” Tim asked.

“Before I met Dick… I understand I’m her worst client.”

“You aren’t my worst. You’re just the most stubborn,” Jazz said. “I’m sorry for listening in on your conversation. I stayed so he wouldn’t chicken out about telling you his feelings.”

Val laughed. “Okay, kiddo, you can take it off speaker. I’m going to go back to maintenance. Just come find me when you’re done.”

“Okay, thanks, Val.” Bruce could hear the shift between speaker being switched from on to off when Tim spoke next. “So, therapy, huh? You could be worse than this?”

“I could,” Bruce admitted. “I’m sorry for upsetting you before. Is Connor doing well?”

“Yeah… do you know about Danny?” Tim asked. Bruce could hear the hedging in Tim’s voice. He was trying to see what Bruce knew, but he also had information he was going to try and give Bruce, probably in a sideways manner to not break whatever vow Phantom had sworn him to.

“I know,” Bruce said. “Whatever it is you’re trying to tell me, trust me, I know about it.”

“Is it about one of his powers?” Jazz asked.

“Sort of?” Tim said.

“Is it the King thing?” she asked.

“How did you know?”

“Bruce already knows. He’s not just paranoid about Kryptonians. I know all of us have some extensive files,” she said.

Tim let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. So, we went to the Infinite Realms. Kon apparently had something in his brain which was a faulty mind control bug, but Frostbite got it out.”

“Frostbite is the best,” Jazz said. Bruce nodded in agreement. He’d never met Frostbite, but he’d heard tell.

“Is he adjusting well?” Bruce asked

“Yeah,” Tim said. “Danny took him, Clark and Ellie to a non-dead part of the infinite realms to test out his powers.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with them,” Bruce said.

“Val offered to show me her lab and let me play with some of her tech. And we’re going to meet the Fentons later.”

Ah yes, that would be a big draw for Tim.

“Understandable,” Bruce said. “Are you doing alright?”

“I am looking forward to getting back, but it’s really cool here. I want to bring the Titans to train here later.”

“Also understandable.”

“Bruce, what’s gone wrong?” Tim didn’t sound accusatory now. He just sounded concerned.

“The Red Hood moniker has reactivated,” Bruce said. “Joker’s still locked up. But whoever it is wearing his old title delivered a duffle bag filled with eight severed heads of mob enforcers.”

“Shit,” Tim said. Bruce didn’t even chide him for language, since Alfred wasn’t there, and Bruce had been cursing in his head a lot more since he saw the photos. “Do you need me to come back?”

“No,” Bruce said. “We have it covered. You need to support your friend, and you can learn a lot while you’re there.”

“You’ll call me if you need me?”

“I’ll call you if something changes,” Bruce said. “But I suspect that until this new Red Hood makes another move, we aren’t going to be able to find him.”

“Right,” Tim said.

“Try not to worry.”

Tim snorted. “Tell yourself that, Bruce.”

“I’ll try,” Bruce said. Not that it would do any good.

“Good. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“I’ll see you when you return.”

The hung up and Bruce slumped back in his seat.

“See, that didn’t hurt any,” Jazz said, making Bruce give a tired chuckle.

Bruce hadn’t expected Tim to be the one to call him. Three days had passed since they spoke. From Clark, Bruce knew that Connor was doing well getting to safely practice with his powers, which were still coming in. All these years later, Phantom still continued to find random powers he didn’t know he had, so he made a good mentor for Connor for that portion of his growth. Bruce also knew that Tim had spent a lot of time with Valerie Gray, aka Red Huntress. Bruce would bet that Tim would come back with a hoverboard. It wasn’t the worst thing. A lot of Robin’s original moves were because of Dick’s Circus background. It wouldn’t be so bad if Tim got to add his love of skateboarding to Robin.

Bruce was getting ready to patrol when his comm started to ring. All of his phones were set up to allow safe communication, in case some of his less careful acquaintances were to spill anything. But this was his Batman comm from Robin’s comm. Bruce answered immediately.

“What’s going on?” His voice was gruff and terse in an attempt to hold back concern.

“B, I need you to come here,” Tim said. He sounded absolutely panicked. Bruce’s heart rate ratcheted up. It had to be really, really bad if Superman and Phantom combined couldn’t handle it.

“What’s going on?” Batman said again.

“B…” Tim was hesitating, looking for words. Bruce didn’t want to give him time to correct himself, and he didn’t want to waste time at all.

“Report,” he said as Batman. He could practically see Tim draw his shoulders up and fall back on his training.

“It’s Jason,” Tim stated. “He’s here. He’s alive.”

It turned out that Bruce was going to be the one who struggled to keep his training up.

“What?” he asked weakly.

“Jason,” Tim said. “I saw him. I spoke to him. He has a pulse. Kon could hear his heart. B, he had a scent similar to Ellie-”

“Like a clone?” Bruce asked.

“No. He also smells like Danny’s kids. Not quite alive, but also not exactly dead. Kon couldn’t really explain it, but Danny said that he might be a halfa too.”

“He didn’t smell like Danny?”

“Danny’s too strong. It’s the King thing. Clark said that Danny doesn’t smell like Ellie or the kids either.”

Bruce’s brain was moving too fast and far too sluggish. There were so many things this could mean. Jason really could have been cloned, but for him to be a halfa like Ellie, that would mean clone!Jason would need to be cloned from a living halfa as well. And that meant that Jason was alive too. Alive and dead.

“You’re sure it’s him?” Bruce demanded.

“He was bigger and older. Like 19 or 20. And his eyes were green. But Bruce, I’m certain. He also answered to Jason when I spoke to him. He said he was Jason Todd.”

Bruce was silent. Jason. What if it really was Jason? Amity Park was weird. Maybe Jason had sought out Phantom, but why hadn’t he come home?

“B?” Tim asked.

“Can I talk to him.”

“He ran off,” Tim said. “Everyone’s out looking for him. B, I need you to get here as fast as you can.”

“I’m on my way,” Bruce said. “Have them clear a spot for the Batjet.”

“I will,” Tim said. “Hurry.”

He hung up after that. Bruce gave himself a chance to take two breaths before he called up to the mansion, to ring the ‘emergency, to the cave immediately’ chime. Alfred would be there soon.

His second call was to Jasmine. He called, waiting as her phone rang and rang. When it hit voicemail, he hung up and called again.

“This better be an emergency,” she snapped when she answered. “I’m working.”

“Tim found Jason in Amity. I’m headed out in about ten minutes.”

“Oh.” The sound was punched out of her. “Do… do you need me to come with you?”

“No,” he said. “I’ll just… I’ll need to talk more later. I don’t have time now.”

“Okay. Thank you for calling me. That’s progress.” Her voice was soft and sad. He smiled despite himself.

“Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hung up without another word.

“Master Bruce, what’s going on?” Alfred asked. He was panting. He’d run to get here. Bruce felt a little guilty, since this wasn’t so urgent that Alfred had to sprint, but Bruce couldn’t stand to wait around.

“It’s Jason,” Bruce said. “Tim found him alive in Amity Park. I’m going there right now.”

“Master Bruce,” Alfred said. He didn’t say more. There was a look in his eyes. He was trying to find words, but they clearly weren’t going to come. He’d grieved Jason’s death just as hard as Bruce did, but he’d had to keep it together because Bruce was losing it. Just like he’d done for Bruce when his parents were murdered.

Maybe Alfred would want to talk to Thomas and Martha Wayne, even if Bruce wasn’t ready.

“I’m going to Amity. Tim asked me to come… I need you to stay here. I’m going to ask Dick to come home too. Kate and Barbara will be here to help too, but I need you to help hold them together until there’s news. Please.”

“I can do that,” Alfred said. “Do you think this is real?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce said. “But Tim doesn’t send false alarms. Connor confirmed that Jason had a similar scent to Phantom’s clone and children, which means he’s got some sort of ghost ability or connection. And if the Jason Tim saw was cloned, then that means that somewhere is our Jason alive as a halfa… I just have to find him.”

“Bring him home,” Alfred said.

“I will, I promise,” Bruce said. “And I already called Jasmine and let her know. Can you pack a bag for me? I need to call Dick and get the jet ready.”

“I’ll be back shortly,” Alfred said. “You best keep me informed.”

“I will, Alfred. I promise,” Bruce said. He watched Alfred turn on his heel and stride back to the elevator. The long length of his stride reminded Bruce of Alfred on a mission, Alfred when he was using his military training, Alfred when he could be properly terrifying. Alfred who made it possible for Bruce to face his nightmares.

Bruce took a deep breath and then called Dick.

Dick picked up quickly. Bruce could faintly hear wind rushing past Dick’s earpiece.

“Batman,” Dick said, clearly working.

“I need you to land,” Bruce stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He waited, nearly vibrating with the need to move, to be packing, to go, while he waited for Dick to land. But he stayed still and he waited.

“Alright, B. What’s so bad that you didn’t want me in the air to hear it? Is it Robin?” Bruce hadn’t called Dick when Jason died. Dick had been off planet on mission, and Bruce worried that telling him would distract Dick and get him hurt. Dick came home after Jason’s funeral, having no idea what happened. Dick never forgave Bruce for that. He made Bruce swear that he’d call, mission be damned.

“He’s safe and uninjured,” Bruce said. “It’s Jason.”

He could almost hear Dick tense up. “What about him?”

“Tim found him. At least he’s pretty certain. He’s in Amity Park right now.”

“Phantom? Isn’t Tim like obsessed with Phantom?”

“A little bit,” Bruce admitted. “He’s there with Clark and his clone.”

“His what? No, wait, tell me about Jason first.”

“Tim ran into him. His scent is similar to Phantom’s clone.”

“So, it could be a clone?”

“It could be, but to have that scent, a Jason clone would have to be a halfa, which means that the original Jason is a halfa. One way or another, I’m bringing him home. But I need you to come back to Gotham… Dick, I need you here.”

“I can’t come with you?” Dick asked. Bruce’s heart hurt. Dick wanted to find Jason too. Bruce hated to say no, but he had to.

“The Red Hood moniker reactivated. Joker’s in Arkham still, but I need him to stay that way. I need you to call Kate and Barbara. Alfred’s going to work from the cave. If this is Jason… if it’s Jason…”

“He doesn’t need to come home to a clown running around. I got it. You better keep me updated.”

“I will,” Bruce promised. “I’m leaving right now. Just call the girls and then come home. I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Okay, B. I’ll come home.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

Jason wandered until the sun rose. He’d planned to get a hotel, but that never happened. He’d planned to sleep, but that didn’t happen either. He had a huge thermos of coffee which kept said coffee sinfully hot all the way to sunrise. By then Jason and settled himself on top of a building and got to watch the sun come up over the city. It was pretty, and also made it easier for his eyes to notice a very vague, very thin green tint to the atmosphere. It was the Lazarus Pit, and it wasn’t. Whatever it was called, whatever it was, Jason knew in his bones that it was why he didn’t feel quite so pissed.

He should have just hunted down Drake and finished the job. He could tell himself it was because he didn’t want to ruin his plan, or because he didn’t know what powers Tim’s meta friend had. But the truth was that Jason simply hadn’t wanted to.

He couldn’t say that felt peaceful, because he didn’t. He felt a lot of things, so many things that he’d circled back around to numb. The lack of anger was hollowing him out, and the other feelings weren’t enough to fill him up. He just felt empty.

“You Jason?” a voice asked from behind him. Jason didn’t jump. He’d felt whoever it was coming. He’d felt them all over the city, though he hadn’t realized until they spoke. He’d also felt him approach. Maybe he was the reason why Jason didn’t feel so angry.

Jason turned to look at the speaker. It was Phantom, floating at Jason’s side.

“I am,” Jason said.

“Cool. Mind if I sit?” Phantom asked. Jason nodded yes. Phantom floated down until he was sitting next to Jason. “Hey, I love Death o’ Espresso. Their coffee is to die for.” He was grinning pointedly, inviting Jason to laugh at his bad joke.

Jason snorted. “Oh yeah, absolutely.”

“Did they give you the ghostly special?”

“That’s what they put in the thermos,” Jason said. “Kinda weird. It was sweeter than the coffee I had before.”

“Yeah, that’s cause there’s ectoplasm in it,” Phantom said. He reached into his chest and pulled out almost the same thermos, but in Phantom’s black white and green.

“Ectoplasm?”

“It’s the stuff that makes up ghosts. It’s like the entire fabric of the ghost zone. And if you’re even a little bit liminal, which you definitely are, then intaking ectoplasm from time to time can be good for you. Like taking vitamins.”

Jason watched Phantom pour coffee into the cup part of the thermos and offer it to Jason. Jason had been chugging from his thermos and hadn’t actually looked at what was in there. There was a sort of gentle green foam to the coffee, the same way there was a green haze in the air.

“The people I know call it Lazarus Water,” Jason said. He accepted the cup and took a sip. It was sweet, like Jason remembered.

“Oh, you got the fucked up-fucked up shit. Sorry about that, man. No wonder your core is sort of rotted.”

“My what?” He had no idea what Phantom was talking about, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

“So, all ghosts form something called a core. It’s like… uh, what’s the fastest way to explain this? Uh… have you seen Steven Universe?”

“Yeah, I was a kid once.”

“Okay, cool. So it’s like, when a gem gets weak and goes back into their gem? That’s kind of like a ghosts core. It’s what makes a ghost as ghost. The rest is just like a visual representation of what a ghost thinks of themselves.”

“So, I’m a ghost?”

“You’re a partially formed halfa,” Phantom said. “A halfa is what I am. Technically, you’re more like Plasmius than me.”

“Vlad Masters?”

“Yeah? Looks like Batboy really did teach you your history.” Phantom grinned.

Jason scowled. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Okay, yeah, fair. He’s a super grumpy gus. Kind of like you.”

“I am not!” Jason snapped. His temper flared and then settled to an entirely normal level of annoyance. It jarred him to realize that it wasn’t that he was empty of emotions, but they didn’t feel as big or all consuming. They were just a normal level. That said a lot more about just how loud and all consuming his feelings had been before.

“Yeah, okay, whatever you said.” Phantom was smirking, damn him. “Anyway, yeah. Vlad got hit with the proto-reality-punching-portal my parents made. He got basically infected and it took a long time for him to properly half die and form a core. I, on the other hand, got dead-” he snapped, “just like that. And back alive just as fast. My DNA didn’t take any time to adjust. I was just like this.”

“That’s… how you died?” he asked very carefully. He knew it was rude to ask, but he was curious. And Phantom was talking about it, so it was okay, right?

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re inside a reality-punching-portal when you turn it on. I don’t recommend. Very ouchy. Now you… you’re a little odd, huh? I’m not sure that your death had anything to do a portal.”

“Only if being beaten half to death and blown up gets you teleported to this so called “ghost zone”.” Jason even did the finger quotes.

“Nah. Not the way you’re thinking anyway. Did you ever come in contact with the Lazarus Water before you died?”

“Um, maybe?” He thought about it and then shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t remember dying. I woke up buried and dug my way out. Then I was just… sort of a mindless zombie for a little while before I got shoved into the pit.”

“Lovely,” Phantom said, his voice filled with sarcasm. “Okay, so the thing about the Lazarus pits is this: The old Ghost King, Pariah Dark, was a real piece of work. Like, one of his kingly items was the Ring of Rage. So, he got locked up for being a bastard. But he was so strong that even locked up and asleep and everything he still… leaked. So those pits, that’s samples of Pariah’s nasty, angry, evil ectoplasm. I’m pretty sure it kicked your halfa-formation into overdrive. Since you’re a slow-change type, like Vlad was, you probably would have become a halfa eventually, but it could have taken decades. So the pit sped you up, but it’s also keeping you from going all the way. Do you understand?”

“Sort of,” Jason said. “You’re telling me there’s something wrong with me.”

“Yeah, and you are so fucking lucky that Pariah’s locked up and not the king anymore, because you would basically be his thrall if he came back.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah,” Phantom agreed. “So, I’m definitely going to have to work on that. But don’t worry, I’m not going to make you put up with this on your own, okay?”

He reached out to Jason, offering him a hand. Jason stared at his hand and then at Phantom. Slowly he reached out and took his hand. Tears nearly sprung to his eyes at the feeling.

“What is this?” Jason asked. He gasped and doubled over for a moment. He took a second or two (or a million, he wasn’t certain) to breathe before he pressed right against Phantom. He didn’t let go. He couldn’t let go if he wanted to. He hid his eyes in Phantom’s shoulder. He was crying. “What is this?”

“I’m the Ghost King,” Phantom said. His voice seemed like it was being written on his bones. “Your core’s rewriting itself to me. It won’t heal it or help it grow, but you won’t be stuck with the asshole supreme.”

“Am I going to be your thrall?” Jason sobbed.

“No,” Phantom said. “I’d never call for anyone like that. When your core is complete, all of those ties will be severed, I promise.”

“Don’t lie to me.” It wasn’t an accusation, it was a plea. He wanted his freedom. He didn’t want to be tied down by anything.

“I won’t lie,” Phantom promised. He wrapped his free arm around Jason’s shoulders and let his cry.

Jason sobbed like something was being ripped out of him. As far as he could tell, it was. He was distantly aware that he was letting out a poison. It was leaking from his eyes as his tears. Phantom was his support and his jailor. Jason loved him and hated him in turn. But at least he knew what was going on.

The sun was high in the sky when he stopped crying. There were solidified green crystals on the roof around them, on Jason’s legs and even on Phantom. He could tell that was the toxic stuff that had been inside him. He cried it out and it crystalized. Jason slowly uncurled him and straightened out. There were than a few ‘tinks’ of crystals dropping to the concrete when he moved. He allowed Phantom to hand him a new cup of coffee, which he sipped slowly.

“I’ve killed people,” he said after about three sips.

“Yeah, me too,” Phantom said. “When they die, they become part of my realm too. So, it’s not like killing them does anything but bring them under my control.”

“You’re kind of like an eldritch monstrosity, you know?”

Phantom chuckled. “Just call me Danny,” he said. “You like books?”

“I love good books. Death o’ Espresso had so many new books from authors who died ages ago. That’s like the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, it’s Ghost Writer’s baby, the collection of books of the literary dead. He was really excited when Mr. Lancer asked him to go into business with him. The pair of them are such book nerds.” Phantom was grinning. Jason smiled too.

“Sounds like people I need to meet.”

“Oh, definitely. But after you’ve seen your family.”

“My what?”

“Tim and Bruce.”

Jason’s heart dropped into his stomach. “No, I can’t. I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Because I hate them,” Jason snapped.

“Pretty certain you don’t.”

“I’m pretty certain I do,” Jason hissed. He glared at Danny, who just gave him a pitying look in return.

“So, the thing is,” Danny started saying, his tone slow and easy. “My sister is a therapist. She’s been psychoanalyzing me for years, even before I died. So, I picked up a few things. And also, as you said, I’m kind of an eldritch abomination. As such, I can say that it really fucking sucks to just feel like a monster. It’s easier to be angry and push people away before they can push you away first.”

Jason sucked in a breath. He looked down at his coffee, which still had the green foam, like someone had made a leprechaun into well melted whipped cream.

“Batman doesn’t kill people,” Jason said. “And I do.”

“I know,” Danny said.

“I’m mad at him. I’m pissed. He replaced me. He went and got some other kid and dragged him out to the streets to die all over again.”

“So that’s how you see it, huh?”

“That’s how it is.” Jason whipped his eyes up, looking at Danny again. Danny shrugged.

“Now, Tim’s been here a few days. I didn’t get everything out of him, for one thing, he thinks my wife is the coolest person in the universe. Which, fair, obviously. But the feeling I get with him is that he’d be out of the streets being a hero whether Batman let him or not.”

“Batman could have tried. He could have stopped him.”

“By how? Breaking his legs. The kid’s a genius. Batman could have cut his legs off and the kid would have built himself new ones and gone out anyway. Stubbornness is insane with you Batboys. And that’s saying something coming from me.”

Jason scowled again. “I don’t care.”

“You do. Try again.” It was clear by the sparkle in Danny’s eyes that he was loving pushing Jason’s buttons.

“I don’t want to talk to them.”

“Yeah, they aren’t leaving until they talk to you. And that means they’ll be following you around until you talk to them. But if you come with me now and talk to them, then I can send them away.”

“Send them away?” Jason asked.

“You, my dear darling halfa-fetus, need medical care. Ghostly medical care. Which you can only get here. Even Batman hasn’t figured out how to build a ghost portal in his basement. You need help and I’m not letting you go anywhere until your core’s fully formed and you have some idea of what to do with the power upgrade you’re about to get.”

“Wait, I get powers?” When Danny started talking about halfas, Jason hadn’t even considered that he may suddenly have powers like Phantom.

Rings appeared around Danny’s middle. They traveled up and down Danny’s body until Jason found himself looking a man too old to be Batman adoption bait, but who would have been perfect for it when he was 14.

“The transformation’s one. The flying. The energy beams. Overshadowing, aka possession.” He was ticking powers off on his fingers. “Making copies of yourself. Invisibility. Intangibility. Increased strength and senses. Also, the ghost sense. You’ll be able to tell when a ghost or liminal is around. That’s not even getting into whatever special to you powers there will be. It’s a lot. And it’s my job to help you make the transition.”

“That’s… that’s a lot,” Jason said.

“Oh yeah. Imagine figuring all of that shit out on your own? No fun. I mean, it was kind of fun. Less fun when Vlad withheld information from me because I wouldn’t pretend to be his son.”

“Ew. That sounds creepy,” Jason said, wrinkling his nose.

“Dude hated my dad and was in love with my mom. It was mondo creepy. -10000 out of 10, do not recommend.”

Jason snorted. He bent his head while he laughed quietly to himself. Danny had a silly sense of humor. It reminded him of Dick, at least a little. Jason wasn’t on the receiving end of Dick’s humor all that often, so Jason couldn’t speak to how accurate a comparison between Dick and Danny actually was. Maybe if Jason hadn’t died, then he would know if it was accurate or not. But Jason did die, and he never had that sort of relationship with Dick.

Still, it was healing to know someone who was older who would crack dumb jokes like that with him.

“Okay,” Jason said. He drained his cup of coffee and handed it back to Danny. He got to watch Danny screw the cap back on and shove it back in his chest.

“Okay?”

“Okay, let’s get this conversation over with.”

Danny transformed so he could fly Jason, Jason’s duffle, their two different thermoses and whatever else Danny had stuffed in his chest over to what seemed to be a small farm in the middle of the city. He dropped them right outside the back door and returned them to tangibility and visibility.

“Couldn’t we have just landed inside?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, and scare the shit out of Batman? I personally am not in the mood to die again.”

“Batman doesn’t kill,” Jason grumbled under his breath, but he didn’t argue more. He did follow after Danny when Danny opened the door and stepped inside.

“I found him!” Danny called.

“You found him?” That was Bruce’s voice. Before Jason had time to prepare, Danny had grabbed his arm and dragged them both right into the kitchen.

It was lucky it was a big kitchen, because even with the decent amount of space, having Batman and Robin sitting there seemed to suck all of the oxygen out. Of course, both of them were in their civilian clothes, and there was another man and a pregnant woman there who Jason didn’t know. But they weren’t important. What was important was the exhausted circles under Bruce’s eyes, or the way he’d jumped up like he wanted to grab Jason but also how he kept the table warily between them.

“I found him,” Danny said.

“And he’s… he’s real?” Jason could almost taste Bruce’s painfilled hope. His eyes were fixed on Jason. His body was twitching in his desire to get close and his desire for caution.

“I’m real,” Jason said shortly.

“No cloning or nothing,” Danny said, patting Jason’s shoulder.

“So, he’s alive?” Bruce was still talking about him and not to him.

“Half right, half wrong,” Danny said. Bruce’s eyes left Jason, only to glare at Danny for attempting a bit of humor. “Jason’s a halfa, like me or Ellie.”

“Oh,” Bruce said quietly. His gaze shifted to Jason. There was heavy grief in his eyes.

Whatever caution had been holding Bruce back before was stripped away. Bruce ducked around the table and grabbed Jason into a bone breaking hug.

“You’re alive,” Bruce whispered. He was crying. Jason could smell the tears. That was what broke him. He tipped his head up and stared at the ceiling, trying to hold back his own tears. He wrapped his arms around Bruce in return.

“You’re here,” Jason said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time. I was so close. I failed you.” Bruce’s voice cracked. Jason sucked in a breath. That was what he’d wanted to hear, wasn’t it? That Bruce was wrong, that he failed, that he was sorry? But hearing it just broke his heart.

Bruce grieved him. He was still grieving with Jason in his arms getting squeezed to death like a boa constrictor. He grieved and yet Talia and the pit and fucking Ra’s al Ghul had convinced him that Bruce hadn’t cared. After all, he was so replaceable that Bruce went out and got a new identical looking teenager.

Jason dropped his head, looking past Bruce to Tim Drake, who was still sitting at the table, holding his coffee cup like his life depended on it. The kid was crying too. He sucked in a sob and waved at Jason, offering a watery smile.

Tim Drake had seen Jason and knew him. He said Jason was his hero, that Jason was his Robin. He didn’t know what the Red Hood had in store for him. He had no idea. He hadn’t been looking for Jason, they just ran into each other. What reason did he had to lie?

And Talia, and Ra’s, and the pit? What reasons didn’t they have to lie?

A sob escaped Jason’s lips. He pressed his face into Bruce’s shoulder and started to boa constrictor in return. It had been too many years since his dad held him. Bruce used to say that Jason would never get too big for him to hug Jason. It turned out it was true, even now that he was taller than Bruce.

He was in his dad’s arms. He was still angry. He had good reason to be. But the kid he thought replaced him looked at Jason and saw a hero. And his dad was hugging him like Jason had never even gone away.

The anger could wait for a little while.

Chapter Text

No one was coherent for a while. That wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was an emotional reunion. Bruce never thought he’d see Jason again. Hell, Tim had seen Jason not even a full day before, touched him and talked to him, and he’d still been afraid that he’d never see Jason again.

The call to Bruce had been nerve-wracking. Despite knowing that he’d seen an adult Jason Todd coming out of the coffee shop, despite having spoken to Jason, he’d run off so fast that Tim began to question his own sanity. Kon didn’t know Jason. If Clark has come with them on their little “coffee date” (as Val had teasingly called it when Tim said they were going out), then Clark could have confirmed it. Hell, Clark might have been able to stop Jason before he escaped. But Kon had been so focused on making Tim feel better that he couldn’t locate Jason once he was gone. Tim was the only one who truly knew it was Jason. The fact that Jason felt a little too deathy had sent the adults into high alert. Clark had Kon out to search, and Val, Ellie and Danny had gone out. That left Tim with Tucker and Sam and nothing to do but call Bruce.

Tim had been scared that Bruce wouldn’t believe him, but Bruce had believed him immediately. He believed him so much that Bruce was there in only a little over an hour. There wasn’t much the Batman could do, so he waited at the Manson-Foleys with Tim while the entire Fenton/Gray Clan (sans Damon and the kids), plus the Kryptonians were out searching for Jason.

Bruce had Tim go over every single thing that happened. Then Tim did the same for Nightwing. Then for Oracle and Batwoman, and finally for Alfred. That last time was also more for Tim’s comfort, as Alfred had definitely heard Tim tell Nightwing. The more he said it, the more it seemed real.

Still, he was afraid that he was wrong, that he’d brought everything up again for no reason.

That fear went away when Danny walked into the kitchen with Jason Todd following behind him.

Short of the moment Jason looked at him and Tim waved like an awkward moron, Tim went entirely ignored while Bruce and Jason held each other and cried.

“Where was he?” Sam asked, breaking Tim out of his staring. He turned to look at her, which got him a lovely view of Danny pulling out a duffle bag and two large thermoses from his chest and setting them on the table.

“Business district,” Danny said. “I’m gonna call Val and tell her search is off.”

“Already done, man,” Tucker said. “I’ll call Clark. You go sit down or something.”

“It’s not like it’s my first time pulling an all nighter,” Danny said.

Tim stopped listening. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, of Jason and Bruce, still clinging to each other. He sent the picture to Clark and Kon with the text “found.” Then he sent the same picture to a group chat which included Alfred, Dick, Kate and Babs. He didn’t want to leave them hanging.

‘They’re having a good cry right now. I’ll let you know when I know anything. But it’s really Jason. Danny found him. Gonna put my phone down.’

He put his phone on silent after that. The others knew Jason was alive and found and there with him and Bruce. They knew they wouldn’t be able to reach them. That was all Tim could do for them. He just felt too numb.

He was surprised when a sob seemed to jump out of his mouth. He slapped his hand over his mouth. At the same time Jason ripped his head up from Bruce’s shoulder and Bruce whipped around to look at him. Bruce looked… concerned. He was concerned for Tim. Oh no, Tim was going to ruin this reunion. Bruce wasn’t supposed to have to worry about Tim. Tim was the placeholder. Jason was back. Bruce shouldn’t be paying attention to him.

“S-sorry. Sorry.” He tried to wave them away. Instead another sob punched out of him.

“What’s wrong, baby bird?” Jason asked. Jason was talking to him!

“Tim?” Bruce sounded so worried. He and Jason had eyes red from tears, but he was worried about Tim. Hilarious.

“I’m happy,” Tim said as a sob. He sobbed again. “I’m just happy. I thought I’d imagined Jason. I was afraid he wasn’t real.”

“Nah, kid, you clocked me immediately,” Jason said, smiling just exactly the way Tim remembered him smiling as Robin. Tim let out a louder sob. “Kind of freaky how fast you figure it out.”

“Tim’s just like that,” Bruce said. He put an arm around Jason’s shoulder and steered him into a seat right next to Tim. Tim let go of his coffee cup so he couldn’t break it, and gripped onto his arms instead. Tim started to wipe furiously at his eyes while Bruce dropped into the seat on Jason’s other side.

“Sorry, sorry,” Tim said. He took a few deep breaths and pulled himself together. His mother would have been angry at him for breaking down like that. Another moment and he was composed again. If it weren’t for the ways his eyes stung, even Tim wouldn’t have been able to tell he’d broken earlier.

“Freaky,” Jason said. “How did you do that?”

“High society wants to eat kids alive. You learn how to hide or you die,” Tim stated. He looked at Jason who was staring at him. “I apologize for grabbing you earlier. I didn’t react very well to the shock.”

Jason snorted. He wiped his eyes, which looked even more red and puffy up close. “Yeah, I gathered. How did you realize it was me?”

“I told you; you were my Robin. I used to follow you and Batman around so I could take pictures of you.”

“You did what? When?”

“Before Dick even left,” Bruce said. He laid a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Welcome to the club. None of us noticed him, but the pictures prove he followed us around for years.”

“Insane,” Jason said. “Shit, no wonder you replaced me.”

Tim’s heart dropped into his stomach. Bruce started to protest, but Tim cut him off.

“He didn’t replace you. I made him take me out. Batman was getting violent. He needed a Robin. Dick wouldn’t come back. Someone had to do it.”

Both Bruce and Jason stilled. They were staring at him absolutely silent.

“I could never replace you if I wanted to,” Tim said, hoping that was enough.

Jason stared for another moment before rubbing his hands over his face and groaning. “Fucking robot legs.”

“What?” Tim asked.

“Never mind. Okay, I get it,” Jason said, emerging from his hands. “So, who was your meta friend? Real Batman bait.”

Tim snorted out a laugh.

“Hey,” Bruce said.

“He has you there,” Tim said. “Clark’s lucky he was too old for you to adopt him.”

“Danny’s lucky too,” Jason said, which drew laughter from the other occupants of the kitchen.

“I don’t do it on purpose,” Bruce said. “Dick needed someone. Jason, you were the one who stole tires off the Batmobile.”

“He did what?” Sam cackled. “That’s wild!”

“And Tim, you just said you inserted yourself into the position. I don’t have a type. You lot find me.”

Jason snorted. “Sure, keep telling yourself that, big guy.” He patted Bruce’s shoulder. Bruce shot him what was clearly supposed to be an annoyed look, but which was also entirely undercut by the way he was smiling.

“Anyway,” Tim said. “Kon’s Clark’s clone. We were here to get him some help.”

Jason whistled, looking past Tim. When Tim followed his eyes, he realized Jason was looking at Danny.

“I take it back,” Jason said. “He’s not Batman adoption bait. He’s Phantom bait.”

Danny flushed. “Hey, you lot come to me. And you two aren’t the only ones I help out.”

“You two?” Bruce asked. He picked it up too. Danny shrugged, his expression closing off. Tim whipped around to look at Bruce and Jason. Bruce was looking at Jason and Jason was looking back, a very stubborn and Dick-like look in his eyes.

“I’m staying here,” Jason said.

“Jason,” Bruce started.

“Jason’s a halfa,” Danny broke in. That made Tim’s heart drop. He’d heard from Danny’s friends how much being a halfa had been a drain on him, even now. Danny was pretty happy, but there was a lot of existential horror wrapped in not being properly dead or alive.

“Jay… what happened?” Bruce asked.

“I… don’t actually know entirely,” Jason admitted. “I woke up in the ground and clawed my way out. But most of my memories around it are hazy. I was more like a zombie than a person.”

Tim frowned deeply. Something was wrong. Jason wasn’t telling the whole truth, and Tim couldn’t tell how much it was on purpose, or why.

“So, you didn’t remember who were you?” Bruce asked. Jason nodded. “Your memories only came back recently.”

“Uhh…” Jason drew the syllable out, looking to Danny.

“Nope, you get to tell this part, Kiddo. My job is ecto-scientific explanation.”

“I really hate you,” Jason grumbled.

“Jay, what happened?” Bruce laid his hand on Jason’s shoulder, a clear sign of comfort that Tim would normal ache to be on the receiving end of. Jason, on the other hand, flinched and wrenched his shoulder away.

Jason clicked his tongue. Anger flooded his features. “Talia found me,” he said.

Tim felt the blood drain from his face. Bruce’s expression went blank. Likely, he didn’t want to accept the logical conclusion.

“The Lazarus Pit returned your memories,” Tim said. “You’re about nineteen or twenty, and given the physical changes, you would have needed years of training. Your dunk happened only a few months after your death.”

“Got it in one, Baby bird,” Jason said with a smile that was more like a threat.

“You’ve been with the League of Assassins this whole time,” Bruce stated. His voice was blank, carefully controlled. Tim hoped Danny’s sister was a really good therapist, because this wasn’t going to go well.

“Until the past few weeks,” Jason said. He leaned back in the kitchen chair, attempting a casual look. It would have worked if the tension wasn’t so thick in the room that Tim half expected Bugs Bunny to cut it into a donut and take a bite.

They dropped into silence. Danny and his friends were waiting while they sorted their shit out. Bruce was thinking. Jason was waiting for them to speak. And Tim, Tim was beginning to piece things together.

“The Red Hood moniker was reactivated recently,” Tim said carefully. Jason and Bruce’s eyes immediately snapped to his face.

“Tim-” Bruce started, clearly not wanting Tim to bring anything up to do with Jason’s death and possibly upset him. Normally Tim would agree, but if Bruce weren’t struggling with the weight of what they just found out about Jason, Bruce would have come to the same conclusion Tim was coming to.

“But you knew that already.” Tim pressed on. Jason was smirking.

“What makes you say that?” Jason asked, motioning with his hand like he was conceding the floor to Tim.

“The Red Hood’s stunt with the duffle bag happened in the middle of a meeting of the families. It was a calling card, and a job interview. But more than that, it was a means of disruption. The families can’t ignore him. Batman isn’t going to ignore him when he’s using that name. The Red Hood makes it seem like he wants to work for the families, but really, he just needs a flashy in. They won’t just kill him if he makes a scene but then offers his services. Gotham’s used to flashy. So, they take him up on it. He gets in good with the families, so they don’t see it when to takes them all out.”

Tim was looking Jason right in the eyes. A smile was spreading over Jason’s features, getting wider and wider with each word. There was a manic light in his eyes, and an appreciation for Tim’s insight that did not go unnoticed.

“Since the Red Hood has already made his debut with so much flash, he’s planning to take over to families and the lower city in a big, flashy way. One Batman can’t ignore. He wants Batman gunning for him. He wants his attention. But before it gets to that point, the Red Hood decides to stop by Amity Park, because that’s where the dead hero is, and the Red Hood’s been dead, done that.”

“That’s cute, I’ll have to use that,” Jason said.

“Am I wrong?” Tim asked.

“No, you got it all down,” Jason said. “I’m really impressed, Baby bird. I actually am. You really see right through me, huh?”

Bruce saved Tim from having to respond to that by cutting. “Jason… no.” He was pleading. “Why would-”

“The clown’s still alive, Bruce,” Jason snapped. “He killed me and he’s still walking around, getting in and out of Arkham whenever he fancies. How can you justify that?”

“Batman doesn’t kill,” Bruce said.

“I don’t need you to go on a murder spree, but you left the Joker alive when he’d already declared open season on Robins. And then you brought another child soldier in to your mess after you’d just gotten the previous one killed.”

“I think we’ve established that he didn’t make me do anything,” Tim snapped. “I made him take me. His choice was train me or I’d do it without training.”

“Yeah, you and your robot legs,” Jason said.

“The hell does that mean?” Tim asked.

“I told him B-man could have cut your legs off to stop you and you’d build robot legs and keep going out anyway,” Danny cut in.

“Oh,” Tim said. His ears felt rather hot.

“I’ll give Bruce credit that he didn’t drag you into this. But I didn’t know that until ten minutes ago. It looked like Bruce decided that child endangerment was the new vogue and immediately replaced me with a newer, shinier model.”

“I was just a place holder,” Tim defended. “He never wanted to replace you.”

“Tim, you aren’t helping,” Bruce snapped. God, that hurt. Tim was trying to defend him, but Bruce didn’t want that. Tim knew he wasn’t wanted, but for now he was still Robin, and he was still Batman’s partner.

“It’s true.”

“Dude, I mean this as kindly as possible, but you really aren’t,” Jason said. “You’re going to make Bruce cry if you keep calling yourself a placeholder. He’s got enough crap to put up with me. Let’s table your shitty self-esteem problems for a different discussion.”

“While talking about crap,” Danny said. “I’m cutting in. Bruce, just wait.” Bruce had opened his mouth, but he shut it at Danny’s words. “You too, boys.”

“Now you wanna help?” Jason asked.

“It’s clear that your self-defense methods are more like a voltorb than an actual human being,” Danny said. “You need some help.”

“What does that mean?” Bruce asked.

“It means he uses self-destruct to take his opponent down with him,” Tim said. “B, you have to play at least one pokemon game. It will be good for you.”

Jason snorted. “Damn, fine. You take it over, King Boo.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I mentioned ecto-scientific explanations. Well, Lazarus water is basically gross pimple water from Pariah Dark.”

“Ew, gross!” Jason snapped. Danny shrugged.

“You bathed in it, not me. Anyway, it’s where Pariah’s being reached the living world. It’s like pure hatred and rage bled into the world, and basically can make whoever bathes in it a halfa who can be controlled by Pariah Dark at any point.”

Bruce stared for a moment. “Daniel Gray, please tell me that Ra’s al Ghul isn’t some meat puppet for Pariah Dark.”

“Okay, first off, I don’t think so. Second off, that’s a scary thought. I’m going to have to check into that.”

“Danny!” Bruce snapped.

“I don’t know, old man, okay? I’m not all knowing. I have a lot of shit to deal with. Ra’s a Ghul is your rogue, not mine. The only thing I’ve worried about with him is keeping him out of my haunt. Clearly, I need to worry more than that.”

“You think?” Tim demanded. He was annoyed, and clearly so was Bruce and Jason.

“Okay, don’t gang up on me. Sheesh.” Danny crossed his hands over his chest. “Anyway, what you need to know is that the PD water really fucked with Jason’s emotions. It also both increased and yet stunted the growth of Jason’s ghost core. So he hasn’t properly transitioned into being a halfa, and he hasn’t had access to his powers.”

“Is that why Ra’s doesn’t have ghost powers?” Tim asked. He suddenly realized that literally everyone in the kitchen was staring at him. “That we know of.”

“I mean, it’s a damn good guess,” Tucker said. “But Danny definitely doesn’t know.”

“Yeah, as I just said. I need to worry about it more. Anyway, what’s important here is that Jason is going to need ghostly medical care for a while. Also, I’m not jazzed about the idea of him enacting a hostile crime takeover while he’s got rage juice in his blood. That stuff suppresses all positive emotions but rage. And trust me, I’d know. I’m still cleansing the Ring of Rage and it’s been a decade. So no matter what manipulation did or did not happen, Jason’s emotional stability is fucked.”

“You make it sound like I need a therapist,” Jason said.

“You abso-fucking-lutely do,” Danny said. “My sister’s a therapist. She lives in Gotham. I’ll hook you guys up before you go back. And you’re going to need family counseling.”

“I don’t know,” Jason started.

“Bruce sees her,” Tim said suddenly.

“Wait, seriously? Since when?” Jason asked, his mouth hanging open.

“Since before Dick became Robin,” Bruce said. “She is very good, Jason. She’s about the only psychiatric thread holding Arkham together right now, despite corruption and raging incompetence.”

“She hasn’t helped you with your bullshit,” Jason said.

“I’m told he’s her worst patient,” Tim said, smiling slyly, an expression Jason mirrored as soon as she saw Tim make it.

“Yeah?” Jason asked. “Well, how come no one’s set her on the Joker yet?”

“After what happened to Dr. Quinzel, it’s been deemed to great a risk,” Bruce said.

“Yeah, speaking of him. I need the three of you to forget about the Joker,” Danny said.

All three of them turned to stare at him in disbelief.

“No offense, your Majesty, but that’s fucking impossible,” Jason said.

“Okay, let me rephrase: I’m declaring him Ghost King business. I’m handling this situation and all I ask is that none of you get in my way or ask questions until I’m done.”

Tim’s gaze went to Bruce, who didn’t like happy. “I don’t like outsiders in my city.”

“Yeah, well, death is my business and Gotham’s good about paying me my taxes.”

“That’s a really tortured metaphor, man,” Tucker said. “No wonder you only passed English with a C.”

“Whatever,” Danny said, waving his hand. “My domain isn’t just in the Infinite Realms. I stay out of your business, Batman, but this is now my business.”

Bruce considered him for a moment before nodding. “I’m not going to kill him-”

“But you don’t have to save him either,” Danny said, nodding as well.

“I don’t know anything else about this,” Bruce said.

“Really?” Jason rolled his eyes. Tim kicked him under the table. Jason glared at him. “The hell?”

‘You want him gone or not?’ Tim signed to Jason. That seemed to get through to him. He inclined his head toward Tim.

“Okay,” Sam said, clapping her hands. “I think that’s enough for now.”

“Enough of what?” Danny asked.

“No one here has slept in over 24 hours,” Sam said. “We’ve somewhat settled for the moment. The only thing that can happen from here is emotional explosion. So, everyone is going to sleep, and we’ll try the whole conversation thing later, alright?”

“Alright,” Bruce said. “I agree, but one more thing before we finish. Jason.” He turned his gaze to Jason, who immediately sat up straight.

“Yeah?” Jason asked.

“No matter what, I’m glad you’re alive,” Bruce said. “I love you, and I’ve missed you. Nothing’s changing that.”

“Oh,” Jason whispered. He looked like he might start crying again.

“And Tim.”

Tim met Bruce’s gaze. He was used to being under the intensity of those eyes. Bruce always seemed to be looking at him. It felt like he was looking for flaws, looking for a reason to get rid of Tim for so long. But that had changed with time, even if Tim hadn’t realized that until just now.

“You are not a placeholder, not for anyone or anything. You’re a good Robin, and I’m proud of you.”

The mask his mother demanded he learn to wear cracked, and tears came to his eyes.

“Oh,” he whispered.

“Okay, bedtime,” Sam said.

“I need to message Alfred,” Tim said, reaching for his phone. Jason snatched out from his hand.

“I’m going to make that call,” Jason said.

“I was going to say I’d do it, but I’m sure he wants to hear from you,” Bruce said. “But Tim, you’re grounded from your phone until you’ve had eight hours of sleep.”

“You’re both grounding me?”

“Yes,” Jason and Bruce said at the same time.

Tim glared at them. “I’m regretting telling anyone that you’re alive,” he said, pointing an accusing finger that Jason, who laughed at him. Asshole.

“Danny, can you tuck him in? I have a phone call to make and then I’m sleeping the sleep of the dead for like fourteen hours. And Bruce, you better be doing the same thing, or I’m going to lay on you until you have to sleep.”

“That’s not the threat you seem to think it is,” Bruce said fondly. Tim really did tear up. Bruce looked so happy. He was soft and gentle and happy in a way Tim had never seen him be.

There was so much to deal with, but he was truly, truly grateful that Jason was there.

Chapter Text

The plan was simple. Connor was staying with Tim for a few more days for emotional support. Clark was going to leave ahead of time to get back to work and start making a place for Connor, but he’d also be covering Gotham so Batman and Robin could have a few more nights off. But also, so Dick could take a flight to Amity and join Bruce and Tim. Alfred was going to stay in Gotham, but once Bruce and Tim returned, Alfred was going to spend time in Amity Park with Jason. Dick would return to Bludhaven when Bruce and Tim returned to Gotham. They had no idea how long Jason was going to stay in Amity Park, but hypothetically, it wouldn’t be forever.

Dick kept running these facts over in his mind during the flight to Amity Park. He’d flown in space before. Subjectively, it wasn’t nearly the longest flight he’d been on, but he was flying on a normal airline, not taking one of the Wayne planes and the Bat Plane was still in Amity Park. The flight was fine, Dick was just anxious to arrive.

He barely kept himself from bouncing on his toes as he waited for his luggage to arrive at baggage claim. He had his bag slung over his shoulder the second he saw it and he was out the door. There was a taxi waiting for him, driven by a blue being that Dick was pretty sure had to be a ghost. The cab flew when they drove, and even drove through buildings and other cars. Dick didn’t even care because it turned a twenty minute trip into five minutes before he was dropped off outside the Manson-Foley residence.

“Thanks man,” he called back with a cheerful wave. He turned to the house and strode up to the front door.

Bruce was there waiting for him, sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. Dick’s mouth turned up in a bit of a smile.

“You look like a gran,” he said as he walked up the stairs. He sat down in the rocking chair next to Bruce, which was closer to the door.

“I’d be a good grandmother,” Bruce said, which just made Dick snort out a laugh.

“So, why are you moping out here?”

“Tim told me you messaged him when you landed. He and Connor are out back with Sam feeding the animals. Jason’s still in the Ghost Zone with Danny and Ellie.”

“Ah.” His heart dropped a little. “Jason isn’t here.”

“They’ll be back,” Bruce said. “But Jason’s staying with Danny and his wife while he’s in Amity. The rest of us are staying here at the Manson-Foleys.”

“Why?”

“So, he can escape when he needs,” Bruce said. He sat back in his chair and let out a deep, deep sigh. “He’s so wounded. One minute he’ll be happily telling bad jokes and the next he’s snarling like a dog. The temper is partly due to the Pit. I’ve learned far more about Ectoplasm in the past 24 hours than I realized there was to know. And I realize I know so, so little.” He sounded exhausted.

“Focus,” Dick said.

“Right, so one minute Jason will be happy to be around us, me specifically, the next he’ll be withdrawn and sad, or angry. Danny decided it would be best if we weren’t staying in the same house.”

“Danny decided.”

“This is his city. In his words “Gotham is your haunt, Amity is mine”. I can’t even fault him for it because this is his specialty, and he regularly for years dealt with the only other person who had a core similar to Jason’s. I want to bring Jason home… but I’m realizing that may not be possible.”

Dick’s heart dropped into his stomach. “Jason’s not coming back.”

Bruce turned to look at him. “I don’t know.”

“Is he going to stay here?”

“I don’t know that either,” Bruce said. “I don’t know if him coming back is a good idea.”

Dick paused for a moment. “It’s the head thing, isn’t it?”

“I’m trying to make it not be,” Bruce said. But that just meant it was.

“You can’t be angry with him for that.”

“Can’t I? Those were brutal executions.”

“He was infected when that happened.”

“It isn’t a brainwash bath, Dick. His emotions were in a bad place, but those were still his choices.”

“He didn’t have as much control-”

“Tim was right,” Bruce cut in. “About me. When he became Robin. I needed someone to keep me in check. I was grieving and I was hurt. And I was making that the world’s problem. They were my choices.”

“We don’t blame you for that,” Dick tried.

“I do. Tim does.”

“Tim’s got a warped sense of the world. But you know he’d do anything for you.”

“I know.” Bruce looked up at the porch ceiling. “He needs help too. I don’t even know where to begin there. I didn’t tell you all what he was saying.”

“That bad?”

“He’s making me look like the pinnacle of mental health,” Bruce said weakly. “I’m not worried about him letting his emotions get away from him like I did. I’m worried what damage he’ll do to himself out of cold, calculated logic.”

Dick felt a shiver run down his spine. “Maybe I should come home more often.”

“Maybe,” Bruce admitted. Dick’s heart rose and fell as the same time. Bruce turned and looked in right in the eyes. “I don’t want to take you from Bludhaven. You’re doing good work there. You chose it. It’s also your home, and unlike Gotham, it doesn’t have many other heroes. But you know I always want you home.”

“Ah, yeah.” The truth was that he didn’t know that. But he wasn’t going to start that argument again, especially when Bruce was actually being vulnerable.

“So, I don’t want you to just take time away from Bludhaven to help me fix my mistakes. But I feel like this isn’t just my mistake. I’m this close to asking Danny to release some ghostly justice on the Drakes.” Fury flashed in his eyes and then was gone. He was working hard to contain his emotions. Dick had seen him get in this state a few times, when he was being pulled in too many directions and he had to wait to take action and was around people he felt safe with. Dick hated seeing Bruce this way, but he liked that Bruce felt safe with him enough to allow Dick to see the way he was struggling.

“You want Tim to have a different adult figure who isn’t a parent like you or Alfred.”

“I don’t trust that he can tell his friends any of these things. Connor, maybe.” He shrugged. “If they aren’t dating before they come home, I’ll be shocked. But Tim can’t tell his civilian friends about this. And most of his hero friends are on his team that he leads. So yes, he needs someone he can talk to who isn’t me or Alfred who has perspective and who he can feel safe talking to.”

“Okay,” Dick said. “I’ll try to come back more regularly. I might make liberal use of the Zeta tubes.”

“I’ll build one in Bludhaven if that’s what it takes,” Bruce said. Dick smiled. Sometimes Bruce was the best.

“And I’m going to take him to stay with me sometimes,” Dick said. Bruce nodded.

“That’s not a bad idea,” he said.

“What isn’t a bad idea?”

Dick felt like lightning shot up his spine. He did and did not know that voice. It was too old and too deep, but the inflection and tone were the same. Jason. His eyes ached with unshed tears even before he turned around.

There was Jason, standing wearing a tee shirt and a leather jacket, taller possibly than even Bruce and looking way too cool to be the little brat that Dick remembered. Behind him was Danny Gray, in a NASA shirt and jeans, taller than all of them easily, wearing a big smile.

“Dick’s going to take Tim to Bludhaven from time to time. We’re discussing how to help him with his self-esteem.”

“You mean self-destructive insanity? You really know how to pick em,” Jason said, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t looking at Dick. It was too purposeful, which just made Dick’s chest hurt.

“He picked me,” Bruce said. “I was busy being an idiot.”

That made Jason laugh. Dick had missed that sound. He hadn’t heard it much, not nearly enough, but he’d missed Jason’s happiness and humor.

“For real, though. You need to get on top of that.”

“Working on it,” Bruce said. “And you? How did it go?”

“Cold,” Jason said. “But pretty cool. The Yetis are awesome!” There was a childlike glee in his eyes.

“Frostbite sends his regards,” Danny said. He laid a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Jason’s going through the ghost core equivalent of a kidney dialysis. I just happen to be the filter. Given Jason’s slow-grow core, Frostbite says we should take a few weeks rather than doing it all at once. So, we’ll be having daily sessions.”

“How does that work?” Dick asked.

“Well, Jason’s inner ectoplasm has to go into me, where it figures out that Pariah’s not the king, then back into Jason so it can heal his fetus-core.”

“That just sounds disgusting,” Dick said.

“It’s not so bad. I feel better.” Jason touched his chest. Dick wondered where the core was exactly.

“Did Frostbite say anything about emotional stability?” Bruce asked,

“It’s not gonna settle until a little after this whole filtering process is done, but the mood swings should get less violent. Today he’ll probably be happy or sad, but not angry. Anyway, it’s going to be a month before I’ll feel comfortable even thinking about Jason leaving Amity. So, no more questions about that. Until his core is finished forming and he’s got ahold of his powers, I can’t say if or when I’ll let him out of here. Now, there are other things to discuss.”

“Like how to make me legally alive again,” Jason said.

“I’ve already had to fabricate an entire person recently,” Bruce said. “It won’t be hard to make up a story about something the Joker did to make it seem like you were dead. Especially if there isn’t anyone to contradict the story.”

“Don’t worry about that part,” Danny said dismissively. “Just start getting the paperwork ready in case you need it.”

“In case,” Dick murmured to himself. “Jason, are you not certain if you want to be legally alive?”

Finally, finally Jason turned and looked at him. A slow, smug smirk came to his face.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Well,” Bruce said. He stood up. “I’m going to try and wrangle Tim and Connor from the animals. Danny come help me. You two, try not to get too loud.”

“Yes, sir.” It was kind of funny seeing the Ghost King jumping to attention to do what Bruce said.

They watched the two older men head inside, leaving Dick sitting in a rocking chair and Jason standing at the bottom of the porch steps.

“Bruce really never did learn subtle, did he?”

“He didn’t,” Dick said. “But I did want to get to speak with you.”

“I don’t know why,” Jason said. He crossed his arms over his chest. The look he was giving Dick seemed to be hot temper, but Dick could tell better. Happiness or sadness; those were the emotions Jason was going to have right now.

“I missed you,” Dick said. “Oh, don’t scoff. You know I was trying to get to know you more before everything happened. I was looking forward to actually getting to make a relationship with you.”

“I have a hard time believing that.” Jason walked up the stairs and took Bruce’s rocking chair. He dropped into it and turned to look at Dick. “But I’ll listen.”

Dick offered a sad smile. “I was off planet when you died. Do you remember that?”

“I… yeah, I’d forgotten,” he said. There was something distant in his expression before understanding snapped into his eyes. “That’s why you weren’t at the funeral.”

“How did you know that?”

“There were news clips,” he said. There was a lot there that Jason wasn’t going to say, but he’d say it if he wanted Dick to know, so Dick wasn’t going to press.

“Yeah, well, I was gone for weeks after you died. I had this book I’d gotten you. It was poetry that was written in something called backwards ribbon poetry. Whenever you looked at it, you’d be able to see the poems in your own languages, but it was all backwards, with all the letters and words connected together like a really squished up cursive. I was really excited to give it to you.”

“Do you still have it?” Jason asked. His eyes were lit up with the interest Dick had imagined so many years back. Only he was older and bigger, and his eyes were green now.

“I do,” Dick said. “But you’ll have to come visit bludhaven to get it.” That made Jason stick his lip out and pout. Dick laughed.

“That’s no fair.”

“Neither is life,” Dick said.

“Jerk,” Jason said. “You must have gotten that early in your mission.”

“I got it at the end.” Dick’s smile dropped off his face.

“But you said you were excited to give it to me.”

“Bruce didn’t tell me you’d died until I got back,” Dick said.

“That bastard!” Jason sat up straight. He actually snarled like a dog.

“I made my opinion known on how I felt about that,” Dick said to soothe Jason. Jason let go of that anger quickly. He probably didn’t have the ability to hold onto it for a very long time anyway.

“That was a horrible thing to do to you.”

“It was,” Dick said. “But he was afraid that I’d make a mistake trying to get back and that he’d lose me too… trust me, we talked about this a lot. He knows that I expect to be told from now on. I understand I was the second call he made after Tim told him he found you. The first call was too his therapist.”

“I heard he had a therapist. Wild, right?”

“I think it’s worse that he’s had one this whole time and just not been listening,” Dick said with a dramatic sigh like it wasn’t pretty horrifying in its own stupid way.

“I can’t think about that too hard.”

“Anyway, that’s part of how Tim came to our lives,” Dick said.

“I’m… okay, I think I can maybe figure it out, but I need a little more thread on this one.”

“Bruce… didn’t do well when you died. It wasn’t just burning bridges with me. He nearly burned his friendship with Clark to the ground too.”

“Why?” Jason sounded like he had a hard time believing that. “Supes will basically put up with anything from B.”

“Well… okay, this is complicated. But basically, the Joker got himself a very well publicized position with diplomatic immunity. He was supposed to speak before the UN and everything. To do anything about him at all could have caused a huge international incident. And the UN asked Clark to keep anyone from causing problems… and B was planning on killing the Joker.”

Jason startled. “He was?”

“If Clark hadn’t physically stopped him, he would have. By the time the Joker lost his position, Bruce had fallen back hard on his no kill rule… but then I came home, and I sure hadn’t.”

“Don’t tell me,” Jason whispered.

“I actually succeeded too. Bruce brought him back.”

“Motherfucker. How dare he,” Jason snarled.

“Easy. He was doing it for me,” Dick said. “He didn’t want me to… well, fuck, look, I know about the heads in a bag. There’s no way to not sound like a sanctimonious asshole right now. But he was trying to keep me from being a murderer.”

“Well, nice to know he failed me twice over then.” Jason sounded bitter. Dick didn’t even blame him.

“Yeah, well… I think he was trying to do for me what Clark did for him. But he still wasn’t talking to Clark much back then. And I didn’t want to talk to him after that. And then he got exceptionally violent. Literally Tim saved him from becoming a murderer multiple times over. He was calling 911 and providing first aid to criminals Batman put in traction for minor offenses. When Tim made himself known, it was to convince Batman to get a Robin. He tried to get me to come back, but I wouldn’t. After all the bitterness between us, and the fact that I had my own life, I wasn’t budging.”

“So, Tim stayed,” Jason said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck, no wonder he keeps calling himself a placeholder. Fuck.”

“Yeah, Bruce said it’s bad?”

“It’s so bad,” Jason said. “Hell, it’s worse. You know what I’ve been calling him for months? Pretender, Replacement.” He spat the words out. “Dick… I was going to hurt him.”

Dick felt like his blood turned to ice. “What?” he whispered.

“Part of my big plan. I was going to break into Titan Tower and beat the shit out of Batman’s newest child soldier, my little replacement. He figured me out so fast, Dick. He figure my plan out just by talking to me. But he doesn’t know this.”

God, Jason sounded so stressed. He grabbed Dick’s wrist and squeezed way harder than the old Jason could have managed. Dick tugged his hand away. Jason let go, a small whimper escaping his mouth before Dick could turn over his hand and grab Jason’s in return.

“Are you still planning to.”

“No. No way,” Jason said quickly. “He’s a good kid. I just… he called me his hero. His Robin. And I was going to beat him. I was going to beat him bad… He saw right through me. Dick, I don’t want him to find out. I hated him so much for so long. I was his hero and I despised him. Kid already thinks of himself as my shitty replacement. And he figured me out so fast. What if he figures this out too?”

Jason’s distress was palpable. Dick sucked in a breath. He had to center himself. He needed to stay calm. But he couldn’t help but feel just how close they all were to disaster. The plan Bruce had described to them was thorough and violent. Eight heads in a bag were small potatoes compared to the bloody plans the Red Hood had for Gotham’s lower city, ending with Gotham’s Knight killing someone in cold blood.

Jason had wanted to break Bruce. It could have worked. Take over the lower city. Make Bruce murder someone. Hurt Bruce’s third sidekick so bad that Tim might never be able to come back from it. Jason never went halfway when he wanted to prove a point.

But fate was on their side, and Tim saw Jason. And now they have a second chance.

But Jason still carefully made those plans. And Tim’s pain was a big part of them. Dick could see the knife edge of suffering Jason was dancing on. The boy he’d hated had loved him enough to recognize him years after his death. Jason had planned to ruin in life. Bad enough to be broken by the person you replaced, far worse to be broken by your hero for the crime of trying to hold your joint mentor’s mental health together.

“I can’t promise you that he won’t find out,” Dick said. “But we’ll come up with a plan together, okay? A way to make it hurt less when you do tell him.”

“Tell him?” Jason sounded betrayed.

“Jace, if he finds out on his own it’s going to be way, way worse,” Dick pointed out. “I’ll help you. We’ll figure it out together. And if something goes wrong, I’ll be there to help there too.”

“You promise?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, I promise… Talia really got you bad?”

Jason sniffled, which just broke Dick’s heart.

“I… yeah,” he said. “Turns out being isolated in a cult that follows a guy drinking dead despot armpit water is really bad for you mental health.”

Dick let out a shocked laugh. Even as he was laughing her gathered Jason into his arm and hugged on tight. After a moment he felt Jason hug him in return. They were squeezing each other tight enough that Dick’s ribs started to ache. If anyone asked, his tears were because Jason squeezed too hard. Jason still laughed and called him a crybaby anyway, like Jason hadn’t teared up badly himself.

It was okay. Dick was happy, even if he was acting like a little bit of a crybaby.

Chapter Text

“You said we were done,” Jason said, pulling his jacket back on as the headed out of the exam room. They’d just completed Jason’s fifth healing session. Bruce had stayed an extra day after Dick arrived before returning to Gotham. Dick stayed three days, but he’d left that morning. Clark had left days ago. Tim and Connor were in Amity Park for one more day before they’d leave in the morning themselves. Alfred would arrive tomorrow morning as well.

It was funny. Jason had considered himself alone for so long, but now he hardly had time to himself. He didn’t mind either. He was glad when Bruce left, but he’d been grateful to have him the few days he was there. It was good to see Dick too. Their relationship had been so nothing before that it was easier to start to build something new. They didn’t quite have the same baggage. Jason liked Tim, but he also didn’t have to worry about keeping him entertained, since Tim split the rest of his time with his Superman!Clone!Boyfriend and with Danny’s really awesome wife. The previous day, Jason had even gotten to watch Tim do tricks on the hoverboard Valerie made for him.

Alfred was going on a rare two-week vacation to stay with Jason. Jason knew that Alfred was also coming to do research, and likely to oversee the building of a zeta tube to Amity. It was being installed whether Danny wanted it or not (he didn’t want it, but he wasn’t fool enough to fight Batman on this one). It would certainly make getting to and from Gotham easier.

That was if Jason went back to Gotham.

Jason was definitely going back.

He was a Gothamite in his blood. He couldn’t stay away if he wanted to. And he didn’t want to. He just wasn’t certain what he actually wanted yet. Yeah, Danny was going to take care of the Joker. It turned out that his temporary death at Nightwing’s hands made him legally part of Danny’s problem too, which was a good enough legal reason for Batman to stay out of it. Though it wasn’t like people would fight him on it. Superman wasn’t going to, and Wonder Woman had never been above killing when it was needed.

When it was needed. That was the problem.

Danny was going to handle the Joker. But Black Mask was still there, and a lot of other scumbags who loved to use and abuse people, especially the vulnerable like the sex workers, homeless and Gotham’s kids. Gotham got heavy human trafficking, both of its own citizens and from people outside the city. Jason was about to have the powers to enter anywhere he wanted undetected, plant any bug, record whatever he wanted, and possess whoever he needed. Crime was going to happen in Gotham and those in the Lower City, especially Crime Alley literally turned to crime because there weren’t other options. Bruce was barely holding back the tides of despair even with being Batman and having “Fuck You”-money.

Some people would never learn. They would just keep breaking out and doing whatever they wanted.

People were going to sell sex and do drugs. Wouldn’t it be better to have sex workers and trafficking victims know they have someone who will actually help them and make abusers pay? Wouldn’t it be better to have safe places to take drugs, places to get clean needles and get actual medical help without being turned away?

Batman couldn’t provide all that. He wasn’t down on that level. It wasn’t his purpose.

But if Jason was killing people, Bruce was going to figure it out and come knocking really fucking fast.

And a lot of Jason’s plans were made when he was out of his mind on the bad shit. He couldn’t be certain yet what ideas were good and what were bad.

He was about to be the fourth Halfa. One was, as Danny said, in outer space time out, and he’d used his abilities to gain unimaginable wealth by spying and making people sign deals that were in his favor. He’d also used his powers to be a super villain. Ellie used her abilities to travel and help people all over the world without having to be recognized unless she wanted to be. She also taught at the local Ghoul School when she felt like. And Danny was the fucking Ghost King and local superhero. All of them took different paths. None of what they did had to define him. He got to choose that. But he also had so many more options suddenly. It was dizzying to think of.

And so far, he’d only done five sessions out of at least thirty, and rather than just opening a portal up so they could pop right back to the lab, Danny was steering Jason to the Specter Speeder he’d insisted on them bringing.

“We’re done with Frostbite,” Danny said. “But I’m going to introduce you to someone else. Normally I’d just portal us right to Walker’s office, but you’re new and I don’t want to break one of his millions of rules and get you in trouble.”

“Just me?” Jason asked, raising a brow.

“Well, I’m Ghost King. I outrank him,” Danny said with a cheerful smile.

“Would you get in trouble if you weren’t Ghost King?”

“There’s still outstanding warrants for my arrest,” Danny said cheerfully. “If I lost my position, it wouldn’t even matter because I’m way stronger than Walker, and trickier. He was one of my rogues from back in the day, though he hates when I call him that.”

“The hell?” Jason whispered.

“So, Walker is like… afterlife police. He makes up his own laws and locks up people he doesn’t like. He’s literally judge, jury, and warden.”

“I hate this guy instantly. Why do I have to meet him?”

Danny chuckled. “Well, the thing is that Walker and I came to an accord ages ago. Him, my council and I all sat down and reviewed the files of everyone in his prison. The Infinite Realms needs something to do with our criminals, after all. And outside of me and Wulf who makes portals, he’s never had breakouts. And he always tracks down people who considers his prisoners. Anyway, Walker doesn’t get to decide who goes to the prison anymore, but he is on the council that decides, and he keeps the inmates in.”

“Okay, this is cool and all, but I don’t get why I have to meet him except to learn to who to avoid.”

“Yeah, so when the Joker dies, he’s going to come to the Infinite Realms. Ghosts can’t die. We’re already dead. Instead, he’s going to be locked up where he can’t get out. I thought you’d like to see where we’ll be keeping him.”

Jason’s heart suddenly felt like ice. “You said there’ve been break outs.”

“Yeah, in actual hundreds of thousands of years, it’s been me and Wulf. We’re going to have him on full lock down,” he said. “Worst comes to worse, Clockwork said I could soup him and leave him with Dan.”

“The fuck does that even mean?”

“Okay, let me rephrase: the god of time will make it so he’s frozen in time and can’t go anywhere.”

Jason let out a breath of relief. “Oh… why not start there?”

“Because, honestly, this will be more of a punishment,” Danny said. “The other option is just containment. He won’t be able to change or feel anything. He’ll just be frozen. With Walker, he’ll be able to feel every second of time.”

Jason thought about it before he nodded. “Alright, I accept that. Your reasons make sense.”

“I thought you’d say as much. Jason, he’s not getting out, and he’s not touching you ever again. I’m showing you this so you can get some closure. Because, if I’m honest, I can just order him to be still, and he’ll have to.”

“The will of the Ghost King is that strong, huh?”

“It’s what makes them hard to replace. Halfas are lucky because we retain our humanity. It gives us more freedom and control. And let me tell you, I’ve been mind-controlled before. I still have nightmares sometimes.”

“Mind control sucks,” Jason agreed.

“Tell me about it,” Danny said dryly.

The Specter Speeder moved through one portal, arriving far outside of a large structure. The closer they got, the more and more the structure looked like a giant prison. Jason just hated it the closer they got and the longer to took to arrive. There was nothing else to look at, and despite knowing that this would be the best place for a dead Joker, Jason also kept running the statistics of just how many vulnerable ended up imprisoned unjustly. And Walker had done just that for a long time, apparently.

“I’m pretty sure I hate Walker,” Jason said.

“You can,” Danny said. “That’s fine. It’s not like he’s doing you a favor on this one. Just try to not antagonize him.”

“No promises,” Jason said.

Danny flashed him a smirk before he grabbed Jason’s shoulders and steered him off the ship and right through the door which suddenly seemed to appear for them.

“Your Majesty,” an annoyed voice said. The words sounded like an insult. The ghost uttering them floated over. He was all white, skull face and suit. He looked like he should be a Grey Ghost bad guy.

“Walker,” Danny said. “This is Jason Todd. He’s the new halfa I’m helping.”

“He’s an infant,” Walker said, his eyes narrowing.

“Hey, I’m a fetus, not an infant,” Jason said. That earned him a smack on the back from Danny.

“I’m having to clean up after Pariah. Again,” Danny said.

“Maybe if you spent less time playing with the living-”

“I’ve got one life. I’m going to enjoy it while I’m alive.” Danny’s tone was cold as the Far Frozen and brokered no argument. Jason shivered and he saw that Walker did too.

“So,” Jason said, hoping to change the subject. “What exactly am I going to be looking at?”

“Yeah, Jason wants to see the Joker’s new room,” Danny said.

“Is it wise to be showing a fetus into a high security ward?” Walker asked. “Especially one with the stink of the criminal element.”

Jason offered him an easy grin. “I bet I’ve brought in more actual bad guys than you.”

Walked visibly bristled.

“Jason’s not going to break the Joker out. The Joker killed him, along with a lot of other people,” Danny said.

“Hmph.” Walker didn’t sound pleased, but he didn’t argue anymore.

He turned, expecting them to follow, which Danny did. Jason followed after Danny, staying close so he wouldn’t get lost. The halls themselves seemed to ripple and pull around them, changing behind them, rearranging everything so Jason had no idea where he was in relation to anything else. He did get a chance to look around, get a look at the cells they passed.

He didn’t recognize anyone. More than that, no one seemed to recognize him. He got curious looks, but the inmates looked at Danny with fear. That made Jason feel better. Danny was a good man. He was friendly with people who tried to kill him many times over. But the people in these cells Danny looked toward coldly. Whoever they were, whatever they’d done, Jason bet it was bad, really bad.

Finally, they ended up in a twisting stairwell. Walker and Danny glowed, so even though it was too black to really see, their glows made it possible. The staircase went down and down.

“So, Danny, you got any good stories?” Jason asked after what seemed like an hour of climbing down and going nowhere.

“Have I told you about the first time I fought a ghost outside of my parents’ lab?” Danny asked.

“No, you haven’t,” Jason said.

“Did Sam tell you about her Ultra Recyclo Vegetarian phase?”

Jason raised and eyebrow. “Her what now?”

“Oh, you’ll love this,” Danny said, and launched into the story.

He rolled from one story into another about his fights from his youth. He was also a funny guy. Even Walker was chuckling by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs. There was a wooden-looking door that looked like it belonged in a movie which included medieval torture.

Walker pulled out a fucking rib bone and used it to unlock the door like a key before returning it to inside his suit. He held the door open so Jason and Danny could step inside.

The room wasn’t so much sparsely furnished as it wasn’t furnished at all. The only thing in there was what looked like a glass sphere in the middle of the room, that type that held a model of the solar system, with the different rings, sun and planets. When Jason got close enough, he could see there were also little lines connecting the circles to each other, so it was more like one of those plastic maze games with the little metal balls that he’d at the dollar store. Just fancier and glowing. It was also covered in a set of chains. There were two other sets of chains on the floor, pooled under the floating globe.

“So, what am I looking at?” Jason asked.

“So, you remember how I explained cores?” Danny said.

“Yeah, Steven Universe gems,” Jason said.

“Cores are more… elastic than that. Basically, when the Joker’s core forms properly, we’ll place it here, in the center.”

“Where the sun is,” Jason noted.

“Right. So, he’ll still probably be growing a bit. Basically, he’ll be able to “stretch” out through the other lines and planets, but everything is so thin that he’ll never be able to move his whole mass through the maze at any point.”

“So…” Jason said slowly. “He’ll be stuck. He’ll stretch himself out to try to escape, but it’s a maze… and if he’s stretching himself out like that, it’ll hurt… everywhere, so it’d be hard to figure out what’s where.”

“Basically,” Danny said. “Now, he could eventually find his way back to what you called the sun. He won’t totally fit there, but it would be uncomfortable rather than painful. But he absolutely wouldn’t be able to escape by staying there.”

“Can he escape?”

“Not likely,” Walker said, walking up next to Jason’s other side. “You see all of the layers of the “glass” between the maze and the end of the globe? That’s millions and billions of barriers. He’d have to stretch himself out through the whole maze and then break each barrier. Breaking even one is beyond most ghosts at their full strength, let alone after being so over extended. And even if he did that, and broke through millions of barrier, he’ll be contained by three chains. Mine is already set in place. Only I can unlock it.”

“There’s a set I’ve made. And Clockwork made the last set,” Danny said. “Only I could open my set, and only Clockwork could open his set.”

“Which isn’t going to happen,” Jason said. Something eased in his chest.

“It isn’t,” Danny said. “And if he managed to get past all of that somehow, it would take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to accomplish. And that doesn’t take into account that Walker, myself and others are going to check on the integrity of the globe over time too. We’d be able to heal barriers and push him back.”

“And even if he still managed to get out, this in deep in the ever-changing maze part of my prison,” Walker said.

“Outfitted with lots and lots of alarms and fail-safes,” Danny added. “I’m not going to say impossible, but it’s going to take such a long time and be so difficult that it’s as close to impossible as we could make it.”

Jason let out a breath. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay?” Danny asked.

“Yeah, okay… thank you for showing me this. The bastard’s basically fucked.”

“Entirely,” Danny said with a big grin.

Jason laughed. “Okay… great. This is great, your Majesty. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Danny said. “Really, the guy’s as slippery as a swarm of eels. It’ll be in our best interest to keep ahold of him. And I don’t love keeping people in permanent pain. So, there’s an option where he won’t be hurting. If he decides to take that route.”

“I doubt it,” Jason said.

“Me too,” Danny admitted.

The trip back was uneventful. Jason was deep in thought and Danny didn’t try to interrupt him. They pulled the Specter Speeder through the portal and into Danny’s home, where a pair of familiar mops of black hair were waiting for them. Kon had a lab suit on already, which Jason had learned a few days back was to help Kon not feel death so badly.

It made Jason pity Connor Kent a little bit. The Infinite Realms, and especially Danny’s home was so soothing. Kon didn’t get to feel that. For him the Ghost Zone was torture. There were living parts of the Infinite Realms, but even getting to them was unpleasant for Kon. Still, for a chance to safely practice with his powers, Kon was willing to put up with the pain. That was the part Jason found admirable about Kon: he was willing to give so much to keeping other people safe, especially from his own powers.

Jason was relearning how careful he had to be. He’d always struggled with it, even when he was Robin. When he saw a terrible evil, he’d always struggled to contain himself. Eventually, Bruce helped him rank evils and realize that the rage wasn’t useful, at least for small or medium bad guys. Even big bad guys didn’t aways warrant the rage. With the Lazarus Pit, it had blown up Jason’s ability to rank the bad guys. If he was honest with himself, the heads of the families deserved to be missing their heads more than their lieutenants. Jason had told himself he’d get their heads too, but he should have started there.

As soon as Jason stepped out of the Specter Speeder, Kon swapped out with him. Danny waved his goodbye from the cockpit before they headed out without another word.

“He’s eager,” Jason said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“He hates the lab,” Tim said.

“Ah, the whole being a lab rat thing really had to suck.”

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it,” Tim said. “And he wants to get a little more practice in before he starts living with Clark in a city full of people in close quarters.”

“He’ll do fine,” Jason said.

“I know that, but he’s nervous. Anyway, we have a few hours. How about lunch?”

“Lunch sounds great.” Jason realized he was starving.

“Death o’ Espresso?”

“Absolutely,” Jason about chirped. He’d already been back four times. The food and coffee were great. And the books, most of all the books! He was still reading his new books, but he kept going back and buying more even though the Austen novels weren’t fast reads and didn’t deserve to be burned through like they were YA, even when they were YA.

“Great,” Tim said with a smile.

The pair of them headed out of the lab. They waved to Damon as they passed. Danny and Val got paid by the city, which meant they didn’t have to be anything but heroes. Damon did security tech and worked with Tucker, but most of the work could be done from home, so he cared for the kids a lot when the younger Grays weren’t home. Ellie or the Fentons were also available to care for the little ones, but Jason could admit the Fentons were such agents of chaos that he was concerned about them actually taking care of the Graylings.

“So, have you had fun?” Jason asked.

“Absolutely,” Tim said. “I’m going to bring the Titans here in a couple months. This shouldn’t even be hard to explain if my dad starts asking questions. I can just say I’m studying other companies to get information to help Drake Industries.”

“Your dad?” Jason asked slowly.

“Yeah,” Tim said, his smile dropping. “It’s kind of funny, because they never cared before, back when I didn’t have anything or anyone in particular. But now that I have places I need and want to go to, and people I need and want to see, suddenly my dad’s asking where I’m going. Honestly, I feel like it’s because he’s bored.”

“I… didn’t realize that your parents were alive,” Jason said slowly. He could tell he was walking into dangerous territory.

“My dad is,” Tim said. “He’s in and out of the hospital because he won’t take his recovery seriously. And oh yeah, his girlfriend is around when he is home. And unlike my mother, Dana actually cares that I’m in bed in the middle of the night-” he cut himself off with a frustrated and defeated sigh. “I shouldn’t complain. I like Dana. She’s kind. Dad doesn’t yell or throw things when she’s around, no matter how angry he is.”

“Ah,” Jason said. “I… thought Bruce adopted you.”

“I stayed with him while my father was in a coma. But now my dad’s home sometimes. And that makes it… difficult.”

“So, I’m getting your parents were kind of crap,” Jason said. “I mean, your self esteem alone isn’t exactly a credit to A+ parenting.”

“It’s… they loved me. They were just busy,” Tim said.

“And my mom was strung out on drugs about 90% of the time before she died. But she was there for me. Even with the addiction, I always ate. She made sure of that.” He hated thinking about his mother now. She had loved him. She’d stayed with Wallace because if she didn’t then Jason would have no one. If he thought about what he’d cost his mother, then he’d start to cry. Especially after Sheila.

At least none of Tim’s parents ever sold Tim to a bad guy. As far as Jason knew anyway.

“It’s just… people with wealth have different expectations,” Tim said. “My job was to make them look good and have heirs and get ready to make them more money.”

“Yeah, you’re not describing a child,” Jason said. “You’re describing a racehorse.”

He got to see Tim’s face flush with shame and anger. Jason realized he was definitely pushing the topic way too far. Just because Tim idolized him didn’t mean Tim wouldn’t slug him in the face if Jason kept pressing his luck.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Jason said.

“Yes,” Tim said in a clipped tone. “Let’s talk about why you look so guilty when you look at me and you think I can’t see you.”

Jason felt guilt shoot through his body.

“What makes you think that?”

“The fact that I am trained to notice things, and that my best friend can read your heartrate,” Tim said. “And you’ve said it yourself: I see right through you.”

“Right,” Jason said. “Well. Shit.” He had a plan, with Dick. They were going to wait until Jason was done with this ecto-therapy and then tell Tim. But honestly, if Jason didn’t say now, then Tim would figure it out on his own and it would be terrible.

“Well?”

“Look, you have to promise me to not like… freak out, okay?” Jason asked.

“I… will make an attempt. That’s the best I can do.”

“Yeah, well,” Jason said weakly. He let sucked in a breath and then blew it out. “So… you know how I thought Bruce replaced me.”

“He didn’t,” Tim said.

“Well, I know that now,” Jason said. He sounded as stressed as he was feeling. He took another breath and let it out. “I know now.” He was speaking calmer. Good. “But I didn’t know that before.”

“Oh,” Tim said quietly.

“I was… It pissed me off to see Bruce taking another identical boy and having him fight at his side. It felt like… like Bruce didn’t even care about our safety. It was like he didn’t care that I died, that he hadn’t learned anything.”

“You know he cared.”

“Yeah, I do now, because we talked and I’m less infected with despot armpit juice,” Jason said dryly. “But Talia had been whispering in my ear for so long. And yeah, I was mad at Bruce. But I was also… I was jealous.”

“Of me?” Tim blinked, looking entirely flummoxed.

“Yeah, of you. You were rich and it seemed like you followed Bruce’s instructions perfectly and you were considered the “smart Robin”. So yeah, I was angry, and bitter, and jealous and hurt… and hopped up on evil steroids. So, part of my plan involved you.”

“You were going to kill me.” God, the kid sounded so resigned!

“I wasn’t going to kill you,” he said quickly. “I was just… I was going to isolate you. Catch you in Titan Tower. I was going to hunt you and humiliate you and hurt you… maybe so bad you couldn’t be Robin again. Maybe not. But enough that Bruce would have to learn to stop taking kids as soldiers. And you-”

“Wouldn’t be Robin anymore,” Tim said. His face was blank for a moment. “Kind of a fucked up way to try and save someone’s life.”

“Yeah, it is,” Jason said. “Tim, I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Tim said, suddenly pulling on a perfectly normal looking smile. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Tim,” Jason tried again.

“I’d rather talk about my father,” Tim said, his words a little too cheerful.

Well, Jason really fucked that one up. Shit.

Chapter Text

Lois loved Clark very much. They’d been through a lot together. They shared a lot together. Sometimes there were things that they just couldn’t share, even now that she’d known he was Superman for years. There were security risks, or Batman would get pissy or something or other. She understood that and didn’t (generally) push (too much). Personal matters, on the other hand, that was a different matter.

She did not love that she had to find out from Perry White of all people that Clark was extending his vacation another week because he had a family emergency. He didn’t look particularly impressed when he realized she didn’t know either, but he also wasn’t going to butt his head into the issue and made no comment.

Lois barely got Clark on the phone after that.

“I’m sorry,” he’d said. “I’ll explain later. It’s a family issue. Everyone is physically alright.” And then he wouldn’t explain anymore.

That was days ago. Superman was sighted over Metropolis. Lois Lane had a key to her boyfriend’s apartment. She let herself in.

What she found was quite a shock. Clark had half his stuff in boxes, had shucked his glasses off somewhere and was looking between two different knickknacks with great interest.

“The hell’s going on, Kent?” she demanded, shutting the door behind her. Clark jumped a foot in in the air and stayed there for a moment before easing himself down to the ground. It said something good, still that he allowed himself to make those kind of mistakes around her.

“Lois,” Clark said. “I uh… meant to call you. I just got distracted.”

“You’re moving,” Lois said.

“Well, yes,” Clark said.

“Are you leaving Metropolis? Are you parents okay?”

“No and yes,” Clark said. He walked around the boxes and took her hand. “I’d suggest sitting, but there’s boxes on every surface right now.” He sounded properly apologetic.

“What’s going on?”

“The Titans rescued a boy from CADMUS. He’s a clone. My clone, made from my DNA and Lex Luthor’s.”

“Lex Luthor?” she asked. “The hell. I always knew he wanted to have your babies, Kal. I just didn’t think he would mean that so literally.”

Clark snorted out a short laugh. “I know, right?” he said with a more controlled chuckle.

“So, a clone?” Lois pressed. She imagined a little boy, looking like Clark did in the pictures Martha showed her from when he was a little boy, but maybe with Lex’s eyes.

“His name’s Kon. His legal name is Connor Kent. Bruce and my parents helped me build a backstory. Apparently, I slept with someone fifteen years ago who came through town. She had the baby, but also dumped him in an orphanage. I only found out about him recently and went to get him. At least that’s the story.”

“So… you’re telling me you adopted a kid,” she said.

“I’m telling you that I’m a father now…. And I’m moving to a place with a second bedroom so he can have his own room.”

Well, that at least explained why he didn’t want to tell her over the phone. All of this was very classified, but also, he couldn’t just tell her the cover story without potentially messing with their relationship. Also, being told her boyfriend had a clone!son was something she really needed to hear in person.

“Are you moving today?”

“Well, no, but Bruce compiled a folder for me with apartments he thinks would be good. I keep telling him that I don’t need him to house me, but well…” he shrugged.

“Bruce has to mom everyone,” Lois said. “Can I see the file?”

Clark picked it up from the coffee table and handed her a physical three ring binder, which had been lovingly compiled with an index, and multiple dividers which cross listed certain properties so it was easy to navigate.

“What the hell? Why didn’t he just send you an email? Or hand you a jump drive?”

Clark let out a long, heavy. “He needed a project to do. And that’s the other thing… So, what I’m about to tell you, it will probably get out eventually, but for now, we can’t report on it.”

“Any chance I can get an exclusive?” Lois asked.

“Like a good 70% chance. Bruce likes you, after all.” Clark wore a little smile. It was cute.

“Okay, I’ll keep this to myself for now.”

“Right, so his son Jason is back from the dead,” Clark said. “He was brought back with something called Lazarus water. When I found out about Connor, it was after he’d been with the Titans for a month. He and Tim are close now.”

“You don’t need to explain to me why Bruce would have been close enough to you to hand you a file,” Lois said. “I want to know about Jason.”

“I’m getting there. It just takes a second,” he said. “You know about Phantom?”

“Your favorite big boy hero? The one you’ve based more than one loving article around? The one who you’re always watching on youtube or listening his podcasts? Yeah, Clark, I know Phantom.” She got to watch his cheeks flush. “Did he bring Jason back?”

“No,” Clark said. “But he’s related. I can’t fully go into it because we’re hitting another hero’s backstory. What you need to know is that ghosts are made of and feed on ectoplasm. Lazarus Water is tainted ectoplasm which has a mind control element from the old Ghost King.”

“That sounds very bad.”

“Extremely,” Clark said. “But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. After taking Connor to meet Ma and Pa, I took him to Phantom.”

“Since Phantom also has a clone.”

“Yeah. They were both really helpful. Got Kon a good medical check… me too for that matter. I’ll tell you that part later. Phantom and Ellie have been practicing with Kon, giving him advice. He’s actually still there. I’m going to go get him tomorrow and bring him back here.”

Lois nodded and made a “continue” motion with her hand.

“So, Tim followed us out to Amity Park. And while we were there, he literally walks into Jason Todd. Who was dead for a little while but has been alive since he got thrown in the Lazarus water. But since the stuff is so tainted, Phantom’s having to help him deal with it.”

“And that’s why you and Bruce were in the same place,” she said. “Is he okay?”

“He’s… better. It’s extremely complicated, for reasons I’m not at liberty to discuss. But Bruce has smiled and laughed more those few days he was there with Jason than he probably did all of last year. But also, Jason spent a lot of time getting care, so Bruce had nothing to do. And when I said I was moving-”

“He made you this entire binder,” she said. “Alright. I get it… damn. That’s a lot. So, it’s going to be a while before any story about Jason will get out.”

“At least a few months. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.”

Lois waved a hand. “The other heroes deserve privacy. And Jason Todd deserves privacy. I understand that. So, when are you going to have time to look at these apartments?”

“Oh… today, when I’m done packing.”

“Alright, you finish packing and I’ll pick where we’re going.”

“We?” Clark asked, his voice squeaking a little. She loved when he got shy.

“Yeah, we. It will be worse if you get Connor settled and then have to move shortly afterwards again.”

Clark’s brow furrowed in confusion. Then it was like the light clicked on. “Wait, do you mean-?”

“I already have the rings picked, blue boy. I’m just not ready to ask yet. And I want Connor to feel comfortable with me. So, let’s pick a place with at least three bedrooms. I’ll need an office eventually.”

“I… yeah. Of course,” Clark said.

“Plus, letting Bruce cover my half until my lease is up will make him feel a little better.”

Clark grinned brighter. “Yeah, that’s true… I can’t wait for you to meet Connor. He’s younger than his body shows. He’s only got the bad memories from CADMUS, the implanted memories they gave him, and the memories he’s made since his rescue. He’s still new to a lot. But he’s very kind, and eager, and a really sweet kid.”

“I’m sure I’ll love him too. After all, he’s your kid,” she said. “But Clark, your backstory for him has some holes.”

“I know.”

“Tell Bruce to change it to him escaping from a cult. You can keep the cover already made to tell most other people, like he’s actually trying to hide from the cult. But a cult makes his lack of experience make sense.”

Clark blinked slowly. “Yeah… yes, that makes a lot of sense. I’ll talk with Bruce, Connor and my parents about it.” All the people who would need to approve to make such a change.

“Alright, I’m going to start looking. You finish up here.” She went to the kitchen and went start coffee for herself so she had something to sip while she read.

“Yes ma’am,” he said cheerfully.

It was the middle of the week, so Lois had to ask for time off from Perry. He wasn’t happy about it at all, especially because Clark was still out for another day or two while he got Connor settled. But when she told him it involved Clark’s family emergency and he would come by to explain very soon, Perry relented.

That meant she arrived at Clark’s apartment before he returned with Connor. She’s brought donuts and coffee in case the kid hadn’t had time to eat before leaving Amity Park. (Or, more realistically, he was just hungry again the way teenagers always were).

She was sitting at the kitchen peninsula when the keys jingled in the lock and the door opened. She peered up over her cup, getting a look at the pair as they entered. Clark had opened the door so Connor could come in first. The boy’s hair was somehow curlier than Clarks (generally well contained) curls. His eyes were identical to Clark’s. He was shorter than Clark and, to Lois’s surprise, had Lex’s nose. It suited him very well, though. He, also much to Lois’s surprise, had pierced ears, with two little black stone loops. He reached up and messed with one when he saw her looking. They must be new then.

“Lois,” Clark said once he stepped in and shut the door behind him. “This is Connor, my son. Connor, this is Lois Lane, my girlfriend.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Connor said stiffly, but politely. That made Lois smile.

She stood up and opened the top of the donut box. His eyes were immediately drawn to its contents.

“It’s nice to meet you, Connor. I brought donuts for us to share if you’d like one.”

“Yes!” Connor flew over and plucked a donut from the box, still floating a few inches above the ground.

“Connor, you need to try and keep your feet on the ground,” Clark said with a sigh.

“I… I thought you said she was safe.”

“I am,” Lois said. “It’s just so you can practice pretending to not have powers. You don’t want to slip up in public, after all. And you’re still new to this.”

“Okay. I guess that makes sense.” He lowered himself onto the ground. He then proceeded to stuff the entire donut into his mouth. Lois smiled. Teenagers.

“I like your earring.”

“Wrery?” He mumbled out around the donut. Lois laughed, which gave him a chance to chew and swallow. “Really?”

“Yes, they’re new, right?”

“Yeah,” Connor said, playing with his earrings. “Tim had kind of a bad day yesterday. Jay said letting him do something for me would help, and it did.” Like father like son, apparently. “When I mentioned that it was weird not having my tag anymore. Well, it gave him a project.”

“Your tag?” Clark asked.

“CADMUS tagged me in my ear. Cassie said it was like I was a wild animal or a cattle tag. I had it since I was still a tubie. You must have noticed the dimple in my left ear.”

“I had,” Clark admitted quietly. Connor kept playing with his right ear, Lois noted.

“I didn’t realize kryptonians could get piercings,” Lois said.

“Tim asked Val while I was still training with Danny, and Val called Ellie. And Ellie took a trip to see Frostbite, and Frostbite checked his research and figured out the process. Then Ellie called Danny, and Danny made an appointment for me with one of the ghosts who work at one of the tattoo and piercing places in Amity. And Tim went looking through some of the records of the Infinite Realms and picked a stone which wouldn’t hurt me but would keep my ears from just healing over whenever I take these out.”

“So, they’re like retainers after having braces,” Lois said. Connor’s face lit up.

“Yeah, that’s exactly how Tim described it! So, I need to wear these ones once a week for a couple hours to keep my ears from trying to entirely heal up. But Kitty, the one who did the piercing, she suggested I leave them in for a while.”

“So, what stone are they?”

“They’re made of this black rock that apparently used to be used on Krypton to make armor. It’s like super duper ancient. It’s really durable, so I won’t accidentally destroy them. According to Frostbite’s notes and Tim’s research, it was used for its healing abilities. It could like hold Kryptonian cells in whatever state they were in when originally applied. So, it made it harder to get hurt, and anyone wearing the armor who did get hurt would start to heal. And if someone was injured outside of the armor, it could be put on that person and it could keep them from dying until they could get to a doctor.”

Connor’s eyes were bright with excitement as he talked.

“That’s… wow, that’s really cool,” Lois said, really meaning it. She glanced at Clark, who was giving Connor a really fond look. “Did you know about this before.”

“That’s the upside of dealing with ghosts so old they’re called “ancients” who exist in a place called the Infinite Realms… they have access to dead from all over,” Clark said. “And they gave me a report on all of this as well. I dropped it out at the Fortress already, with a little sample they had left over.”

Lois grinned at Clark. She knew he always wanted to learn more about his homeworld. Most things from Krypton seemed to come back and bite Clark in the ass later. It was nice that he found something positive, something he could share information about with Connor. And there was a chance that he could learn more, if there really were dead Kryptonians around.

“Well, they look great on you, Connor,” she said. “So, how about we have coffee and donuts and we can head out?”

“Head out?”

“I mentioned we’re moving,” Clark reminded him.

“Oh, yeah! So, we’re going to be living together soon, Ms. Lane?”

“Lois is fine,” she assured him. “Or whatever you’re comfortable calling me. And yes, but my lease isn’t up for six months. That will give us time to get to know each other and see if you’re comfortable living with me.”

“But you’re dad’s girlfriend.” Lois noted how brightly Clark smiled when Connor referred to him as dad. “You should be able to live with him if you want to.”

“That would be the case if it was just the pair of us. But you’re Kal’s boy. And this is already a huge change. If you aren’t comfortable with me, then I’m not going to move in. Got it?”

“I… thank you… Lois.” He offered her a shy smile. It reminded her very much of Clark.

“Do you mind if I hug you?” she asked.

“Really? I mean, yeah, sure!”

Lois stood and crossed the short distance around the peninsula. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him nice and tight. After a few seconds he wrapped his arms around her in return. His hug was very, very gentle, which told her he still wasn’t used to his strength.

“You can hug a little tighter. I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He did as she told him.

“Tighter.”

He did as she asked, which made her squeak.

“A little less.”

“Sorry.”

“No, just loosen a little bit.”

She waited until he did as he was told. Then she let out a sigh.

“There we go. You feel how this feels? This is perfect for hugging me, okay?”

“Yeah, I can feel it,” he said. His sad expression faded, replaced with sometimes more content. “But what if I forget when I hug you later?”

“Then I’ll help you practice until it’s second nature,” she assured him.

“Really?” he pulled back a little so he could see her better.

“Yes, Connor. Superman’s my boyfriend, and you’re a good kid. I’m not worried. You’ll figure it out.”

Connor looked so relieved. He drew her back into the hug, the pressure still just as perfect as before.

“Thank you, Lois.”

“You’re welcome, Connor.”

After another moment of good hugging, she stepped away so she could drink her coffee and have a donut. Connor grabbed a second and third donut and let Clark pour him a glass of him while Clark got his own coffee.

“So,” Connor said after he’d finished both his donuts and entirely drained his milk. “We’re going to see apartments today?”

“Yes, we picked out three places yesterday,” Clark said. “All of them have units available really soon for move in. So, you can decide which one of those you like best.”

“Wait? I can pick?”

“Yes,” Clark said. “Any of the three we narrowed it down to are good choices that Lois and I both approve of. You can’t make a bad choice.”

“Awesome!” Connor declared, punching the air. “I want to go! Let’s go!”

“Okay, okay,” Clark laughed. “Let me rinse the dishes and we can head out.”

Lois liked Connor. He was exuberant personality was really cute. The apartment tours went really well. All three of them were on the top floors, meaning they had roof access. They weren’t in areas that were too nice or too bad. Bruce had basically gotten them pre-approved for any one they wanted. Connor also liked all three. He ended up picking the ones with the big windows and the really nice bathtub. It meant the third bedroom, which was going to become Lois and Clark’s office/library ultimately, was smaller. And Connor’s room wasn’t as big as it would have been if they’d picked the other two. It was also the one they could move into immediately.

That meant that Clark needed an extra two days to move everything in a human enough way that no one would get suspicious. And he needed time to take care of updating everything. It also meant Lois had to go back to work. Perry started bothering her about what was going on, but she remained tight lipped about all of it. She worked hard, went to see Connor and Clark when she finished work, and then went home and slept. That cycle continued until the day of Clark’s return to work. When the elevator opened, Lois was surprised to see Clark in his suit and glasses, and Connor trailing after him. He was wearing a Robin tee shirt, which considering how much he talked about Tim, was really cute, and a brown leather jacket which Lois clocked as one of Jonathan Kent’s jackets. He also had more piercings, which meant the pair of them had been to Kansas and back to Amity at some point.

“Kent, what the hell?” Perry shouted from his office when he saw the pair of them. Connor winced and ducked his head.

“Come on,” Clark said to Connor, laying his hands on his shoulders. “Perry’s loud, but he’d not mean.”

“Okay,” Connor whispered. He allowed Clark to steer him, and Lois followed after. Once they were inside Perry’s office, Lois shut the door behind them.

“Kent, you’re damned late. You’re lucky I don’t fire you. What the hell was going on? Who’s this!” he seemed to have just noticed Connor, but Lois would bet he noticed him immediately. Still, Perry had an image to keep up.

“I’m Connor Kent,” Connor said nervously. “Um… Clark’s my dad.”

“What?” Perry asked, the bluster leaving his voice. “Is this the emergency?”

“Yes,” Clark said. “Connor’s going to be staring school on Monday. I’m not comfortable leaving him at the apartment all day. So, he’s here with me today, if you don’t mind.”

“You came to learn what your old man, does, eh, son?” Perry asked, his gaze pulling to Connor.

“I don’t think my dad’s that old, sir.”

“It’s a figure of speech,” Clark said. He gave a fond expression when Connor turned to look at him. “And yes, Kon’s the reason I’ve been gone. And part of why I wanted to introduce you to him.”

“I get a feeling you’re not going to tell me anything happy about why.”

“I had a fling with a girl about fifteen years ago. Summer romance… I didn’t realize she’d gotten pregnant. I didn’t know anything until recently. See, Lex, she-” Oh, that was funny. “Well, she ended up in a cult.”

Connor looked uncomfortable, but he caught Lois’s eyes, and she could tell he was hamming it up a bit. This was the cover story they’d worked out, after all.

“Shit,” Perry said.

“Yes, exactly,” Clark said. “I found Connor recently. He’s only been away from the cult for about a month and a half, so he’s not entirely good with what we’d considered normal living.”

“I’m not weird,” Connor mumbled.

“You are a little weird, kid. But it’s like Kansas here when he first arrived. Sheep in the big city and all that,” Lois said. Connor stuck his tongue out at her, which made her laugh.

“Anyway, if anyone comes sniffing around Connor, I need you to shut it down. Put them off, lie to them. I don’t care what you say or how you do it. I worry someone will try to come after him,” Clark finished.

“Consider it done,” Perry said immediately. “Are you telling other people?”

“Maybe a few I trust, but everyone else gets to hear about my finding my long-lost son when he reached out to find me,” Clark said. He gave Connor’s shoulders a squeeze. “I want him to be safe.”

“I’ll help,” Perry promised. “Don’t worry about anything coming out of this building. Now, there’s a shit ton for you to do. Maybe junior can help you with all your mail.”

“That’s the plan,” Clark said with a smile.

“That sounds kind of boring,” Connor said.

“It’s important,” Lois said. “So your dad can get out from under the busy work and get back to his job. We missed him out in the field.”

“Go to work, all of you,” Perry said. “And Lane…. Sorry for pressing the issue.”

“Not a problem, Perry,” she said, flashing him a smile as the three of them filed out.

“So, what was that about?” Jimmy asked.

“Well, this is Connor, my son,” Clark introduced.

“What do you mean your son!?” Jimmy exclaimed. And that was how they had the rest of the office swarmed around them.

Clark had an arm thrown around Connor’s shoulders and Lois stood at his other side, basically keeping him from getting too surrounded. Connor did seem a little uncomfortable, but mostly everyone just wanted to meet him, say how cute he was, how much he looked like Clark, and to welcome him to the Daily Planet. They were on surprisingly good behavior. But given how nervous Connor was and how protective Clark was, the people they worked with decided to put the teasing off until Connor wasn’t there. Which was going to next Monday, a full five days away. Lois kept that little tidbit to herself, even when she started getting Slack messages asking questions.

She and Perry had to wait for answers. It was their coworkers time to be patient.

Chapter Text

Connor was not ready for his first day of school. He fingered his new piercings nervously. He’d made two trips back to Amity to get them all. Clark even let him travel by himself the second time. All off his piercings were made from the same kryptonian mineral, but Kitty and someone she called Skulker figured out how to apply color via electromagnetic… something. Connor didn’t really know, but he knew that only the two original piercings were the natural black.

His left ear only had the original lobe piercing, and he still had the black hoop he’d been given to wear in that one. His right ear now sported the original lobe piercing stud, plus two upper lobe piercings (also studs), an orbital conch (hoop), two helix (hoops), a rook (barbel), and a diath (hoop). The original stud was black, but the other two were red and green. The Conch was gold. The Helix were blue and red, and the Diath was gold, but Kitty had attached little gem stones to it, so it had a red, green, yellow and blue stone. Jon didn’t care if they colors might look odd. They were his reminder whenever he looked in the mirror that he had two people who loved him. Also, Robin and Superman were cool. He liked wearing their colors.

Clark had talking him out of wearing his Robin shirt for the first day. Connor went with plain black instead, but he wore Pa’s brown leather jacket. It was another reminder of who loved him. His piercings and that jacket were like his armor. They kept him safe.

“It’s going to be okay,” Clark assured him. “You did fine with the Daily Planet office.” Clark was already in his suit, with his glasses securely on. Connor had the pair of sunglasses Jason sent him as a first day of school gift hanging from his tee shirt. He knew he wasn’t supposed to wear it in school, but he didn’t want to go anywhere without them.

“Yeah, but the people at the Daily planet already like you,” Kon said. “I don’t know these people and neither do you.”

“That’s why that was practice for this,” Clark said far too reasonably. Kon tried not to gulp.

Clark was right that it had gone well at the Daily Planet. He’d spent three days there with Clark. The first day he’d basically gotten swarmed. Everyone wanted to meet him. They wanted to show him around the office. They even helped teach him the tasks Lois and Clark gave him to do. They were all really nice, especially because he couldn’t help being so shy.

He ended up having lunch with a few of the secretaries, who were happy to tell him all about how his dad always went out of his way to help all of them, and was always so nice and thoughtful. That had filled him with pride but also gave him an expectation. Clark was a good man and not just as Superman. Connor Kent was his son, the son no one knew about until now. He needed to prove that he was good, like Clark was.

The second day, Jimmy Olsen took Connor to lunch.

“Your dad told me about you,” Jimmy said over McDonald’s. Clark had told Connor that Jimmy was a friend, and a friend of Superman, though he didn’t know they were the same person. He was getting the cult story.

“He told me he was going to tell you,” Connor said.

“Yeah? I’m glad,” Jimmy said. Jimmy was nice too, but not the way Clark Kent was. “You know, if anything happens, Lois and Clark and me are all friends with Superman. If any of those bastards come near you, just call for Superman, okay?”

“Okay,” Kon said, nodding like Clark wouldn’t be his first call, Danny wouldn’t be his second and Tim his third. Lex Luthor was still a threat, after all. He might decide wanted his clone back at any point.

That, he suspected, was the reason why Tim kept coming up with excuses to design more items with the Kryptonian mineral and that Team Phantom kept finding a way to assure they got made.

“We’re going to keep an eye out, and make sure no one in the office gives out too much information. You’re going to be safe, little Kent, if it’s the last thing we do.” Jimmy’s eyes and shown with determination, like he wasn’t human and smaller than Connor.

That was what love meant, Connor was learning, giving everything to people, people you know, people you don’t, people who need help.

Clark laid a hand on Kon’s shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts. “You’re going to be fine. You remember what Bruce said, about when you’re worried?”

“What’s… think of what’s the best possible thing, and the worst possible thing,” Kon said quietly. His mouth felt dry.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Clark asked.

“They could all hate me instantly, know what I am, call Lex on me and he could blow up the school and kill everyone.”

“And how likely is that?” Clark asked.

“Not… not likely.” This was a high school, with normal human teachers and kids. It wasn’t the best or worst school in the city. None of these people would have Lex’s number, even if someone they knew worked for Lex Corp. Lex was too high and mighty for that.

“And what’s the best?” Clark’s words drew him out of that line of thought.

“Um… everyone could love me immediately and throw me a parade.”

Clark chuckled, which made Connor grin. “And how likely is that?”

“Not going to happen,” Connor said.

“See? There’s no reason to worry,” Clark said. He gave Kon’s shoulder another squeeze. “What’s most likely is that you’ll feel a bit out of place today, but you’ll talk to other kids. Within a week or so, it will feel normal to be here. You’ll make friends and get settled. Okay?”

“Okay.” Kon nodded.

Clark steered him inside the school and right into the office. Clark had gotten all the registration stuff handled, but the office needed to get his schedule. Kon stood to the side while Clark talked to the secretaries like they were old friends and got everything settled.

“Mr. Kent,” a tall bald white man said. He was taller than Clark, and he reminded Kon of a drill sergeant. “I’m the Principal, Leon Pace.”

“Mr. Pace,” Clark said warmly, offering the principal a hand to shake, which Mr. Pace took, giving a strong shake.

“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Kent. I’ve been following your work for years,” he said.

“Really?” Clark looked rather taken aback.

“I used to teach history. That piece you did years ago about the history of Superheroes was really well written. Any look back you’ve done has been very well researched.”

“Is that the one you did on Phantom?” Kon asked. He clammed up immediately, remembering from the lab that he wasn’t supposed to interrupt adults talking.

“Yes,” Clark said with a good-natured laugh. He patted Kon’s back. “I will admit, Phantom was my hero when I was a kid.”

“Mine too,” Mr. Pace said. “Though I’m more partial to Green Lantern these days.”

“Not a bad choice,” Clark said. “Mr. Pace, this is Connor. He’s been homeschooled before now, and he’s nervous.”

“Don’t worry too much,” Mr. Pace said, looking right at Connor. “School isn’t too bad, no matter what anyone says. Now, you seem to have a lot of piercings.”

Kon grinned. “Right? My best friend helped design them. He’s really smart!” he chirped happily until he noticed the serious expression in Mr. Pace’s eyes. Then he didn’t feel happy, he felt small and like he was facing down one of the lab guards.

“We don’t normally allow that many piercings,” Mr. Pace said.

“I know it’s a bit odd, but they make him happy, and they aren’t hurting anyone. I figured, what’s the harm,” Clark said. Despite his polite tone, Kon could hear the tiniest sliver of steel in his voice.

“Well, those with the jacket.”

“My father gave it to him,” Clark said, waving a hand dismissively. “He’s a farmer, you know, in Kansas. He likes sturdy things. He said any boy should have a sturdy jacket. He’s had this one since he was young too.”

“I see,” Mr. Pace said. “Well, then I suppose it’s fine for now.”

Kon’s heart stopped for a second and then started with a painful thump.

“Yes, sir,” Kon said quietly. He felt Clark squeeze his shoulder again.

“Well, Mr. Pace, it’s very nice to meet you. Unfortunately, I need to head into work.”

“That’s understandable. I’ll guide Connor to his homeroom,” Mr. Pace said.

“Alright.” Clark tugged Connor around gently. “It’s going to be fine today. You’ll take the bus home after school, remember?”

“I do,” Connor said. “I’ll be fine, Clark.” He knew Clark could feel how his heart was beating, but he pulled on a convincing smile anyway. Still, he grabbed Clark into a tight hug. “You have a good day, dad. I’ll see you this evening.”

Clark’s arms tightened around him, giving him a real Superman hug. “I’ll see you this evening, Kon. Have a good day, buddy.”

Connor pulled out of the hug, wearing a happy smile. He waved goodbye to Clark and watched him leave.

“Do you have your schedule, Mr. Kent?” Mr. Pace asked.

“I do, sir,” Connor said. He swallowed and turned around to face the tall man.

“Follow me then,” Mr. Pace said, leading him through the office and out the back door into what had to be the cafeteria. “That many piercings are against our dress code, so you’re aware.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Connor said. “I didn’t know.”

“Well, we tend to allow some wiggle room with the dress code. But you must be aware of the way you present yourself. If you dress like a thug, people are going to think you’re a thug.”

“But… Jason and Tim said I looked cool,” Kon about whispered.

“Young people think danger is cool, but it’s not, it’s just dangerous. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I think so,” Connor said. He rubbed his hand over his jacket. Was he doing something wrong already?

“Your homeroom is with Mr. Smith. Refer to your schedule. They should have given you a school map.”

“They did,” Connor said.

“The map will help you find where you classes are. I suggest circling where the rooms are on your map and putting both it and your schedule on the front of one of your binders.”

“Yes, sir.” That was good advice, especially since Kon knew that phones weren’t really an ok thing to have out at school. Tim would want pictures and would probably make him an app or something anyway.

Mr. Pace stopped front of a door. He knocked on the open door before poking his head in. “Mr. Smith?”

“Yes, Mr. Pace.” Mr. Smith was a very bland looking white man, but he seemed to have a nice smile.

“This is Connor Kent,” he said.

“Connor, it’s good to meet you,” Mr. Smith.

“It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Smith.”

“How about you go find a seat? Announcements will start soon.”

Connor nodded. He headed into the room. There was only free chair, which was right in the middle. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He went and slunk into his seat, dropping his bag on the ground at his feet.

“Hey man,” someone close to him whispered. “Hey, are those Robin keychains?”

“Oh, yeah,” Connor said. He picked up his bag, so he could show the guy the three chibi-shaped keychains. It was one for each Robin, which Kon liked because he liked all three of them. Tim was the best, of course. But Dick was cool, and Jason was nice even when he was being kind of an ass.

“Man, those are like limited edition,” the other boy said. He was black, with braids and big brown eyes. He was kind of cute, but not the way Tim was cute.

“My… best friend’s father gave them to me. He… was mean when we first met. Tim says it’s his dad way of saying sorry.”

“So, you like Gotham heroes?” the other boy asked.

“I like Robins,” Connor said. He ran a finger over Tim’s little figure. “I don’t know how I feel about Batman.”

“And how do you feel about Superman?”

“He’s the best,” Kon said confidently.

The boy laughed. “Okay, you’ll probably fit right in. I’m Dante.”

“Connor,” he said, offering the boy a hand to shake, which he did. “It’s nice to meet you, Dante.”

“Dante you already have a new friend. Are you replacing me?” A girl asked. She had brown skin, and bright green eyes which had to be contacts or something because he could see little flowers on the irises. Her black hair was in pig tails. She slumped over Dante’s desk.

“Lili, this is Connor. He likes Robins.”

“Nerd,” Lili said to Dante before she turned to look at Connor. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lili.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Aww, you’re so polite,” she cooed, but she was teasing, he was certain.

“Ms. Perez, wonderful,” Mr. Smith said. “Will you show Mr. Kent around? Your schedules are similar.”

“Fine, boring!” Lili whined. Still, she winked at Connor.

“Mr. Kent, please stand,” Mr. Smith said. He was at the front of the classroom now. Connor scrambled to stand up quickly. “Everyone, this is Connor Kent. He’s transferred in as of today. Mr. Kent, please tell us something interesting about yourself.”

Interesting? What the hell was he supposed to say? He reached up, rubbing the studs on his right ear.

“Um…” he said nervously. “My… uh... My dad’s a reporter. And, um, it’s nice to meet you all. Thank you.” He dropped into his seat, ducking his head.

Thankfully, the announcements came on right after that, so Connor didn’t have to answer any more questions or stand up again. Still, he knew he was getting weird looks, especially when he stayed seated for the pledge and Mr. Smith had to ask him to stand for it specifically. He just… didn’t know he was supposed to, but Mr. Smith didn’t look happy that he hadn’t stood, or that he wasn’t saying it. It wasn’t part of his implanted memories.

Each class was a little like that. The teachers all introduced him and asked him something about himself. He just kept saying his dad was a reporter. By the time the bell rang for lunch, Connor was wishing he had the power to just… sink into the floor and stop existing. Everyone was so loud and so alive, and the buzzing from the lights was giving him a headache. He ended up putting his sunglasses on in the hall, just to block out a little of the light.

“Come on, Kent,” Lili said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the cafeteria. He followed after her. She’d been tugging him from class to class, which he really was grateful for.

Lili dragged him to the lunchroom. “Did you bring your lunch?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Good, sit here. Dante will be here soon,” she said, pointing to a table. Connor sat where she pointed and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long before Dante came over, his lunchbox in hand. “Hey, you also part of the homemade crew?”

“My grandmother made food to send home with us,” Kon said. Not that Clark and Lois couldn’t cook. They’d both been helping him learn a little. But they’d all had dinner at the farm the previous night and Ma had loaded him up with leftovers.

“Cool. My dad’s a chef. He sends me with lunch every day,” Dante said. “What do you have?”

“Two different types of pie,” Connor said. He opened his lunch to reveal exactly what he said, along with fruits and vegetables that Clark insisted on packing for him.

“God, you’re both nerds,” Lili said.

“Don’t complain,” Dante said. “At least it’s not just us anymore.”

“Yeah, third lunch really blows,” Lili said. There were four lunches broken up over 4th period. “None of our other friends are here.”

“It’s better than Sasha having first lunch by themselves,” Dante pointed out.

“Yeah, fair,” Lili said. “So, Connor, what made you transfer here of all places?”

“Oh, uh… I started living with my dad recently,” Connor said.

“For real? Did he win custody or something?” Lili asked.

“No- it’s um…” He flushed and trailed off. “We didn’t… know about each other until recently. My mom, I mean Lex. Sh- I mean…”

“Hey, you don’t have to tell us,” Dante said quickly. “Sorry about Lili.”

“Yeah, sorry about me too,” Lili said, looking apologetic. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. Is your dad nice?”

“Yeah, he’s the best,” Connor said. “And I really like his girlfriend. She’s really nice to me.”

“So, you like living here?” she pressed.

“Yeah, it’s the happiest I’ve been… ever, I think,” he said. “I mean, after I left home, I ended up with San Francisco for a month. I made friends and they were awesome. I met Tim there, and he’s so cool. He’s my best friend! And that was fun. But my dad’s just… so nice. He even moved so we’d have more space. And he let me pick which place we moved to.”

He knew he was grinning. He was happy, though. Even though school was stressful and Kon was pretty sure he didn’t like it, it was a million times better than his life used to be.

“So…” Dante said slowly. “Tim? You mentioned him earlier.”

“Yeah, he’s great,” Connor said. “He’s like… man, he’s so smart and capable, and devious and he’s cute. I mean, not the way Dante’s cute. But like cute.”

“Oh shit,” Lili said.

“What?” He’d been mentally imagining Tim, so when he actually paid attention to Dante and Lili, he noticed that Dante’s face was hot and his heart was speeding up. Lili’s heart rate was up too.

“Kon, are you gay?” Lili asked bluntly.

“Uh… maybe?” Kon said, blinking in confusion at the sudden change of topic. “Is… that a problem.”

“No,” Dante said quickly. “I’m bi and Lili’s a big old lesbo. All our friends are queer.”

“Looks like you found your people,” Lili said, bumping into Kon’s shoulder with her own. “So… Did you mom not take you being gay well?”

“Li, can’t you phrase it better?” Dante asked. He glared at her before turning kinder eyes on Connor. “I’m sorry about her. Her cousin got thrown out for being a lesbian. So, she’s touchy about it.”

“Oh…. Oh!” Kon suddenly understood what was going on. “Uh… My… Lex, I don’t think h- she’d like me liking Tim.” Lex wouldn’t love him falling in love with Robin for sure. “And well… I was home schooled.”

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” Lili gasped. “I didn’t mean to bring it all up. Well, I did, but not like this. I just wanted to know how safe it was to be gay around you.”

“Safe,” Connor said, waving his hands in front of him. “Don’t worry. I’m not mad.”

“Was Tim’s dad mean to you because you’re gay?” Dante asked suddenly.

“What? No,” Kon said quickly, “Bruce is just… I kind of came out of nowhere. I think he thought I was going to hurt Tim. But he helped my dad find me. I was kind of scared of him at first, but he’s nice. And he wouldn’t care about me dating his son. I’m pretty sure he’s dated men before.” Pretty sure because he’d found plenty of articles about Bruce Wayne dating or kissing men in the past when he’d been curious enough to look up the Wayne family.

“Dude. Damn. I’m a little jealous for Tim,” Lili said. She did look kind of bitter. She twirled her hair around her finger, but her eyes were cast down to her tray. “My parents are just… tense about it. But to them, you don’t throw out family. So, Nora stays with us, and they wouldn’t throw me out. It’s just awkward.”

“Yeah, I’ve been to her place. It’s awkward,” Dante said. “My older brother is gay and only wants to raise dogs, not kids. So, my mom hopes that I’ll marry a woman, or at least do IVF when I have kids. She has a thing about having at least one grandkid that’s a blood relative.”

“That’s… what’s IVF?” Kon asked.

“Invitro fertilization. Like a way to make a baby but they’re mixed up in a lab,” Dante said. His words made Connor’s heart drop into his stomach. The lab flashed in his mind. He knew it couldn’t be the same, but he could practically see Dante in one of the tubes they had in the lab. His heart rate picked up and he had to shut down that line of thought immediately.

“I see,” Connor said, his voice a little strained. “That sounds… tough.”

“Yeah. I shouldn’t complain too much. Some of our friends are still in the closet, and others are in worse situations. My situation isn’t bad. It’s just…”

“Clark says everyone has their own struggles,” Connor said.

“Clark’s who?”

“Oh, my dad… calling him dad’s still kind of new,” Connor said. He rubbed the back of his head.

“So, he’s cool with you bring gay?” Lili asked.

“He wouldn’t have a problem with it. The only awkward thing was him going over sex education with me when he thought Tim and I were… we’re not, but he thought maybe. It was kind of weird, and really thorough.”

Lili let out a loud laugh, and Dante chuckled.

“Yeah, that had to be awkward,” Dante said.

“It was, but it wasn’t bad. He just wanted me to be safe,” he said. “He worries… but it’s nice to have people who worry about me, you know?”

“Yeah, we get it,” Lili said with a sad smile. “Well, it’s decided, you’re part of our group.”

“Wait, really?” Connor asked.

“Yeah, it’s best to join us down. You better act out and proud, or we’re going to have to beat girls off you with a stick, considering how cool you look,” Lili said. “We might have to do so anyway.”

“Wait, you think I look cool? Mr. Pace said I looked like I thug.”

“Ugh, he’s the fucking worst,” Lili said. “He’s so old school. And he has weird ideas.”

“Between the jacket, the piercings and the tight shirt, yes, you are very cool,” Dante assured him. “And desirable. I mean, I know of more than a few guys who might be willing to try with you, even when you’re clearly taken.”

“I’m not dating Tim,” Connor said.

“Yet,” Dante said. “But you want to, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then you’re so totally taken,” Lili said. “Anyway, eat something before lunch is up. We barely get enough time to get food down our throats.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Dante said, popping open one the pieces of Tupperware from his bag.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Connor said before he started to eat his pies.

Chapter Text

A lot of people didn’t call her doctor anything anymore. But that was not the case for the glowing man floating in front of her.

“Dr. Isley.”

“Phantom,” Ivy said, leaning back in her couch. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

What else was she going to say exactly? “Fuck off hero powerful enough to make the entire world intangible long enough for a meteor to pass through it like nothing was there at all, but everyone remained still cognizant and everything was perfectly fine afterwards”? No way, she wasn’t stupid.

“You’re close to Dr. Quinzel, right?” Phantom wasn’t the little boy he’d been when he saved the world. He was big like Batman or Superman, maybe bigger. It was hard to judge when he was floating like that. Floating in her living room where he definitely did not belong.

“Harley?” she asked, feeling no small amount of protective terror. “Why?” she asked, sitting up straight, her eyes narrowing.

“I’m collecting an escaped member of my realm,” Phantom said. “You might know him. He calls himself the Joker?”

“What, you’re telling me he’s a ghost?”

“He died once,” Phantom said with a cold finality that would have made Ivy shiver if she didn’t believe Harley might be in danger.

“Are you going to hurt Harley?”

“What? No!” The danger left his expression, and then he just looked flummoxed. “No… she’s… You know Dr. Fenton, right?”

“From Arkham? The shrink?” Now she was curious.

“Yes. Dr. Fenton is from Amity, and Dr. Quinzel is, or at least was, her friend. She asked me not to involve Dr. Quinzel if it’s possible.”

“You do favors for everyone from your little town?” Ivy asked, raising a brow.

“Well, not really. But Jasmine is… well, she’s important to me.”

“Like a girlfriend?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Ew, no. Just, let’s just say that I consider her like family.”

Ivy thought about the implications of what she just learned. Phantom was powerful, but he was also very protective of people from Amity Park. He considered the place ‘his haunt’, which was apparently very important to ghosts. But Dr. Jasmine Fenton wasn’t just from Amity Park. She was special, extra special. And Dr. Fenton had been very close with Harley before the Joker got his claws in her.

And yeah, Harley finally got it in her head that maybe a guy who tortures kiddies for fun and is as emotionally available as a rock might not actually be a loving partner. But he still meant a lot to her. She was still obsessed with him. She still couldn’t be trusted around him.

Phantom only dealt in the dead, which meant the Joker wouldn’t be alive much longer. And if Harley knew… if she knew she’d do something stupid.

“What do you need from me?” she asked.

“Within 48 hours the Joker will break out of Arkham,” Phantom said. “I’ll have him within 52 hours. I need you to keep her distracted and occupied until that’s over. And stay with her afterwards.”

He must know Dr. Fenton, or someone, because he clearly knew Harley would be broken up over the damn clown. That was finally what made Ivy relax. Phantom cared about Harley’s wellbeing. He cared enough to find the person who could best help. He trusted her, a villain, to care for her friend.

“I can do that,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said with a nod. “There’s something else as well, for after.”

“For after,” she repeated.

“I need you to keep her away from the Red Hood.”

“Why?” she asked, entirely perplexed by this. As far as she knew, the Red Hood was an up-and-coming crime lord who’d made a splash with a bag full of heads and then fucked off to who knew where.

“Red Hood is one of my people. He’s also one of Joker’s victims.”

“Oh, shit,” she said, her eyes getting wide. Red Hood could, potentially, have powers like Phantom, or not. There was no way of knowing, but he was dangerous, and he hated the Joker. And Harley had been at the Joker’s side for years.

“I suppose you could say that.”

“Is he going to come after Harley?” Was she willing to make an enemy of Phantom? If Red Hood went after Harley, Ivy would stop him, plain and simple. If it was possible, anyway. Phantom said Red Hood was one of his, which meant she’d be on Phantom’s radar in the bad way.

“No,” Phantom said, his voice surprisingly gentle. “But I can’t promise what he’ll do if she comes gunning for him.”

“Does Batman know about all this?” Ivy asked as she thought of the question. “I can’t imagine he’ll be okay with you killing someone in his city or supporting a Gotham crime lord.”

“He knows enough. And he knows the Joker died before and therefore falls under my jurisdiction. Don’t worry too much about me.”

“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about it blowing back on me or Harley.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “Just try to lie low for the next week, don’t antagonize Crime Alley, and you should be fine.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“It’s just reality, I’m afraid.” He shrugged. “Take care, Dr. Isley.” And just like that, Phantom disappeared, leaving Ivy alone with her thoughts.

She’d have to plan something good, or Harley would get suspicious. And she couldn’t let Harley get suspicious.

Phantom said it would take 52 hours. He was wrong. It took 34. It didn’t take the Joker 48 hours to break out, it took 30. And it didn’t take Phantom 6 hours to find him, it took 4.

Ivy had an easy enough time keeping Harley busy the first day. There was sleeping and meals and Ivy dragged her out to see Pagliacci and she was happy. It was the next day when things started to get more difficult. Harley had seemed so wrapped up in having a good time that when they were up late watching TV, Ivy felt secure enough to step away for a few minutes. Ivy went to pee and came back to Harley wrapped up in her favorite blanket, her eyes fixed on the news.

“Pammy, they said they found Mr. J,” Harley said. She looked up at Ivy from the sofa. There were unshed tears in her eyes. Her expression kept changing: Confusion, relief, sadness, joy, anger, hatred, happiness, back to confusion again.

Ivy had been hoping to keep the news from her as long as possible, like a good long time, but clearly that wasn’t happening.

She walked around Harley, temporarily blocking her view of the news, which had live footage of the Joker’s body being wheeled out of a warehouse on a stretcher. She dropped down next to Harley and put her arm around her.

“What happened?” Ivy asked.

Harley took the remote and turned the TV up loud enough to make Ivy’s ears hurt. She rested one ear on top of Harley’s head rather than turn it down or tell Harley to turn it down.

“If you’re just joining us, the Joker has been found dead, just four hours after a breakout at Arkham Asylum. Reports say there were no visible wounds, but the Joker’s face was set in an expression of terror. A picture has released online. You may want to cover your eyes for this one, folks.”

When the picture came up on the screen, Ivy knew why the new anchor suggested looking away. ‘Expression of fear’ did not really describe the way his face had contorted, or the way rigor mortis had set in. He looked like he’d been laughing until suddenly he knew he wouldn’t survive and started screaming.

Harley pressed her face into Ivy’s neck. Ivy wrapped her other arm around her so she was holding her properly.

“It’s okay, baby, I have you,” Ivy murmured.

“It seems the Joker was setting up for a scheme. There were multiple cameras set up at the time of the attack that claimed the Joker’s life. We’re going to play a clip. Again, we warn viewers that this may be upsetting.”

The video started, and there was the Joker standing in that hideous purple suit, straightening his tie in a camera, eyes on to the monitor so he could see what he was doing. Then the monitor started to static, as did the picture.

“Stupid junk,” Joker grumbled, kicking the camera.

“Don’t kick defenseless cameras, man, especially when they haven’t done anything.” That was Phantom. The hairs on Ivy’s neck stood up.

“Who’s trying to rain on my parade?” Joker whipped around, coming face to face with Phantom as he walked up to him until he was two arm lengths away. “I know you. Phantom, wasn’t it? Seems like you’re a long way from home, ghostboy.”

“Ghostboy, like I have heard that before.” Phantom almost sounded amused. Then the hint of a smile dropped from his face, and he was deadly serious. “You’re coming with me.”

“Oh, what? Is this some clever plan to piss off the bat. You know I love those,” Joker said before cackling.

Phantom grabbed him by the collar. The picture began to fuzz again, but the sound was still perfectly clear.

“You’re a dead man.”

“Like I haven’t heard that before,” Joker said, imitating Phantom’s words from earlier. Then he cackled.

“But you actually are. See, you died before. That means you’re one of mine now. I’ve come to collect.”

“You’re funny,” Joker said, but he was trying to pull away. Phantom’s grip was too strong. The static got worse. The pair were no longer just fuzzy around the edges; they were so hard to see that they were just moving forms in the static.

“We have laws in the Infinite Realms, and a lawman who doesn’t take well to escapees. You’re quite the escape artist, I heard, but don’t worry. We’ve set up a great little challenge for you. You might get out in a thousand years or ten thousand, or a hundred thousand. It depends on how resourceful you are, and how hard a weakened soul can fight. Don’t worry, you won’t like this at all.”

Ivy imagined Phantom was smiling, but she couldn’t see. The static got so bad that all that could be seen was black and white.

The Joker was laughing. He was laughing so hard and so loud. It seemed to go on forever. But then it stopped being laughter and it started being screams of terror. There weren’t anymore words, just the kind of guttural scream that would haunt her nightmares. Then even the sound started to fuzz up and cut off. The screen went black and there was silence.

Three second passed. Those seconds felt like an eternity. Harley had pulled away and faced the TV again. She was glaring at the screen, tears dripping from her eyes.

“I never got to him to scream like that. It’s not fair, Pammy.”

That was when the news cut back on.

“The assailant in question appears to be Phantom, widely considered the first superhero,” the news anchor said. A picture of young Phantom from the day he saved the world popped up. Next to it was a picture from one of Phantom’s vlogs.

“Phantom is most famous for turning the earth intangible 17 years ago. Recently, though, he has become more well known for a series of youtube videos where he discusses what it means to be a teenaged superhero. Those videos became popular in the wake of controversy after the disappearance of the second Robin, and the arrival of the third Robin a few years ago.”

Ivy hadn’t considered how much Phantom’s videos had cleared up that particular controversy. Most people thought of him as that nice hero who took in lost super-kids who needed help, but his videos had inadvertently covered Batman’s ass.

“There’s no word yet on a reaction from Batman, who is famously against outside interference from other heroes.”

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Ivy said, reaching for the remote. Harley tried to slap it out of her hand, but Ivy managed to get ahold of the remote and hit the power button. She then threw it across the room as hard as she could, so it bounced off the floor and flipped into the darkness of their bedroom.

“The hell, Pammy?” Harley demanded, her words coming out as an angry sob.

“Hearing this isn’t going to make you feel better, Harles,” Ivy snapped in return.

“You don’t know how I grieve,” Harley snapped in return. She ripped out of Ivy’s hold and began scrubbing furiously at her eyes.

“I know the man abused you,” Ivy shouted. “He hurt you. You hate him for a reason, and I hate him even more. I’m glad he’s dead, Harley! He deserves it. Phantom’s my goddamn hero for killing the clown! I’m fucking glad because maybe you can finally really heal.”

Harley froze where she was, her hands still up from where she’d been wiping her eyes. She blinked slowly at Ivy like she was staring at an ostrich that suddenly appeared in their living room.

“You’re right,” Harley said. She slowly lowered her hands, laying them in her lap. Her shoulder dropped in defeat, and Ivy just felt like the worst person in the world. “I know you’re right. I’m not with him anymore for a reason. And I do hate him. And… and the world’s a better place without him. But you have to understand… he was my whole world.” Her eyes were shining with new unshed tears. When she turned her gaze on Ivy, Ivy felt pinned down by those sad eyes. “I gave up everything I had, everything I was for him. No matter what happens for the rest of my life, I’m never not going to be someone he made me. I feel like that part in the book where the Monster’s holding Frankenstein’s dead body. He hated him, but that jerk Frankenstein made him. Even if he made him wrong. Without him, I’d never have met you.”

Ivy slowly lowered herself to kneel in front of Harley. She took both her hands, moving very slowly so Harley could pull away if she needed to. Harley’s hands were cold like ice. Ivy gave them a gentle squeeze. She rubbed her thumbs over Harley’s fingertips, trying to rub some of the blood back into them.

“There’s a lot good about you that has nothing to do with him.”

“And a lot of bad too,” Harley pointed out. “And a lot good because of him, and even more bad… I don’t know if I was ever really good, but now I know I’m not.”

“You’re not as bad as you think,” Ivy said. “What happened with Robin woke you up because you aren’t that bad.”

“I know I couldn’t have saved the kid… but I feel like I should have been able to. I was in too deep. I know that. But still.

“But still,” Ivy agreed. “You’re the one who says that feelings don’t always match up to reality.”

“I do say that,” Harley agreed, smiling just a little. She shook her head a let out a stuttering sigh. “I hate that I’m sad about this.”

“No matter what, he was important you,” Ivy reminded her.

“And I’m mad I didn’t get to do it myself. But I’d never have been able to do it myself, would I?”

Ivy was silent for a moment, trying to get her words straight. All the while Harley stared at her with heartbroken eyes.

“No, I don’t think you would. Because… because you have a big heart. You love deep. It doesn’t just go away. That’s why I’m glad Phantom got him. Maybe now that he’s really gone, you can have an easier time letting go.”

Harley smiled a little. “You sound a lot like Jazzy.”

“Well, Dr. Fenton’s the best therapist I’ve ever seen.”

“I’d say me too, but she’s never been my therapist. There’s a whole conflict of interest thing going on… Maybe I can call her anyway, though.”

“I bet she’d like that,” Ivy said. “But probably in the morning.”

“I’ll pop her a text message,” Harley said. She hoped up, fast as a bunny and bounced over to the far side of the couch, grabbing her phone.

“I didn’t know you had the doc’s number,” Ivy said. She pushed herself up and stretched, feeling he knees pop as she did so.

“I got it memorized. She always told me to call her if I needed anything. So what if I’m a villain, right?”

“Right,” Ivy said. She crossed the short distance between where she was standing and where Harley had thrown herself down on the sofa. Harley hummed happily, rapidly tapping away at her phone. Ivy sat down on the edge of the sofa and laid her hand on Harley’s back, rubbing slowly.

Harley had barely hit the send button when her phone started ringing. The screen declared the caller to be “Jazzy Girl”. Harley let out a shrill scream and hit accept.

“Jazzy! You’re awake!”

It was like three in the morning, and Ivy hadn’t ever heard of the good doc having insomnia, so she was surprised.

“Everyone got a call about the news,” Dr. Fenton said. “How are you doing, Harles?”

Ivy was used to the kind sympathy that Dr. Fenton tried to use in sessions, as well as the cold steel that came out if any of them crossed one of her boundaries. Dr. Fenton didn’t exactly hide her emotions or feelings, but she was professional. Which was why it was so surprising to hear such warm affection in her voice when she spoke to Harley.

“I’m gonna be okay,” Harley said. “Pammy’s with me, so I’m not alone. Pammy won’t let me do anything dumb.”

Dr. Fenton let out a loud relieved sigh. “Good. I’m glad. I was worried.”

“Yeah, I knew you would be,” Harley said. She was silent for a moment, a complicated smile settling on her face. For a moment Ivy saw Harley not as the woman she knew, but as the young professional she’d once been. Ivy didn’t regret her own transformation, and she didn’t regret what she gave up, but sometimes seeing herself in the mirror hurt, when she caught those flashes of the kid with dreams she’d once been.

Her heart ached again, remembering Harley’s words from earlier. The Joker had changed her. He took everything from her. Ivy thought Harley was way more now, more than she had been, more than the Joker ever could make her. But she ached for the woman Harley had been, and what was taken from her in the process of becoming the amazing person she was now.

“Jazz, tell Danny thank you for me? I don’t think I could tell him without trying to hit him if I saw him.”

“He wouldn’t hold it against you, Harles,” Dr. Fenton said, her voice sad and gentle. “But I’ll let him know… you know this wasn’t about you.”

“I know. Mr. J died once. Nightwing nearly finished him off.” Ivy hadn’t known that. “But you know that.”

“I do,” Dr. Fenton said. “That’s enough of a legal leg that Batman shouldn’t get his nose in it too much.”

Harley snorted. “The day Batman stops being nosey is the day the earth dies.”

Dr. Fenton laughed. “I said ‘too much’ didn’t I?”

Harley cackled. “Yeah, you did… say, you want to have lunch tomorrow?”

“Desperately! Dr. Isley, would you like to come as well.”

“Uh, yeah. Thank you,” Ivy said, taken off guard at being addressed.

“I’ll leave the shrink wrap at home,” Dr. Fenton said. “No work during off hours.”

Ivy let out a relieved sigh. Dr. Fenton was Harley’s friend, and she was worried about her. Ivy was Harley’s… more than a friend, but not quite a label. She was worried too. Ivy didn’t want to have lunch with her therapist. She wanted to have lunch with Harley’s friend Jazz.

“You can call me Pamela, I think,” Ivy said.

“Pamela. Well, you can all me Jazz.” Jazz’s voice sounded so warm and fond. Ivy felt warmer and fonder for it.

“Jazz. We’ll see you tomorrow. I’m going to get my girl a hot cocoa and go to bed.”

“That’s a good idea. Harles… thanks for texting me. It means a lot.”

“Thanks for calling me,” Harley said. “I didn’t know if you’d answer.”

“Always, still,” Jazz promised.

“Okay, Doc. You get some rest.”

Jazz laughed. “You too, Doc.”

Harley laughed and was still laughing when Jazz hung up. Harley turned and looked at Ivy. She rolled over onto her stomach and opened her arms, in the universal sign of ‘I need a hug’. Ivy collapsed into her arms.

“Well, she answered,” Ivy said. She snuggled into Harley, weighing her down until she felt Harley sigh with relief from the pressure and heat and touch.

“Yeah… Pammy, don’t get on Jazz’s bad side. Her brother’s something else. He’s dangerous, maybe the most dangerous man in the world, in the universe, maybe. Point is, Danny’s a good guy, but he’s not someone you cross. Mr. J learned that the hard way tonight.”

Ivy nearly sat up in shock. She only stayed put because Harley had just settled, and she didn’t want to unsettle her by taking the good pressure away.

“Phantom’s Dr. Fenton’s brother?” Ivy hissed.

“Yeah, but don’t spread it around. At all. Just you and me know, okay? Well, I bet Batman and all of Amity knows. But still.”

Ivy laughed. “He said that I could say that Jazz was like his family. Because she is his family.”

Harley smiled. “Yeah, that’s Danny. He came to talk to you?”

“Jazz was worried about you. I think he was worried about you too.” She knew Phantom was terrifying and dangerous. She was more aware of it than most people. Plants trembled in his wake or the particularly deadly ones reached out for him like they’d never needed anything more. He was death itself. She’d relaxed quite a bit when she realized he was trying to help Harley. But she felt a lot better about him now that she knew he was Dr. Fenton’s protective brother. She had a hard time believing Jasmine Fenton’s brother would be a bad person, especially when he just saved her friend a lot of pain.

Harley smiled a little. “Pammy, can we go to bed? I’m so tired suddenly.” She punctuated this by a yawn that made Ivy yawn too.

“Yeah, let’s go sleep.” She got up, yawning again. She tugged Harley up and kept ahold of her hand as they moved back to the bedroom.

“Thanks, Pammy… for taking care of me.”

“For you, anything,” Ivy said. She turned to look at Harley, who looked properly flummoxed for an adorable second before her face split un a huge grin.

She tackled Ivy to the bed in a massive hug.

“Pammy! You’re the best!” she shouted, her voice full of the life and joy it had been missing all night. Ivy was relieved. Harley would get better, eventually.

Chapter Text

“So,” Tim said over Friday morning breakfast. “You think Bruce knew that this was the weekend Danny came to collect, or is him sending me off here a coincidence?”

Dick swallowed a big bite of food before answering. “Well, I think that you’ve already told me that this is the last weekend before your father moves back into Drake Manor from the hospital. And I think that you and I have been talking about doing this for a bit. And I think that you’ve been moping since you got back from Amity Park. But yeah, I also bet Bruce knew even if he’s pretending like he doesn’t. He was going to send you here anyway, but it just lined up…. So, both.” He punctuated this pronouncement with a grin.

“Yeah, well,” Tim said, feeling mopey specifically because Dick said it. He looked back down at his bowl of cereal. It was bright, cheerful and entirely depressing.

“Would you have rather been in Gotham when it happened?” Dick asked. Even not looking at Dick, Tim could tell he had a brow raised.

“No,” Tim admitted with a sigh. “I do wish Bruce had let me know.”

“Considering how hard he was trying to not know or think about it, I think telling you would have been counterproductive,” Dick noted. Which, yeah, fair.

“Still…”

“Okay, kiddo. Talk to me. I know there’s stuff wrong, so talk to me, okay?” Dick asked. He sounded so sympathetic. Tim didn’t even hate it, which was how he knew just how depressed he was feeling.

“I wish my dad wasn’t coming back,” Tim said. He’d been thinking about it since his last conversation with Jason. It wouldn’t get out of his mind, and he couldn’t seem to escape it. He said the words and sat in silence for a moment until Dick broke the tension.

“Okay, and?” Dick asked, making a ‘continue’ motion with his hand.

“And I feel bad for feeling like that… or I guess it’s more like I feel bad because I’m supposed to feel bad. Like, if it was mom-” he sucked in a breath and let it out. “Sorry. I’m being selfish.” He dropped his gaze back down to his fruit loops.

“I still want to hear it,” Dick said. He was really good at the sympathetic ear thing. It couldn’t be nice hearing Tim complain about having a living parent, but Tim did believe that Dick wanted to hear what he had to say anyway.

“Well… Mom never got physical. She was never touchy exactly. And I’m pretty sure that she would have done what the doctors said and been back sooner. And I think she would have found a way to go back out again quickly… and I think maybe she would have taken me with her… and I know it’s terrible, but I wish she was the one that survived.”

He felt shame for admitting such a thing. He was grateful that one of his parents had made it. But with his father…

“Not fair, is it?” Dick asked sympathetically.

“It isn’t,” Tim agreed, nodding even though he kept his eyes on his soggy cereal. “I feel like… if she found out about Robin that it would have been okay. Like, yeah, she might run a little blackmail, but also, I think she’d be fine with me staying with Bruce… cause she’d know how to make it so it wouldn’t look bad for the press. And I’d be safer there. With my dad… I don’t know.”

“Tim,” Dick said, drawing Tim’s eyes up. Dick was frowning. “I gotta say, hearing you talk about your mom isn’t exactly encouraging.”

“Oh, it definitely isn’t,” Tim said with a weak smile. “I think she loved me as best she could, I just don’t think she was good at it. But I’m certain she would have been able to tell if something really was good for me.”

“Yeah, still not great,” Dick muttered. Tim chuckled despite himself.

“With my dad… It’s just complicated. First off, his girlfriend, Dana, she mentioned she’ll probably be moving in with us really soon. Nominally to help my dad with his recovery. And honestly, I’m looking forward to having her there. She makes dad smile. And she’s nice, and I know she actually cares. Which is definitely going to make sneaking out harder. And I’m afraid that to impress her, dad’s going to pay more attention to me.”

“Isn’t it a good thing for him to pay more attention to you?”

“Yeah, and it will keep me from being Robin,” Tim snapped. “It would have been different if he’d ever cared when it would have mattered, when I was young and just walking out my front door and following superheroes around in the dark in the middle of the city constantly rated most dangerous on the continent. But now that I’m entirely self-sufficient and I have a life that has nothing to do with him, now he’s suddenly going to want to see me? Now he cares when he physically can’t run away from me all the time? Now he gives a damn when not being there will look bad?”

He was shouting by this point. But suddenly he stopped speaking at all. He pushed himself back in his chair and let out a sigh. He tipped his head back and looked up at Dick’s stained ceiling.

“And because I’m only fourteen, in the eyes of the law and basically every adult who isn’t related to superheroes, what I want and think and feel doesn’t matter. I’m not competent. I can’t take care of myself. Even though I have and did for years. Even though I can do all these things.”

“You shouldn’t have to do everything by yourself, Tim.” Dick reached out, laying a hand over Tim’s. Tim sniffled despite himself.

“I know. That’s what sucks… it shouldn’t have ever come to this point. I should have had people who wanted to put me first… I just never have. And now if I sacrifice even a little bit of independence to get that… well, first off, I still won’t be put first, and second, I’ll lose everything.” His eyes ached. They wanted to cry and let all of those feelings out. But he’d already cried a lot over his parents. He just couldn’t do it anymore.

“I feel bad that I don’t want him anymore. But I don’t want him anymore,” he concluded. Dick squeezed his hand. Then he allowed him the greatest kindness and let them lapse into silence.

Tim could hear the buzz of the crappy lights, the sound of Dick’s upstairs neighbors walking around, the noise of Friday morning traffic sluggishly moving through Bludhaven’s streets, the coo and flap of wings that came from birds flying by Dick’s window. He could hear all of those noises and more. It was the noise of cities, something he’d grown very familiar with running across rooftops for most of his life. He could hear his own breathing, the sound the table made when he tapped against it, the noise of an occasional sniffle. He could hear the sounds of his own life. And he could hear the same sounds from Dick too.

For just a moment, they were just too living, breathing people, existing in one of the millions of cities in the world. Then Tim took a breath and let it out.

“You knew what Jason planned to do to me, didn’t you?” he asked. He’d gotten past his father, and now he might as well talk about the greater pain, the more difficult discussion. His parents hurting him was nothing new, after all. The person he’d looked up to most in the world planning on destroying him was new, bold and horrible in truly breathtaking ways.

“He did,” Dick said.

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Well, for a few reasons.” Dick let go of his hand and sat up straighter. Tim flexed his hand, feeling the warmth quickly recede.

“And those are?”

“Well, first of all, he honestly thinks you’re really cool and awesome. So, he was scared you would react… like you have, honestly. He told me because he was afraid you’d hate him if you knew.”

“I don’t hate him,” Tim mumbled. He wasn’t certain he could hate Jason. Hell, Jason’s logic made sense, in a tyrant-armpit-water kind of way. It was almost kind, from Jason’s perspective. What was one beating compared to death? What was losing Robin compared to losing his life? Jason had lost both, after all. He would know the value and the cost intimately.

“Yeah, but he was afraid you would. And he wasn’t certain he’d be able to explain it well when he was still detoxing. And honestly, I didn’t know how to help him explain. He was planning on telling you when got the Phantom seal of approval to go out into the world. And I was supposed to be there to help him explain and provide you support if you needed it.”

“Oh.” That made a lot of sense. It also made sense why Jason was so caught off guard. Tim’s timing tripped him up. “I guess I’m too smart for my own good then,” he joked very weakly.

“I mean, it’s not ideal. But nothing about any of this is ideal.” Dick looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. “The other reason I didn’t tell you is that I thought you should hear it from Jason, and I knew he was going to tell you anyway… and I honestly didn’t want to be the one to deliver the bad news.”

Tim snorted. “Yeah, pretty sure Jason didn’t want to deliver that news either.”

Dick’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Yeah, bud, I’m pretty sure of that too. But you understood what I meant.”

Tim let out a long sigh, pushing back in his chair. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I still don’t like it.”

“I’m not loving it either. I’m sorry you found out the way you did.”

Tim nodded, going quiet again for a moment. His eyes were drawn back down to his cereal, which at this point was so thoroughly soaked that it would be better to throw it down the drawn rather than try to finish. He didn’t move to get up or deal with the problem or even start eating again.

“I miss Kon,” he finally said.

“Yeah, I figured,” Dick said. “You know, we can do something about that.”

“What, exactly?” Tim asked.

“We can just drive over. You know where he goes to school. I bet he’d be happy to see you after school.”

Tim perked up. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of that already. “Can we?”

“Sure, as long as we’re back for patrol tonight, we’re good,” Dick said.

Tim felt his mouth split in a grin. He’d missed smiling. It seemed too hard to do since he left Amity Park. There was too much to worry about, too much to do. Honestly, under everything else that hurt or was hard or pain, the real knot in his chest was how much he missed Kon. He’d gotten used to seeing him every day. They’d only been apart like a week and some change, and they talked all the time. But it wasn’t enough.

“You think we can go after breakfast?” Tim asked.

“Yeah, we can.” Dick wore an understanding smile. It made sense, Dick would definitely know what it was like to want to be next to someone, but to be kept apart by duty or circumstance.

“Thanks.” Tim stood to finally throw out his cereal. He wasn’t going to let soggy cereal delay seeing Kon.

Dick drove. It was a couple hours between Metropolis and Bludhaven. It would have been faster to take the Zeta tube to the Watch Tower and then take another to Metropolis. A lot faster. But it might seem suspicious if anyone saw Timothy Drake in Metropolis. That was one of the downsides of joining Bruce’s little family: everyday people started to know your name.

“You wouldn’t have been able to just take him off school property anyway,” Dick said as they approached Glenmorgan High.

“You don’t know that,” Tim said.

“Pretty sure we’re not supposed to do this either.”

“I literally don’t care at all.” He really didn’t. His leg kept bouncing as they pulled into the parking lot and Dick put the car in a spot labeled “guests”.

“Well, we still have to sign in at the front office,” Dick cautioned. He turned off the car and unbuckled his belt.

“I’ll sneak in if they don’t let us stay,” Tim said.

“Man, you really have it bad, huh? Just ask him out.”

“That’s not going to make me miss him less, Dick.” Tim sounded entirely exasperated.

They crossed this distance between the car and the school’s front door, crossing over the sun-bleached concrete. It was quiet and still the way it only was outside of a school. There was activity in the building, but the outside was still with the wrongness of a lack of life. It always made Tim feel like he should feel guilty for being outside of a school in session. Forget that Gotham Prep had a teacher workday and Tim had no reason to be at school. This wasn’t even his school and he still felt guilty.

When they got inside, the front office was the first thing they saw. The first thing they heard was the dull roar of students at lunch. According to the Glenmogran High layout map that Tim had downloaded before Kon even started school, the cafeteria was behind the front office. The noise just confirmed it.

“Come on, bud,” Dick said, placing his hands Tim’s shoulder and steered him right into the office. It was generally quiet once the door shut behind them. There were a few secretaries typing away, but most of the student noises were muffled out.

“Hello, how may I- oh!” one of the three secretaries said. She was the youngest, and when she looked up and caught sight of Dick she started to blush.

“Hey there… Malinda.” Dick read her name off the plaque on her desk. “Would you mind if my brother and I took a tour of your school? We’re gathering information for a new initiative in Gotham and heard Metropolis schools were a good place to start.”

“What does Metropolis have to do with anything?” one of the other women asked.

“Milly, shh. That’s Bruce Wayne’s son,” Malinda hissed.

“Well, I don’t see how it can hurt,” the eldest woman said. She stood and moved around the desk. “Both of you need to sign in and I’m going to talk to the principal. If he agrees, he’ll probably want to show you around himself.”

“Thank you, Gladys,” Dick said with a big smile. He took the sign in book that she pushed his way. There was also an automated system, but it was clear they were slowly integrating.

There was a slightly awkward few minutes while they signed in. Dick whistled while he wrote his information in the book and kept whistling while he plugged in exactly the same information into the computer, let it take his picture and print a ID sticker with his picture and name on it. He seemed entirely unbothered and while Tim knew Dick was good at looking unbothered while being hyper aware, he was pretty certain Dick was just unbothered.

Malinda was practically vibrating with a want to say something, but also seemed too shy to speak. Tim just filled out the forms and focused on getting his sticker printed and slapped on his chest. He heard Gladys’ heels click back into the room, followed by the solid footsteps of a large man.

“Mr. Grayson,” the principal, Leon Pace, said as he made his way over to them, coming around the front desk so he could speak to them fully face to face. His eyes shifted to Tim. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“Tim Drake,” he said, offering the man his hand. Principal Pace smiled at him like he was pleased with Tim demanding to be treated like an adult. He took his hand and gave a firm shake.

“Mr. Drake. It’s good to meet you both. Gladys told me you’re here for research?”

“To improve Gotham’s schools,” Dick said. “We’re trying to visit multiple schools in multiple different cities. Well, I and other members of the Wayne Foundation are. Tim’s school has a teacher workday, so I thought I’d get his input as a student.”

“That’s a very reasonable decision,” Mr. Pace said, nodding toward Dick. “Of course, I’m certain you know we’re not considered to be the best school in Metropolis.”

“But your school has a good blend of upper middle class and lower income students,” Tim said. “And despite property worth being low for the city, meaning less funding, your school is still well ranked with a good graduation rate and good statistics regarding university and trade school.”

“You’ve looked into us, I see,” Mr. Pace said. He looked pleased. “Yes, we work very hard to provide a good education and safe place for our students. Of course, nowhere is perfect, and what works in Metropolis isn’t inherently going to work in Gotham. But I’d be happy to show you both around.”

“Thank you, Mr. Pace,” Dick said. “We appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Mr. Pace said. “Is there anything you’re wanting to see in particular?”

“I understand you have a special food program?” Tim asked. His mind was on the cafeteria, where students were. If Kon was there… if he had a chance to find him…

“Really?” Dick asked.

“Yes,” Mr. Pace said. “Mr. Drake mentioned our trade programs. Call me old fashioned but I believe that students should be well rounded, and not just by the academic classes, but with classes that allow them to get their hands dirty. Our trade classes range from automotive and carpentry to business classes to cooking. Home Ec is required for graduation so we know students are able to cook basic meals, mend tears and make budgets. But we have a good cooking program. A lot of students in our cooking track go into the food industry by way of some of the best cooking schools in the city and state.”

Tim had looked all of this up when Kon told where he was going, and he did know. But Dick didn’t. Mr. Pace did have reason to be proud.

“Students in our cooking classes all have rotations to assist with meal prep for breakfasts and lunches. There are days when the classes and the cooking clubs will completely cover meals for a day. Additionally, we do grow food here.”

“Really?” Dick asked.

“They’re related to gardening club and the agriculture classes.”

“Agriculture in the city, huh?” Dick asked with a grin. “Well, that would be innovative.”

“We have both a rooftop garden and a few green houses. We also have many classes which have window grow boxes and in-class plants that the clubs help to care for. We also keep chickens, which our agi-sci teacher cares for. We use the food we grow to supplement other supplies where we can. The city can be unforgiving for life, which is why I want my students to learn to grow and tend to living things within a city setting.”

Dick whistled. “That’s very impressive.” It was. Tim had already looked all of this up and he still felt impressed.

By all of his research, Leon Pace was old fashioned, but he truly loved his school and tried his best to provide a full education to Glenmorgan High’s student body. Considering many of the trade tracks crossed over with academic classes (for instance, carpentry with theatre), Tim could see the way Kon’s new principal had been given the leeway to experiment and also worked hard to make the experiments work.

“Lunch is on. Are you interested in seeing cafeteria? We can do an actual tour of the kitchen once food service had finished.” Mr. Pace continued to explain a tour plan while guiding them back through the office, past the Guidance Counselors and out the backdoor into the cafeteria.

Tim was used to Gotham Prep, which was for rich kids, so the food was very good and very fresh. But he knew via research just how bad school lunches could be. He was certain they would see would be many steps up from the worst he’d seen, and many steps down from Gotham Prep.

“Tiiiim!”

Whatever Tim was thinking was thrown out of his head when Kon threw his arms around Tim and nearly tackled him to the floor. The only reason he didn’t fall was that Kon was Kryptonian and able to hold them both up and float just right to seem like he was just rocking back on his heels. As soon as they weren’t risking revealing Kon’s secret, Tim threw his arms around Kon’s neck.

“Hey, Kon,” Tim said quietly. “I missed you,” he whispered, knowing Kon would be able to hear him. Kon pulled back enough to actually look at him. Kon looked good, healthy. His hair was all messy curls, and he had all of his piercings in. He also had the sunglasses on that Tim knew Jason had given him as a housewarming gift when he left Amity.

“I missed you too,” Kon said. He grinned. His smile was like sunshine itself. “What in the world are you doing here?”

“Teacher workday,” Tim said. “I had the day off,” he added when Kon started to look confused.

“Ah,” Kon said. Then his easy smile returned. “So, what? You came all the way from Gotham to come see me?”

Tim felt his face flush. “Not exactly, but I did want to see you while I was here.” He was very aware suddenly that people were staring, especially the principal.

“Mr. Kent,” Mr. Pace said. “I wasn’t aware you knew Mr. Drake.”

“Oh,” Kon said. It was like his light dimmed, which made Tim frown. Kon kept one arm around Tim, almost thoughtlessly, but with his free hand he began messing with his piercings. “Uh, yeah. He’s… He’s my best friend.”

Tim frowned deeper. He hated how Kon tried to make himself look small. He turned a cold look toward Mr. Pace, ready to tell him to back off if he started to get into Kon’s face.

“I see,” Mr. Pace said, his expression appearing blank. “In that case, Mr. Drake, Mr. Grayson, you did indicate that Mr. Drake is here to get a student’s perspective for your project.”

“We did say that,” Dick agreed.

“Mr. Drake, how about you accompany Mr. Kent to his classes for the rest of the day? I’ll notify his teachers.”

Kon’s head shot up. “Wait, really?”

“For the name of assisting the Wayne Foundations education initiative, of course,” Mr. Pace said.

“I… yes, I would like that. Thank you, Mr. Pace.”

Suddenly an angry sounding, screeching bell went off. Tim winced, and Kon really winced.

“And that’s the end of lunch,” Mr. Pace said. “You both go on.”

“Yeah, go on, Tim,” Dick said, making a shooing motion.

“Come on, Tim,” Kon said. He still had his arm around Tim. He steered him away before anyone could try to protest.

“I’m coming,” Tim teasing, quickly getting his feet under him so Kon didn’t just have to push him around by superhuman feats of strength and alien ability.

“I can’t believe you came. Hell, I can’t believe Mr. Pace just… let you stay with me.”

“I’m glad,” Tim said. “I’d hate to get you in trouble by kidnapping you from school.”

“I wouldn’t mind the trouble,” Kon said.

“Yeah, but Clark would,” Tim said.

“Dude!” came an angry voice before two teenagers skittered into view in front of them.

“The fuck!” the girl said, her pigtails bobbing as she bounced, full of annoyed energy. “You didn’t tell us your not-quite-bf was a celebrity.”

“Lili, chill,” the other boy said. He offered Tim a handsome smile. “I’m Dante. This is Lili. We’re Kon’s friends.”

“Oh, yeah, he mentioned you!” Tim said. Kon’s new friend group had fourteen people, including Kon. Tim had started mentally calling them “the Shes, the Gays and the Theys”, once he realized that Kon found the queers.

“Hopefully good things,” Dante said.

“Very good,” Tim said. “Thank you for taking care of Kon.”

“Kon, huh?” Lili asked slyly.

“I prefer Connor. Clark and Tim call me Kon.” And the Titans, but Tim didn’t volunteer that piece of information. He did lean into Kon’s side, though. Kon tightened his grip, which made Tim sigh with happiness. The pressure, the warmth, the scent, all of it was so uniquely and perfectly Kon. He’d missed Kon desperately.

“Sure,” Lili said. “So, what are your intentions with our sweet Connor? Don’t tell me you’re just stringing him on.”

“Li!” Kon gasped.

“Only the best intentions,” Tim said, laughing because Kon was getting adorably flustered.

“So why aren’t you both dating already?” Lili demanded.

“Oh,” Tim said, feeling his face get hot. “I just… he’s had a lot of changes recently. I didn’t want to make anything else unstable.”

“You don’t make it unstable, Tim,” Kon said, drawing Tim’s full attention to him. “I like you, a lot. More and different from any of my friends. You’re just… really special. No one else loves me the way you do. You were ready to follow me as far as it took to make sure I was okay. You went toe to toe with you dad for me. You helped me when I had no way to help myself. You designed my piercings, and all I can think is that now I carry you with me wherever I go.”

Tim’s face was red as a tomato. “Kon… you’re more than just trouble, you know. I don’t have a single regret about any choice I’ve made about you since we met. You’re so amazing. You’re clever, and funny, and adventurous. You shine like the sun, and I can’t wait to see the person you become.”

Kon started biting his bottom lip when Tim started talking. His lip slipped out of his teeth when Tim finished so he could smile, again as bright as the sun. Tim’s heart was pounding. Kon crossed the distance between them and kissed Tim. It was light and short and uncoordinated, but it was a kiss from Kon, so it was perfect.

“Then date me,” Kon breathed once he broke the kiss.

“Yes,” Tim breathed back in return.

Dante coughed loudly. “Not to be a killjoy, but you do not want Pace on your ass after he let you drag your boyfriend around today. And we do not want to be late back to Davies class. “

“Oh, yeah, right.” Kon hugged Tim to his side again. “Let’s go. I can introduce you to my teachers.” His expression was shy and full of joy, which was exactly how Tim felt at that moment. He could feel how he himself was grinning at Kon-El, Connor Kent, his new boyfriend.

“Yeah, lead the way,” he said, his words rich with affection.

Chapter Text

Lili liked facts. She liked things that made sense. She liked mysteries. She loved her parents and her siblings and cousins. She loved her friends. She even loved her school on a good day. She liked knowing things. She was curious. She asked a million questions and demanded a million answers. That was why she started a list of what she knew about Connor Kent.

One: Connor was really kind.

He wasn’t the kind the way her cousin Nora’s birth parents were, so nice in a performative way so everyone at the church thought they were perfect, but they were actually real bastards. He also wasn’t nice the way his dad was. His dad was a really good guy and a really good man. Connor had a temper sometimes. He’d get annoyed or snap, but the second he realized he would apologize and try to make amends. He helped the teachers clean up their rooms. He complimented everyone (sometimes awkwardly or badly, but he was getting better at it). He was awkward at kindness. It wasn’t always easy for him. But he was working on being kind harder than anyone Lili had ever met. If she thought about it too hard it made her want to cry. He wasn’t good because he was inherently good, but because he chose over and over to be kind, and he was getting better at it all the time.

Two: Connor’s dad was the fucking best.

Mr. Kent had gone out of his way to pick Connor up when it was raining, since his bus stop was a couple blocks from their apartment. He offered to take them home too. Toni, Dante and Lili got to sit in comfort in the back seat. Mr. Kent dropped each of them off and waited until they got inside their buildings and wouldn’t leave until they’d called down to Connor that they were inside their homes. Dante got inside easy enough, but Toni had crutches and the elevator was out when they got in. Mr. Kent, when he found out, parked the car and headed right inside. Lili found out from Toni later that he’d offered to carry them upstairs and called management for them. Toni spoke in starstruck awe about the way Mr. Kent very politely verbally eviscerated the property manager. Mr. Kent even came back after dropping Lili off and stayed until the elevator in Toni’s apartment was fixed.

The best part was that when asked later, Connor just said “yeah, that’s my dad” like this was normal. It was for Mr. Kent, though.

Mr. Kent’s girlfriend (Lois Lane! The Lois Lane! Lili’s gay awakening! The woman who apparently dated Superman and Mr. Kent and they were all just cool with it!) sent everyone in their group a paper invitation to a sleepover the Kents were hosting. The Kents and Lois Lane prepared for thirteen baby queers to descend upon the apartment with the ruthless efficiency that Lili most associated with Mr. Pace’s militant style of event organization.

They acquired sleeping bags, unfolded the nicest fold-out couch Lili had ever seen, inflated the type of air mattresses that only billionaires like Bruce Wayne could afford (which was how Lili knew Tim had contributed to a party he wasn’t invited to). There were snacks and food prepared and labeled with allergies and content, special sheets and bedding for anyone with a texture issue. There were silk bonnets, make up remover and menstrual products for anyone who needed them.

Lois Lane had waved to them as she left, giving Mr. Kent a kiss and Connor an affectionate hug as she left. Mr. Kent played host. Mr. Kent gave them plenty of space, but also made dinner for them. He took time to speak to all of them and get to know them a little. Multiple people cried. Toni hugged him the second they saw him. Sasha stuck to him like a bur during dinner prep. And Lili’s beloved cousin ended up throwing her arms around him, hugging him and smiling in a show of happiness Lili hadn’t seen since Nora’s parents threw her out.

Mr. Kent remembered their preferences and was happy to see them whenever they came over.

He was Team Gays’ dad. They took a vote. Connor had laughed happily, and Mr. Kent had blushed furiously.

“We aren’t just using you for your dad,” Toni had said when things calmed down.

“I don’t mind. My dad’s the best. Why wouldn’t I want to share?” Connor had asked, joy still dancing in his eyes. Connor was kind, after all. That was a big part of why Team Gays loved him so much.

Three: Connor loved his boyfriend possibly more than anyone else in the world, and Tim Drake loved him back just as much.

This fact came with a side of Tim Drake’s family was entirely fucked up. Team Gay saw him more by video call than in person. He wasn’t out to his father, who apparently ‘didn’t need the added pressure’ of his son being gay. He also didn’t seem to like Tim even being friends with someone who didn’t have a billion dollars in a bank account. Bruce Wayne was the nice dad who loved Tim and was overprotective. Jack Drake was just a piece of work.

Despite it possibly being actively dangerous, Tim sent emails and called and basically came as often as possible. He even snuck out to come hours away and see Connor. The only reason he hadn’t gotten hell was Lois Lane found out, called Superman and asked him to take Tim Drake home.

Fuck, Lili loved Lois!

Four: Wherever Connor came from, it was even more fucked up than anything going on with Jack Drake.

Connor didn’t talk about anything from his childhood. He didn’t talk about anything from before he met Tim. He talked about Tim’s friends from San Francisco. He talked about Tim. He talked about Tim’s brother and Bruce Wayne. He talked about Clark a lot. He mentioned people named Jason, Danny, Val, Sam, Tucker, Kitty, Skulker (must be a gay), Maddie and Jack (not Drake), Damon, Ori, Ursa and Stella. He talked about school and TV shows he’d seen (but only in the past few months). He got excited about the one time Lili and Dante invited him to a movie theater. Because he’d never been. He’d never seen a movie before he met Tim.

Lili had no idea how Connor came to be, but his other genetic donor, Lex, was an A+ bitch and Lili really wanted to punch her face in. As wonderful as Mr. Kent was, it didn’t make up for the abuse Connor suffered before. She was glad Connor had Mr. Kent now. And yeah, part of that was self-serving because it meant they had Mr. Kent too. But more than that, it meant they had Connor, who dressed like a punk, laughed too loudly, doodled ghosts on his assignments, talked about Robin with Dante like Robin was the love of his life, gave them big smiles and bigger hugs. They got a friend who would stand between them and bullies, who was shy around adults but loud with his friends. They got someone who loved them easily and openly.

Lili had only known Connor for a few months, but she loved him no less dearly than her other friends, who felt more like family than her actual parents these days. He was one of them, a bright star, a standout, a shy and retiring flower, a loud firecracker. Team Gay was protective of their own.

Which lead Lili to the exact moment where she put herself between Connor Kent and Lex Luthor, the new Lex on her shit list.

The day had started easy enough. Team Gay met up at breakfast for a bit before they were split up to their specific classes. Mr. Smith told everyone in homeroom that they had an assembly before lunch. Connor had given her a confused look when she punched the air.

“What’s an assembly?” he asked once announcements were over.

“It’s when you get to leave class, go to the gym and not be in class,” Lili said.

“Lili doesn’t mind the noise like I do, but it can be sensory hell for some of us,” Dante said, grimacing.

“That’s what dad gave us those earbuds for, right?” Connor asked. That had been a group gift, and very appreciated, especially by those of them with the ‘tism, of which Lili counted herself, even if she didn’t have an official diagnosis like Dante.

“Exactly,” she said. “But more than that, I don’t have to go to history today.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s for the best. It wouldn’t be good if you fist-fought a teacher,” Connor said. Ms. Letters was seriously pissing Lili off with some of the crap she was spouting. Connor already had to hold her back the previous day. So yes, with the noise blocking earbuds and not seeing Ms. Letters, Lili had been ready for the assembly.

No one seemed to know exactly what the assembly was for. None of the teachers said except they needed to be on their best behavior. A number of rumors was circling around (“it’s a drug program”, “Nah, it’s for alcohol”, “dumbasses, it’s both”, “I heard there was a VIP”, “I wish it was a pep rally”, “I really wish it wasn’t”), but there was no consensus. They were supposed to head directly from their second period to the gym, which for the three of them meant cutting through the cafeteria. There were too many kids to just herd them all immediately into the gym, despite the teacher’s best efforts. Their little group of three hung back, waiting to see if they could locate their other friends. They located two of their people before it happened.

“Look, it’s my favorite fools,” Toni said cheerfully. They balanced themselves on their crutches, taking most of their weight off they feet.

“Secret squirrel!” Lili said. She’d always teased Toni about swinging down the hall like a squirrel. Toni just rolled their eyes.

“You want to sit with me on the top level?” Toni asked. Rather than go the long way with the elevators, Toni often got to sit on the top row of the bleachers, as the gym floor was actually down a flight of stairs, and only the top-level bleachers were on “ground level” proper.

“That sounds nice, Toni,” Connor said. Sasha had snuck up behind them, but Connor just raised his arm, letting Sasha settle there where they were nice and safe.

“They should just put our names on it like reserved seats,” Sasha said from their place plastered to Connor’s side.

“Yeah, prob- Connor, what’s wrong?” Dante asked, his expression becoming alarmed.

Connor had been facing toward the front office, so he got a good view of who came out. Lili followed his gaze until she saw him.

“Holy shit, is that Lex Luthor?” she hissed. She glanced back at Connor. He’d gone white as poster board.

“Talk about a VIP,” Sasha whispered.

Connor swallowed thickly, then moved away from Sasha, stepping forward so he was between them and Lex Luthor. That was when Luthor’s eyes landed on Connor. A smirk settled on his face, he turned and walked over. Connor’s shoulders became tenser with each step Luthor took.

“Mr. Luthor,” Mr. Pace said. He’d probably been escorting Luthor. “The gym is this way.” He did not look happy at the change of direction.

“Why, hello there young man,” Luthor said, still smirking. He wasn’t that much taller than Connor, who also had curl volume to make him look taller, while Luthor’s bald head did jackshit to help him. But when he stood in front of Connor, Connor seemed so small, smaller than Lili.

“Lex,” Connor said flatly.

“Now, that’s not polite,” Luthor said, clicking his tongue. Connor flinched like Luthor had smacked him. “Connor Kent, right?”

All the blood seemed to leave Connor’s face. “How do you know that?”

“Oh, your dad and I go way back. You look just like him.”

Luthor was smirking, and Connor looked terrified. Luthor was way too close, but Lili was small. She put herself between them without thinking about it. Her back was pressed against Connor’s chest, and she only barely wasn’t touching Luthor. The thought of him touching her suddenly seemed disgusting.

“We need to get to the assembly,” she said, glaring at Luthor.

“Right, we do,” Mr. Pace said. He placed a hand on Luthor’s shoulder and pulled him back a few steps. Lili had never been so grateful for Mr. Paces military background before in her life, since there was no way in hell the rest of them could manhandle Lex Luthor. “I know you have a busy schedule. We don’t want to make you late.” Lili had also never been so grateful for Mr. Pace being a hardass before in her life. Connor didn’t even feel like he was breathing behind her.

Luthor’s expression became angry for just a second. Lili felt Connor shudder. Then Luthor pulled on a convincing smile and turned to Mr. Pace. “Yes, you’re right. My apologies young man. I respect Clark Kent very much, even when I want to strangle him. I heard his son was in school here. I’m afraid I got a little carried away.”

“S’fine,” Connor murmured behind her.

“Mr. Luthor, the time,” Mr. Pace said a little more forcefully.

“Right, of course, Mr. Pace.” Luthor stepped away so he was at Mr. Pace’s side. “Lead the way.”

“Of course. Ms. Kote, can you get everyone where they need to go?” Mr. Pace was speaking to one of the assistant principals, who was also known for being a hardass.

“Of course, Mr. Pace,” she said. Lili had no idea where she’d come from, but she was grateful that she’d appeared.

All of them stayed still until Mr. Pace had guided Lex Luthor out of the cafeteria and through the gym door. Only then did Lili feel like she could breathe. Connor, though, still didn’t seem to be breathing.

“Mr. Kent,” Ms. Kote said, not unkindly. “Would you like to call your father?”

“Please?” Connor’s voice came out small and broken. Lili whipped around. Connor was shaking all over from head to toe. Dante and Sasha put their arms around him.

“Let’s go sit down, okay, Connor?” Dante asked. He looked concerned. All of them did.

Connor merely nodded in response. That was enough that the other five of them (including the AP) guided Connor into the office. Ms. Kote got them set up in a conference room. Dante led Connor to one of the seats, while Sasha made a b-line for the electric kettle to make tea.

“Just make yourselves. Connor, I’m going to call your father. I’m also closing the door. No one is coming in but me, alright?”

Connor nodded but didn’t answer.

“That’s good, Ms. Kote,” Toni said, easing themselves into a seat. “Thank you.”

Ms. Kote shut the door as she said, leaving them alone.

Dante knelt in front of Connor, holding his hand. Lili found a chair to drop into. She was shaking all over now too. The adrenaline had left her body. She was a small Latina lesbian who wasn’t even an adult. What the hell did she think she could do against one of the most powerful men in the world. She swallowed thickly.

A cup of tea was set in front of her, breaking her from her swirling thoughts.

“Here, tiny heroes deserve tea,” Sasha said with a kind smile.

Lili chuckled weakly and pulled the cup to her. She took a small sip. That little sip felt like drinking fire, and the fire went down her throat and into her stomach where it radiated out to her whole body and her feel alive again.

When she looked up, everyone else had tea, Dante had actually taken a seat, and Connor was staring at her.

“Something on my face?” it was a weak retort, but she still felt shaky.

“Thank you,” Connor said weakly. “No one’s… just defended me like that before.”

“Not even Mr. Kent?” Toni asked.

Connor shook his head. “He hasn’t had a chance. Because things have been good… they were good.” His eyes dropped to his mug of tea.

“Are you okay?” Lili asked.

“No,” he murmured, but looked back up to meet her eye. “Are you?”

She snorted. “Yeah, I basically just signed my own death sentence, but sure, I’m fine.” Connor blanched. “Sorry,” she said, wincing at her words. “Just… he’s a rich, powerful white adult man. I wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

“I’m not going to let him hurt you.” And finally, finally there was some of the Connor Kent they knew back in his voice. There was determination in his eyes.

“Connor Kent, always standing between us and bullies,” Sasha said in a quiet, musical voice.

“Yeah,” Lili said, picking up what Sasha was going for. “Let someone else in on the action.”

Connor looked right gobsmacked for a second before he just gave a sad but loving smile.

“Lili, thank you. I mean it. I just… I just remembered before and suddenly.”

“Do you know him?” Toni asked. “Luthor, I mean?”

Connor’s eyes dropped down and to the right. “I don’t want to answer that.”

Bingo. He did know Luthor.

“You don’t have to,” Dante said before anyone else, like Lili, could say anything stupid, like Lili definitely would have.

“I… you don’t want to know?”

“We do.” Dante took Connor’s hand a squeezed. “But it’s not our right to know. There’s a lot of stuff none of us talk about because it hurts too much. And we can tell he hurts you. You don’t have to tell us anything else.”

Connor stared at him for a long, silent moment before slowly nodding. “Okay. Thank you…. Lex is… just…”

“He scares you,” Lili said. “Makes sense. I’m scared of him too.” Not the way Connor was, not so personally scared.

“You saved me,” Connor said, a little wonder coming to his voice.

“Pshaw! Twas nothing,” Lili said, looking away so she could blush in peace.

There was a knock on the door. All of them tensed until the door opened, revealing Ms. Kote and Mr. Kent.

“Dad!” Connor exclaimed. “How did you get here so fast?”

“I was working a story in the area,” Mr. Kent said. He walked over to Connor, moving around all of them. Connor turned his chair so he was facing his dad. After only a moment he reached up like he wanted a hug.

Much to Lili (and everyone else’s) surprise, Mr. Kent picked Connor up. Connor didn’t stay shocked for long. He wrapped his arms around Mr. Kent’s neck and buried his face in Mr. Kent’s shoulder. Mr. Kent supported him like a toddler, with one arm around his back and one arm under his butt.

Connor wasn’t quite six feet, but he towered over Lili. Still, for the second time in the day, it seemed to her that Connor was little. But this time the imbalance wasn’t because he was scared, but because he was safe.

Lili had to look away. She didn’t wish for Connor’s life, and it wasn’t like her parents didn’t love her in their own way. It’s just that… one day her papa put her down and never picked her up again. But Mr. Kent could still hold Connor like he was a child. And Connor had no shame in taking that comfort where he could.

“I’m told you stepped between Connor and Lex Luthor,” Mr. Kent said, drawing Lili’s eyes back to the father and son pair.

“He was scared,” she said. “I thought Luthor was going to touch him. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Dad,” Connor said, pulling his face from Mr. Kent’s shoulder. He wiggled until Mr. Kent eased him down to the ground. “Lili’s worried what Lex will do to her.”

“I see,” Mr. Kent said. For a horrible second, Lili thought he was going to dismiss her fears. “I’m going to tell Lois what happened. She’ll tell Superman, and he’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“Really?” Lili asked, tears springing to her eyes.

“Yes, really.”

“Lois Lane is the best,” Lili said.

“She is,” Mr. Kent agreed, his tone fond. He loved Lois so much and wasn’t even bothered with their polyam relationship. And he loved Connor enough to come running when he heard something was wrong. And her… Mr. Kent loved them too.

She let out a sob and jumped up, almost throwing herself at Mr. Kent. He caught her and wrapped one arm around her. Connor wrapped an arm around her, bringing her into the safety of their powerful holds.

It must have been wild to Mr. Kent, standing there holding two sobbing teenagers until Lili’s abuela came to pick her up. Her and Connor were lead in opposite directions, both of them sniffling and promising to call later that evening.

Abuela nudged Lili along until she got into the car. She gave Lili tissue to dry her eyes and blow her nose. She even let Lili use some of her precious car make up wipes.

“That was very brave, mija,” abuela said as she was driving Lili to Dairy Queen to get a “good job” ice cream.

“He’s brave, abuela,” Lili sniffled. “I just… I’ve never seen anyone seem so scared… I think that Luthor might have known Connor’s mother.”

“Oh, that’s no good.”

“Yeah,” Lili agreed weakly. No good was a huge understatement.

She had no idea what she was going to do, but she protected her friends, her family. She didn’t know how, but she now had two Lex’s on her shit list. She was going to find a way to fuck them up. Her friend deserved no less.

Chapter Text

Clark flew Kon home immediately. He hadn’t driven. As far as the school knew, Clark had literally sprinted over. In some ways, he had. The second he got the call he told Perry that something happened with Kon and then left. Kon didn’t mind being carried home, and he didn’t mind Clark settling him on the sofa. He did get up and went to change into comfortable clothes while Clark made him hot chocolate. He called Lois while he waited for his son to emerge from his bedroom.

“How bad is it?” Lois asked.

“Lex Luthor was at Kon’s school,” Clark said.

“That son of a bitch.”

“I know,” Clark said, smiling just a little before his fell off his face and he was frowning again. “I need you to ask Superman to look out for Connor’s friend.”

“Which one?” it was code. Lois would cover in case some came snooping.

“Lili Perez.”

“I’ll tell him.” Her voice was hard as ice. Good. She would also keep an eye on Lex’s business so hopefully Lili’s family wouldn’t be affected.

“Thank you.”

“Smallville, ask Connor if he wants me to come over, okay?” She sounded just as concerned as Clark felt.

“I’ll ask him. Thanks.”

“No problem.” She hung up first.

“I would like her to come,” Connor said. He’d appeared in the doorway while Clark was hanging up. Clark quickly popped Lois a text messaged before putting his phone down and giving Kon is full attention.

“She’ll probably come over after work,” he said.

Kon nodded and trudged to the peninsula. He sat down and accepted the cup Clark settled in front of him.

“Sasha made us tea,” Kon murmured, looking down at his cup, holding it with both hands and making no move whatsoever to actually take a sip.

“I saw you had mugs.”

“Yeah, they just… got us tea. It was… really nice. I was just, really, really scared that Lex would hurt them. I’m still scared of it,” he admitted, eyes firmly fixed on his cup.

“I understand,” Clark said. “Lili was extremely brave, and I know your other friends acted with compassion. They care about you very much, and I’m glad you have them.”

Kon gave a weak smile. “Thanks, dad,” he said.

“I am going to keep an eye on Lili and her family.”

“Mr. Pace pulled Lex away, like put his hands on him to pull him away,” Kon said.

“I’ll keep an eye on him too,” Clark said.

“I just… he said I looked so much like my father. I know he meant you. Superman you. But he knows where I live. He knows where I go to school. He can just show up because he’s rich and white and a man.”

“I see you’ve been listening to your friends.”

“Dad!”

“Okay, okay. Yes, it is scary. But so far, he hasn’t done anything but put the staff and students on high alert. Knowing him like I do, I suspect he wanted to scare you.”

“Well, it worked,” Kon said bitterly.

“I know. And I’m not making light of this. I’m… furious. And I’m concerned too. But I’m not going to just let this go. I’m going to use every resource at my disposal to protect you, and that doesn’t just include super strength, but the people we know… Lex isn’t the only rich white man we know, after all.”

Kon looked up. His eyes were damp. He wiped them after a moment. “Bruce?”

“Yes,” Clark said. “But I know a few other billionaires who would be willing to help… I’m not going to just let you get hurt.”

Kon nodded. He slowly picked up his mug and took a sip. “Okay,” he murmured when he’d set the cup back down. “Thanks, dad.”

“How about we have our hot chocolate on the sofa? We can put on a movie and settle in for a while?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound bad. Can you pick the movie?”

Clark did indeed pick the movie. He’d always been partial to Robin Hood as a little boy. Now he just thought it was funny because his best friend became Robin Hood, though Bruce would never, ever admit that out loud. Still, there was nothing wrong with letting Kon watch a few Disney movies. He fell asleep in the middle of Fantasia, and Clark was happy to let him sleep.

That was why when his phone start buzzing with a call from Mr. Pace, Clark was able to slip away to the office to take the call.

“Mr. Kent,” Mr. Pace said when Clark entered. “I wanted to apologize, and I wanted to know if Connor’s doing alright?”

“You can call me Clark,” Clark said.

“Then call me Leon, please.” Leon sounded very harried. “Did you get the entire story?”

“I got most of it. Ms. Kote told me when she called me, and Connor’s friends and Connor himself filled in what I believed was the rest.”

“Let me add my information anyway. Lex Luthor has been talking with the school board for the past few weeks. I did a little digging, and it seems to line up almost exactly to Connor’s enrolment.” Of course, it did. “He’s talking about giving a lot of money to the school system. A lot. Every Principal is being pressured to allow him to do what he wants. He wanted to give a speech about success to the student body at Glenmorgan. At the time I didn’t see any reason to say no.”

“That understandable, Leon,” Clark assured him. It was. Lex made a lot of money. Pissing him off was a bad idea, but he also had a lot of charitable foundations which did good work and were actually legitimate. This wouldn’t even be the first time he gave to Metropolis’ public schools.

“Yes, well. When we were headed to the assembly, he caught sight of Connor. Connor went tense like he was expecting a fight. Now, you know we’ve had to call about Connor “fighting”, but his form of fighting is putting himself between danger and other people.”

“I remember,” Clark said. It made him proud, and sad whenever Leon or someone else called him about it. Connor wanted to be like him so much.

“Well, I knew something was wrong the second he stood between his friends and Lex Luthor. Luthor talked to him like he was just meeting him, but it was pretty clear Connor knew him and was terrified. I’m afraid I reacted too slowly. My surprise doesn’t mean I didn’t fail. Ms. Perez put herself between your son and Luthor. I’m concerned for her.”

“Try not to worry too much. My girlfriend is a friend of Superman’s. She’s going to call him, and he’ll keep an eye out for Lili.”

Leon let out a deeply relieved sigh. “Oh, that’s good.”

“Yes, I understand you dragged Lex away from Connor. I assume you know how dangerous that is.”

“I’m aware,” Leon stated grimly. Clark could imagine his face set in a dark line. “I am aware my programs are experimental and not always popular. I’m aware that if I’m removed they’ll go away and Glenmorgan will likely be put right back to the state it was before I started working here. But I’m never about to let one of my students be harmed on my watch, especially when I’m right there.”

“I appreciate that, Leon,” Clark said. “I do. Lois is very upset. She’s going to keep an eye out.”

“Tell her I appreciate it,” Leon said. “I know I’ve just kicked a lion.”

“I’m also going to call one of my friends. You may know of him, he’s Tim’s father.”

“I don’t think Jack Drake is a good person to call for anything.” Well, that confirmed a few things for Clark. Leon hadn’t spent a lot of time in Tim’s presence, but the man knew kids. Tim had problems. A lot of them, clearly, given the way things went with Bruce and Jason. If Leon could clock that even not knowing the full picture, it must be bad.

“I didn’t mean Mr. Drake. I meant Bruce.”

“Oh. Oh.” Leon said. “You’re certain about this?”

“Deadly,” Clark said. “Bruce doesn’t like Lex anymore than I do. If he can help, he’ll help. Especially because Connor is Tim’s boyfriend.” And because Bruce specifically suggested the three apartments, they narrowed it down to because of Glenmorgan High School.

“Well, thank you Mr. Kent.”

“Thank you for deescalating the situation,” Clark said.

“Will Connor be back tomorrow?”

“Only if he wants to, but I doubt it. I think I’m going to see if he can stay in Gotham for the weekend.”

Leon chuckled. “It’s bad when Gotham’s the safe haven.”

Clark chuckled too. “Don’t let anyone from there hear you say that. They get touchy about it.”

“I know,” Leon said with amusement. Then he went still and silent. “Mr. Kent, Luthor knew Connor, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Clark said.

“He knew him personally.”

“He did,” Clark said.

“I understand there was a bad background, but-”

“Connor was raised in a cult,” Clark said, falling back on the back up lie. “I don’t know specifically how or when Connor met Lex, but he did.”

“I see,” Leon said. He sounded pissed. Clark felt a flash of anger he had to shove aside. It wasn’t useful in that moment.

“Yes. This is very secret. I’m asking you not to share it with anyone.”

“I won’t,” Leon said. “I have a check from Luthor. A very large check.”

“Just try to hold onto it for a few days.” It would be bad for the school district to be indebted to Lex now.

“I may be able to hold out until Monday, but after that I’ll have to turn it in,” Leon said.

“Thank you. I’ll take care of it.”

“I believe you, Clark. From what I’ve seen from you, you’re nothing but resourceful.”

“Thank you, Leon. You have a good evening.”

“You too, Clark. I’ll have his teachers put work packets together for Connor. You can come pick them up tomorrow.”

“I will, thanks Leon.”

With that, Clark hung up. He took one big breath before he called Bruce. The phone rang twice before Bruce answered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Lex showed up at Connor’s school,” Clark said.

“You’re kidding me. What is he playing at?”

“Scaring the shit out of Kon. Making a power play. Trying to steal Connor back. I don’t know, but I don’t want to uproot him just because Lex Luthor got ideas.”

“I understand. Do you have something you need me to do?”

“Write a huge check,” Clark said. “To start. So much that Glenmorgan’s school board can’t justify taking Lex’s check. And then I need you to keep an eye on Lex’s movements. One of Connor’s friends put herself between Connor and Lex. Also, the Principal put his hands on Lex to pull him away and get him away from Connor.”

“Lex would happily take petty revenge. I’ll keep an eye out. And I’ll make notes on his other friends as well. You know how petty Lex is.”

“I am very well aware,” Clark said. “I have another favor to ask of you?”

“What is it?”

“I want to bring Connor to stay with you the rest of this week and weekend.”

“Not your parents or Danny?”

“No. He’ll want to be near Tim.”

“Jack Drake probably won’t let him in the house.”

“I understand that his new Fiancée can be convinced,” Clark said. “Bruce, Leon Pace clocked Jack Drake as a problem too.”

“I know he’s a problem, Clark,” Bruce said through gritted teeth. Clark knew he had to, but Bruce wasn’t going to just want to separate Tim from his remaining family.

“The other reason is that I want Lex to know he’s there with you.”

“Billionaire versus Billionaire, Clark. Really?”

“I need every layer of defense I can get right now,” Clark said. “This isn’t something Superman can punch through.”

Bruce let out a deep sigh. “Alright. I’ll see if Dick will bring him tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” Clark said. He glanced out to where Connor was still asleep on the sofa. He didn’t want to be separated from his boy, but it would be safer and less stress for Connor to be in Gotham with his boyfriend than to be in Metropolis where Lex Luthor knew exactly where he was and had already walked right into a place that was supposed to be safe for him.

“Anything else?”

“Whatever else you want to do?” Clark said.

“I can handle that.”

“Thank you.” Clark hung up without any other comment.

He went back to sit with Connor. Kon woke a few hours later, only shortly before Lois arrived. The sun had set by then. Lois was ordering food for them, and Clark used that as in excuse to slip out as Superman for a little while.

He arrived at Lili Perez’s home, a townhouse where she was sitting outside with five other people, one of whom was Nora Perez, Lili’s cousin and one of Connor’s friends. He slowly lowered himself to the ground. Nora had seen him before he landed. She smacked Lili’s arm and pointed. Lili saw him next, followed by her parents and grandparents.

“Mr. Kent said he’d see if you’d help,” Lili’s grandmother said, pushing herself up.

“Lois told me what happened,” Clark said. “You’re Lili, right?” he asked, his eyes going to Lili, who nodded dumbly. “You were very brave today. Not a lot of people will stand up to someone like Lex Luthor.”

“That’s what’s wrong with this world,” Lili’s grandfather said. “Not standing up.”

“Connor needed it,” Lili said, her voice quiet and unsure for once. It made Clark’s heart hurt. Lili was a firecracker, more personality than sense sometimes, but more love than her body could handle. She looked so much like a little girl, and that killed him more than anything else.

“And I’m aware you may need help from here,” he said. “Do you know how to contact Lois?”

“Um, yeah. She gave us her number for emergencies,” Nora said. The older girl walked over and put her arm around Lili for support.

“Right. Please message her information about your family members. Lex taking an interest in a public school is enough to get her on a story. She’ll help me monitor any movement. If something happens, I need one of you to call me. You can whisper “Superman, help” and I’ll come running.”

“Wait, really?” Lili screeched in shock. “But I’m just… I’m just me!”

“You put yourself in danger to help someone else,” Clark said. “And when Lex Luthor is involved, it’s important I keep my ears and eyes open.”

“Mija,” Lili’s grandmother said. “Just say thank you.”

Lili had turned to look at her when she spoke. But afterwards she turned back toward Superman and swallowed.

“T-Thank you, Superman.”

Clark offered her a fond smile. “You’re welcome, Ms. Perez. I’m going to leave you all to your evening. Call me if you need me.”

Lili swallowed again and nodded. Her mother came up on her other side and put her arm around her. She leaned heavily against her mother, who kissed her hair in response.

Clark offered a nice Superman smile, waved and took off.

Hopefully that would help the Perez family feel more secure. Hopefully it would make them more secure. At this point, it was a waiting game to see exactly what Lex would do. So, for the moment, all Clark wanted to do was go home and snuggle his family for the evening. He rushed home as quickly as he could, making it well before the Chinese food arrived.

Chapter Text

Danny’s original timeline had a full month of training and recovery before Jason could possibly go back to Gotham. It ended up being six weeks before Danny released Jason from his healing and training program. Jason didn’t mind. It had been sort of like a vacation, especially compared to the League of Assassins’ training program. Still, it wasn’t like Danny went easy on him.

Like now, for instance, when Jason was flying as fast as he could, trying to catch Danny, while also trying to avoid the shots of the TechnusSkulker bots which Danny used for training, but which were a fucking menace to try and get around. Bruce desperately wanted Jason to bring one back with him when he came home, and honestly, Jason was considering taking two.

“You’re getting slow, kid!” Danny shouted.

“You’re not the one getting shot at!” Jason snapped. He was panting from exertion.

“The problem is you’re breathing again, and you don’t need to breathe right now!” Danny shouted back, giving a joyous whoop as he spiraled out of Jason’s grab range.

Jason was well aware of this issue, but it was difficult to remember he didn’t need to do something he’d done his whole life, especially because he still needed to do it when he wasn’t in his ghost form.

He ducked under what felt like bazooka blast and put on a burst of speed, which was how he ended up plowing into Danny when Danny just stopped cold.

“The fuck, your majesty?” Jason groaned after they finished spinning off through the void of the Ghost Zone like a couple of cartoon characters.

“That’s five hours,” Danny said.

“Yeah, so? It’s not satisfying to not catch you,” Jason grumped. He was basically laying on Danny, who didn’t seem bothered by this in the slightest.

“Jason, we’ve been playing tag for five hours,” Danny laughed out. “We’re done. We’re good. You graduate.”

“Graduate?!” Jason actually felt offended. “But I still haven’t caught you.”

“It’s going to be a long, long time before you’d be able to manage that,” Danny said. “Look, it took like a month to heal you fully, and six weeks to really train you. You’ve got enough stamina built up that you aren’t going to have a problem. Your core basically self generates ecotoplasm, so you don’t have to get a regular fix. You’ve got a decent handle on your powers. At this point, you’ll develop best by field experience. And I know you want to go home.”

Jason blinked for a moment and then nodded. “You’re certain,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“I’m certain,” Danny confirmed. “Look, your flying is great. You’re already better than me at physical combat. Hell, I know I learned stuff wrestling with you. You don’t turn invisible or fall through things on accident anymore. You’re able to make two duplicates comfortably and basically let one act on its own almost like it’s a person rather than a puppet. You’re really good at overshadowing. Your ectoblasts are strong and accurate, and honestly, you seem to have a good handle on your implosions and those little black holes you’ve learned to make.”

The implosions and the black holes were Jason’s special ability. The way Ellie could basically understand any language and make herself be understood no matter what. The same way Danny had his ice powers and banshee powers and a bunch of other abilities. The best guess they could come up with was that half ghost powers were based on the needs of the halfa. Danny’s electrocution basically burned him up, so the ice was like a counterbalance reaction. Both Danny and Ellie had issues with people not listening or hearing them.

Jason died in an explosion. If something tried to explode now, he would be able to contain it. And rather than explode stuff from the outside, he could make it explode from the inside. It also seemed like he was really heat resistant now. He’d find out more with time, probably. All that mattered was that he didn’t have to worry about the mini black holes getting wildly out of control.

“And you have a good amount of control of your powers in your human form. Plus, I knew you’re excited to show off the Blue Hood.”

It had started out as a joke, but Jason’s ghost form was just an inversion of him as Red Hood, which meant his brown jacket was now gray, his gray suit was brown, and his red mask was blue. Under the helmet was him, wearing a white mask with black eyes, and white hair with a black streak. It was him, just the opposite. And in his free time, he’d been planning how he would introduce his alter-alter ego.

“You’re always welcome here, but you don’t have to stay anymore. And at this point, I’d just be keeping you from healing and living. It’s time to go home, figure out what you’re going to do and make up with your family,” Danny concluded.

“Yeah, family,” Jason said.

Family was so complicated. The two weeks Alfred had stayed were a huge relief. Dick had stopped by for a day or two every week or so, especially once the zeta tube finished construction. Tim had come back once or twice with Connor Kent. But they didn’t talk. They didn’t look at each other. Jason didn’t even know where to start with Tim Drake. He’d gotten messages from both Barbara and Kate but hadn’t seen either of them.

And then there was Bruce. He got messages from Bruce every day. Bruce was there three or four times a week, generally just for lunch. Neither of them could handle much more. Things were awkward and they didn’t talk about anything in particular, except perhaps to bitch about rich people, which was a past time both of them had always enjoyed. But they hadn’t actually, truly talked. There was a question mark on their entire relationship that Jason didn’t know how to deal with.

“Yeah, family,” Danny said, punching his arm. “You’re always welcome here. You’re one of us now. Halfas are always welcome in Amity Park.”

“Even Vlad Masters?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Danny said. “Whenever I go get him or he figures out a way back, he’ll be welcome here. Ancients know that he isn’t going to be welcomed anywhere else.”

Jason smiled weakly. “You’re too good, Danny.”

“Maybe,” Danny said. “But there are only a few of us. And he was my dad’s best friend for a long time. Dad still feels guilty about leaving him sometimes. Like, he’s proud of himself for standing up for himself and for me, but he feels bad for hurting his friend. Anyway, Vlad was more like a pain in my ass than a real villain.”

“Most of your villains are like that to you.”

“Except Freakshow.”

“Except Freakshow… say, is that why you were like that with the Joker?”

Hell, he’d thought that a lot since Danny had told him about his own circus-related run-ins. He just hadn’t felt comfortable enough with his own feelings to ask until that moment. Jason still didn’t know how he felt about the Joker’s death. He did go visit one time to see the green goo that was the Joker in his cage, but otherwise, Jason tried to just not think of him. It worked most days.

“You know,” Danny said thoughtfully. “I’ve been wondering that myself. Freakshow really, really messed me up, if I’m honest. That’s part of why I actually let Fright Knight handle him when he came back a few years ago.”

Handle meant locked the creep in an eternal nightmare. Jason wasn’t certain he’d even wish that on the man who killed him. But he didn’t blame Danny for what he decided to do either.

“Thanks for taking care of my clown problem,” Jason said.

“You needed it, and Bruce was right, there are plenty of people out there who fall under my law and reign who I have not dealt with because I just was enjoying being alive. Like yeah, I know I’m probably going to actually be alive a lot longer than my friends and family, and so many ghosts are residents of Amity Park too so it’s not like I’m going to lose these people. But still…”

“You’ve got a wife and three kids and you’re about to be an uncle,” Jason pointed out. “You do a lot, between the Infinite Realms, your home, the vids. And all the kids who are coming to you for help.”

“Well, there’s a whole world out there with plenty of liminals who-”

“I’m going to stop you right there. There’s tons of heroes. Just tons of them. You hosted a few of them six weeks ago. Now, I’m not going to say no to you fucking up Ra’s al Ghul’s day, but you aren’t the only hero in the world. You don’t have to do everything. You have a family and a home you’re committed too, besides all the royal shit. Don’t try and do too much, Daniel.”

Danny scowled at him. “Ass.”

“Yeah, but I’m right.”

“Yeah, you are, but you don’t have to rub it in,” Danny grumbled. He rubbed his cheek and sighed. “Thanks, by the way. You’re right. I know you’re right.”

“Yeah, I am right.” Jason smirked, which earned him another punch in the arm. It didn’t hurt the same way when he was in his human form, but it still stung because Danny could really hit like a truck. Still, it was entirely worth it.

“Shut up, you damned gremlin,” Danny groused. “Look, my parents have some stuff for you. Make sure to see them before you leave. That includes luggage.”

“Why do I feel like I’m going to be carrying a lot coming back?” he asked.

“Probably because you are. With all of your new books alone.”

“Danny, you have to convince Ms. Jane to put her books online as an E-book or something,” Jason said.

“You’re more likely to be able to convince her than I am,” Danny said with a pleasant and banal smile that made Jason wanted to punch him. “Besides, it’s an excuse to keep coming back.”

“I promise you that I don’t need an excuse,” Jason said. “Amity… it isn’t home the way Gotham is, but if I couldn’t ever go back to Gotham, I’d still be happy being here.”

“Good, that’s what I like to hear.”

Danny hustled him back toward the portal. Technically, Danny could portal wherever, and Jason was pretty sure Ellie could too, but that wasn’t something Jason was capable of. It also wasn’t something he may ever be capable of. Besides that, Danny liked to encourage the use of the portals that he actually controlled, which was basically all of the stable man-made portals.

Jason was guided to the Fenton portal, which was practically always open. “You not coming with me?” Jason asked.

“Still have king stuff to do,” Danny said. “Look, I’m giving you three days to get everything ready and make arrangements to go home. I’ll definitely see you before you go.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Jason said. Still, he didn’t protest when Danny dragged him into a hug.

“Go have some fun, Jay,” Danny said and then basically shoved Jason through the portal. He dropped unceremoniously out onto the Fenton Lab floor.

“Jason!” Maddie chirped. She and Jack were hands first in one of the TechnusSkulker bots, probably making their own upgrades. Jason couldn’t help but be a little bit terrified at that prospect. The skill and chaos they could add to one of those things was a nightmare to consider.

“Welcome back, son,” Jack bellowed cheerfully.

Jason stood and dusted himself off. He shifted between ghost and human. His Blue Hood outfit changed to the day clothes he’d been wearing before he transformed.

“Drs. Fenton,” he said, offering a big smile. He liked the Fentons. He understood Danny’s issues with them. They had fucked up big with Danny and his older sister when they were younger, but they also loved all three of their children with reckless abandon. They’d done a lot work to mend their relationships, which Jason appreciated.

“So, did you graduate?” Jack asked, trying hard to not just grin, but clearly he was vibrating with excitement.

“Danny graduated me,” Jason said.

“Yes!” Jack shouted. He smacked a button and there were a couple of pops as a “happy graduation” banner and confetti came down from the ceiling.

Jason stared open-mouthed for a moment. In that moment, Maddie and Jack both came over and gave him a big hug. Only once Jack’s chiropractic hug finished did Jason react. He tipped his head back and laughed.

He managed to get himself under control after about a minute. He wiped his eyed and blinked the rest of the moisture away.

“Thanks,” he said, still chuckling. “I didn’t think I’d get a graduation from ghost school.”

“Well, we can’t exactly wrangle a full graduation party together for you, but we figured that a nice surprise, some gifts and a goodbye dinner might work instead,” Maddie said.

“What kind of gifts?” Jason asked. Really, everything she said sounded really wonderful, but it was more than he could handle all at once.

“You mentioned needing some new weapons,” Jack said.

“Yessss!” Jason said, trying not to wiggle with joy.

The Drs Fenton walked over to their workstation and began to pull out weapon after weapon, laying them out on their work table, on their chairs, on the floor, wherever they could fit.

“You said you’d need weapons that aren’t particularly lethal,” Maddie said cheerfully. “Now, ecto-blasts can burn humans, but it won’t kill them.”

“Normally our weapons reload with ambient ectoplasm or by pure ectoplasm,” Jack continued. “Some of these are going to need refills, which we’ll provide whenever. But we also engineered a few to feed off your own ectoplasm.”

“Really?” Jason asked, intrigued.

“Yes!” Maddie nearly squealed with happiness. “To start off, we have the Fenton peashooters.” She held up a pair of tiny guns that probably wouldn’t have been something he could fire easily if the grip hadn’t already been modified to fit his hand.

She took one and turned to a target they’d set up. She started shooting. The peashooters shot multiple very tiny rounds very rapidly. There were dozens of tiny scorch marks in a matter of seconds. Jason was impressed.

“Good for small fish,” he noted. Something to sting and leave a reminder, but not to seriously injure or kill anyone.

“Exactly. Then we have the Fenton Macro-peashooters,” Jack said, handing Maddie a pair of guns which matched Jason’s normal set. They were tiny in Jack’s hands, but in Maddie’s hands they were big enough that she had to set one down so she could hold it properly and start shooting.

The Macros’ shots were bigger than bullets, and looked like they probably hit as hard, leaving a burn rather than a hole or a shell.

“Nice,” Jason said. His grin was vicious. He imagined stringing Black Mask up and shooting him with the Macros repeatedly.

“We also have Macro-Macros,” Maddie said, pulling out a larger pistol. “And the Macro-Macro-Macros, which we called the 3Ms.” She pulled out and even larger pistol.

“Damn, these are nice. May I?” He took one of the 3Ms and fired once. It had some kickback, but nothing he wasn’t used to. It scorched the entire face of the target. He fired a few times. It wasn’t as fast as the regular peashooters, but the 3M had a greater spread and hit harder than any handgun he owned, while also not being as lethal… potentially anyway. That much burn could cause some serious damage.

“Then we get to the fun stuff,” Jack said, shoving the Fenton version of a sawed-off shotgun into Jason’s hands before he rushed to put up more targets.

Jason’s smile got extra sharp. Fenton weapons were dangerous. They could pack a real punch. The more Jason tested, the more he became aware of exactly how much of a menace they had been to Phantom and Amity Park back in the day. It wasn’t like they ever stopped making weapons. At this point they could go toe to toe with a lot of Danny’s rogues for a reason. And now they turned their evil genius to making weapons for Jason. Each one they shoved into his hands got larger, more insane and more destructive. Eventually, Jason was basically equipped to melt giant robots and Superman villains. It was an awesome feeling.

“We’ve also harnessed ectoplasm to make transportation easier,” Jack said right before dropping a cube which rapidly unfolded to a motorcycle. Jasons’ eyes got huge.

“Are you kidding me?” Jason asked.

“It’s engineered to work a little like Val’s hoverboard,” Jack said while Jason ran a hand over the machinery.

“So, it flies?”

“It hovers. It won’t get you as high as a hoverboard, but if you even need to get over a car,” Maddie said.

“Or bad traffic,” Jack declared proudly, with a chaotic twinkle in his eyes which told Jason he’d probably been the one to test it.

“Oh, my god! This is amazing!” Jason was really considering hugging the bike.

“That’s not the only part of transportation. We made you new luggage that uses the dimensional properties of the Ghost Zone to provide more room for storage,” Jack said. “I guess you can say it’s bigger on the inside.” He sounded excited like a little kid. Jason was excited too.

“Any chance they’d get through airport security?”

“We aren’t sure,” Maddie said. “No one’s want to let us test it yet.”

“Shame. Still, for the zeta tubes, this should work perfectly,” Jason said. He sat down on the bike. It felt so good. He couldn’t wait to actually get a chance to ride it. “So, anything else you want to show off?”

The Drs. Fenton wore matching sharp smiles, which Jason returned in kind. He was absolutely thrilled to indulge their mad scientist ways.

Jason managed to get packed up before dinner. Then Fenton luggage made packing a breeze. He didn’t even have to worry about lugging all his new books, since the luggage had a hover feature. It would make moving easy-peasy come the day of. He’d called Dick and asked for a pick-up. He wasn’t ready to go back to the manor. Really, he wanted to be certain his safe houses were still around. Red Hood and Blue Hood were going to be Crime Alley’s protectors, and that meant he was actually going to be living there.

There was still a mob problem to deal with, but he’d deal with that once he was actually home.

Until then, it was early evening and Jason had more than enough time to go to Death o’ Espresso, grab a dozen new books to take home with him. This was going to be his last evening that he could just enjoy a few evening hours at his favorite coffee shop, since his goodbye dinner would be the next night.

He ducked into the shop, waving to the barista who started making his drink for him. He dropped his bag at his favorite table and went to browse the books until Melissa carried his coffee over.

“I heard someone graduated from ghost school,” Melissa said with a smirk.

“Does everyone in town know?” Jason asked.

“It’s kind of a big deal,” she said. “We don’t get a lot of halfas, after all.”

“Mostly cause there aren’t any,” he said dryly.

“Exactly,” she said. “You coming by again before you leave?”

“I’m going to get a whole thermos before I head out day after tomorrow,” he assured her. “And I’ll be by tomorrow morning too.”

“Got to grab as many books as possible,” she said.

“Exactly.”

“Good luck getting Ms. Jane to publish e-books.”

Jason let out a deep sigh. He adored Ms. Jane, even when he wanted to strangle her. Her writing had become so experimental once she realized she could write whatever she wanted. The long YA she’d been working on for the past decade was beautiful. He didn’t want to have to wait until he camw back to Amity to pick up the next book, whenever she finished it. And more than that, he wanted her to share because it was so good, and he wanted to have someone to geek out with.

“I’m going to get her eventually,” Jason said.

“Well, enjoy yourself, Jason.” She waved and headed back to the desk, leaving Jason to his browsing. He’d have to carry back whatever he brought to Grayhaven, which wasn’t exactly close. Still, he wanted as many books to take home with him as he could get.

He grabbed an armful and immediately cracked open the collected Shakespeare movie scripts from the past century. Apparently, he couldn’t get anywhere in Hollywood, but his collected works were popular in Amity, especially among their theatre scene.

He was about a third way through the first script when he felt a buzzing in his chest. He didn’t get ice breath like Danny did. It was more like a squeeze around his heart, but Jason could feel a ghost or a liminal when they got close. His eyes shot up and he was confronted with a child in dirty sneakers, jeans and a red hoodie. He had a backpack on his back, and he was keeping his head down. Even if it wasn’t obvious that he was the source of the powerful squeezing in his chest, Jason would have clocked him as someone to keep his eye on immediately.

Street kids recognized street kids, after all.

But that squeezing in his chest started to ache. The only time he’d felt anything like that was the one time Clockwork popped up to talk to Danny about something before they’d gotten into the portal. Ghosts felt different in the living worlds versus the Infinite Realms. And Ancients? They felt like so much more than a regular ghost. Jason hadn’t even been able to breathe until he adjusted to the feel of Clockwork.

The way Jason felt looking at the kid wasn’t the same as Clockwork. It wasn’t as powerful, but it was powerful.

The kid looked around nervously as he stepped further in. He jumped when Melissa shouted, “Welcome to Death o’ Espresso.” She didn’t check to see who the new person was, or she probably would have been kinder. As it was, the store wasn’t busy, yet, but it would be in about fifteen minutes.

“Hey, Melissa,” Jason said. He marked his page and shut his book. “How about a hot chocolate and a sandwich for the kid.”

“Kid?” she asked, looking up. She startled when she actually saw the boy. “Oh, my god! I’m so sorry. You come right in. Pick a table. Are you allergic to anything?”

“Um, no ma’am,” the boy said. He still had his head down.

“How about preferences. Is hot chocolate okay? We have white hot chocolate.”

The boy perked up a little, enough for Jason to get a look at his face. Black hair, blue eyes, white. Batman bait if ever Jason saw.

“Can I have that?”

“Sure,” Melissa said with an easy grin. “How about the sandwich?”

“Um, what are the options?” the boy asked, clearly feeling a little bolder because he’d already gotten to choose once.

Melissa started listing off a dozen sandwich options. The kid just started to look concerned. Information overload. Behind his back, Jason made the hand sign to cut it out. Melissa saw and stopped listing sandwiches.

“Tell you what,” she said. “This place is about to be jam packed. Like no chairs empty jam packed. You see that guy with the skunk hair?” She pointed right to him. The kid turned and looked at him, properly wary of a strange man.

“Hey!” Jason complained. “I’m not a skunk.”

“I don’t know, you’re a little skunky,” she teased. Jason stuck his tongue out at her, which made her laugh. The kid’s shoulders relaxed a little.

“Brat,” Jason grumbled like Melissa wasn’t five years older than him.

“That’s Jason,” Melissa continued, ignoring Jason’s final retort. “He won’t let anyone weird sit next to you. He’s also been having trouble deciding which sandwich to have. How about I make a few and cut them in 4ths so you two can both try?”

The kid looked nervous again. His eyes flitted from Melissa to Jason, back to Melissa and then back to Jason. Slowly he nodded yes and started to make his way over to Jason’s table.

He pulled his bag off his back and hugged it to his chest, zipper side in. Yep, street kid. He also angled his chair so he could start running easier if he needed.

“How long have you been homeless for?” Jason asked. That got the kid’s hackles up for sure.

“Who says I’m homeless?” he demanded.

“I was homeless when I was a little younger than you,” Jason said. “I grew up in a place called Crime Alley.”

“That’s not a real place,” the kid said.

“Well, it’s real name is Park Row, but everyone, from the street kids to the billionaires call it Crime Alley,” Jason explained. “Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It happens. It’s not your fault.”

He could see guilt swim up in his eyes.

“My name’s Jason,” he said. “Jason Todd. What’s your name?”

“Billy,” the boy said. He didn’t give his last name, but that was fine, smart even. Jason heard the door open. People started to trickle in. That trickle would become a pour soon.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jason said. “Can I guess that you’re here to see Phantom?”

“Why do you say that?” Billy asked defensively.

Jason shoved his hand through the table, making the boy jump. Jason pushed his arm all the way through to his armpit, so he could actually be seen waving to Billy out the side of the table.

“You’re- you have powers?” Billy asked in shock. Jason drew his hand out of the wood about the time Melissa came over with a large white hot chocolate and a plate stacked with sandwiches.

“Jason graduated yesterday,” Melissa said, clearly having caught some of the conversation.

“Graduated?” Billy asked, his eyes getting huge.

“My powers are kind of new,” Jason explained. “Phantom trained me. I’m actually heading home day after tomorrow.”

“Woah, really?” Billy asked, his eyes lighting up so much that Jason wasn’t certain Billy had even seen the food put down in front of him.

“Yeah, really,” Jason said. “Tell you what, I’ll call him and have him come by after we’re done eating.”

“Really?” Billy sounded breathless with hope. Jason just gave a soft smile. Kids like Billy were exactly why Red Hood and Blue Hood were necessary.

“Yeah, Billy,” Jason said with a warm smile. He pushed the plate toward him. When Billy took a sandwich and started eating, Jason felt the painful clench of his ghost sense ease entirely, replaced with warmth and a little affection.

Chapter Text

Billy Batson had a lot on his shoulders. He had for a while, since he was 7 years old, even before that, back to the moment his parents died. But he was 7 when the Wizard pulled him into the Rock of Eternity and changed his whole life. Billy loved being Captain Marvel. He was cool, powerful, and he was able to help a lot of people. But when he wasn’t Cap, he was just Billy Batson, an orphan and one of thousands of homeless kids in Fawcett City. He’d been in a few foster homes since then, gone to school, had something of a life occasionally. But being a hero didn’t coincide with having a normal life as a kid. Foster parents got upset if you disappeared. You needed to be in school properly. You couldn’t keep skipping.

Also, it was dangerous. It was too dangerous to be close to anyone, that was what the Wizard said. That was what he’d learned when Freddie was nearly killed.

Billy had become a full-time hero last year, which meant a full-time homeless kid who had no friends. The Stamina of Atlas was great and all, but it didn’t apply when he wasn’t Cap. He would be hungry when he changed back, and it wasn’t like Cap could just grab a bunch of food and fly off. He could eat when he was in the Watch Tower, and that helped, but the food he had as an adult never seemed to be enough when he was properly in his own body.

He was a superhero, protector of Fawcett City and member of the Justice League. He was also 11 years old and tired of watching the Teen Titans from the sidelines. They were all older than him, but they were friends with each other. They hung out. They got to act like children sometimes.

The Wizard warned Billy that it was dangerous to get close to anyone. Even if it seemed like heroes would be a safer choice, since they were stronger, they could still die. The second Robin’s death proved that. Adults wouldn’t believe him, or they’d try to use him. The Justice League would throw him out if they knew who he was. There was no one to talk to, no one to ask for help.

Except maybe one person.

Billy stumbled across the videos of Phantom by accident. He’d sat at a library computer and found the video already up, as the person who had the computer before him hadn’t signed out yet. He hit play on the video and watched the entire thing. And then another, and then another. When the librarian saw what he was doing, she got him set up in one of the meeting rooms that had a computer and a projector. She put the Phantom playlist on and let him sit in there until closing time, watching video after video.

He did that every afternoon for weeks until she moved away and no one else would do that for him. He’d gotten a junked cell phone, one that could connect to wifi but didn’t have service. He was a smart kid, and when he couldn’t figure out how to get what he wanted as a kid, he took the phone with him to the Watchtower and used the Wisdom of Solomon to get the memory upgrades he needed and download every Phantom video.

Phantom had been a hero when he was a kid. Phantom’s town had hated him, had attacked him. He still fought for them. He still was a hero. His enemy tricked him and tried to take over the world, and Phantom still managed to win and save the day. Phantom had never been alone. He’d always had friends, even though it was dangerous. And his friends lived. And they were okay.

Adults couldn’t be trusted not to use him. Children would be killed because of him. The Justice League would throw him out. But Phantom had been a child superhero. He was the first superhero. He wasn’t part of the Justice League. He literally made guides to help superhero kids, just like Billy.

An idea had settled into his mind as soon as he first saw a Phantom video and it had never gone away. He never said anything to the Wizard. He didn’t want the Wizard to tell him why it was a bad idea. Billy listened to the Wizard. He was old and smart, and he’d seen a lot. Normally, when the Wizard told Billy not to do something and Billy did it anyway, it ended in disaster. Well, if the Wizard didn’t know, then he couldn’t tell Billy no. Maybe it wouldn’t go well, but it probably wouldn’t be a disaster.

At least, that was what Billy told himself when he boarded the bus to Amity Park. He’d fully charged his phone, and he charged it again whenever they were at a stop. He had his earbuds in, plugged in, listening to Phantom talk the whole time he was traveling. Phantom’s voice was the only thing keeping him calm. It was the only thing that kept him from panicking about the fact that he’d spent all the money he had saved for months to afford a one-way ticket to Amity Park, that he was leaving Fawcett City, that he was very carefully not planning on telling the Wizard anything at all.

His guilt made him sick whenever he let his mind wander too much. Phantom’s words kept him focused. He’d downloaded the newest video and hadn’t gotten a chance to watch it until he was on the bus.

“Welcome to Like and Survive,” Phantom said. “Getting right into it today. This episode is weirdly hyper specific, but also way more common than I’m comfortable with. So, a billionaire is obsessed with you and starts showing up in places you consider safe for your secret identity, like your school or home.”

He took a sip from a huge black cup with a straw which declared it was from ‘Death O’ Espresso’, whatever that was. After a sip, Phantom started speaking again.

“It bothers me how common this is. But here’s the thing about billionaires: they have a lot of money, and with a lot of money they can afford to not have morals.”

Billy smiled a little at the joke.

“And since they have a lot of money, money equals power. It’s a different type of power than superpowers can give you. They’re just as human and squishy as everyone else. So, if you’re strong enough, you can go and kill them easily. But, first off, you shouldn’t just be killing people all William Nilliam. Second, you’ll suddenly come into the spotlight in a bad, bad way if you’ve killed someone that rich and powerful. See, billionaires have influence over laws, government systems, and even average people who admire them. And I have to say, most billionaires are not like Bruce Wayne or Oliver Queen, who give away a lot and otherwise have innocuous hobbies which won’t get anyone killed. That type of rich dude is not going to be obsessed with you. It’s the others you have to worry about.”

Billy nodded along like any of this affected him. He knew about Billionaires. Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen funded the Justice League, after all. But basically every hero he’d ever met didn’t like really rich people. Batman even said that rich people othered themselves from the population so much that they couldn’t see poor people as people. But in Billy’s experience, someone didn’t have to be rich to treat him like he wasn’t people.

“So, in my case, I had the Fruit Loop on my back. For anyone who’s new, that’s what I call Plasmius, aka: Vlad Masters. You can look it up, but the guy suddenly seemed to become a billionaire out of nowhere through good investments. At least that was the story. Back in the day, there were a lot of exposés all about how you too could pick the right stocks and become as rich as Vlad Masters. Except Vlad had the standard ghost powers, so he could become invisible, intangible and he could overshadow people. Overshadowing is the proper term for possession, for anyone not in the know.”

Billy nodded. Phantom didn’t drop the definition for terms all the time, so he’d been confused for a week whenever Phantom mentioned overshadowing until he came across a video where he explained what it was.

“So, basically, his fortune was stolen from other people. And the whole thing was so messed up the courts just had to throw up their hands in probate and execute the will as written. But that’s a story for another time. Anyway, what you need to keep in mind from here is Vlad’s obsession. He was wealthy and powerful. He’d gotten that way by doing everything in his power to get what he wanted. By the time we crossed paths, he had a whole plan about how to get what he wanted.”

Phantom stopped to take a sip from his cup and pressed on.

“See, the Fruit Loop wanted to kill my dad and marry my mom. Super creepy, right? Yeah, extremely creepy. First time we met, he was trying to kill my dad. I stopped him and, unfortunately, he realized we were similar. We were both dead. He wanted me too. He still wanted my mom, but he wanted me too, like a child or a prize. And it wasn’t just about my mom. I have siblings, both of whom look a lot more like my mom than I do. I take after my dad. I don’t know if Vlad thought I was another thing he could hold over dad’s head or what. But suddenly, I have the attention of a billionaire supervillain. I was also 14.”

He paused, took a long breath, let the tension drop from his shoulders and took another sip.

“Sorry, I get worked up even thinking about it. Vlad had powers like me, but he also had a lot more experience than I did. Lucky for me he liked to be hands on for his evil schemes. We also knew each other’s weaknesses. Neither of us wanted our secret exposed, especially not to my parents. On that front, it was a cold war. So, Vlad used his influence to move to Amity Park. He made himself mayor. He showed up at my school, my house, anywhere he felt like. He built things to fight me, he used his influence to get my rouges to attack me, he used the power of the mayor’s office to make my life difficult. But by making himself mayor, he also made himself a public figure who had to not seem like a creep. That was my other saving grace.”

He took a sip and Billy took a sip from his own water bottle.

“So,” Phantom continued. “How does this apply to you? First thing to remember from here is that every instance of creepy billionaires obsessed with a kid superhero that I’ve heard of is different. Some of my advice won’t help, but some will. One of the best things you can do is figure out what their weakness is and leverage that against them. Remember, you can’t punch your way of this. They use their influence against you, so you have to find a way to use that against them.”

Billy wished he had a way to write it down. It didn’t apply to him, but it felt important anyway. Even if his handwriting was bad and he wrote very slow, it felt like he should take notes.

“The next tip is to try and get someone in your corner. Now, at the time, I didn’t have an adult who would listen and help me. But I had friends who would look out for me and help me if I needed. If Vlad had focused more of his billionaire power at me, I probably would have been screwed. All of the adults in my life either respected Vlad, thought he was a good guy, or actually loved him.”

Phantom looked sad, going quiet for a moment. Finally, he shook his head.

“Sorry,” he said, his tone sad. “Sometimes I just wish it could have been different. Vlad had people who truly loved him, who adored him and were willing to give him every chance. Even now. Hell, I still care about the guy. It could have been okay if he hadn’t been such a dick about everything.”

Phantom blinked and then cleared his throat. “Sorry, let’s not repeat that, kids.”

Billy chuckled. Phantom gave the camera an embarrassed smile.

“So, with a billionaire, what you need are adults who will believe you. But, especially if you’re a kid, especially if they actually know who you are, not just your alter-ego, then your family and friends can be at risk. It wouldn’t be hard for someone with a lot of money and influence to get your parents fired, or have your siblings stalked, or you friends attacked. Or their parents or siblings. Or any adult you go to.”

Billy felt like there was ice running through his whole body. Adults who would use him. People he cared about being in danger. That was exactly what he was terrified of.

“I’m not saying this to scare you, just to tell you how dangerous it can be. That’s why, if it’s possible, try to speak to an adult hero. Or if you have hero friends. You need to talk to someone. If the billionaire is especially likely to use their wealth and influence to try and force you to do something, or to make you seem like an enemy to the people you love, then you should reach out to an adult hero. It doesn’t have to be me, but I’m always an option. Amity Park is as safe as it gets. If you can’t go anywhere else, you can come here. But I can’t promise you’ll be able to safely leave the city afterwards. That being said, I might be able to get you in contact with someone else who can help you better than I can.”

Billy suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. This was why he wanted, no, needed to meet Phantom. Phantom would be able to help him. He wasn’t being chased by a billionaire, but he had a problem he couldn’t talk about to any adult, especially a superhero adult.

When the video finished, Billy played it again and again until it became clear that it was messing with his battery life. He swapped to podcasts after that.

It was nearing dinner by the time the bus arrived in Amity Park. He got off the bus, keeping a tight hold on his backpack as he left the station. Amity Park was nothing like Fawcett City. It wasn’t nearly as big. According to the city’s website, there was not metro system. The buildings weren’t as tall or as sleek. Also, there were ghosts everywhere.

There was kindly looking green granny floating near the crosswalk near the station.

“Do you need help, ma’am?” Billy asked politely.

“Aren’t you sweet, thank you,” she said. She offered her his hand. It were like touching ice. Billy bit his lip to keep from wincing. He held her hand as they crossed the street until they were on the other side.

“Here we go,” he said. He stepped up on the curb and felt the cold disappear all at once. He looked around for the green granny, but she wasn’t behind him. When he turned around, he found her right back across the street at the place she’d been standing before he spoke to her. She waved cheerfully too him, so he waved back.

He guessed that was just how ghosts were. If they were all nice like the green granny, then it wouldn’t be too bad.

It turned out that ghosts were not like the green granny. None of the others had spoken to him the way she had. But they stared. They all stared at him. He quickly started to feel like a hunted animal. He pulled his hood up and walked faster his steps, going around the crowd, trying to escape the ghosts who just seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Terror seized his heart until he saw a familiar logo on one of the businesses: Death o’ Espresso, the place Phantom’s cup came from. Phantom probably wasn’t in there, but there was a chance he might be. Billy ducked inside. He felt relief when he stepped inside, and the ghosts didn’t float right through the door after him. His relief didn’t last long, though.

The café was empty except for a guy at a table near some bookshelves. That guy was big. He looked like he could hit hard. His eyes were sharp. They’d looked blue when Billy first noticed him, but once he looked back at Billy, they were a shining green. Billy knew a predator when he saw one. There were villains and then there were people who wanted to grab a street kid like him. Oddly, he didn’t feel like the guy was going to try and grab him or was dangerous to him. But it was still like staring at a Tiger sitting at a table in a café.

“Welcome to Death o’ Espresso!” a woman shouted. Billy jumped.

“Hey, Melissa,” the stranger called. He wasn’t shouting, but his voice carried just as clearly as Melissa’s had. He marked his page and shut his book. Despite the stranger looking at Melissa, Billy still felt like the stranger’s eyes were on him. “How about a hot chocolate and a sandwich for the kid.”

“Kid?” Melissa asked, looking up over all the coffee equipment. She jumped when her eyes met his. “Oh, my god! I’m so sorry. You come right in. Pick a table. Are you allergic to anything?” She sounded so frantic that Billy actually felt a little guilty, like he’d done something wrong.

“Um, no ma’am,” the boy said. He kept his head down. He didn’t like being the center of attention like this, even if it was only two people. It was a dangerous place for an 11-year-old homeless kid to be.

“How about preferences? Is hot chocolate okay? We have white hot chocolate,” Melissa continued

White hot chocolate? That sounded really good. He looked up and offered Melissa a tiny little smile.

“Can I have that?” His question was tentative. He wasn’t certain she really meant it.

“Sure,” Melissa said with an easy grin. “How about the sandwich?”

“Um, what are the options?” Billy asked, feeling better because Melissa had accepted his request.

Melissa started listing off a dozen sandwich options. Billy was happy at first because he wouldn’t have to spend ten minutes trying to read the sign so slowly and embarrassingly that Melissa would take her offer back. But then the list kept going on and on. Billy glanced around, realizing that this was a nice place, the type of place he’d normally get chased out from. He didn’t know what some of the ingredients were that she was listing.

Billy felt agitated and worried that he was going to be thrown out for taking too long anyway. He couldn’t seem to keep all of the names in his head. It felt like he wouldn’t be able to name a single sandwich when she asked him. He braced himself for her to suddenly ask. But she didn’t. She just stopped talking. Billy blinked, looking up at her right as she started talking again.

“Tell you what,” she said. “This place is about to be jam packed. Like no chairs empty jam packed. You see that guy with the skunk hair?” She pointed right to the stranger. Billy turned, looking at the tiger again. He did his best to not look as uncomfortable as he felt.

“Hey!” the stranger complained. “I’m not a skunk.”

“I don’t know, you’re a little skunky,” she teased. The strangers stuck his tongue out at her, which made Melissa laugh. Billy felt some of the tension leave his body. Melissa was friendly with this guy, and Melissa seemed really nice. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Brat,” the stranger grumbled, reminding Billy of a pouty little kid. It was funny to see such a big guy act like that.

“That’s Jason,” Melissa continued, ignoring Jason’s last response. “He won’t let anyone weird sit next to you. He’s also been having trouble deciding which sandwich to have. How about I make a few and cut them in 4ths so you two can both try?”

Billy felt nervous again. He looked between Melissa and Jason multiple times. He was hungry. He had spent all of his money on the bus ticket, which he’d bought the day before and then spent the whole night as Cap, just to be certain his ticket would stay safe. He hadn’t eaten anything since around lunch time the previous day. He hadn’t gotten food at any of the pitstops, or station stops. He wanted to eat, and Melissa was offering him multiple sandwiches. He might even be able to take a couple with him, which would get him breakfast and lunch the next day if he was lucky.

All he had to do was sit at the table with Jason the tiger-man.

Slowly Billy nodded yes and made his way over to Jason’s table.

He pulled his bag off his back and hugged it to his chest, zipper side in before he lowered himself into the chair. He also angled his chair just a little, so he still looked natural, but so he’d be able to jump out of the seat and run for the door if need be. His back was to the door, but that meant there was a table between Jason and the door.

“How long have you been homeless for?” Jason asked. That immediately put his on guard.

“Who says I’m homeless?” he demanded.

“I was homeless when I was a little younger than you,” Jason said. “I grew up in a place called Crime Alley.”

“That’s not a real place,” Billy complained. Jason could just be making stuff up, but there was something in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders that Billy recognized. Street kids recognized street kids.

“Well, it’s real name is Park Row, but everyone, from the street kids to the billionaires call it Crime Alley,” Jason explained. “Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It happens. It’s not your fault.”

Billy felt guilty, because Jason just reminded him of the things he wasn’t proud of that he’d done to survive. Some days he was terrified that the Wizard would find out about the things Billy had stolen, or the things he’d done to get food or find a place to sleep, and that the Wizard would be so upset that he’d say Billy wasn’t pure of heart enough and take Cap back.

“My name’s Jason,” he said, breaking into Billy’s thoughts. “Jason Todd. What’s your name?”

“Billy,” he answered. It would be harder to look Billy up if he didn’t know his last name.

He vaguely became aware that the door opened. He turned enough to see people start to enter the shop, just the way Melissa said they would. He returned his full attention to Jason.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jason said. “Can I guess that you’re here to see Phantom?”

“Why do you say that?” Billy asked. That was the answer, of course, but Billy did not like that Jason seemed to know so much about him.

Jason suddenly shoved his arm through the table like the table wasn’t even there. Billy jumped about a foot in the air. He stared open mouthed as Jason pushed his arm through all the way up to his armpit and the waved to Billy out to the side of the table where Billy could actually see it moving.

“You’re- you have powers?” Billy got out. Shocked was an understatement. Jason pulled his arm out of the table and straightened up just as Melissa came over with a large cup which smelled sweet and delicious and a plate stacked with many different sandwiches cut into fourths.

“Jason graduated yesterday,” Melissa said. She must had heard some of their conversation.

“Graduated?” Billy asked. She probably meant school, but there was something in the way she said it that made him certain she didn’t mean school.

“My powers are kind of new,” Jason explained. “Phantom trained me. I’m actually heading home day after tomorrow.”

“Woah, really?” Billy asked. An adult came to Phantom for help, and Phantom taught him until he was good enough to go out on his own? That was so cool!

“Yeah, really,” Jason said. “Tell you what, I’ll call him and have him come by after we’re done eating.”

“Really?” Billy’s chest filled like a balloon with hope. Jason’s expression got all soft, more like a stuffed tiger toy than a real tiger.

“Yeah, Billy,” Jason said, then pushed the plate of sandwiches toward him. Billy accepted a sandwich and started to eat. He was into his third quarter sandwich before Jason grabbed one and started to eat too.

“Where’s Crime Alley?” Billy asked.

“Gotham,” Jason said. “It’s a big city, Batman can’t be everywhere, after all.”

Billy swallowed. “Yeah.” He knew that. Batman after Robin died was nothing like Batman before Robin died. He really couldn’t be everywhere all at once.

“So, I’m going to go protect my home,” Jason concluded. “And how about you? Where are you from?” He shoved a sandwich in his mouth after he asked his question.

“Fawcett City,” Billy said before taking a bite. He watched Jason chew and swallow before he tried speaking again.

“That’s Captain Marvel’s city, right?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, it is.” Billy smiled a little. It was always cool when people knew about Captain Marvel.

“Have you met him before?”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “He’s really good to kids like me. He’s even defended some of us from police.” Normally he just served as a distraction so kids could get away, but it didn’t matter how cool it did or did not look. He always wished someone would do that for him. He couldn’t do it for himself, but he could and would do it for others.

“Damn, that is cool,” Jason said with a big smile. Billy felt his heart soar. Jason really, really believed it.

“It is cool!” Billy agreed. “Cap’s so cool. I like him a lot.”

“You got any merch for him?”

“Oh, no. I really wish I had a tee shirt, but it would probably just get stolen or destroyed.” He felt sad at the thought.

“Tell you what, when I get back to Gotham I’ll have some stuff sent back for you, okay? Captain Marvel’s not nearly as big in Gotham as he is his home city, but there is stuff. I’ll get you a few things.”

“Woah! Really!?” He was grinning now. He couldn’t help himself. “That’s… wow! You don’t have to.”

“Of course, I don’t have to. I just want to,” Jason said. He sounded exasperated. “I’m doing it for me as much as you. I always wanted someone to do something like that for me. Now I can do it for someone else.”

Jason really was a hero, Billy was certain. That was exactly what Billy would do, what he did all the time. Heroes fought to make things better for people around them.

“You’re really cool, Jason,” Billy said.

“Yeah?” Now Jason was grinning too.

“Super cool!” Now that Billy wasn’t afraid of Jason, he could see just how cool he really was.

Jason reached a hand up. “Danny, over here!” he called.

Billy turned in his chair to see who Jason was waving to. Entering the café was a really, really tall man. He looked even stronger and bigger than Jason. He had black hair and blue eyes like Jason, but he was older than Jason. Billy wondered if Danny was related to Jason.

Everyone around them greeted Danny with cheer. Danny laughed, waved, clapped hands with the people who reached for him. It took a moment, but finally Danny crossed the room and stood right next to Billy.

“So, Jason, what’s the fire?” Danny asked.

“Danny, meet Billy. He feels kind of like Clockwork.”

Billy had no idea what that meant. Danny turned to look at him. His blue eyes turned green, just like Jason’s had. He opened his mouth and cold, cold air poured out. Billy shivered. It reminded him of touching the green granny’s hand. Much to Billy’s surprise, Danny sat down cross-legged in the air, taking up the last side of the table which wasn’t pressed against a wall.

“I can see that,” Danny said. “But different than Clockwork. Still like an Ancient. Fascinating.”

There was something in his gaze, in the green, in the sudden smile Danny offered him.

“Phantom?” Billy whispered. His heart swelled with hope again, but also fear.

Danny’s smile got wider. “Yeah, but when I’m not in uniform, I’m just Danny. Danny Gray, nice to meet you.” He offered Billy a hand to shake.

“I- I’m Billy, Billy Batson.” He took Danny’s hand. Danny shook. He had a nice grip, warm. His hands were a little rough and he didn’t squeeze too hard.

Jason laughed.

“Damn,” Jason muttered. “Sorry. You’re just perfect Bruce adoption bait.”

Billy scowled.

“What does that mean?” Danny asked, saving Billy from having to ask.

“Come on, you know my dad has a type,” Jason said. “He’s got three kids and they all look near identical. It’s like we’re actually related to him and not just orphans he’s been collecting.”

Billy’s heart swooped up and down in his chest. He didn’t understand what was going on, but he felt excited and scared at the same time. Jason didn’t sound upset about his dad. The idea of being adopted was nice, but also the sound of someone “collecting orphans” made his stomach clench with concern.

“You know,” Danny said, tipping his head to one side. “I haven’t thought of that.”

“You and Clark are so lucky you’re too old to be adopted. And Kon’s lucky he’s already got Clark. I swear, the first time I saw him, I thought Tim was showing around a new adopted brother.”

Danny snorted out a laugh. He floated up, flipping upside down as his laughter settled to giggles. Billy looked around. No one looked bothered at all. They weren’t ignoring Danny. A few people looked fondly at him. But they were used to him just using his powers like that.

Amity Park was amazing.

“Right,” Danny said, turning right side up again. “So, Billy, whatever brought you here, is it urgent? Like are you about to be hurt or hunted? Or is someone else in danger?”

“No,” Billy said. “I just… I have questions, and I need help, and I really, really wanted to meet you.”

Danny relaxed. There had been tension in his shoulders that Billy hadn’t even noticed until it was gone. Billy wished he was that good at hiding his feelings. He was bad at it both as a kid and an adult.

“Good, good,” Danny said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to put questions off until tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind,” Billy said.

“Cool, so there’s a couple of options. Normally I’d set you up at my parent’s place, but they’ve got all their rooms filled, even the extension rooms. My friends Sam and Tuck are another option, but I’d prefer to not send you to them. Sam’s so close to her due date. I don’t want to add any extra stress. And once the baby’s born, they’ll be too busy to really help you.”

“Wait, are you letting me stay with your friends?” Billy asked, his brain catching up to what was happening.

“Well, I was actually going to ask if you’d stay with my wife and I,” he said. “You’re young enough that I don’t want to just put you up in a hotel or one of the dorms. We have a couple of guest rooms free. Jason’s got the best one. If you don’t mind waiting until the day after tomorrow, you can have his room if you want.”

“Can’t even wait ‘til I’m gone to give away my stuff. For shame, Mr. Gray,” Jason said in such an over dramatic tone that it made Billy giggle. Danny slapped his arm.

“Jerk,” Danny said before looking back at Billy. “Anyway, I’d like for you to stay with me while you’re in town. Is that alright.”

“Yes! That would be so cool!” he said quickly.

“Neat. So, I do have a few quick questions. First, is there anyone who’s going to be looking for you.”

“Like a villain?” Billy asked.

“Like a parent,” Jason said. There was an odd expression on his face. His brow wrinkled up. “Or a foster parent, or a sibling.”

“Oh, no,” Billy said. “I’m not staying with anyone right now.” He saw Danny and Jason exchange looks. He scowled. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jason said. “So, you’d be okay to stay here for a while if need be?”

“I… would like to go back eventually.” It wasn’t about ‘like’. Fawcett City was his city that he protected. He felt guilty all over again for being in Amity and not back in Fawcett.

“But there’s time for Danny to help you,” Jason said. “Danny isn’t going to keep you against your will. I had to stay here for six weeks, but that’s because there was something wrong with me and only Danny could fix it.”

“Are you okay?”

“I am now, Billy. Don’t worry about me. Danny would have told me to stay longer if I was still messed up. But really, he wouldn’t have made me stay if I really, really wanted to run.”

“We aren’t going to trap you here,” Danny said. “But Amity should be a lot safer for you than wherever you’re from until I can help you out.”

“Fawcett City,” Jason said

“Fawcett City.” Danny’s eyes narrowed for a second while he looked at Billy. Then he shook his head. “That’s cool. I’ll even fly you back when you want to go home, deal?”

“Deal!” Billy said. This was amazing. He was going to get to stay with Phantom. He had food in his stomach, and he was actually talking to Phantom.

“Billy, you mind if I get Melissa to pack some of this up for you? I can take you home with me. My father in law’s making dinner tonight. I don’t want to miss it. I’ll pop him a message and tell him to make an extra plate.”

“Are you- Are you inviting me to dinner?” Billy asked.

“Yeah, Jason’s not coming back for a couple hours, so there should be plenty,” Danny said.

“Wait, why aren’t you eating?” Billy asked.

“I am,” Jason said and picked up a sandwich to prove it. “I’m just enjoying spending time at my favorite coffee shop before I have to go home. You’ll be safe with Danny, and I’ll see you tonight. Okay, Billy?”

Billy nodded. “Thank you, Jason.”

Danny floated off over to Melissa and the other people who were now working behind the bar.

“You’re welcome. Don’t worry while you’re here. Danny can definitely help.”

“I hoped so,” Billy said. “I really, really want to be here.”

“Well, here you are.”

Chapter Text

Damon Gray was an amazing cook. Billy went to sleep almost sick with how full he was. The meat was fall off the bone tender and absolutely delicious. He had no regrets about how much he ate, or that he went to bed before Jason got back.

Danny had brought him to his house, Grayhaven, where Billy got to meet Danny’s wife, kids and father-in-law. Valerie was so cool. She immediately sent Danny back out to go grab Billy new clothes. She got his clothes in the wash and sent him to have a nice long hot shower. Danny returned with two changes of clean clothes and a set of pajamas which were ridiculously soft. Billy got a room all to himself, with a really nice bed that was much softer than sleeping on the ground and didn’t make him sore the way the fluffy soft bed from his final foster home had.

He woke to the sun, came out to Danny making breakfast (eggs, toast and grapefruit). He got a full meal, received his clothes back from Valerie and promised to play with Ori and Stella later. He even got to see Jason stumble half asleep into the kitchen while Billy was finishing up his eggs. Jason acted like was properly at home, which just made Billy feel even better about staying there.

After breakfast and getting dressed, Danny guided Billy outside. Amity Park was a city, but there was a lot of green space. Danny took Billy to a field that wasn’t actually that near any buildings or anything. He thought about how Amity Park was a lot different than Fawcett city, but Billy also thought about taking his shoes off and walking barefoot on the grass.

“We can fly home afterwards,” Danny said.

“I don’t mind,” Billy said for the fortieth time that morning. He was grinning. Danny was so nice. He’d offered to fly Billy out, but Billy was happy to be driven and then walk the rest of the way. It gave him a better look at Amity itself from ground level.

“Okay, how about I take you by Fenton Works on the way home, then?” Danny offered. “We should be done with this in time to let them show you the lab before we have Jason’s graduation dinner.”

“Do you give everyone who you teach a graduation dinner?” Billy asked. Would he get one?

“I don’t normally train people,” Phantom said. “At least not like a trained Jason. Jason’s like me. Similar power set and everything.”

“You… you mean he’s dead?” Billy asked. He turned around, back toward the city like he’d actually be able to see Jason even though he knew Jason was probably back at Death o’ Espresso and totally nowhere near the field they were standing in.

“Half dead,” Danny said. Billy turned back to look at him. While he watched, rings of light formed at Danny’s middle and went up and down, changing him from Danny to the Phantom that Billy was used to.

“Wow,” Billy breathed. Danny grinned.

“I know, pretty cool, right?”

“Super cool!” Billy declared. Danny sat cross-legged in the air again.

“So,” Danny said. “You have questions.”

“Oh,” Billy said, suddenly remember why he’d come to Amity Park to begin with. “Yeah, I just… I need help with some stuff.”

“More than needing a place to stay and regular meals?” Danny’s voice was gentle, encouraging. Billy sniffled.

“I want those things, but it just seems selfish if I have them,” he admitted. He dropped his eyes down to his dirty sneakers.

“Because you get them and other kids don’t?”

Billy shook his head. “Because people get hurt when I stick around them too long.”

Danny was silent. Billy shifted uncomfortably before risking looking up. Danny was frowning. His gaze was assessing, but he didn’t look angry or really upset.

“Okay,” Danny finally said. “I don’t like pressing, but I think I need to know your power set so I can help you.”

“Why?” Billy whispered. He literally came here so Phantom would know who and what he was and could give him advice. But the Wizard had drilled into his head so much how telling could be dangerous. He didn’t want to be Cap all the time. He wanted to be Billy. He wanted to be safe and have a home and friends and foster parents who weren’t bad. He wanted to go to school. But he still wanted to fly and fight and help. The Wizard told him people would hurt and use him if they could. Was it so bad to want to be a hero and a normal kid too?

“So, if you have powers which are dangerous, like, let’s say you have a power where if someone touches you, they get poisoned and die. Well, then I have to take special care, and I need to get my parents involved to find a way for you to live more normally. If you have powers you can’t control, then I have a place I can take you where you can’t hurt anyone when you practice. If your powers are from a curse and people around you get hurt, then I need to do research to break the curse. What I’m saying is that the more I know, the more I can help, okay?”

Phantom’s words made sense. There were different powers in the world. It was like what he’d said in the creepy billionaire video. Everyone’s experience was different. Maybe what he had to say wouldn’t help everything, but it would probably help something.

Billy Batson didn’t have the Courage of Achilles, but Cap did. It would be easier to have this discussion as Cap. Then maybe he wouldn’t be so scared.

“Okay. I’ll show you, but you need to stand back, okay?” Billy said.

Danny floated backwards. He kept floating until Billy gave a thumbs up. Billy closed his eyes and took a breath. He needed courage. He needed to be strong for this. He didn’t allow himself to think about anything else.

“Shazaam!”

Lightning struck him. He was taller, stronger, and most of all, he was less scared. He opened his eyes and looked to Phantom, who was still floating, but he was standing. He looked taller somehow. No, he wasn’t taller, but there was more to him that Billy’s normal human eyes hadn’t been able to see.

Phantom floated over to him. Phantom was so strong, stronger than any opponent Billy had ever faced. More than that, he felt dead, and he felt alive. He felt wrong, and correct. His eyes were bright like death fire. There was a shadow of a crown over his head and the glow from a ring on his hand. Would he have seen Phantom like this if he’d ever watched videos as Cap? He never had before, too worried about one of the Justice League members thinking too hard about why he would be watching advice for teen heroes.

“Who did this to you?” Phantom’s voice was colder than ice, colder than a tundra. The green granny’s icy touch was nothing compared to Phantom’s cold.

“I-” Billy was taken aback by the question. “What?”

“Who did this to you?” Phantom asked. The ring started glowing brighter.

“Your ring is glowing,” Billy said. He didn’t know how to begin to answer that question, and the glowing made him uneasy.

“Ring,” Phantom murmured. He raised his hand, looking at the ring. “You can see this now?”

“Yes,” Billy said. “What is it?”

“It’s called the Ring of Rage, it, along with the Crown of Fire are the symbols of the King of the Infinite Realms.”

The Infinite Realms. The knowledge of what that meant was right at his fingertips, but he probably wouldn’t entirely remember it if he just found out about it by the Wisdom of Solomon.

“What are the Infinite Realms?” Billy asked.

“My parents used to call it the Ghost Zone. Basically, it’s where ghosts spend the rest of eternity. It also connects to every other realm in existence,” Danny said.

“And you’re the King,” Billy said.

“I am the King,” Danny agreed. “Normally, people can only see the crown and ring if I allow them to see it, but the Ancients can always see them. The Ancients are more like gods than ghosts, but they also reside in the Infinite Realms and are considered Ghosts. When Jason said you felt like Clockwork, what meant the spirit of time, who is my mentor.”

“Oh,” Billy said. “He was feeling the Wizard’s power.”

“The Wizard. Is he the one who did this?” Phantom looked unhappy again.

“Captain Marvel is bestowed upon someone chosen who has a pure heart,” Billy said. “I’m the Guardian of Magic.”

“Captain Marvel’s been around for four years. How old were you when you became Captain Marvel?”

“Seven,” Billy said. “It was- I like it. Phantom, I really like being Cap. I love helping people. I just… one of my friends nearly died. And I can’t stay still when someone’s hurt or when I’m needed, so I kept having to sneak out of my foster parents’ places. And I was doing bad in school.”

“You’re not living with foster parents, and you’re not going to school… and you don’t have friends,” Phantom said. The ring stopped glowing. Billy let out a breath. The Wisdom of Solomon provided him the knowledge that Pariah Dark, who used to be king, who was a terrifying tyrant, was controlled by his anger.

“Yes,” Billy said. “That’s correct.”

“Why haven’t you asked the Justice League for help?”

“How do you know I haven’t?”

Danny raised a brow, giving the unimpressed parent look. “Because I know Batman, and my sister lives in Gotham and knows Batman way better than I do. You wouldn’t be homeless if Batman knew about this, and there’s no way that Batman doesn’t know something this important if someone else in the league knew.”

Billy winced. “Okay, yeah. There’s an age limit. I have to be over 18 to be in the League.” He touched his chest. “But this body is 24, and I have the Wisdom of Solomon, and that Magic of the Wizard, so I have access to a lot of information and a like a moral compass that guides me. I’m still Billy like this, but Billy doesn’t have access to everything Cap does. I am more, I know more like this. And this body is over 18.”

Danny let out a long sigh. “And having done this for four years, you also have seniority on a number of League members.”

“That too,” Billy agreed with a little smile.

“But you still have the emotions of being eleven. And you have those feelings when you’re in your normal body?” Phantom asked.

Billy nodded once. “Yes.”

“Okay… okay.” Danny put his face in his hands and let out a long growl. “Does anyone else know?”

“Just you, me and the Wizard.”

Danny’s hands dropped from his face. His eyes were suspicious. “Why?”

“Because… I’m still vulnerable as Billy Batson. Freddie got hurt and nearly died and he didn’t even know anything. My enemies are very dangerous… and, and the Wizard told me that adults would want to use me if they knew.”

Phantom grimaced. “Okay… I see. So, why did you come to me?”

“Because you’ve been a kid hero before. And you didn’t have any adults to help. And you’re not in the league, but you still try and help kid heroes. And… and you said you’d help if you could.”

Phantom studied him. “Okay… okay. Alright,” he said slowly. “So, yeah, I will help you. And you are safe here. No one is getting through me.” Billy believed that. He could feel just how powerful Danny really was. “I have a couple of friends who can tutor you while you’re here for school stuff. You can stay with me and Val and the kids. Can I guess you don’t need help figuring out your powers?”

Billy shook his head. “The Wizard helps me. But you mentioned a place to practice where I wouldn’t hurt anyone?” He felt shy for even asking for that, despite what Danny was already offering.

“Yeah, I can offer that, easy,” Phantom said. “But here’s the downside: This can’t just stay between us anymore.”

Billy’s heart dropped. “Why?”

“For one thing, I need to tell Val. And I’ll probably tell Sam and Tuck, and Ellie. I’d also like to tell Jazz. She’s my big sister and a therapist.” Billy made a face. “Yeah, I know, but she’s good, and she can help.”

“And these people are safe?”

“My secrets don’t get out of town, do they?”

“No, you’re right, they don’t.” Danny was a pretty public figure in his own way, but no one seemed to know he was the Ghost King, although the people in town seemed to know Danny was Phantom.

“Exactly,” he said. “And I’m going to need to talk to the Justice League.”

“No! Phantom, please-”

Phantom held up a hand, and Billy stopped talking. He did feel near tears, though.

“Not everyone. I’m just going to tell Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. They understand the importance of secret identities. They won’t expose you. And you are powerful, but you are also eleven. You can be a hero and not have to do everything. Fawcett city is also yours. They can’t take that from you no matter what, alright?”

Billy nodded, feeling miserable.

“Batman and Superman owe me right now. I’ll use that if I have to,” Danny said. “I’m not leaving you alone to handle this yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” Billy murmured.

“And no one is going to use or exploit you. You got me?”

“I got you.”

He didn’t feel happy. This was part of what he was afraid of. But Phantom was powerful. There wasn’t an adult in the world who could use Billy if Phantom was there to keep him safe. So, that helped.

“Try not to worry too much,” Phantom said. “Look, how about you tell me what you want?”

“What I want from what?”

“Well, everything,” Phantom said. “Like, how would your life be if it could be any way?”

“I’d still be Cap. I’d still be in the Justice League, but I’d also get to have friends and go to school. And a safe place to live. Really safe. With people who knew about me and would fight and protect me but who could also protect themselves,” Billy said. “I want… I’ve missed so much school.” His eyes ached with unshed tears. “I can’t read well or anything. And I don’t just want to be put with a teacher who expects me to know stuff. And I don’t want to be in a class with babies. I don’t want to stand out like that.”

Phantom laid a hand on his shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. “Okay, I’m not going to make promises, but I believe I can help you there.”

“Really?” Billy asked with a smile.

“No matter what happens, you’ll have a place in Amity. I promise you that. But I think there’s better fits for a new home for you.”

“But Fawcett,” Billy started.

“Amity has a new Zeta tube. Worse comes to worse, I’ll get on John’s ass about making a way for you to travel back and forth to Fawcett easily.”

Billy had no idea who John was, but Phantom was a King! He had to know a lot of people who could help. Billy nodded and wiped his eyes.

“Okay, I trust you,” he said.

“Good,” Phantom said. “Now, how about things you want to learn?”

“What I want to learn. Not like school, right?”

“Yeah, not like school, that’s separate.”

“I’d like to spar some time,” Billy admitted.

“Can do, not a problem. We’ll move to the Infinite Realms for that, just for safety reasons. I’ll also probably ask a lot about your powers. So, if you do want to learn something, we can figure something out easier. Anything else?”

“Um, I want to learn magic.”

“You’re the Champion of Magic, right?” Phantom was frowning again.

“Yes, when I’m Captain Marvel. One of my powers is the Wisdom of Solomon. Like this I can recall so much scholarly literature and pieces of information. I have natural connection to magic. I can do things like this that bend the laws of magic into a balloon animal. But when I’m just Billy, I don’t remember these things and I can’t do magic because I don’t know how.”

Phantom drew in a breath and let it out. “Okay. I can handle that too. I don’t know magic, but I know people who know magic. They don’t have to know about your abilities to help you learn magic.”

Billy let out a relieved sigh. “You won’t tell people beyond the ones you mentioned?”

“Human people,” Phantom said. “Don’t give me that look. I’m going to talk to a few of my advisors. They’re Ancients.”

“Like Clockwork?”

“Yes, Clockwork, though knowing him he probably knows already. I’ll probably tell Pandora, who leads the ancient Greek ghosts. I’ll definitely tell Frostbite. He rules the Far Frozen. It’s obviously,super cold. He’s a healer, so I’m going to take you to see him at some point to make certain there’s nothing weird with your biology in either form. He’ll also be someone you can visit when you’re hurt, or you have someone who needs to be healed.”

Billy nodded. “That’s… thank you.”

“I’m also going to tell Dorothea; she rules the dragons.”

Billy’s eyes got huge. “Can I meet her too?”

“You can,” Phantom said with a smile. “Not today. Today I think I should take you by Fenton Works and then all of us can head to Sam and Tuck’s for Jason’s party.”

“I can go too?” Billy asked.

“Definitely,” Phantom said. “Jason’s like a mama bear. He’ll want you to be included and won’t want you stuck at my place alone.”

“I was thinking he’s kind of like a tiger… a stuffed tiger toy anyway.”

Phantom threw back his head and laughed. Billy grinned. He liked making Phantom laugh like that. It seemed like Phantom was less angry when he laughed like that. There was barely any glow to the ring anymore anyway.

“Okay, okay, you squirt. Let’s change back. I’ll take you to Fenton Works.”

Phantom flew away to change back. Billy changed back in his normal flash of lightning and then rushed over to Danny’s side.

“I should mention something,” Danny said. “It’s about how I died.”

“I thought you don’t like talking about it,” Billy said.

“I, personally, don’t care that much.” Danny said. “I talk about it all the time. But it’s rude to ask, and I don’t want people to figure out Phantom is Danny Gray.”

“Oh, cool,” Billy said, just because he felt he should say something.

“So, I mentioned Fenton Works. Drs Maddie and Jack Fenton are my parents. I changed my name when I got married because Val wanted to keep her name, and I wanted a little extra space between me and Danny Fenton.”

“Fenton even sounds like Phantom.”

Danny groaned. “I know. I was 14 and so lame.”

“I think it sounds cool,” Billy protested.

Danny laughed. “I’m joking. Mostly. Anyway, my parents are the world’s leading ecto-biologists and -engineers. And they wanted to open a portal to the Ghost Zone. They set it up, but when they plugged it in, it didn’t work. Because they put the on switch on the inside. They left all dejected and I walked in on a dare from Sam and Tuck. I kind of tripped and I smacked the “On” button.”

“Oh no,” Billy whispered, horror crashing through his chest.

“I was electrocuted, but also had ectoplasm bonded to my DNA. I wasn’t joking about being a half ghost… but I died in part because of electricity and so sometimes it makes me nervous.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you-”Billy started, but Danny shook his head.

“I’m fine right now. I’m just telling you that I appreciate warning and I’ll probably back off when I know you’re going to transform. You can’t really hurt me with a lightning strike at this point, but PTSD is pain.”

“What’s… that’s the thing soldiers get?”

“Not just soldiers. It’s really common, especially after anything extremely stressful and painful. When it gets bad enough that it interrupts your life or causes to you panic… well…” He shrugged. “Look, I don’t mind that I half-died. Honestly, I like being a halfa. I like who I am now, what I was able to do and everything. But the memory of the pain… yeah, that part sucks. There also aren’t a lot of halfas.”

“So, Jason’s a halfa?”

“Yeah, he’s the newest. He brings out total to four.”

“Wow… that’s not a lot,” Billy whispered.

“Yeah, I kind of hope to keep it that way, to be honest.”

Billy nodded. He felt heavy from Danny’s words, even though Danny seemed okay. “So, you’re going to introduce me to your parents?”

“And show you their lab, and their portal,” Danny said. “Ellie took the kids living with them to the University today for like a field trip, so I’ll have to introduce you later.”

“Do you parents always have kids there?”

“Kind of always. We get enough people who need help that we had to come up with some options. So, Fenton Works, Grayhaven, the Manson-Foley house, the dorms at the university, and a couple of hotels and motels all have space we use sometimes. Or can use. A lot of time kids and adults who come here don’t stay for more than a few days. Sometimes they stay way longer. Jason was here for six weeks, but now he’s going home.”

“Back to Gotham,” Billy said.

“Back to Gotham,” Danny agreed. He put a hand on Billy’s shoulders and started to nudge him along back to the car. “He’ll come back to visit.”

“He said he would,” Billy said. “I hope he does while I’m here.”

“If he can’t, I’ll make sure you can get in contact with him one way or another. I promise.”

Billy gave him a big grin. He was grateful. Danny, it turned out, was even better than Billy had hoped.

Chapter Text

“Please don’t make me start by asking about your feelings, Bruce,” Jazz said, leaning back in her seat. “I let you percolate on this because you asked me to wait. Well, I’m done waiting.”

Bruce let out a long sigh. “Okay,” he murmured in defeat. “Okay, we’ll talk about it,” he said in a stronger voice.

“Good. So, telling me something.”

“Is Harley doing alright?”

“That’s not telling me anything,” Jazz pointed out, looking sour. “But she’s doing okay. Good and bad days, all that. Pam’s a doll. Any chance you can leave them out?”

“They keep their heads down and I’m find with that,” Bruce said. “They’re good for each other.”

Jazz’s expression got soft. “They are, aren’t they? And how about you, how are you doing?”

“I’m… confused,” Bruce said. “I haven’t been putting off thinking about my feelings. The problem is I’ve thought about it from every angle, and I’m just confused.”

Jazz nodded, humming in consideration. “Why don’t you start by telling me how you felt when it happened.”

“I was… tense,” he said. “I made certain Tim wasn’t in Gotham. I got lucky that Jack was coming back home the next week, so Tim wanted to spend a weekend away.” Bruce tried to not think about Jack Drake too much or he’d want to go strangle the man.

“Okay,” Jazz said. She made a note and then nodded for him to continue.

“So, I was waiting. I didn’t go out that night. Kate covered for me, which I owe her for. Barbara called me as soon as it was over. She knew about the video before it got to the news, but she hadn’t been focusing on it, so it got out even though we didn’t plan for it.”

“Does that upset you?” she asked.

“It’s made things a little complicated, since I’m not doing anything about it. It’s made people nervous, and rowdy.”

“We’ll come back to that part,” Jazz said. “What happened after you found out?”

“I just… sat there for a while. I didn’t let myself feel it then. I knew I couldn’t go out because I wouldn’t be able to act rationally. So, I waited until Gordon called me.”

“And how did that go?”

“He wanted to know if I was going to look into the case. I told him to not make a case. Phantom was well within his legal rights to take a citizen that fell under his purview. How’s he doing, by the way?”

“Not happy about the video, since people are starting to ask questions,” Jazz said.

“Tell him to make certain nothing’s recording next time,” he said dryly. He could almost see Danny scowling when he found out about the video. It was almost funny.

“He knows better,” she said. “Jason’s whole… everything just had him kind of spooked.”

There were questions to ask there, things to say, but Bruce let them go. They could talk about them later.

“Gordon said ‘well, I’m certainly glad I won’t have to arrest someone who’s hand I want to shake’, and we hung up a few seconds later. Then I just sat up and watched the news reports. Until Alfred got me at dawn, fed me and made me go to bed.”

Jazz nodded, making another note. “What were you thinking then?”

“I was examining my philosophy,” Bruce said. “At some point around 4am, the news started quoting stats on Joker’s kill count, the count of people permanently disabled, and those injured. They ran a separate set of numbers for events where he worked with someone else, where blame could be shared.”

“And what did you think of that?”

“I was… angry,” he said. “I was angry all over again, the way I was when I first became Batman.”

“Why?” Her voice was firm and gentle. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook about all this, but at this point, he needed an outside view, which was not something he could provide himself.

“Because the system is so broken,” he said. “There is just so much… proof, so much proof of what he did. He broke out of Arkham so often. You know I don’t support the death penalty, but our state has the death penalty. And it was never given as an option.”

He balled his hands tightly into fists. He grit his teeth, letting the anger fill him as he sucked in a breath. He let it out and untensed his muscles. He was still angry, but he had more control after that.

“It’s not Batman’s job to be judge, jury and executioner. It never has been. And I don’t think any one person should decide if someone else lives or die, especially me.” Extra especially him. “But there are processes for that. And no lawyer or judge would even try. He just got sent right back to Arkham. I couldn’t even get him sent to an out of city prison. They rest of the state and country just tried to quarantine him to my city. Like they thought it was my job to deal with him. I was only dealing him because no one else would… or could by the end of it…”

He let out a long sigh.

“Bruce,” Jazz said, her voice so gentle. “You are right that it’s not your job to be judge, jury and executioner.”

Bruce nodded. “I would have killed him if Superman hadn’t stopped me,” he admitted.

“I know,” she said.

“I brought him back to life because I couldn’t… I couldn’t stand for Dick to have to suffer doing the thing I realized I shouldn’t do. I’m culpable.”

“Bruce.” Jazz’s voice was firm. “Look at me.” Bruce looked up, meeting her bright gaze, which shone just a little in the artificial lights of the batcave. “You’ve told me, and other people have told me how often cops would just shoot people in the street before you came around. No matter what, anyone who sees you knows that you’re not going to take away their lives. That’s a sign of safety for Gotham. You’re just one man. You can’t be everything to everyone. You give so much, your money, your name, your reputation, your body, your life for this city and its people… a lot of people know that you give so much, even if they don’t know all of it. They know it isn’t your fault.”

“And there are people who think I should have killed him.”

“But I’m not one of them,” Jazz said. “You’re not part of the system, but you’re trying to make the system better. And that means that there are things you cannot do.”

Bruce nodded slowly. “I feel guilty,” he said.

“For not killing him?” she asked. He nodded. “For letting Danny kill him?” he nodded again.

“I’m not sorry he’s dead. It was… it was a relief when Danny told me he was claiming Joker. It was even more of a relief when he explained he legal process he was using… Finally, someone doing what they’re supposed to. I’m glad he’s dead. I don’t regret that at all. I regret the people who died because of him. I regret that I couldn’t and didn’t do more. And I feel guilty because… because I don’t feel guilty about letting him die.”

“Well, first off, you didn’t let him die. You let a legal process take place,” she said. “And second off, why does this make you feel guilty?”

“Because… because I’m supposed to be the protector of my city. I’m supposed to care about the people who live in this city, even if they aren’t good.”

“But you do, Bruce,” Jazz said. “One of the first things you did was ask how Harley are. She used to run around with Joker.”

“Because he was using her, and they’ve been separated for years,” he pointed out.

“You care about my patients. You want them to rehabilitate. You’re not going after Pam and Harley unless they start causing problems, because you don’t want people in prison. You want people to be happy. Yes, you’re terror and vengeance, because you’re the stick and the damn carrot.”

Bruce chuckled at her metaphor. “I try,” he said.

“I know,” she assured him.

“I was trained by the League of Assassins, just like Talia, just like Jason. I was molded to murder. But there’s no death in the world that doesn’t mean something to someone. People don’t live in isolation. Even villains have people who love them or like them. And when someone dies, those people get hurt… they get hurt bad.”

Jazz gave him a sympathetic look. He swallowed thickly.

“I have a temper. I’m angry so much all the time that sometimes I’m just numb with it. I know myself to know if that if I cross my line that I’ll begin to justify killing… but I still feel like a coward to not bringing my son’s murderer to justice and making someone else clean up my mess.”

Jazz wrote a few lines. Bruce waited for her to finish. The silence didn’t feel as heavy as he thought it would. That was because of Jazz. She wasn’t clearing him of all guilt, nor would she allow him to take a lion’s share of the blame.

“It’s a limit for you, Bruce,” she said. “A boundary you have to keep. It lets you keep saving people without risking causing horrible damage. I imagine you know how to kill people and populations that the villains could never even dream of.” Her bright eyes met his own. He nodded slowly in agreement. “You’re only human, Bruce. You gave up control in this situation and let someone else make a decision that you couldn’t and shouldn’t make. Normally, this would be as it seems: Danny would be the one who was at fault for Joker’s death. But for you, every death in this city is your failure. You’re not a god, Bruce. You’re a man. You do your best. It’s not always enough. But that’s true for every being that’s ever existed. And that’s not your fault.”

Bruce took a breath and let it out. “Thank you. Is it alright if I still don’t know how I feel about this?”

“If it helps, Jason’s confused too.”

“You’ve talked to him?” Bruce asked.

“A few times before he got here, and he’s stopped by twice for therapy. He gave me very specific parameters about what I could and could not discuss with you, Dick, Tim and the others. You can ask him, but this is within my permission.”

“You mind if I check with Jason?”

“Please do.” She gave him a pleasant smile. “Have you talked with him since he got home?”

“Yes,” Bruce said. “He’s been home for a few days. I’ve seen him every day. Just coffee and lunch. We aren’t talking about feelings or history. He’s shoved some recent Jane Austen books into my hands and begged me to read them, which is what we’ve talked about since he got home. He came over one time when I was out to see Alfred. Alfred and Dick know where he lives, but I don’t know yet.”

“That must take a lot of self-control.” She was teasing him, but he knew she was serious too.

He smiled wryly. “Like you wouldn’t believe… I do want to talk to him, Jazz. But I don’t think we’re ready yet. I also don’t want to… never address it.”

“Do you want a family sessions?”

“I don’t know… will you ask Jason?”

She nodded, her expression one of approval. “I’ll mention it when I see him next. If you feel like it’s time to talk before we set up a session, and if he agrees, then go for it. But it’s alright if you both still need to wait a little bit. It’s good that you’re making an effort to keep his boundaries and reach out to him. It’s good that you’re both talking and are able to have peaceful conversations. And it’s very good that he wants to share his passions with you.”

“It is, isn’t it?” He felt lighter hearing her say that. He felt like he was bumbling through all of this, but when she phrased it like that, it did sound good. They were both trying. Their issues were a live wire, but they both wanted to have a relationship and were willing to try.

“It is,” she agreed with him. “Now-”

Her phone started ringing. Bruce frowned. He knew she had it on silence when she was in sessions. Jazz scrambled to drag it out of her pocket. She pulled it out and stared at the screen.

“It’s Danny,” she said. “This is the urgent ringer.”

“Answer it,” Bruce said.

“Danny,” Jazz said as soon as she hit answer. “I’m with Bruce right now. You’re on speaker.”

“Good, I hoped so. He’s who I need to talk to.”

That made the hairs on the back of Bruce’s neck stand on end. “What is it?” he asked.

“I need to speak to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. I need it to happen at the Watch Tower. I need for no one else to be there. I need it to be tomorrow.”

“What’s happened?” Jazz asked, sounding as concerned as Bruce felt.

“It’s one of the kids who showed up recently… It’s… I can’t discuss it here. I’m angry, Jazz. I’ve never been this angry.”

“Ring angry?” Bruce asked.

“Yes,” Danny said, his tone almost grudging, like he wondered just how much Bruce knew about his powers, tools and duties as the King of the Infinite Realms. “But my type of angry too. I’m not about to explode. But this is serious. The situation is partially League related. But I need this to be secret.”

“I can handle that,” Bruce said. “I’ll get the others there. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll let you take care of it,” Danny said. “Jazz, I’ll talk later.”

“I’ll come see you,” Jazz said.

“T-thanks. Take care, both of you.” His voice smoothed and calmed a little before he hung up.

“What do you think happened?” she asked.

“Nothing good,” Bruce said, jumping up and rushing to the batcomputer to contact Clark and Diana.

Chapter Text

“What is Phantom like?” Diana asked. She’d been informed when Clark took Connor to Amity Park to get assistance. Batman told her about his son and the Lazarus water, and the origins and effects of said water, should she come across any. She was informed about things both personal and professional when it came to her colleagues and friends, even if she didn’t have a hand in those situations and events. So she knew what was going on by Clark and Bruce’s reports, but she didn’t really know Phantom.

She may not know Phantom, but both Batman and Superman respected him and trusted him. She was asked to be included in the meeting, so there she was. She’d been to one to field questions from the rest of the Justice League when they’d been ordered to clear out the Watch Tower for a little while. The only other JL member anywhere close to the station was J’onn, who was willing to wait nearby should they need to leave suddenly, but he would not enter while Phantom was there.

As far as she knew, Phantom had never been to the Watch Tower before.

“Generally, he’s a laid-back, affable individual,” Clark said, moving around the meeting room, getting together coffee and snacks. Diana and Bruce were already seated, watching him fuss about being a good host.

“He was very angry when he called,” Bruce said in his Batman growl. He was on edge. She didn’t need super-vision to see how stressed he was. Bruce often hid his emotions in a façade of (or actual) anger. This time Bruce was so stressed (and probably scared) that his shoulders retained a tense line when he would normally be able to hide such an obvious tell.

“I’ve seen him upset, but I haven’t seen him angry before,” Clark added. He sounded really concerned as he put out a plate of Ma’s cookies. Diana mentally made a note to go visit the Kents soon. Clarks parents were lovely, welcoming people.

“And he didn’t say what this was about?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“No,” Bruce said rather than explain the conversation he had again.

“Kal, how is Connor doing?” Diana asked, changing the subject. Clark was fussing about plate location, which could very well lead to a broken plate if he didn’t stop and focus on something else.

Connor was a touchy subject, especially since the silent cold war that Ollie had jokingly called “Operation Billionaire” began. Clark left the plates and coffee cups alone, turned to look at her directly, giving her all of his attention.

“Well, Luthor hasn’t made any moves yet, if that’s what you’re asking. I can’t decide if he’s waiting for me to let my guard down, or if he really was just trying to make Connor and I feel scared and vulnerable.” He sounded very frustrated.

“He hasn’t made any moves that we’ve found yet,” Bruce added. “Realistically, Queen and Wayne Industries suddenly making moves against him might be distracting him.” They all knew that wasn’t all that likely. But it also wasn’t a possibility they should ignore.

“I haven’t heard anything either,” she added. “But I wanted to know about your son, Kal.”

“He’s… still tense, and so are his friends. They travel in groups now, none of them ever even going home alone. I appreciate that they seem aware of how dangerous Lex is, but I feel like I’m sending these kids onto a battlefield every day,” he admitted sadly. He dropped into his chair with a tired but controlled thump. “Still, Kon’s happy when he’s around his friends. And I got his first progress report. He’s doing pretty good right now. He’s passing everything, anyway.”

Diana smiled at Clark, who was smiling at his own words. It was good to see how much he loved his kin. It was good for him to have a son, and clearly good for Connor to have Clark.

The Zeta system binged as notification of an arrival. Only a few seconds later Phantom appeared on the other side of the table from them. She had never seen him in person before, though she already knew about his past exploits. She’d also done a little research when Bruce called this meeting. Seeing him was different. Besides his size and the glow of the power of death, there was a hint of something around him, something that reminded her of her father, her mother, and if she was honest, herself. Phantom inclined his head toward the three of them before he lowered himself into the seat they’d left for him.

“Thank you three for coming on such short notice,” Phantom said. He looked down at the spread set before him. He took a cookie, snapping off a piece and popping it in his mouth. “Mmm, good.”

“Ma sends her regards,” Clark said with a pleasant smile.

“Tell her I say hi then,” Phantom said before taking another bite.

“You said it was urgent,” Bruce said, steering them back to the issue at hand, just as blunt and twitchy to get to the point as always. “I’ve never known you to ask for help before.”

“And you said it was League business, at least partially,” Clark added. “Also, Danny, this is Diana.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Diana said. She waved rather than attempt to reach across the table to touch him and shake his hand. Danny’s mouth twitched into a smile, and he waved in return.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “I’d love to get to know you when we don’t have a problem.”

“What is the problem?” Bruce asked, a sharp edge to his voice.

The smile fell off Danny’s face. “You know I get people coming for help, especially kids with powers. Well, I got a new one a about six days ago. He’s staying at Grayhaven with me and my family. I’ve spent the past few days getting him set up with tutors and talking to advisors about how to handle the situation. This is urgent because I’m afraid my temper keeps… slipping.” He looked rather abashed to admit that.

“Are you concerned about the Ring of Rage?” Bruce asked. Diana tilted her head. Clark and Bruce clearly knew what that was, but she hadn’t been informed.

“Well, it’s not helping,” Danny said, holding up his hand, dropping whatever illusions he used to keep the ring hidden. It was glowing a steady red.

“That looks like a red lantern ring,” Diana noted.

“A what?” Danny asked. Silence followed. Red lanterns were sometimes League business. It wouldn’t be good if an ally wore one of their rings.

“It’s… a conversation for later,” Bruce said after a moment. Diana wasn’t surprised per se, but it just reiterated to her how spooked Bruce was that he was willing to put aside what was an important and possibly extremely urgent conversation. “We’ll get one of the Green Lanterns to come explain. But it doesn’t need to be addressed immediately.”

“Alright,” Danny said, bowing to Bruce’s advice. He looked to Clark and Diana. “How much do you know about this?” He waved his hand, the ring continuing to glow brightly.

“Bruce caught me up about the Crown and Ring,” Clark said.

“Assume I am not informed,” Diana stated. “I can assume this is one of your secrets?”

Danny’s shoulders relaxed. “Yes, I appreciate the discretion. Besides being Phantom, Amity Park’s hometown hero, I am also Phantom, King of the Infinite Realms.”

“I believe I’ve heard of the Infinite Realms before,” she said. “In relation to… Pandora.” That was a tangled story, one where information was actively missing, and there were multiple variants. No one seemed to exactly know the truth.

“Yes,” Danny said. “Hades is the king and god of his own realm of the dead, but a spirit, a soul, and a ghost are a bit different. The ghosts of dead ancient Greek humans reside in Pandora’s realm. And Pandora is part of my council. And all realms connect to the Infinite Realms.”

“I see.” She could see the many power structures of the universe stretching out, all returning to a point, all connected by a place between. And he ruled that place between. Questions sat on her tongue, but she didn’t ask. There would also be a time later when she could ask.

“What you two need know is that this,” Danny started, indicating the glowing ring, “along with the Crown of Fire are a set, and that set enhances the powers of the King of the Infinite Realms. It’s a sign of the ruler, but also gives me a crazy power boost and the right to rule. So, I absorb power, but it absorbs from me too. Power, will, personality. They took from the old kings too, so they have a little bit of a mind of their own. The longer I’ve worn them, the more they’ve chilled out. And they were really nasty when I got them after I won the title. The previous King was a real piece of work. But it’s been decades of my actively wearing them, so the Ring and Crown are pretty relaxed most of the time. But the ring’s been flaring badly since I met this kid.”

“Tell us about this child, then,” Diana said. She was beginning to understand why Bruce was so concerned. A god was losing control due to his emotions, and he was asking them for help. Whoever this boy was, something about him had King Phantom deeply affected.

“Right, so his name is Billy Batson. And all of you have met him, but you don’t know you have,” Phantom said. He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of an underweight children with white skin, blue eyes and black hair.

“I don’t remember seeing him before,” Clark admitted. “But I’d probably know him if I met him. I’d recognize his heartbeat or his scent.”

“Maybe,” Phantom said with a little hum. He flipped to the next image, which was a video and pressed play.

The boy was in a field, not that close to the camera. He tipped his head back, looking at the sky. He shouted “SHAZAAM!” There was lightning, which entirely whited out the screen for a moment. When the light cleared, standing in the spot the boy had been standing was Captain Marvel.

“What is this?” Diana demanded, furrowing her brow. She had an unhappy feeling that she already knew, but she needed Phantom to say it outloud.

“Phantom, what is this?” Bruce demanded, growling out his words. A glance in his direction revealed that he was bristling like a cat.

“That is Captain Marvel,” Danny said. “Four years ago, when he was seven years old, he was abducted by someone he calls “the Wizard”, a dead man who gave him the power of the gods. He’s eleven, homeless, and has been unable to find housing, stay in school or have friends because being Captain Marvel is so dangerous.”

Bruce was growling. Clark wasn’t much better. His eyes were flashing, flickering to red like his eyebeams and the back to normal. Diana was holding her emotions in, showing no more than a deep frown, but she wanted to grab her sword and shield and kill a dead man.

“This entire time, Captain Marvel has been a child?” she asked with a cold clarity.

Danny nodded. He was as tense as the rest of them. The ring flashed brighter. He took a breath and released it. The ring’s glow dimmed just a little. “What you must understand is that Cap’s body is perpetually 24, that he has been granted, among his many powers, the Wisdom of Solomon. Which means he had great and vast knowledge. Knowledge, he doesn’t get to have access to when he’s just living as himself. Oh, and he doesn’t have his powers when he’s himself.”

“So, you’re telling me,” Clark spoke slowly, through gritted teeth. “That this Wizard made this boy powerful and responsible for fighting powerful evils. And then he didn’t give him a way to protect himself or live when he wasn’t fighting those evils?”

“Yep,” Danny said with false cheer. He was smiling like a shark who saw a meal. The ring flashed brighter again, feeding on his fury, and perhaps on the anger she and her and her friends were feeling as well. “And worse, the Wizard’s basically banned Billy from asking for help at all. He keeps telling the kid that if any adult found out that they’d use him for his powers.”

“Which wouldn’t be impossible,” Bruce stated plainly. Diana’s inside twisted with the painful truth of that fact. Children were often used by people who were supposed to care for them. Bruce continued speaking, blowing past the issue he’d agreed existed. “But why not tell us?”

“We have an age limit,” Diana pointed out immediately. “Danny just said that Captain Marvel’s form is forever 24. So that means Captain Marvel is and adult. He’s one of our heavy hitters. We call on him when something goes very wrong. But the child who is his core is actually 11, and we don’t allow anyone not a legal adult to be part of the Justice League.”

“Exactly,” Danny said. The ring wasn’t flashing so brightly now. He was frowning deeply. “Now, given that one of the Justice League’s strongest members is a very helpless child with extreme strength and ability, it’s imperative that this not go beyond us.”

“We understand,” Clark said. He turned to look at Bruce, who had become very still and silent as death itself. Behind his mask he must be thinking, running calculations through that brilliant mind of his. “Bruce, you’re being very quiet.”

“I’m considering options,” Bruce said. “We cannot allow him to be part of the Justice League, but to simply throw him out would be… disadvantageous to us.”

“You can’t be thinking about what will happen if we lose his powers,” Clark nearly shouted. Her barely managed to keep his voice controlled.

“We do need to consider it,” Bruce stated, but then waved his hand. “More importantly, he won’t trust us if we throw him out. And he has seniority on multiple other members.”

“Why not move him to the Teen Titans?” Diana asked, an idea coming to her mind.

“Having an adult hero suddenly be part of the Teen Titans will make people ask questions,” Bruce pointed out.

“Not if we assign him as… what do you call it? A den mother?”

That made all three men perk up.

“So, like he can be a teacher for the Teen Titans?” Danny asked. He looked more chipper, finally.

“That could work,” Bruce said. “Especially if he does have the Wisdom of Solomon. As Captain Marvel, he can assist with missions and train the other young heroes. And if he returns to being Billy Batson when he’s with them, then he can be around people near his age who are also heroes.”

“It’s not a bad idea, though it has its own complications.” Clark said. “Still, it would be good to have someone around who can teach flight lessons.” Diana’s mouth quirked into a knowing smile. He must be thinking about his son.

“I think Billy might be willing to run with that,” Danny said. “He doesn’t want to be disrespected or looked down on. Also, he’s still Fawcett City’s protector.” Clark and Bruce made a noise of protest, but Danny held up his hand. “That’s non-negotiable. None of you get say in that. I don’t even get say in that. It’s his choice. And he’s right that he is able to handle a lot as Cap. The biggest issue is how to give him a civilian life.”

“You have ideas,” Diana noted.

“For the moment, I set him up with Mr. Lancer. He used to be one of my teachers. He was happy to tutor Billy to help catch him up. Billy’s going to work in Fawcett a few hours each day. Currently, we’re making use of the Zeta for that. And at least one adult is going with him, which is me, one of my sisters and my wife, so he has someone who he can go to when he’s Billy and not Cap. All of this is, of course, a band-aid on a bigger problem.” Danny took a sip of cooling coffee before he continued. “So, the next issue is finding him some permanent solutions.”

“You have a list?” Clark asked.

Danny held up five fingers, then dropped one at a time as he spoke. “Well, he needs permanent schooling options. He needs permanent, safe housing with people who know what his deal is and are able to help him. He needs easy access to Fawcett City. He also needs to be able to find friends who are in on the Super-thing too,” Danny said. “Technically he could stay in Amity, but Val and I have a policy of not adopting the people who come to stay with us. And I don’t think anyone else in the city are a good choice. Now, he can stay in Amity as long as he wants, but I don’t think he should.”

“That’s reasonable,” Clark said.

“So, it would be better if he can be adopted, and by someone we can trust with this information.” His eyes turned sly as he looked between Clark and Bruce.

“Clark?” Diana asked, also with a sly smile.

“Me?” Clark asked. “But I just got Connor. We’d have to move again if we brought someone else into our home. And Connor’s already nervous about just Lois coming to live with us.”

“I thought that might be the case,” Danny said. “But we do know someone else who has lots of space, doesn’t need to move, can afford another kid, is close to a Zeta tube, and is currently suffering from empty nest syndrome.”

All eyes turned to Bruce, who looked between them with narrowed eyes.

“I can’t just take a child I’ve never met.”

“And you’ll need to speak with your family,” Diana said.

“That too,” Bruce said.

“I believe you’re the best choice,” Danny said. “But we don’t have to decide now. And Billy gets a say in where he goes too.”

“That’s reasonable,” Clark said. “Is he doing alright?”

“He’s really nervous about this meeting. I tried to put it off a little longer, but as I’ve said, my temper wouldn’t handle it. I did take him to Frostbite, who’s the healer who tends to me and mine, Diana.” He offered her a tired smile. “His powers work perfectly in the Infinite Realms, by the way. And his Captain Marvel form is basically perfect. His actual form is different. Mostly because he’d been missing a lot of meals, a lot of sleep and has been suffering under a lot of stress. Frostbite healed the actual wounds on his body and my father-in-law and I have been feeding him regularly, so he’s already putting on weight. I’ve also got a couple people coming by soon to talk to him and make a teaching schedule for magic.”

“Because he doesn’t have access to his powers when he’s a child,” Bruce said as a growl.

“Yeah, I’ve tapped Zatanna and John Constantine to teach.”

“Is that wise?” Clark asked. Constantine was a known quantity, deftly skilled, brilliant, but bitter, emotionally bruised, bad luck and generally an asshole.

“Let’s just say I own his ass,” Danny said, smirking. “I asked Zatanna because she’s a more stable personality, but she also has a normal job. I can get my hands on John far easier. He babysits a portal for me, after all. Anyway, they’re going to talk to him. This schedule will change once he’s somewhere more stable, but for now I want to be certain he can escape a fight as Billy without potentially revealing his secret identity.”

“This is fair and reasonable,” Diana said.

“I’m also trusting my family to introduce Billy to the three kids staying with my parents.”

“Who are staying with your parents?” she asked.

“Ah- I keep their privacy,” Danny said.

“That’s fair,” Clark said.

They all slipped into silence for a moment. They sipped their coffee and ate Ma’s cookies. It wasn’t a silence that would last, but they all needed a moment to breathe and think.

Certainly, Diana’s thoughts were swirling. Something terrible had been done to a child. They were made an adult before their time. She considered the options; what the League can and should do; if he would be alright training with her in the future; what they would do if he didn’t want to live with Bruce. She drained her own cup and demolished more than her fair share of cookies while she considered the millions of issues that could arise now that they knew.

“There’s another reason you’re talking to us,” Bruce said after long moments of silence, setting his now empty cup down. Danny sighed heavily and put her cup down as well.

“I’m going to speak to the Wizard. I would like you three to come with me,” he said. “I need witnesses who aren’t my subjects or friends. And I need people to tell me to back down if I’m going too far.”

“But not try to stop you,” Clark noted.

“No,” Danny said seriously, but then his expression to nervous anxiety and started gesturing wildly with his hands. Diana saw the boy she’d see in the old pictures of the first hero the day he saved the world. It eased her heart to know that boy was still inside Phantom.

“I mean, you could try,” Danny stuttered out. “I just don’t know how well it would stick. I just can’t let go if there’s people around. I need to keep you safe, after all.”

There was something in his eyes, something guilty and haunted. The other two clearly noticed as well, but no one wanted to risk addressing it. Or so she thought until Bruce spoke.

“Is this about the Joker?” Bruce asked.

“Yes,” Danny said before she or Clark could make a sound of protest or chastisement. “I let go more than I meant to… I won’t say much, but someone else came to me recently who Joker’s had his hands on. I wasn’t… just angry about Jason.”

Bruce made an understanding sound. “Are you alright?”

“As much as I need to be,” Danny said. “But I don’t want to risk losing it now. Unfortunately, Billy needs this bastard.”

“Then, shall we go?” Diana asked.

“Yes, let’s get this done,” Danny said, the ice back in his voice.

Danny stood and so did they all. They waited long enough for Bruce to call J’onn to the Watchtower to take their place. Then they left for Amity Park and the Infinite Realms.

Chapter Text

The journey through the Infinite Realms was as uncomfortable as all the other times Clark had been through the Infinite Realms. He would admit that having access to Frostbite, plus potential to learn more about his people were huge advantages to spending time in the Infinite Realms, but it didn’t make it feel any better. Bruce, for knowing so much about the Infinite Realms, had never been before. He was quiet and tense from the moment they arrived at Fenton Works and got in the Specter Speeder. Diana was the only one unaffected, seemingly.

The entire time Danny steered them through the Infinite Realms, Diana asked questions about Pandora and her part of the realm. Clark bet that she would come back to speak with Lady Pandora at some point. He glanced at Bruce more than once, wondering if Bruce had considered trying to see his parents. After all, since all realms connected to Danny’s realm, even if the Waynes weren’t in the Infinite Realms, Danny should be able to find them.

Clark didn’t ask, though. He suspected the answer was no, Bruce hadn’t asked. Probably for the same reason Clark hadn’t asked if he could actually meet any of the Kryptonian dead, nor did he look for his birth parents. Clark knew Bruce enough to know he feared being a disappointment. Clark wasn’t afraid of his parents being disappointed in him. He was afraid of being disappointed in what he found. Everything he’d learned about Krypton was a mixed bag. He would ask eventually, but for a little while longer he wanted to maintain the illusion that his people were good, and their loss truly was a tragedy.

“We’re here,” Danny said. The normal green of the Infinite Realms faded into an infinity of stars.

“Wow,” Clark breathed out.

“Every star is a doorway,” Danny explained. “Hypothetically, the Rock of Eternity, the realm of the Wizard and Captain Marvel, is the center of all time and space. Which means it’s also hypothetically the center of the Infinite Realms. Every star is one of the doorways of the Infinite Realms that leads everywhere else.”

“That’s… did you know about this before Billy?”

“Nope,” Danny said, popping the ‘p’. He gave a rueful smile. “I could literally be learning for eternity and never, ever learn everything about this place. I don’t even think Clockwork knows it all.”

“Clockwork?” Diana asked.

“Ah, yeah, he’s like Pandora and Frostbite. The Ancients. The pillars of the Infinite Realms. All that jazz. Anyway, he asked me to bring you by at some point. He controls time itself.”

Clark felt Diana tense. Her heart kicked up. There was caution and anger pounding in her blood.

“Like Cronos,” she said slowly.

“Ah… He’s like an aspect of Cronos. Or Cronos is an aspect of Clockwork… I’m not certain exactly. He’s an ass, but he’s not like... evil, probably. He’d like to meet you… he’s been good to me. He literally saved my life. He saved me when I was still a child and hadn’t won any title or power. He did it because he thought I could and would choose to be good. He’s like my mentor. And one of my big headaches. But I like him, most of the time. And I trust him. A lot.”

Diana was still tense, but she nodded once.

“You go to great lengths to protect children. I do not believe you would be evil on purpose, or that you would give trust to someone evil.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” Danny said with a weak laugh.

He lowered the Specter Speeder down onto the Rock itself. The ramp lowered, but Danny just phased through the ship itself.

“Show off,” Clark heard Bruce murmur. He bit down a smile.

The three of them piled out of the Specter Speeder and cam to stand beside Phantom, who was standing on the Rock and not floating. He was still in his normal jumpsuit. It surprised Clark, since he thought Phantom would want to approach the Wizard as the king. But there was something so sharp in his gaze that Clark chose not to question it.

There was a weight to the very stone. This place was ancient, held together by the stars around it. It felt like every molecule of the rock they stepped on was simultaneously pulling itself apart and pushing itself further together. An eternity of conflict and stasis. Healthy and unhealth. Natural and unnatural.

It was giving Clark a headache. And that was not helped by the stars.

Danny said every star was a door, but every star was also a sun. While none of them were close enough to power his strength the way Earth’s sun did, there were so many stars that illuminated the Rock of Eternity. Every step changed the light that hit him. His power levels spiked and dropped. His stomach swooped and fell. His blood pumped with vigor and stilled with malaise.

He was grateful when they finally finished the long walk to the front door, coming into the shadow of the Rock of Eternity, blocking most of the starlight. It gave him hope that he would feel stable (though not good) one they got inside.

Despite Clark’s rush to get in, they stopped at the door and stood still. The air around them didn’t move at all. In never occurred to Clark that the Infinite Realms had something like a wind current, or at least a push and pull of existence. But the air around the Rock was dead, still, unchanging.

Danny looked at the door for a moment, like he expected it to open. He probably did. Finally, he placed a hand on the door. It creaked but didn’t budge. His eyes flared. A moment longer and he floated through the door. Clark, on instinct, took a large jump back, grabbing Bruce and Diana to drag them back to safety as well.

The doors exploded with the sound of a bomb. The doors were cracked, hinges destroyed. Enough parts of the doors fell that even if the doors were sound of integrity and the hinges were solid, the doors would still not be able to be closed.

“Come on,” Danny said. King Phantom was burning under his skin, but when his gaze shifted and he threw them a lightly abashed look. “Sorry I didn’t warn you.”

“This place is messing with my abilities,” Clark cautioned. He had no assurance he would sense something next time. He and Diana would probably be fine, but Bruce was very human and very squishy.

Danny winced. “I’ll pay better attention,” he said.

He turned and headed in. Clark exchanged glances with Bruce and Diana. Both of them nodded to him. Danny didn’t need them to do this. He needed them to help him retain his humanity. He may not have phrased it exactly like that, but it was the truth. Danny had spent years purifying the Ring of Rage, but it still had a hold on him and could feed his anger.

The Rock of Eternity had the unfortunate problem of being something eternal, all existing, perhaps always changing, or growing or shrinking. Clark didn’t know. He did know that they walked for a long time in silence. The halls seemed to stretch out unending, the same way the Infinite Realms stretched out unending. Despite the place being made of dark stone, there was always enough light to see. The ground was never uneven or cracked. It wasn’t smooth, but it was maintained.

“Phantom,” Clark said slowly. “Is this place cared for?”

“It’s… It’s self-sufficient,” Phantom said. “Clockwork said it protects itself.”

“It is possible that it’s protecting itself now?” Diana asked.

“What?” Danny just sounded confused. He slowed to a stop, looking between them with a bewildered expression. He’d been walking quickly, with purpose and was still decently far ahead of them.

“Phantom, is it possible the Rock of Eternity is creating a maze for us because you’re so angry that it’s trying to protect its master?” Bruce spoke more bluntly than Clark or Diana had.

Danny froze. “Oh,” he breathed out. “I hadn’t considered that”

They reached their companion and stopped, coming to stand around Danny. Bruce laid a hand on his shoulder before he opened his mouth to speak again.

“You see yourself in this boy, yes?” Diana asked, speaking first. Danny nodded.

“But more, and worse, am I right?” Bruce asked.

“He just… he doesn’t have anyone. The person who gives him powers that made him special has entirely isolated him from asking anyone from help. You have any idea how many kids we get who’ve been groomed just like that?” Danny asked. There aren’t anger in his voice, just distress. And guilt.

“We may not know the exact number you’ve seen, but we see it a lot in our line of work,” Clark said, making his voice firm and reassuring. They were colleagues. They understood how being a hero worked.

Danny’s expression became deeply sad. “It’s not just meta kids. It’s ghost kids too. And ghost adults.”

A shiver went down Clark’s spine. His eyes snapped up, meeting Diana and then Bruce’s gaze. Diana was visibly shocked, though she quickly began controlled herself. Bruce though… Bruce just looked resigned. He might have known, logically, but Clark doubted he truly thought about it before. Clark hadn’t even considered it a possibility.

There were people who died, who Clark, Bruce and Diana couldn’t shake thoughts of. They hadn’t been able to save them. There was an awareness that they could have saved someone if they’d paid attention, or been in the right spot, that ate at them with a ravenous hunger. But while their regrets didn’t leave them, they didn’t have to see those people anymore.

Danny didn’t have that option. He was a king of the dead. How many victims of murders and suicides did he see? The ones no hero could or tried to help? The ones so far beyond despair? Danny had a wide-open heart. He would want to help them, but an eternity might never be enough. Danny had to know that, but Clark knew he had to try anyway. That’s just who Danny way.

He suddenly wanted to cry. On impulse he grabbed Danny and wrapped him into a tight hug. He hugged Danny tight, tighter than anyone Clark had ever hugged, except for one other: Captain Marvel. No one, not even Kon, could take that type of back breaking hug from him. But Danny could. And given the painfully tight way Danny grabbed onto him in return, he clearly needed it.

“I don’t want to be this angry,” Danny murmured. “I don’t even know if this Wizard meant to do anything more than have Billy as a weapon.”

“That’s more than enough.” Bruce stated with tactless precision. “Phantom, I’m angry too. I’m furious. We all are. This is wrong. It can’t stay the way it is. But you don’t have to give yourself over to that anger. Billy would be hurt if that happened.”

“I know,” Danny murmured. His cheek rested on Clark’s shoulder, and his speech felt vibrated through Clark’s chest. “I don’t want to hurt him like that. If I just wiped the Wizard from the face of existence, especially after Billy trusted me enough to tell me all of then, then he might not trust anyone again.”

He took a few deep breaths and then stepped back from Clark’s hold. He wiped his eyes, took in one last deep breath, let it out and them met their eyes.

“Thank you. Alright, let’s find the Wizard. We need to have a conversation,” Danny said. The steel returned to his spine, and the sad mood shed off him like snake skin.

He turned back around toward the never-ending hallway. That was the moment Clark became aware that the hallway seemed much shorted and much better lit.

“Well, looks like the Rock has chosen to allow you forward,” Diana said.

“Yeah,” Danny said. “If I’d been using all of my brain calls, then I could have just forced the Rock to show me where to go.”

“This is probably the better way,” Diana pointed out.

“At least it’s easier,” Danny agreed.

The walk from that point was short, only a few minutes until they came to a set of double doors. Those opened before Danny even touched them. The doors opened into a baren stone room, save for a dais in the center with a semi-circle of tall back-stone thrones around the back half of the dais. In one seat sat a man, older and wrapped it a red robe, holding a staff. There were a few pieces of gold jewelry on his wrists and ankles. Though they were plain, and the man seemed ancient and caked with at least some type of psych grime, the bangles stood out in the entirely roughhewn throne room as frivolous.

“Your Majesty,” the old man said from his throne.

“You’re the Wizard then?” Danny asked.

“My name is Mamaragan,” the old man said slowly. His words seemed to rattle out of his chest. “The youngest and last member of the Circle of Eternity.”

“I know that name,” Danny said, his eyes narrowing.

“Your Pandora is not fond of me,” he said.

“I know,” Danny said flatly. He showed his teeth when he spoke, but his voice and body were controlled. “But I didn’t come to talk to you about that.”

“It seems Billy is not as good at keeping secrets as he should be,” Mamaragan noted.

“Shut the fuck up,” Danny snapped. The Wizard opened his mouth like he meant to speak, but no sound came out. After a few seconds he merely stopped trying. His eyes were on Danny, looking at him like he found him wanting. If everything he already said hadn’t gotten Clark’s hackles up, that look certainly would have done it.

“Billy is eleven human years old,” Danny said slowly. “He was seven human years old when he became a hero. He was half the age I was when I started heroing. Wisdom of Solomon and all that, but he’s emotionally still a child, and he’s had to see a lot of things children shouldn’t have to see.”

The Wizard again tried to speak, but nothing came out. He stopped again and waited.

“He’s homeless, he has no true way to properly defend himself when he isn’t Marvel-ed up, and his enemies have nearly killed people he loved. My powers came from my parents’ bad lab safety and my childish hubris and lack of belief. That’s more than bad enough, but you are an adult, an extremely old ass adult, who should know better, and who should actually have cared for the kid, rather than isolating him. What do you have to say for yourself?” Danny demanded. He made some hand motion and Mamaragan could speak again.

“I was aware that he was a child when I chose him.”

“Why did you choose him?” Bruce asked, clearly losing his temper. “Surely there had to be other candidates.”

“There were,” Mamaragan said. “He was my last choice.”

That was like a shock to Clark’s system.

“You last choice?” Clark asked, his tone harsh.

“Most of the others were adults. Billy Batson was the youngest,” the Wizard said. “And my only hope.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a child,” Diana hissed.

“He did not know he was the last when I chose him,” Mamaragan said. “You know of Black Adam?”

“We know of him,” Superman said.

“I don’t,” Danny said, turning to look at them.

“He’s one of Captain Marvel’s enemies. One of his strongest enemies,” Bruce said.

“Black Adam was chosen once. He was the greatest hero the Circle of Eternity ever had, and our worst failure,” Mamaragan said. “I chose him… There were seven members of the Circle. I am the last. He killed the others. I was the one to grant him the power. I channeled the others’ gifts to him.” The old man began to stand. The seats around him began to glow, each a different color, all but the one Mamaragan stood from.

“He locked me away because his powers came through me. For a long time. Eventually, I became free, and I was what locked him away, but he was powerful, and the spells and seals I had him under began to fracture more and more every time I had to wake him. And I had to wake him… your mother helped me once.” The old man’s head turned toward Diana. “I woke him to help her, and she helped me put him away… little matter.” He leaned heavily on his stick, walking over to them with painfully slow steps.

“The seal was about to break. I needed a new Champion to hold the line. I could not risk another mistake as I had made before. So, I was choosy.”

“So were so choosy that you didn’t make a choice,” Bruce said, sounding unimpressed in only the way Batman could.

Mamaragan turned his head toward Batman. He was still for a moment, then he nodded.

“Billy failed my tests, my impossible tests.” He chuckled darkly. “And then he… what’s the phrase? He called me out for being a fool. People are not ever truly pure. He has a good heart, a quick mind, and a backbone made of stronger stuff than most people. That was when I chose him. There was no other option. And he was the best option.”

“And you couldn’t hold this Black Adam off longer?” Danny demanded.

“I held him off for another year before he broke out,” Mamaragan said. “You may not like my methods, but I they kept the boy hidden and safe. Magic needed a Champion. Destiny cannot be escaped.”

“You’re leaving out something important,” Bruce cut in, his voice coming out a snarl. “I’ve faced Black Adam before. By his choice, he fought me without his magic, and when I managed to hold my own for a while he offered to share his powers with me so that I could protect Gotham for hundreds of thousands of years, the way he has with his home, Kahndaq.” He was glaring at the Wizard like he was scum on his shoe. “As long as Billy is homeless, with no adults, no family and no friends, he can’t become so attached to people or a place that he would forsake your desires and instructions for someone or somewhere else.”

“You attempt your lies,” Diana snapped. “But we are not fools, even if not all of us know all the details. Destiny is broken every day. Perhaps no one else could have been the Champion, but this does not mean the boy had to be alone.”

Danny wasn’t looking at Mamaragan, he was looking at the thrones. Clark realized he’d been staring at them since they began to glow.

“Those are the spirits of the rest of the Circle,” Danny said. He cut an accusatory look to Mamaragan. “You’ve kept the souls of these people locked up here with you. You’re using the dead.”

“I am nearly as gone as them,” Mamaragan said, raising his voice. He finally actually looked angry. He stood up straighter. Clark could see traces of the powerful man he likely once was. “I channeled their powers. I was the conduit. Without them, I could not dare to fight against Black Adam, nor could I have made a Champion to fight against him. I made a choice. I bound them and myself to the Rock of Eternity. Which you can see. My existence is bound to my seat as well.”

“I can see,” Danny said, his voice sharp like a knife. “I can hear their spirits. Can you hear them?”

Mamaragan stiffened. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he looked not like a warrior or a god, but a very old man. “Yes, I can hear them,” he said. “They have been screaming every second of every moment since I did this. I can always hear them. Even when I slept. I am aware of my own sins. But I would expect them to have done the same to me.”

Danny’s face darkened. “How dare you.”

“I dare because it must be done. There are forces beyond your ability and understanding-”

“I’m aware,” Danny said. “But that’s why I have friends and people I ask for help. To keep from committing something like this.”

Mamaragan let out a ragged laugh. He was leaning heavily on his staff. “You are all children. You know nothing. You have experienced nothing.”

“And you’ve been locked away here so long that you’ve lost any humanity you ever had,” Diana responded. She was the oldest of all of the living in that room. “Phantom is your King, whether you like that or not.”

“And he is an infant.”

An ecto-blast left Danny’s hand, throwing Mamaragan back into his stone throne.

“You stay there,” Danny snapped. He was so furious, so very angry. The ring was glowing, but not red. It glowed blue. A cold anger. The anger of someone with a core of ice. He paced for a moment, examining Mamaragan, who was taking pained, ragged breaths.

“Everything dies eventually,” Danny declared with cold intent. “One day, one day Billy won’t need you anymore. One day he’ll learn all he needs to know from you. One day he’s going to take your place on your throne. One day your iron grip on the Rock of Eternity will slip. You’ll be so fully and properly dead… and then you’ll be mine.”

He stopped, standing right in front of Mamaragan. The old man’s eyes had gone wide. Fear was written there, fear and pain and understanding.

“So, until then,” Danny spoke slowly. “You’re going to train Billy. You are going to train him very well. And you are going to encourage him to seek help. You are not going to try to isolate him or turn him against me. You are going to teach him everything he needs and then some. And you are going to do your very best by him. Because one day you’re going to be mine, and I won’t forget.”

Danny turned around and headed back toward them. “Start your repentance now, old man. You’re going to need it.”

When Danny came to them, they split up, separating so Danny could walk between them. Then they fell in, Bruce at his right, Diana as his left and Clark behind. They followed him out with the same intent steps that he strode with.

No one spoke for the entire short walk back outside of the halls of the Rock of Eternity. The doors still sat broken open when they passed by them. Danny pulled some type of phone out of thin air. He pressed one button.

“Phantom.” A cool, relaxed voice came from the phone.

“Clockwork, can you fix the doors to the Rock of Eternity?”

“I can, and I will.”

“Thank you,” Danny said and hung up.

They all kept their silence as they piled into the Specter Speeder. And they kept it while Danny flew them away until the stars faded, and they were back in the Infinite Realm’s green space.

“You didn’t destroy him,” Diana said.

“I sure wanted to,” Danny said. His hands were purposefully loose on the steering wheel. Clark recognized that relaxed grip. If he allowed his hands to clench in anger, he would destroy whatever he was touching.

“So did we all,” Diana assured him. “Phantom, is there anything that can be done for those spirits?”

“No,” Danny said, letting out a deep breath. “Not right now, anyway. I need to talk to people about it. But I suspect that until Mamaragan is truly free of the Rock of Eternity that those spirits are trapped there. And until Billy or other people can fill those chairs, they’re going to have to stay there.”

Clark winced; they all did. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Danny said. He let go of the steering wheel and rubbed his hands on over face. “When I was showing Jason Joker’s prison, the warden, Walker, he made a comment that I should be here working more. I told him to shut up. I’m still alive. My body will age, and I’ll die eventually. Even if it’s slower that normal. The people I love will die before me, so I want to spend time with them while we’re all still alive… mostly.” He let out a weak chuckle. “I want to live in Amity Park with my friends and family while they’re alive. I planned to transition to King work more as time passed. I mean, when you’re eternal, it feels like you can do whatever whevenever. But it was like I forgot… there are people alive now. And when I don’t act, they get hurt.”

“That’s the eternal struggle of being a hero and having amazing powers,” Clark said. “And you know that. You’ve mentioned it enough on your videos.”

Danny laughed like he’d been shot. “Leave it to you to be sensible.”

“You’ve kept me from making a couple huge mistakes,” Clark said. “I owe you to return the favor occasionally.”

“Yeah, well… I do think I need to be more involved. I knew I needed to start working on the Lazarus Pits and the al Ghul family,” he said. “And then this… I can’t only stay at home, can I?”

“No,” Diana said. “But I understand this struggle. It is an open wound when you learn how much you are needed when you were not aware, either willingly or unwillingly.”

Danny turned around to look at them. “Thanks guys… you know, if something happens and you need me, for Justice League stuff, you can call me.”

“We’ll try not to need to,” Clark said.

“But we’ll probably need to call in that favor eventually. More than once,” Bruce said.

Danny gave them a smile. “Seems fair. Now, let’s get home. I want to check on Billy. B, you want to meet him today?”

“I can’t make any decisions before I speak to my family,” he cautioned.

“I understand,” Danny assured him. He turned back around and put his hands on the steering wheel. “Let’s head back.”

Chapter Text

Billy looked down nervously at the new notebook Val had given him. He’d been in Amity Park for nearly a week now. He didn’t exactly have a routine yet, but there were things he could expect. He got three full meals a day, either prepared by Danny or Damon. He spent at least an hour every day playing with Ori and Stella. He would spend enough time holding Ursa that he was actually feeling comfortable holding a baby after only a few days. Danny, Ellie or Val would go with him through the Zeta system to Fawcett in the evening and he would spend a couple of hours helping out around his city. Then they’d grab a treat from Fawcett, like ice cream, or the really cool Cap school supplies that Val had bought the second she saw him eyeing them.

But besides those consistencies, things were changing. He knew Danny was going to talk to the Big Three about them. He sort of wished he didn’t know, because that meant he was really distracted at his first session with Mr. Lancer.

“How about we stop here for now,” Mr. Lancer said after only two hours of reading, which included a lot of little breaks. Billy’s face flushed hot red.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lancer,” he murmured, dropping his gaze down to the book they’d been working through. Billy didn’t really remember what he’d just been reading out loud. He’d probably been saying nonsense.

“Valerie informed me that Danny decided today was the day he was going out of the city to address something related to you, and that you were aware.” The older man smiled at him. He was bald, in his fifties or sixties, with a salt and pepper beard. He had a kind voice and an even kinder smile.

“Still, I should have been paying attention. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” Adults always got angry at him about not listening or wasting their time.

“Well, certainly you should give your teachers your attention and respect their time. But I used to be Danny’s teacher. Did he tell you that?”

Billy shook his head quickly. It was hard to imagine Danny as being a kid too, even though Billy knew Danny had been a teen hero. That was part of the whole advice videos thing, after all.

“Yes, I taught him when he was in high school. I was the English teacher, and the principal, and a lot of other subject’s teachers because we didn’t have a good school budget. It just got worse and worse when the ghost attacks started, since the school especially seemed to get damaged during fights and we couldn’t have classrooms without walls or roofs.”

“That’s… wow,” Billy said. He had a harder time imagining the ghosts being really destructive, and he’d already seen Val and Danny fight Skulker just the previous day. But all the other ghosts he’d met were just like the other people who liv- existed in Amity Park.

“Yes, well, I can’t say I was the best teacher. None of us knew Danny was our local hero. He came in as the younger brother to one of my best students. He had straight As for the first few months and then his grades just started slipping. He was falling asleep in class, bombing tests, not doing his homework, causing problems with his friends. Every day was excuses and excuses and excuses.”

Billy’s heart dropped. That sounded like him. It really sounded like him. But Billy had never had good grades or anything. It was hard to pay attention when he was hungry, or cold, or so, so tired.

“He also kept leaving class. There was a school wide joke about his psychic bladder because he’d just run out the room shouting that he had to go to the bathroom. And within a couple of minutes, boom, ghost attack. And we all thought he was a coward. The child of the ghost hunters who was scared of ghosts.”

Mr. Lancer’s smile turned rather sad. Billy was about to say something when he cleared his throat.

“My apologies… what I mean is that I didn’t recognize what Danny was going through. He was taking care of all of us, and keeping it to himself and a few friends. Since then, I’ve tried very hard to be more understanding of students. Now, I’m retired from teaching, but I still give lessons sometimes. My point is this: whatever you’ve been through is a lot. Danny never gives me specifics, but that doesn’t matter. You came here for help, and I’m going to help you where I can. And in this case, that means getting you caught up on your schoolwork, and not applying extra pressure.”

“That’s…” Billy trailed off, struggling for the right words, or any words at all. “I’m not used to adults not being angry at me.”

“When a kid gets a reputation for being “trouble” I’m afraid it tends to carry,” Mr. Lancer said. His voice was so gentle. “But there’s almost always something going on that those adults don’t see. That’s why it’s our job to help even if we don’t know what’s going on.”

“Well, maybe some people aren’t that great at their jobs,” Billy muttered. He flushed again when he heard Mr. Lancer laugh. Apparently, he hadn’t muttered quietly enough.

“Indeed,” Mr. Lancer said. “For now, try not to worry too much. I’ll be seeing you every day for a while, at least while you’re in town.”

“Do I have homework?” Billy found himself asking.

“No, you just go enjoy the rest of your day,” Mr. Lancer said. He checked his watch, humming a little. “You mind if I walk you to Fenton Works?”

“I can make it on my own.”

“You’re still new in town,” Mr. Lancer said. “I’d feel better if I could walk you there.”

“Oh.” Billy hesitated. Adults were weird in Amity Park. Like a good weird. Like none of them ever talked down to him, they asked him his opinion and for the most part they didn’t yell (especially at him). It wasn’t like when he was Cap. They didn’t treat him like a hero, or an adult. But they respected him. He hadn’t even done anything to be respected. They just did it.

Billy gathered his notebook and pencil case and put them in the new backpack the Fentons had gifted him. It was blue with teal lightning bolts all over. It wasn’t what he normally would pick, but he really liked it. He zipped it closed securely and followed Mr. Lancer out of the study room in the library.

“So, if you’re retired, why are you teaching me?” he asked.

“Because I miss the teaching, not the administration,” he said, sounding amused.

“So, do you just stay at home, or do you do other stuff now?”

“I actually am half-owner of a local coffee shop. Death o’ Espresso.”

“Oh! I’ve been there. It’s really nice,” Billy said. Jason loved that place. He’d texted Jason (on the new phone Danny gifted him) a picture of it every time he walked past. Jason always texted back different “angry” emojis and then asked him about his day.

“Yes, well, I help manage the collection, decorate the store, come in and help occasionally, keep the books- that is I do the accounting and payroll. The other owner is a ghost. He generally is the one actually acquiring and printing the books we stock for sale and check out.”

“Really?” Billy asked. “That’s so cool!”

“I’m going to guess that you haven’t had a lot of time to explore yet, huh?”

“Not yet. And the Grays like to drive,” or fly.

“Well, there are a lot of businesses owned or run by ghosts here in town. They don’t have the type of currency in the Infinite Realms, so a lot of times ghosts either get a job, or trade favors or labor to cover whatever it is they want to buy.”

“Huh. That’s kind of cool. It’s really cool seeing ghosts everywhere. It’s like… it’s like this place is magic without really being magic.”

“Well, magic definitely comes into play occasionally,” Mr. Lancer said. “That’s part of what the university is about. Have you been there yet?” Billy shook his head. “Well, I’ll take you by at some point. Can I guess you’re a little magically inclined?”

Rather than the normal swoop of anxiety in his stomach, Billy just felt normal. That made him grin at his new teacher. He put his thumb and forefinger close together where Mr. Lancer could see. “A liiiiittle bit.”

Mr. Lancer chuckled. Billy smiled a little brighter, pleased with himself for making Mr. Lancer laugh on purpose this time.

“Well, magic is one of the things studied at the University.”

“Like they teach magic?”

“Like they study it like it’s a science experiment.”

“Huh.. that’s interesting.” And weird.

“It can be. I think you’d find it more interesting to see it for yourself.”

“And you want to take me?”

“I would, if you don’t mind.”

“I’d like that,” Billy said with a softer kind of smile.

Thet walked the rest of the way in a sort of gentle companionship. Mr. Lancer spoke in a kind tone. He was just so nice. And he wasn’t going to press about what Billy was there or what his powers were. He’d said he wasn’t always a nice teacher, but Billy also struggled to think of him as anything but the really nice man who was letting him jabber about his favorite hot dogs from Fawcett City.

Finally, Mr. Lancer walked him right up to the Fenton’s front door. The door threw itself open and the pair of them were faced with Jack Fenton, who Billy thought might be the biggest person he’d ever met.

“Great timing! I was just about to drive over to the library to come get you,” Jack shouted. He basically shouted everything he said. It wasn’t scary, because Jack was always just excited about stuff. Billy liked the Fentons, even if he hadn’t spent a lot of time with them yet. Jason was friends with them, which helped Billy like them too.

“Really? I was under the impression I got him back early,” Mr. Lancer said, looking at his watch.

“Danny got back and asked us to go get Billy,” Jack said. He was wearing one of his normal blinding smiles.

“Uh, well, I’m here,” Billy said awkwardly. “It was nice meeting you Mr. Lancer.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Billy.”

That was about all Mr. Lancer got out before Jack Fenton picked Billy up and carried him like a football down to the lab. Billy started laughing almost immediately. Jack was really strong, but he wouldn’t hurt any of them on purpose. Plus, being run through a house like that was fun.

Jack practically skidded to a stop in front of the lab door. He carefully set Billy down.

“You’re not taking me down?” Billy asked, barely keeping the disappointment out of his voice.

“Danny asked for a little privacy,” Jack said, his voice gentling the way only he could. He still wasn’t quiet, but it felt safer when he did that.

“Oh,” Billy said, his heart falling and dropping at the same time. Somehow, he’d forgotten on the walk over that Danny had a meeting at the Watchtower with the big three. He’d just felt good in the presence of someone who was nice who didn’t seem to expect something from him that he couldn’t give.

“Don’t worry, Billy-Boy. It’s not bad,” Jack assured him. He gave Billy a knee buckling pat on the back and nudged him to the door.

Billy took a breath and then just opened the door before he could think better of it. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

“Danny?” he called once he was properly sealed inside.

“That was fast,” Danny said, floating up to meet him. He was still Phantom.

“We were at the door already… Mr. Lancer’s really nice. He wasn’t even mad that I couldn’t concentrate on.”

“Ah, yeah,” Danny said, scratching his head in obvious embarrassment. “Maybe sending you for tutoring today wasn’t my very best idea.”

“I learned some anyway. And I do like Mr. Lancer. I’d like to keep doing tutoring with him, if it’s okay?” He was smiling, but he knew his expression was strained. His mind was going so, so fast. What if the discussion went horribly? What if he was thrown out of the Justice League immediately and they wouldn’t even let him back in when he was an adult because he lied? What if they got mad at Danny for housing him? A thousand what-ifs slammed into his head all at once.

“Easy, kiddo. Easy,” Danny soothed, rubbing his shoulder. “Easy, tell me what you’re thinking about?”

“Did it go bad?” Billy blurted out.

“No, it didn’t,” Danny said. “I actually asked for privacy because one of them came back to talk to you with me.”

“What? Really?”

Danny’s expression got so soft and fond. “Yeah, come on. I’ll show you.” He grabbed Billy, turned them intangible and floated them down through the floor. Standing there was Batman, who looked a lot bigger when Billy wasn’t Cap.

“Batman’s here?” Billy distantly heard himself squeak. Batman was in Fenton Works? No wonder Danny wanted the meeting to happen in the lab. Batman being seen around Amity might cause a panic, or at least a lot of questions.

“I’m here,” Batman said. He was using the softer voice he used when speaking to someone who was scared, or who was a kid. Billy had always liked that voice, but he never realized just how soothing it was to be on the receiving end of it.

“Hi, Batman,” Billy said, waving awkwardly. Danny was standing beside him. He still had his hand on Billy’s shoulder.

“Do you mind if I call you Billy?” Batman asked.

“I mean, it’s my name right?” Billy asked, weakly attempting to make a joke.

“If you would prefer I call you something else, I will,” Batman said.

“Oh, well, Billy’s fine… um, do you know?”

“About Captain Marvel?” Batman asked. Billy gulped. “Yeah, I know. It’s okay, Billy. We aren’t angry at you at all. We understand why you hid the truth from us. You were right to be cautious about who you told the truth to.”

“Oh,” Billy said. Relief flooded his system. “S-so, can I stay in the Justice League.”

“No.” Batman’s word was blunt, and it about broke Billy’s heart. He dropped his eyes down to his shoes. So that was it then. It was just over.

“B, come on.” Danny said, sounding exasperated.

“I mean, not exactly.” Billy looked up at Batman, only to find he was kneeling down to Billy’s height.

“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” Billy asked in a whisper. He was trying so hard not to hope again.

“Officially, Captain Marvel is still a full member,” Batman said. “But we’re giving you a special assignment.”

“What type of assignment?” Billy interrupted. His heart was pounding hard. He winced when he realized he’d talked over Batman. “Sorry.”

“We’re assigning you to the Teen Titans.”

Billy’s heart dropped into his shoes. “But then people will know I’m not an adult.”

“No, they won’t,” Batman said. “You’re going to be assigned as the Teen Titan’s “den mother”. Which means you’ll go with them on difficult missions, advise them when they have an issue and assist with training.”

“Oh,” Billy said. He looked down at Batman’s chest, letting his mind drift for a moment. That didn’t sound too bad. “Other members have done that right?”

“Of sorts,” Batman agreed. “But this is going to be a permanent assignment for you for the next seven years.”

Billy winced, but his chest didn’t hurt this time. It was a demotion, but it wasn’t… he wasn’t out, and they weren’t just treating him like a baby.

“We’ll also need to call on you for missions from time to time, given the skill set you have that others don’t. And if you need help with a mission, as protocol, you will run point.”

“So, I’m still sort of a full member,” Billy said.

“You just won’t be at meetings, nor will you be assigned to normal Watchtower duties. You won’t be called on for the most part, but you’ll still take care of your city and your areas of expertise.”

“Also, you can hang out with the Teen Titans when you’re just being you,” Danny cut in

“Oh… does that mean I have to tell them too?”

“No,” Batman said. “You may, but there are other options. For instance, you can tell them that you, Billy, are related to or in some way training with Captain Marvel.”

“That… seems like a great way to make a comedy, not real life,” Billy said. Something about having to find excuses to never be seen in the same place.

Batman surprised him and chuckled. “It’s a work in progress. Just know that you get to decide who knows.”

“Okay.” Billy nodded slowly. “Thank you for telling me.”

“There is another thing,” Danny said.

Billy turned to look at him. Danny was smiling a bit smugly. It was directed at Batman and not Billy. Billy quickly turned around to look at Batman.

“There’s…” Batman hesitated for a moment, which was really weird to see. “We believe we may have found a good foster home for you to stay in.”

They were passing him off already. “Oh,” he said, keeping his voice bland.

“Yes, with me,” Batman said.

Billy was staring. Batman was just kneeling there, looking at him, waiting. He realized after a moment of silence that he was supposed to make some kind of reaction.

“Y-you?”

“Yes,” Batman said.

“Do… you even have a house?”

For whatever reason, that made Danny start to cackle. Both Billy and Batman turned to glare at him. Danny was floating up the floor laughing like an idiot. Billy reached up and smacked him.

“Cut it out.”

“Sorry, sorry. You’ll know why that’s funny later.”

“It isn’t funny,” Batman grumped.

“It’s extremely funny,” Danny said. “Wonder Woman and Superman would agree if they were here.”

“Well, they aren’t here,” Batman said. He looked back at Billy. He wasn’t glaring, and it took Billy a second to understand what he was seeing. When he did, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling: Batman was flustered.

“So, I’ll stay with you?” Billy asked.

“It’s a possibility,” Batman said, his tone back to business as usual. “I have other people in my life I’m accountable to. I need to inform them before any decision is made. And you need time to consider my offer. I have access to a Zeta tube, of course. But this means you’ll be living in Gotham, not Fawcett. And while in Gotham, you’d still need to abide by my rules. But you’d have a safe place where you would get regular meals, an education, and get to be around other people, both heroes and civilians.”

“And Jason’s in Gotham,” Billy said suddenly. Batman’s expression froze for a second before a small but genuine smile creeped onto his features.

“You know Jason?”

“I met him when I first got here. You know Jason?”

“He used to be Robin,” Batman said.

“What? Really? That’s so cool!” Jason was a hero too? That really was awesome.

“I’m certain he’ll be happy to know you’re nearby,” Batman said.

“Something to think about,” Danny said.

“How long can I think about it?”

“As long as you need,” Batman said.

“What happens if I say yes and the other people you have to talk to say no?” Billy asked suddenly.

“I… truthfully, I don’t think they’ll say no. Realistically, there’s only one person whose express approval I need. I’m giving the others a head up. Try not to worry. Just consider what you want right now.”

Billy nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Last thing,” Danny cut in suddenly. “It’s about Mamaragan.”

“The Wizard?” Billy asked.

“We went to speak with him earlier,” Batman said.

“Oh… am I in trouble? Is he mad?” Billy asked. “I know I wasn’t supposed to tell, but-” But Danny cut him off.

“You’re not in trouble,” Danny said. “Look, The Rock of Eternity is right in the middle of the Infinite Realms. I’m upset at the Wizard, not you. I don’t like him. But he’s your teacher, and he’s going to be able to help you the best with all your powers. I’ll ask you about how your lessons are going, but you don’t have to tell me anything about that. All I ask is that you tell me if Mamaragan makes you feel uncomfortable. Or if he starts pressuring you to isolate yourself from others, like to not have friends or to start avoiding people.”

“That’s… that’s really all?” Billy asked.

“I’ll definitely listen about anything you want to tell me. But you’re not by yourself anymore, and I won’t be happy with Mamaragan if he tries to keep you from getting help.”

“But otherwise… is he okay?” Danny had been really angry, after all. He still looked really unhappy just talking about him. Danny was also so powerful that Billy knew he could really, really hurt the Wizard if he wanted to.

“He isn’t happy,” Batman said. “But neither were we. We reached something of a compromise. Which is often an event where everyone is at least a little unhappy.”

“What B said,” Danny said with a smile. “Look, these are your powers and your life. We just want you to also be safe, happy and healthy. We’d prefer it if you didn’t have to run around saving the world, but all of us know that isn’t realistic. So, we’re your support group. You can always ask for help.”

“Ok,” Billy said. “Am… can I go think now?”

“Yeah, kid, go think. I’m going to get Batman to the Zeta. I’ll see you at dinner this evening.”

“Okay, bye!” Billy said before practically streaking up the stairs, out of the lab and to the back yard.

Maddie told him that their backyard used to just be more buildings, but the three buildings behind Fenton Works were eventually boughy out, torn down and converted into a backyard/park. It wasn’t huge, but there were swings and Billy just wanted to sit down and be alone, but also move.

He rushed right over until he realized there was someone there. There was a girl, maybe a year or two older than him. She had black hair, with a set of gray hair clips shaped like a club symbol. She was dressed in black and white, a striped shirt, skort and boots. She wasn’t really swinging, but she was raising a castle from the dirt, letting it turn to sand, fall apart and rebuilding it into a new form.

“That’s really cool,” Billy said. “Is it magic?”

“Something like that,” the girl said with a flat voice. She looked up. Her expression was as flat as her voice at first. Then she glared at him. “Well, what are you looking at?”

“Just… the cool thing you’re doing. I’m Billy.”

“Call me Ace,” she said. “You’re Danny’s new pet project huh?”

“I… guess you could say that,” Billy said.

“Yeah, well I’m an old pet project. I’ve been here for a while.”

“How long’s a while?”

“Years,” she said. She looked down at the new castle she was building. She went silent. After a moment Billy walked over and sat down on the swing next to her.

“Do you like it here?” he asked.

“It’s… better,” she said. “No scientists… I mean, there’s Mads and Jackie. But they don’t experiment on us. And Ellie’s cool, I guess. Not loving the new roommates right now, though.”

“That’s the other two kids living here?”

“Yeah, they’re really weird. Like I’m weird, but they’re just bizarre. And kind of mean.”

The castle exploded in a shower of sand.

“Are they mean to you?” Billy asked, feeling protectiveness stir in his gut.

“Not really. They’re mean to themselves, and to each other. They try to be mean to others, but Jackie and Mads and Ellie don’t let them. But I think they’re gonna leave soon. Good riddance. So, what about you? You magic?”

“Sort of,” Billy said. “It’s… complicated.”

“It’s always complicated,” she said. “I used to run with the Joker for a while. Get a lot of people around here like me, who got mixed up with the bad guys.”

“Wow. Did he hurt you?”

“Not… probably not the way you’re thinking,” she said. “He just used me for my powers. He didn’t care. And I was too strong. And once my team was gone… well…”

“So, you watch the vids too? That’s how I got here?”

“Oh, nah, Danny’s sister is friends with Batman. She came and got me and brought me here,” Ace said. She finally looked back up from the dirt and stared right at Billy. “Don’t try and use me for my powers, got it?”

“I don’t want to do that,” Billy said. It was his turn to look down at the dirt. “I’m afraid of someone using me for my powers too,” he admitted.

“Yeah, it sucks,” she said. “You’re not… you don’t seem too bad.”

“Well, I try not to be,” Billy said. He turned and smiled at her. “So, do you want to be a hero with your powers?”

“No… I don’t know. My body can’t handle it,” she admitted. “I don’t think I’ll ever leave Amity Park. Did they take you to see Frostbite yet?”

“Yeah, I met him.”

“Yeah, well, he’s what’s keeping me alive. That and Jackie and Mads. They’re going to make me some medical stuff that won’t short out when I use my powers.”

“They… that sounds like them,” he admitted. “Do you go to school here?”

“Yeah. I’m regular enough, I have school and everything.”

“Do you like it?”

“Kind of boring. But you know, sometimes it’s better to be bored. At least it’s normal.” A tiny smile came across her face. It warmed up her entire face so much. Billy grinned. “Normal’s nice, you know?”

“I think so,” Billy said. “They’re trying to get me normal… I think I might be moving away.”

“Oh.” The smile dropped off her face.

“I mean, I’ll be here for a while anyway. You want to try and be friends? I’ll come back a lot. We can play then.”

“Play?” she asked.

“Yeah, what do you like to play?”

Her face split with an almost maniacal grin, but it looked so genuine that he found himself grinning just as wildly in return.

“Let’s play knights and dragons,” she said.

Billy had a feeling like this was going to be a bad idea. He couldn’t wait. “Let’s do it!”

Chapter Text

Bruce had a headache when he finally finished patrolling. He’d gone right from Amity Park to the Watch Tower to take care of a few things. Then he headed right into patrol. Tim was with him, but he couldn’t make himself get the words out. So, he finished patrol, sent Tim home and went right to bed. Then he couldn’t sleep. He tried. He got a few hours, but they weren’t restful. A lot happened in under 48 hours. He’d learned a lot within a day.

Clark and Diana got to go back to their lives, but Bruce had to do research. Diana mentioned the Red Lanterns and suddenly Bruce had to know more. He was going to have to meet with a Green Lantern soon. This wasn’t something they could put off forever. And then there was Mamaragan, the Rock of Eternity, Danny’s anger problems and fear, and Billy. It was a lot.

He took pain medicine for a headache before he even got down for breakfast. Alfred had set out a full spread. He was also giving Bruce expectant looks. He had to know something was going on.

“Did you sleep well, Master Bruce?” Alfred asked.

“I didn’t, but not for lack of trying,” he admitted. “Thank you,” he added when Alfred filled his cup with coffee.

Alfred, bless the man, waited to speak against until Bruce had taken a few sips of his drink.

“Something on your mind, sir?”

“Yes,” Bruce said. “You know Phantom called for a favor.”

“And you attended the meeting yesterday. I am aware.” Alfred’s expression didn’t waver, but Bruce felt a little like he was giving him an unimpressed look.

“The meeting was about a child,” Bruce said. “A boy, eleven years old, named Billy Batson.”

He saw Alfred’s eyebrow twitch, but Alfred, being the professional he was, made no comment.

“Did something happen?”

“Yes. But that part’s handled. What isn’t handled is that Billy is homeless. He has magical abilities which make him a target for very dangerous people. Phantom can set him up in Amity, but there’s a lot going on. He believes I would be a good foster placement for Billy.”

Alfred stared at him for a long moment. “Forgive me, but that name is a little on the nose.”

“The fact that he looks like a young Jason with baby fat doesn’t help anything,” Bruce said with a heavy sigh.

Alfred cracked a smile but didn’t comment on that particular factoid. “Is he aware of your downstairs activities?”

“He knows me at Batman,” Bruce said. “I can’t go into everything. Secrecy is very important, and it should be his decision who knows what. He doesn’t know I’m Bruce Wayne yet, but I spoke with him yesterday. He’s aware I needed to talk to people before I could officially extend and offer of a new home, but I wanted him to begin thinking about it. He’s not from Gotham. It’s a big change.”

“When do you plan on telling him who you are?”

“When he agrees to live here,” Bruce said. “Not before.”

Alfred nodded. “Have you told Master Tim yet?”

“No,” Bruce said. “I’m going to tell him tonight. I need to get ahold of Dick and I have lunch with Jason today. Billy and Jason have already met and are friendly, so I don’t see that being a problem.”

“Be careful, Master Bruce,” Alfred said. “I have no problem welcoming another family member, but it would be preferable if you didn’t run over anyone else’s feelings this time.”

“This time,” Bruce said. He really had yet to take in a new kid without hurting at least one of the other’s. He was going to do this right this time. All of his family needed that from him.

He decided to get ahold of Dick first. He was in the Watch Tower and it was easy enough to pull on his cowl and head up. He sent Dick a message asking him to come to a private meeting room. Then he sat down and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Dick strode in, shutting the door and engaging the privacy settings once he was inside.

“So,” Dick said with false cheer. “Does this have something to do with you clearing everyone out yesterday?”

“It does,” Bruce said. He motioned to a seat next to him. Dick paused, his eyes narrowed behind his mask before he came and dropped into the seat Bruce indicated.

“It is it bad?”

“It’s not good,” Bruce admitted. “But the issue isn’t one you need to worry about. Phantom needed back up.”

“So, it’s handled?” Dick was getting very suspicious now.

“In process,” Bruce said. “It’s… I can’t say,” he admitted. “It has something to do with someone else’s identity.”

“Oh!” Dick’s eyes widened. He leaned back in his seat. “So, what did you come to talk to me about? Cause this is definitely not your shift.”

“I’m fostering another boy,” Bruce said.

“Wait, really? B, you’ve got a problem,” Dick said suddenly. “This isn’t about Robin is it? R can’t help that he can’t make all his patrols or Titan meetings right now.”

“It isn’t about Robin,” Bruce said quickly. “Phantom asked me to take this boy in. His powers mean he needs a safe place to live. He’s already acquainted with heroics, and he already knows me as Batman.” Dick still looked tense. “He needs place to stay, Dick. He’s homeless. His mentor has been entirely isolating him. He’s underweight, desperate to have something normal, and Wayne Manor is his best option.”

“You’ve really thought this through, huh?” Dick asked.

“I have,” Bruce said, nodding. “I’ve told Alfred. I’m telling Robin this evening. I have a meeting with J after this… when you meet Billy, you’ll understand. He needs a home, and Wayne Manor has a lot of room.”

“This has nothing to do with R moving out?”

“It doesn’t,” Bruce said. “You can talk to Phantom. He’s the one who asked me to do this. He also spoke to Superman as possible placement, but Superman’s got a lot on his plate.”

Dick nodded slowly. “Okay… okay, I’m going to reserve judgement about this. And I want to meet him.”

“I’m sure we can manage that. I just ask that you be welcoming. And if I do entirely fuck this up with J or Robin, please tell me if it looks like I haven’t noticed.”

Dick let out a surprised laugh. “Okay, B. I can do that.”

Bruce dashed home long enough to shower, change and then rush out to the café he and Jason were meeting at. He was still a little late. Jason had already ordered for them and was reading one of his new books.

“You’re late, old man,” Jason said. “So, did you finish chapter four yet?” He looked so damn happy. Bruce just felt guilty.

“I’m sorry, champ, I didn’t have time to read chapter four yet” he said, dropping into his seat. “Danny called the day before yesterday. He wanted to meet with me, Clark and Diana.”

Jason marked his space and put his book down. His good mood evaporated.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“Yes, and no,” Bruce said. “Look, I can’t really discuss this here. It’s not an emergency, and I promise you don’t need to worry. I’ll tell you what I can. But after lunch.”

“Okay, fine,” Jason said. “But then I’m putting the audio book on.” He pulled out his phone and hit play on chapter four. A woman began to read. There was a slight static to the sound, very slight, but Bruce could hear.

“Is that the author?” Bruce asked. Jason smirked.

“Yep, Ms. Jane agreed to do readings,” he said. He looked very proud of himself. He should be. Getting Jane Austen to read her own book was quite an achievement.

“Alright,” Bruce said.

He sat back to listen. He paid attention to the story. Food was brought and eaten. Chapter four gave way to five, gave way to six. They were there for hours. The story was enjoyable, but more than anything, Bruce loved seeing Jason look so happy.

“Okay, we probably need to go,” Jason said. “They’re going to want their table back.”

“I agree,” Bruce said. He’d already paid the bill and put an extremely good tip in cash. He threw down a couple more twenties before standing.

They walked out of the café before they spoke again.

“Where do you want to talk?” Jason asked.

“Do you know anywhere that’s safe and close?” Bruce asked. He felt anxious at the thought of saying any of this in a place he hadn’t vetted, but Jason knew the value of privacy, so Bruce would trust him.

Jason’s expression was hesitant. “Is it important?”

“Very,” Bruce said. “I’d suggest the manor, and Alfred would be happy to see you, but I don’t think you want to go back yet, correct?”

“Not yet,” Jason said grimly. “Alright, this way. We’ll take my bike.”

He turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away quickly. Bruce followed, keeping up until they arrived at Jason’s bike. There was only one helmet, which he shoved into Bruce’s hands.

“Jay,” Bruce started. He’d rather be the one who got brain damage if they crashed.

“I’m not that easy to kill, remember?” Jason asked, his eyes flashing green. He was smirking again. The words, the tone, the eyes, the smirk, all of it left Bruce feeling like he’d been shot by a freeze ray. But Jason was also right.

Bruce managed to keep a bland expression on his face before he decided to do as Jason wanted. He put the helmet on. Jason’s jagged smirk eased to an actual smile. He turned and straddled the bike. Bruce did the same, wrapping his arms around Jason and held on tight.

Jason took off, weaving his way into and around traffic. Bruce remembered how many times their positions were reversed, when Jason would sit behind Bruce and hold on tight, whooping into the night as Batman drove himself and Robin to a new crime scene. They’d done it in the daylight as Bruce and Jason too. Jason took after him when it came to driving skills. Which meant very, very good, and absolutely terrifying.

Bruce was grinning by the time they pulled into a garage. He hopped off and handed Jason the helmet, which Jason hung from one of the handles. Bruce was in a good mood, even as they silently headed up about twelve flights of stairs and into a hallway, which was clearly an apartment building.

Bruce didn’t say anything, but he did feel a hand tightening around his stomach. He kept his thoughts to himself until Jason unlocked a door and let them in.

Jason’s apartment was nice. It wasn’t too big. The kitchen flows right into the living room, which connected to a bedroom and bathroom. There were multiple bookshelves full to the brim already. There weren’t any normal weapons out, but Bruce bet there was plenty of hidden weaponry stashed around somewhere. What he did see was a number of larger guns which looked a bit like fancy, modded nerf guns. One brushing glance over a Fenton Works logo confirmed his suspicions.

“The Fentons are your weapons dealers?” he asked blandly.

Jason, thankfully, started laughing. “You can say that. They made me a flying motorcycle, Bruce!”

“That’s cool,” Bruce said genuinely.

“Yeah, I’m gonna look so Ghostrider once I get back to it.” Jason rubbed his hands together. “I asked them to make non-lethal weapons. So, they’re built on ectoplasm.”

“Which will burn, but not kill a human,” Bruce said. “And won’t leave a residue that can cause chemical burns or really bad nerve damage.”

“Yep,” Jason said. “Now, I have a few that can do that, but that’s for like Freeze or some other bs villain that I can’t just knock around with the peashooters.” He held up a small pistol with a modified grip made to fit Jason’s hand.

“I’m guessing the Fentons were very excited about the request?”

“So excited,” Jason said. “They don’t get weapons orders much. I’ll have to pay them eventually, though these were my graduation gift.”

“Graduation?”

“From ghost school,” Jason explained. He looked a little nervous. “Look, B-”

“I like them,” Bruce said. “When you’re ready, come by the cave and test them out, okay?”

Jason’s nervous expression slipped away, replaced with a warm smile. All Bruce could see was Jason when he was Robin. That young joy hit harder than Jason’s anger ever could.

“Thanks… Blue Hood’s not made to kill people. I mean, it’s way too easy for me to do so. My powers are really dangerous.”

“Blue Hood?”

“Oh… yeah, wanna see?”

“I do.”

Bruce got to watch the rings of light form around Jason, going up and down, changing him from Bruce’s Jason to a total color inversion of the Red Hood outfit, except the helmet was more of a royal blue than a cyan. Jason was floating off the floor, easy as you please.

Bruce swallowed heavily.

“You don’t like it?”

“I’m just… I do like it, Jason. I’m just grieving.”

“Ah,” Jason said, his voice distorted like the Red Hood. He pulled his helmet off and hugged it to his chest. His hair had inverted too.

“Now that looks cool,” Bruce admitted.

Jason reached up and tugged on his hair. “Yeah, I like it too.”

“You haven’t talked about your abilities before,” Bruce said. “You mind if I sit.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Bruce lowered himself onto the sofa, while Jason sat crisscross in the air like they’d both seen Danny do hundreds of times.

“So,” Jason started. “My ability is implosion. So, I can make black holes and stuff. But I can also destroy the inside of stuff. So, like it’s easy to break locks if I don’t care if someone knows its broken. But it’s super easy to cause a lot of damage. I’ll still use it, but the people I’m fighting generally won’t be ghosts, so I need to have other ways to fight.”

Bruce nodded. “That’s… a really good plan. Do you plan to kill people when you’re like this?”

“I don’t,” Jason said.

“What about Red Hood?”

“I’m going to use that moniker too, Bruce,” Jason said carefully. Bruce opened his mouth to ask if Jason was going to kill as Red Hood, then realized he didn’t want to know. He’d beat himself up about it later, but if he didn’t know, then he didn’t have to fight with Jason. He didn’t want to fight with Jason.

“Then I think maybe your Blue Hood suit needs an update.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Jason asked, looking down at himself.

“You could use a bat symbol if you wanted,” Bruce said carefully.

Jason froze. Very, very slowly he looked up and met Bruce’s gaze. “You mean that.”

“It will help people believe Red Hood and Blue Hood are different people,” Bruce said like his own heart wasn’t hammering in his chest.

“I… thanks, B. I might do that. I don’t know. I haven’t started yet. I was going to give that part another week or so.”

“You don’t have to. But the offer’s open,” Bruce offered.

Jason’s expression got very soft again, but he looked like an adult this time around. A young adult, but an adult none the less.

“So, what’s the thing you couldn’t discuss out in the open?” Jason asked, his expression returning to normal very quickly.

“Phantom spoke with us about an issue that I can’t really explain well.”

“Is it complicated?”

“Mostly, it involves someone’s life,” Bruce said.

Jason nodded. “Okay, I get that. But why did you need to be alone for that?”

“Danny wants me to adopt Billy.”

“Oh my god! I totally pegged him as adoption bait!” Jason said with a big laugh. “And his last name is Batson too. I just knew it!”

“He did seem excited to know he might be living nearer to you,” Bruce admitted, ignoring the rest of Jason’s outburst. His cheeks did heat up, but he would never, ever admit that happened to anyone ever. “Jay, I really, really can’t go into it, but Billy’s also been attached to heroics for a while… I may have told him you used to be Robin.”

“May have?”

“Okay, I definitely told him,” Bruce said. “I’m sorry, I was about to say you were my son, but I was still Batman and I didn’t want to confuse him… if it helps, he was really excited.”

“Of course he was,” Jason grumbled. “Okay, I’m not happy that Mr. “Your Identity is your life and the life of those around you” just told someone who I am. Especially someone I know… but I also know you wouldn’t tell for no reason… it has to do with why he came to Amity, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Bruce admitted.

“And it’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous and very important that I keep everything secret,” Bruce agreed.

“And he isn’t going to be given Tim’s spot?”

“Billy is never, ever going to be Robin,” Bruce said quicky. “And Tim isn’t replaceable. None of you were.”

“Could have fooled me,” Jason said, bitterness lacing his words.

“You were nothing like Dick,” Bruce said. “And Tim is nothing like you. All of you have your own strengths and weaknesses. Robin’s a title made for anonymity. Who you were when you had that title is all you. You were always so good with kids, Jay, better than almost anyone I’ve met. You cared so much, and they could tell. Victims calmed down around you. You were good at making them laugh.”

“Dick’s good at that too,” Jason pointed out.

“Yes, but not in the same way you were. He was genuine, but an entertainer. He distracted them from their main, gave them a moment of reprieve… you would sit with them. You cared about them as people. You understood them. They connected to that. Tim’s really good at the investigation, but he’s never going to be as good with victims as you or Dick were. Not that he doesn’t care, but it’s different for him. None of you can be replaced. Not ever.”

Jason stared at him before he lowered himself onto the sofa and changed back into just Jason. He continued to stare for a minute before he wrapped his arms around Bruce and hugged him tightly.

“I’m glad I brought you here,” Jason murmured into his shirt.

“I’m glad you did too,” Bruce murmured into Jason’s hair.

“Are you going to tell me what had you so sour yesterday?” Tim asked before they even left the cave. “Does it have anything to do with you clearing out the Watch Tower to talk to Phantom with Wonder Woman and Superman yesterday?”

Bruce let out a heavy sigh. “How long have you known?”

“Since before the meeting,” Tim said. “Bruce, what is it?”

“It’s not something I can talk about,” Bruce said. “It involves another hero’s identity. For their safety, it needs to stay secret.”

“Okay,” Tim said. “Is it under control?”

“Enough,” Bruce said. “There’s something I’ll need to talk to you about later, once the details are ironed out. But that will be take time. There is something I need to tell you now, though.”

“What is it?”

“Danny asked me to foster one of the kids in his care. His name is Billy Batson.”

“Really, Bruce?”

“I didn’t pick his name, chum,” Bruce said dryly. “Alfred already gave me grief about it. The only reason Dick didn’t is he doesn’t know Billy’s last name yet.”

“So, I’m last.” Tim’s expression had gone very blank.

“Tim, you’re Robin, he isn’t. He isn’t going to be. He’s learning magic, and I don’t want him patrolling in Gotham anyway.”

Tim blinked at him. “Why did you think I’d worry about that?”

“Because everyone else already asked me that,” Bruce said dryly. “Look, I would love, love to have you here still. I want you to be living here. And if something happens, you’re always welcome here as family. And there’s more than enough space to have more than one person living here at a time.”

“Why’d you say yes?” Tim asked. “About Billy?”

“He’s homeless and his mentor has been using him,” Bruce said. “He’s scared of other people getting hurt because of him.”

“Ah, so it’ll be safest here,” Tim said, nodding firmly. “Alright. Danny wouldn’t ask you for no reason. Does he know you’re Batman?”

“He doesn’t know I’m Bruce Wayne yet. But he will be allowed down here when he gets here. And I’ll still teach him. But he’s not going to be a Gotham hero.”

Tim nodded. “He’s the one, right? The one with the secret you can’t tell.” Bruce froze. “I won’t ask, Bruce. But you need to be a little more discrete about this.”

“I will be,” Bruce said. “But I trust you. And I needed you to know. You aren’t replaceable, Tim. And you didn’t replace anyone. You’ve always been your own person… and I’m grateful that you came into my life. Not just because you dragged me out of a hole when you shouldn’t have had to. But you’ve made my life happier and fuller.”

Tim’s face flushed and he looked away.

“Anyway,” Tim mumbled. “We should head out. I need to get back on time.”

“Alright,” Bruce said, taking pity on him. “Let’s go, Robin.”

Chapter Text

John had better days in his life. He’d had a lot worse, too. Still, it was never a good day when Phantom called him in for something. Danny could call it a favor all he wanted; they both knew it wasn’t. King Phantom now owned over half of his soul. Danny Gray was a good man, Phantom was a good hero, and King Phantom was a good king. But Constantine wasn’t a friend, a coworker, a citizen of Amity Park or the Infinite Realms, or some innocent bystander. No, he was, for lack of better phrasing, becoming more and more of Phantom’s property every time Danny got another piece of his soul. And Danny was collecting pieces like Pokémon cards.

So yes, when Phantom said he needed John Constantine for anything, there John Constantine went. This particular favor-in-name-only wasn’t too bad, all things considered. There was a kid who needed a magic instructor. Danny had called Zatanna as well, since he was nice enough to be concerned about both of their schedules and getting the kid consistent help. Today they were just meeting the kid. They weren’t even going to start teaching that day. This was just an introduction.

And if that had been all John had on his mind, it would have been fine. It wasn’t though, so it wasn’t fine, and John wasn’t fine.

“I know you’re bad with kids,” Zatanna said as they walked into the school room. “But it can’t be as bad as your face is suggesting it will be.”

“No, it’ll probably be much, much worse,” John said with some really bad false cheer.

It wasn’t like John was any good with kids. He was a selfish bastard, after all. That wasn’t really conducive to caring for people who needed you to actually care. Still, he thought this would be annoying but not a problem. He’d see the kid for a few hours a week max. It wasn’t like he was raising him or anything.

“You bit a lemon this morning or something?” Zatanna asked, elbowing him hard in the side.

“Ah, lousy hangover,” he said. He was actually entirely sober that morning. He did not want to fuck up with one of Phantom’s pet projects.

“Sure,” she said. He knew she knew he was lying. But he also knew she was letting it go because he needed her to let it go. Sometimes Z got him too well. Sometimes he loved that, and her. Sometimes he hated that so much he wanted to rip his skin off.

The pair of them walked into the lecture room that Phantom had reserved for them at Amity Park University. APU owed a lot of its foot traffic to Danny, the Fentons and the ghosts. Their library was one of the grandest collection of magic and ghostly scholarship in the world. John had made use of it plenty, and even helped them acquire a few books he thought would make a good addition to the collection. He was around so much that he even had a little office/closet that he used from time to time. Fuck knows he gave enough lectures over the years that he should be considered faculty.

Point was, the lecture halls were familiar to him. And that room was particularly familiar. The ascending rows of tables, the old wood furniture, the huge floor to ceiling window that followed the stair steps off the raised seating area. They still used chalk boards. He knew where all the squeaks were in the floor and just how to avoid them (though he rarely did). He’d given lectures in that particular room many a time. It was his favorite classroom in the building. But none of that brought comfort when he opened the door and spotted a kid wearing a red shirt staring out the window and Danny sitting in the air, looking toward the child with clear affection.

“Hello, Danny,” Zatanna said, walking around John and into the lecture hall. John stepped in and locked the door behind him. He let Zatanna take the lead. She was dressed in long pants and a white shirt with half lace sleeves. There was enough jewelry and gold embellishment on her pants, shirt and boots that her outfit could have been a costume, especially because she was carrying her hat. But this wasn’t her work costume. Z called such an outfit her “Pro-wizard look”. She wasn’t working a show or for the Justice League or the Birds of Prey, but it was still obvious enough what she was. In this case, it was more casual and approachable, but also spectacular enough that the kid would probably be impressed but not intimidated.

Never let it be said that Z didn’t know how to play to an audience.

“Hey, right on time,” Danny said, spinning in the air to look at them. “Billy, come say hi,” he said.

“Okay,” Billy said, pushing away from the window. It turned out the red shirt had a Captain Marvel logo on it. The great show off. John would never say Cap didn’t have the juice to back up his theatrics, but John, as a general rule, did not like to hang around other magic users. It rarely turned out well.

Billy jogged a few steps over, standing next to Danny. He offered them a big smile. Cute kid.

“Hello, please call me Billy,” he said politely.

Danny rested a hand on the kid’s head like he meant to ruffle his hair. Instead, he gave a few strokes, smoothing it out.

“Billy, this is Zatanna Zatara and John Constantine. They’re going to be your magic teachers.”

To John’s surprise, the kid actually pulled a face. “Isn’t Constantine bad luck?”

Danny and Z (the traitor) laughed. At least Z managed to recover first, covering her smile with a hand, though her eyes still danced with amusement.

“Bad things do seem to happen around him,” Z said. “But we’re teaching you in Danny’s domain, so that negates everything.” This was (fortunately and unfortunately) true.

“Billy,” Danny said. “You don’t have to learn from him if you don’t want.”

“It’s fine, Danny,” Billy said. “He’s a really strong magician. He’s a good pick.”

John raised an eyebrow. He plucked a pack of nicotine gum from his pocket. No smoking at APU, especially not around a child who didn’t need cancer from John’s bad habit. He popped a piece and put his gum pack away.

“You know a lot about me already, huh kid?” he asked, raising a brow.

Billy hesitated before looking at Danny. “Can I tell them?”

“If you want,” Danny said. He glanced at them. The look put ice in John’s veins. “I can make them forget or make it so they can’t speak if they don’t take it well.”

The hairs on the back of John’s neck stood up. John was always afraid of what Danny could do with his soul. There was something about the Infinite Realm that gave Danny a control over him that he shouldn’t have until John actually died. None of the others who owned part of his soul could control him. But Danny could. If Danny didn’t want him to speak this secret, he never would be able to speak or write anything about it.

“Way to be creepy,” Billy said, giving Danny a look that was clearly unimpressed.

John was suddenly very grateful for the kid in that moment. John let out a weak chuckle. Billy looked at him and John could see in his eyes that the kid knew exactly what he’d done. Well, good to know he wasn’t dealing with a total innocent. And the kid wasn’t afraid of Danny at all. But then, why should he be? He was a kid.

“It’s an important secret,” Danny said.

“Will you show them the video?” Billy asked.

Danny nodded. He pulled out a Fenton/Foley phone and hit play on a video. It was the kid, standing in a field. He looked up to the sky and shouted “Shazam!” The screen damn well whited out, and then there stood Captain Fucking Marvel.

“The fuck is this?” John demanded.

“I have to agree with John,” Z said. “I don’t understand what we’re looking at.”

“I’m Captain Marvel,” Billy said. There was something in his tone, a touch of authority that made John ache in his bones. He looked up from the screen to the small boy.

No. No fucking way!

“Who cursed you?” John demanded. It always pissed him off when kids got dragged into magic shite they had no business being in.

“I’ve already handled him,” Danny said, authority in his voice as well. But there was a sadness too. Danny probably already had his freak out. If John could get a little protective, Danny was a mama dragon with her brood.

“But Captain Marvel’s been around for four years,” Z protested.

“The Wizard gave me the power when I was seven,” Billy said.

“You’re eleven?” Z asked, sounding kind of horrified. The kid was small, like malnourished and abused small.

“I was homeless until a couple of weeks ago,” Billy said defensively, like he knew exactly what they were thinking. He probably did.

“And there is the problem,” Danny said. “All of Cap’s special powers don’t work when Billy’s a kid.”

“And I have to be able to verbally call to change,” Billy added.

“So, Billy needs to be able to defend himself, and he should be able to use magic when he’s a kid too.”

“You’re the Champion of Magic, how can you not use magic?” John asked despite being able to figure out the truth. He was just exasperated with the whole thing.

“My part of my powers are the magic of Shazam and the wisdom of Solomon. I don’t remember those things when I’m not Cap,” Billy explained, stress in his tone. “Anything I figure out by using my powers specifically doesn’t carry back to me. So, like, if I used the wisdom of Solomon to get information about ghost stuff while I was Cap, I’d still have to ask Danny about it later when I changed back because I wouldn’t be able to remember.”

“That’s pretty fucked, kid,” John said.

“Hence why you need us,” Zatanna said, probably trying to get John past his swearing in front of a kid. But Billy was eleven and had been homeless for a while. He probably knew all those curse words even without the wisdom of Solomon.

“Yep,” Danny said. “Now, I should add that Billy might be moving away from Amity Park soon, but he can either learn in his new home or come here for lessons.”

“Excellent,” Z said with a kind tone and a kind smile. “Well, would you mind if we do a bit of testing today?”

“Should I have studied?” Billy’s voice was full of anxiety.

“It’s just to give us an idea of where you are so we can make a good plan for you,” Z explained.

“Oh, well, that’s not too bad,” Billy said.

“Then I’m going to leave the three of you be,” Danny said. “Billy, you can call if you need a ride, but you’ve got free time when you’re done here.”

“Thanks, Danny.” The kid wore a big, adorable smile.

“Then I’ll leave you all to it.”

“Actually, your majesty, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you,” John said quickly. Danny paused, eyeing him for a long moment.

“Step out in the hall with me.” Danny’s voice made John shiver. It stroked against his very being. It got worse and worse every time Danny collected another piece of him.

John wished desperately for a cig as he followed Danny out to the hall. Despite all windows and how open the hallway was, John knew that nothing was going to get in and out of this wing while Billy was there. Out in the hall, which was entirely empty, was just as private as talking at the House of Mysteries.

“What do you want to discuss.” Danny’s voice was dangerous, so were those eyes. They were blue, not green, but that hardly made him feel better. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leaned against the door frame. Big, handsome and dangerous.

John swallowed. His mouth felt dry. His gusts clenched and he wished desperately for a drink.

“I need a favor,” John said.

Danny’s arms dropped and his body language loosened. It wasn’t encouraging that Danny looked more relaxed when John needed a favor.

“What is it?”

John reached into his jacket and pulled out a polaroid. It was a picture of a teenager, a young black man with deep brown eyes, smirking just a little, wearing a blue tee-shirt. John liked the picture. He didn’t just have it with him it to show Danny, after all.

Danny accepted the picture. He looked for a moment before turning it over, finding nothing on the back. He flipped it back over, regarded the picture again and finally looked back up at John, raising an eyebrow in question rather than asking with words.

“This is Noah Ikumelo,” John said. “His mother died recently. He needs a place to stay.”

“Okay,” Danny said slowly. “Why are you asking?”

“Because it’s your whole bloody thing: opening your city up to every kid who needs it and all that.” His voice was far too defensive for his own liking. He couldn’t not be emotional about this.

“No, John. Why are you asking?”

John found himself pinned down by calm blue eyes. Danny could use his control to make John answer, but he wasn’t using his control at all. He was just asking and waiting patiently for John’s answer.

“Do you need to know?” John’s voice sounded strained in his ears.

“The more I know, the more I can help,” Danny said like it was simple.

John swallowed heavily. “He’s my son.”

Danny’s eyes widened for a moment before he looked back at the picture. “Well, he has your smile.”

John let out a half-crazed laugh. Of course, that’s what Danny picked up on. That was what John picked up on when he saw that picture too.

“He doesn’t know,” John said. “I’m just someone who knew his mom. He’s a good kid. Well, he can be a brat, but every kid is it some point.”

“John.” Danny’s voice cut through his panicked ramblings like a firm touch on a cold shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“His mom’s death wasn’t natural,” John said. “I have a lot of debts. People are coming to collect. I got Boston on Noah right now. But he needs to be somewhere safe, someone where he’s actually got a place to live, where he can thrive. And as your kid said: I’m bad luck. He’s got my blood. I’ve cursed him.”

“John.” Danny laid a firm, warm, strong hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid of that. Just bring him here, okay? It’s not a favor. You don’t owe me anything for this, Alright? You need him safe; I keep kids safe.”

John let out a stuttered breath, letting go of some of his panic too. He nodded in jerky movements.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Alright.” He took a few more breaths. He plucked the picture from Danny’s hand and put it back in his coat pocket.

“You would have given me whatever I wanted to get him here,” Danny noted. John let out a broken laugh.

“For what little that’s worth.”

“A lot,” Danny said. “But not to me… I think maybe you should think about telling him who you are at some point.”

John shook his head. “No point.”

“Okay.” And Danny, goddamn him, didn’t press.

“Thanks,” John said, quickly pulling himself together. “Let me go help Z test the kid. I’ll get Noah here ASAP.”

“I’ll get a place ready for him,” Danny said. “Take care of yourself, John.”

John didn’t respond, he just turned and headed back into the classroom. He’d shown far too much of his hand, even if it was to a guy like Danny who wasn’t going to use that against him. It was just too much.

Chapter Text

Tim liked Dana. He really liked Dana. He really, really liked Dana. She made his dad happy. That alone was enough to make Tim like her. She was also very kind. She liked having family dinners together. She could cook, which he and dad certainly couldn’t. The best bit of communication from that last seven years that Tim had with his father came from the exchanged looks of shock when they both took a bite of the meal she made them and realized it wasn’t just good but near heavenly. Those looks had morphed into smiles, and nods of understanding. They had to keep Dana around. They needed her. And she deserved to be treated well.

It wasn’t that she could fix their problems, because she decidedly couldn’t. Tim’s father was still in a wheelchair and was likely never going to walk again. Hell, Jack Drake was still struggling with the fact that the entire life he’d chosen for himself was gone. Every single interaction Tim and Jack had was tense. They were both trying, but that didn’t mean it was working.

Tim had so much patience for Bruce’s BS. Or better to say he knew how to work around it and read between the lines. Either way, while before he’d been able to politely agree to whatever his father wanted, now he cared less and less about Jack Drake’s desires.

Jack always had a short temper, the type of temper that came from growing up getting everything he ever wanted in place of actual love and affection. When things didn’t go his way, Jack had a hard time not expressing his feelings about it. Given his own body was failing him, and he continued to have screaming nightmares, his temper was so quick to snap that the best thing Tim could do was just stay out of the way.

Of course, Jack wanted him nearby. He was jealous of Bruce and the easy relationship he observed Bruce and Tim having. He was paranoid that Bruce wanted to steal Tim away (which he probably did) so he could take control of Drake Industries (Bruce didn’t care about that at all). Jack saw Tim’s “disobedience and acting out” as a symptom of Bruce being too permissive. He couldn’t seem to comprehend that a 15-year-old who was used to having total autonomy might chafe and suddenly being treated like a five-year-old. Especially when Jack wasn’t even around when Tim was five. Jack could no longer travel the world, searching for adventure and treasure, living out a childhood fantasy of being Indiana Jones. In place of that and given all of the control he’d lost in his life, he was trying to control the person he could reach most easily: his son.

But they were trying. Dana would talk to Jack when he got too possessive, and Tim had seen Jack reel himself back in even without Dana being there to witness. Tim did his best to keep his tongue to himself. They both carefully tip-toed around topics that caused shouting matches (like Bruce, Kon, Tim’s friends, Tim’s future, and basically anything Tim thought or felt).

Still, it wasn’t perfect. Dana couldn’t be there the whole time. Jack lashed out. And Tim felt sorry for him.

It wasn’t like Jack Drake had ever been a “spare the rod” type, but spankings and an occasional snap with a belt weren’t the worst thing Jack ever did. That would be completely abandoning Tim to his own devices for Tim’s entire life. Now, though, Jack was much more physical. He was helpless in so many ways. He never cultivated hobbies that he could do without running around somewhere. He was chomping at the bit to be out of the chair (which would never happen) and was going stir crazy at being house bound (as he still needed to recover, but also couldn’t stomach the blow to his pride he’d receive by having people, especially acquaintances, look down at him with pity).

When Dana was out at work, and Tim was home but wanted to leave, and Jack felt particularly vulnerable, explosions happened.

The first time, Tim had simply wanted to make it for the facetime he’d scheduled with Kon, and Jack wasn’t having “the disrespect of walking away when your father’s talking to you.” Tim had turned back with an exasperated sigh.

“Does it ever cross your mind that maybe I want to talk to my boyfriend more than my father?” He remembered how tired his voice sounded. He hadn’t wanted to snap. That was too ingrained in his bones from the times his parents were home. Looking back, though, if he had snapped, Jack probably wouldn’t have done what he did. Anger would have seemed less insulting then whatever emotions Jack perceived in his words.

“I’m going to cure you of that disobedience,” Jack had snapped, red faced with shame. Tim could see it written on his father’s face; he was hurt that he perceived Tim pitying him. “Bend over the desk.”

That was a position that Tim remembered from before. He moved to do as he was told, sighing externally rather than being scared or angry. That was another mistake. He watched the reflection in the golden lamp on the desk. He observed his father’s distorted figure fumble to remove his belt. Tim rarely got the belt, but the few times he did, his father had been able to pull his own belt off with speed and aggressive grace.

Tim realized suddenly, at about the same time Jack realized, that Tim was too high to reach with any accuracy. Tim could see the distorted face of his father puff up in rage.

“Kneel of the floor,” Jack snapped.

Tim started to unbutton his shirt as he dropped to his knees slowly. His father hadn’t asked, but Tim felt so bad for him at that moment that he decided to not make Jack give more orders that he probably should have done earlier if he’d been thinking clearly. Tim truly pitied his father then, that he couldn’t even be threatening properly in that moment when he was lashing out to try and regain control.

He finished stripping his shirt off and then knelt on his hands and knees so Jack could actually reach him.

He was used to a snap or two of the belt, enough to leave a mark and a sharp sting, but no big deal. In that moment, Jack hit him with the buckle side. There was a thump against his spine and tearing as he felt part of the buckle break skin. Tim didn’t make a sound. Janet Drake hadn’t been the best mother, but she had trained Tim to keep an impassive (polite) face no matter what happened. That helped him a lot as Robin. Getting smacked with a belt buckle wasn’t anything compared to the damage he’d taken as Robin.

His lack of reaction was another mistake, since it just spurred Jack on. Tim counted ten strikes before his father got control of himself.

“Just go,” Jack snapped.

Tim gathered his clothes before standing. He cast a quick glance toward his father, seeing the way his hands shook. Tim left without any further comment. The welts and cuts hurt and were in that awkward to reach place in the middle of his back, which made treating it a pain. Yes, Tim was still flexible enough to reach that spot, but that didn’t mean it was fun exactly.

He treated his injuries well and took extra care to not be shirtless around Bruce until the wounds healed, or until he got hit hard enough that new cuts and bruises covered the old damage.

Jack had snapped a dozen times since that first time. Tim did everything in his power to make certain only the two of them knew. It was abuse, he wasn’t stupid. But his dad had lost a lot very quickly and was struggling to adjust. But more than that, this new Jack Drake was just… pathetic. Tim felt sorry for him. If this was what it took to make his father feel like a man, then Tim didn’t feel the need to challenge that.

It was his own way of punishing his father too. Tim got hurt, but he never reacted, he always had to position himself so his father could reach (which caused his father unending shame), and his father would give him guilty looks later. The physical pain meant nothing compared to the psychological torture it caused Jack.

Now, if Tim got so much as a whiff that his father was abusing Dana, he would burn Jack’s world around his ears. But Jack didn’t hurt her. Tim was vigilant, but he still felt secure that Dana was safe. His father loved her, and she softened him. The only times Tim was happy in his father’s presence were the spare times when they were alone and Jack was telling him about Dana.

“When I was with your mother, I liked being around her because our interests aligned. Our goals, our desires, our ambitions. All of it was in sync,” Jack admitted at some point, sitting up in bed while Tim sat next to him with a schoolbook he hadn’t done more than open since he came in. “She was my partner, but I didn’t love her, and she didn’t love me… I think she loved you, though.”

“She loved me the only way she could,” Tim agreed, looking at his father. He’d never, ever been soft or genuine with Tim before. He watched his father closely whenever he got to experience one of those fleeting moments, memorizing them as best he could.

His father chuckled weakly. “Yes, I think so too. I think that about myself as well.” And that was the closest Tim would ever get to an admittance of guilt and an apology. He appreciated it anyway.

“What about Dana?” Tim asked, trying to encourage his father to keep talking.

“I love her,” Jack said. “We don’t have a lot in common, but she’s been checking out books on archeology, and watching documentaries. She’s read the articles your mother and I wrote. And did you know Dana likes to knit? She’s been teaching me how. I’m pretty bad at it, but I made a potholder.”

“I didn’t know that,” Tim said. He smiled, happy to see his father smiling too.

“Point is, I never cared enough to learn about Janet’s other interests, and she never cared about mine. We were perfectly matched, but never good together. Dana’s just… special. She’s special to me. I hope she’ll be special to you too.”

“She is, dad,” Tim assured him. “I like how she loves you.”

His father wore the softest expression Tim had ever seen him give. Tim, for the first time in his life, slept in his parents’ bed, next to his father who let him lay on his arm even though he cut off blood flow. Jack woke a few times, but never moved Tim at all.

Dana got a picture of them in the morning while they were both still asleep. Tim had a copy of it on his phone, sent it to his friends, and a printed copy on his corkboard.

So yes, Dana was special. As bad and frustrating as it was with his father, it was also so much better.

But, of course, there was one massive downside: Neither Jack nor Dana knew he was Robin, and Dana would check on him multiple times in the night, especially once she found out he had nightmares occasionally. Her insomnia and kind heart were really inconvenient. Tim could never tell when he’d actually be able to go out as Robin. Bruce was really understanding, but Tim hated disappointing him like that.

So that was why Tim pushed himself, why he snuck out that night even though he had a bad feeling about going out. There had been an Arkham breakout, Robin was needed. Not that Tim was a lot of help. The second he saw Blue Hood, flying in on a motorcycle, bat symbol emblazoned across his chest, shooting Fenton weapons, absolutely kicking ass, Tim became too distracted to do much. He found himself silently following Blue Hood across the city, taking pictures with the slim, credit card sized camera he invented to bring with him as Robin, all the while wishing he had his good equipment with him.

He got some beautiful shots, and even printed out a few while Bruce lectured him about not getting distracted. The pictures Tim shoved in his hands before he left certainly made Bruce shut up. He handed him a separate, bundled set as well.

“These are for Jason,” Tim said and then rushed out before Bruce could point out that Tim could give them to Jason himself.

Tim was, of course, aware of that. But he hadn’t spoken to Jason since Amity Park. They had a chat open, but Tim just sent him pictures he took around the city and refused to engage with anything else. Jason had stopped trying to talk to him, which was good but also made Tim’s chest ache. Jason always reacted to the pictures, though, which was the only thing that kept Tim from getting too anxious.

No matter what, Jason was still his hero. He just couldn’t handle whatever was going on between them. He had too much else to deal with. He just hoped to himself that Jason would be willing to keep waiting and wouldn’t realize what a waste of time Tim was.

Tim was extremely late to get home when he rushed out of Wayne Manor. He’d taken time to edit the pictures, which had added an extra hour and a half to a late night because he needed the picture of Blue Hood’s premier to be perfect. The second they got back, he’d ripped off his mask, gloves and cape and attached himself to the Batcomputer. As such, he left while still wearing his uniform. He just threw a Nightwing hoodie on as he ran out. He’d done that plenty of times before, since the Drake and Wayne properties were right next to each other. He mostly didn’t, but occasionally would rush home in uniform, change when there, and shove the suit into its secret spot.

He wasn’t thinking. Some instinctual something drove him to rush home, but his mind was on the amazing pictures he’d taken and how he couldn’t even put them on his corkboard because his dad would find it weird.

He wasn’t thinking at all when he climbed the tree up to his window, only to find it locked. He stared at the window in concern until he remembered Dana helped him clean up that day. He’d gotten into bad habits after living at the Wayne household, where he was free to have a messy room and also Alfred was there to pick up after them. The mess made him itchy at home the way it hadn’t in Wayne Manor and Dana had been sweet enough to offer to help. He supposed she must have locked his window. He didn’t worry about it, he just gracefully dropped down the tree and headed to the kitchen, which had a window that couldn’t be locked and was far enough away from the bedrooms that he wouldn’t have to worry about making noise.

The kitchen light was off when he vaulted into the room, landing silently. He shut the window behind him and turned to sneak up the stairs.

That was when the light flipped on, and Tim was violently reminded about the lecture he’d gotten earlier on paying attention.

Dana was standing in the kitchen, wearing too big pajamas, one of his father’s robes and a sturdy pair of slippers.

“You’re a bit late, don’t you think?” she asked.

Tim opened his mouth to say something-

“But I heard there was break out at Arkham, so it must have been a busy night,” she continued, her brown eyes bright with intelligence.

Tim shut his mouth immediately.

“Let’s talk in your room,” she said. “You first.”

Tim gulped. He trudged past her. She didn’t turn the kitchen light off until he was out of the kitchen, and she’d gotten a hand in his hoodie. She followed him up the stairs, keeping a grip on the hoodie, the only thing marginally hiding his identity so he couldn’t just duck out of it and run.

Tim led the way to his bedroom. He let them in and went to turn on the lower lights he’d installed back when his mother was still alive, so he could have something to see by if he wanted to work on something after sneaking out. Dana let go then. They moved around each other. She went to sit in his computer chair and he set the secret, hidden deadbolts on the door. Then he turned on the soundproofing he’d installed in the walls, and finally turned on the white noise machine he had by the door, which he'd stupidly left off when he’d taken off that evening.

Finally, he went to his desk. He dropped to his knees next to her and unlocked the bottom cabinet where he kept a secret fridge. He pulled out two cans of coffee. He handed her one and relocked his cabinet. It was getting close to five in the morning. No point not to start the day with some caffeine. It was even Death o’ Espresso brand, a gift from Jason upon his return to Gotham, which Tim had never thanked him for, but which he drank when he was having a really bad day. He still had a couple left. He’d hoped that he and Jason would be talking again by the time he finished so he could ask for more. But that didn’t look like it was happening any time soon.

“What do you want to know?” Tim asked, sitting down at the end of his bed and popping the top of the can.

“How long have you been sneaking out?” she asked.

“How long has there been a Robin?” Tim asked.

“You’ve been working with Batman that long?” Even in the low light, he could see she was going white as a sheet.

“What makes you think I’ve been working with Batman?”

“You’re not really as slick as you think,” she said. “Your father told me that you used to be alone a lot. You’re not used to having to be on guard all the time. This isn’t the first time you’ve come home in your suit. I was just waiting for a chance to talk to you, to be certain. When I checked on you and found the bed empty, again, I locked the window and waited for you to come to the kitchen.”

“How did you know I’d come through that window?” Tim asked, frowning.

“I checked the locks on every other door in the house,” she said. “Don’t worry, your father had a bad pain day. He took a sleeping pill. He won’t be awake until nine.”

God, she was clever. And observant.

“Right,” he said. He took another sip of coffee.

“So, have you been working for Batman that long?” she pressed.

“No,” Tim said. He sighed and stood. He set his can on his desk, standing next to her for a second before he climbed under the bed. There was a whole process to get to his pictures now, even more secure than before. It took almost five minutes to get into the safe.

Finally, he managed to open it. He pulled out one of his favorite albums and wriggled back out from under the bed. His hoodie got caught in the process. He just pulled the whole thing off when he sat up, tossing it on the floor with a disgusted noise. So much for a disguise. God, he was so stupid.

“Here,” he said, standing up, and handing her the album. “I’m going to change.”

He dropped the album in her hands then headed to his closet. He grabbed the hoodie off the floor when he passed by. He was silently cursing himself the entire time he changed, pulled on jeans and a tee shirt, and then stuffed his suit into its hiding place. After a moment he pulled his hoodie back on before returning to Dana.

She was still looking through the album. All of the pictures inside were timed, dated, and included the location (both name and coordinates) of both the subject and Tim himself when he took the photo. No one was ever going to see the album, so he’d put all of that for himself. That info was also on the back of every picture he had.

He grabbed his coffee and went to sit back down. He sat silently, sipping his coffee while Dana pulled up her phone, comparing locations on the pictures to spots in Gotham.

“You took these?” she asked after minutes of silence, after Tim was about halfway done with his can.

“I did,” Tim said. “Batman didn’t even know until I told him.”

Dana let out a low whistle. “Welp, this is impressive and terrifying… how did Batman recruit you?”

“He didn’t,” Tim said. “I recruited myself after the second Robin died.”

Dana winced hard. “He died?” The first Robin just went away and then the second one did too. Normal people didn’t know what happened. There were a number of people who suspected Nightwing and the first Robin may be the same person, so it wasn’t a stretch that the second Robin became a different hero, or even just quit. That’s what most people thought.

“The Joker got him,” Tim said. Then, stupidly, added: “the same attack that killed Jason Todd.”

“Shit,” she breathed. She picked up a picture of Jason as Robin, one where he was in flight, grinning with joy, as the night air whizzed past him, a picture Tim had always loved. “Those poor kids.”

Tim nodded. “Batman wasn’t… handling it well,” he explained. “I was the only one anywhere near him to see… I patched a lot of people up back then. Finally, I just decided he needed someone to rein him in.”

“And so you volunteered.”

Tim laughed. “He’d have thrown me out if I tried that. No, I just did it. Eventually he had to train me so I wouldn’t just die.”

“So, what, you just out-stubborned Batman?” She sounded correctly incredulous for someone who hadn’t been there to see it happen.

“Yep. Pretty sure that’s like a Robin prerequisite,” he said with a cheerful grin.

Dana just stared at him for a long moment before letting out an even longer sigh. She rubbed her forehead like the conversation was giving her a headache, which it probably was, to be fair.

“Okay, yeah, that makes perfect sense for you.”

Tim let out a surprised laugh. Dana gave him a tired smile in return. She picked up the can and took a few sips while Tim got himself back together.

“This is real good,” she noted. “I’ve never heard of this brand.”

“It’s from Amity Park. It’s the non-ectoplasm variety,” he stated. She just stared for a moment.

“Sure. Anyway, does you dad know?”

Tim’s expression shuttered. “He doesn’t.”

“You don’t think he’d react well?”

“I know he wouldn’t, and so do you,” he said.

Dana sighed, inclining her head to him. “Does Bruce Wayne know?”

“He does,” Tim said, relieved that Dana hadn’t figured out Bruce was Batman, at least.

“Does he approve of this?”

“He… wishes I wouldn’t, but he’s supportive and good at first aid when I get hurt.”

Dana bit her bottom lip and nodded very slowly. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“I won’t tell,” she said. “Not your dad, not anyone. And I’ll help cover for you so you can keep going out.”

“What? Really?”

“Well, I figure that you’re able to out-stubborn Batman. If he can’t stop you, the only thing my trying to stop you would do is make your dad hate Bruce Wayne even more, and make you take even stupider risks.”

He couldn’t get a real read on her expression, but she wasn’t angry. Her assessment was pretty spot on, too.

“Well… good, thank you.”

“There’s something else, Tim,” Dana said. She reached into the pocket of his father’s robe and pulled out a ring. “Your father asked me to marry him tonight.”

“You said yes, right?” Tim asked.

“You don’t sound surprised. I know this is sudden, but-”

“He had me pick out mother’s jewelry and clothing I wanted to keep,” Tim said. “I knew he was going to give you the jewelry and begin making space for you in his closet. I knew he’d ask you. So, did you say yes?”

“I said I wanted to speak to you first, since this was so fast.”

“Really? How did he take that?”

“He laughed, said I could ask but that you already approved, so I shouldn’t be worried.”

Tim felt himself smile. He felt warm, knowing his father knew something about him that Tim didn’t have to tell him.

“Don’t be,” Tim said. “I can’t… you’re not my mom, but I like you a lot. I want you to be here. I’m happy about the idea of you marrying my dad. And if you ever have kids, I’ll be happy to have siblings.” Just thinking about that made him grin broader. “I’ve always wanted a little brother.”

Dana stared and then burst into laughter. “I have no idea why I was worried.”

“Because you care about me, and you care about dad,” Tim said.

“I’m glad that’s obvious,” she admitted. “I know I can’t replace your mom-”

“You’re better,” Tim said, waving away her comments. “Look, I love my mom. I miss her. I wish she was still alive… I miss her a lot. But she just… she wasn’t capable of loving the way you are. If she found out about Robin, she would have agreed because it’s the best for Gotham, not because she thought I’d get hurt worse if I had to sneak around more… I’m always going to love her, but you’re a better person.”

Dana stared at him for a moment. Slowly, tears came to her eyes and her mouth pressed into a long line.

“I love your father,” she whispered. “But sometimes I hate him for what he and your mother did to you. That you can just talk about her so… analytically… I’m not discounting that you love her, Tim. But I can see what she trained you to be… You’re still a kid, Tim. You deserve better than this.”

Tim stood and walked over to her. Tentatively, he put his arm around her shoulders. Dana stood and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight in return.

“I want you here, Dana,” Tim said. “I promise. I’m really happy you’re going to marry my dad.”

“Me too,” she admitted before kissing the top of his head.

He felt loved.

Chapter Text

Jason arrived at Wayne Manor exactly at 9:05am. He’d texted Alfred that he was coming, so the gate was already ready for him to just drive through. It closed behind him. He smiled nervously to himself as he rode the rest of the way to the garage, which was, again, open for him. There was a spot empty for his bike. He parked and headed right inside. He wiped his boots on the mat near the door, despite knowing he hadn’t really gotten a lot of dirt on his boots.

When he stepped inside, he was greeted with the warm smells of breakfast.

“Welcome back, Master Jason,” Alfred said. Jason’s stomach flipped over in a mostly pleasant manner.

“Hi, Alfred,” Jason said. He walked over to the older man and allowed himself to be enveloped in a hug, which he returned immediately.

“I’m glad you could make it. Master Bruce will be quite pleased and surprised.”

“You didn’t tell him?” Jason asked when the hug broke.

“And miss his expression?” Alfred’s eyes twinkled with amusement. Jason laughed.

“Okay, what can I help you carry out?”

Alfred handed him a couple plates to carry and collected the rest for the cart. The pair of them headed to the dining room, where Bruce was sitting, nervously nursing a coffee. He didn’t even notice Jason was there. Jason managed to set the plates down and Bruce still hadn’t looked up.

“Did you sleep at all, old man?”

That was finally made Bruce’s head whipped up. “Jason?! You’re home?”

Jason winced. “Not home,” he corrected. Bruce looked disappointed, which just hurt Jason’s heart. He didn’t want to disappoint Bruce, even now.

“Then… what are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe it would be good for Billy to have a familiar face around,” Jason admitted. “And it seems like you could use a little emotional support too.”

Bruce’s expression shifted into a relieved smile. “Thank you. Dick isn’t going to be able to stop by until the weekend, and Tim’s letting Dana take him out to a movie tonight, so he won’t get to meet Billy until at least tomorrow.”

“Dana’s Jack Drake’s girlfriend.”

“Fiancée, actually,” Bruce said. He picked his coffee cup back up and took a long sip.

“Sit down, Master Jason. I made enough for all of us to have breakfast,” Alfred added.

Jason shook his head but sat down anyway. He actually hadn’t eaten breakfast because he did want to try and eat with them. That Alfred would be there eating with them and not in the kitchen helped keep Jason in his seat while Alfred started preparing plates.

“How’s Tim doing with the fiancée thing?”

“Oh, he adores Dana,” Bruce said. “I’m actually going to have her over for lunch soon.”

“Why?” Jason knew Jack hated Bruce, so why was his fiancée coming to see Bruce.

“She figured out Tim’s Robin,” Bruce explained. “As far as she knows, I’m also aware and opposed him taking up the mantel, but decided to be supportive because I realized I couldn’t stop him.”

“So, reality,” Jason said dryly.

“Yes, except she doesn’t know I’m Batman. She wants to make certain Tim’s alright. Tim was very nervous to tell me what happened, so this is also to reassure him that he didn’t screw up terribly,” Bruce admitted.

“You like her?”

“Tim likes her,” Bruce said. “I don’t know her yet, but Tim’s very protective of her, in a way he’s never been about either of his parents.”

“So, she’s at least decent,” Jason said.

“Yes,” Bruce said. “I believe so. Which reminds me. Billy will probably be at home when she comes over. Would you be willing to come by, maybe take him out to see Gotham that day?”

Jason gave an easy smile. “Yeah, I can do that. Just how familiar do you want Billy to be with Gotham?”

“I don’t yet have a read on how dangerous it is to be a homeless child in Fawcett versus in Gotham. But I believe it would be good if he had an exit strategy, places he could be safe that’s still in the city but isn’t here.”

Jason nodded. “I can do that.” He’d show Billy his safe houses, maybe introduce him to some of the local kids, give him an idea of places to run and hide. “And to be clear: He isn’t working here, right?”

“No,” Bruce said. “He’s not part of the Bats, but he is going to know about us.”

“Alright, I can work with that,” Jason said. “Um, hey, you think I can leave a letter for Tim? I wanted to thank him for the pictures.”

He couldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed that Tim wasn’t going to be there. Tim had blocked all communication but random pictures. Jason mostly sent hearts or other emojis in response whatever picture Tim sent him. Occasionally Jason sent a picture back. The most words he got out of Tim were criticisms of his composition. Jason hadn’t entirely understood until he saw the Blue Hood pictures. Tim’s first love was photography. It was practically a love language. If he was sending Jason pictures, that meant he was thinking about Jason, really thinking about him. While the pictures he’d sent had always been good, it was nothing compared to the Blue Hood shots.

There was so much love in the composition, the color, the editing. It was the way Jason was the center, how he was always the focus, the way the pictures were set up to make him look as amazing as possible. Tim was the kid who figured out their identities by sneaking around on roof tops, taking pictures of them. His true loves were superheroes and photography. Jason used to be his hero, clearly still was to some degree. When Tim really cared and loved his subject matter, he could make magic with his pictures.

“I’ll pass the letter on,” Bruce said. “If you want, I have a digital collection of the pictures he took before he became Robin. He gifted me a few prints as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You were his favorite subject matter.” Bruce smiled and Jason blushed. “He was trying to make me feel better the first time he showed them to me.”

“Did it work?”

“It was the first time I’d been able to think about you without indescribable pain. I looked through whole albums, seeing you as Robin, smiling and happy, or angry, or sad, cracking jokes or beating bad guys. Alive, whole… Before that, all I could see was your body cradled in my arm.”

Jason felt like someone punched his breath out of his lungs. They hadn’t really talked about this, not in depth. Jason had been so hung up on why Bruce hadn’t saved him and hadn’t avenged him and had replaced him. His eyes stung at this new realization. He knew Bruce hadn’t been well, but Bruce just described constant PTSD flashbacks and a haunting grief. His and Tim’s relationship hadn’t really been built on Batman and Robin, it had been built on a mutual grief.

Jason swallowed heavily and blinked rapidly to stop himself from really tearing up.

“I’d like to see them… dad.”

Bruce’s smile was sad, but it was happy too. Bruce was complicated like that, and it was a complicated situation.

“Let’s finish breakfast, then I’ll show you.”

Jason nodded his agreement. He started to eat, and Alfred steered them onto nicer topics of conversation, like food, the press being annoying, and funny stories about Bruce. Bruce grumbled but didn’t really try to stop it. Clearly, he believed his embarrassment was worth Jason’s laughter.

After they’d eaten, Bruce and Jason headed to the clock in the study. Jason stood back while Bruce got the elevator open. The pair of them rode down to the cave. It had changed since Jason was last there. For one thing, there had been some upgrades over the years. New items had been confiscated and put on display. But, most glaringly of all, was the suits, with his Robin suit being preserved in a glass case.

“The hell,” Jason said.

Bruce didn’t answer, but he did pull a face. He just headed to the Batcomputer and started tapping away, likely pulling up the pictures. Jason went to look at the suit display. Barbara’s suit was there too, and Dick’s old Robin suit, and an old Batman suit, but Jason’s was different. It was separate, lonely and alone. Jason laid his hand on the glass. He could see himself in the reflection of the glass, like he was that kid again, wearing the suit, following his dad around.

The illusion was immediately broken because of the white in his hair. He hadn’t had that before. He’d died. He was half dead. He was part ghost now, and better for it. But still, seeing the suit made his chest ache. The boy who wore that suit felt like a different person, and Jason grieved for his loss.

“Jason?” Bruce asked tentatively.

“Yeah.” Jason turned away from the glass case and walked to Bruce’s side. Bruce really did have access to the pictures.

“Take your time, bud,” Bruce said. “I’m going to change.”

“Drama queen,” Jason said, dropping into the Batchair.

“Billy doesn’t know me as Bruce Wayne yet. I want him to see the transformation. It should make it easier for him to accept.”

“Still a drama queen,” Jason called over his shoulder. Sure, Bruce’s words made sense and all that, but Jason didn’t have to admit to that.

He started clicking through the pictures. It was clear the camera that took these pictures was better than the one that took the Blue Hood pictures, but Tim’s technique had improved a lot over the years, so that balanced it out.

For a little while, Jason lost himself in the pictures. He got to see himself exactly how he’d seen himself as Robin on the good days: a hero, a clever and kick ass kid, a son with his dad having the time of his life. He understood why they’d been so healing for Bruce; it was healing for himself too. The boy in the pictures didn’t feel so detached from Jason as looking at his old suit made him feel.

“Jason, he should be here soon,” Bruce said after a time.

“Yeah,” Jason said. He wiped his eyes and stood quickly. He made his way over to where Bruce was standing next to the Zeta tube. “Nervous?”

“Very,” Bruce admitted.

“It’ll be fine,” Jason said, a last bit of assurance before the Zeta started making noise.

Seconds later, Danny appeared with a kid at his side. Billy gave a nervous glance around the Batcave before his eyes landed on Jason.

“Jason!” he shouted in shock and happiness. He ran over to Jason and jumped into his arms. Jason hugged the kid immediately.

“Hey, kid,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” Billy mumbled into his shirt.

“I’m here to give my dad some emotional support.”

“Dad,” Billy said, pulling his face from Jason’s chest. He gave him a confused look. Jason smiled warmly down at him.

“Yeah, Batman adopted me when I was around your age. I actually have two other brothers as well, though Tim’s not legally adopted. But close enough.”

“Woah! I didn’t know Batman had kids,” Billy said, turning around to look at Batman. He still had his arms around Jason. The kid probably thought Batman looked totally impassive, but Jason could tell Bruce was probably misty-eyed behind the cowl.

“You’ll be the fourth,” Batman said. “That is, if you decide to stay.”

Billy looked nervous but he nodded. He pulled away and straightened up. “Thank you for agreeing to adopt me…. So… are there like bunk beds in the Batcave?”

Jason and Danny both chuckled, amused at the image.

“There are medical beds,” Batman said. “But we live upstairs.”

“What’s upstairs?” Billy asked.

Batman reached up and pulled off the cowl. When he spoke next, he’d dropped the Batman voice entirely.

“Upstairs is Wayne Manor,” Bruce said. “Family seat of the Wayne family.”

Billy stared for a minute before his eyes got huge. “Are you Bruce Wayne? The guy who paid for the Watch Tower?”

“I am,” Bruce said with an amused smile.

“Wait! That’s crazy! Everyone always puts Bruce Wayne on the FMK list,” Billy said.

“Holy shit, they do?” Jason asked, smirking. “Please tell me they’ve asked you to play too.”

“I don’t play,” Bruce said.

Jason cackled. “Oh, that’s amazing. I have to tell the others.”

“They probably know,” Danny said. “Nightwing’s in the Justice League too, and Robin’s a hacking expert.”

Jason chuckled. “B, how much did you bribe Dick with to not say?”

Bruce shot him an annoyed look and looked toward Billy again. “I’m going to change. Jason, would you like to show these two upstairs? Alfred should have cookies.”

“Hell yes,” Danny said, floating off the ground.

“Use the elevator,” Bruce called.

“Yeah, yeah, spoil sport,” Danny grumbled, lowering himself to the ground.

Jason put his arm around Billy’s shoulder, guiding him toward the elevator. Danny followed after them. They were quiet until the elevator door closed.

“For real, Batman’s rich?” Billy asked, incredulously.

“Insanely,” Jason said. “He’s also not the only Justice League member who’s got serious money.”

“Is Superman secretly rich too?” Billy grumbled.

“No, he’s not wealthy, at all,” Jason said. “He comes by here from time to time, especially because of Connor dating Robin.”

“Oh, my gods! That’s so cool!” Billy said, his smile getting huge.

“Yeah, have you met Connor yet?”

“I saw him when he was brought in,” Billy said.

“So, you’ve been around the Justice League then?”

Billy suddenly flushed.

“Billy-” Danny started.

“I know, I forgot Jason didn’t know,” Billy said.

“You can tell whoever you want,” Danny reminded him.

“Bruce told us that something happened with you, and it was really important that it stay secret. So, we don’t really know what,” Jason said.

“It wouldn’t be bad for the Batclan to know,” Danny advised. “They’re really, really good at secrets. And Robin’s the leader of the Teen Titans.”

Billy looked thoughtful, then he nodded.

“That makes sense… Jason.” He turned his attention to Jason entirely. He took a breath, like he was plucking up his courage. “Jason… I’m Captain Marvel.” Then he just stood there and gave Jason an expectant look.

Jason blinked for a moment. “Well… shit, no wonder Bruce insisted it was a secret and that you weren’t going to take Robin’s spot.”

“Oh! I’m not going to be Robin. I have enough to do. And I can’t even use magic yet when I’m not Cap.”

“You what?”

“We’re handling it,” Danny said in a soothing tone. “He’s getting lessons now. B knows and is going to help.”

Jason drew in a breath and let it out. “Okay, yeah… so look. First, thanks for telling me. I’m glad you trusted me enough to let me know.”

Billy gave a shy smile, leaning into Danny’s side, which was just so cute.

“Batman said you used to be Robin, so you were a hero.”

“I’m still a hero, kid,” Jason said. “The first Robin became Nightwing. And the current Robin will probably find a new mantel eventually.”

“Really? So, who are you?”

“Eh, it’s a little complicated,” Jason said. “Since I’m a halfa, I’m playing two different roles. I’ll explain it more later, deal?”

Billy smiled. “Yeah, deal… I’m really glad you came today.”

“Me too,” Jason said. “I know it’s hard to tell, but Bruce is nervous. He wants you to like it here. And yeah, you don’t have to tell, but Alfred, me, Dick and Tim, we all know about heroes. None of us have superpowers, but we still know what it’s like. So, you’re not alone here, okay? And no one’s going to tell your secrets.”

Billy nodded. “I… I think I want to tell. It’s been kind of nice in Amity Park, where a lot more people know who I am. I don’t feel so scared all the time.”

The elevator opened and Jason guided them out, through the office, down the hall, down the stairs and right toward the kitchen where Alfred had made cookies and was laying out a snack selection.

“Hello there, Mr. Gray. It’s good to see you again.”

“Thanks, Alfred. But you can still call me Danny.”

“I am aware, sir,” Alfred said, his eyes lighting with mischief.

“Just give up. He isn’t going to budge,” Jason advised. “Billy, this is Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne Family Butler, and also our grandpa, and the guy who raised Bruce. Just respect his rules and you’ll be fine.”

“A butler,” Billy whispered, incredulous again.

“Yes, a butler,” Alfred said. “Master Billy, how about you come sit down. I was told you like Snickerdoodles.”

Billy’s expression lit up, but he was still nervous. Still, he allowed himself to be led over to the table and settled on the bench. Jason sat next to him, and Danny took a spot across from them. Alfred got them tea and a glass of milk for Billy. About the time they were settled, Bruce finally arrived, dressed in his normal clothes.

“Apologies for the delay,” Bruce said, dropping into his own spot. “Alfred, come sit, please. This involves you as well.”

“Of course, Master Wayne,” Alfred said, sitting down and beginning to make himself a nice cup of tea.

“So,” Billy said. “I uh… I told Jason.”

“You did?” Bruce offered an encouraging smile.

“Jason and Danny said I can tell the others and they’ll be okay. And they’ll keep my secrets.”

“You should know, Master Billy that we will keep your secrets, but you are not required or expected to share them,” Alfred assured him.

Billy gave a nervous smile. “Thank you, Alfred,” he said in an almost whisper. “But I want to tell.”

“If you want to, then you can. I can attest to the safety of telling Alfred or any of my boys,” Bruce explained.

“Okay… um, Alfred, I’m Captain Marvel,” Billy said slowly.

“From the Justice League?” Alfred raised a brow.

“Yeah…. I sorta just… transform into him.”

“I see… I was under the impression that the Justice League had an age limit.”

“Captain Marvel is 24, physically,” Bruce said. “But now that we know, we’ll giving Cap a special assignment to watch over and assist the Teen Titans.”

“Oh, an elegant solution, then,” Alfred said. “I do recommend telling Master Tim, then. He can assist you with that transition.”

Billy nodded. “Is… that’s Robin, right? Does he live here?”

“Right now, Alfred and I are the only ones who live here full time. Of course, the boys are always welcome to stay, but Dick lives in Bludhaven, and Jason-”

“I’m in Crime Alley,” Jason said. “That’s my territory, where I’m patrolling.”

“You mentioned that before,” Billy said.

“Yeah, well, I can’t protect the place and not live there. It’s not how it works there,” Jason said. Billy nodded, understanding that better than the rest of Jason’s family seemed to.

“Tim’s father is alive and has returned home recently,” Bruce said. “It’s made the situation a little complicated, but you’ll still meet him soon.”

“Okay,” Billy said.

“Don’t worry,” Jason said. “You’re just getting the whole Batkid experience of living here with B and Alfred alone for a while.”

“Oh, okay.” Billy at least seemed more comfortable hearing that.

“And for a while, you’ll only be here for breakfast before you come back to Amity,” Danny said. “And we’ll bring you back after lessons or patrols. Unless agreed upon ahead of time.”

“Yeah, B asked me to take you around town soon,” Jason said.

“Oh! Can I?” Billy asked, perking right up.

“Of course,” Jason said with a laugh.

“For now,” Bruce continued. “You’re going to continue tutoring with Mr. Lancer. I understand you’re rather behind. He’ll help you get prepared so you can start school next fall.”

“Oh,” Billy said.

“It’s going to make it easier to learn magic right now,” Danny said. “And you’ll get to spend time with Ace and your other new friends. You don’t have to rush all at once, and this way you’ll be ready when school starts.”

“Okay,” Billy said. “I’ll study really hard.”

“I can help you some if you want. I’m good with English,” Jason offered

“I… I’m really bad at reading and writing. Mr. Lancer’s teaching me.” Billy’s cheeks got pink.

“That’s fine, kid. There’s a literacy crisis in this country because of shitty policy and bad practices. Mr. Lancer can teach you to read proper, and I can find you some good stories to listen to.”

“Listen?”

“Like, audio books. Or I can read to you,” Jason added, not quite able to stop his excitement at the process. He grinned when Billy suddenly grinned at him first.

“That’s really cool, Jason. Thank you!”

“No problem! We’ll turn you into a book nerd in no time.” Jason ruffled Billy’s hair, which just made the kid smile wider.

“You going to be good to stay here tonight?” Danny asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Billy said. “I mean, at least I know Batman’s not going to throw me out for being a brat.”

“I assure you, Master Billy, that there is no way you can beat Master Bruce when it comes to acting like a brat,” Alfred said cheerfully, which made the rest of them laugh and Bruce blush.

“Alfred,” Bruce grumbled, but he was smiling too.

Chapter Text

Noah liked John Constantine. He’d saved his skin more than once. He was the one who found Noah after his mum died. He checked up on him regularly. He didn’t talk to him like he was a moron. He’d been learning more BSL all the time. He was also a cheat, and a bastard, and Noah really liked him. When his mum died it wasn’t D.S. Dole, or any of his mum’s friends who kept him company the night after the funeral, it was John. After everything with K-Mag, the fake-giant under parliament, the demons…. Tommy Willowtree. Sometimes Noah still couldn’t sleep remembering.

He'd liked Tommy well enough. He was an idiot, but he liked John and John didn’t just throw him out on his arse, something John was entirely capable of. So, Tommy was John’s friend, a stupid friend, but a friend. And he was too stupid to watch his step and not break the salt circle John had Noah make to keep the demons out. And because Tommy broke the circle and because Nat had already killed K-Mag, Tommy became the conduit for the demons trying to break in.

At the time, everything had been so chaotic and awful all at once that Noah hadn’t entirely understood what happened until he had time to sit, curled beside his mum’s bed and was able to replay it all in his mind. K-Mag died, and the demons came out of Tommy. Nat was fighting one of the masked people who’d guarded the giant (tulpa, John called it later). John’s body was lying dead and John himself had just been a spirit unable to do anything until Nat shocked his heart and woke him up. Nat couldn’t hear him, no one could hear John but Noah.

John told him to be brave, that in order to stop the demons they had to be given something. Noah had nightmares about the screams he heard. Demons screamed like nothing in all the world, not even the… thing from the accident, not even his mum before she went into a coma. But the worst? It was how Tommy called for John, wanted to know what he did, where the demons were taking him. It was like seeing those fucking angels in the park. All cruelty, no comfort.

It took Noah a little while, but he understood why John was such a bastard, if almost anything he did ended up like that. When it came to magic, the price was more than the prize. Noah spent many nights holding his mum’s hand, wondering how many times John had heard screams just like Tommy.

John came around after everything. He sat with Noah next to his mum. He watched while Noah tried to explain with shaking hands what he’d seen, how he felt. He’d looked so damned sad when Noah admitted he heard Tommy’s last words. Then John left, disappeared off the map. Then he came back.

John felt guilty for what Noah had to do. Noah felt guilty for it too. It would haunt him forever. But before John, Noah had been planning to kill for the Ri-boys and K-Mag. Killing someone was nothing like he thought, but he’d literally spent his whole life thinking he would kill someone. His mum was a cop, after all. Before the accident, he was going to be just like her and kill bad guys. And when he worked for K-Mag, he was going to kill other people in other gangs, and they weren’t good either.

Tommy wasn’t bad. He was a good guy, but he was stupid. Stupid was a crime that could always be a death sentence. Still… still, he didn’t deserve it. Noah ached with how guilty he felt, but now that it happened, when he saw John all he could see was the burden of death weighing him down. He didn’t try to just be like that. He was powerful and knew a lot. He could just ignore human life, but he tried. Too bad magic’s cost was so much. Of course it cost lives. Lives for things he did, lives for things he didn’t do.

Bloody Catch-22.

No wonder John drank so much.

Noah was happy when John came to see him. John always looked a little crazed when he saw him again, like he needed to see Noah whole and well, but once he saw that, he got happy, even if he tried to cover that happy over. After a time, sometimes weeks, sometimes days, sometimes hours, one time minutes, he could get this look in his eyes that was crazed in a different way. He got paranoid, looking around for dangers which weren’t there.

Noah didn’t know how he knew they weren’t there, but he did know. And John knew, but he got scared and ran. Sometimes that pissed Noah off. Sometimes he was grateful. Something he was just sad. Sometimes he thought John ran because he was afraid of what else Noah would have to do for him. Sometimes he thought John ran because he was scared that someone would attack him and get Noah in the crossfire. Sometimes he thought John ran because he was afraid of being happy.

John seemed happy with Noah. At least Noah thought so.

Then Noah’s mum died. It wasn’t some spirit or anything like that bitch in the hospital. She just seemed to have a heart attack one day. Then John showed up. He stayed with Noah, helped him make the funeral arrangements. He slept on Noah’s sofa and barely complained about how the shitty thing fucked up his back. He made Noah smile when his whole body felt so numb it was like he’d never feel anything again. John paid for the funeral. He paid for the burial. He paid for the headstone.

Then he left, giving a vague promise that he’d help Noah find a new place to live.

That was when Noah started to feel something. It wasn’t dangerous. Well, it could be, but it wasn’t dangerous to him. It was just there, over his shoulder all the time. Still, Noah began to carry salt in his pocket. It would so in a pinch (Ha!) even if it wouldn’t be the best protection.

John called and told him to pack up, he had a place Noah could go.

A week later, John showed up at Noah’s door.

“Hey kid,” John said, ciggie hanging from his mouth.

[You’re going to get cancer], Noah signed. John smirked.

“Been there, done that,” John said, his voice that distinctive constant smoker growl that was somehow unique to John, mostly because it wasn’t as bad as it should have been.

[You gonna stop being dodgy on where we’re going?]

John pushed his way inside. Noah didn’t stop him. He already had his bags packed. He was leaving most things, just keeping clothes, a few mementos and game systems of his own, and then stuff from his mum. Two bags fit his whole life. It was depressing, but not as depressing as it could be. He’d spent half a decade caring for himself, holding his breath and waiting for his mum to pass. He’d wanted to hope she would wake, but he’d known deep in his gut that she wouldn’t.

He knew why now. The price was greater than the prize. His mum fought something, something powerful. She fought it back to protect him, and that cost her.

His mum was a hero, like he’d always known. He used to think that she should have just let the thing get him rather than leaving him alone. But now he knew that there was something far worse than being alone, it was the places those other things came from, places no human belonged. A coma was better than hell. Always.

It was funny, how much more he missed her, and how much he’d already let her go and forgotten. His friends died in the Ri-boys. His mother’s friends had their own lives. Nat didn’t speak to him. That left him with John. And John found him a place where hopefully Noah wouldn’t be haunted by his memories anymore.

“You ever seen Like and Survive?” John asked.

Noah made an over exaggerated confused motion. John whipped his phone from his pocket and offered it to Noah. There was some youtube vid loaded. Noah hit play and found himself greeted with the image of a big white guy with white hair and green eyes.

“Welcome to Like and Survive,” the man said. “Today’s topic: Ghost Etiquette. For those of you who’ve been around for a minute, let’s just consider this a refresher course. Of course, rule number one: Never ask a ghost how they died.”

Noah handed John back his phone.

[Some yank?]

John chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no. You know who that is?”

[I might have seen him, but why would I care?]

“Yeah, fair. But you’re going to need to start caring real fast. You’re going to be living with him.”

[What!]

“Oh, don’t be like that!”

[Who even is this?]

“That’s Phantom, but you can call him Danny. He’s basically the guy who started the superhero thing. He’s not Justice League or anything stupid like that. The most important thing is he’s the Ghost King.”

[You’re taking me to the King of the Dead?] John had to be out of his bloody mind.

“No, he’s the Ghost King,” John said, sounding exasperated. He went and put his ciggie out in the sink. “Look, there’s a lot of places in existence, all different kinds of realms and shite like that. And when you’re dead you go somewhere. The Infinite Realms is where everything that doesn’t fit goes. The things and people that don’t fit in those afterlives, those that aren’t bound to any faith or contract, the people who refuse to accept that they died, those who just can’t fit in. All of them go to the lands between, and that’s the Infinite Realms. Danny’s the king of the Infinite Realms, and therefore also the Ghost King. Got me?”

Noah just stared for a moment before shaking his head. That was a lot of information to get all at once, and John was growing more and more agitated with every word he spoke. John let out a long sigh.

“Okay, so let’s say that the afterlives and living realms are like… the organs in your body. Like, let’s say Hell’s the heart. And the heart’s important, but if there’s nothing like surrounding it, keeping it in the right place, then a heart’s just meat. The Infinite Realms is the stuff between.”

[So, like how thoughts happen between the synapses?]

“Uh, yeah sure. Not a bad analogy. The Infinite Realms just go everywhere. They touch everything. That makes it bigger than any other plane of existence, and basically everything belongs there. So like, there are some places where… Fuck, this is complicated. So, let’s say there are squares who live in a square world, right? And they can only live in the square world. And circles live in the circle world and can only live in the circle world. But both squares and circles can exist in the Infinite Realms. All things, living, dead or otherwise, can belong in the Infinite Realms, but not everything decides to go to the Infinite Realms. It’s like, if you can’t figure out where else to go, you go there.”

John scratched the back of his head. He looked frustrated. There was more anger in his words than his words deserved.

[What’s this got to do with me?] he signed, hoping it might distract John from whatever had his goat, but clearly not because he started to pace the way he did when he was pretending like he wasn’t pacing.

“Danny’s really powerful. And he’s like still half alive. So, he still lives on earth. He’s got a whole city that’s just his and nothing can get in and out without his approval. It’s safe, safer than anywhere else in existence, especially for people like us.” John’s eyes widened a little. He said something he shouldn’t. Noah put that realization aside to consider later. “Danny’s got this whole things where his city’s open to any kid who’s got powers or is thinking of being a hero or a villain. And when I asked, he said he’d happily take you. So, we’re going to Danny’s city.”

John made a hand motion that came off a little more like “ta-dah, aren’t my half-truths great?” than John clearly wanted Noah to see. But Noah did see it. He went quiet, considering John and how he was acting. Finally, John raised his hands back and started to sign.

[You don’t like Danny.]

“Ah, I don’t not like him, exactly.”

[You don’t trust him. How can I go somewhere with someone you don’t trust?]

John groaned. He dropped onto the sofa. “Sit down, Noah. This is complicated.”

Noah dropped onto the sofa as well, neither too close to John to freak him out, nor so far away that John could decide Noah was really pissed at him. He wasn’t. He was worried.

“Here’s the thing. A couple a decades ago, I got myself in a bad way. I did actually get cancer. So, I made a few deals… and well, I wasn’t an idiot, but I permanently fucked myself up.”

[Worse than normal?]

John chuckled. “Yeah. Worse. I made a deal with the First of the Fallen, and the Second, and the Third.”

[Those demons? Like Lucifer?]

“Not Lucifer. Lucifer’s got a piano bar in LA and a cop girlfriend. We don’t have a problem with each other. No, those other three were what came after Lucifer. When he walked away, they got the reigns of Hell. Demons, as a rule, are territorial as hell. They’re prideful too, and that can make them stupid. So, I traded my soul to three different demons. And in doing so, none of them could collect. Because they all had equal claims. And for one of them to get it and not the other two… well, that would cause a war in Hell. And while I piss off every demon I’ve ever met, I’m not that important. So, no one can collect.”

[You’re an idiot.]

“Yep. Well, that worked so well that I started giving away parts of my soul after that. I think I might own a fraction of a percent now. But I’d trade a little away here and there. There were plenty of things and people who didn’t know that other people bought my soul until they had already done what I wanted and came to collect. Some, especially lower demons, liked to own a small piece, like I was a trading card. I got a lot of mileage selling to any chaos entity I could find who wanted to cause problems on purpose. So yeah, the whole thing was a mess… until a few years back.”

John reached into his coat and, much to Noah’s surprise, pulled out a pack of nicotine gum. He popped one into his mouth. When he caught the look on Noah’s face, he smirked.

“Yeah, I can’t smoke in Danny’s house; had to compromise.”

[What happened a few years back?]

“Impatient… yeah, well, Danny’s been Ghost King since he was 14 years old. He beat the old king, who was a real wanker, by the way, and since then he’s just gotten stronger. So, Pariah Dark, the old king, was a lot like the demons. He liked making deals with them, giving him the souls of his subjects. He was happy to let the demons do things in the Infinite Realms, so much so that they still could get in and out even when Pariah got locked up. Then Danny beats Pariah and becomes king. But he’s a kid and it takes him a while to learn the job. To the demons it seems like nothing’s changed, and they keep up their shit. Then Danny becomes an adult and suddenly got ahold on the position. And now the demons have a problem.”

[He doesn’t like them in his territory.]

“Understatement. But also, any past wrong they did, whether with Dark’s permission or not, well, Danny takes offense. He comes collecting for all the bullshit these demons have been pulling. And suddenly they get real scared. So, a bunch of the little arseholes get together and for some bloody reason they decide to put their metaphorical pokemon cards together into the unholy equivalent of a start box set and give him my soul in exchange for amnesty.”

Noah stared for a minute. [No offense, mate, but that doesn’t sound like a fair trade.]

“Exactly!” John sounded badly exasperated. “But Danny’s a good man, a really fucking good man. He hears about a soul whose ownership is all over the place, and he takes the deal.”

[Bullshit.]

“I didn’t say Danny was stupid. He gave them amnesty for the things they did before, but he knew who all of them were now, and demons are greedy. If any of them stepped a toe out of line, he submitted them to his justice. There’s only a couple smart enough to not cross the Ghost King since then.”

[He got part of your soul. Then what?]

“Well, after I entirely failed to seduce him to try and get those parts back, and also insulted his wife at about the same time… well, he still has it. Except the idiot’s been collecting since then.”

Noah hesitated for a second. [How much does he own?]

“Fifty-two percent,” John said. His eyes rolled up to the ceiling. He slumped back and let out a deep sigh. “This point, the big three are all that’s left. But they’re pissed that none of them can get over half now. Danny’s got the greatest amount and none of them can get enough to have a larger claim anymore. They don’t want to sell, cause they probably see it as losing. And they hate Danny. See, Danny’s a halfa, half dead and half alive and that’s a wildly powerful combo. That with the whole King thing and he just gets stronger all the time. Lucifer might, maybe, be stronger than Danny, but none of those three are. The only thing they have on him is a prior claim on my soul and keeping their parts in their territory.”

[Does he hurt you?] Danny really was that powerful, he could do anything he wanted to John at any point.

“Who?” John looked confused now.

[Danny?]

John let out a surprised laugh. “Nah. He’s a good man. He wouldn’t do that.”

[Then why do you not like him?]

“Look,” John said as he pushed himself to sit up straighter. “In my experience, anyone having anything over my head always ends up bad. Yeah, Danny’s a good man and a good king, and he’s collecting the parts so I won’t be immediately damned to hell when I die proper. But also, he owns over half my soul, and I don’t think he trusts me enough to give it back. So, there’s this powerful god, who’s still human, who owns me. Yeah, I’m not comfortable with him.”

And John looked so uncomfortable. He ran a hand over his neck like he could feel a collar, like there was leash tying him back to wherever this Danny was. Noah suddenly despised Danny.

[Why am I going to him, then?]

“Cause… cause he’s never going to hurt you, Noah. There’s no such thing as something that can get to you if Danny Phanom is watching over you. I asked-” he sucked in a breath and let it out. “I asked him to do me a favor and keep you. And you know what he said? No favor. I don’t owe him anything. You need help, I needed help, and he got a room ready.”

Noah moved closer. It felt important to do so. He bumped lightly against John’s arm, which seemed to startle him from whatever darkness he’d been sinking to.

[You don’t have to protect me.]

“I do,” John said. “Noah, your mum didn’t die of natural causes. Those demons got a whiff of you… they want you to get to me. I can’t let that happen. Danny will never let that happen.”

Noah’s hands shook when he signed the next few words. [Did they take my mum where they took Tommy.]

“Oh fuck, no. I don’t think so,” John said. “I couldn’t see a sign of that. I did check. Normally I can tell, but there wasn’t anything. But they stopped her heart. It was a warning. I stayed with you as long as I could, and I left a friend of mine to guard you while I got you a place to stay.”

The look in John’s eyes was pure stress. He looked a little like he might cry, like he expected Noah to throw him out and was pleading Noah to stay with him.

Noah bumped into John’s shoulder again.

[I trust you]. He even gave John a little smile.

John let out a shakey breath. “Thanks, mate. Now, I’m taking you right to Amity Park and Danny. He’s going to let you stay at his place for a few days.”

[Fine.] He paused. [I’m not coming back to London again, am I?]

John looked grieved. “I doubt it.”

Noah didn’t make a comment. He just got up and collected his bags. John opened the door, which led them into some dark, posh place that looked like it could be a castle. Noah barely got a look at it before John had opened the door again and suddenly, they were outside in sunlight.

“Mr. Constantine, I didn’t think I was supposed to see you today?” That was a young voice, a boy. Noah blinked his eyes clearing from going from a not very bright flat to the dark posh house to sudden sunlight. That was when he finally got a look at where they were.

They were standing in a walled garden, the type you’d see in some movie about rich, white little girls exploring magic houses. Except that aside from a few boxed-in plants, the garden looked more natural and wild. There were also twisting trees and gravel paths.

“If you’re going to bother us, then buzz off.” That was a girl’s voice.

Noah’s eyes focused on the two kids there. One was a white girl with black hair and eyes, about teen or pre-teen. The other was a white boy with black hair and blue eyes. There was something there that unsettled him. It wasn’t really the same shade of blue, but there was a sparkle in his eyes that reminded Noah of John.

He felt a little sick to his stomach.

Guy slept around a lot. It would be weirder if he didn’t have kids somewhere. John didn’t exactly strike him as someone who was the best about protection, after all.

“Believe it or not, kid, my entire life does not revolve around you,” John said.

The boy scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know that.”

“Whatever. Noah, this is Billy and Ace. Danny has me teaching Billy a couple times a week.”

“Way to make him sound like a burden, asshole,” Ace said.

“Geez, these kids,” John said. He looked at Noah. “You’d think the youth of America had no respect.”

Noah grinned despite himself.

[I’m certain you were just like that at their age.]

“Don’t be a smartass,” John said. “It doesn’t suit you.”

[Suits me fine,] Noah signed, smiling a little brighter.

“Uh, I don’t recognize those… is that ASL?” Billy asked, breaking into the moment. John turned away from him, facing Billy instead.

“It’s BSL,” John said. “British Sign Language. You know ASL?”

“I mean, deaf people end up homeless plenty,” the kid said. Something pinged in Noah’s brain. Had the kid been homeless? John really did fit the deadbeat dad stereotype, but it was still hard for Noah to stomach.

“Noah’s not deaf, he’s mute,” John said.

Noah picked up the sign on his chest and quickly wrote a note. -I can write as long as you can read.-

Billy’s eyes moved slowly, very slowly over the words. He started mouthing along. Noah realized with a certain turn of horror in his stomach that Billy might not be able to read.

“I’d rather learn BSL, if you don’t mind,” Billy said shyly. His face was flushed a shamed red. Noah’s face got hot too, feeling ashamed of himself.

He gave Billy a thumbs up and a smile. Billy relaxed.

“I was wondering when you were getting here, Constantine,” a woman said from behind them. Noah whipped around. The door they’d come out of was now a totally different door. Standing in that door was a black woman with kind eyes.

“Val,” John said, sounding somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed.

[An Ex?]

Val laughed. “Oh, he wishes.”

“Shite,” John hissed, turning pink.

Noah hardly cared about that. [You can understand me?]

“A little,” Val said. “Sorry, Danny’s better at it. Sometimes ghosts prefer sign. So, we know a couple of sign languages. I’m just not that great. We’ve been studying since Constantine told us you were coming. You’re Noah, right?”

[Yes, ma’am.]

“Just call me Val, or Valerie. You two can come in. Danny’s parents set their back yard on fire, and he’s having to deal with that.”

“They didn’t,” Ace snapped from behind them. “I told you, it’s Duella’s fault.”

“Ace, the fact that Jack freaked and threw the doll out of the window, so the law caught fire does in fact mean that he set the lawn on fire,” Val said.

“Well, Duella set the doll on fire and Enigma threw it!”

“Trouble in paradise?” John asked.

Val let a very long sigh. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out,” she said. “Come on, we can talk inside. Ace, Billy, you can come grab a snack if you want.”

“No thank you!” Ace shouted.

“I’ll get something later for us,” Billy said. Noah glanced back and saw Billy putting his arm around Ace.

Val guided them inside. Noah just pushed his bags into a corner and went to sit with John and Val at the kitchen island.

“The hell’s happening at Fenton Works?” John asked.

“The unfortunate by product of Clockwork collapsing a timeline and Danny having a kind heart… He couldn’t save everyone, but those two had a real shit run of it. Superhero parents, maybe. Or maybe supervillain. Neither of them would tell us much. And they just weren’t… happy here. Danny’s never going to make them stay, but Jack and Maddie really loved them and wanted them to be happy. And they didn’t like Ace and Ace didn’t like them. Everything under one roof… well, it all came to a head earlier today. Duella and E are gone. Fenton Works took some damage and Ace is really upset. She’s going to go back to Gotham with Billy tonight.”

“Is that wise? I was under the impression she was unstable.”

“It’s one night, and Billy can help her if need be. She just needs a break.” Val let out a sigh and turned to Noah. “Sorry you’re have to deal with this when you first get here.”

[Stuff happens. Can Billy read?]

“He was homeless up until a few weeks ago,” Val said. “He’s taking lessons with tutors right now.”

[You do tutors?]

“You want to go back to school?” John asked.

[Can I?] Noah didn’t want to seem too excited. School was always shite. But if they were tutoring a homeless kid who was also hanging around the Ghost King, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“If you want,” Val said. “If not, there’s options. Just so you know, unless you decide otherwise, you’re going to stay with me, Danny and the kids for a week or two while we get a dorm room ready for you at our local university. We have multiple places for kids who come to visit or stay, but since you’re 16, we thought you might like some more autonomy. Also, Constantine teaches at APU sometimes, and Billy does his magic lessons there, so you’d get to see him when he comes around.

Noah turned a look to John. [What happened to the price being higher than the prize?]

“You know I didn’t lie about that,” John said. “There are some people who manage… my… friend, Zatanna, she’s managed to do fine without everything exploding, and Billy’s a bit immune. I don’t teach other people magic. It’s normally just theory at APU. Billy’s a special case. And Danny asked.”

And Danny owned John’s soul, so when he asked for something, John gave it to him because he didn’t want to piss off the powerhouse that owned him. Great.

“Val?” a male voice called. “I’m back with the babies.”

“And I’m back and not on fire,” a different younger voice said.

A small group came out of the hallway. There was an older black man, who was holding a sleeping little black boy, a little black girl who immediately jumped inhumanly high and landed on John’s shoulders, fisting his hands in his hair, happily yelling “Uncle John!” Finally, there was tall white man with blue eys, holding a small black baby to his chest.

“Welcome home,” Val said. “Stella, don’t rip out all of John’s hair. It looks better on his head.”

“Thanks, Val,” John said. He grabbed the little girl and pulled her off his shoulders, flipping her over so she was upside down and they were eyelevel with each other. The girl started giggling like crazy.

“Hey, you must be Noah,” the white man said. “I’m Danny. You met Valerie, I see. This is Damon, Val’s dad. The little spore climbing Constatine is Stella. I have Ursa and Ori’s asleep on Damon’s shoulder. Let us get the younger two down for a nap and we’ll talk.”

Noah just waved a bit. He glanced at John who was giving him a knowing look. Noah was used to a lot of open racist shit back home, especially because of the tulpa and some other evil spirits John mentioned off handed once or twice, along with people just being shite. So yeah, it was a little nice to see the Ghost King’s family was black. Hell, Noah would stand out less than Danny did.

Noah would bet the dorms could probably be ready faster than Val said, but John probably asked if Noah could stay with them for a while.

Arsehole. Noah loved him for it.

Chapter Text

Billy liked his new home. Sort of. He liked that he felt safe bringing a friend over for a night. He liked that he could share an over large bed with Ace because she was still upset about her housemate’s dramatic exit, and no one batted an eyelash or accused him of anything. He liked that Alfred was an amazing cook and that he packed lunch for him most days. He liked that the bed was comfortable, but not too soft. He liked that his room had more than one lock. He liked that it didn’t lock from the outside. He liked that Bruce tried to be nice. He liked that Alfred started teaching him BSL the second Billy mentioned wanting to be able to communicate with Noah.

He liked that he could go back and forth to Amity Park, Fawcett City and Gotham. Billy also liked that he could go to the Rock of Eternity whenever he wanted, and no one made a fuss. He liked having places where he felt safe, where there were a mix of people who did and did not know his secret, all of whom really liked him.

It still felt weird, and Wayne Manor didn’t feel like home yet.

If Billy was honest, he wasn’t certain it would ever feel like home. For one thing, any time he got a sense of home, it was always ripped away. Of course, living at Wayne Manor did have a few steps up on the usual places he lived. For one, Bruce and Alfred already knew his secret. They were also in the know about superheroes. Bruce was Batman, for crying out loud. If anyone understood the value of secrecy, it was Batman. He also understood that things happened.

Batman was good at planning for things to go wrong, and Billy knew that. Also, Bruce had been happy to show him just a few of the contingencies he was planning for that had to do with Billy. It had been a weight off Billy’s chest to see that someone else could do some of his worrying for him.

He didn’t have to worry about Bruce getting frustrated with Billy for disappearing, and Billy didn’t have to worry (as much) about Bruce getting hurt because of him. And given the stories Jason told Billy, Bruce was already used to raising troublesome boys. And from the stories Alfred told, the Waynes had a long history of raising troublesome boys.

All of that combined to create a place Billy didn’t believe he would be thrown out of, or have to run from, or would get destroyed because someone was after him. But he was still wary. After all, he wasn’t stupid.

It didn’t help just how much money Bruce Wayne had. It skeeved him out a little that Bruce Wayne, who could literally pay to build the Watch Tower, was also a fighting member. But just one night of watching Batman work (with Billy safely tucked in the Batcave with Alfred, who was called ‘Agent A’ for comms) made Billy feel less like a rich guy was just punching poor people.

For one thing, there was only one or two police officers that Batman trusted at all. He fought to incapacitate, not main or kill. He almost always gave people a chance to just give up and wouldn’t attack unless the bad guys attacked him or someone else first. Also, Batman’s rogues were just… really uncomfortable. It wasn’t about poverty or desperation; it was fun for them to hurt others.

So, Billy felt better about Bruce having money, but that didn’t change how uncomfortable he felt in such a huge house, seeing the large displays of wealth in the most casual action of everyone who lived there.

Jason said that it took him a while to feel comfortable there too. And it had felt weird for Dick too. So, Billy wasn’t weird for being uncomfortable about it. Jason assured him that he would get used to Wayne Manor, even if he never got used to other rich people crap (Jason’s exact words). Eventually, he said, the Manor would feel like home.

Something happened between Bruce and Jason that made things tense between them. And Billy could see Jason wasn’t really comfortable staying at the Manor, but all three of them assured Billy that it wasn’t the manor itself that put Jason on edge.

Billy was pretty certain that had to do with whatever had turned Jason into a halfa. But he knew better than to ask. It was bad to ask someone how they died, after all.

Still, he was really happy that Jason was going to be taking him out. Something came up the last time they planned time tgetheer, something that called Blue Hood and Batman to action in the middle of the day. Billy was doing his own patrols in the evenings, so he hadn’t had a chance to meet Tim yet, and Dick apparently suddenly got called to an off-world emergency.

That was fine. It gave Billy a little time to adjust and sort out his schedule. He didn’t have lessons all day or anything, but now he had two full days off. One of them he spent at Wayne Manor, the other he spent in Amity with Ace and Noah. This was his Gotham day. Whatever meeting Bruce had put off was that day, but Jason was also coming by to get him, so that was cool.

“Did you have a good patrol?” Billy asked after he’d eaten about half his waffle, also after Bruce finished about half his coffee.

“It was eventful, but not too bad,” Bruce said, giving Billy an almost smile that Billy learned really quick was how Bruce looked when he was content and feeling fond. It always made Billy feel warm in his chest when he saw that expression. “How about you?”

“Nothing crazy,” Billy said. “My luck is something will happen soon that is crazy.”

“Hmm, well, that does seem to be how it goes,” Bruce admitted. “Since the Joker’s death, the others have started jockeying for the top spot. It’s going to be a headache for quite a while.”

“But he died like months ago,” Billy protested.

“And everyone just got brave enough to start testing the waters for a hostile takeover,” Bruce explained.

“No case work at the dining table, Master Bruce,” Alfred reminded him.

“Yes, of course,” Bruce said. Billy hid a smile behind his milk. Jason told Billy that Alfred was normally pretty strict about that rule, but he’d eased it a little so Billy could get a few questions answered before he headed off to his lessons.

“Are you looking forward to being out with Jason, Master Billy,” Alfred asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m really excited!” Billy said. “He said he’s going to show me where he lives and the best place to get hot dogs in the city, and the arcade!”

“Ah, that tradition,” Bruce said, sounding fond and amused. “Jason’s particular, whether he admits it or not. He showed me and Dick his favorite places, and then Dick showed Tim. So now it’s your turn.”

“Really?” Billy asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Bruce said. He cleared his throat, getting a little serious. “Now, I want to remind you that Gotham isn’t Fawcett city. Even if Gotham wasn’t a more dangerous city, you still wouldn’t be familiar with the locale yet. This trip isn’t just for enjoyment but to help you learn the city. There will be other trips just for fun later, but I want you to pay close attention to where Jason takes you.”

“You make it sound like I’m definitely going to get attacked today,” Billy said, trying to not grumble or act like a brat. He knew what cities were like. Most places weren’t like Amity Park. He’d even been in Gotham a few times as Cap.

“It’s possible,” Bruce said. “For now, no one knows you’re here, but unfortunately, that won’t always be the case. The downside of living with such a high-profile member of the city is that people get it in their head that kidnapping is a good idea. Trust me, I’ve been kidnapped far more often than even my own children.”

“Woah, really?” Billy’s eyes got huge.

“Indeed, Master Billy,” Alfred said. “Both when he was a child and even now. Bruce Wayne has a specific, bumbling image he has to maintain, after all.”

“Wait, you got kidnapped when you were a kid? There wasn’t Batman back then, how did you get out?”

“Well, for one thing, Alfred wasn’t always a butler,” Bruce said with that almost smile settled on his face. He really did love Alfred. Alfred was kind of like a third parent to Bruce, Billy supposed. “But also, I spent a significant portion of my childhood and youth running away from home, hoping someone would help me be with my parents again.”

Billy’s entire body went cold. He stared, trying to comprehend what Bruce was saying as anything other than the truth. Eventually he had to admit to himself that he hadn’t misunderstood: Bruce had been suicidal as a child.

“In any case,” Bruce said. “I knew my way around Gotham really well by a young age, so I was actually able to escape on my own often enough. And Alfred took care of the rest. Not a lot of people knew I was kidnapped many times as a child. Which is for the best for my cover story.”

“So, will you teach me how to escape too?” Billy asked.

“Absolutely,” Bruce said seriously. “I’ll teach you to fight as well. It’s not Robin training, but I want you to have every possible tool at your disposal to keep you safe.”

“How come you haven’t mentioned this before?” Billy was kind of excited to learn from Batman, but that had never even come up as a possibility before.

“Because you’re still settling in,” Bruce said. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you with even more things to learn. Part of the point of you being here is making certain you get time to rest and act like a kid, not fill every waking second with lessons.”

“Oh,” Billy said.

“So don’t worry too much. I just want you to pay attention today and stay close to Jason. He’ll keep you safe.”

“Okay, Bruce. I can do that,” Billy said.

“And do try to have fun,” Alfred added.

“Okay!” Billy put on a smile and went back to his breakfast. Despite his cheerful demeanor, what he’d learned settled uneasily in his gut. Bruce had wanted to die, but something changed, and he became a hero instead.

Billy had never gotten that low before, right? But somehow he couldn’t let go of how much that story felt familiar. It was like it could have been him, if things had been different.

They finished breakfast. Billy was still deep in thought when Alfred stepped away. He wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around them until Alfred returned, another person in tow. It was a white woman. She was tall, with long brown hair, brown eyes and a kind expression. She did a doubletake when she saw Billy.

“Good morning, Dana,” Bruce said.

“Bruce,” Dana responded. “Um… did you adopt another identical child?”

Billy, despite how awkward the situation was, let out a snort of laughter. He’d heard Jason say stuff about Bruce’s identical adoptees.

“It really isn’t on purpose,” Bruce said, sounding so tired and done.

“That’s four now. That’s no longer an accident, it’s a choice,” she said dryly.

“In this case, a friend of mine asked me to take care of a boy he was mentoring,” Bruce said. “Billy, this is Dana. She’s about to be Tim’s stepmom.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Billy said politely.

“Oh geez, where are my manners. I’m sorry,” she said.

“I’m not mad,” Billy said. “Bruce, I’m going to go grab my shoes, okay?”

“Alright, bud,” Bruce said. “Jay should be here soon.”

Billy rushed away, but rather than just leave, he left a small listening spell that Mr. Constantine had taught him. He hadn’t met Tim yet. He was anxious to meet Tim. He wanted any information he could get so he wouldn’t mess up when meeting him.

“My apologies for canceling last time,” Bruce said.

“I understand. Jack basically locked the manor down anyway. If Tim hadn’t already been out, I have no idea how he would have managed to get to Batman.”

“Tim did mention he told you,” Bruce said. Wait, did Tim’s stepmom know he was Robin?

“And he told me he told you, and that he told Batman.” What?

“He’s normally very good at keeping secrets. And he’s a responsible boy. If he knows something he isn’t going to let me or Batman get blindsided.”

“That is what I want to talk about… are you certain Batman takes care of Tim?”

“To the best of his ability,” Bruce said.

“Is… is that enough… I’m so sorry for bringing this up, but Tim told me that the Robin before him was with your son when he… when they both died.”

Billy heard Bruce suck in a pained breath.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned-”

“You’re trying to protect Tim, I understand,” Bruce said, having pulled himself back together quickly.

“I still apologize. I’m not trying to be heartless. I just… how can you trust him with Tim?”

“It’s not about trust, exactly,” Bruce said. “You know Tim, he’d do it either way. The best I can do is give him the best tools I can to help him get home safe and also get to have a life that has nothing to do with his night job.”

Dana chuckled weakly. “Night job, huh?”

“You learn to speak around it eventually,” he said.

“Still… both boys died. I just…”

“Only one boy died,” Bruce said suddenly. Billy was surprised he said anything.

“What?” Clearly Dana was surprised too.

“Ah- sorry… It’s just, Jason was Robin too,” Bruce said.

“Oh, Bruce,” Dana whispered.

“The Joker had his birth mother. He went to save her. And it’s… yes, it still hurts. A lot. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive Batman, but Batman won’t ever forgive himself either.”

There was a rustling sound. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine…”

“I’m… well. Alright, there’s something else I’m going to tell you. Only because I have his permission to tell you. Somewhat happened when Jason died. It didn’t stick exactly.”

“How does death not stick- no wait, stupid question.”

“Yes, I only discovered he was alive recently. He’s actually coming to pick Billy up for a day out.”

“That’s, Bruce! That’s wonderful.”

“It is… we’re still hurting. We don’t know if Jason will want to be properly “alive” again or not. We’re taking it slow… he told me I could tell you.”

“Why me? Cleary this is a big secret.”

“Because he cares about Tim. They aren’t… I can’t get into it, and I ask that you not ask any of us for information, but he and Tim had a falling out. Jason’s trying to make amends, but Tim isn’t ready yet. Tim trusts you, though, so Jason wanted you to have someone to contact if something happened and you couldn’t reach anyone else.”

“That’s… very kind of him.”

“I know. He is kind. He cares so much about people. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to care the way he does. Honestly, I’m so proud of him.”

“You do sound like a proud parent,” she said.

Billy had finished putting his shoes on and delayed as much as he reasonably could. He waved away the spell. He’d definitely heard more than he should have, and none of it was really about Tim. Well, he learned something about Dana. She wasn’t someone he could tell about his secret, but she was still trustworthy. And she cared about Tim. No one said, but Billy knew how to read between the lines. There was something wrong with Jack and Tim’s relationship. Not even knowing Tim, Billy was glad the other boy had someone who he could depend on.

Jason was just opening the door when Billy got downstairs.

“You ready to go, kid?” Jason asked.

“I am,” Billy said. “Do you need to say hello to Bruce?”

“Nah, I’ll see him when I drop you off later,” Jason said with an easy smile. “Come on, we’re taking my motorcycle.”

“Can we fly on it?” He knew it was the flying one Jason rode out as Blue Hood.

“Yeah, no. That’s a work hours only feature,” Jason said. “I did get you a helmet, though.”

“Awesome.” It was like Jason planned to take him out more than just once.

Jason guided him out to the bike. Once they got their helmets on, Jason had Billy sit in front. He put his arms around Billy, basically ready to grab Billy and jump off if something happened. Billy’s chest warmed up at the thought. He liked the idea of Jason wanting to protect him. He’d always wished he’d had a big brother, someone who he could depend on and talk to, someone at his side so he wouldn’t be so lonely.

They took off smoothly. Jason drove normally until they were off property, then he took off like a bat out of hell. Billy let out a happy whoop. It felt a lot like flying. The way Jason wove around traffic, cut through alleys, took short cuts that definitely were not supposed to be taken, it was like flying while dodging something. Scary but so cool that it felt exhilarating rather than frightening.

Jason finally slowed when they approached what had to be Crime Alley. Billy understood that while he’d lived and stayed in some truly awful and terrifying places that there was just something different about Crime Alley. There was just an essence to the whole place. All hope bled away there.

Well, not all of it. There were small stars, children and adults who still hadn’t given up their hope, a few who had hope rekindling. Then there was Jason, a star so bright and warm that it was the sun itself. Jason was working on saving his home.

Jason really was amazing. Bruce had good reason to be proud.

“Come on, let’s go up to my place for a while,” Jason said once he’d parked in the garage and they’d gotten off the bike.

“You feel like you belong here,” Billy said.

“Huh?”

“I can feel it. Like I can feel it, feel it.”

“You can, huh?” Jason asked, smiling at Billy, curiosity in his gaze. Billy heart rose. Jason really believed in him.

“Yes. You can change this place. You already are. You’re not just a star, you’re a sun.”

The expression Jason wore when he looked at Billy was so touched and emotional.

“Thank you- thanks, Kid.” Jason then swallowed and turned away.

Billy smiled to himself. Jason was so good. No matter what happened with Dick or Tim in the future, Billy felt certain he’d still have Jason by his side. And with that understanding, he actually felt like he might end up staying in Gotham for real.

Chapter Text

Noah avoided Danny for the first few days. It was only half on purpose.

Danny was a really busy guy. He and Val had duties as the local heroes. Ghosts would cause trouble and they would handle it before anything got too bad. If living people caused trouble, they might help handle that too. Besides the whole hero thing, Danny had King stuff to do, which he took very seriously. Noah got the sense that he’d recently taken on a lot of projects. Then he had the kids he helped. There were a couple, like Ace, who were permanent residents. A few got adopted by local families. A couple had grown up and gotten their own places. Currently, the Grays and Fentons were only hosting Ace, Noah and Billy. And Billy didn’t even live there full-time.

Danny clearly had a soft spot for Billy, which Noah understood. Billy was a good kid. He was genuine, with a good heart. But he also cracked jokes, sometimes got into trouble and then tried to seem likeable. That was what the system did to him. Noah had never been homeless, but he’d basically raised himself for a reason. Billy didn’t want the good things in his life to disappear, so he tried to be what adults wanted, or what he thought they wanted. But even with that, when he was checking up on people, trying to make them more comfortable, simply being kind, it was because he truly wanted to help. Watching him work so hard to learn BSL was more than enough to warm Noah’s heart. And seeing Danny showering the kid with affection made him like Danny a little bit.

Outside of trying to help whatever wayward children wandered into his home, Danny cut out time to spend with his family. Noah had seen Danny play with his kids plenty, do household chores, take his wife out. He visited his parents and the sibling who still lived in town. He also spent time making food for his friends, the Manson-Foleys, who apparently had a child recently. Danny was making meals so they wouldn’t have to worry about it. That made him like Danny a little bit too.

Noah really liked the Grays. Damon was a very normal man, smart and warm. He was protective of his daughter and grandkids, and he was very fond of the people in her life, including her husband. Val was amazing, accepting, a daredevil, wicked, fun and loving. The kids were great. Noah had only had to do babysitting alone one time and it was only an hour. Stella had been decently polite, and Orion wanted to do everything his big sister wanted to do. Ursa either wanted to be held or play with her soft spaceships and blocks. Apparently, Val and Danny had taught them ASL early, so Noah got to practice with the niblings. It was fun, easy compared to what he was used to.

Noah understood why John kept insisting that Danny was a good guy. It was the way he treated his wife and kids, the way his kids acted because they’d never had anything to fear. It was the way he offered kindness to the people of his city and his realm. It was how he welcomed Noah and any other kid who needed help into his protection with very little question. Danny was a good guy, but that didn’t mean Noah liked him. Danny was so kind and friendly with everyone, but when it came to John, he was just… different.

John made an offhanded (and yeah, a bit off-color) joke and Danny would say something a little sharp, just a little, just enough to shut John up fast. Or it was the way Danny always seemed suspicious that John was up to something or trying to wriggle out of his commitments. Which, maybe that was just a symptom of spending a significant amount of time around John Constantine. But it stood out to Noah, and it pissed him off.

So, yes, Noah avoided Danny when Danny was actually around. He would answer questions with as few words and hand motions as possible. He made himself busy with the kids. He would head out to the garden a lot. He would go for walks around town just to avoid Danny. He didn’t like him, and he didn’t want to be around him any more than he had to.

Despite his feelings, he swallowed them to approach Danny after almost a full week of living in his house. Danny was finishing cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, the kids were outside with Val and Damon, and it was quiet in the house for a little while. Noah walked over and stood at Danny’s side, waiting for him to notice him.

“Hey,” Danny said, pulling on a kind smile. “You need something?”

-You got a minute? I have something I need to ask you. - Noah had written his message out on the pad around his neck before he even approached Danny. After he saw Danny’s eyes run across the words, he dropped the notepad, so it hung around his neck rather than him having to hold it up. He got to watch Danny’s eyes follow the pad down like he wasn’t quite done reading. Then his eyes flicked back up and Danny offered one of his big, kind smiles.

“Yeah, let me get these soaking and we can talk.”

Noah stepped away, watching Danny change direction from washing the dishes immediately to just filling the sink with hot and soapy water and leaving everything to soak. He waited while Danny made his hands intangible, and all the soap and water just fell back into the sink. Really, Noah thought Danny should just turn the dishes intangible and let the food fall off. He’d seen Danny do it before, but sometimes it seemed like Danny forgot he wasn’t entirely human at the oddest times.

“Let’s talk in the study,” Danny said. He walked away and Noah followed. There was a first floor study near the front door. There were books and stuff and a top-of-the-line computer, but as far as Noah could tell, the Grays only used the study to pay bills.

Danny stepped aside so Noah could step in. Once he stepped past Danny, Danny shut the door behind him. Noah heard the lock click into place.

“Hope you don’t mind; you just seem all serious. I won’t want one of the kids running in and interrupting us.”

Noah gave a thumbs up. He moved so he stood near the window out the front garden, keeping his eyes on the door and Danny Gray. He slowly lifted his hands. He paused for a moment and then started to sign.

[You own John’s soul.]

“I mean, someone’s going to own it anyway,” Danny said. It was clearly an awkward joke, but it got Noah’s hackles up.

[Do you deal in souls a lot? And Demons? Do you deal with them a lot?]

“More than I wish I did,” Danny said. “Is this a demon question?”

Noah paused, considering how to explain.

[Mate of John’s broke a salt circle in the middle of a fight. The demons started using him as a portal. John was dead. Nat was busy. I could hear John’s spirit. He told me that we had to close the gate, and we had to give the demons something.] He paused, swallowing thickly and then just finished his words. [I killed him, and they took him to hell.]

“Well, hell.” Danny’s eyes widened for a second before his face gained an aggravated expression. “Goddammit, John. Of course, you fucking did,” Danny muttered. He bit the pad of his thumb. His eyes rapidly moved side to side. He was thinking, considering Noah’s words.

Noah waved his hands until Danny noticed and looked up at him.

[I’m the one who killed him, not John.] It hurt him to admit to anyone that he was a killer, but he hated how Danny blamed John immediately.

“No, I can tell,” Danny said. He waved a hand at Noah, not exactly dismissive, but just another indication that Noah wasn’t saying anything new. “Not like what you had to do immediately damned you or anything like that, at least not in a way I can tell. But no fucking wonder John’s being such an idiot.”

[He’s not an idiot. He’s not an idiot. He’s not an idiot.] Noah kept signing those words over and over, shaking with anger. Danny stared at him in dumbfounded silence. Only once he got that reaction did Noah sign something else. [Why are you blaming him?]

“Oh.” Danny’s exclamation came out like a puff of air. “Oh, Noah, I’m sorry.”

[You talk bad about him. You always talk bad about him.]

“I’m sorry,” Danny said again. He sounded like he meant it, but Noah had seen how much people lied. Danny might not mean it at all.

[Sorry doesn’t fix it].

“Ah, yeah, I suppose I should explain what I actually meant… John’s extremely good at what he does, and he’s got luck bleeding out his pores. Problem is that when one person’s a source of luck it can sort of… draw luck away from what’s around them.”

Noah closed his eyes, drew in a breath and then let it out. Yeah, okay, that made sense. He opened his eyes, looking at Danny who was looking at him differently. He didn’t see him as a kid, but like… like an adult talking to an adult.

[He said the price of magic is higher than the prize.]

“And he would know. John’s luck and skill keeps him alive, and he often succeeds in his goal, but that doesn’t mean people don’t get hurt in the process. The man can’t predict the future or think of every contingency when the magical universe is just bullshit most of the time… but he’s got a really hard time accepting that. You’ve seen it a little already, haven’t you?” Danny’s expression was too knowing.

[Yeah, I have.] John obviously felt bad about what happened.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the universe who feels guilty as much or as easily as John Constantine. I end up cursing his name and snapping at him because it’s so frustrating to watch. Especially when he gets it in his head that people would be better off without him. I respect his skills very much. There’s a reason I charged him with tending to the one ghost portal that I control which isn’t in my town. He’s good, really good.”

[So, you don’t dislike him?]

“He drives me nuts, but no… Noah, you have no idea what he was willing to give me to get you here. You’re extremely important to him. And that means there’s a higher chance that he’ll end up running scared, alright?”

Noah considered these words. [He said you wouldn’t take a favor.]

“Not for something I’d already do anyway,” he said. “Just… what happened, he’s going to be stupid about it. Try not to let it get to you.”

[I don’t need him to feel guilty about something I did.]

“He told you to do it, and given the situation, his being dead was probably his plan, right?” Noah nodded. “Trust me, he’s going to feel bad about it.”

[Is there anything you can do? Poor sod’s name is Tommy Willowtree.]

Danny pulled a face. “Maybe. I’m not going to make promises. There are a lot of demons scared shitless of me, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. They might be extra resistant because they’re too afraid to have me know who they are.”

[You’re maybe the only one who can do anything. I get the sense it’s final otherwise.]

“Basically,” Danny said with a bitter expression. “Unless someone else makes a deal… and the demon accepts. John’s asked me for something like this before. But there are some demons who won’t trade for anything,” he admitted. Which meant Danny had tried and failed before.

[Just try. There wasn’t much of a choice to kill him, but he doesn’t deserve to be in hell for being an idiot.]

Danny chuckled weakly. “Yes, sorry. Shouldn’t have laughed. I’ll see what I can do. If I can get him, I’ll bring him to the Infinite Realms… that’s to say I can’t send anyone anywhere once they’re dead except my realm. It’s not good or bad there. It just is. But it isn’t hell, which should be an improvement.”

[Good to know. That’s fine.]

Danny relaxed a little. “You know, John’s supposed to be here today to teach Billy. Maybe if you head over to APU early you can catch him. He’s going to be on Nightingale Hall, room 709.”

[Thanks for the heads up, mate.]

Noah saw himself out. He needed to grab his keys and wallet and start walking immediately if he wanted to get there. He didn’t say goodbye to anyone else, but if they asked, Danny would explain where he went. Ace wouldn’t care, since Noah was going to take her out for ice cream that evening, and Billy would see him when he arrived for lessons anyway.

Walking in Amity Park was always an unsettling experience. Even without all the ghosts around, Amity Park was just so… foreign. Noah hadn’t considered just how alienating it would be to go to a place where no one sounded the way he was used to, and nothing was even spelt right. Thing was that even though realistically no one should be able to just… tell that he wasn’t some yank, specifically because he couldn’t sound English, he just felt like he stood out too much. And yeah, maybe it worried him that once he learned ASL that no one would be able to tell at all.

He let out a sigh as he walked. He pulled his hood up and kept his head down. One nice thing about Amity Park, aside from the lack of pollution and a lack of Boris Johnson and his ilk fucking up every little thing, was that if you made an effort to look like you did not want to be bothered then people did not bother you. He understood that was Amity’s hard-won knowledge. It was one of the plus sides of ghosts.

APU seemed a lot less like an American University and more like some of the unis back in London. Specifically, it looked like Regent’s University, with all the crawling Ivy and brick buildings. Nightingale Hall smelled like old building. There was an uneasy creaking to the place that could be explained by old floorboards, but Noah just knew that wasn’t what was going on there. Nightingale Hall wasn’t haunted, but somethings nasty happened there at some point.

Apparently, John had an office in the building somewhere, but Noah had no clue where that might be. He did take the stairs rather than subject himself to the ancient lift which always seemed to be two-seconds from snapping its cables and plummeting all passengers to their death. Downside was being out of breath when he finished the jog up the stairs. He leaned against the wall, panting and keeping his ears open for noise. There were classes going on, but that meant everyone was in a room and the halls were still and quiet in an unsettling way. It just encouraged him to drag enough oxygen into his lungs and hurry on faster.

Room 709 was the last classroom on the hall on the highest floor. It was a lecture room with raised levels like stairs. There was a huge oddly shaped window that ran along the levels on the wall opposite the door. There were multiple tables and chairs on each level. Noah had never really been in a classroom like that before, and he never really believed he’d ever learn in a place like that either.

He carefully shut the door behind him and padded as quietly as he could across the wood floors. Those didn’t squeak with each step. Noah didn’t know how to explain it, but it felt like a place John spent time in. There wasn’t a single hint of his personal touch, but Noah could just feel that it was true. He walked with extra wide steps to the third level and sidled over to the second chair on the window side.

There was a nice view, but his eyes were drawn to the desk, lectern and wide chalkboard down at the front. The lights were off, but the window was so large that there was plenty of light. He imagined that John basically never turned on the artificial lights in that room if he could help it.

Noah rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. He imagined John arriving late to class, even though he had also arrived very early and filled the chalk board with diagrams, text and equations. Probably stepped out to piss and just lost track of time. He’d be agitated, ripping off his coat and tossing it across the desk, rolling up his sleeves with manic energy while he started talking.

“Right,” he’d say, ignoring all explanation for his lateness or introduction of who he was. “It should go without saying that you absolutely never, ever ask any spirit ever how they died. But some of your bloody tossers can’t seem to keep literal Amity Park rule number one in your minds. So, for this fucking intro we’re going to spend ninety minutes with me explaining in painful, gruesome, excruciating detail why you never, ever ask a spirit why they died. Now, let’s get started.”

Noah smiled to himself. He didn’t know why it seemed right, but the image was so perfect that he let out the breathy chuckle that counted as his laugh after the accident.

He could imagine John teaching Billy too, showing him bits of magic. John didn’t like teaching magic, but something was special about the kid. There was something so much like John in Billy’s eyes. It was powerful and too kind for their own good. That something wouldn’t quite leave Noah’s mind. They were just too similar. And Noah had to wonder if John knew Billy was his kid (he probably did). And if he did, was teaching Billy John’s way of getting close to him without telling him he had a father all these years and never let him know?

Did it make John happy? Happy and guilty in equal measure? Did he chastise himself for liking it to much, and say something sharp to put distance between them? Did he keep coming back anyway, not because the Ghost King asked but because he couldn’t help the way he needed to see his kid?

Billy was a lucky kid.

“Noah, the hell you doin here?” John asked. He had the door half shut behind him, frozen when he realized Noah was sitting there in his classroom.

[Danny said you’d be here.]

John’s mouth quirked into a smirk. “Decided to try talking to him rather than avoiding him?”

[I haven’t seen you in a week. How do you know that?]

“Word of advice: ghosts love to gossip.”

Noah rolled his eyes. Figures.

“So, what does his majesty want?” John shut the door behind him and made his way to the desk. He pulled off his coat and tossed it across the desk in a less annoyed version of what Noah had imagined earlier.

[I asked him if he could do anything for Tommy.]

Now that Danny described John’s constant guilt, Noah had a much easier time identifying it. John froze at the mention of Tommy’s name. It was the way his cocky, fond, amused smile froze unnaturally for just a second. And then it was the way he broke out of that stillness, just a little too erratic and spastic. It was subtle, though. But Noah could see it like he was reading a picture book.

“Right, Tommy. Just don’t expect much.”

[He says you asked before.]

John’s freeze wasn’t so subtle this time. His expression dropped and he pulled a cig from his jacket, lighting it up before he bothered to speak again. The cig was lit, resting in his mouth and he was fiddling with the lighter before he actually answered.

“As I said, don’t expect much.”

[I’m not. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t ask. And Danny said that he couldn’t promise anything.]

“Demons don’t like giving up anything,” John said. “Just don’t expect it to work… do you like him now?”

There was uncomfortable lilt to John’s words. Noah couldn’t help but wonder if the idea of Noah liking Danny actually upset him.

[You’re afraid of him. Why would I like him?]

Clearly John didn’t expect that. It was like he’d been gearing up for a fight, but Noah’s comment knocked the wind out of his sails. A little joy lit up his face. He took a long drag and blew out smoke.

“Yeah, well,” he said, clearly a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat. “Still doesn’t explain why you had to come all the way here to talk to me.”

[I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.]

“Why?” Of course, why would John just ever think Noah would just come see him because he missed him and wanted to see him?

[You have magic lessons with Billy, right? I thought I could stay and watch. I wanna see what you do.]

John pulled a face. “I’m not going to teach you magic.”

[You’re teaching Billy.] He didn’t inherently want to learn magic. He just wanted to be allowed to stick around.

“Yeah, well, Billy’s immune. I’ve told you that before.” John was starting to get agitated again, much more than before. Noah was starting to feel it too. His denial hurt. John wasn’t paying attention to his words. He hadn’t asked to learn magic, but John assumed and shut him down. He didn’t want Noah there. That fact hurt.

[You can just say you want to spend time with your son.] He shouldn’t get mad about it, but he was mad about it. He liked Billy. He liked John. He was glad that John was actually spending time with his kid. He was, really.

He just wished that John wanted him like that too.

“I… what?” John looked properly flummoxed.

[Your kid. I know Billy’s your kid. I can see it, that thing in your eyes. Well done being a stellar dad until now.] Now he was just being mean. He could see the way John reeled back like Noah had punched him.

“Why do you care anyway?” John snapped. He sucked in a big drag off the ciggie, looking like he was torn between wanting to attack and run.

[If you can’t figure that out, then I can’t help you.]

“Well, I can’t figure it out,” John snapped. “Why the fuck would you care if Billy is my kid?”

Noah’s heart dropped. John said it. Billy was his son.

[I don’t know, maybe you should actually tell him rather than being a coward. He’s been homeless for years. What type of shithead won’t take care of their homeless kid.] That was unfair. John’s life was dangerous. People around him got hurt. Billy was a child. He was even more vulnerable.

John’s expression shuttered entirely.

“I don’t know why you give a shit. With what you know, it’s not like you’re family or anything. And hell, my dad was a bastard. I’m just like him. I can say with certainty that it’s better to not have me than to have me. Even being homeless is better than having me as a dad.”

Noah’s heart felt like it was breaking. He knew that John was like this. He wanted John to tell Billy. Billy deserved to know. But more than that, if Billy wasn’t worth the effort on John’s part, then Noah really wasn’t worth it, was he?

“Wait, shit, are you crying?” He recognized that John sounded panicked, but he couldn’t handle it, not really.

[Enjoy your lessons.]

He quickly walked down the stairs, heading for the door.

“Noah, wait,” John said, putting himself between Noah and the exit.

Noah shoved John away as hard as he could. John’s expression was surprised as he stumbled back into the desk. His hip hit the edge of the desk and he let out a hiss of pain.

[Sorry].

He headed out, not letting John stop him. He managed to get out the door and get halfway down the hall before anyone could stop him. And he only stopped because he nearly ran into Billy.

“Noah! Are you okay?” Billy held his hands out, looking up at Noah with those bright blue eyes.

Noah shook his head. [Ask John why I’m upset].

“What did Constantine do?” There was something hard in Billy’s voice, more adult than Noah expected.

He didn’t have it in him to figure out why Billy could sound like that. Nor did he have the energy to try to communicate with Billy without someone there to help translate. He shook his head and walked around Billy, heading out as fast as he could.

He ran out of Nightingale Hall, pulling up his hood. He slowed his steps the second he was outside and kept his head down. Amity Park would leave him alone. It knew better than to bother him at that moment.

Chapter Text

John stared at the spot where Noah had been. He pulled the cig from his mouth. He put the damned thing out on the old dark oak desk and tossed it in the bin. The administration and Danny could be pissed at him later. He didn’t care. No, he did care. He wanted to make someone else pissed at him. At least maybe he could feel angry then.

“Constantine! What did you do!”

And there was Danny’s brat. And the Bat’s brat. And the pain in John’s ass that he couldn’t lash out at if he actually wanted to keep his ass.

“I don’t fucking know,” John snapped. He ran his hand through his hair, making it more of a mess than normal. He shoved his other hand into his pocket, finding his lighter. He grabbed it, gripping it tight.

Noah really knew how to hit below the belt. John was pretty sure he’d hurt less if Noah had just physically beaten him. His hip didn’t feel good, hitting the sharp edge of a desk was not something John could recommend, but he was pretty sure the pain was the only thing keeping him from losing it. It was something to focus on. And it was better to have something to focus on than sitting on the floor and bawling like an idiot.

“He was crying. What the hell did you say?” Billy was pissed. Captain Marvel was bleeding into his words. His eyes shown with too much light, too much magic, too much like lightning. This was why kids shouldn’t have phenomenal cosmic powers: it was too easy to lose control and cause irreparable damage. Billy would be crushed if he hurt John or killed him. There was still an innocence in his soul that John never had, and which he wanted to protect if at all possible.

“I don’t fucking know!” His words were hysterical. He reached for the Silk Cut in his pocket, pulling them out and holding them for a moment before shoving them back in. Smoking would feel good. It was familiar, it helped him relax. And smoking one posed a risk to more than just himself at that moment. He wasn’t going to give a kid lung cancer, goddammit. Whatever comfort he could get his cigs wasn’t worth hurting Billy.

“You had to have said something,” Billy insisted, shocking John by managing to get himself under control. But it shouldn’t have been that surprising. John was underestimating the kid. Billy had to hide who he really was for years, and not just because of being Captain Marvel. Billy had wanted to be adopted. The system made him put on a mask. Kid already knew self-control.

John? John didn’t feel like he knew it at that moment.

He dropped down too fast to the floor. He tried to slide down the desk, but with protruding lip at the top from the rim of the desk, the only thing he managed to do was hurt his tailbone twice over, first when he hit the lip and then when he hit the floor.

“Constantine! Are you okay?” Billy rushed to his side. John waved him away.

“That was just ungraceful,” he said. He swallowed, wishing once again he could be somewhere where he could actually smoke. He leaned his head back, smacking it against the desk. It stung, and that made his other hurts feel better for a half second.

“What happened?” Billy didn’t sound accusatory. He sat down next to John on his level. John reached out and ruffled his hair. It was the type of touch he’d always craved from his dad, the type he never got.

“You’re a good kid,” John said.

“Constatine,” Billy said, attempting to sound serious, but that was undercut by him trying to straighten his hair at the same time.

“Parents aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, kid,” John said. His eyes were on the seat Noah had been sitting in. He’d been happy when John came in. He’d come to see him. He’d wanted to spend time with him. John couldn’t get the image out of his mind.

“What’s that got to do with anything,” Billy said.

“I had a twin,” John said. “Did you know that? Nah, most people don’t. I basically devoured him in the womb. And then there were those wonderful pregnancy complications. I made it, mum didn’t…” He squeezed his lighter, pulling it from his pocket and holding onto it like it was a stuffie and it would make it better. But then, hadn’t he always treated his vices that way?

“I’m sorry,” Billy said because he was a good kid.

“Dad took it real fucking personal. He always told me it was my fault she died. Used to call me ‘Killer’.” Billy was totally silent and still at his side. “He’d come up to me and punch me so hard in the gut I couldn’t breathe. Then he’d go “best not get any funny ideas about putting your hands on your sister too, Killer.” Like I ever did anything but love Cheryl, since she was the only bloody decent one of us in the whole family.”

He hung his head and let out a long sigh.

“I never wanted kids. M’not good with ‘em. It’s too dangerous. I’m shite at it. I’m just the worst.” He let out a ragged laugh.

Billy was still and silent at his side. Good, looked like he’d traumatized two kids in one day. Bloody perfect.

“It’s cause Noah’s your son, right?”

John’s head whipped up so fast he practically gave himself whiplash. He barely winced even though he definitely pulled something, his facial muscles too busy being frozen in shock.

“Bloody hell, what makes you say that?”

Billy shrugged, but he was looking intently at John. “There’s like this line between you. Like a bond. Danny and Val have that with their kids too.”

“You can see that?” John asked, incredulous.

“I’m trying to see other stuff, and I can’t do it all the time. But yeah, I saw it when you dropped Noah off.”

“Shite,” John groaned. “Shite. Just… just don’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

“Too dangerous.”

“But Noah lives in Amity Park,” Billy said. “Blood ties shouldn’t matter. Any elemental, or demon or fae or any other thing that could come to get him would never get close.”

John hated how much Billy knew about magic, how much of an adult he’d had to be for so long.

“He doesn’t know,” John said. “I didn’t know until… look, that part doesn’t matter.”

“Why doesn’t he know?”

“I don’t want him to,” John said. “Fuck, he called me a shit father and he doesn’t even know we’re related.”

Noah could tell John was no good. He looked John right in the face and called him out for being a coward and a bastard.

And John made him cry.

John wanted to curl up in a ball and just die.

“Why’d he say that?” Billy asked. “That doesn’t make any sense. He talks- ah, discusses you a lot. He likes you. I don’t understand.”

“He thinks you’re my kid.” John turned his head to look at Billy just in time to see the kid wrinkle his nose.

“Ew,” Billy said.

John, despite everything, laughed. “Thanks, brat. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”

“Why does he think that?”

“He said it’s in our eyes,” John said.

“Like… he can see magic?” Billy asked.

John’s heart dropped out his arse. “Shite. Fuck! He can see our magic.”

He didn’t think he looked like Billy. Their eyes weren’t even the same shade of blue. He hadn’t had a lot of time to examine why Noah would think that he and Billy were related. Far as John could tell, the only thing John and Billy had in common was whiteness. But if Noah was starting to see magic… well, that was a problem all on its own, a really, really bad one.

“You could teach him,” Billy said.

“I don’t teach magic, kid,” John said. He saw Billy open his mouth. “And don’t point out that I teach you. First off, being the Champion of Magic makes whatever you do immune from the normal magical bullshit consequences. And I literally only teach you because Danny told me to. Otherwise, no dice.”

“But Noah probably has the same abilities you do,” Billy pointed out.

“Most of my abilities come from a lot of dumb deals, bad decisions and studying,” John said. “And I know exactly why he shouldn’t be messing with that shite. I don’t want him to be me.”

But he’d already done that, hadn’t he? He made Noah a killer. Noah had heard Tommy Willowtree be dragged to hell; the numpty not even aware of what was happening all the way to the end. John should have just made Tommy stop. He shouldn’t have encouraged it. John knew that breaking Tommy’s heart was better than welcome him as a Magician, but he’d been weak and scared of Tommy running off to do shite on his own. Worse, John never should have brought Noah into any of it. Having him drive John around because he hated the bloody tube? He should have just sent Noah on his way after getting him away from K-Mag’s grubby, greedy, creepy hands.

“Who says he has to be you,” Billy pointed out. His words cracked through John’s recriminations. “He can just be himself.”

John went silent for a moment.

“That’s what I want for him,” John admitted, his words so quiet that they were barely above a whisper.

“You aren’t going to tell him, are you?” Billy’s eyes were too knowing.

“I can’t drag him down further. I won’t make him a killer too.” That last bit he hadn’t meant to say at all. Billy’s eyes lit with sympathy and John hated it. He looked away, which just let the brat snuggle up against his side.

John dropped his eyes to his knees. Billy was a good kid, but he wasn’t John’s kid. Billy wasn’t the one John wanted to sit that close to him, pressed side to side. But if he ever let Noah know…. No. Noah knew he was a shit father. He knew already. John already proved him right.

And yeah, he really was a coward.

“I think maybe we shouldn’t do magic lessons today,” Billy said. It surprised John out of his thoughts. Billy loved magic lessons. He always wanted to know more, work longer. John and Zatanna, and basically all of the adults in his life had to put limits on the amount he could learn in one go. John never would have thought he’d suggest skiving off.

“Oh yeah?” John asked with a weak smile. “And what do you think we should do today?”

Billy made a show of thinking, scratching his chin and pretending to stroke a beard like a wizened old man.

“We should get ice cream,” he finally declared.

“You know what? Sure. That sounds good.” John pushed himself up, ignoring the protests from his arse and hip. The pain was better than feeling nothing. And he was not about to explain to an eleven-year-old that he’d hurt his bum by dropping to the floor too fast. Billy was a good boy, but he was still eleven, and that meant he’d tease John about it forever.

Billy scrambled up a lot faster than John could. “Let’s go! There’s rocky road with my name on it.”

“Sure,” John said. He felt too heart sick to try and tease Billy for his ice cream choice. He could also tell that Billy could tell how he felt. But the kid didn’t push. John was feeling so sorry for himself that he was letting an eleven-year-old try to comfort him. But he was also teaching him the wonders of playing hooky, so it balanced it out, at least a little bit. And he was buying Billy ice cream. That had to count for something.

Chapter Text

Hal didn’t normally get called in to a super-secret JL meeting that only included himself, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It wasn’t like he minded, but generally if he was getting called in for that kind of meeting there were at least two other JL members, like Martain Manhunter, Hawkgirl, or Captain Marvel (who apparently was like on vacation or something because his name had been pulled from the duty roster entirely. And they all knew that Batman didn’t just let you off that list for no reason. Control freak.)

“You called?” Hal said when he walked into the room, finding the others already waiting.

“Good evening, Green Lantern,” Superman said, his voice all official.

“So, what’s going on?” he asked. All three of them looked so serious that Hal couldn’t help but worry.

“There is a matter which needs to be handled delicately,” Superman said.

“Okay?” Hal could just see Batman staring at him, likely thinking that Hal couldn’t handle anything delicately if he tried. Ass.

“How familiar are you with Phantom?” Wonder Woman asked.

“First hero, guy with podcast?” Hal said. “I’m aware but I don’t know him or anything.”

“We were aware you didn’t know him,” Batman said bluntly.

“Um, ow. You make it sound like I don’t have friends,” Hal said, putting his hand over his heart like he’d actually been wounded.

“Phantom doesn’t know who you are,” Wonder Woman said, a little smile on her face.

“Damn, that one actually hurt,” Hal said. Batman was vicious, but Diana’s good-natured bluntness was far more cutting.

“Don’t feel bad. Phantom doesn’t tend to pay attention to the wider world of heroes,” Superman said.

“Yeah, cause he’s like retired, right?”

“Only in the sense that he doesn’t handle world ending events anymore,” Batman said.

“Oh… yeah, he got that clown from your city, right?” Hal said. “I’m surprised you didn’t string him up for that. You hate other capes in your territory.”

“Phantom happened to have legal claim over Joker,” Batman stated.

“Wait, so he had your permission?” Hal never thought he’d see the day that Batman approved of a murder.

“He didn’t need my permission,” Batman said.

“The issue,” Superman cut in. “Has nothing to do with that. We need your assurance that this won’t get around.”

“Whatever it is, you can trust me,” Hal said.

“Can we trust Guy?” Superman asked. Hal winced. Yeah, Guy wasn’t always the best with secrets, and if something went bad enough, Hal would probably call on other Lanterns, which included Guy.

“I won’t tell him,” Hal said.

“He might need to know anyway,” Batman said, though he sounded like he’d rather tell anyone else. “This is a Green Lantern matter.”

Something in the way Bruce said those words made the hairs on the back of Hal’s neck stand up.

“It’s big, isn’t?” Hal asked, his voice getting serious. “Whatever you’re worried to talk about, it’s dangerous.”

“Extremely,” Superman said. “And it has to do with a friend, one who has helped Batman and myself out recently. Putting aside that our friend could be hurt, this could have catastrophic repercussions.”

“For earth?”

“For the universe,” Batman said. “Potentially, but we are not expecting to get that far.” Well, that was reassuring. Batman tended to be the group pessimist.

“What do I need to know, and what do you need me to do?” he asked.

“Come to Amity Park tomorrow,” Wonder Woman said. “Phantom needs assistance and your expertise.”

“I’ll be there,” Hal swore.

“Good, you can arrive out of costume,” Batman said.

Now that was interesting.

“I’ll be there,” Hal repeated.

Hal arrived by Zeta to Amity Park ten minutes before the meet up time. Wonder Woman arrived one minute after him, dressed in a comfy looking jump suit that looked fabulous on her because she was in fact fabulous.

“Where are the others?” Hal asked.

“They’re already at the portal,” Diana said. Diana didn’t exactly have a secret identity. While Hal might know a few secret identities, like Barry, or the other Green Lanterns, he didn’t know Batman and Superman. And it seemed like he wasn’t going to be finding out any time soon.

“Why couldn’t I come as Green Lantern then?” Hal asked.

“Because I’m walking you to Fenton Works,” came a cheerful voice that Hal recognized from the videos he’d watched the previous day, attempting to glean something about Phantom.

“What’s that exactly?” Hal asked. “Hal Jordan, nice to meet you.”

“It’s home,” Phantom’s clone said. “Ellie Fenton, nice to meet you, Hal.” Then she turned to look at Diana and just floated off the floor. “Oh ancients! Wonder Woman is in my city!”

Diana let out a soft laugh. “It’s very good to meet you, Ms. Ellie Fenton. You can call me Diana, if you would like.”

“Very much like,” Ellie said. She was practically over their heads by that point. She cleared her throat and lowered herself back down. “Sorry, shall we go? Superman and Batman are discussing things with my parents, and that’s a long-term recipe for disaster, especially because Jay didn’t bring B-man a robot when he went home.”

Diana laughed. “I’m certain Batman was very grumpy about it.”

Ellie laughed and landed sneakers first on the ground. She guided them out of the zeta facility and to the outside world.

Hal would admit that he might have freaked out a little, but he did contain himself. He just never expected to see so many dead people just moving around like they were entirely fine.

“That’s a lot of ghosts,” he wheezed.

“That’s cause Amity Park’s the only place on earth where ghosts are allowed to freely interact with the living,” Ellie said. “Lot of ghosts don’t want to spend time in the living world, but there’s plenty who do.”

“Huh,” Hal said. He looked to Ellie. “Wait, aren’t you dead?” She had black hair, not white, and blue eyes, not green.

“Half,” she said.

“Half?”

“Half-dead,” she said. “Technically, I was born this way, or created this way.” Hal sucked a breath through his nose.

“The guy who did this to you-”

“Decades of Outer Space Time Out,” she assured him, offering a smile that was a little less bombastic than what she’d been displaying before. “But thank you for being concerned about me.”

Hal’s cheeks heated. Ellie’s spunky expressions were cute, but there was something about her more sincere face that could easily have him tripping over his own feet.

“Do you like it here?”

“I traveled all over the world when I was younger,” she said. “But then I came back here. I don’t stay all the time, but honestly, I really like it here. Real family and friends make a home, after all.”

“Yeah, of course,” Hal said.

He found himself filling the air with idle chatter, which was how he learned that Ellie knew a ton of languages and kept picking up more (“It’s like one of my superpowers”), that her favorite color was green (“Perhaps you shouldn’t say whatever you’re about to say, Hal.” “Yeah, right, thanks Diana.”) and that her favorite food was fruit loops (“shhh, don’t tell Danny!” said with a wink and a smile).

Finally, they arrived at Fenton Works, which turned out to be a… town house? Apartment complex? Which was also where Ellie’s parents did their experiments and built their inventions, which according to what little he’d picked up, were good enough to make Batman jealous, so they had to be good.

Ellie opened the door and stepped inside. “I’m home!” she called the second she was inside the door. She stepped forward deeper into her home, allowing Hal and Diana to step inside. When Hal went to close the door, he found it already closing on its own. Or maybe it was a ghost thing. Who knew?

“Finally!” a teen girl called back, rushing into the room. She threw her arms around Ellie, who grabbed onto the girl, floating them off the ground so the teen in black and white as basically resting on Ellie’s chest.

“I wasn’t even gone that long,” Ellie said, ruffling the girl’s hair.

“Billy’s with Zatanna and I’m bored,” the girl said. “Can you play now.”

“Sorry, Ace,” Ellie said. “I got to go with Danny for this. Both mom and dad will be free soon. You can ask dad to play. You know he’d love too.”

Ace pouted but didn’t look too upset. “Okay, fine. I guess Jackie isn’t too bad.”

“He’ll even make you tea for a tea party if you ask,” Ellie said. That made Ace grin.

“Great! I love the green stuff.”

Ellie winced. She moved them so she could set Ace down safely on the ground. “You really shouldn’t drink so much ecto-stuff.”

“You’re just jealous cause you’re not getting the green stuff,” Ace said, sticking her tongue out.

Ellie let out a long-suffering sigh. She glanced over at Hal and Diana, weighing just how much trouble the argument was going to be against the errand of ferrying the pair of them to the portal.

“Fine, whatever,” Ellie said. “Can you feed Blobbert, please?”

“Only if I can play with him,” Ace said, already running off upstairs.

“Ask him if he wants to play first!” Ellie shouted after Ace. She placed her face in both her hands and groaned.

“You okay?” Hal asked after the groan continued for more than one uninterrupted minute.

“Fine. I just need to remind myself that I do love that gremlin and she is worth it. And I have to try not to remember how I acted with Jazz and Danny when I was younger.”

“Siblings are like that,” Hal assured her.

“I know, I know,” Ellie whined. She lowered herself back to the floor and straightened up. “The other two brats we were housing here ran off recently and Ace decided the only two people who aren’t Fentons who she wants to talk to are Billy, who has a bunch of classes he has to attend, and Noah, who is 16 and currently going through a Constantine-shaped crisis and therefore not the best company. She didn’t even want to talk to Batman when he got here, and she loves Batman.”

“Did something happen?” Diana asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Yeah… two of the kids who were staying with us decided they didn’t want to stay in Amity Park, which is fine. We don’t make them stay or anything. But Duela and Enigma just… heterodyned off each other, made each other worse… and I think Ace really wanted them to stay and get help… but you can’t make people get help. You can only offer it.”

“Do you think they’ll come back?” Hal asked.

Ellie snorted. “I don’t think so. And if they do, they aren’t staying in Fenton Works. They nearly burned the house down. Anyway, let’s just go.”

Hal wasn’t certain she was supposed to tell them all of that, but it was clear she was stressed about it. Ace probably wasn’t officially adopted, but Hal could see a sibling worrying about another sibling. Whether Ellie admitted it or not, Ace was her little sister, and she was worried.

Ellie guided them down to the portal. It was in the basement. The portal was closed up, and there was a mini-space ship sitting in front of the blast doors, along with Batman, Superman, two men who managed to be taller than those two, and a red-haired woman in a lab suit.

“Sorry for the delay,” Ellie said, floating down the stairs. “I ran into Ace. She’s getting bored and antsy. She wants to play tea party with you dad. She specifically said she wanted the green stuff.”

“Excellent!” the largest man shouted, punching the air.

“Dad, is it really a good idea to give her ecto-contaminated matcha?” the other tall man said.

“Don’t be so concerned, Danno!” the larger man shouted. “It’s good for her!”

“The cloned heart we’ve fabricated for her is based on Vlad’s old research,” the woman added. “Essentially, the ectoplasm will take the place of anti-rejection medication.”

“Great,” the tall man said. “Just great.” He sighed and looked over at their group. “Hey, sorry. Diana, this is Drs. Jack and Madeline Fenton. They’re my parents.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Diana said graciously.

“We’re happy to meet you,” Madeline said. “Actually, once your errand with Danny is over, would you be willing to come test some of our tech?”

“We already know how Jaylad and Connor react,” Jack declared. “And we’ve tested it on ourselves plenty, but it’s always good to get more data points.”

“They’re asking to shoot guns at you,” Ellie said, flying over to her parents and sitting on Jack’s shoulder like she weighed nothing. Jack laid a hand on her knee, supporting her even though she probably didn’t need it.

“That would be fun,” Diana said. “I am curious about ectoplasmic properties.”

“Excellent!” Jack shouted.

“After we’ve finished the mission,” Batman growled.

“Right, right. Well, everyone into the Specter Speeder. Mads and I will get the doors opened.”

“Hal, you’re going to want to change,” Ellie said. “Diana, you should be fine, but it probably won’t feel that pleasant.”

“Right,” Hal said. “Does everyone know why I’m here?”

“They know we called for a Green Lantern,” Diana said. “Do not worry, gossip flows through Amity Park like water, but secrets never leave its borders.”

Hal sighed and changed.

“In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!”

He offered Ellie a handsome smirk once he’d changed.

“Damn, Daniel, your saying is so lame in comparison,” Ellie said. As she spoke light rings formed around her middle, moving up and down, changing her to the Ellie he’d seen in the video.

“Har, Har. I’ve been saying ‘Going Ghost’ long before he had his little saying,” Danny said. The rings formed around him too. He changed into Phantom in front of Hal’s eyes.

“To be fair, I said the creed of the Green Lantern Corp, which is definitely older than all of us.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said, but he looked amused. “Load up. Kal, you need a lab suit this time?”

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Superman said.

“Gotcha. Everyone in.”

Everyone climbed aboard the Specter Speeder. Ellie took the driver’s seat and Batman took the seat next to her, while Danny sat back with the rest of them. Interesting. The blast doors opened, and they were greeted to the sight of a swirling green portal. Hal had one half second to consider if his ring would be stronger or weaker wherever they were going before they took off.

It turned out that wherever they went was approximately as green as the portal itself. It was something of a sight, really.

“Where are we?”

“Did you guys tell him anything?” Danny sounded incredulous.

“We wanted you to have say over what he was told,” Diana said.

“Just shove the responsibility off on me,” Danny muttered. “So, we’re in the Infinite Realms. Consider it the glue between all places and the corridor between all doors.”

“So, kind of important,” Hal said.

“Very,” Danny agreed. “Short version is a couple months before I suddenly became a worldwide hero, another half-ghost like me and Ellie, named Vlad, woke up the King of the Infinite Realms. And I managed to defeat him, which makes me the King of the Infinite Realms.”

“Oh… that sounds like you’d be busy with that.”

Danny’s eye flashed green, and suddenly there was a floating crown over his head and a red glowing ring on his hand. Hal barely noticed the crown because his eyes were on the ring.

“The Crown of Flames and the Ring of Rage are the symbols of the Kingship of the Infinite Realms. They’re both a power boost and a sign of the right to rule,” Danny explained. “And given the way you’re staring at the Ring in horror I’m guessing that this is exactly as bad as I’m afraid.”

“Is that a Red Lantern ring?”

“Shit,” he heard Batman say from the front seat.

“Yeah, see, I don’t really know what that means,” Danny said. “Which is why we called you. I could use some help with this thing.”

Hal swallowed, his eyes slowly moving up to Danny’s face. He didn’t look full of fury. He looked nervous and unhappy, but he still had a pleasant expression on.

“Well, I don’t think it’s exactly a Red Power Ring or you would be trying to kill me right now.”

“Good to know,” Danny said.

“So, where are we headed, exactly?” Diana asked.

“I had Clockwork establish a safe zone for us to run some experiments in.” Danny looked from Diana to Hal. “Clockwork’s like a time god. See, the problem I’ve been having is that when I get angry it suddenly feels like I can’t control myself. And I get angry easier. Except my powers are extremely dangerous. I know exactly what would happen if I lost control. I can’t lose control. But Batman thinks I need to try out some experiments to test the Ring with a Green Lantern around.”

Hal nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Right, so, unfortunately, what I can do is really too dangerous to practice this out on Earth. But also, the Infinite Realms bends to my will, so if I lose control, it will be a problem too. So, Clockwork’s making a time frozen area so that I can’t just destroy everything or go on a rampage.”

“That’s why Wonder Woman and Superman are on hand?”

“A little,” Superman said, “but in the Infinite Realms, there’s little I can do to overpower Danny.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’m as close as it gets. But Batman and Superman are Danny’s friends, who are involved in hero stuff but also haven’t just had in infant, so they’re here to try and help him keep his head. And Diana’s here to help too, since the Infinite Realms shouldn’t affect her powers and she isn’t just mortal.”

“So, we’re throwing up a bunch of safety precautions that will only half work if you lose it,” Hal said.

“Basically,” Danny said. “But it would be way, way worse if I lost control without any safety precautions at all.”

“Noted,” Hal said. “Do you know what the Red Lanterns are? Or any Lanterns.”

“Sorry, no clue.”

“Right, so basically all Lanterns draw their power from emotions. Green Lanterns draw their power from will power. Red Lanterns draw their power from rage.”

“Oh, lovely,” Danny said dryly, looking down at the ring on his hand with not well concealed disgust.

“Thing is, most Red Lanterns I’ve ever met don’t tend to be so… controlled. So, it might not be a Red Lantern.”

“I did a little research at Ghost Writer’s Lair,” Ellie cut in.

“Did you find anything?” Danny asked.

“Not a lot,” she said. “Mostly because it seems like the Ring and Crown had different names before Pariah Dark had them. I was actually going to ask Clockwork. He may know more than we will.”

“Oh, he definitely will. The question is if he’ll tell us,” Danny said. He leaned back in his seat, looking a lot like a pouty teenager. “I really do not feel like going on a journey of self-discovery about this.”

“That does sound like something he’d do.” Ellie sounded very sympathetic.

“It’s exactly what he’d do,” Danny said. “And I hate more that he’s always right about doing so.”

Diana patted his shoulder. “Perhaps I can threaten Clockwork for you.”

“Please don’t,” Danny said with a tired smile. “But I appreciate the offer.”

They arrived almost suddenly to a field that was actually blue and not just majority green. The speeder parked beside the field, close enough to be able to hop out onto the floating land mass, but not parked on the field. Danny and Ellie filed out first, followed by the rest of them.

Standing the field was a man- a ghost with blue skin, red eyes, dressed in purple with what looked like the innards of a grandfather clock in his chest. So, that had to be Clockwork then.

“Danny,” Clockwork said.

“Clockwork,” Danny said, floating over to him, an easy smile on his face. “Thanks for the assistance on this.”

“It is no trouble,” Clockwork said, letting Danny bump lightly, fondly against his side.

“Yeah, we got a couple questions for you, Clocky,” Ellie said, floating over as well, but not getting close enough to touch. And honestly, Hal thought the slightly wary expression on her face was a lot more warranted for dealing with the ghost equivalent of the god of time. Hal cut a glance to Diana, who had tensed, her eyes trained on Clockwork.

“You may ask, young one.” Hal noticed Clockwork did not say he would answer or help.

“Right, so we’re looking for information on the Crown of Flame and the Ring of Rage,” Ellie said. “But as far as I can tell they used to have different names before Pariah got his creepy fingers on them.”

“This is correct,” Clockwork said.

“Uh neat. Want to tell us what happened?”

“Pariah Dark’s core resonated with fire,” Clockwork said. “His will was also greater than any ruler of the Infinite Realms. There were other rulers who were evil and bent the Infinite Realms to their whims. But Pariah was dangerous. His will was so strong that he changed the very nature of the instruments of the rulership.”

“Well, shit,” Danny said. “That’s why he was locked up, right?”

“And probably why the eyeballs wanted you locked up so much,” Ellie added, whatever that meant.

“This is correct,” Clockwork said, not indicating which he meant. Or if he meant both. “You will also find that Pariah Dark made a pact bond with a different entity, which allowed him to make the changes to the instruments of rulership that he required. If you are interested in researching the Crown and Ring before Pariah Dark, search of the Crown of Infinite Kings and the Ring of All Lords.”

“Thank you,” Danny said.

“Thank you, Clockwork,” Ellie said, bowing her head politely.

“Wait, does that mean that this Pariah Dark had a Red Lantern Power ring?” Hal demanded suddenly. Clockwork turned his red eyes toward Hal. Hal felt his stomach drop. Something extremely old and dangerous suddenly was paying attention to him.

Slowly, Clockwork’s mouth formed into a smirk. Then he just disappeared.

All of them stood still and stared for a while.

“I hate when he does that,” Danny said after a moment. He sat cross-legged in the air and scrubbed his hands over his face.

“Me too,” Ellie said. “I’m surprised he gave us anything.”

“So, is it a Red power ring?” Hal asked, not sure what that smirk meant.

“Who knows,” Ellie said. “Certainly not us.”

“Him not answering means he thinks it’s important for us to figure that out on our own. Like it’ll be better for the timeline for us to do the leg work,” Danny explained.

“Wonderful,” Superman said dryly. “Well, it looks like we’re going to be testing the Ring then.”

“Looks like,” Danny said. His green eyes slid to Hal, pinning him down with the power there. “So, you’re the expert. What do we do now?”

“I’ll admit I’m not the most knowledgeable Lantern,” Hal said, just being honest. “I may have to consult a few people, or even the Library on Oa. Is that alright with you?”

“Oa’s in outer space, right?” There was light in Danny’s eyes that hadn’t been there. Space nerd, huh? That was adorable.

“Yes,” Hal said. “It’s the home world and homebase of the Green Lantern Corp.”

“Just how dangerous is a Red Lantern Ring?” Danny asked.

“Extremely,” Hal said. “It rips out its users’ hearts and replaces their blood with lava.”

“Oh, dude, sick,” Ellie said.

“I definitely still have my blood and heart,” Danny said.

“Yeah, it’s sick in the literal sense,” Hal said. “It makes the wearer subsist on only rage. And it can’t be safely removed either.”

“Well, I’ll have to look up anything about Pariah have lava coming out him,” Ellie said.

“Well, he’s dead. He doesn’t have a heart or blood,” Danny said.

“He has a core,” Batman said.

“Ew, true,” Danny said, scratching his head.

“And if a Red Power ring was fused with an existing ghostly artefact?” Batman said.

“Especially a ring called the Ring of All Lords,” Superman tossed in.

“The perhaps the Ring of Rage does not have all the effects and drawbacks of a Red Power rings,” Diana said, completing the thought.

“And if it isn’t, we still should find out what pact bonded with the old prune,” Hal added.

Danny let out a long sigh. “Alright. So, what do you need from me?”

“Permission to record and permission to speak to a few people,” Hal said.

“Alright,” Danny said. “I agree.”

“I can set the Specter Speeder to record as well,” Ellie said, flying over to the ship.

“And then we test?” Danny asked.

Hal made a construct that would record the events. He had a feeling he was going to need proof, and also that he’d need to double check that he’d actually seen what he’d seen.

“Alright,” Danny said. “So, what do I do?”

“Well, try to feel angry and do something,” Hal said.

“Oh, that’s helpful,” Ellie sassed, floating next to Hal’s ear.

“I mean, how? I’m not angry right now,” Danny said. “Kinda scared, but not angry.”

“Think about Mamaragan,” Batman stated. “What you plan to do to him.”

Hal had no idea who that was, but given the darkness that passed over Danny’s face and the way his eyes flashed red and then an absolutely frigid blue, and given the way the temperature dropped precipitously all around them, Hal would guessed Mamaragan’s days were numbered.

“Alright,” Danny said. He lowered himself to stand on the ground, which iced over multiple feet out from where he stood. “Now what?”

“Well, try to make like rage constructs,” Hal said. “Like moving things.”

Danny didn’t so much as twitch, but from the iced ground below him a dozen… things arose. They took a moment to form. There was some writhing red thing incased in ice. It didn’t exactly look like Rage Plasm, but it didn’t exactly look like fire either. For one thing, it was green. Finally, they shaped into something which reminded Hal like the Ice Titan from Disney’s Hercules. Except on their inside was twisting red, not green, fire.

“Uh, is that a ghost power thing?” he asked Ellie.

“It’s not something I can do. But it might be a Ghost King thing. Pariah had his skeleton army. I’m starting to think we should have called Frighty for this.”

“Angry Phantom and angry Fright Knight would not be a good combination,” Batman stated immediately.

“Oh, yeah, right. I forget you like actually know stuff,” Ellie said, scratching the back of her head.

Hal suddenly had a hundred questions he was not about to ask. He cleared his throat. “Can you make anyone else feel your anger?”

Danny’s icy eyes looked across them slowly, like a predator looking for a target.

“I’ll be the test subject,” Batman said.

“Is that a good idea?” Superman asked.

“I am the least bad option,” Batman said calmly. He stepped forward. “Do it.”

Danny regarded him for a moment before a malicious smile spread over his face. He took a few steps toward Batman, the ground under his feet freezing with each step. He laid a hand on Batman’s face, tenderly (tenderly!!) caressing Batman’s cheek. Something shifted in Danny’s eyes and Batman’s entire demeanor changed. Danny’s eyes flashed blue, but Batman’s flashed red. His grit his teeth, letting out an inhuman howl of rage.

“Take it back!” Hal shouted. “Take the anger back!”

And as soon as Hal got the last word out, the red left Batman’s eyes. He started to collapse, but Diana caught him and held him up.

“It’s time to calm down,” Superman said, effectively putting an end to the experiments.

“Hmmm, why should I?” Danny asked. “It’s so… useful.”

“Billy would be upset,” Batman rasped out. He pushed away Diana, standing on his own. “And your wife. And your kids. Do you want to bring this home to them?”

Danny blinked. His eyes changed from blue to green and the ice skeletons melted from the inside out, leaving a large puddle on the ground. Danny floated up.

“Oh,” he murmured. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Okay, I think that’s enough experimentation for one day,” Ellie said. “Danny, portal home. I’ll call Val for you.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Danny murmured. A portal opened next to him, and he just slipped through it before he closed.

Ellie whipped a phone out and called someone, Danny’s wife, immediately. “Hey, Val, you need to go home and help Danny. We tried an experiment… I’ll tell you later, but he let the Ring sort of take over and he’s not okay… Yeah, he’s back to himself, just… Just go home, Val. Okay, thanks, bye.”

While Ellie was talking, Hal had gotten rid of the recording device. He’d take the footage to Oa and see if anyone knew anything.

Once Ellie hung up, their group shuffled back into the ship. Batman’s legs gave out right before he could get to a seat, Superman grabbed him before he could hit the floor, and helped him lower himself into the closest seat. Wonder Woman and Superman took the seats closest to him. Hal sat down in the co-pilot’s seat. He glanced at Ellie occasionally, but mostly his eyes were out on the unending green.

It was, unarguably, a quiet, tense trip back to Amity Park.

Chapter Text

“You know,” Kon said, hugging Tim to his chest. “You really should actually meet your new little brother.”

“Yeah, probably,” Tim muttered. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“No, definitely. Come on, even I’ve met him now. Everyone’s met him.”

“That’s not true,” Tim said. “Dick hasn’t met him yet.”

“Yeah, sudden emergency that makes him take the adult Titans off world for over a month is not the same as using every excuse possible to avoid him for over a month.” Kon sounded properly exasperated. To be fair, he was right.

“I haven’t been avoiding him,” Tim mumbled. He couldn’t even meet Kon’s eyes. Which was a real shame, because not only did Kon have nice eyes, but they looked even prettier when he peered over his sunglasses the way he was doing at that moment.

“Do you have a problem with him?” Kon asked.

“It’s… I don’t have a problem with him specifically,” Tim said slowly.

“But you have a problem.”

Tim let out a long groan. Kon had come to visit while Dana took Jack out to the doctor’s office, physical therapy and lunch. Tim had hours to do whatever he wanted. Which for the first half had been making out with his boyfriend and snuggling. But Kon was a good boyfriend, and he was trying to help Tim, which Tim really didn’t appreciate at that moment.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Tim,” Kon said. “You don’t want to talk about anything.”

“We talk about stuff.”

“Yeah, my stuff, my friends, my life. Or games and movies. You don’t talk about the Teen Titans at all. Bart’s messaged me saying you’re basically ducking their calls or only giving short answers, and that you’re even more quiet when you get to see them. I get that you don’t want to talk about your dad, so I’m not asking. I get that you can’t talk about your night job. And I know you don’t have the capacity to deal with Jason. I can let all of that go, but you do not need to add this one to the pile too.”

Kon was so serious. He was looking down at Tim, pinning him down with those beautiful blue eyes of his. And, worst of all, he was right.

Tim sighed and sat up. “God, I hate when you’re right.”

“No, you don’t.” He could hear the smile in Kon’s voice even if he couldn’t see it. He was facing the opposite direction of Kon now.

“No, I don’t,” Tim admitted. “I just… okay, it’s just stupid, alright?”

Tim could feel Kon shifting around. After a few seconds, the heat of Kon’s chest was pressed to his back. Tim drew in a sharp breath, let it out and then pressed back against Kon.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“You’re welcome, Tim,” Kon said. Tim felt Kon kiss the top of his head. He smiled to himself. How did he ever get so lucky?

“Alright. So, when Bruce told me… well, he told me last. And he also… you know when someone tells you something over and over you start to wonder if maybe it’s a lie or not?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Kon said. Tim knew it was more than kinda for Kon.

“He just kept insisting that I wasn’t being replaced. But it… I know he said Billy won’t be Robin, but even with Dana’s help, it feels like I can barely go out. And everyone says how nice he is, and apparently Jason just loves him. And meanwhile I just keep thinking: no wonder Jason wanted me dead if I made him feel like this. Except I know that’s stupid, and it’s not Billy’s fault that I feel like this, it’s my own fault.”

Kon tightened his hold around Tim. After a moment of silence, Kon dragged Tim into his lap. Tim pressed back into that hold and laid his arms over Kon’s arms, basically trying to hug him in return, even though he was effectively just hugging himself.

“Can I ask a question?” Kon asked against his neck.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Do you feel like Jason replaced you as little brother?”

Tears came to Tim’s eyes. He let go of Kon and buried his face in his hands.

“Yes.” His voice cracked. “I want… I want Jason to like me too. I want him to still want to spend time with me. It’s selfish. I know it’s just so selfish. I shouldn’t be hurt that Jason would want a little brother who didn’t block him out for months. Billy seems like a happy kid. And I’m just… I want Jason to still want me, but I can’t talk to him right now.”

“Tim,” Kon said. He shifted Tim around in his lap so Tim could wrap his arms around Kon’s neck and bury his face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This is stupid. I’m so stupid.”

“Not it isn’t.” Kon’s tone was gentle but firm. “No, you’re not. You aren’t ready yet. That’s the price Jason gets to pay for planning to cripple a kid. And he knows that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve seen him a few times,” Kon said.

“When?”

“Sometimes I just need to… to not be in Metropolis. Dad thinks I’m with you, and Bruce thinks I’m not here. Jason lets me hide out with him for a few hours. He makes snacks… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t, I just-”

“No,” Tim said quickly. He pulled his head back, smacking a hand over Kon’s mouth at the same time. “No, Kon. He’s really cool. You were friendly with him before… I’m glad you have someone else. I’m glad you have a place to lay low sometimes.”

Kon kissed his fingers. Tim smiled a little. His eyes ached with unshed tears. He lowered his hand slowly. Kon moved his sunglasses, so they sat on top of his head rather than on his nose.

“Point is,” Kon said, speaking slowly, waiting for Tim to make any indication he wanted him to stop talking again. But Tim didn’t want that. He wanted to hear what Kon had to say, and more than that, he wanted to hear Kon speak.

“Go on.”

“Point is that he asks about you a lot,” Kon said. “He wants to know how you’re doing. He gets antsy when I mention your dad and he smiles when I tell him about Dana. He asks me about your hobbies, about things you like. I’m starting to think he’s building a gift basket to send to you. And he loves the pictures you send him. He’s got one of the small prints from those first Blue Hood pictures in his wallet, and he’s framed a few of the others. And when you sent the Red Hood ones, he made me sit down and listen to him gush about how good your work was. Which, duh, I already know. And he tells me all the stuff he’s been learning about photography… my point is that he does still want you.”

Tim swallowed thickly. “He does?”

“He can have more than one little brother. He knows you need time. He just worries that it’s already too late.”

“It isn’t,” Tim said urgently, his voice coming out as a rushed whisper.

“I know, Tim. I’ve told him that.”

Tim started to wriggle. He wiggled and wriggled until he was out of Kon’s grip and landed (mostly) gracefully on the floor. Then he rushed to his desk.

He took a moment, searching for the right paper and pens to use. He settled on the Drake family stationery before changing his mind and grabbing the notepad with the dragon print on it that Dana bought him. He did grab a nice pen that wouldn’t bleed and wrote out a short note.

‘Jason,
Thank you for waiting for me. I still need more time, but it won’t be forever. I’ll find you when I’m ready.
Tim’

He folded the paper three times before pressing it into Kon’s hands. “Will you take this to Jason?”

Kon had come to stand next to him and watched him write out the note. Tim watched while he slipped it into one of the inner pockets of his leather jacket.

“Like right now?”

“Yeah,” Tim said. “I know it’s abrupt, but you’re right. Billy’s supposed to be at the manor today. Dad’s still out. It’s a good day to go meet him.”

“Want me to fly you over?” Kon had such a gentle smile on his face. Tim tugged him into a short kiss.

“I want to walk. But thank you.”

“See you later, boy wonder,” Kon said with a wink and the type of flirty smile that always made Tim flustered. And Kon knew that too.

Tim grumbled to himself when Kon flew off and he had to climb down the tree and trudge over to Wayne Manor while wishing he’d gotten a chance to grab his boyfriend for one more kiss. Ass. God, Tim loved Kon so much!

Tim jogged over to Wayne Manor, cutting through the opening in the fence that Alfred and Bruce had made better hidden many months back. He passed familiar trees, ducked around and through shrubbery and finally ended up at the back door, which he let himself in. He walked right into the kitchen like he belonged there. Because he should belong there.

“Welcome back, Master Tim,” Alfred said when he caught sight of him.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Tim said. “Is Billy in?”

“He is,” Alfred said, looking back down at the dough he was kneading. “You’ll find him in Master Jason’s library.”

“Thanks,” Tim said. He left the kitchen, heading upstairs.

Tim knew exactly where Alfred meant. It was the library with all of the classics, including the first additions. It was also not full the way the other libraries were (for the most part). Jason had been putting his collection together before he died. Alfred went inside to clean, but otherwise everyone else avoided that room. Even Jason’s bedroom got disturbed more often than his library did.

Tim found the double sliding doors open, as well as the curtains. There were new chairs in there. There were also more books than before. Tim immediately recognized a collection of Jane Austen’s posthumous works, and other new books that were also probably by dead authors. There were also multiple shelves with picture books which definitely had not been there before.

And, sitting in one of the new chairs was a small eleven-year-old in jeans and a red Captain Marvel tee shirt. The boy flicked his gaze up, like a matter of course, then did an obvious double take. He lowered the book in his hands, which Tim noticed was a picture book about Brazil.

“Oh,” Billy breathed out, his eyes widening.

Billy was so small. Tim knew a thing or two about improper nutrition and stunted growth (the latter due to his fears of not getting bigger, though he didn’t show signs of stunted growth. More, likely, unfortunately, Tim was just going to be short). Billy was still small, though he very likely had been fed a proper diet for weeks now. It simply took time to reverse such damage.

“Hi,” Billy said, a nervous smile settling on his face. “Are you Tim?”

“I am,” Tim answered. “And you’re Billy?”

“I am,” Billy answered. He closed his book suddenly and set it aside. “It’s- um- really nice to meet you.”

The other boy was nervous, like really nervous, like the way Tim had felt whenever there was a chance that Jason would see him or speak to him when they were younger. That that made Tim feel bad or waiting for so long.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Tim said. “Sorry I haven’t been around.”

“It’s fine,” Billy said quickly. “You’ve got a lot going on right now.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. It wasn’t like he could just come over all the time.

Although, perhaps if Tim made friends with Billy, he could use it as an excuse to spend more time in the manner. But that was a consideration for later.

“I’ve really wanted to meet you,” Billy admitted.

“Yeah?” Tim asked, kind of surprised.

“Yeah, you’re kind of really cool,” Billy said. Tim blinked. He was having a sense of déjà vu, except normally he was Billy and the person he wanted to talk to was Jason.

“Really?” Tim asked, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah,” Billy said. “You do all these really cool things, and Bruce and Jason always talk about how smart you are. And you’re such a good leader for the Teen Titans. All of you are so cool. I always got jealous when we ended up on the same missions.”

“I… what?” Tim replayed Billy’s words in his mind.

“Oh, I… well I was going to tell you anyway,” Billy said. He stood up, beginning to shift from foot to foot with nerves almost immediately. “I was just going to try to make more sense than this.”

“Explain,” Tim ordered. He was missing something, something huge.

Billy fished a Fenton-Foley Phone from his pocket. A few taps and he pulled up a video. He handed Tim the phone, which Tim accepted.

That was how Tim found himself watching a video of Billy Batson changing into Captain Marvel. His mind immediately started moving a million miles an hour.

No wonder Bruce kept insisting that Tim wasn’t being replaced. Bruce absolutely did not want Captain Marvel in his city. And Cap still had Fawcett city to care for. Tim knew Billy had been homeless. His abilities were probably why Danny took such an interest in Billy. Billy split time in Gotham and Amity Park because there were things Phantom needed to teach him. Bruce was the best choice to house Billy. He was Batman, had the Batcave in his basement, easy access to the zeta tube Billy would need to take to Fawcett City. Wayne Manor was one of the safest places on earth, especially for a kid, especially a kid who had a huge dangerous secret who probably needed to be protected in some way.

Tim considered all of these things in the few seconds it took for him to hand Billy back his phone after the video finished.

“I was told that Captain Marvel is going to be the Titans’ den mother,” Tim said.

“Yeah,” Billy said. “It’s so I can stay in the Justice League but not have to be part of the normal meetings.”

“And probably because B hopes that you’ll make friends with the rest of the Teen Titans.”

Billy flushed. “I don’t know if I can tell the others. I’m not… it’s really dangerous for people to know.”

“You don’t have all that power when you’re just yourself?”

“No,” Billy admitted. “That’s why I’m learning magic and why Bruce is offering to teach me to fight.”

“No, that makes sense. You need every possible tool to survive when you aren’t superpowered. And knowing B, he’ll probably teach you detective skills anyway, because he’ll want you to be a better hero and because he sees it as a survival tool.”

“Right,” Billy said. “He says he’s not trying to overwhelm me. He’s trying… well, he’s not, but I’m behind on school and have a tutor too.”

Tim nodded. “That makes sense. Right, Bruce probably isn’t letting you out much, huh?”

“Only if he or Jason is there to go with me,” Billy said. “And so far, the only things I’ve done is have Jason takes me out to places, a lot around Crime Alley. And Bruce has taken me to buy new clothes and once to meet Danny’s sister.”

“The therapist?”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “She’s nice. I’m supposed to see her at her office once every two weeks.”

“Really? It seems like she’d want to see you more often.”

“She said normally, yeah. But I have a lot going on right now,” Billy explained. “She told me I need to take time and try to be easy on myself.”

“Huh… how’s that going?”

“Well, I have nothing else to do today, so I’m working on reading.” He nodded to the stack of picture books on the table next to his chair.

And that was why there were picture books. Billy probably couldn’t read very well, so Jason probably gave Billy permission to use his library.

It shouldn’t sting, but it did. Jason wouldn’t know how important that room was to Bruce and Alfred. He wouldn’t know how Tim used to dream that Jason was still alive, and he’d let Tim into his library to read for hours. Jason had no idea how much Tim had wanted to go into that room rather than just stand at the door while Alfred cleaned out the dust, memorizing every inch of the room he never dared step foot in. Except now he was in the room, because it had been opened for Billy. There were more of Jason’s books, but there were Billy’s now too.

Knowing what he knew now, he knew how foolish it was to feel jealous. He wasn’t being replaced at all. Literally, Billy couldn’t replace Tim. Billy needed to be here. But Tim was jealous, so jealous he thought he might be sick. And it was all his fault.

“Are you okay?” Billy asked.

“No,” Tim admitted. “Sorry, sorry,” he said quickly. He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry, you don’t need to know that.”

“I’d like to help if I can.”

“You can’t.” Billy’s hopeful expression dropped. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s something I have to do myself.” Something he’d done to himself. “I can’t really get help from anyone. I don’t mean to dump on you, especially after we just met.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“You really don’t need to,” Tim tried to assure him. Billy just looked more frustrated.

“I’d like to do something. It’s like no one thinks I can do anything.”

Ah, well, Tim knew that feeling.

“Had a lot of people turn your help down recently?” Tim asked.

Billy nodded, looking miserable. “Both of my friends aren’t okay. Ace isn’t talking to people anymore, and Noah’s… well, he won’t explain. I kind of know what’s wrong. But it’s really hard because I can’t- I can’t read and Noah can’t speak, and Ace isn’t there a lot to help us.”

Frustrated tears came to the corners of Billy’s eyes. These were words which the kid had to have been keeping pressed tight to his chest, desperate to let them out. Tim slipped first. It was only fair that Billy slipped too. They didn’t know each other. Except they did, in passing. Except that both belonged in Wayne Manor, and that made them family.

“You don’t have to fix everything for everyone. I know that’s hard to stomach when you’re used to saving people. Believe me… but sometimes you just have to let them struggle.”

Billy dropped his head. “I know. I just… I feel so useless.”

“You’re far from useless,” Tim said. “Look, maybe you can help me out?”

Billy perking right up like a cat smelling a treat. “Really? What do you need help with?”

“Well, I need to figure out a way to get my friends who are in the Teen Titans to come with me to see Kon. He’s in Metropolis most of the time. It’ll also be a good way to introduce you as Billy to the Teen Titans. You may have to keep your identity a secret around them, but that doesn’t mean that my little brother Billy can’t come to stay and help out from time to time.”

“Oh- Oh! That’s really smart,” Billy said. Tim could see the piece starting to fit together behind his eyes.

“We’ll tell them you’re learning to control your magic powers and you want to be a hero, so hanging with us will be a good way to be around other heroes.”

“That’s… not even a lie.”

“Selective wording,” Tim said with pleased smile. He was feeling very pleased with himself. It was better to not associate Billy with Captain Marvel, which is what he suspected Bruce might be considering. It was better to think that Billy was a magic kid too young to be a hero who was adopted by Bruce, just like Tim was, that Tim had bonded with. Of course, Billy, Tim and Bruce wouldn’t say that, just make a few suggestions and everyone else would make their assumptions.

Besides, who would believe the Champion of Magic was a kid if they didn’t have proof of that fact?

“Wow, you’re really as smart as Jason said!”

Tim’s face suddenly flushed red. “Jason said that?”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “He talks about you a lot.” He was grinning, the look in his eyes just sly enough that Tim could tell the boy was trying to play matchmaker.

“Kon said the same… Billy, I’m not ready to see Jason yet.”

“How come?” Billy’s smile dropped into a frown.

“Because… because he did something that really hurt me. But with my dad and all… I just can’t put in the time our relationship needs. So right now, I need him to wait for me.”

“I think he won’t have a problem with that,” Billy said.

“I hope so,” Tim said. Then, because he thought Billy would understand, he added: “I don’t want to lose him. He was my hero when I was a kid. And he’s still really cool. I just… I can’t yet.”

Billy looked very serious when he nodded. “I won’t try to make you.”

“Thanks, Billy,” Tim said. “So, how about we steal down to the cave to make some travel plans for a few people.”

“Sure,” Billy said, turning on a million-watt smile.

It turned out that Kon was right, he really did like Billy. He hadn’t even known him for more than a half hour, and already he was making plans to adopt the kid. If Tim didn’t know it was impossible, he’d swear that he took after Bruce.

Chapter Text

Billy liked Tim so much. Tim was just like effortlessly cool. He was so cool. He knew so much. He was super good at reading people. He was in touch enough with his own feelings to know what he needed, and patient enough to wait. He was Robin, who was an amazing leader and a really cool hero that Billy loved watching work. Also, Tim was really into skateboarding and photography. The pictures he took were amazing. Secretly, Billy hoped maybe Tim would want to take pictures of him as Cap someday, but was way, way too shy to ask for that. He did admire the pictures of Jason Tim liked to take so much. And! After Billy mentioned it offhanded, and Bruce got him safety gear, Tim had started teaching Billy how to skateboard.

Billy had always wanted a real family. He’d spent many nights awake, wishing he had parents and siblings. While logically he knew if his parents hadn’t died that he’d only have gotten little siblings, he secretly had always wished he’d could have gotten big siblings. Jason and Tim were the best big brothers a kid could ever want. They were just so, so cool! And both of them told him their other brother was really cool too. He was part of the Titans as well, and was on an off planet mission. Billy was so excited to get to meet him someday.

He could admit he’d never been so consistently happy in his life. He had friends, he had a home he was starting to accept wasn’t going to be ripped away or put in danger just because he was there. And, if he was honest, he thought he might be a better hero now that he had a home. He wasn’t so scared all the time. He wasn’t hungry or tired or panicked. And that meant he had an easier time making snap decisions. Normally he could fix his own messes, but so far, he hadn’t been making as many messes.

It felt good to be able to go to the Wizard and report that things were going well.

The trips to the Rock of Eternity even felt easier these days. And it seemed like Billy retained the Wizard’s teachings better too. But maybe he was just feeling so good that he was having a perception bias. Either way it was fine.

He did change back into himself after he talked with the Wizard as Cap for a while. The Wizard didn’t mind, and Billy wanted to ask a few questions that had nothing to do with Captain Marvel.

“You don’t like Phantom, do you?” Billy asked almost as soon as the lightning cleared.

without expressing any emotion on his face or in his tone, the Wizard asked: “What’s causing this question?”

The way Danny’s aura flared, and his eyes flashed whenever the Wizard was mentioned, but Billy didn’t say that.

“Just… Danny won’t really tell me what happened when you talked before,” Billy said. This was true. The Wizard always seemed to know when Billy wasn’t being entirely honest, so Billy went with more of a half-truth, hoping it wouldn’t been too obvious. Omission was the only type of lie Billy could ever seem t slip past the Wizard.

The wizard let out a long sigh. “It would not be honest to simply say I do not like the King of the Infinite Realms. I respect his abilities, his position, and his will power.”

“Will power?” Now that was an odd thing to mention. Billy sat down on the arm of one of the thrones, giving the Wizard his full attention.

“Entities of the Infinite Realms, specifically the ghosts and spirits, only exist due to will,” the Wizard explained. “To form into a spirit means wanting to exist. Which is why the Lands Between and its residents can be so violent. The spirits gain power through their will. It’s not enough to desire something in the Infinite Realms, you must will it to be. The King is heavily tied to the Realms themselves, which means the King must have a strong will to begin with in order to not be entirely overwrought by the will of the Realms themselves.”

“Wait,” Billy said. “Does that have to do with what’s got Danny so upset recently?”

“He’s been upset?” Billy wondered for a second if maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned anything, but then, the Wizard was the one person Billy had always been able to ask for help and advice.

“Yeah,” Billy said, going for breezy and not as cautious as he felt. It was dangerous potentially blabbing other people’s secrets. “He’s muttered about the Ring sometimes. And sometimes it glows red weirdly. And if I try to look at it with magic it gives me a really bad headache.”

“Mmm,” The Wizard hummed pensively. After a moment he spoke again, his words being cautious this time. “Perhaps I may know a little about what has upset the King.”

“You do?”

“Perhaps,” The Wizard said.

He waved his hands and a sphere appeared, showing images that looked like paper dolls casting shadows against parchment.

“A long time ago there was a people called the Oans. They believed in the strength of science and justice. So much so that they decided it was their duty to the universe to police everyone.”

Images of the shadows of the Oans appeared, which changed into the image of an army of men-shaped beings.

“They called them the Manhunters.”

“Like Martian Manhunter?”

The Wizard gave him a very small smile. “A precursor. These Manhunters were, functionally, robots. Which meant their programming was created by the Oans, based on what the Oans believed. Which, in turn, meant that there was little room for justice outside of law.”

Billy wrinkled his nose. “So, space police.” Ew.

“Police who, one day, all had a glitch simultaneously. A glitch so bad that they slaughtered every living thing in an entire sector of space.”

The image changed to shots of a war, of a slaughter. It was bloodless and just hints of the horrifying violence Billy knew the Wizard was not going to show him. Even though it was just images made from shadows and paper dolls, it still turned Billy’s stomach.

“Eventually, only five beings were left alive from an entire sector. And Oans got rid of the Manhunters, deciding that despite of their distaste for imperfect beings who could rebel, that they needed champions who would not all turn to slaughter at once. That is the way the Green Lantern Corp was formed.”

The images changed, from the slaughter to the Oans and then to the Green Lanterns, whose green light shown even though the rest of the figures were in shadow.

Billy’s mouth dropped open. He worked with the Green Lanterns before. They were good heroes. He had no idea that their creation same from something so… vile.

“That’s- that’s horrible!”

“The Oans completely removing all references to what they did is perhaps a worse crime,” the Wizard said. Billy felt anger rise in him. He was about to jump up and started pacing when the Wizard raised a hand. “Easy,” the Wizard chastised gently. “The Green Lanterns’ ability to disagree with the Oans has kept such a thing from happening again. You are old enough to not simply think of people as bad guys and good guys. All beings are made of many shades of goodness and morality.”

Billy dropped his head. “Sorry, you’re right.”

“In any case-” the images changed, showing five shadowed figures that looked very alien. “The survivors of the slaughter were filled with a terrible rage. One of their own longed for revenge so badly that he decided to create something to fight the Green Lanterns and the Oans.”

To Billy’s horror, he watched one figure be singled out, turning red before other red figures appeared.

“The Red Lanterns?” Billy asked. “So that’s how they were made? Because the Oans slaughtered their people and then lied about it?”

“Yes,” the Wizard said. “Your sense of justice does you credit, but do not forget that betrayal does not wave away actions taken in the name of revenge.”

“Right, yeah.” Billy knew the Red Lanterns were bad. “Still, what happened is wrong.”

“It is,” the Wizard agreed.

“But what does that have to do with Danny? Cause even with all of the people the Manhunters killed, they would have died a long time ago. Danny doesn’t tend to get as angry about things that happened in the past because there isn’t anything he can do to fix them,” Billy said. “And what does that have to do with the Ring?”

“There have been multiple Kings of the Infinite Realms,” the Wizard explained. “The unfortunate truth of the right to rule being passed by combat is that the strongest, not the best or wisest, often end up winning. And it is easy for the strongest to be tyrants. The one Phantom usurped was considered the worst of the tyrants for the changes he made during his rule.”

“What kind of changes?”

The wizard paused for a moment. “Do you know how the Red power rings work?”

“They work on anger, right?”

“Rage, to be exact. Their powers come from magic, and when they bind themselves to a soul, they destroy the heart and replace the holder’s blood with a lava-like plasma. In this way, it forces their bearer to remain angry at all times, and it is almost impossible to be free of a Red power ring, because it becomes their life support. In that way, the leader and creator of the Red Lanterns controls his ring bearers.”

“So, like Lord of the Rings!” Billy said, his mind flashing to the movie he’d watched with Bruce a couple weeks back. “The guy who made the Red Lanterns is like Sauron.”

That surprised a small laugh out of the Wizard. “That is an apt description, I suppose.”

“So Red Lantern Sauron controls the other Red Lanterns…” he trailed off, encouraging the Wizard to continue his story.

The images on the sphere changed. There was the RL-Sauron, but also a figure that Billy realized had to be the King before Danny, given the description he’d heard of from before.

“The tyrant king Pariah Dark desired power strong enough to never lose the throne. He desired power great enough to change all of the Infinite Realms. Originally, the Infinite Realms did not have so many souls and the King could shape the very plains of the Infinite Realms. But that time had far passed by the point the tyrant king ruled. And so, he went to the Red Lanterns and offered a deal,” the Wizard said. The paper doll of Pariah Dark shook hands with the Red Lantern’s leader. Then the red lantern light started to glow around Pariah Dark as well.

“The Ring of All Lords was a powerful relic of the Infinite Realms, though not as powerful as its counterpart, the Crown of Infinite Kings. But Pariah changed this. He accepted a Red power ring and fused it with the Ring of all Lords, creating the Ring of Rage, and with the Ring of Rage, Pariah Dark imposed his will on the Crown of Infinite Kings, creating the Crown of Fire.”

The images on the sphere changed. The glow changed from red to green, and the grown set itself on green fire.

“But wait, why is he not still red?”

“Ah, therein lies the problem. The leader of the Red Lanterns agreed to Pariah Dark’s deal because he wanted to have the same control over the King of the Infinite Realms that he had over his other Red Lanterns. But think about how he controlled the other Red Lanterns.”

Billy paused, considering what the Wizard told him. He stared at the green flames of Pariah Dark and the red glow of the RL Sauron. Then his eyes got huge.

“The Red power rings destroys the holders’ ability to be anything but a Red Lantern. It keeps them alive.”

“Yes,” the Wizard said.

“But Pariah Dark was already dead.”

“Exactly.” The wizard nodded his approval, but for once, Billy didn’t feel a jolt off happiness at the praise. Mostly, he just felt sick.

The image changed to Pariah Dark blasting the RL-Sauron away before laughing and stepping into a green portal and disappearing, leaving a raging RL-Sauron.

“In his greed and haste to make the deal, the creator did not consider how the Red Lantern Ring would affect the dead. The answer was that it did not affect Pariah Dark in a way he did not want to be affected.”

“So, Pariah Dark made a change to the relics of the King of the Infinite Realms without having to pay the bill,” Billy whispered in awe. It was impressive and terrible.

“King Phantom, unlike Pariah Dark, is only half dead.”

“And that means he has a heart, and blood,” Billy said, his eyes going wide. He looked from the sphere to the Wizard, who nodded slowly.

“And the Red Lantern Rings come from their creator. They wanted to guide their bearers to do as they wish. But the Ring of Rage is not only a Red power ring, and Phantom has a very, very strong will.”

“But, if he’s feeling the effects…” Billy trailed off. “Can I talk to Danny about this?”

“You may. While I do not have more information past what I’ve told you, only conjecture, King Phantom knows where I am if he happens to have questions. But, I do not believe I will be able to answer what he wants to know.”

“I’ll tell him anyway. Thank you! I need to head back!”

Billy shouted over his shoulder as he took off in a run down the hall. He needed to get back to Amity Park as fast as he could. Danny needed to know what Billy had been told.

Chapter Text

Mamaragan was not surprised when King Phantom came to visit him for a second time. The information he’d given Billy was incendiary and extremely dangerous. Phantom came alone the second time. He was not dressed as the King, but simply as the hero he was in the living world. Still, his eyes flashed between green and blue.

Mamaragan was not aware of the larger political landscape of the Infinite Realms, but to his knowledge, King Phantom had never even threatened to lose control until the day he arrived at the Rock of Eternity. His fury with Mamaragan may have been the trigger. As such, it was his duty to attempt not to allow one of the most powerful beings in existence to fall under the control of a Red power ring.

“Billy talked to me,” Phantom said when he came to stand in the middle of the thrones, his feet firmly on the ground. “Is what you said true?”

“There is some conjecture,” Mamaragan stated. “But considering that you maintain a human life and continue to have a heart, I do not believe my conjectures are incorrect.”

“So what? I’m just Frodo carrying the One Ring, except that I have to wear the damn thing all the time because it’s also a requirement to be King and if it’s not me, then it could end up in the hands of someone dangerous, including Pariah Dark?” Phantom’s voice cracked from stress. “Am I going to turn into a rage zombie?”

“There is potential for such an event to take place.”

Phantom’s expression became distraught. That was a characteristic of King Phantom that Mamaragan did not care for: His emotions flowed freely, which meant his feelings could cloud his judgement and guide him to make devastating incorrect choices. But the corollary was that as the King generally seemed to allow his feelings to flow through him, they never stayed trapped inside him and festered.

Despite Mamaragan’s dislike of the other man, he could not deny that there were things about him which made him a good ruler for the Infinite Realms, even if it set Mamaragan’s teeth on edge.

“You are friends with Chronos, are you not?” Mamaragan said. “Would he not remove you from power if he thought you were too dangerous?”

“Chronos is an aspect of Clockwork,” King Phantom stated. “And unfortunately, he’d rather manipulate me or teach me a lesson into acting the way he wants, rather than actually stop me.” He paused, going silent for a moment. It was an expectant silence, filled with words unsaid, so Mamaragan waited until the King spoke again. “Truthfully, I worry he’d let me go off the deep end just because he likes me.”

“I do not know the Master of Time as you do.”

“But?”

“But that does not seem like an unfair assessment.”

“Well, shit,” King Phantom said. He sat cross-legged in the air. He pouted there, floating as if the was no weight to him at all.

Mamaragan waited, letting the child have his pout before their conversation could continue.

“I asked a Green Lantern for help,” the king started after a few protracted moments of silence.

“You are concerned they will cause you trouble?”

“Well, I don’t think Hal would do it on purpose, but the story you told Billy is not encouraging.”

“The Oans are hidebound and built in fail-safes to the Green Lanterns to keep them from attempting to break from Oan rule.”

“Wow, tell me how you really feel,” King Phantom said dryly. “They’re going to be a problem for me, won’t they?”

“I believe they will be,” Mamaragan said. “But I advise you to not approach them with mistrust and hostility.”

“Man, they really pissed you off.” King Phantom cocked his head to one side.

“I do not appreciate a group which refuses to even remember their own mistakes. You may believe me a hypocrite-”

“Oh, there’s no ‘may’ about it.”

“But the value of the Champion of Magic is that they bring their own background. The rest of the Circle of Eternity brought their own background and expertise as well. And we chose wrong. And it was our mistake. But our mistake did not lead to the deaths of trillions.”

King Phantom was staring at him. There was judgement in his very aura, but finally he nodded his head once.

“Is this what your Council is supposed to be like? If they were still alive, would I have been able to come for advice?”

There was something in his tone, something Mamaragan recognized. As such, he approached the topic carefully.

“Billy Batson will make his own Circle of Eternity, eventually,” Mamaragan stated. “And he will live a long, long time.”

“He’ll be one of my advisors,” King Phantom stated, not like he was guessing at Mamaragan’s meaning, but like he knew the truth deep in his bones, like he’d witnessed it himself.

“Originally,” Mamaragan said slowly, carefully. “The Crown of Infinite Kings was what gave the King the power increase. The Ring of All Lords was the key that allowed the Crown to be used. So, both were needed. But the Ring had its own power. It provided a touch of the Master of Time. A glimpse of the future.”

“Oh, that asshole!” King Phantom said, sounding annoyed than impressed. It was slightly frightening to see anyone speak of the Master of Time with such irreverence and affection. But Mamaragan did not feel fear at those words, rather, the King’s words eased a fear in his heart.

“How long have you been having dreams of the future?”

“I wasn’t certain,” the King said. “It’s not a lot… more like a feeling and few images.”

“What type of feeling?”

“That…” the King paused and licked his lips. “That this an on ramp to my rule, one which can be derailed by a million things. And that whatever I build now will be the foundation for my rule for… for a long time.”

King Phantom probably knew more accurately what ‘a long time’ meant, but he also seemed uneasy to speak the number into reality.

“And the images?”

“I saw Billy, but an adult, sitting in your seat, surrounded by other people I don’t know,” King Phantom. “When I came into the room he stood and came to greet me with a hug before guiding me to speak to the others.”

Mamaragan nodded. He didn’t need future sight to guess what would happen, knowing Billy, knowing how King Phantom cared for the boy, knowing the potential of the power of Captain Marvel.

“I’ve seen… there’s one that’s recent, but it’s clear, even clearer than Billy.” King Phantom licked his lips nervously.

“What is it?”

“There’s a ghost I work with; his name’s Walker. When he died, he basically became the Spirit of Law in the Infinite Realms, though he used to make up a lot of his own laws since Pariah was in bad king nap time, and there wasn’t another Ancient or power who would stop him. Once I took control, well, he enforces the laws I make now. I saw he’s the Spirit of Law for a reason. He isn’t… old enough or strong enough to be an Ancient.”

“Not yet.”

King Phantom nodded. His expression when he looked at Mamaragan was clear and resigned. “Not yet,” he agreed.

“This isn’t what you saw.”

“No, but it’s what you need to understand. You remember Batman?”

“I do.” It would be hard to forget a man who Black Adam felt honorable enough to fight without power, and offer power of his own, to protect the city Batman loved so dearly.

“When he dies, he comes to the Infinite Realms, and he becomes the Spirit of Justice.” There was that clearness and resignation, now in Phantom’s voice. “Walker was able to do a lot of bad things, like to Oans, because he only saw law and could make them up on his own. He was the judge, the jury and the warden. Now he can’t make up kaws, but he follows them exactly. Batman is needed for balance. He’ll be Justice. He’ll seek justice for those wronged, both by the law and by individuals or groups.”

“This disturbs you.”

“It… not about what happens to him. I need him for this, and he’ll be good at it, and good for it. And it’s not like he’ll need to worry about Gotham. There’s another halfa who’s claimed it already. It’ll be well taken care of. But Batman is alive right now. I’ve never even got images of my friends and family dying. It shouldn’t bother me…. But it does bother me. Because it feels like I’m just going to blink one day, and he’ll be dead and the time will have passed so fast. One day I’ll look back at Batman as a myth, a fun story of a legend. I’m going to know Batman as Justice for far longer than I’ll know him as Batman.”

“It’s not your own mortality you face,” Mamaragan said carefully. “It’s the mortality of others. That is what bothers you.”

“Silly, right?” Phantom asked with a weak laugh. “I’m going to outlive my friends, my big sister, my parents, my wife, my children, their children, their children and many generations. It’s just going to be me, and Ellie and Jason and Billy, and maybe Vlad. And yeah, Amity Park is going to be open to ghosts so my loved ones can stay around, but they won’t be… allowed in the rest of the world, not the way they are now.”

Mamaragan nodded very slowly.

“I do have advice for you,” Mamaragan said. “From one very old man to a future very old man: do not borrow troubles from the future. They will come when they will come. You are fortunate that even though the ones you love will die, you will also get to keep them. Live for now. Do not miss your child’s firsts steps because you are planning their funeral.”

King Phantom regarded him closely, his expression unreadable for a long moment before an easy smile spread across his face.

“It’s a little sad,” he said. “If we’d met a long time ago, before you became like this… I think we could have been friends. The way I’m friends with Clockwork.”

Mamaragan could always hear the screams of his comrades, his friends, his family. He heard them begging, pleading for release, for the embrace of a proper death, for nothingness, for his help. The pain never ended. The loneliness never went away. But when King Phantom spoke those words, for a bare second, Mamaragan could see a world where the Circle of Eternity advised the King of the Infinite Realms, a King worth serving, a King who would have come when Black Adam attacked.

Mamaragan grieved for that world for just a moment, for a version of himself who hadn’t had his heart chipped away by generations of the world and suffering.

“I think perhaps you may be right,” Mamaragan said.

“I’m going now,” Phantom said. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

He flew out of the room leaving Mamaragan alone again, this time with new thoughts. The future King Phantom would create was being laid out like a game board. Already he had the favor and guidance of the Master of Time, as well as the leaders of the Yetis, the Dragons and the ghosts of Ancient Greece. He had relations with spirits of law and dreams, and a spirit of the Green. When the time came, King Phantom would have the support and guidance of the new Circle of Eternity, led by Billy Batson. He would have multiple cities on earth where his rule extended, including Gotham and Amity Park. He would have a new Spirit of Justice to temper law.

This was just the beginning, the tip of the iceberg. And more, King Phantom had tamed the Ring of Rage enough, despite how it fought him, to receive visions from the Ring of All Lords. He was still alive, for now. Much would come and change.

And some warmth in a chest Mamaragan long felt was hollow. Billy lit the first spark, but King Phantom was a gust that spread that spark into a small fire. There was hope for the future, past the screams, their mistakes and his grief. There was hope.

Chapter Text

It took Tim almost a month after he actually started calling Billy his little brother for him to actually arrange this particular meet up. Tim was busy, after all, and adding four extra people to the sleepover roster was a bit much for Kon and Clark’s apartment. Still, Tim was a master planner. He picked a weekend when Glenmorgan High had a three-day weekend and so Tim could drag himself, Billy, Cassie and Bart over on Thursday night.

Kon also knew, from Tim’s bragging, that he’d been helping his father and Dana plan the wedding so well that his father was happy to be rid of him for a few days to “try out” a honeymoon spot. No one was going to be in Drake Manor and that was good for Kon, since it meant he’d finally be able to really introduce his friends to Cassie and Bart. Plus, Billy would be there for a couple of days too, and that would be fun.

“I’d say I couldn’t believe that Tim sent exact specifications of where to lay out air mattresses and sleeping bags for this, but it is Tim,” Clark said, looking over the printout they’d taped on the wall for later that evening. Kon had thirteen friends from school, plus Tim, plus Cassie and Bart, plus Billy would be eighteen kids/teenagers that Clark was going to be tending to on his own. Kon and Clark had spent time locking up Lois’s stuff from her office in Clark’s room, or in her rolltop desk. They already had bedding arranged in the office and Kon’s room. They’d just have to arrange the living room later in the evening.

“I hope we got enough food,” Kon said.

“Me too,” Clark said. Bruce had sent them money to fund the weekend. Kon knew his dad didn’t like taking money from Bruce, but since Bart and his bottomless stomach were coming, he hadn’t dared to refuse.

Both of them stilled suddenly, hearing Alfred’s car pull up. Bruce had sent him to escort the others over. It wasn’t like Tim and the others couldn’t just hop the ferry by themselves, but Bruce was just like that. Kon stayed still, listening for four sets of feet coming up the stairs. With a gentle swish, Clark disappeared, probably down to talk to Alfred before he drove off. Kon rushed to the door, throwing it open just as Bart barreled through the doorway, right into Kon’s arms.

“There are you!” Bart chirped from his chest.

Kon felt his eyes start to ache with tears he wouldn’t let fall. He didn’t want to cry like a baby, but his body sure felt like he should. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed Bart and Cassie. They, along with Tim, were the ones who got Kon out. They took him to San Francisco. They taught him how to live. They were his first friends, the people he’d modeled himself off first. He missed them horribly.

“Kon! You stinker! You’ve been gone for ages!” Cassie called, barreling through the door herself. She grabbed both him and Bart off the ground and hugged them tight enough to make Kon’s back pop.

“I missed you too,” Kon said quietly.

“Don’t break my boyfriend in half, Cassie,” Tim said dryly. Kon looked over to him as he and Billy shoved the bags into the apartment that Bart and Cassie had dropped so he could close the door.

“Eh, he deserves it,” Cassie said, but she gently set Bart and Kon down. Bart zoomed away, miming like his back was broken. Cassie made to play hit him and Bart stepped easily out of the way. Kon found himself grinning.

“I’m so glad you came,” Kon said.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Bart said. “After all, we need to see who you replaced us with.”

“I haven’t replaced you with anyone,” Kon said quickly.

“He’s joking,” Tim said, smacking the back of Bart’s hair. “They have been really excited to see you, though.”

“I’ve been wanting to see you both too,” Kon said. “A lot. I love my other friends, but they aren’t you… and you aren’t them either.” He said the words as they occurred to him. “I couldn’t replace you with them, and you couldn’t replace them either. You’re not replaceable. Any of you.”

“Wow, we don’t see you for a few months and you become emotionally competent,” Cassie said. Despite her slightly mean tone, she had a soft expression in her eyes.

“Well, my dad’s pretty emotionally competent,” he said.

“Excellent, Dude,” Bart declared.

“Right, would you all like to get comfortable? Everyone else should start showing up soon. I can guess you all got to meet Billy already.”

“Yeah, we got to talk on the ride over,” Cassie said. She waved at Billy who grinned and waved back. “Tim’s already talked about having Billy come visit us in the Tower.”

“Woah, really? I guess Tim wants to do the hero on-ramp properly,” Kon said. He turned and grabbed Tim into a humanly tight hug.

“Maybe,” Tim said. “You know, if you want to join us, you could.”

“I- wait, what?” He felt like his brain completely tripped over Tim’s words.

“You should totally come back and be one of us!” Bart said.

“You’d be a great Teen Titan. Tim’s told us how much control you have now,” Cassie said.

“And get this: Captain Marvel is going to start training us soon. And he’s really cool,” Bart said.

Kon noticed Billy perk up. Billy really did like Captain Marvel. He was his favorite hero.

“What Bart means is that there’s a hero there who can help you practice,” Tim said. “And he’s strong enough to go toe to toe with Superman, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about hurting him.” Tim slipped his arm around Billy, tugging him against his side. It made Kon smile to see.

“I… it’s okay, if I think about it, right?”

“More than,” Cassie said. “Open offer. You take your time, okay? However much time you need.”

“Thanks, guys,” Kon said. He was feeling pretty thrown for a loop, which is why he wasn’t paying attention, and why he didn’t realize anyone else was there until Clark came back in.

“Kon,” Clark said as he opened the door. “Your friends are here.”

The friends in questions were Lili, Dante and Nora. Kon spun around just in time to see Lili’s mouth drop open when she caught sight of Cassie.

“Holy shit, asshole, you didn’t tell us you knew Wondergirl!” Lili declared.

“Really? Must have slipped by mind,” Kon said.

“Connor!” Dante and Lili shouted.

Nora just laughed. “Mijo, you’re causing trouble again.” She deftly moved around her cousin and went and dragged Kon into a hug.

“You act like I haven’t seen you in forever, Nora.”

“Hours is forever, dipshit,” Lili said.

Behind her, Clark shook his head in amusement while shutting the door.

Kon laughed too. “Okay, Nora, Lili, Dante, this is Bart and Cassie, my friends from LA. And you know Tim, but this is Tim’s new little brother Billy.”

“Since when do you have a little brother?” Dante asked. “It’s nice to meet you, Billy.”

“It’s new. Technically Bruce hasn’t gotten the full adoption finished yet,” Billy explained.

“Well, that answers the question if it was Tim’s good dad or dipshit dad,” Lili said.

“Please, that wasn’t a question,” Nora said. She was heavily leaning on Kon now. Where Lili was small, Nora was tall. She was taller than Kon and liked to make him feel short where she could. She said it would help him build character.

“See, Tim, everyone hates your bio-dad,” Bart said. “Literally everyone.”

“Well, Dana likes him,” Tim said.

“I know you like your new stepmom, but I really question her judgement, man,” Dante said.

“Is this the ‘gang up on Tim hour’?” Tim demanded suddenly.

“Every hour can potentially be the ‘gang up on Tim hour’ if we play our cards right,” Cassie said with a big smirk. She grabbed Tim and started ruffling hair. He couldn’t just get away because there were civilian witnesses. Instead, he squawked and wiggled until Cassie took pity on him and let him go.

Kon started laughing, just like the others did. He felt a gentle tug on his hand. It was Lili, a serious expression on her face. She jerked his head toward the office. Kon nodded once and let her tug him away. They were entirely silent until they were inside the office and the door was shut.

“Connor,” Lili said in a serious and quiet voice. “Does you knowing Wonder Girl have anything to do with what happened with Lex Luthor?”

Lili could be so… blunt sometimes. Kon was taken aback simply because it hadn’t occurred to that anyone would make that connection.

“I… yeah,” he said. He didn’t know what else to do but admit some of it.

“What happened?” Her gaze was sharp, demanding, assessing. She was one of his closest friends for a reason, but that reason was also coming to bite him in the ass.

“Cassie… was one of the people who rescued me,” Kon said. “I… I was raised in a cult, see…” he trailed off. “I’m sorry, I can’t talk about where I came from.”

“Shit,” Lili whispered. She laid a hand on his arm. “And Luthor was involved in some way. But you won’t say, right?”

Kon just nodded.

“Motherfucker,” she hissed.

“Yeah… I… I didn’t make my way to LA, Cassie let me stay in Titan Tower for a while.”

“And you met Tim because Bruce funds the Justice League and he probably hangs out with the teen heroes. Freaking rich boy.” She didn’t sound unhappy at Tim, though.

Kon smiled weakly and nodded. “And Bart is Tim’s friend. So, we all hung out… Eventually, Bruce found out, and he called Batman. And Batman called Superman, and Superman called Clark. And well, here I am.” And that was close enough to reality that he didn’t feel too bad about lying.

“So, where you were, is it like Scientology dangerous?”

“What’s Scientology?” Kon tipped his head to one side.

“Never mind. Just- they’re dangerous?”

“I don’t want people to know,” he said. “I mean, Lex already knows where I am. So, it’s not like I guess I have to be secretive about it because he’s like the number one person I didn’t want to know… but I don’t want people to look at me funny.”

“So, you want me to keep it to myself?” she asked.

“Yeah. For now. I mean, Tim knows, and so does Cassie and Bart. Billy kind of knows. And of course, Clark, Lois and Bruce know. A couple of people at dad’s job. And Mr. Pace knows now.”

“Why does he know?”

“Dad told him,” Kon explained.

“Oh yeah, that makes sense… Luthor’s such a creep.”

“You have no idea,” Kon said dryly. “Anyway, I’m not ready to tell other people yet.”

“Connor, you know I’m not going to be the only one asking questions.”

“Well, I am now.”

“You need to be more self-aware, man,” Lili said in a deeply concerned voice. “Still, I feel a little better knowing your friends with some heroes. I might not have to worry about you so much.”

“You worry about me?” he asked.

“More than I wish I had to. You’re basically family, Connor. And more than that, you’re well worth the worry and trouble.”

Kon was quiet for a moment. Lili’s expression was open and genuine. She meant every word she said, and she wanted to be certain he knew it.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about me, Lils. But I appreciate it. And I love you too.”

A bright smile split across her face. “So, you think maybe you can help me flirt with Cassie?”

“You’re literally going to be better at it than me,” Kon said. “I’m not good with flirting with girls, and Cassie is so much a friend that she’s practically a sibling.”

“Just, put in a good word for me?”

“I don’t have to, Lils. She’s already heard how amazing you are. I brag about you guys all the time. She knows how cool you are. And the more time she spends with you, the more she’s going to see you’re amazing.”

“Shit, flyboy,” Lili grumbled, her face hot with a blush that he could feel just standing next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, I bet the others will be arriving soon,” Kon said. He could actually hear them coming up in the elevator. It was Sasha, Alanna and Troy. Iris and Eri were also entering the building, with more on the way.

“I bet they’re coming faster too. You know Dante probably already sent a picture to the group chat.”

“He probably did,” Kon said with a laugh.

“I can’t believe your dad is going to host even more people than normal,” Lili said with a laugh. “Seventeen extra people seems excessive.”

“Well, if Lois and Man and Pa were here, I’d have all of the people I love in one place,” Kon said. That seemed to make Lili extra happy.

The pair of them made it back to the others just in time for Sasha, Alanna and Troy to arrive. Troy was a handsome black boy, who was Kon’s height exactly. He had a brilliant smile and was on the football team. Of all of their group, he was the most popular. He was also the only one of them dating someone straight. Alanna called herself a cocktail of mental health issues and red curls, but she apparently had been part of the group longer than Troy, since her twin, Alan (and yes, their parents were so creative) was gay.

“Where’s your lesser half?” Lili asked, going to hug Alanna.

“He and Zeke are back on again,” Alanna said. “I couldn’t separate them. They’ll show up when they show up.” She hugged Lili nice and tight to her chest.

Everyone who wasn’t Cassie, Bart and Billy (even Kon and Tim) let out a loud groan.

“What’s wrong with that?” Bart asked.

“They break up and get back together every five minutes and it’s always a whole thing. I’m Sasha.”

“Bart. Nice to meet you. I’m Kon and Tim’s friend. And this is Cassie.”

“Holy shit, Kon, since when are you friends with Wonder Girl?” Alanna hissed, stars in her eyes.

“Damn, I think my girlfriend might be in love,” Troy teased. That earned him a hard elbow in the side, which he just laughed through.

“Ass.” Alanna grumbled.

“You love me,” Troy teased in return.

Kon conducted them further into the apartment so Eri and Iris could step in when they arrived. He could hear Toni and Juan in the elevator and Hera down on the first floor. In a matter of minutes, they had everyone but Zeke and Alan. Kon let out a heavy sigh. Zeke got anxious when he wasn’t on time, and Alan was chronically late.

The group moved around, getting themselves snacks and getting comfortable. It was another fifteen minutes before Kon heard Zeke and Alan walk into the building, arguing the entire way up. Zeke hissed at Alan to shut up half a dozen times before they got to the door. By the time the door opened, the pair had big smiles plastered on their faces like they were happy when they really weren’t.

“Sorry we’re late,” Zeke said.

“You’re not late,” Kon assured him. He tugged Zeke into a hug. He shot Alan an annoyed look. Alan gave an innocent smile and shut the door behind him.

Clark handed both of them a root beer and sent all three of them to go sit. Kon resumed his seat on the floor against the sofa, Tim wrapped up in his arms. He listened to the final Wonder Girl freak up while nuzzling his cheek against Tim’s hair.

“So,” Alan said once they introductions were finally settled. “You’re the new Wayne kid?” he asked Billy, his eyes focused on him like a laser.

“Yeah, it’s not like official or anything. That takes a while,” Billy said.

“I don’t want to say the old man has a pattern,” Alan, the asshole started. “But-”

“Trust me, everyone’s been giving him shit about it,” Tim said dryly.

“He gets really grumpy about it. It’s funny,” Billy added. “And anyway, my mentor’s a friend of his and asked him to take me. So, it’s not exactly Bruce’s fault this time.”

“He’s not here to hear you defend him,” Cassie said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, but it is true,” Tim said.

“So, who’s your mentor? He must be important, since he knows Bruce Wayne.”

“Alan, stop being a dick,” Alanna said, kicking out and hitting his thigh, making Alan yelp.

“You don’t have to tell him anything,” Kon told Billy.

“Yeah, Alan’s just the worst,” Lili assured him. “You can ignore him.”

“Is it gang up on Alan day?” Alan asked.

“Yes,” literally all of them said, even Cassie and Bart, even Clark from the kitchen.

Alan let out an annoyed huff. “Okay fine. But I’m really curious, okay?”

“It’s okay,” Billy said. “Have any of you ever watched Like and Survive?”

“Phantom!” Dante gasped like the hero nerd he really was. “Holy shit! You know Phantom! Are you like a hero?”

“Well not…” Billy flushed. “I really liked the videos and I thought he could help.”

“Wait, isn’t that old hero who does videos?” Hera asked, perking up. She was such a goth, always dressed up in black, lilac and lace. “The ghost hero?”

“Isn’t he like super old or something?” Iris asked.

“He’s the first hero ever,” Dante said.

“I thought that was Batman,” Troy said.

“No, Batman’s the second hero,” Lili said, rolling her eyes.

“Actually,” Tim said. “Batman’s the third hero. Red Huntress is the second hero. She became a hero only a few months after Phantom started.”

“I’ve never heard of Red Huntress,” Lili said, furrowing her brow.

“She’s Amity Park’s other hero,” Dante said quickly. “And she’s so cool! She uses a hoverboard and everything she does is like tech heavy.”

“She’s actually so awesome,” Tim agreed suddenly. “She’s my second favorite hero ever. She was the first hero without powers, and she builds a lot of her own tech. Also, she let me try her hoverboard once.”

“What? No fair!” Dante whined.

“Just how many heroes do you know, Tim?” Nora asked.

“A few,” Tim said.

“Pays to be rich,” Alan said.

“In this case, I only met her because Bruce is friends with Phantom’s sister,” Tim said. “So, it’s not really a money thing as much as it is a Gotham University thing.”

“Charmed life you got there,” Lili said, poking Tim’s side. “Shame about the water quality.”

Tim giggled. The poke hit one of his funny bones.

“So anyway, why is Phantom your mentor?” Dante asked, now even more curious than Alan.

“I….” Billy looked to Tim.

“Tell them whatever you’re comfortable with,” Tim said.

“Okay. I was homeless,” Billy said. A few people in the group gasped at once. “And I really liked Phantom’s videos, and I thought… you know, they always say they’ll help kids. And Phantom’s super cool. He got me set up with teachers and stuff, and I have friends there now. I… uh, I have a little bit of magic.” His ears were getting really red.

“Dude,” Hera breathed out. “Awesome. Can you teach us?”

“Are you kidding me? Constantine would skin me!” Billy just about yelped out his words.

“John Constantine?” Hera’s eyes lit up. Her goth little heart was going pitter patter. “Justice League Dark John Constantine?”

“He’s really not cool at all,” Billy said quickly. Considering how often Kon heard him complain about what a lamer John was, it was surprising to hear anyone talk about him and sound excited. “But yeah. He gets really twitchy about teaching magic. I just need to learn control, and Phantom asked, so he kind of has to teach me. But it’s extremely dangerous and the cost is always really high. Like the souls of kids for really simple stuff. It’s really dangerous, so don’t try, okay?”

Tim reached out a gently ruffled Billy’s hair. “Hera, please don’t give my new little brother anxiety.”

“I won’t,” Hera said before letting out a heavy sigh. “I really want to study magic. I know Amity Park University teaches like history and theory stuff. I really, really want to go there when I graduate.”

“Constantine teaches classes like that at APU,” Billy said.

“Man, now I just want to go more. John Constantine is so cool!” Hera groaned. Billy looked horrified.

“John Constantine is not cool at all. In fact, he’s absolutely a loser. I promise.”

“Don’t harsh my vibe, little man,” Hera grumbled. “But for real, what’s he like? Tim have you met him?”

“Luckily, I have not,” Tim said.

“What’s the deal with this guy?” Alan asked. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“He’s like a really powerful magician,” Dante said. “Like crazy strong. He runs with the Justice League Dark, and they mostly handle magic stuff. They aren’t flashy like the normal Justice League.”

“Ah,” Alan said. “Okay, that makes sense about why Hera’s obsessed.” Hera stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yeah, well, he generally doesn’t smell great,” Billy said. “And he’s basically always smoking or chewing nicotine gum. He’s a really good teacher and he is really skilled. But he’s also like bad luck charm. And also, he’s really, really bad at talking about his feelings. It’s kind of pathetic.”

Bart let out a loud laugh. “Awesome. Tell us how you really feel.”

Billy flushed. “I mean, I like him well enough. He’s just not cool like Red Huntress or Phantom, who are super cool.”

“So, does John Constantine go to Wayne Manor to teach you?” Sasha piped up. Tim and Billy turned to her with twin looks of shock.

“Are you crazy?” Tim asked.

“What?” Sasha asked a little too innocently. “Are you worried Bruce will like flirt with him or something?”

“No,” Billy said.

At the same time Tim said “Yes!” with an entirely resigned air.

“What do you mean ‘yes’?” Billy squawked.

“You haven’t been around long enough to know this, but Bruce has a type and that type is ‘trouble’.”

Billy wrinkled his nose. “Ew.”

“Exactly,” Tim said.

“Anyway, I take classes in Amity Park,” Billy said. “Phantom can make portals,” he added by way of explanation.

“Man, I want to go,” Hera whined.

“I kind of want to go too now,” Lili admitted. “Too bad it’s so far away.”

“Hmm,” Tim murmured. Kon caught him exchanging looks with Cassie and Bart. Kon suddenly had the feeling that Tim might be planning a field trip from Kon’s friends. Kon didn’t mind at all, but now wasn’t the time to say anything about it.

“We can bring you back a souvenir,” Cassie said with a big smile. “I totally want to meet Red Huntress. Rob’s totally enamored with her too. I’m going to try and go soon.”

“Jelly,” Hera said.

“Same,” Lili said, longing in her voice. But Kon bet she was jealous because she wanted to go on a trip with Cassie. He grinned, pressing his face into Tim’s hair so it wouldn’t be too obvious.

He loved his friends so much. He really, really loved his life. When he was in the lab, he never thought he’d ever have anything truly good in his life. But here he was, surrounded by so much good he thought he might burst. He even thought that he might never be as happy as he was right then. Then he thought he’d just get happier the longer he got to live this life of his. It was good.

Chapter Text

Noah felt tired a lot. That would, realistically, be the depression he’d dropped into after that entire disaster of a conversation he’d last had with John.

He hadn’t seen John in a month. A whole entire month.

Part of that was by his own design. Noah avoided anywhere he knew John would be for weeks. He wasn’t ready to face the man after everything he’d accused him of. John had saved his life more than once. He did care, and more than just a little. It wasn’t his fault Noah got selfish and jealous. It wasn’t Billy’s fault either, but Noah had snapped and snarled enough times at the kid whenever he tried to bring up John that Billy learned to stop trying.

Noah knew he’d made John feel bad. John Constantine and his stupid guilt. Noah had added more weight, probably poked open wounds that had barely scabbed over. Billy had a good thing going, getting adopted by Bruce Wayne. He’d have a way better chance there than following around a biological father it was literally dangerous to be around. Yeah, Billy had magic, but so had Tommy. Having magic didn’t mean anything. And Noah doubted John would leave Billy on the street if he’d known. He couldn’t have known until recently, maybe until the day Danny introduced them. And by then, Billy was already about to be adopted, so why stir the pot?

Noah shouldn’t have acted the way he did.

Noah was sitting on the floor of his room. He’d been moved into the APU dorm over a week back. Danny and Val offered to let him stay with them longer, but he’d assured them he’d be fine. He’d known it was a lie, but he didn’t want to impose on them more. He wasn’t used to having so many people worried about him who would really try to do something about it. His mum’s old colleagues tried, but they never really would help him or care about him in the way he needed. To them, he was Liza Ikumelo’s kid. In Amity Park, he was Noah Ikumelo, and people worried about him for no other reason than they cared about him. For that reason alone he was having to work really hard to pretend like he was fine.

He wasn’t fine. He also didn’t want to be fine. Until he could stop being a coward and apologize, he didn’t deserve to be fine. But he was a coward and a hypocrite and all the shite he’d accused John of being.

He’d been such an idiot. He’d wanted to be John’s family too, but he’d proved that he wasn’t worth it. What type of son would say such things? He’d never have said anything like that to his mum. For one thing, she’d never have let him get away with it. For another, he would never hurt her like that. He accused John of being the bad parent, but Noah was the bad one, the bad child. He’d been so angry at first, but the anger faded quickly, leaving an ugly type of clarity: the way Noah felt was all his own fault. He’d done this to himself.

He'd moved into the dorms, let Ace and Billy come and help him put up posters Noah hadn’t really cared about and arrange his knick knacks in a way that he honestly didn’t like but couldn’t be bothered to fix. He’d gone out with them for meals. He spent time with his friends and the ASL tutor. He made an appearance at mealtimes at the dining hall. He event went and played with Ori and Stella a few times. He thought he was doing okay at pretending to be alright. Sure, he was curled up on the cold floor of his room at the dorms, but he was alone, so it was fine. No one could see him being crushed under the weight of his own bad feelings, so it was okay to act the way he felt.

A firm knock on the door made him scramble up, his body catching up before his brain even finished screaming at him. He slapped his cheeks a few times, just to get himself under control. A bare second later he opened the door. He was met with the sight of a broad chest. He looked up until he could meet Danny Gray’s eyes.

He waved, looking confused.

“Follow me,” Danny said.

[What’s going on?]

“You have to talk to John,” Danny stated. Noah’s heart dropped into his stomach.

[No.]

“Don’t ‘No’ me. Look, you feel bad, don’t you? You’ve really withdrawn from everyone. You’re normally pretty chatty when you’re around the people you like.” Noah raised a brow and Danny blushed. Yeah, the mute boy talked so much. “You know what I mean. You feel bad. John feels bad. He’s currently in his office and there’s no reason for you two not to talk.”

Noah’s heart dropped into his stomach.

[Is he okay?]

“He’ll be better once you two talk.”

Danny was a pain in the ass, but Noah knew he was trying to help. Plus… Plus Noah owed John an apology. He took a deep breath and let it out. He nodded slowly.

“This way, Noah.”

Danny stepped back so Noah could follow him out. Noah stopped to lock his door, then turned to walk, but Danny grabbed him the second he turned around. Noah didn’t even have time to ask what he was doing before Danny flew them off to Nightingale Hall across campus. Noah let out a soundless scream, only calming once his feet were on solid ground.

He glared at Danny when he put him down.

“Sorry,” Danny said, looking a bit embarrassed. “I just wanted to get here faster.”

[Don’t do that again.] His hands were shaking as he signed, and he was still glaring.

“Okay, okay,” Danny said, holding up his hands in the universal ‘I give up’ motion. “Just, follow me.”

Once they began walking, it didn’t take particularly long for Noah to be led the rest of the way. They stopped in front of a door with a plaque that declared the office before belonged to Professor John Constantine. Danny raised his hand to knock but didn’t even get a chance before Noah heard John shout “Come in!”

Danny pushed the door open, standing in the door way, functionally blocking the view. Noah peeked around him, getting a glance at the very small interior room with no window in sight, where John had basically a desk and a filing cabinet.

“What is it now, your majesty?” John was always wary of Danny, but now he didn’t sound wary, he sounded like he was spoiling for a fight, which meant he probably was. And if he was willing to piss off the person who basically owned him, then John really, really was not okay.

“Special delivery,” Danny said before turning to Noah. “You can do this,” he whispered to Noah as he passed by, walking off before Noah could chicken out and use him as a half-human shield.

Noah took a breath and stepped into the room, pulling the door closed behind him. John’s little office clearly had been a closet at some point. It had a musk to it, and it was made entirely of cement, both floors and walls. There was a shitty little macrame rug on the ground. John’s desk looked like it came from the cheap part of Ikea. There wasn’t an overhead light, so John had a lamp which was shaded to look more red than just warm lighting normally provided. The room was cold, but the air felt dead like a bad summer, stale and humid. And in the middle of all of that sat John Constantine looking entirely flabbergasted.

“Noah?” His voice was filled with the same shock, but there was something very vulnerable in his eyes.

That vulnerability made Noah’s chest hurt. Had John not been avoiding him too? Was that month apart just on Noah’s side? Had he just made it worse?

Noah hesitated for only a second before he started signing.

[Hello, John. I came to apologize.]

“Apologize?” His tone didn’t change at all.

Noah nodded. [I shouldn’t have said any of that. I don’t think you’re a coward or a bad father. I’m really sorry. And I’m sorry I didn’t apologize before. I was the one who was a coward, not you.]

“Noah,” John started but trailed off. He sounded hesitant. His gaze was swamped with surprise. He was sitting still, looking up at Noah with the oddest expression in his eyes. The vulnerability wasn’t gone, but he looked perplexed too.

[Just, didn’t want you to blame yourself. You shouldn’t. I was a bastard. I mean, it’s what I am anyway.] He smiled weakly at his extremely bad taste joke.

“Don’t say that.” John leaned forward like he meant to touch Noah but stopped half way through the motion. “Not even as a joke. Don’t call yourself that.”

[It’s true. It’s not like I have a lot of feelings about it.] That was partially a lie. Kids were shite. They liked to take any reason to tease. But he didn’t care the way he used to. He didn’t have any tears left to cry about it. He didn’t have a father. He didn’t have a mother. He didn’t have a family. He had other people, though, people he loved with his whole heart. One of those people was sitting in front of him, bothered by Noah calling himself a bastard the way no one but his mother ever had been before.

“Billy isn’t my kid,” John said quickly, like the words couldn’t get out of his mouth fast enough, like they had to be said before his mind could stop his mouth. How did that even address what they’d been talking about? “We aren’t related at all. We don’t even have the same color eyes. I think you were seeing our magic.”

The words hung there. Noah was surprised that John would say something like that, and John seemed just as surprised that he’d said it too.

[Why would I be seeing magic?]

John let out a weak laugh. “Why were you so mad at me?”

Noah flushed. He dropped his gaze, shame swamping every part of his heart. He could see John’s knees and shoes, but not his face. It was cowardly, but it felt safer than looking up.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

Noah shook his head. He didn’t want to admit any of it, but he’d been the one who lashed out. John deserved the truth. This was Noah’s repentance. He started to sign, going slowly because he had to force himself through every motion.

[I thought if you didn’t want to spend time with you own kid-] His hands were shaking. [Then, why would you bother spending time with a nobody like me?]

Noah smiled down at the floor, his eyes aching with tears he refused to shed. He wasn’t going to cry this time. He didn’t need John to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault Noah was pathetic.

John sucked in a breath through his teeth and Noah closed his eyes. He imagined being able to leave and go and crawl into his bed. He could hide there. No one would bother him. When this was over, he’d just go hide. Danny wouldn’t even be able to fuss because he was the one who made Noah talk to John.

Familiar hands wrapped around his own. Longer fingers laid against his palms. John squeezed his hands and Noah squeezed back in return. He wasn’t going to cry this time. He wasn’t!

“Noah, will you look at me?” John asked. His voice was so gentle.

Noah drew in a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. He was looking down at John and John was looking up at him. His eyes were the color of a summer gemstone, and they were firm. Seriousness had settled on his brow. He was intent on whatever he saw in Noah’s own eyes.

“Do you remember when we met? When you picked me when you were supposed to pick up someone else?”

Noah nodded. He was grateful he’d changed his mind. John was the best thing that ever happened to him since the boggart. He still didn’t know why he’d felt such a painful need to go after John, but he’d just known he had to do it.

“The boggart was in your mother’s room because a decade before, she’d gone to a magician, asking to help to deal with this boggart. The magician was a real arsehole. He locked the boggart up and had a night with your mum. A decade later, the boggart escaped and wanted his revenge. He put a spell on your mum to draw her to the magician. But, things is, she didn’t feel anything positive toward the wayward magician who had that night with her. He was just the arsehole who… who got her pregnant.”

Noah’s eyes went wide. He was staring at John. John looked back at him, still so intent, but also so, so guilty.

‘You’, Noah mouthed.

John swallowed. There was a lot of pain in his eyes as he slowly nodded yes.

“You came in during the spell. She fought back to protect you, and she saw the face of the creature. Which is what happened to her. And because the spell was interrupted, well, it really backfired. It walloped the boggart good. But it did something else too. See, it was looking for any sentiment toward that magician. And you were standing right there, the only good thing that came out that encounter…”

John was still holding his hands as he finished his explanation. He squeezed once and let go. Noah’s hands dropped to his sides.

“You saw the magic in Billy, and you saw magic in me and you assumed. But Billy isn’t my son. But you could see that magic because…” He swallowed and licked his lips. “Because you are, Noah.”

Noah was still staring. Slowly, with shaking hands, he started to sign very slowly.

[How long have you known?]

“About a minute after I made you kill Tommy. I figured it out then. That’s… funny enough, it’s what saved me from getting eaten by the tulpa. I felt too bad for it to eat me properly.”

[Why?]

“Because I never wanted to make my own kid be a killer, not like me.”

And there was the guilt. There was the root of all of the silence. Noah was suddenly certain that he really wasn’t the only one who’d been doing the avoiding.

[So, we’re both cowards.]

“You’re not a coward.”

[I didn’t want to see you because I didn’t want to see how badly I’d hurt you. I said what I knew would hurt you because I was upset. I just wanted you to want me.]

“I do want you,” John said quickly. “You’re just like this amazing kid. You’re clever and kind and brave. I want to be around you all the time. I just don’t want you getting tangled in all the crap I’m always stuck in.”

Noah huffed out a laugh. [I didn’t want to learn magic. I just wanted to spend time with you.]

“Oh.”

[Yeah, oh. Dummy.]

He was smiling for what felt like the first time in years.

“Stand back,” John said. Noah did as he was told, which allowed John to stand up without making things awkwardly close.

They did end up standing there staring at each other for a long awkward moment, though.

[Hi, dad.] His signs were hesitant and unsure. He never, ever thought he’d get to use them.

“Hi, son,” John said, starting to grin.

Noah threw himself at his dad, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight so he couldn’t escape. John let out an ‘oof’ sound. It took a minute for him to adjust to being hugged, and reasonably, it took a second for him to rebalance so they wouldn’t both fall over. A few seconds after that, John wrapped his arms around Noah in return.

“Okay, kid,” John murmured. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Those might have been the best words Noah ever heard in his life.

Chapter Text

John didn’t think he could say a lot for himself. That was part of why he’d spent weeks avoiding Noah, even though he knew Noah probably needed him to step up and start the conversation. He didn’t mean to hurt him, and any time he wanted to apologize and make it better for Noah, John would suddenly chicken out. Historically, any relationship with John Constantine was a death sentence. The only reason Chas lasted as long as he did was that he came back every time he died. The only reason John was no longer haunted by the ghosts who’d followed him around for decades was because Danny Gray gave them enough strength to escape the cosmic black hole that was John Constantine. Danny had set them up in the Infinite Realms nice and proper and John was no longer haunted.

If it weren’t for Danny fixing his problems, John would still be existing in a state of too fucked up and cowardly to just give up and die, too powerful to be taken, and so dangerous that everything around him exploded. If Danny wasn’t there, Noah wouldn’t be safe.

Unfortunately for Noah’s self-esteem, John had been laboring under the assumption that he was the man he’d been eleven years back, before he met Danny, before he’d had back up that he couldn’t destroy. John spent too many decades thinking of himself as absolutely toxic to simply unprogram himself from that way of thinking. John thought Noah would be safer and better off if John stayed away.

Turned out that Noah took after him more than John ever wanted. The guilt and pain in his eyes had just broken John’s heart. All of that, all of that could have been avoided if John just told him the truth from the beginning.

John remembered being a child, desperate for his father to like him, to want to spend time around him. He remembered the point in his life when he realized that would never happen. He remembered when he figured out that he wasn’t good enough to be anyone’s child. He didn’t remember the exact moment his perception of his self-worth crystalized, carbonized until he just became something to burn. He thought of Noah as this great kid, who had friends, who could easily find a new family who would love him because he was so special. But that was entirely self-centered of John to assume.

Danny and Val had a rule: they would never adopt any of the kids they helped, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to help other kids who needed them, or they’d split their attention too much. It was the reason that Billy had been adopted by Bruce Wayne, despite the fact that Danny clearly saw Billy as his own. But John, to his own shock, had such an unshakeable faith that at least Val would see how amazing Noah was that she’d want to keep him near. But why would she? Noah already had a living parent, one who did love him and wanted him. And Val and Danny had a rule, a rule Danny was already close to breaking because there was a kid with too much power in his body who’d been used by the universe itself to solves problems that should never have been a kid’s problem to solve.

They liked Noah, they didn’t love him.

Noah also didn’t want them. He wanted John. He didn’t even think he and John were related and he’d been too scared to ask John to maybe take that role in his life.

For some reason, when he looked at John, he saw safety and home. And John just made him feel unwanted. That wasn’t his intention, but John was a coward.

At what point did Noah start looking in the mirror and see a bastard? What was the point when he’d stopped hoping for a father when he knew his real father never wanted him and wouldn’t have stuck around anyway? At what point did he decide he wasn’t good enough to be anyone’s child?

John let out a long sigh. He was stretched out on Noah’s bed with Noah sleeping with his ear pressed to John’s heart. The positioning hadn’t been exactly on purpose. John had followed Noah back to his room, helped him rearrange some of his trinkets while Noah kept reaching out to touch him and check if he were real.

Eventually they moved to the bed. John tossed Nick’s old coat over a chair and left his shoes by the door next to Noah’s. They’d sat next to each other, just talking for hours. He admitted more than a few things he’d never planned to tell the kid. But then, he also never planned to tell him that they were parent and child. Things changed.

Noah had signed to him [Why were you so guilty about making me a killer?]

John had flushed. It took a little cajoling on his son’s part, but eventually, John did start to tell the story.

“My mother died when she was trying to give birth to me. My umbilical cord wrapped around my twin’s neck and strangled him to death. It caused complications, and my mother didn’t make it. My father made certain I never, ever forgot it,” John had explained, going for the nicotine gum because he needed something to keep him from shaking. “My father always called me “killer”, like it was a cute nickname and not what I was.”

Noah had looked so furious.

[That old bastard. I hope he rots.]

That had surprised a full belly laugh out of John.

He didn’t know why but he’d thought, somehow, that if he told Noah that he’d hate him too. John knew better, but even Cheryl had thought he was the reason their mother died. She just never said it to his face. Despite knowing his father was a piece of shite, he still couldn’t shake the power that word had on him.

Noah had basically tackled John down to the bed with a hug. He held onto John and wouldn’t let go, which was how they’d gotten to the place they were now, with Noah asleep on his chest, and John not willing to even think about pulling away.

He never thought he’d have kids, even when he was a kid himself. His father’s words had him so twisted around that he somehow thought he didn’t deserve his own family, that he’d taint them. He thought he might kill his kids too. Or that they’d look at him and seen what he’d done. And that was before John realized he was into kissing boys as much as girls. Once her realized, he thought he was too filthy for any girl to settle down with him. With time, he thought he’d get the same type of sick his friends got and never get a chance. Then John got into magic, and it was just too dangerous.

But still, sometimes in his dreams he would see himself as a father with two girls and a boy. He would carry them around, tell them how he loved them. They would be young children, or they’d be teenagers, but they’d always be impressed by him.

They never, ever looked alike except that they looked like him. They looked like-

John’s eyes snapped open. Oh. Oh.

The boy had looked like Noah, hadn’t he?

John smiled at the ceiling. Life was funny like that. John got visions occasionally. He also got delusions and hallucinations. He wondered if he was destined to have other children, but no. One of the girls was around Noah’s age, maybe a little younger, or a little older. She was also black, but lighter skinned, with a slight difference hair texture. The only parts of her face John recognized where the parts that looked like him. She didn’t look like Noah at all. He’d always thought Noah’s face looked a little familiar, but not this other girl. Maybe she was supposed to have existed in some timeline, but not in this one. John had no idea. And the other girl, she was a white girl with brown eyes, and the shape of her face was familiar, and her hair. It was almost silver, like-

No!

He shoved the thought of his head. He hugged Noah a little tighter.

He had a son, a boy who he loved, who loved him and wanted him. John wasn’t going to go looking for more trouble. So, what if he’d had a vision before, what did that matter?

Noah shifted in his hold. John loosened his grip, realizing he’d been holding on way too tight. Noah’s eyes squeezed together, which was kind of cute, then he blinked them open. He stared for a minute, sleepy and uncomprehending before he began to smile. No one had ever been so happy to him, and honestly, John wasn’t certain he’d ever been so happy to see another person either.

“Hey, kid,” he murmured. “You sleep well?”

Noah nodded.

“Okay, good. How would you feel able grabbing dinner?”

That had Noah sitting up right quick. He threw himself out of bed and went to pull on his shoes. John sat up, laughing to himself. He got his coat and shoes on at a much more sedate pace. Noah was visibly tapping his toe and looking at his wrist like he actually had a watch.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a slowpoke,” John said. Noah started to sign, and John started reading the words out loud. “I’d be cute as a… pokemon? Wow, shut it.”

Noah beamed at him and grabbed his keys. He opened the dorm door and a made and obvious “shoo” motion.

John stepped out and waited while Noah locked up.

“So,” John said. “Have you been to Death o’ Espresso yet?”

Noah shook his head. It was John’s turn to grin.

“Excellent! You’ll love it.” He started down the hall and Noah jogged a few steps to catch up. They walked shoulder to shoulder, not quite touching, but not nearly as far away as the used to walk. They were pulled toward another like gravity. Neither of them was willing to be separated, not yet, not after everything.

Chapter Text

Jason was having a pretty good night. He’d completed a patrol run as Blue Hood and allowed his double to play Red Hood at the same time to cover some basic business. Jason was able to finish patrol, get back to base and dissolved the dupe without anyone noticing. Not that he was ever actually worried about someone noticing. People had no idea Blue Hood and Red Hood were the same person. The blue bat symbol really did wonders for keeping people from asking questions. Hell, he’d found a few comments online of people assuming that Blue Hood’s existence was in response to Red Hood (which was kind of true). He’d even run across a couple of people speculating that Red Hood and Blue Hood were ex-lovers or something. He may have tabbed a few of the fanfic for a good laugh when he was winding down from patrol.

That night’s wind down was going to be a comic version of Les Misérables. He was looking forward to kicking back with his kindle and a cup of chamomile tea before sleep. It was nice when he didn’t get beat all to hell and could just put his feet up and not have to spend time patching himself up.

He was practically whistling as he peered around the roof top where he’d temporarily perched himself to observe the nearby streets. His mouth opened to take a breath before starting a new tune, and familiar cold poured out. Ghosts. Or something. It didn’t feel exactly like the ghosts he was used to. He didn’t even think as he grappled down to street level.

The feeling was getting exponentially stronger as he got closer. Just following a ghost shouldn’t make the feeling grow like that, nor should there be a feeling of wrongness which also got stronger with each step.

He turned into an alley and was greeted with a gasp and rattle of the dying. He sped up until he reached the other side of the alley. There, as a crumpled mass on the ground, was a small girl, a young child. She was lying there, drawing in her final breaths. Jason dropped to his knees next to her. She was bleeding out. There was a stab wound in her side, through her ribs, into one of her lungs.

There was nothing Jason could do. She was about to die.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Jason murmured. He unlatched his helmet, pulling it off so the little girl with the blonde curls could see his face. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to hurt a little longer, then it will be over. Then it won’t hurt anymore.”

“Promise?” He heard her words, but they weren’t spoken, not really. He heard her spirit, being ripped from her body, trying to hold on.

“I promise. Hood promises.”

She blinked twice then let out a breath. The spirit escaped the body. It wasn’t a core yet; it wasn’t a ghost. It might never be, but he caught it, holding it in his palm.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured to the spirit. “Does it hurt?”

No

“See, I promised.”

You promised

“Can you tell me who did this?”

A man Lots of Scars Hurt body Big sister Grabbed Ran.

“Zsasz,” Jason said, keeping his voice gentle to not scare the spirit. “I’m going to do everything I can to save your big sister, okay? I’m going to make sure he never hurts anyone else, okay?”

Good

“You can go on, sweetheart. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

Hood keep promises

The spirit floated away. Jason looked up, watching the spirit until he couldn’t see it any longer.

Jason picked up his helmet and put it on.

“Oracle?”

“Yes, Hood?”

“You have my location. There’s a dead child. Zsasz grabbed her big sister and stabbed her and run. I’m going after him. Can you send someone to get her body?”

“Someone’s on the way already,” Barbara said, sympathy in her voice. “You’ll have the best chance at being able to find him. Go on. I’ll take care of her from here.”

“Thanks, Oracle.”

He really would be the one who could find Zsasz the easiest. There was something to be said for people who had the stink of death around them, people who were haunted. He hadn’t had to face Zsasz since he got back, but he would bet the man was haunted. He deserved to be haunted in the traditional sense, but the spirits didn’t deserve to be trapped and bound to him.

“Red Hood to Red Huntress,” Jason said, sending a voice message to Val, who wouldn’t be likely to get this message until later. That was alright. “I’m going to need pick up on a pack of ghosts sometime in the next twenty-four hours, please send someone to guide spirits. I’ll text you the location when this is finished.”

It would be easier to track Zsasz as a Blue Hood. In his ghost form, Jason was more in tune with the ghostly and weird. It didn’t matter, though. He could still see the ghosts of Gotham with his living eyes. For instance, the ghost leaning against the nearest streetlamp.

“Jason,” she said. In life she’d had vivid red hair, entirely from the bottle. She was still wearing the same outfit that was her signature, back in the day. Short shorts, fishnets that were a lurid neon blue (now showing red) and black leather bustier. From her ears hung her crescent moon earrings, gold where they’d once been silver.

“Harry,” Jason said. “Who saw where Zsasz and his hostage went?”

“Kelli and little Patricia. Little Patty.” Harry produced a cigarette and started to smoke. It wasn’t a real cigarette, but it was hard to kick habits even in death. “That was kind of you, to help her pass on.”

“She was a kid. She didn’t deserve this.”

“Do any of us?” Harry asked with a bitter smile.

“Zsasz will,” Jason snarled. The pit was cleaned out of his system, but ectoplasm could heighten emotions on its own. Still, this was a 100% Jason Todd rage, the type that had Bruce questioning whether he’d pushed a gangster out a window back when Jason was still Robin.

Harry blew out smoke, giving him an assessing look.

“Be careful, Jace,” she warned. “Death is forever. For most of us.”

“I know,” Jason said. “Just help me find Zsasz. I couldn’t have Patty, but maybe I could save Kelli if I’m fast enough.”

Zsasz didn’t tend to take a long time with his kills, but he liked to pose his victims into a lifelike pose. He must have some location in mind for his next victim’s body. It was easier to move a living person than to me dead weight. Patty must have tried to stop him. Her death was messy, imprecise. Jason bet she screamed. Zsasz hit her where he knew she’d die but didn’t stay to watch it happen.

Zsasz wasn’t going to get a chance to add those extra tally marks to his skin that night. Jason wasn’t going to let it happen.

“He took her down to there.” Harry pointed down the street. “He took a left on 47th.”

“Andi. Thanks, Harry,” Jason said.

Gotham was full of ghosts. Crime alley especially had a lot of ghosts. Some were new, baby ghosts with newly formed cores who Jason was trying to coax into passing on to the Infinite Realms. Some ghosts were old, older than the city itself. There were so many who died horrible deaths. Murder, assault, starvation and illness were common. Jason tried to talk to all of them. It was a work in progress. People who’d known him before he died tended to be his bread and butter. There were dozens of sex workers, two dozen of the elderly who refused to leave the street that had been their home their entire lives, and hundreds of ghosts of children he count among his best informants.

Andi was part of the last group. She’d known him when he was little, before he ever became homeless. She’d died before then, but he knew how to survive after having watched her and her gang when he was growing up. They were kidnapped and experimented on until they died to test a new drug that was at the time the most dangerous shit on the market and was now considered weak piss baby shit.

Andi was sitting on a bike that had accidentally been welded to a fence by a really, really shitty thief, and then reinforced as an art project until it was more fence than bike and there was no point trying to steal any of it.

“Patty’s dead,” Andi said.

“I know,” he said. “I convinced her to pass on.”

“Thanks, crybaby.” Andi gave him a mischievous smile that didn’t reach her wide green (they used to be such a warm brown) eyes. “I know you’re crying in your hood right now.”

“Tell me where Zsasz took Kelli,” Jason said.

“Wow, rude.”

“Andi!”

“I know, you’re in a hurry. I put the twins on it. They’re tailing him.” She put her fingers to her mouth and blew out a sharp whistle.

The thing about Andi was that she wasn’t the leader of a small gang of children in death the way she had been in life. The gangs of ghost children had a different queen, but Andi had fallen in as a lieutenant into the loose power structure of Crime Alley’s Dead Children’s Society (Jason had rolled his eyes the first time he heard that name). CADCS, or Cadix ghosts stuck together. Jason was an honorary member.

A group of Andi’s hounds burst out of the walls of the building behind the bike-fence. There were a lot of animals who died just as horribly as Crime Alley’s children.

“Hell Hounds, show Hood where to go,” Andi ordered, like a general directing her army.

The dogs barked at once and took off. Jason took off running after them. They guided him the most direct route, which meant running through buildings. Jason still didn’t transform, but he allowed himself to lift a little bit off the pavement so he couldn’t trip over anything. The dog didn’t like to fly anyway, they liked to run.

Zsasz was in a warehouse, one which was not only actively in use, but which provided lumber for new build projects. The dogs went invisible, breaking up from their pack and fanning out.

The thing about people like Victor Zsasz was the violence of their very existence kept their victims bound to them. The dogs didn’t spread out to surround Zsasz. Even with all the ghosts in Gotham, there wasn’t enough natural ectoplasm to allow the ghosts to take visible forms or interact with the living world the way ghosts in Amity Park could. So, the hundreds of Zsasz’s victims were trapped, bound to the whim of wherever Zsasz went, able to interact with each other to some degree, but not able to interact with other ghosts unless they interacted first, and too weak to escape their murderer and find solace somewhere else.

Andi’s hounds separated, going to the different victims, pressing against their sides. Jason watched victims jolt like the hounds woke them up from the torture stupor they’d been standing in. He watched small children throw their arms around the hounds and older ghosts begin to weep at the touch of an outsider.

“He hasn’t killed her yet,” came a voice next to Jason’s ear.

“Can you show me where?” Jason whispered. He turned to look at the twins, Joey and Berty. They were conjoined at the hip even in death. They had been deeply loved in their life, but they died of health complications which would have been easily solvable with modern medicine. Too bad they’d died over a century earlier. They would have passed on, but the Cadix Queen had taken an interest in them before they died.

“Are you going to help these people?” Berty asked, his eyes burned with a need for justice. Andi sent them for a reason. Joey cared for keeping the living alive, and Berty fought for the dead.

“I will,” Jason said. He pulled a capsule off his belt, handing it to Berty. “This is an ectoplasm capsule. Wait until I’m away from here and throw it. It’ll help them be strong enough to get unstuck. I messaged Red Huntress. My bet is Wulf will arrive sometime in the next few hours.”

“Queenie doesn’t like it when you take the kids away,” Berty said with a frown.

“They need rest after this,” Joey said, lightly bumping his head against his brother’s head. Berty leaned into him in response.

“It will make them stronger. I’ll speak with Phantom. Gotham’s my territory. If I say they’re allowed to come back, then he’ll let them come back if they want to.”

That had been a part of Jason’s graduation that he’d never told the rest of his family about. King Phantom tasked Jason with care of the dead in Gotham. He was still getting a handle on all of it, but Danny respected his authority here enough that he wouldn’t even question letting ghosts back into the city. Still, Jason hoped they would want to stay in the Infinite Realms. He was trying to help ghosts and spirits get settled, not add more to the city’s brimming streets.

“That’s a fair deal,” Joey said. “This way.”

The twins guided Jason to exactly where Zsasz was binding Kelli to a piece of industrial equipment to make it looked like she was working.

“Please,” Kelli sobbed. “Please let me go. Please, I have to go to Patty. She needs me.”

“She has already been freed from this terrible world,” Zsasz said. “Don’t worry, you will see her soon.”

Jason unholstered his gun. He stayed visible, but floated just a little off the ground so he wouldn’t make a sound as he approached. He strode over, not going slow or sneaking at all. Zsasz wouldn’t be able to hit him. He didn’t have ecto-weapons. There was nothing he could do to stop Jason. Red Hood was to be his judge, jury and executioner.

Kelli struggled against her bonds, despite how tightly she was secured. Her eyes flicked up as if looked for another way out. She looked past Zsasz right at Jason who was approaching at Zsasz back, but was easily visible to Kelli. She stopped struggling at the same moment Jason realized that he did know her. She was a sex worker who called herself Apricot. She mentioned that apricots were her little sister’s favorite fruit and she’d suggested the name when Apricot was “looking for a stage name”. That was Patty. Patty’s favorite fruits had been apricots.

“Hood,” she whispered.

Zsasz spun around at that one whispered word. He had his knife raised to attack immediately. Jason shot Zsasz’s hand with an ecto-blast from his own hand rather than from any Fenton-tech. This was a pure Red Hood matter. It was personal.

Zsasz shouted, dropping the knife. Jason could see how burned his hand was. The knife was red hot when it dropped to the cement floor.

“Hood, I didn’t realize you were a meta,” Zsasz said, baring his teeth.

Jason didn’t say anything. His gun was already out and up. He was more than close enough that he wasn’t concerned about aim when it came to this kill. He took one step to the left so there wasn’t even a chance that the bullet would exit Zsasz and potentially hurt Kelli. He shot Victor Zsasz right between the eyes. The body crumpled to the ground. Jason only distantly registered that fact.

He should have realized it when Patty died, but he’d been too busy trying to comfort a dying child. He hadn’t killed anyone since he came back to Gotham, not even as Red Hood, not until that very moment.

He could feel Zsasz die.

He’d felt Patty die, but she was already dying, it was slower, gentler in the sense that her spirit was already separating from her body before Jason even arrived. There was a snap when someone died, a harsh, heavy, echoing flip of a switch, from alive to dead. Binary, one or the other, unless you where a select few like Jason Todd.

Zsasz’s death was so much louder than Patty’s. The sound hit Jason the way a car hits another car. The sound was that sudden metallic bang that came when you were inside a car that was hit. It was the sound of a stop so sudden and violent that the universe itself let out a shout to express it.

Jason’s death had sounded like that. It sounded just like that. Jason heard it, when he went from alive to dead, a bang louder than the explosion, louder than fire, louder than manic laughter. A sudden stop, a violent end.

He came to with his hands pressed to his helmet. His gun was on the ground and Kelli was free. She was staring at the twins, who had suddenly become corporeal enough to free her from her bonds. She was covered in blood, Zsasz’s blood.

“Can you see them?” he rasped out. The modulator in his helmet kept his voice sounding quiet as pathetic as it sounded in his own ears. The banging seemed to keep happening, over and over, like a death echo of its own.

“Yes,” Kelli said, her voice came out somewhere between a shriek and a squeak.

“We stole one of your little vials and drank the whole thing. You hadn’t moved for five whole minutes,” Joey explained. “Sorry for scaring you, Miss Kelli.”

“Kelli, this is the twins, Joey and Berty. Joey’s the one with the hat and the white shirt. Berty’s the one in plaid.” Given the ability to change how they looked, the twins started to make themselves clothes that wouldn’t have been possible in real life. It could be a little hard to look at in ghost vision, since Jason was seeing both boys wearing individual whole shirts, but also a conjoined shirt at the same time. With just human eyes, it probably just looked like the shirt was divided like Two-Faces’ suit.

“It’s good to meet you. Are you meta?”

“We’re dead,” Berty said bluntly.

“Normally you wouldn’t be able to see us,” Joey assured her. “We had to take matters into our own hands, since Hood had a little break down.”

“Does it always sound like that?” Jason asked. It sounded like a rasp even with the modulator this time.

“You’re special,” Joey stated. “It’s always going to be louder for you.”

“And you killed him, so it’s even louder. But yeah, we can hear it. It’s just not that loud to us,” Berty added. There was sympathy in his eyes, which didn’t make Jason feel any better.

“Heard what?” Kelli asked.

“The sound of death,” Hood said. He straightened up. “You two, how are the others?”

“They’re gonna need more if you don’t want them haunting a dead body,” Berty said.

“I can handle that. Kelli, would you like to see this?”

“It depends on what we’re seeing,” Kelli said. “I… I need to get back, my sister.”

“She’s already dead,” Jason said more bluntly than he needed to or should have. He made his voice more gentle as he pressed on. “I was with her. She told me who took you. I was able to find you because of her.”

“Patty,” Kelli said, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Can I see her? Her ghost?”

“She passed on,” Jason said.

“Oh.” The defeat in that one word was louder than the banging, but only for a moment.

“What I mean is, ghosts generally go to the Infinite Realms. I’m friendly with the King of the Infinite Realms. I would find a way to bring her to you if she was there, but she didn’t become a ghost. She passed on as a spirit. She’ll be somewhere… gentler, kinder.” Most likely, anyway. Her spirit wasn’t greeted by demons, so it was probably alright.

“Oh,” she whispered. She sniffed and wiped her tears. “So, what are you doing?”

“Zsasz’s victims have been haunting him. It’s not as vengeful as you’d think. The violence just made them… stuck, weak and powerless. Ghosts run on ectoplasm. I’m making them strong enough so they can move from here and be brought to the Infinite Realms later.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding slowly. “Would I have become one of them?”

“The oldest ghost said every one of his victims stayed attached to him,” Berty said. “So, yeah.”

Jason offered Kelli his hand, which she took. She was shaking and her legs were unsteady. She had to lean on him to stay upright, but she insisted on going to see the ghosts. She couldn’t see the whole group, only the twins who’d apparently dosed themselves enough to be temporarily tangible and visible.

Jason pulled a bigger vial, an actual bottle, of ectoplasm “from his jacket”. Really, he kept it in his rib cage. He produced his own ectoplasm, and Val had invented a fun little gadget that Jason could carry in his chest and let it collect extra ectoplasm for reasons just like this.

He pulled off the cap and turned the bottle upside down. The ectoplasm poured out onto the ground in a puddle before it began to float up in droplets. Those spread out, going to the victims, giving them more ectoplasm than they’d ever gotten before. If they hadn’t been so weak, they would have become tangible like the twins. Instead, they simply became properly visible.

“Are you the Red Hood?” that was an older man. By the look of him, he’d probably been homeless back when he was alive.

“I am,” Jason said.

“Thank you, for freeing us.”

“I wouldn’t leave you tied to that bastard,” Jason said.

“Will you tell us what will happen to us.”

“I’ve called the wife of King Phantom. He’s the King of the Infinite Realms, which is where you’re going. The twins and the Hell Hounds are going to take you to Andi. You’re going to wait on the roof of the Hound’s building. Within the next twenty-four hours, someone will come to ferry you to the Infinite Realms. They’ll take care of you there.”

“The wife of a king is coming to help us?” one woman asked in shock.

“I’m… a liaison, as it were,” Hood said. “Phantom’s a good man and a good king. You’ll be taken care of.”

“Thank you,” the same woman said before she looked to Kelli. “I’m sorry about your sister. She was so brave to try and scream and fight like that.”

“Brave and stupid,” Kelli said, sniffling. She leaned more heavily on Jason.

“She’s safe now,” Jason said. “And not in pain.”

“I know… but I miss her.”

“That’s normal,” the ghost said. “I’m Ira. Can I stay with you for a while?”

“But you’ll get left behind,” Kelli protested.

“She won’t,” Hood said. “A Hound will stay with her. She’ll get to the meeting spot, don’t worry.”

“Thank you,” Kelli said. “Thank you… Hood, are a lot of Gotham’s rouges haunted.”

“Not all of them,” he said. “But enough.”

“When the Joker died-”

“The King personally helped guide any of his victims who hadn’t transitioned already get to the Infinite Realms.”

“Is there a way I can help?” Kelli asked. She sniffled. Her eyes were red from tears. She was covered in blood. She was probably going to collapse as soon as medics arrived, but she was lucid. She knew exactly what she was saying. “Other ghosts? Other victims?” Apricot was just a fierce as Jason remembered her being from the very moment he’d met her.

“You won’t be able to see the ghosts for long,” he said.

“Is there a way to see them?”

Jason let out a deep sigh. “You’d need to get into magic, which is a dangerous and stupid thing to do… but I’ll talk to someone, see what I can find out. Right now, just worry about you, okay?”

“And Patty,” Kelli whispered.

“I’ll pay for her funeral,” Jason said. “I’ll be in contact soon. Do whatever you need to grieve and heal.”

“Thanks, Hood. Thanks.”

He nodded.

“Hood, the police will be there in three minutes, ambulance in 2,” Oracle said in his ear.

“Okay, the ambulance will be here soon. Ira, tell Andi or any ghost in Crime Alley if anything happens to Patty. Someone will come get me.”

“Yes, sir,” Ira said with a touch of a smile.

Jason nodded one more time and then saw himself out.

He could still hear the banging, over and over. And now that he didn’t have the distraction of tending to the victims and the living, it just seemed to get louder and louder. Every sound around him, from the sirens, to his own steps, to his own breathing, all of it just made the bang, bang, bang get louder, louder louder.

Chapter Text

The only warning Bruce got was Barbara calling him and telling him that he needed to get back to the Batcave before Jason arrived to talk to him. Bruce practically broke the laws of physics to get back to the cave in under ten minutes. He threw himself out of the Batmobile and went to sit in the closest chair and wait. He didn’t have to wait too long, just enough that he could catch his breath, but not long enough for him to truly panic.

Jason drove his motorcycle into the cave and parked it next to the Batmobile. He dismounted, looking unsteady, but also not like he was about to stumble and fall. He had his helmet on, the red one. He was also covered in blood.

Bruce jumped out of his seat, and only didn’t rush right over because he worried Batman running at him would set Jason off. He did approach, just not quickly, giving Jason plenty of time to see him coming. He also didn’t try to muffle his steps.

After a while, Jason stopped walking. He stood still and waited for Bruce to cross the distance between them.

“Where are you hurt?” Bruce asked.

“Oh,” Jason said. Even with the distortion of the voice modulator in his helmet, he sounded young and confused. He slowly looked down at himself, raising his hands just as slowly. He stared in silence for a long moment. “It’s not my blood,” he finally said.

Those four words made Bruce’s chest feel like it was on fire.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked, managing to keep all other questions (like “whose blood is it?”) to himself for the moment.

“No,” Jason said. He reached up, laying his hands on his helmet. After a few second, he disengaged the locking mechanism and pulled the helmet off. He turned his head intangible and invisible for a second, so the domino just fell off. When he became fully visible again, Bruce finally got a really good look at his face.

Jason’s eyes seemed blank. They were red rimmed and wet. Worse, the color flickered between blue and green, between alive and dead.

“Jason,” Bruce said gently.

“You know what happens in this city when people get killed?” Jason’s voice was dull, far off, just like his eyes.

“What happens?” Bruce asked, keeping his voice gentle and coaxing.

“Gotham isn’t like Amity Park. Ghost don’t have enough ectoplasm to form visibly. There’s ambient ectoplasm, but it’s not the same. So, when someone gets killed, especially if it’s violent, then they get… stuck. A lot of time it’s to a place. Like there’s a building in Crime Alley. It hosted dog fights for one hundred and seventy years. You shut the place down, you remember?”

“I do.” Bruce didn’t realize the dog fights had been going on that long. He did know that building had been multiple buildings before its most recent iteration. That meant the buildings turned over, but the dog fights were the same.

“There’s so many ghosts of dogs there. Hell, there’s a few bears. Bears don’t normally die in a bear baiting, but it still happens… it’s just a lot of dead animals. Animals don’t even transition to ghosts the way people do. They don’t do it nearly as much. But there’s a lot.”

“And they’re trapped in the house?” Bruce asked, horror rising in his stomach.

“Not exactly,” Jason said. He was looking past Bruce, not at him. “Cause Crime Alley has a lot of ghosts, and they help each other, so a lot of ghosts in Crime Alley can explore the entirety of Crime Alley. Some can go further, especially because I can give them ectoplasm and help them get stronger. But a lot of the city doesn’t have that.”

Bruce swallowed thickly. “Do you… need help with that?”

Jason chuckled. It sounded like rusty nails in a tin can and made Bruce wince. “Maybe. Probably not. You can’t see them.”

“Then, what’s this about?”

“Ghosts don’t always stick to places, Bruce. A lot of times they… they stick to people.” Jason was actually meeting his eyes now. He was looking at him, pinning him down with those swirling blue and green eyes.

“People,” Bruce whispered.

“Mmhmm.” Jason nodded. “Some of Gotham’s worst are so… haunted. There’s so many of them. You should have seen the ghosts around the Joker. Danny helped them transition.”

“Jason,” Bruce said. He reached out but paused. Jason flinched before Bruce was even close to touching him. Bruce stared at him for a long moment before he reached up and pulled off the cowl.

“I helped a little girl transition tonight. If I hadn’t, she’d have been stuck with her murderer. That’s what a haunting is, Bruce. It’s spirits too weak to escape stuck to their abusers, their killers, their tormentors. They’re too weak to escape, they’re too weak to do anything. So, they’re just forced to watch, over and over, as their murderers do the same thing over at over. Bruce-”

Jason’s voice cracked. He swallowed and waited. He looked right at Bruce like he was waiting for him to do something, but Bruce waited and didn’t interrupt.

“There were hundreds of people around Zsasz,” Jason whispered, his eyes goingwide in shock. He looked past Bruce again. “So many. They were trapped there. He killed little Patricia because she tried to stop him from stealing her sister. Kelli. Kelli’s the big sister. Kelli goes by Apricot, on the streets, because Patty’s favorite fruit is apricots. And Zsasz stabbed Patty and ran off with Kelli to pose her in a Wayne lumber warehouse. The only reason he didn’t succeed was that Patty showed me who killed her, and the ghosts in Crime Alley took me right to him.”

Jason snarled. He threw his helmet aside and he started to pace. He looked more like a caged animal than a man. His eyes kept flashing green.

“I’m not strong enough to help ghosts transition to the Infinite Realms. I called Val. The twins are taking them to the Hound House so someone can open a portal for them, so they can be free of this wretched city that just took everything from them. There were so many, Bruce. So many.”

He closed his eyes and pressed his face into hands and let out a loud sob. Bruce crossed the distance between them in three long strides. He grabbed his son up into his arms and held him to his chest. Jason started to sob in earnest. He buried his face into Bruce’s chest and cried like his heart was broken.

It was broken; Bruce could see that it was.

Bruce felt numb inside and out. He hadn’t ever thought about what Jason could see now that he was half dead. He could see the ghosts of Gotham, and there were millions, as a low estimate.

“You killed Zsasz, didn’t you?” Bruce asked.

Jason sobbed and nodded emphatically against his chest. Bruce just held on tighter and made a shushing sound. Bruce held Jason steadfastly against him and allowed him to cry. They couldn’t talk about anything else until Jason could get ahold of himself.

What Jason felt was too much and too big for him to handle. He needed his dad, so there Bruce was, holding Jason as tight as he could without hurting him. In return, Jason clung on like his life depended on it.

It took Jason over a dozen minutes before his sobs subsided and he was able to speak again. His eyes were red. His face was wet because neither of them could wipe his face unless they wanted to get blood on Jason’s face, not until they pulled away from each other, which neither was willing to do.

“Death makes a sound,” Jason said. “You can’t hear it, but the dead can hear it. I can hear it. I heard it when Patty died, but I didn’t think of it. I was just… angry. But I heard it when I killed Zsasz.” He hugged Bruce even tighter. His next words came out as a terrified whisper. “It’s so much louder when I kill them.”

“Oh, Jason.”

“It sounds like when I died. I heard it when I died, Bruce.” Jason’s words hit a feverish pitch. “I heard Zsasz die and I remembered the sound of my own death. I hear it. I keep hearing it. Bruce, it won’t stop. It won’t stop. I keep hearing it. Bruce, my death sounded like a car crash, like a sudden stop, like something in motion suddenly ending when it shouldn’t. It’s so loud Bruce, it’s so loud.”

Bruce’s knees felt weak. Horror threatened to choke him. It made it hard for him to breathe. He lowered them slowly to the ground, where they could kneel, and Bruce wouldn’t just drop them in a heap on the floor.

He didn’t want to know this. He’d never died, but he’d been in many car crashes. The Batmobile made a good battering ram. There was a sound, a bang so loud. It started and stopped, but it echoed through his head and wouldn’t just go away. And Death was like that. Jason was hearing the death of a little girl who’d been slaughtered senselessly, who he had to care for when she was dying. He was hearing a murder he committed against a man who not only had killed hundreds of people, but had inadvertently trapped their spirits with him, torturing them beyond the grave. He was hearing his own death.

Jason was shaking from head to toe. Bruce was shaking too. He kept a tight hold of his son, afraid of what would happen if he let go. Would Jason run and never come back? Would he fall to the floor and never get up again? Would he hurt himself? Would he hurt someone else?

“Bruce, I- I can’t kill again,” Jason whispered, raising his head from Bruce’s chest. His eyes were wide with terror. He was shaking so much his teeth were chattered. “Dad, I can’t. I can’t keep hearing this. If I do it again, I’ll drop in a fight. I won’t be able to help.” Tears where streaming from his eyes. He started to laugh, weak because his voice was so weak, because he was so weak. “Philosophy and choice, it doesn’t matter. I can’t. Even if they deserve it. Even if I’m told I have to. I can’t. I just can’t.”

“It’s okay, Jaylad,” Bruce whispered. It wasn’t, but, selfishly, he was relieved.

He and Jason had been putting off talking about this. Jason had stopped killing after staying with Danny, but he’d never said he would stop. Bruce had never talked to him about. Everything was so fragile between them. He’d been afraid of saying the wrong thing and sending Jason down a bad path. He’d been afraid of saying the wrong thing and destroying their relationship forever. And, as cowardly as it was, he’d hoped he could ignore it and it wouldn’t come back to bite him.

Bruce’s silence killed a man. But more than that, Bruce’s silence was breaking Jason to pieces.

“I’m sorry, Jason,” Bruce said. “I’m so, so sorry that you’re suffering through this.” Jason sniffled loudly. Bruce could see him struggle to be quiet and still so he could listen to what Bruce had to say. It felt like Jason thought Bruce’s words were his only lifeline.

Bruce would try not to drag that rope back before Jason got a good grip on it.

“I love you, Jason. I love you. You’re my son. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, no matter what, I am always, always going to love you. There’s nothing you can do to make me stop loving you. Literally nothing.”

He extended the hand of redemption over and over again to people who even he had to admit might be a lost cause. But he kept doing it anyway, because it needed to be done, because he believed that anyone could change and make themselves better.

Jason couldn’t kill again. He literally couldn’t. Did their disagreement matter in the face of couldn’t? Jason did good as Blue Hood, and even though Bruce was uncomfortable with Red Hood, he did good as Red Hood as well. Perhaps, if Bruce was willing to move on a few things, he could meet Jason part way. There may be things that Bruce Wayne or Batman could work on with Red Hood that would actually help Crime Alley.

Jason couldn’t kill. Bruce could let that fear go. And yes, he knew in the back of his mind that he was compromising on something he swore to never compromise on. But it was difficult for him to care about Zsasz when Jason was breaking to pieces in his arms, and there was a fresh body of a little girl in Crime Alley, and a living woman whose sister had been murdered before her eyes and who’d been tormented by a murder.

Jason shouldn’t have killed Zsasz, but he had, and he was hurting so much for it. Bruce would do anything to alleviate that hurt if he could.

“I love you, Son. I love you. And I’m here with you.”

Jason pressed his face back into Bruce’s shoulder. He wasn’t shaking as badly. He’d stopped crying. He just laid against Bruce, leaning into him the way he hadn’t since he was a child.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem for me to take care of you, Jason.”

Jason sniffled. “Can I stay here for a little while?”

“As long as you need,” Bruce promised. “I’m never going to throw you out.”

“Okay.” Jason’s voice sounded so small and so young.

He let his arms drop and just leaned against Bruce. Bruce dropped to sit rather than kneel. He dragged Jason into his lap, wrapped both arms around him and held Jason the way he’d wanted to do since before he died.

Jason settled, pressing as tight to his chest as he could. Bruce let him do it. They both had blood on them. Gordon would be looking for answers from him later. He and Jason were going to have to actually talk about the things neither had been willing to say before. They both badly needed showers. Their clothes desperately needs to be washed.

And for a little while, Bruce didn’t care about any of that. His little boy needed him, and Bruce wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the universe.

Chapter Text

The Oans preferred it when the Green Lanterns spoke to each other on Oa and nowhere else. The old territorial edict made it difficult to get help in times of need. It kept them separated from one another. It meant they needed to lean on the other Lanterns in their sector (when there were any others). That wasn’t the only reason as to why the Earth Green Lanterns could be close, but it certainly helped. It didn’t matter if they were assigned to different sectors at any particular moment, they were from the same planet and even before the edict was removed, it made it difficult for anyone to say Hal talking to Guy or John could possibly mean collusion.

Even knowing that, Hal was very careful to “accidentally” run into John rather than call him to the Green Lantern Citadel. It wasn’t hard to just have the system ping him when John stopped by. And if Hal hovered around the Citadel for a few days, who cared? He was just doing research or something, don’t mind him.

“Mr. Stewart,” Hal said cheerfully, tossing his arm around John’s shoulders the second he rounded the corner and saw the man he’d been looking for.

“Wow, Hal, nice to see you too,” Kyle said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s like we’re mincemeat or something,” Guy added, grinning and not at all annoyed. “Don’t worry, Hal, we know John’s the prettiest pony in the show.”

John gave Hal a rather unimpressed look before he turned said look on Guy, who at least had the good sense to shut up before he could say something else.

Hal kept his face carefully controlled. He raised one brow. “Can either of you answer a building question for me?”

“Um, why would you ever want to know that?” Kyle asked.

“Does it occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I’m looking to buy a house?” Hal asked.

“No,” Kyle and Guy said at the same time.

“Yeah, yeah, buzz off,” Hal said, sticking his nose up. He began to steer John away.

Once they were more significantly away from the other two nosy nancys, John ducked away from Hal’s arm.

“What is it you actually want to talk to me about?” John asked, his voice filled with a touch of amusement.

“In here,” Hal said, indicating the room he’d set up for this specific reason.

The pair of them stepped inside. Hal locked the door behind him, using his ring to even put an extra lock on the door and to soundproof the room as much as possible.

“This has nothing to do with architecture,” John said, sitting down at the table. Hal dropped into the seat across from him.

“I wish it did. But no. You remember my secret meeting?”

“With the big three? The one everyone gossiped about for weeks?” John asked, looking amused.

“Yes, well, it has to do with another hero, and I was sworn to as much secrecy as possible.”

“I see. Are you reading me into the situation?”

“I need help,” Hal admitted. “I pulled as much information as I could on my own, but I’m going to need to consult the Book of Oa and pray I can find anything about this at all.”

“You can do that by yourself,” John pointed out.

“I can, but I need to keep this… look, I don’t want the Guardians or any other Lanterns to know, okay? It’s probably one of the most delicate situations I’ve been read into. And you’re better at subtlety than those muppets out there… I’m desperate, John. I need to get this done. This is dangerous, extremely dangerous.”

John gave him an assessing look before slowly nodding. “Tell me what you can.”

Hal let out a relieved sigh and slumped back in his seat for a half second before he straightened right up.

“You know Phantom?”

“The first hero?”

“Yeah, well, he has a problem and he asked Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman for help. But it also involves the Lantern Corps.”

“Which one?”

“Red,” Hal said. Now John sat up straight.

“There’s a red lantern that’s giving Phantom trouble?”

“You can say that,” Hal said dryly. He pulled out the JL tablet he’d loaded the information that had been compiled on the problem so far. He pushed it over to John. “I’ve summarized the situation on the first page. The other notes are behind that. And I have a video to show you.”

John took the tablet and started to read. Hal sat back, closing his eyes and waiting for John to finish.

He wasn’t the only one who’d been searching for information. Ellie had been searching a lot through Ghost Writer’s records. Most of her research was on the power set of the Ring of All Lords vs the Ring of Rage. Hal had contributed information on the power set of a Red Lantern, and Ellie had just begun cross referencing it against the powers of the Ring of Rage. That was troubling enough, but then Hal had gotten a write up of the information provided by one Mamaragan (the guy whose very name sent Danny into a rage).

Hal could tell that John got to that part when he sucked in a breath.

Neither of them said anything while John read. When he put the pad down, Hal showed him the video he’d taken of their experiment.

“Right,” John said slowly. “You think the Guardians will not take well to this news.”

“I think they’re responsible for a slaughter and the creation of one of our worst enemies and they’ve covered that up.”

“How certain are you about this information?”

“Everything I have here has been approved as correct by the Spirit of Time itself,” Hal explained. “I’m certain.”

“Alright,” John said slowly. “I’ll help you get to the book, quietly.”

“I’ve looked up basically everything I could fine on the Red Lanterns,” Hal admitted. “And I haven’t found anything on Pariah Dark, but maybe, just maybe he’ll be mentioned in the Book.”

“We won’t know until we look,” John said. “And I can do my own research as well. Perhaps I’ll be able to find something you missed.”

“Please,” Hal said. He glanced out toward the door. “I think you can see why this needs to remain a secret.”

“Yes,” John said calmly. It was a resigned calm. “If its only the two of us, it won’t implicate the rest of Earth’s Green Lanterns.”

Hal nodded. “Let’s go now,” he said.

The pair of them left without a word to anyone, stopping only to stash the pad away where it wouldn’t be easily found.

The pair of them arrived on Oa with no issues. The Oa Citadel held the Book of Oa. Outside of greeting a few people, the pair of them were able to make their way to the Book without much trouble. Trouble found them when they got to the book itself.

“Greetings, Hal, John,” Salaak said, floating over to them with an almost pleased smile on his face. “You come seeking knowledge?”

John and Hal exchanged looks. Salaak was the keeper of the book, but he didn’t always stay with it. Hal thought he was on earth, or he wouldn’t have suggested going right then.

“Why else would we come to the book?” John asked, keeping his voice extremely normal.

“This is true,” Salaak said. “Well, what do you want to see?”

John looked to Hal. He made an ‘after you’ motion. “This is your research project.”

Hal was deputized by Phantom and the Big Three to tell whoever he needed to. Salaak would be an excellent ally for this, but Hal didn’t want to implicate another friend if the Guardians reacted the way he was starting to think they might.

“Pariah Dark,” Hal said.

“Ah, that’s not a name I hear often.” Salaak looked startled. “I was under the impression he was imprisoned.”

“He is,” Hal said. He didn’t know if it made him feel better or worse that Salaak had heard of the old Ghost King. “The Justice League has been tapped for an issue with ghosts, and I found out he’d been temporarily released before being shoved back in his coffin a few years ago.”

“Hmm, curious,” Salaak said. He floated to the Book. It opened easily to a page and Hal and John were greeted with the sight of Pariah Dark.

They couldn’t read the book, but that didn’t mean the book didn’t give them information. And by the information that Hal suddenly knew, Pariah Dark was considered a huge, major threat, not handled by a Green Lantern before simply because his own people locked him up.

“You said he was freed for a while?” Salaak asked.

“Not long,” Hal said. “I was just trying to figure anything out about him. He’s locked up tight, far as I can tell.”

“Curious,” Salaak murmured.

“Did you have your curiosity sated?” John asked.

“I think for the moment.” It wasn’t enough but Hal didn’t feel like he could press for more information without someone starting to connect dots that he did not want connected.

“Hal, John, Salaak!”

Hal and John exchanged looks, from the way Salaak’s eyes widened, he saw their expressions. John managed to get his face back to normal first.

“Appa Ali Apsa,” John said, putting familiarity into his words. He and Hal turned to look at the Guardian who was making his way over to them.

“The pair of you have come to seek knowledge,” Appa said with a smile that was way too big.

“We did, Appa,” Hal said, smiling at him in return. He did like Appa, after all. Of all the Guardians, Appa had supported him when others hadn’t. Hal felt guilty for being suspicious of him, but Hal’s chest was tight with apprehension.

“What information did they seek, Salaak?” Appa asked, keeping on that too-big smile.

“They asked about a ghost called Pariah Dark.” Even Salaak was choosing his words carefully this time.

“I see,” Appa’s smile dropped. “Why?”

“The League’s been helping with Ghost stuff,” Hal said, working very hard to not sound as defensive as he was feeling.

“And Pariah Dark is supposed to be in deep sleep.” Appa looked troubled. Hal nearly breathed a sigh of relief. That sounded more like Appa. Pariah really was a danger, after all.

“He is locked away,” John stated as reassurance.

“Then why search for him?” Appa sounded merely curious now.

“He…” Hal hesitated before deciding he couldn’t fully lie his way out. He had to tell some truth, especially since he’d told some truth to Salaak. If Salaak decided to question his lies, things could get bad. “He woke a few years ago and then was locked away again.” Hal pressed on. “His name came up enough in my investigation, and I didn’t feel like trying to bother Justice League Dark for anything. I figured this would be faster anyway.”

Appa let out a long sigh. He looked… disappointed? “I see…” He laid a hand on his chin, his eyes down on the floor. “Did you know that there are certain parts of the Book of Oa which are so dangerous that one of us is alerted if they are viewed?”

“No,” they said. Hal jolted when he realized Salaak spoke too. That was not good.

“If Pariah Dark was woken and put back to sleep, then he must have been defeated. There is a new King. That means the King is susceptible to Atrositus.”

“What?” Salaak sounded alarmed.

“Yes. But you two already knew that,” Appa said. He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m truly sorry for this.”

The rings were ripped from their fingers. Appa held the rings in a yellow sphere, one that kept Hal from just calling the Ring back. All of three of them reverted to their off-duty clothes.

“I am sorry about this, but the King of Infinite Realms is too dangerous, and it seems he has gotten to you first,” Appa said. “You cannot be allowed to warn them. Alphas, arrest them.”

“What is this? I haven’t done anything!” Salaak shouted.

Hal wanted to apologize. He wanted to apologize to John too. John wasn’t looking at him, though, he was looking at Appa with a deep anger in his eyes. Hal felt guilt swamp him as he was grabbed, and he watched his friends be grabbed as all and dragged away.

He shouldn’t have asked anyone for help.

Chapter Text

Jack Drake and Dana Winters got married. Tim couldn’t be happier about it if he tried. It was, ultimately, a very small wedding. Tim had seen pictures of his parent’s wedding. It was huge, featuring every person in high society. His mother had an expensive dress, dripping in lace, pearls and diamonds. The pearls and diamonds were later cut off and made into a jewelry set, which was the only sentimental thing Tim ever knew his mother to do. Which was why Tim kept that set from his mother’s jewelry and almost nothing else. Ath the time, the event was considered to not only be the most lavish wedding that year, but the most lavish wedding for over six years before the title was finally beaten by some other wealthy family.

When Tim began planning for Dana and his father’s wedding, he thought that was what his father would want. After all, they were trying to introduce Dana to high society. A big party was a great way to do that.

But it wasn’t what his father wanted, and more than that, it wasn’t what Dana wanted. Dana wanted a beautifully tailored pantsuit with coat tails that were also the train, pristine white heels tall enough to kill a man, and her hair down. Jack wanted a dove gray suit, with fake flowers decorating the wheels of his chair. He wanted to wear a top hat. Dana wanted her bouquet to be paper flowers. They wanted a courthouse wedding and to have dinner with Tim. They wanted Tim to use his photography skills to take pictures in the park. They wanted to have dinner with Tim and then go home to pack. Then they wanted to go off for a month on a honeymoon trip out of the country. They also wanted everything arranged quickly.

Tim was more than happy to make their dreams come true. He got the suits on rush order (the “new”). He gave Dana a circlet made of sapphires and pearls as her “something blue”, and attached one of the diamond and pearl chains from his mother’s wedding to the front of her suit with a beautiful platinum pocket watch at the end (the “borrowed” and “old”), which had the exact date of their wedding engraved on the back. He was the witness for the wedding. He broke out his camera and took an crap absolute ton of pictures in the park.

His favorite pictures were from when a small group of little girls thought Dana was an Amazon and ran over to ask questions. Dana had posed for them and taken pictures with them. Tim’s favorite picture from that set was the shot he got of his father’s face while he looked at Dana and the girls. His second favorite was the very next picture when Dana looked back at her new husband, her face with just as much love and happiness.

Tim was going to have the wedding album ready by the time they got back.

Jack had loved getting to plan the honeymoon. Dana had never been out of the country before, and there were places that Jack couldn’t go anymore, but there were places which offered some type of disability services, places that Tim had happily picked out so Jack wouldn’t have to look into that and ruin his good mood about it.

Before newlyweds left, Jack called Tim to his office. Jack had removed the flowers from his wheels by that point and was braiding the stems together when Tim arrived. Tim rarely saw his father do anything soft, and he almost hated to knock and interrupt. To his surprise, when he did knock, his father didn’t stop, but he did tell him to come in.

“Are you all ready to go?” Tim asked.

“I just need to check a few things before I go.” Jack’s eyes were still on what he was doing. Tim smiled to himself as he watched his dad work. He wished he had his phone out so he could sneak a picture.

“Do you need help with that?”

“Yes,” Jack said, looking up from his work, his hands stilling. “You’ll be staying with Wayne while we’re gone?”

Tim drew in a breath, calming his pounding heart and keeping his face schooled society pleasant.

“I am. I was going to stay home tonight and head over tomorrow.”

Jack nodded. “But you are also going to be out of the state yourself in three days.”

Tim flushed. “I didn’t realize you were aware.”

“What exactly is in Illinois?” Jack asked.

“Amity Park. Where the first hero lives,” Tim said. “I’ve been there before,” he added quickly. “Kon’s dad is a big fan. Also, Red Huntress lives there and she’s super cool.” His father raised a brow. Tim cleared his throat and reminded himself to calm down. “I’m taking Kon’s friends on a surprise trip for their break.”

“You’ll be safe there?”

Tim could admit that Jack’s words and tone caught him off guard. They sounded downright paternal.

“Yeah, dad, I will be. But it’s perfectly safe there. Phantom doesn’t allow kids to get hurt.”

Jack nodded. “Alright, then here are your rules: One, I want you text me once a day from the moment you leave until you’re back in Gotham. Second, I don’t know if Dana and I will have much phone service, so I want you to call Wayne once I day while you’re away. I confirmed this with him already.”

“You did?”

“Third, I finally got Dana to admit you like taking nighttime photography.” Oh, Dana was about to be the best new stepmom ever! “I can’t say I’m thrilled about it, but I’m aware that Wayne already knows about it. If I find out you’ve been going out by yourself without telling anyone where you are, there will be hell to pay. And stay the hell away from Crime Alley!”

“Blue Hood keeps it safe there,” Tim protested. “And Red Hood doesn’t hurt kids.”

“And they aren’t the only two people who live there,” Jack snapped. Tim was caught off guard again. He realized that his dad was really, truly worried about him. That was… new.

“I won’t go near Crime Alley,” Tim said. “I promise.”

“Good,” Jack said. He nodded. “Then, that’s all. We’ll be back in a month. Eat your meals, keep your grades up, and don’t get hurt.”

Tim still smiled at the memory even three days later when he was rounding up Kon’s friends on the bus he’d rented for just that purpose. He’d set up this trip as a surprise for them. He’d had to get permission from everyone’s guardians, assure said guardians that literally everything was paid for, tell them exactly where they were going, and assure all of them that everything was going to be okay.

Apparently, knowing Connor Kent’s rich boyfriend was planning to take their children on a trip was enough to convince all of the families to keep the trip a surprise. Tim told Team Gay the day before the trip that he was taking them to Gotham. Like proper Metropolis natives, all of them looked vaguely disgusted, but they weren’t exactly going to turn down a free trip. None of them looked surprised when the bus he’d rented pulled up to their apartments. The first time they started to make noise was when they got to the airport.

“Tim, the hell?” Lili asked first and loudest.

“I maaay have lied about where we’re going,” Tim said cheerfully.

“So, what you’re kidnapping us?” Iris asked.

“Not really. You families know where we’re actually going. I even got permission slips and everything.”

“What? Really?” Eri chirped, turning around in his seat, sitting up on his knees so he could see Tim. He crossed his arms on the back of the chair, and pillowed his head there, looking down right adorable. “Where are you taking us, Timmy-boy?”

“Amity Park,” Tim said. He was smirking even before Hera let out the biggest, happiest squeal.

“You’re joking!” Dante shouted.

“You’re serious! You’re so entirely serious!” Hera shouted.

“I’m serious,” he said.

“If you were sitting anywhere near me, I’d kiss you,” Hera called from her seat five rows up. “Connor, your boyfriend is perfect. Don’t ever break up with him.”

Kon laughed. “I don’t plan to, Hera. I promise.”

The actual airport was a little bit of a pain, mostly because outside of Troy and Dante, none of Team Gay had been on an airplane, including Kon. Tim had gotten them there with tons of time to spare so he could get everyone through security and to their gate. Once they were there, Hera and Zeke started to get nervous.

“I hate my old ID,” Tim heard Zeke murmur to Hera. “What if they make a fuss about it?”

Tim about slapped his forehead. He was so dumb!

“Hold on, I have something for you two,” he said. He fished the envelopes out from his coat pocket.

“Me and Hera?” Zeke asked. He accepted one of the envelopes and started to rip it open “Just us? I mean, Hera I can understand, but- oh my god!” Zeke had gotten the envelope open. A second later he’d thrown himself at Tim. Zeke was taller than Tim, but Tim was Robin and caught him like it was nothing.

“How?” Hera asked, her voice shaking. “Just… how?” The last word came out as a squeak.

“Are these real?” Zeke asked, pulling out his new ID from the envelope, hugging it to his chest.

“Real and legal,” Tim said.

“But how? I haven’t even been able to change my gender marker yet,” Hera said, starting to cry.

“I spoke with your parents, and Zeke, I talked with your uncle. They helped me get the paperwork together… This is the upside of having a lot of money. You can thank your guardians for the name change going through.”

Zeke burst into tears, Hera following quickly behind. Tim found himself smothered by them for about five minutes before the pair of them pulled away to show their new IDs with their real names and genders on them to their friends. Watching them made Tim feel guilty, especially with the way Toni’s eyes pulled and their smile got a little tight. There wasn’t an option besides male or female. He couldn’t get that for Toni or Sasha.

His heart dropped. He kept on a smile as he looked as Kon’s friend, Tim’s friends, started chattering, jumping and hugging each other in happiness for two of their own. As he swept his eyes over the group Sasha caught his eye. They smiled and then gave him an obvious thumbs up.

It was dumb, because he shouldn’t need to be comforted for helping out some friends. It wasn’t about him. He didn’t want to make it about him. But Sasha was an empathetic person, or at least they understood anxiety. That small gesture did make him feel better.

“Okay, okay,” Kon finally said. “Let’s get checked in and do this security thing.”

“Right!” the group, including Tim, said as one.

Tim got them through check in with very little fuss. Then they headed right for security. Zeke was practically vibrating as he approached TSA and handed over his ticket and new ID.

“You seem excited,” the agent said, tired but pleasant.

“It’s my first time out of the city. It’s my first time on a plane. Our friend surprised us with a trip. I’m pretty pumped.”

“Well, it all looks good.” She just gave a smile and didn’t question Zeke further.

Tim had held his breath the whole time. His friends were new to this, and security could turn into a nightmare so fast for something innocuous. He kept as close an eye on everyone as possible, but luck was on their side, and no one got more than a set of sharp words for taking too long getting their shoes off.

From there it was easy street, getting to the gate, handing out cards everyone could use to buy anything for the trip. (‘Please don’t feel bad about-’ ‘Is this your good dad or your shit dad’s money?’ ‘Uh, it’s not Bruce’s. Lili, why?’ ‘Cool, no guilt about spending money then!’) Tim was able to just sit with Kon on the floor at their gate and watch the planes go by while they just talked.

“You really out did yourself with this trip,” Kon said at one point. They were both sitting crisscross, facing one another with their knees touching.

“You don’t know the half of it yet,” Tim said. Kon raised a brow.

“What does that mean?”

Tim just gave him an innocent smile. “You’ll see.”

Everyone came back to the gate in time for boarding. Tim had bought out the entirety of first class for the trip, so they got to board first. He was assured by his friends that the flight was like the best sleep over they’d ever been to.

They all managed to sleep a little bit on the flight, which was good because it had been a late flight, so late that it was morning when they arrived in Amity Park. They trudged their way out to where arrival meetups happened. Standing there, dressed in their lab suits, standing out like the sorest thumbs were the Fentons. There were also ghosts around, a couple of whom Tim and Kon already knew.

“Connor, you made it!” Kitty chirped, flying over the barrier and grabbing Kon in a hug, which he returned.

“It’s good to see you too!” Kon said.

“Please tell me you want more piercings,” Kitty said. Kon just laughed and fingered his right ear.

“Sorry, I’m pretty sure I have enough hardware.”

“Well, what about your friends?” she looked from Kon to their group.

“Everyone, this is Kitty. She helped me with my piercings.”

“This is my first time meeting a ghost,” Hera whispered. “Amazing.”

“Well, you’re going to meet a ton. Anyway, I have to jet- hehe. Anyway, Johnny and I have a date.”

“Are you going to disrupt air traffic?” Tim asked, just sounding tired.

“We waited until you got here, short stack.” She ruffled his hair and winked before disappearing.

“Should we warn someone?” Tim asked, looking to the Drs Fenton.

“Ellie’s already on the case!” Jack declared loudly. “Come on! We’re driving.”

Tim felt his heart drop into his feet. “You really, really don’t have to.”

“Nonsense! Danny wouldn’t let us give you a driving tour, so we can at least get you to APU safely.”

“Wait, APU. Are we staying at APU?” Hera squealed. Kon had slipped an arm around her shoulders so she wouldn’t start levitating with excitement.

“Well, you said you wanted to go there,” Tim pointed out.

“And the wing that houses non-students is currently mostly empty,” Maddie added. “Now kids, I’m Maddie. This is Jack. We study ghosts.” They did a lot more than that, but Tim wasn’t saying that. “You should come over to Fenton Works one day and see the ghost portal.”

“There’s a ghost portal?” Alanna asked, her eyes getting huge.

“There is,” Kon said.

“We can talk about where we’re going to go after we’ve gotten a chance to sleep,” Tim said.

“Righto! To baggage claim!” Jack declared.

Tim and Kon tried to warn everyone that Jack and Maddie were the worst drives imaginable. They only sort of barely managed to prepare them.

“There are rollercoasters that don’t go that fast,” Alan choked out when they all spilled out of the bus the Fentons brought.

The one good thing about Drs Fenton, besides the pair honestly being so happy to see all of them, was that Jack made it really easy get loaded and unloaded, as he was basically able to carry everyone’s bags all at once and was happy to deliver bags to each room. Only Juan, Iris and Toni had single rooms, Toni specifically getting one the rooms made for disabled students. They smiled brightly when they saw their space.

“I can’t decide if I’m disappointed or not,” Alan commented once they got the singles and normal roommate pairs settled. Tim had picked three couples’ rooms as well, one for himself and Kon, one for Alanna and Troy, and one for Alan and Zeke. The couples room came with a larger bed rather than two twin sized bed.

“What, you thought we were going to stay in a fancy hotel?” Zeke asked.

“I thought we might stay at a manor,” Alan admitted.

“If we’d actually been going to Gotham, I’d either have brought you all home or to Wayne Manor,” Tim said. “And the hotels here are… fine.”

“Not up to your fancy boy taste?” Alanna teased.

“Basically,” Kon said. Tim bumped into him on purpose, which just made Kon giggle. Which wasn’t fair because Kon was so cute when he did that, that Tim couldn’t be mad.

“I’ve also never stayed at a hotel here. We either stayed with the Fentons, the Grays or the Manson-Foleys. We’ve always stayed in someone’s house,” Tim explained.

“Manson-Foley like the tech giant?” Troy asked, his eyes getting huge.

“Yeah, I don’t know how much we’ll see of them. Tucker’s wife, Sam, just gave birth a month or so ago. Baby Chris takes up most of their attention. I’m kind of hesitant to for used to go to Fenton Works. The Ghost portal is really cool, I’ll admit. But I’m a little concerned that Hera will want to go inside.”

“Is that dangerous?” Zeke asked.

“I wouldn’t say it’s safe. But it’s fine in the Specter Speeder,” Kon said. “At least biologically it isn’t dangerous. The Fentons are nice, but they aren’t always as careful as they should be.”

“Right,” Tim said, handing the keys off to the other two couples. “Let’s got some sleep. I have a surprise for us when we get up.”

Realistically, the surprise was really a more of a treat for Hera and possibly only Hera would enjoy it. But it was too important to skip.

Everyone was a little sleepy and grumbly when they woke up and stumbled down the hall to the communal kitchen. Troy walked on the side of Tim where Kon wasn’t. The twins were leaning on each other, supporting one another as they zombied down the hall. Lili had convinced Kon to give her a piggyback ride. Nora was the only one who’d managed to get up early and make it to the kitchen before the Team. She was sipping from a mug when they all arrived.

“Is it just me, or is that a stranger?” Troy asked, blinking rapidly.

Tim’s brain wasn’t entirely on. He also found himself blinking for a moment. The kid, black, wearing a hoodie, jeans and a cap, was leaning against the counter, sipping from a mug as well. It took Tim a moment to process that this kid also had a pad of paper hanging around his neck.

[Are you Noah?] Tim had to break out his BSL skills. He’d been practicing with Billy sometimes, which was the only reason he managed to string together a sentence in his half-awake state.

[Since you don’t seem to ooze an aura of murder, I’m guessing you’re Tim?]

[Yeah. I’m Tim. What are you doing here?]

[I live here.] Noah didn’t look particularly impressed.

[Sorry. I need coffee.]

[Billy put Death o’ Espresso coffee in the fridge. Coffee maker’s busted.]

“Coffee Maker’s busted,” Tim said.

[Really? That’s the most important part of what I just told you?] Noah’s raised eyebrow did not gave the impression that he was impressed with Tim at that moment.

“Ah, sorry. Everyone, this is Noah. He lives here. Uh…” Tim shook his head to wake up. Billy had told him some things. He just needed to remember. “He’s mute, not deaf. He knows BSL- British sign, which isn’t in the same sign language family as ASL.”

[I am learning. Slowly.] That Noah signed in awkward ASL.

“Pretty sure I’m the only one of us who knows any sign,” Nora said.

“I don’t know ASL,” Juan added. “But I know Mexican and Spanish sign.”

‘That’s what the pad is for’ Noah wrote.

“Do you use text to speech?” Lili asked from Kon’s shoulders.

Noah paused for a moment. ‘Honestly, I couldn’t afford something like that until recently. I’ll ask Tuck when I see him.’

“Good idea,” Tim said. He pulled away from the group and opened the fridge. “My little brother is the best in the whole wide world.” He grabbed a couple bottles of coffee. “Coffee’s in here. It’s the good stuff.”

He set two bottles on the counter and popped the lid off the third. He chugged the whole thing. When he was finished, he felt more alert. He tossed that one and went for the second. By that point, Noah had fished a metal straw from a drawer, which Tim accepted gratefully.

The rest of them sort of fell out of their zombie bundles and moved around the kitchen, putting some type of food together. Noah helped out and Tim got out of the way.

“When did you get up?” Tim asked, going to stand next to Nora, who he realized was sipping a cup of tea. Nora’s long hair was braided neatly and sitting over one shoulder. She had on dark jeans and a leather jacket that Lili had once called ‘lesbian standard’. Nora didn’t just look awake and alert, she’d clearly neatened up.

“Like an hour ago. I napped on the bus and most of the plane ride,” she explained. “Hey, question related to none of this: Do you think it would be bad to see if maybe Mr. Kent would put a good word in for me at his job? There’s internships opening soon and I want one.”

“You into journalism?” he asked.

“Yes. Or publishing,” Nora added. “So, would it be bad? I mean, he’s my friend’s dad, and practically my dad too at this point. Other applicants probably won’t know people who work there.”

“There are going to be applicants who might not know a journalist, but they’ll know someone. Or they’ll be related to someone who has money or sway with the paper or the building owners, or someone. The Daily Planet is known as one of the last bastions of free press for a reason. Mostly because that Bruce bought it so Luthor couldn’t and, he’d pay to keep it running even if they didn’t turn a profit, though they do, in fact, turn a tidy a profit.”

Nora took a sip of tea. She hummed a short note and licked tea off her top lip. She was silent for a moment, and Tim ended up tuning into Juan trying to explain the difference between Spanish and Mexican sign while Zeke freaked about burning the eggs.

“You think a lot of rich assholes will apply?” Nora finally asked.

“I know they will. Realistically, I could ask Bruce for you, and he could just make it happen. But I don’t think that’s what you want.”

Nora shook her head. “I don’t want it bought for me. I want to compete and interview. I just don’t want to get immediately knocked out because I’m not a rich, white guy before I’ve even had a chance to interview.”

“Then ask Clark. Or hell, ask Lois. They both see you guys enough that they’ll have a good idea of your character. Neither of them are going to lie to get you the job. They’ll be honest, but I know you’d be great for the internship, and they’ll know that too, so all that honesty’s going to be good.”

“You think I should.” That wasn’t a question, but a statement

“I think you should use every advantage. It’s competitive.”

“It is.” Nora smiled. “Thanks, T.”

By the time they finished talking, everyone had managed to whip up a decent breakfast. Between the third (and forth) coffee, and a filling meal, Tim felt ready to face the world.

“You joining us for this?” Tim asked Noah when he was finishing the last of his juice.

Noah nodded and gave a thumbs up.

“You’re coming with us?” Troy asked. “I thought you said you lived here. Why would you want to look around?”

Noah cocked his head to one side before turning his eyes to Tim, who smiled back innocently.

[You haven’t told them?]

“The first thing we’re doing is going to a class,” Tim said to the group, though he was grinning at Noah.

“Really, Tim?” Lili asked. “School. On break?”

“Constantine’s teaching,” Tim added in the most innocent voice he could manage.

“Oh fuck! Tim, I’m going to name my future children after you,” Hera declared.

Noah gave him a weird look. He motioned to Hera, clearly asking what the hell.

“Hera thinks Constantine is really cool,” Tim explained.

Noah snorted.

“Not you too! Tim’s little brother keeps telling me he’s a loser,” Hera bemoaned, looking a little crestfallen.

Noah laughed, a breathy, quiet sound. He pulled the pad up and wrote one sentence in huge letters.

‘He’s my dad’.

“Wait, I didn’t realize John Constantine had kids!” Dante gasped, jumping off his stool. Dante tended to flail when he got excited about superheroes. Only Kon’s quick reflexed kept Dante’s chair from tipping over.

‘It’s more surprising that it’s just me, to be honest. And we didn’t know until a couple months ago.’ Noah wrote.

“That’s… is he nice?” Hera asked tentatively.

Noah put pen to paper, then paused. He looked at Tim.

[Tim, translate, please?]

“Sure.”

Noah began to sign. Tim started to speak in careful, measured words so he wouldn’t mess something up.

“He’s really nice. He rescued me when I hadn’t done anything but cause problems for him. And yeah, I had to pay him back by driving him around, but my best friend died, and I couldn’t go back to the gang. I was alone. And I liked following him around. He always does stupid things to protect people. He’s an idiot and really smart. He knows a lot and has a lot of common sense, even when he doesn’t always use it.”

Noah chuckled, pausing a second to let Tim get another quick sip of OJ. His voice was still sleep-scratchy.

“He is really cool, and he’s really lame. He’s been bitching about this for a full week, but he’s also spent all that time preparing when I know he already knows everything he’s going to talk about. I’m happy he’s my dad. He’s kind of great and still kind of lame. You’ll understand when you meet him. Billy’s not wrong. He just doesn’t have the same perspective.” Tim drained the last of his OJ when Noah finished.

“I want to meet him,” Hera said. “I want to study magic. Not like doing magic. I know that’s dangerous. But I want to learn about it.”

‘Then you’ve come to the right place. You’ll want to see the library too.’

“Well, let’s go get this class over with,” Lili said. She tapped Kon’s arm. “Up,” she ordered. Kon let her climb back on his back again for a piggyback ride.

Noah motioned for them to follow and started to guide them out. He clearly knew where he was going and what he was doing. In no time they were in Nightingale Hall. Noah guided them to a classroom with rising levels of desks, with an oddly shaped window to match. Sitting behind the desk at the front was one John Constantine, leaned back and staring at the ceiling. He turned to look at them when the door opened, and his eyes widened when he saw everyone shuffle in.

“Why am I talking to so many infants?”

[Because Billy and Danny asked you too. And because you agreed. And because you want to show off for me?] Noah grinned. Constantine scowled.

“Yeah, yeah, everyone take a seat. We’re going to talk about all the shite you need to know to not royally screw up while you’re visiting here. Let’s call this class “Don’t be a Fucking Idiot 101”, shall we? Now, I hear one of you likes magic?”

“Hera,” multiple people said.

Hera squeaked and raised her hand.

“Hera, huh? Did you parents choose that for you, or-”

“I picked it myself,” Hera said primly, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

“Well, that’s a thousand times better,” Constantine said. “Now, you’re not here to ask for magic lessons.” There was an implied ‘you better not be here to ask, anyway’ in those words.

“I’m not stupid,” Hera said with a sniff. “No, I don’t want to learn spells or perform them or anything. I just want to learn about it, the mechanics and philosophy. It’s really interesting.”

“That it is,” John admitted. “Here’s my warning: just learning what you say you want to learn is going to make you see things you haven’t been able to see before. Once you see them, you can’t unsee them. It’s unsettling at the very best.”

“Thank you for the warning. I’ll take that under advisement.” Hera was going to study learn everything anyway. She was stubborn like that.

“Fine, okay, I’ll give you a tip. Here’s the number one rule of magic… Noah, you want to answer?”

[The price is always more than the prize.]

Tim repeated the words so everyone else could understand. “What does that mean?” he asked once he’d finished saying Noah’s words.

“The world works a certain way,” Constantine started. “You have to give something to get something. Magic is like trying to cheat the universe, but since you’re cheating, you end up having to pay a lot more. I always go for the non-magic solutions first. I know some massive, big, powerful spells. But they cost. I’m not just talking your life or your soul. I’m talking your friends, your family, people on the street. Sometimes the cost isn’t even part of the original deal, someone just stumbles into the wrong place. Rule number two of magic, and just life in general: Stupid is a universally recognized crime, which is often punished immediately and its sentence can cost your life and a lot more. So do not be stupid. Got that, children?”

“Do not be stupid,” all of them repeated. Constantine scowled.

“For the actual lesson, the number one thing I need to drill into your heads is that you do not, ever, ask a ghost how they died,” Constantine said. “Never. Ever. Even if they tell you that you can ask. Do not do it. Does anyone know why?”

Zeke’s hand went up.

“Yeah, you can just shout out the answer. We’re not in primary,” Constantine said.

“Well, you don’t ask because it’s really rude, right?” Zeke asked. “Like asking what’s between my legs.”

“Or who’s the man in the relationship,” Alan said.

“Or to touch my hair,” Troy added.

Constantine blinked. “Well, I’ll be damned, and I am. You lot may be the first class I’ve had that won’t act like a collective moron. Yes, to all of that. Death can also be extremely traumatic and not everyone wants to relive that. So, whatever you do, don’t ask.”

“Do you really have people ask that?” Eri asked, raising his hand anyway.

“Amity Park has a 1:5 ratio in terms of dead to living at any moment. Now, this includes animal ghosts, but still. It’s fucking high is what I’m saying. You can barely sneeze without a ghost being there to say bless you. Even if you can’t see them. They’re also as varied as people. And college kids are morons. Just old enough and smart enough to think they’re grown and know something. Well, you don’t. And here’s the thing: it’s easy to ask on accident. You’re talking to a ghost and maybe they show you a death wound, or they look such a way that you suddenly go “what happened?”. It’s a normal, caring question. It can get you killed.”

“Is it an instant death sentence?” Iris asked curiously, leaning forward in her seat.

“It can be. Mostly it isn’t. A lot of the ghosts who live around here are used to it and can tell when you’re asking out of shock or concern, versus being a dumb twat. A number of the ghosts here don’t care and will tell you, probably in gruesome detail, how they died. Real stomach churning. In any case, there’s more ghosts that will be offended. Many of Amity Park ghosts will know to either call Phantom on your inconsiderate ass or just leave and tell everyone you’re an arse so no one will want to talk to you. There are others who will just straight up attack you. A good number of ghosts here just love fighting. Even if they aren’t offended, you just gave them blanket permission to kick your ass. And again, some of them are the type that will just kill you.”

Tim glanced at the others. They were deeply fascinated. Hera had produced a notebook from her purse and was writing everything down like the nerd she was. Tim knew all this, even if he hadn’t thought it all the way through. He knew not to ask because he was told not to. He didn’t need more than that. He was pretty sure every one of his friends didn’t need more than that either, but it was interesting to hear everything laid out.

“So, in summary, if you ask a ghost how they died, you can be serenaded with gory details of death; shunned by everyone in town, ghost and human alike; be reported to the town’s resident superhero/ruler, who can decide to just throw you out if he chooses; be on the receiving end of a beat down where you have no way to fight back; or just straight up be killed. It’s a bloody game of Russian Roulette, and I can promise you that is not a cylinder you want to spin, got it?”

There were noises of understanding and lot of nodding.

“Good, so next is that you do not consume ectoplasm. It’s bright green, it shines, Amity Parkers can get away with consuming some because this place has been soaked in ectoplasm for thousands of years. It’s already in their blood. Even they shouldn’t consume a lot. Mostly, food served with ectoplasm is for special cases like Phantom, or they’re for ghosts who want to be able to eat. They need ectoplasm to actually be able to properly consume food. For someone who had no exposure, consuming ectoplasm is like eating rotten meat: you’re going to be very sick, even if it doesn’t kill you, you’ll probably wish it did.”

“Ew,” Zeke murmured, wrinkling his nose.

“Yes, ew. Next is just basic courtesy: try to be respectful. If not being a shithead isn’t enough of a reason, then remember that ghost will happily beat your arse given any excuse.”

That won giggles.

“If you see people running away, especially locals, especially ghosts, you fucking follow them, got it?”

“Does that happen a lot?” Eri asked.

“Not anymore. This is Phantom’s city, and people don’t fuck with that anymore. Much.”

[Is that all? Normally this takes like two hours?]

“Yeah, well, kid, this lot actually seems to be paying attention to me.”

[You also like the queers.]

“Of course, I do, I’m one of them.”

“Constantine just said he’s one of the queers,” Tim said loudly, not about to miss the opportunity that had just presented itself.

Hera gave a happy squeal, which made Constantine slap a hand over one ear.

“Oh, you have no idea what you just did,” Lili said with a truly vicious smile that Tim knew he was mirroring.

The others were chattering. Tim caught a few phrases like ‘no idea what he’s in for’ and ‘yay, new uncle’ and ‘and he thought this was a one-time gig.’

“What?” John asked weakly. He blinked owlishly, slowly looking from one side of the desks to the other.

“If Mr. Kent’s our group dad, let’s vote on Mr. Constantine as group uncle!” Dante said, standing up. “All in favor?” Every hand went up. Even Noah’s hand went up. He was covering a laugh with one hand. Zeke and Eri had both of their arms up in the air.

“All opposed?”

All hands went down, except Constantine’s, which shot in the air. Tim cackled, so did Lili.

“The motion to make John Constantine Team Gay’s uncle has passed,” Dante declared.

“What just happened?” Constantine asked, clearly shell shocked. He was slowly and stiffly lowering his arm.

“You made the mistake of being a decent adult in the vicinity of kids who don’t get that very often,” Tim said.

“You can talk to my dad about it, if you want,” Kon said. “He is the group dad.”

“I need a drink,” Constantine said, dropping his face into his hands.

Noah shot Tim a thumbs up. He was grinning like a gremlin. Tim understood exactly why Billy liked Noah so much. Game recognized game, after all. Tim thought he might learn to like him too at this rate.

It was funny how many friends Tim had made since he started dating Kon. It was… really nice. Nice but weird. But nice.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t every day that Swamp Thing willingly put himself in John’s presence. It was even rarer for him to visit the grounds of Master’s cheesy manor, given the ectoplasm in the soil. In fact, John could confidently say that that Swamp Thing had never been on Master’s land before, but suddenly there he was, popping out of the ground like a dandelion.

“You need something?” John asked before taking a particularly long drag off his cig and blowing it Swamp Thing’s direction.

“Tefé has slaughtered tree cutters,” Swamp Thing said immediately.

“Good for her,” John said. It wasn’t. It was bad. It was worse that Swamp Thing, Guardian of the Green, sounded upset about it.

“The Parliament of Trees means to use her to destroy humanity.”

“Look, Alec, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just, as many have said, a ‘cheap conman’. Don’t know what I can do about a Green problem when that’s your thing.” Bravado was all nice and good when his hands weren’t shaking so badly that he dropped his cigarette. “Shit!” He stomped it out before he could set the lawn on fire.

Swamp Thing didn’t so much as twitch at him dropping so called poison on Master’s lawn, which John took as a very, very bad sign.

“Fine,” John snapped. “What is it you want?”

“She is too young to understand, to choose for herself. The Parliament is using her.” Under all the leaves and vines, John could hear the voice of a protective, fierce father. John was pretty sure he was going to be sick.

“That doesn’t tell me what you want, mate.” He itched to light another cig, but his hands were shaking so much he had to shove them in his pockets. He closed his hand around the nicotine gum in his pocket. He was less likely to drop that, but even if he could get a stick into his mouth he might choke on it, which was an even worse look. So much for acting cool, collected and unaffected.

“There is word around that you have a child.” John’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat. No, people weren’t supposed to know that. Of course, they did, though. John had claimed him. Things got out. They always got out. “But no one has been able to locate even a hair of him.”

“Has it occurred-occurred to you that maybe this supposed child of mine isn’t real?” John winced at his stutter. He was a fucking idiot who couldn’t protect his son. This just confirmed to him that without Danny, John would be entirely screwed, and worse, so would Noah.

“Constantine, do not attempt your tricks. I do not need you to tell me where you have stashed your child, but I need to know that there is a place that Tefé can be safe and hidden, from everything and everyone.”

John wanted to tell Swamp Thing to go fuck himself (but old Swampy couldn’t really fuck anyone, let alone himself, and hadn’t that been the problem?). He wanted to go inside, shut the door and get drunk until he didn’t remember the conversation. He wanted to set Swamp Thing on fire, and the lawn and house, all of it, and just run away and never come back.

But he didn’t. And he couldn’t.

“I’ll ask,” John said. He went silent. Swamp Thing was staring at him, but John was looking away, pretending he couldn’t still feel vines climbing down his throat, choking him, forcing their way inside his body. But that wasn’t happening. It was a memory. Just a memory that wouldn’t go away.

“You’ll ask? That’s all?” Swamp Thing seemed pretty pissed.

“Look, I can’t just promise a spot. It’s not my place.” Except he could promise that. He could, in fact, just tell them to deliver her to Amity Park and wash his hands of the whole situation. Except he knew that wasn’t possible. Abigail and Alec loved their sprog. And John-

No.

He needed to talk to Danny first.

“Alright.” Swamp Thing’s tone was more controlled. He was angry but not willing to risk losing a chance to protect his baby girl.

“Alright. Now get out of my damn lawn.”

And, to his surprise, Swamp Thing melted down into the grass, leaving John alone with only the wind as company.

John doubled over and threw up.

“Oh, that’s no good, don’t you know.”

“Yeah, I kind of noticed,” John said. He felt a cold hand patting his back. The icy touch was enough of a shock to allow him to get ahold of his stomach and straighten up.

“I can call Boston,” the Dairy King offered in a kindly way.

“Yeah,” John breathed out. “Just, have him babysit the portal today? And can you…”

“I’ll clean up the mess, no worries, my boy.” The Dairy King was right back to being cheery and John was grateful. It was hard to be a total mess with the Dairy King around.

“Thank you. I need to see his Majesty.”

“Tell the boy I said hi!”

“Sure,” John said. He summoned the House of Mysteries, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.

Perhaps he should have taken a break. He just knew if he was alone for long, he’d end up throwing up on something rare and valuable. He moved the House to Amity Park. The door opened from the garden to Val and Danny’s kitchen. John stepped out as quietly as possible. Val still startled like he’d arrived with a bang.

“The hell, John!” Val snapped, grabbing the kitchen sink. She hadn’t seen him arrive, her back had been to him while she stood at the sink, but she knew him by the sound of the house, or his scent, or maybe his magical signature. He had no idea, but she didn’t ever have to look his direction to know when he was there.

She spun around, a hand pressed to her chest. She was pissed, but her expression shuttered up the moment her eyes landed on him. She froze there. John froze too. Maybe he should have taken a moment to pull himself together afterall.

“We keep spare toothbrushes in our hall bathroom, if you want,” she offered, her voice matter of fact and conversational, a far cry from how annoyed she’d been mere seconds before.

“Yeah, I want,” he rasped out. He pulled off his coat, carrying it with him to the front entrance. Once there, he hung his coat on the coatrack before going and brushing his teeth. He very carefully did not look in the mirror while he cleaned up. He didn’t want to see what Valerie saw in his eyes.

By the time he was out of the bathroom, Danny was there, floating right outside the door, looking extremely concerned.

“John, what happened?” Danny placed a hand on John’s forehead. His touch was cool, and it soothed John’s skin, which was hot from stress and other emotions he wasn’t ready to deal with. He closed his eyes and just leaned into the touch. His soul, the parts of it that belonged to Danny, whispered that John was safe, that it was okay. Normally, John would snap and fight that feeling, but he’d literally come to Gray Haven because it was safe, and he needed to be safe.

Danny tugged took his hand and him along back to the kitchen. John kept his eyes closed. Danny manhandled him into one of the chairs at the island. In no time warm hands (Val’s) were wrapping his hands around a hot mug. The scent was of a fragrant red tea. When John opened his eyes, he found exactly that in his hands. Val was standing at his left, and Danny was still floating at his right. They looked worried.

It was funny that, as much friction as he had with the Grays from day one, they always cared about him.

“I need a favor,” John rasped out.

“What is it?” Val asked, holding up a hand so Danny wouldn’t speak. John appreciated it.

“I’ve… I have these dreams sometimes. I’ve had them for years. It’s funny. It sucks. I had kids before Noah, did you know? They were half demons and they’re all dead now, and I didn’t agree to any of it. This scar’s from one of them.” He tapped the scar near his eye. He knew their names, but refused to let those names pass his lips. “I had this dream before them. It’s funny, though. Pretty funny because it’s always threes. Magic’s funny like that.”

“What’s your dream?” Danny pressed; his voice gentle but very serious. Right, John was getting off topic. He didn’t want to say, but he wanted them to know and the telling to be done.

“I see children, my children. I realized the other day that one of them’s Noah. It’s definitely Noah, always has been. I never thought about it before. One of the girls… I don’t know. I have no idea. I don’t think she’s real in this timeline. But I see her anyway.”

“Do you need me to find her?” Danny asked. John shook his head. If he didn’t cut that off in the bud, Danny would go searching for a collapsing timeline and bring that little girl right to John’s arms. He couldn’t think about that, it was more than he could handle when talking itself was so difficult.

“No. That’s not it. It’s the second girl that’s the problem.”

“What about the second girl?” Val encouraged. She looked right in his eyes, even if he was doing everything he could to avoid her gaze.

“She’s- she’s definitely alive.”

“Is she safe?” Danny asked.

“No, that’s why I need a favor. Her father showed up at Master’s manor and begged-” his voice caught. “Begged me to help.”

“So, someone else raised her?” Danny asked, his voice very gentle.

“No- yes, he did. But he’s her father. He’s the one who- and I’m-” John cut himself off.

“You were the surrogate?” Val suggested. John let out a harsh laugh.

“It’s Swamp Thing,” John said.

“I… is that anatomically possible?” Danny asked, looking confused.

“It’s not. He needed a vessel. And I pissed him off often enough, so guess who he chose?” John said with a manic cheer. He considered doing some sarcastic jazz hands, but didn’t want to remove his hands from the only source of warmth his body had at that moment.

Danny’s expression went terrifyingly blank. John felt fear twist in his gut, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Danny owned his soul. He-

A warm hand wrapped around his wrist, and another warm hand laid on his cheek, guiding his eyes away from Danny toward Val instead. Her gaze was as steady as a rock. Looking at her, John felt like he could breathe.

“You didn’t consent,” she stated.

“No,” John said. He swallowed. “I didn’t.”

“Tell me what happened,” she instructed.

John took a deep breath and nodded, he letting it out, then spoke.

“He… crawled inside me. He was in my body. He was so in control he could feel my bloody nicotine addiction, my body’s responses to the people around me. And I was… there, separated, tied up in vines I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t do anything.”

He dropped his gaze. Shame was crawling up his throat. Val rubbed her thumb over his skin and scruff. He swallowed thickly and pressed on.

“He tattooed a fucking tree on my ass. He was so pleased with himself. I couldn’t do anything, so he just took my money and my passport and bought himself a ticket back to his bloody swamp and went right to his bloody wife. Who also hates me, by the way. She could barely look at him- at me. The Parliament of Trees made a seed to replace Swamp Thing, but then the bastard survived, and he decided to make a child with the damn thing. Abigail agreed. They needed a body donor and a sperm donor. And he took me.”

He closed his eyes tight. It shouldn’t bother him. He shouldn’t care. He hated that it did, and he did.

“John.” That was a cool voice, like cool water on a fevered forehead. Cool fingers gently grabbed his chin, turning his face upward. “Please look at me.”

John didn’t think he could say no even if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to say no. He opened his eyes. His vision was blurred. Those cool fingers gently wiped away the tears that hadn’t even fallen. Danny was sitting on the counter in front of him. Someone had moved the teacup and John’s hands wound up laying on the outside of Danny’s thighs. He didn’t remember that happening, but it felt good to grip denim and feel firm muscle underneath.

“Hey,” Danny said with a kind, warm smile. John swallowed thickly.

“Hi.”

“Do you want me to punish them?” he asked.

John thought about for a moment before shaking his head. “If what old Swampy just told me is true, he needs to stay where he is. And Abby didn’t pick me anyway. And they’re divorced. We’re just like pissy co-workers now, mostly.” He licked his lips nervously. “And… and you can’t make it not have happened.”

“You’re right, I can’t,” Danny said sadly. “But I can keep them away from you.”

“I… what?”

“I can keep them away from you,” Danny said clearer.

“You can’t control everything. Like I said, pissy coworkers. And it’s not like I normally have this problem. It’s just, when it comes to the kid, suddenly it’s all I can think about.” The words came out easier than he expected. He thought that might have to do with having people who would offer him choices about what he wanted in this situation.

“He can do more than you think. And you’re one of ours,” Val said. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

“So, tell us what you want,” Danny pressed.

John stared at him for a long moment. Valerie wasn’t touching his cheek anymore. She’d moved that hand to his back and the other still holding his wrist. Danny still had his hand on John’s face, like he was precious, something worth cradling.

Because to Danny, he was.

John swallowed thickly.

“This girl, her name’s Tefé, Tefé Holland. She- I helped with the birthing. And… she has my blood, which is tainted with Nergal’s blood, demon blood. That’s made Hell try to take her before. Swampy’s just a tough SOB and went and got her. But… the Parliament of Trees used her to slaughter a bunch of tree cutters. I don’t know how much you control the plants around here, but-”

“I have this,” Danny said.

John thought about questioning that statement, but chose not to.

“She’s their kid. She’s not my kid. I want her safe, but I don’t want to be around her. And I don’t want to see either of them, not as her parents. I… if Abigail wants to stay here-”

“She won’t be welcome,” Val said sharply. She tightened her grip on John’s wrist. She was angry, and that was more gratifying that John would ever be able to explain. “We don’t take kindly to taking over bodies and minds, nor that kind of assault.”

John really appreciated that she did not say the big “R” word. That wasn’t something he was willing to address out loud any time soon.

“Don’t worry, alright?” Danny asked. “You’ve delivered your message. We’ll handle it from here, okay?”

John nodded. He swallowed thickly and dropped his gaze.

“I shouldn’t have panicked.”

“Realistically, you probably should have panicked more,” Val said with a little cheer in her voice. He snorted.

“Yes well, I’m not known for being in touch with my emotions,” he said.

“Stay here tonight,” Danny said. He was still holding John’s face, so when John opened his eyes, he was peering up into steady blue eyes. “I’ll call Noah and ask him to come over.”

“The portal-” John started. “I didn’t finish the check-up.”

“I’ll ask someone else to do it,” Danny said. “Just this once.”

John let out a relieved breath. The idea of having that job taken from him made him uneasy for some reason, even though he always just found it to be an annoying chore.

“Yeah, ‘course.”

“Good. I’m going to go handle a few things. Can I leave you here with Val?”

“If she’s fine being stuck with me.”

“You’re only a little diseased, so it’s fine,” Val teased. John felt himself almost smile, but smiling was just beyond his reach at that moment.

Danny finally dropped his hand, but John missed it immediately. Danny got off the counter by floating over their heads, transforming, and taking off through the ceiling. John blinked away the spots in his vision from the bright lights before looking back to Valerie.

“I’m… thanks, for this.”

“You know Danny’s been mind controlled,” Val pointed out. “This is as much for him as for you. But I wasn’t kidding. You’re part of Amity Park now, especially now that Noah’s here. You’re one of us, and Danny and I fight for our people. Always.”

“Always,” John murmured.

“Here,” she let go of his wrist and moved his cup over so he could grab it again. “Drink your tea. We’ll figure out what to do after.”

John took a steadying breath and brought the cup to his lips, taking a sip. The warmth of it lessened the chill in his bones. He imagined the vines in his body burning and dying with every sip of hot water. It was entirely fantasy, but it helped and, clearly, he needed all the help he could get.

Chapter Text

Hal, John and Salaak were locked up. They were traitors. The Guardians told all of the Green Lanterns these so-called “facts”. Neither Kyle nor Guy had left Oa since then.

“They’re treating us like we’re toxic,” Guy said. He was leaning back on the sofa in the quarters they’d been given when they arrived to Oa and it was heavily “suggested” they stay put.

“Yeah, well,” Kyle said. He thought, perhaps, that the Guardians didn’t think the pair of them were toxic, but that Hal and John were toxic, and that Kyle and Guy had been, or could be, infected. After all, wasn’t that their reason for locking up Salaak?

“I don’t like it,” Guy said, gripping a pillow tighter than it needed to be gripped. He was pissed, hurt, and confused. So was Kyle. They both felt wary and uncertain.

A few weeks back, Hal showed up at Green Lanter Citadel on Earth. He grabbed John and the pair of them just disappeared. A day later, Guy and Kyle were called to Oa for an emergency meeting. Most of the Lanterns were called back. Every Green Lantern who wasn’t in a position where they couldn’t be moved without risking a catastrophe were required to attend the meeting. All of them were told the truth at the same time.

Hal and John were conspiring with a Red Lantern. They’re arrived the day before and gone to the Book of Oa, looking to get knowledge that the Guardians had been protecting for centuries. The Red Lantern was extremely powerful, but also different from other Red Lanterns. No one, not even Atrocitus could not control him. This Red Lantern he was known to be set on domination, specifically Earth and soe called “realms between”. Salaak had been aiding and abetting, though only recently. Still, it was enough to get Salaak thrown in a sciencell too.

Kyle didn’t think that really was “the truth”. Neither did Guy. They weren’t stupid. But Hal had been known to be susceptible to outside influences before. Paralax had gotten into Hal, after all. But John? That part didn’t make a lot of sense. Then there was Salaak. He was grumpy and stubborn. Kyle didn’t believe he’d simply give in to some outside influence like that, especially since he was specifically tasked with guarding the Book of Oa.

“Kyle,” Guy said, speaking quietly, his lips barely moving as he spoke. “John’s been helping me with an investigation for months. He and I got back to the Citadel and slept for like 10 hours. Hal showed up two hours after that. Did you see him there before that?”

“No,” Kyle responded, speaking without moving his mouth much either. He didn’t know if they were monitored, but he wouldn’t be surprised. They weren’t under house arrest, but whenever they went out they could feel eyes on them, looking closely, searching for a hint of the same taint that touched Hal Jordan and John Stewart. “I was there for about four hours before Hal showed up.”

“John didn’t have time to talk to Hal before that, specially cause he’s been here on Oa for two months before that,” Guy pointed out. There was enough pointed attention in his eyes that Kyle realized Guy had probably put two and two together a while back. He’d chosen caution, which just made Kyle feel even more ill at ease. Guy liked action. He didn’t like waiting. If he was waiting, then that meant the situation was bad enough that he couldn’t or wouldn’t fall back on his normal tactics.

“When would they have time to conspire?” Kyle whispered.

“They wouldn’t,” Guy said. “We need to investigate.”

As far as Kyle could tell, the only time they weren’t being watched likes hawks was when they spent time with other Green Lanterns. They’d gone to training with Killowog a few days back and it felt like the first time Kyle could breathe since he’d been called to Oa. Being around their friends from the Earth Citadel didn’t draw much suspicion, but that was why they couldn’t be seen looking into anything with their friends nearby. Salaak was Hal and John’s friend, and he also served at the Earth Citadel. If Kyle and Guy were arrested as well, anyone they had with them would probably be arrested too.

“What do you suggest?” Kyle asked.

“Go right to the source,” Guy said with a vicious kind of grin. Kyle let out a deep sigh. So much for caution. This was going to be a very stupid idea.

“Sciencells?” Kyle whispered. Guy nodded yes.

Kyle pushed himself up and went to the door, Guy hot on his heels. No one was standing by their door barring them from leaving. Kyle expected that to change every time he opened the front door. They were able to fly right to the Sciencells without anyone trying to stop them. Still, Kyle’s shoulders itched. Even if they weren’t being watched formally, the other Green Lanterns were wary. Hal wasn’t the only one who’d fallen to outside influences, after all. And they’d lost too many people to the Sinestro Corp.

They arrived to the Sciencells before they ran into a problem. They got all the way inside the building and to the door that lead into the Sciencell room itself before anyone stopped them. Kyle could see Warden Voz eyeing them, but he didn’t approach. He was watching the guards who stood in Kyle and Guy’s way. The guards looked at them with heavy suspicion.

“I don’t believe you approaching those three is a good idea” Mizer said. They’d always been kind, kinder than Voz (though that wasn’t hard. The old, giant mole could be mean whenever he felt like it and few could or would stop him). Mizer was young, for their species, but old compared to most Green Lanterns. They’d been trained by Killowog with the new recruits and graduated to guard recently. Kyle didn’t know them well, but Guy did.

“Why are you here?” Atrayan demanded. Now, Atrayan Kyle knew. He liked gambling, but more in the sense that he liked collecting things. Kyle had specially hand painted four decks of cards for Atrayan before his graduation to a proper Green Lantern. Atrayan was big, scary looking, and good in a physical fight. He also hated being angry at people he liked, and played up the snarl more to cover how much upsetting someone he cared for hurt him. This was good information to have, but it wouldn’t make it hurt worse if Atrayan’s patience ran out and he ripped Kyle’s off and beat him to death with it.

“How do you know we’re here to see them?” Guy pouted, totally ignoring Atrayan, which made Atrayan’s teeth come out.

Mizer aised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”

“See, you admit it,” Atrayan said. He wasn’t snarling yet, which was a good sign.

“Yeah,” Kyle said, raising his eyebrow. He spoke in the most level tone he could manage. “Guy just admitted to the horrible crime of wanting to visit prisoners who trained us, or we occasionally live with, who haven’t even had a trial where they were proven guilty yet. All this while we’re still in good standing. Oh. the horror.” Atrayan’s red skin darkened to the point It was starting to look brown with a flush.

“Then what do you want?” Mizer asked, far more reasonably. They were smirking, and Kyle saw their tail lightly pat Atrayan’s leg in sympathy.

“I want to punch Hal’s teeth in,” Guy said boldly.

“Yeah, we can’t let them out so you can do that,” Mizer said, but they looked amused. Atrayan let out a surprised snort.

“Then I want to yell at them,” Guy grumbled.

“I think we can let them in,” Mizer said.

“But-” Atrayan started. His head turned, looking to Voz, who was still watching them closely.

“We’ll watch and make sure they don’t do anything, but come on, I’m pissed too. And everyone’s been on Guy and Kyle’s ass for the past few weeks. Let them vent.”

Voz nodded and turned away, continuing to walk through the halls.

Atrayan grumbled, but nodded eventually. Kyle could see the way his mouth settled into a straight line of relief. The pair stepped aside, allowing Guy and Kyle inside.

Guy and Kyle flew up to the cells where John, Hal and Salaak were kept. They were stacked one on top of another, with Hal on top, then John, then Salaak. They were many floors up, and none of them could fly if they did manage to break out of their cell. They’d just plumet to their deaths.

“Came by for a visit?” John asked when he saw them. Kyle winced. The Sciencells were not big, only just big enough for John to lay down in any direction and stretch his arms all the way over his head. Kyle and Guy had mostly stayed in their quarters and both of them had been going stir crazy. John was calm, calmer than Kyle thought he himself would have been able to manage, given the circumstances.

“Surprised they lumped you three together,” Kyle said conversationally

“I’m surprised they let you two come here,” Salaak said shortly. He sounded pissed. Kyle didn’t blame him at all.

And Hal? Hal was sitting on the floor, his arms loosely hugging his knees. Of the three of them, he looked the worst. His expression was a pain filled kind of guilt.

“Well, I said I wanted to shout at you lot, which I do, and I definitely will before we leave,” Guy said with a sharp smile. It would definitely be a good cover for them. Guy’s temper was pretty famous, after all.

Kyle floated up so he was right in front of Hal, leaving Guy to speak with John and Salaak.

“What happened?” he asked in a quieter voice. The Sciencells probably were monitored, but they had to know.

“I fucked up and got these two arrested for something they didn’t do,” Hal said.

“Oh, shut up with the self-pity,” Salaak snapped from down below. “You don’t arrest a librarian for looking up a reference text.”

“That’s what happened to you?” Guy asked. Kyle could hear slack-jawed shock in his words. It took a lot of willpower to not visibly groan. The idea was to be subtle, dammit Guy.

“There was information Hal was looking for that he hadn’t been able to find on earth,” John stated.

“Was it like an evil spell book or something?” Guy asked. “Something to make evil zombies?”

He was being louder than he needed to be. His shouting was covering for Kyle. Good.

“What were you looking up?” Kyle asked Hal in a quieter voice. Guy was getting louder, starting to sound irate. Salaak responded at the same volume. They’d both start yelling soon. Hal looked up from the floor and met Kyle’s gaze.

“The Ghost King’s power-boost ring was merged with a Red Lantern Ring,” Hal said, barely moving his lips. Kyle was shocked, shocked by the words and shocked that Hal would say it out loud. He had no idea there was a Ghost King, or that Hal knew them, but any death-affiliated being was dangerous, and Hal just admitted they had access to a Red Lantern Ring. Which meant Hal was either being a moron (because they were definitely monitored now), or he knew that the Guardians already knew what he had been looking for. Salaak probably didn’t know. John might not know, though unlikely if he came with Hal to find the information.

“Is it bad?” Kyle asked.

“It could be,” Hal said. “The old King merged them. The current guy’s got ahold of his anger, for now. I’m worried what he’ll do when he finds out we’re here. Are they going to send you guys home as messengers?”

“We’re under planet arrest,” Kyle said. That wasn’t accurate, but only because they hadn’t tried to leave when it was heavily suggested they stay put.

Hal chuckled darkly. “It hardly matters then. Don’t come back here, no matter what.”

Kyle nodded slowly. Guy was reaching a fever pitch of yelling, Salaak’s voice was straining from the volumes and John was now yelling too.

“Enough,” Kyle snapped, louder than all three of them. That made everyone shut up, but only for a second.

“What do you mean enough?” Guy demanded. He was red in the face, and Kyle began to wonder if Guy’s yelling had moved from an act to real anger.

“I said enough,” Kyle said, his voice filled with malice. “They’re traitors. They’re protecting a Red Lantern.”

Hurt flashed in Hal’s eyes. He couldn’t tell that Kyle was playing a bit. That made Kyle’s stomach turn over, but it was for the best. If he could convince Hal, then maybe he could convince the Guardians that he didn’t support Hal, John and Salaak.

“Right,” Guy said. Kyle wasn’t certain Guy believed what Kyle just said or not, but given his expression he could tell that Kyle got the information they needed.

“Let’s go. We don’t need to see this trash again.”

“Trash!?” Salaak squawked.

John’s expression continued to remain calm. Kyle couldn’t get a read on him. He had no idea if John bought his act or not.

The pair of them flew back to the guards from before, leaving their friends locked up in tiny cells with no hope of getting out.

“Good yelling?” Atrayan asked.

“Fine enough,” Guy growled.

“Traitors,” Kyle spat out.

Mizer nodded sagely. “Exactly. We can’t suffer traitors.” Too many of their number betrayed the Green Lanterns to follow Sinestro and wear his yellow rings of fear. Mizer hadn’t been a Green Lantern then, but their brother had been, and that brother had gone to the Sinestro Corp.

“Right,” Kyle said shortly. “Guy, let’s go eat or something. Anything other than stay here.”

“Right,” Guy agreed. The pair of them flew off, flying next to each other.

Kyle scratched his ear, inserting his league earpiece as subtly as he could. Guy stared at him when he did that. Kyle wasn’t even certain Guy understood what he’d done.

“I know a place.” Guy said, he started to fly off. Kyle followed after him.

“So,” he heard Guy’s whispered voice in his ear. Apparently, he had understood, and he had gotten his comm in too. “What did you find out?”

“The old Ghost King merged a power boosting ring of his with a Red Lantern ring.”

“Shit.”

“Hal said the current King has the ring under control to a degree, but Hal’s worried the King will get set off when he finds out that Hal was arrested.”

“This is bad,” Guy murmured.

“Understatement of the century. What do we do?”

“We act like normal,” Guy said. His words had an immovable energy to them. Kyle wasn’t going to be able to talk him around no matter what. “And we stay on guard for when the King comes through.”

“I don’t think Hal had them doing anything wrong,” Kyle admitted.

“Doesn’t matter. If that ring can be set off, then we could have a big problem.”

“Yeah.” That was logical, but Kyle wasn’t loving the plan of ‘attack first and ask questions later’.

“Just keep an eye out,” Guy said shortly. Kyle watched him pull his earpiece out. Kyle couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He hoped, deep in his gut, that Guy wouldn’t just start attacking on sight, or turn against their friends and mentors. But he couldn’t know what Guy meant to do, and there was a possibility that Guy would change his plan in the moment.

Kyle hoped that this wouldn’t end badly, but he couldn’t see any way that it could end well.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t like the guy hadn’t deserved it, but Hal could admit he was starting to rethink his stance on just how long Sinestro was kept in a Sciencell before his trial. They were small, cramped, and annoyingly Green Lantern themed. He’d never thought about it before, but now he had a ton of time to think about it. He looked out to the endless cells, all shaped like the Green Lantern insignia and his finger itched to have his ring back. He constantly ran his thumb over the spot where his ring used to sit, over the indent the Ring left after so many years living on his finger. He had a tan line there. The skin under the ring was a bit softer than the skin around it. There was like a tire tread in his skin. He missed his ring. That was painful to think about.

Somehow, it was the least painful thing to think about. Thinking of anything from Earth at all hurt too much for him to consider it for more than a few seconds. Thinking of home just reminded him of his friends, or the Justice League, which reminded him of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and they reminded him of Danny and Ellie. And thinking about those two just brought him back around to why he was here, why John and Salaak were there.

Salaak had moved from shock and denial to anger after a few days of their imprisonment, and just stayed there. They could hear each other, and they weren’t housed near any other prisoners, but the guards would be able to hear them too. Salaak had been shouting about how wrong the Guardians were for this, which was fair, but wasn’t going to help their case.

John was angry too, a deep, cold kind of angry, a contained type of angry. He knew when he couldn’t show his emotions, and this was now. It made him seem fine. He wasn’t. He was keeping an eye out, watching, waiting for a moment to strike. Hal could respect that, but Hal wasn’t certain even if he had his ring that it would work for him right then. He didn’t feel like he had the move to will some days.

He was angry, but much more than angry, he was guilty. As soon as he found out about the origin of the Red Lanterns, he knew he was in trouble. That information had been struck for a reason, after all. The Guardians wanted to be seen as purveyors of good in the universe. Green Lanterns were supposed to follow their orders without question, something Hal questioned from time to time, but never thought about too hard until he had nothing but time to think.

That rule was to keep another Sector 666 from happening. The Manhunters had “rebelled” against the rules of the Oa and in the process mascaraed trillions of lives. But the rule also meant that no one was watching the watchmen. There had been enough issues over the years with the Lantern Corps that Hal knew the Guardians weren’t infallible, but he’d believed them good. Now, he believed that they thought themselves good, whether that was true or not.

It didn’t help just how many people the Green Lantern Corp lost to the Sinestro Corp. Hell; Hal was wishing that Sinestro was there. He wouldn’t look at the situation and only see danger. No one who wore a Red Lantern Ring resisted it or Atrositus. But Danny did. Pariah Dark was incapable of being controlled by it. Danny was very capable of being controlled, but his will and sense of morality were so strong that the ring wasn’t winning. Danny was Green Lantern material, for sure. Maybe if he hadn’t already had the Ring of Rage, a Green Lantern Ring would have chosen him.

It didn’t matter.

Hal had been stuck in the Sciencell since his arrest, save for the time he was taken out for interrogation.

Appa Ali Apsa had been the one to interrogate Hal. Hal gave away very little, but he did give away the fact that the Ring of Rage was a fusion of a ghost artefact and a red power ring. Appa already knew that. The look in Appa’s eyes when he realized that Hal knew what the ring was had been an expression of bitter disappointment.

“I’m disappointed,” he stated. “You were supposed to fight for justice, instead you fall before power.”

“But I didn’t,” Hal had protested, taken off guard by Appa’s expression and words.

“The Ghost King is hungry, always hungry. They must be hungry to win such a position. With time, the Ring will take over. You have aligned yourself with a dangerous enemy, and you are too blind to see it.”

Hal wanted to protest that Appa Ali Apsa was the one who was blind, but caution kept his mouth shut. Appa believed that Danny would try to devour the universe. The Guardians were trying to prepare for a war. Hal wasn’t going to give them more information.

Danny could resist that pull; Hal was certain. He’d already seen it happen. He saw the precautions the man took. He saw the way he loved his family, the way he protected his people. Hal had been close friends with Sinestro for years before they figured out the way to subjugated his home planet. But Sinestro had been like that before he took the Ring. Danny wasn’t a conqueror; he was a protector. Hal held onto that faith. He couldn’t risk letting anything else out that he knew.

“Up,” one of the guards said, breaking Hal from his thoughts. Hal pushed himself off the floor and stood. He waited patiently while cuffs were fitted on him, and he was brought from the cell and put on the floating platform with John and Salaak.

“This is outrageous,” Salaak hissed.

“What’s going on?” Hal asked.

“We’re going on trial,” John said, his voice steady, his face barely expressing anything at all, which Hal thought was dangerous.

“Ah, I wonder why now,” Hal said. Sinestro had been in the Sciencell for many, many months before his trial, after all.

“Perhaps they feel like they have prepared enough,” John said. Hal kept his secrets, but so had John. John had seen the summary notes Hal made. He’d been questioned. He probably had his own conclusions, though Hal had no idea what they were.

The three of them were escorted to the Hall of Judgement. Everything was so yellow, but that hardly affected them with their Rings gone. The Hall had a full audience. It wasn’t every Green Lantern, Hal knew that, but it was a majority. This was nothing like Sinestro’s trial, which had the council, guards and a few people like Hal, and Sinestro’s people had already split the Green Lantern Corp in two by that point.

“They’ve gathered quite an army,” John murmured at his side. Hal glanced his way. Salaak froze at John’s words. He’d been growling and grumbling about the unfairness of this process, and what procedure should be, according to the book. But his eyes widened, and he faced forward, finally shutting up.

“Yeah,” Hal murmured in return, fixing his eyes forward.

The Guardians were seated like a tribunal. They stared down at Hal, John and Salaak in judgement. They already knew the verdict. The trial wasn’t the point, it was a trap, and not for the three of them. They were the bait.

They were escorted right to the middle of the room. Hal spotted Guy and Kyle in the front row, sitting to Hal’s left. Hal’s gaze lingered on them for a moment. Both of them were looking at him. Hal wasn’t certain if Kyle believed him or not. He was either acting, or he wasn’t, but Hal couldn’t be sure. Not that it mattered much. Those two couldn’t help the three of them anyway, not without implicating themselves. Neither of them were stupid enough to try and raise a stink with the current odds.

“Hal Jorden, John Stewart, Salaak,” the head of the Tribunal called. The chatter in the room silenced immediately. What followed was a few moments of intense silence.

“That’s us,” Hal said, falling back on sass.

“You three have colluded with the bearer of a Red Lantern Ring,” the Head continued, glaring at Hal. “Would you deny this fact?”

John bumped into Salaak, shutting him up before he could speak. Hal saw that out of the corner of his eye.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

“That’s true,” Hal stated, loud and clear.

That caused an immediate uproar.

“Why did you say that?” Salaak hissed.

“Because it’s true,” John said. He turned his gaze to Salaak. “For Hal and me, it is true.”

Salaak scowled for a long moment. “Well, I guess it’s true for me too.” He looked forward, his eyes set in defiance. Hal grinned.

“Enough,” the Head snapped, making the chatter settle back down to silence, though not nearly as quickly as when the trial was called into order. “How dare you three betray the Green Lanterns.”

“We have betrayed nothing,” John said, his voice bright with defiance. “Hal was approached to help someone who was being partially controlled by a Red Lantern Ring but has also resisting its influence.” That factoid caused mass whispers.

“I cannot tell if you truly believe those lies or not,” once of the Guardians said. Hal recognized him as Ganthet. Most Guardians never used their names, as they were a group, a collective. But Hal had been around long enough that he knew more than a few of them by name. Ganthet was known for being an emotional Oan, and he monitored Earth closely.

“Screw you,” Salaak shouted. “All I did was my job as the Keeper of the Book.”

“Since when do we arrest librarians for finding reference material?” Guy’s voice carried through the room.

“Do you have something to add?” Appa Ali Apsa asked, turning his eyes to Guy.

“Just pointing out the obvious. Please, continue.” Guy gave a big, oafish smile. Hal bit down a grin of his own. Guy was planning something. It was always dangerous when Guy decided to plan something.

“That’s enough. You have admitted to assisting a Red Lantern,” one of the Guardians screeched.

“Are you going to let us testify, or what?” Hal asked.

“By our laws, that you wrote, we should be able to represent our case,” Salaak stated.

“Tribunal,” one of the Alphas called. “The Witnesses are here.”

“Escort them in,” The Head said.

Hal turned to see who was coming into the Hall. He wracked his brain for any witnesses at all. There was only Appa Ali Apsa, and he was on the Tribunal. When the Alpha returned, Hal’s mouth dropped open.

It was Danny, as Phantom, with the Ring and Crown in full display. He even had a short, one shoulder cape, which shown with green gems. After a second, Hal realized they had to be crystalized ectoplasm. One step behind him was Ellie, also transformed, with her hair white, her eyes a lovely green, and her suit covering from neck to foot, half white and half white divided by a diagonal line across her body.

“Phantom,” John said, inclining his head toward Danny.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Danny said, offering them a short, cheerful smile, which quickly dropped to something more serious. “Hal, really, when you dropped off the face of the earth, we started to get worried.”

“Not by choice,” Hal said.

“We know,” Ellie said. The pair of them stood next to Hal, which was where they stopped walking.

“What are these three charged with?” Danny demanded, his voice so straight and strong that it almost bounced off the walls.

“Collusion,” the Head said, eyeing Danny with disdain and trepidation.

“With who?” Danny asked.

“You,” Hal said.

“The bearer of a Red Lantern Ring,” Guy shouted.

“Ah, Sauron and the Orc squad,” Danny said, looking down at the Ring of Rage. Kyle let out a surprised laugh from the stands.

“I told them we had colluded with you,” Hal said.

“Well, that’s true,” Danny said. He held up his hand, the ring glowed red. “See, until recently, I didn’t realize this thing was part Red Lantern. I didn’t know what a Red Lantern was. And then an enemy of mine told me all about it… and then you arrested people who tried to help me.” His eyes were flashing green. Hal’s stomach dropped. He was looking for a hint blue and the cold anger that Danny used during the test.

“Capture the Ghost King,” the head of the Tribunal declared. “He cannot be allowed out into the universe.”

“I’d love to see you stop me,” Danny said with a vicious smile. His eyes turned blue. Hal shivered. The hall suddenly filled with the ice constructs Danny had made before, except rather than being a handful, there were hundreds of all different shapes and sizes. The almost seemed to have different personalities, with the way their forms appeared to be “clothed”. Danny was a lot angrier than last time, and, Hal realized with a start, he had a lot more control too.

The audience rose up to attack and defend.

“Now!” Guy shouted. He grabbed Kyle and practically threw him at Hal. Guy burst from the stands, followed by Arisia, Ch’p, Katma Tui and Kilowog. Hal had a moment where he thought Guy was about to fly over and punch him in the face, instead, he formed a barrier around them, blocking blasts and weapons.

“Here, here,” Ch’p said, nearly knocking Salaak over in his haste. He produced the yellow sphere that held their rings. It shattered in open, and the rings immediately returned to them. Hal felt the familiar power settle on his shoulders like a cloak.

“The hell, Guy?” Hal asked, laughing out of sheer surprise and relief.

“They were being dodgy creeps,” Guy said as explanation. Kyle cackled at his side as he created a giant mech, which started to keep as many Lanterns busy as possible.

“Are you three alright?” Ellie asked, now floating at Hal’s side. When he looked at her, he realized that she had a sword hanging at her side, and a huge gun in her hands.

“The accommodations have been lacking,” John said. “But we are unharmed.”

“I’ve had better months,” Salaak said through gritted teeth.

“You all can stand down,” Danny declared to their group suddenly. “You don’t have to fight.”

“These are our friends they arrested,” Arisia said. “How can we not defend them, especially when they haven’t done anything wrong? You haven’t done anything wrong, right?” She turned to look at John.

“No, we have not,” John stated, a smile twitching on his lips.

“Your loyalty does you credit,” Danny said, offering their group a gentle smile. “But you don’t need to fight because I will handle this on my own. El, maintain a barrier. The rest of you, stop fighting.

A secondary green barrier snapped up around Guy’s. After a second, Kyle’s mech disappeared, followed by Guy’s shield. The others laid down their weapons.

“Who is this guy?” Killowog asked.

Danny walked right through the barrier. The constructs, it turned out, were keeping the other Lanterns occupied.

“This is enough!” Danny’s voice carried through the entire Hall. The constructs stopped moving and melted into the floor. “Stop fighting. I did not come to fight, only to defend and protect.”

Slowly at first, and then rapidly, most of the Corp stopped fighting.

“Why have you stopped?” one of the Guardians screeched.

“Because they know this is bullshit,” Danny snapped. “The King before me made a deal with Atrocitus. He bound a Red Lantern Ring to one of the symbols of the Kingship. I can no more remove the red ring from the other ring than you can remove your own heads and still stay alive. When I spoke with Hal Jordan, I came seeking information and help. He has been helping me handle this situation because he has proven trustworthy to people I trust with my very existence. He has been kind, and he has been loyal to you. And for that, you arrested him and the people who helped him. And for what?”

“Everyone knows the Ghost King will not be satisfied with the power they are given. That is why Pariah Dark made the deal with Atrocitus,” Appa Ali Apsa snapped.

“The Ghost King’s devour all that is around them,” Ganthet snarled with a fury that even he normally did not manage. “Death follows the hems of their capes and Pariah Dark was especially tainted, vile and destructive.”

“New flash, dumb-fuck, I’m not Pariah. I handed him his ass when I was 14 years old. And guess what? I’m a lot stronger than he was. You should have taken care of him when he was sleeping if you were that worried about him. I didn’t have a problem with you. I would have left you all alone, but you have declared me and mine your enemy. So now, you are my enemy.”

“Phantom,” John said, a touch of anxiety in his voice. Danny turned to look at him.

“I’m not going to attack,” Danny said. He offered a tired, short little smile to them before it dropped from his face and he turned back to the Guardians. “I don’t need to. Because, as these self-riteous fools know well, I am not the King of human ghost. I am the King of the Infinite Realms. That means that I rule all of the spaces between, and not all my subjects are human ghosts. Most of them the spirits of people who had nowhere else to go. All people. All peoples.”

“What does that mean?” Guy asked. He’d tensed up. All of them in the green bubble did. There was too much emphasis on that ‘S’.

“Do you want to tell them why the Red Lanterns exist?” Danny asked. “Or should I?”

“You would dare-” the Head started. His voice cut out. There was silence. Many of them tried to speak. None of them could make a sound.

“No more lies,” Danny said, his voice cold as ice. “Atrocitus is the survivor of the Massacre of Sector 666 by the Manhunters, who were the police force these fools made before the Lanterns. The Manhunters glitched at once, they slaughtered an entire sector, only a few survived. But those dead flooded into the Infinite Realms. And they’re still there. Or… or they are here.”

Green flowed out of him, covering the floor, the stands, the walls. There was nothing that wasn’t green, and then the green started to fall away, but only in pieces. At least, that was what Hal thought. Instead, there were green people, thousands, millions of green, translucent people, ghosts. They were floating all over the room, filling it to the point that Hal wondered how there were any space for the living. Hal had never seen most of the species represented there.

“You are so haunted,” Danny said, awe in his voice. “The spirits of the dead who aren’t strong enough to transition cling to their killers or the places of their death. But the Manhunters made certain there was no place for them to haunt, only people. These spirits should have been free when you destroyed the Manhunters, right? Except the Manhunters aren’t their only murderer.”

“Oh god,” Kyle whispered. Cold dread filled Hal’s entire body.

“That’s… I’ve never seen these species,” Katma said, clapping a hand over her mouth.

“I didn’t just come to rescue Hal. I came to rescue these ghosts, my people, my subjects. Don’t worry, you won’t be seeing them after I leave, because they are going to the Infinite Realms where they belong.”

The ghost started shouting, all in languages that none of them had ever heard. Hal slapped his hands over his ears. He wasn’t the only one.

“Alright.” Danny didn’t speak loudly, but he didn’t need to. One word from him soothed the dead. “You have all suffered enough.” He held up the hand with the ring. “Go on to the Infinite Realms. Time itself will meet you. There are people you love there.”

It only lasted a second, but in that short moment Hal thought he could hear weeping. Danny gently pushed the air and the ghosts disappeared, not all of a sudden, but like Danny had gently nudged them from the room.

Just how powerful was he?

The Hall of Judgement seemed empty with all of the ghosts gone. It was just yellow, yellow all over.

“And now I will deal with you,” Danny said. The Guardians were trying to speak, but no sound came out. “I’m not going to kill you. For one thing, I do not wish to potentially having you as my subjects. For another, you all will live with the consequences you wrought.”

Danny turned spun slowly, taking in all of the Green Lanterns who were there, including the group of them in the bubble. He gave them a sad smile before he continued his full loop. Finally, he stilled, facing the tribunal once more.

“The Green Lantern members are not my enemies,” he said. “You did not know. But you must understand that I cannot trust you either.”

“We understand,” Voz said. He had been one of those who escorted them from the Sciencells. He was the warden and one of the oldest Green Lanterns alive. “Many things have happened in a few short years.”

“Tell me about it,” Danny said. “These Green Lanterns here,” he waved toward the bubble. “I trust them. They are my people. They are allowed in my realm and my home.”

“All of us serve on earth,” Katma said suddenly.

“That’s great. You’re no less welcome there than you were before,” Danny said. “For the rest of you, know this: The King of the Infinite Realms rejects the Green Lantern Corp. No Green Lantern’s powers will work in the Infinite Realms. Except for these people here.” He nodded toward those of them within the shield. “For the rest of you, and any new Green Lanterns to follow, your powers will stop working the second you are within my Realm. And I should add that all teleportation, all portals, all wrinkles in time, those cut through the Infinite Realms. You may use those means of transportation, but your Ring will stop working in the time between stepping through the portal and stepping out the other send. So, if you can’t breathe in space, don’t trying portal-ing into space.”

The others didn’t look happy, but when Danny raised a hand, they didn’t speak. No murmurs rose. Finally, Danny looked to the Guardians. “As for you. I’m going to make certain the entire universe knows what you did. And you are not allowed in the Infinite Realms, even for the moment between portals. If you try to step into my realm, you will never return, I will make certain.”

They were trying to protest, but still, no sound came out.

“I’ll drop the silence when I leave. Then you can decide how you want to explain this to these people who take justice so seriously.” Danny’s smile turned nasty. He turned back to the bubble. “Come on, let’s go home.”

He walked into the bubble. The second he was fully inside the bubble, everything outside the bubble changed. A second after that, Hal recognized that they were inside the Watchtower. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Arrow were waiting for them. The bubble dropped.

“Hal!” Barry and Ollie shouted. Hal suddenly had his arms full of Barry. He wrapped his arms around his friend, hugging on tight.

“Hi, Barry.”

“You’re back!” Ollie said, slapping Hal’s back before going to check on John.

“Are you well?” Diana asked.

“They’ve been locked in the Sciencells since they disappeared,” Guy said.

“You’ll need to be cleared by medical,” Batman said.

“Thank you for getting them back, Phantom,” Superman said somewhere behind Hal.

“No problem, Kal,” Danny said in a tired but friendly manner.

“What happened?” John said, looking at their friends. “We are grateful to you all of coming to help us, but we didn’t expect the assistance.”

“I figured that I wasn’t gonna be monitored as closely if I wasn’t talking to Kyle. So, I made a show of us having a bit of a falling out,” Guy said with a big smile.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Kyle admitted, laughing with relief.

“And the rings?” Salaak asked.

“I went to get them, but Scar left them where they were easy to get,” Ch’pp said.

“Really?” Hal asked. “But Scar’s a hard ass.”

“Not every Guardian agreed with this course of action,” Killowog said. “And now we cannot return.”

“No, we cannot,” Katma agreed.

“Well, Earth’s Green Lantern Citadel is still there,” Barry said. He still had his arms around Hal.

“You are also all welcome in Amity Park,” Danny said. “That is my city. There are many ghosts there, but also a lot of living, and we’re open to any young person who needs help, especially if they have powers, are related to heroism or villainy, or just need something they can’t get elsewhere.”

“Is what you said about sector 666 truth?” Killowog asked. There was a hardness in his voice, a pressure and anxiety that Hal understood. Killowog truly believed in the Green Lanterns. He’d trained over half the Corp. Finding out the truth must be a deep betrayal for him.

“It is,” Danny said.

“Those really were the ghosts of Sector 666?” Arisia asked.

“Not only 666, but mostly,” Danny said. “I’m going to leave you all here and handle that. Ellie, you want to come with or…” his eyes shifted from his sister over to Hal, waggling his eyesbrows.

“Shut the fuck up,” Dani said, shooting an ecto beam right into his chest.

“Ow.”

“I believe you deserved that,” Batman said.

“Did Batman just make a joke?” Ollie asked.

“I’m going to stay here,” Ellie said. “I’ll be home eventually.”

“Alrighty then. I do want to meet you all for real later, but I’ve got just a ton of souls to handle, and I have to check on Overgrowth and Sam.”

“Overgrowth is the plant spirit?” Kal asked, his eyebrows knitting in concern.

“Swamp Thing asked one of my agents for a favor. Sam’s negotiating.”

“Ah,” Kal said.

“We’ll keep an eye out. Thanks for the heads up,” Batman added.

Danny waved once. A green portal opened behind him, and he fell back into it like a free fall. It closed the second he was through.

“Alright then,” Ellie said. “Let’s get these three to medical. Scoot, scoot.”

“Like you know where medical is,” Hal huffed.

“We know,” Barry said. “I’ll go get it ready.” He zipped off, leaving a breeze in his wake. Hal laughed weakly.

“Come on, you could use a nap. And a shower,” Ollie said.

Batman took point, beginning to guide them away. Hal hung back because Ellie hung back. Ollie was still clinging to him, though.

“So,” Ellie said after the others got a little further up.

“So?” Hal asked.

“You want to go out with me?” Ellie had a big smile on her face. Hal flushed bright red.

“I mean yeah, but-”

“Excellent. A week from now sound good?”

“Yeah-yes! It does.”

“Great,” Ellie said cheerfully.

Hal could hear Ollie quietly snickering near his head. Hal didn’t even elbow him in the side. He was just so grateful that he was there with them, no Sciencell in sight. He never thought he’d miss the gray of the Watchtower, but gray was neither green nor yellow, and Hal felt pretty sick of both colors. He was relieved, and exhausted, and if he was honest, kind of scared. But that was fine. He needed a shower, a full meal, and a good sleep, then he could deal with all of his jumbled feelings.

Chapter Text

Alec was only keeping the Parliament of Trees away from the swamp by sheer force of will. Abigail was only keeping Tefé inside by sheer force of will, mostly by keeping her asleep.

“Alec, how much longer?” she asked. He stood outside the house on stilts they’d built when Tefé’s powers started to go a little haywire in her youth. Sometimes she needed to be a little less connected to the Green when her emotions got too strong, at least until she could get old enough to really understand just how her actions could have consequences.

Still a wooden house on stilts in a swamp did not a safe place make for a little girl who the Parliament wanted to use. Abigail stood in the doorway, monitoring the sleeping spell she had on her child while Alec stood in the swamp below, legs grown up from the water, so he was eye-height to Abigail.

“It will take as long as it takes,” her ex-husband said.

She opened her mouth to say something like ‘how do we know Constantine didn’t just fuck off and leave us to handle this alone?’, but she shut her mouth and chose silence. Constantine did care about Tefé. At least, Abigail had to believe so. He’d helped her give birth, being at her side when neither of them thought Alec would make it back. He had helped when his cursed blood got Tefé kidnapped. He rarely interacted with her, but he was always kind toward her. Tefé wasn’t his, but he had to care. And he had a thing about kids in trouble. It was a weakness Abigail’s uncle had exploited more than a few times.

Also, it wasn’t like they had someone else to turn to. John wasn’t just the best choice; he was their only choice.

“Someone is coming,” Alec said suddenly. He sounded disturbed, which disturbed Abigail greatly. “They are… close, closer than they should be. They-”

“You talking about me, green thing?” That was not a voice Abigail recognized. There was a woman, whose torso was sticking out of the swamp, though on closer inspection, she was sticking out of a swirling green portal that appeared just above the swamp’s water.

“Who are you, intruder?” Alec asked, his voice firm, not betraying any hint of the fear he had to be feeling. Someone had gotten so close so fast in Alec’s swamp, the one place that would never betray him.

“Constantine sent me… essentially. Help me up?”

Alec wrapped an arm around her, vines winding around her a few times for security, and drew her up from the portal, which closed behind her. He set her up on the porch with Abigail. The woman was dressed from head to toe in mostly black, with bright purple eyes. She had on black ripped jeans, black combat boots with bright yellow laces, a white tee shirt underneath a lace purple and black tank top, and the kind of jeweled collar that would have fit perfectly on a mall goth in the 90s. Abigail was just in a standard pair of Levis and a pink tank top that may or may not be clean. The stranger stood out more standing near Abigail than standing near Alec.

“Are you a friend of Constantine’s?” Abigail asked carefully.

“Oh, no way, I can’t stand the man.” That, at least, was a little bit of a relief. It was normal, anyway. Then the stranger continued speaking. “My best friend is the majority stakeholder in his soul.”

Those words sent a chill up Abigail’s spine. She could still feel the control her spell had over Tefé, keeping her asleep. She closed the door, deciding that she would rather not allow this stranger any closer to her baby girl, even if there was a potential that Abigail may lose control of the spell.

“You represent an agent of Hell?” Abigail asked.

The stranger tipped back her head and cackled, like a witch, like Abigail said the stupidest words possible. Abigail’s cheeks flushed pink. She was so pale that it was impossible for her to hide a blush and it always had been.

“Your laughter is not appreciated,” Alec said. Abby’s heart twisted. They seperated for a reason, but still she loved him, and he was always going to defend her. She wished for the millionth time that it was possible for them to work, that they were born into a kinder world, or just a slightly different world where certain things broke a different way. She shoved those feelings aside. They’d never once in her life been helpful.

“Sorry,” the stranger said, carefully wiping her eyes to avoid smearing her make-up. “You can call me Sam Manson, and I am here on behalf of the King of the Infinite Realms.” She gave a proper curtsy and everything.

Abby looked to Alec and he looked back. The Infinite Realms were wild, lawless, and too connected to everything to disregard if one was smart. Most beings could pretend it didn’t exist, but as a realm of transition and death, aspects of it interacted with the Green, the Red and the Black. Her uncle, Anton Arcane, had played with the Infinite Realms before, when the Tyrant King still ruled. Abigail was aware that he’d been deposed, as creatures of the Green disliked the Infinite Realms, and the Black had an alliance with the Tyrant King before he was imprisoned. Those alliances had shifted with the new king.

“The King is why Constantine’s child is secured,” Alec said, his words laced with sudden understanding.

“Constantine has a child?” Abigail asked, turning her full attention to Alec. Those words made something in her twist and turn. They’d had such trouble protecting Tefé from demons because of Constantine’s cursed blood. She couldn’t imagine that any child without extreme power would be safe under those circumstances.

“On that, you are correct,” Sam said. “He requested that the King allow your child to live in Amity Park, which is the King’s seat of power in the living world. Tefé will be safe in Amity Park.”

“How can you assure that?” Abigail asked suddenly. “There are plants in Amity Park. Alec could get there easily. The Parliament of Trees can reach her there.”

“On behalf of the King, I have brokered an agreement with Overgrowth,” Sam stated. There was a gravity to her words that Abigail didn’t understand. The silence made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as did Alec’s next words.

“That… yes, that might work,” Alec said.

“Alec, what does that mean?”

“Overgrowth is a spirit,” Alec said. “An Ancient, the protector of dead plants. He represents both the Black and the Green, though he favors the Green.”

Abigail felt like the air and been punched from her lungs. The Green represented plants, the Red represented flesh, and the Black represented rot. The Arcane family, Abigail’s family, often served the same function to the Black as Alec did to the Green. The Green hated the Black and the Black hated the Green. The concept of any entity representing both was dizzying to consider, especially because the way Alec said “ancient” and “spirit” sounded more like “god”.

“If the Parliament of Trees tries to pursue Tefé into Amity Park, then I have been deputized by Overgrowth to deliver a message, which is this: Should the Parliament of Trees violate the lands of the King of the Infinite Realms, Overgrowth of the Green and Black will revert to his aspect of the Black.”

Abigail shivered, but so did Alec, even though he didn’t need to undertake such human reactions. A god would promote rot over life at the behest of a king, on behalf of her and Alec’s child, because John Constantine asked him to.

What, exactly, had Alec woken by approaching Constantine for a favor?

“That’s… I will pass the word,” Alec stated.

“Good. But I am not only here to deliver a message. I am here to negotiate with you two.”

“Negotiate? For what?” Abigail asked.

“In regards to Tefé’s placement,” Sam stated. A rock settled in Abigail’s stomach.

“What do you require from us?” Alec asked without a hint of hesitation. Abigail wanted to cry. She’d missed his steady presence since their divorce. For Tefé, for Abigail, there was no question of what he would do.

“John Constantine belongs to the King of the Infinite Realms,” Sam stated. “The King was disturbed by the state Constantine was in when he arrived to him with his request for sanctuary for Tefé Holland.”

“I did not harm him,” Alec stated immediately. “He was unharmed when I left him. He merely stated that he had to speak to another party before he could agree to move Tefé.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say you didn’t harm him.” There was something… mean in Sam’s eyes.

“If Alec says they only had a conversation, then they only had a conversation.” Certainly, he wouldn’t risk this by lying now.

“It was just a conversation. The harm was done fifteen years ago,” Sam said.

“I… Alec nor I had a particularly violent altercation with Constantine fifteen years ago.” If anything, while Abigail was pregnant, he was exceptionally kind, for Constantine.

“Let me be clear,” Sam said. Her eyes were as sharp and hard as stone. Abigail thought of someone being stoned to death with amethyst. A death made worse by the spectacle of it all. “Taking over someone’s body, suppressing their will, leaving permanent marks on their body and then using their body to have sex without their consent it rape.”

There was a harsh sucking sound. Abigail realized that was her, gasping at the words that came from Sam’s mouth. Her hand was pressed to her chest because there was pain there, like a knife through her sternum. She remembered how upset she’d been, afraid that Constantine would pretend to be the man she loved to take her to bed. It would not have been the first time she went to bed with her husband, only to find out someone else was pretending to be him. The scars her Uncle Anton left never seemed to heal. She was touchy about many things because of what Anton Arcane had done to her.

And yet, it had never occurred to her… she hadn’t thought… it never crossed her mind that a man so well known as a rake, and a swindler, and a right bastard might have had… feelings about what happened. It was as if Sam’s words had put a hand mixer in her mind, and suddenly everything was running together. She’d had her body used against her will before, and she had never once considered that Alec using Constantine’s body would be no different.

“My shoes,” she murmured, horror making her body numb.

“What?” Alec asked, his voice was far away. Had he been speaking before? She had no idea.

“When I went into town after… when I needed to think… you know we met at the diner?” Alec had spent those hours she was gone afraid that he wasn’t someone she could love, while Abigail dealt with her feelings about Alec using Constantine’s body, about her pregnancy, about her place in the world, with Alec.

“He took me out drinking and dancing,” Abigail continued. Her own voice sounded so distant. “I was so drunk I couldn’t remember what happened in the morning. I was in bed with him. I woke up there, covered and confused. He teased me about my state, said he could tell how much fun I’d had. I was worried that- I was worried. Then he tugged the blanket down. I hadn’t even taken my shoes off. He thought it was funny that my shoes were still on.”

There was something in his gaze that she’d noticed then, but chalked it up to the hangover, or John Constantine being John Constantine. Now, with what she knew, suddenly she could identify the tightness of his smile and the forced amusement.

“He didn’t think it was funny.” Abigail’s voice broke.

She looked up at Sam. It was like there were claws around her stomach, squeezing tight, tight, tight. Constantine made jokes, especially when he was upset or scared. Why had he still been in town? There was no reason for him to stay in Houma, except that Alec had walked him there before he relinquished control of Constantine’s body. But Abigail met him there days later. He could have left. He hadn’t. He’d stayed. And that night he kept her safe.

If that had been her in that situation, she would have clawed his eyes out. Or cried. Probably both.

Was that night his way of digging into her, for what she’d agreed to? Was it a comment on what she would do and he wouldn’t?

She hadn’t realized it until a stranger looked her in the face and reminded her of exactly what it meant to be subjected to acts she had no control over. Her Uncle Anton loved to control her. She knew exactly what losing control felt like.

“I don’t care about your feelings about the matter,” Sam said, cutting through Abigail’s spiraling thoughts. “I don’t care about excuses, or what you have to say. The only thing that matters is that Constantine doesn’t want to see you, not in Amity Park.”

“Right,” Abigail murmured, not certain she spoke loud enough for anyone to hear her.

“He’s described you two as ‘co-workers that hate each other’.”

“That sounds like something her would say,” Alec said.

“So, the King won’t insist that you stay away from Amity Park. But inside Amity Park, there will be rules you will follow. Neither of you are allowed to come inside the city without informing the King ahead of time that you are coming. You will stick only to the places he details are allowed during the time of each visit. You are not allowed near Amity Park University in any capacity. While you are in Amity Park, you will do what you’re told, which may mean leaving early, or having to exit a location with no notice.”

“And if we do not?” Alec asked, his words carefully spoken. “You will not help Tefé?”

“What?” That genuinely seemed to flabbergast Sam. She dropped the formal speech entirely. “No way, we’re definitely going to help her. Not helping her was never on the table. The question is will you be allowed visitation rights.”

Abigail saw Alec tense. Her own fists balled up before she left out a breath and let it go. John Constantine was important to the King, and no matter their intention, they had caused a damage they hadn’t intended. He still asked the King to protect Tefé. And the King was willing to make threats to keep her protected, but that also meant she would be in his home territory, and Abigail and Alec weren’t welcome there. But the King was willing to allow them in so they could spend time with their child anyway.

“Will she be provided for?” Alec asked.

“The King is housing her with him for a few weeks. Normally she’d be placed with me and my husband immediately, since we have a farm and I have connections to Overgrowth. But I’ve got a three-month-old at home, and Tuck and I have to assure that she’s safe first, you understand. Plus, The King will be best be able to curb Tefé abilities from getting out of control.”

“This is fair,” Alec said.

“I agree,” Abigail said. “We can agree to this. We just want to be certain that Tefé is taken care of. She’s… she’s our everything.”

Sam gave a sad smile. “I understand. Trust me. I have a set of contracts with me for you to sign. In a couple days, someone will collect the three of you and show you where your daughter will be staying. By then, Tuck should have your phones ready.”

“Phones?” Alec asked.

“So, the both of you can reach Tefé, even in an area that shouldn’t have service. Don’t worry, we’re used to weird requirements. And Tuck’s going to want to show off.” There was gentle, loving smile on her face when she talked about her husband. Abigail remembered what that was like, to love someone with her whole heart, uncomplicated and full.

“Thank you, Sam,” Abigail said. “Can I ask how long this will take? We’ve had to be very vigilant.”

“That’s what this is for.” She produced a bracelet from her messenger bag. Alec reached for it, but Sam specifically put it in Abigail’s grasp instead. “It’s full of Ectoplasm and some of Overgrowth’s powers from the Black. It’ll feel like hell if you touch it, Swampy, so don’t. It’s going to hide Tefé for the couple of days before we come to get her.”

Abigail gripped the bracelet tight. “T-thank you, Sam.” They’d be able to rest, spend a little time with Tefé before she left.

She was grateful, and she was happy that Tefé would be safe, safe from the manipulation of the Parliaments, and from the demons. But more than those positive feelings, she felt sad and guilty. Guilt because she wasn’t staying with her baby and just passing her off for someone else to finish raising her. Guilt for Constantine, and years of interactions that she needed to re-examine. And grief because she finally had to be separated from Tefé. Before, it was Alec who had been the one with visitation days. Outside of her kidnapping, Abigail had stayed with Tefé her whole life. Now both of them would only see her during visitation.

“Let us speak inside,” Alec said. “Abigail, put the bracelet on Tefé. Let’s test if it works while Ms. Manson is still here.”

“Right,” Abigail said. She nodded once and turned, heading inside, leaving the door open behind her. She was floating, her mind was too detached. It was too much. She had to keep herself tethered to reality, at least for the next few days. Then she could just, just float away.

Chapter Text

Kyle wasn’t exactly in the Justice League. Well, he wasn’t exactly a full member. Hal and John got called for the big meetings. Kyle and Guy didn’t, but they still had the ability to visit the Watchtower if need be. Arisia and Katma had also been to the Watchtower before. Salaak, Killowog and Ch’pp hadn’t. Kyle had never been in the infirmary, but Guy had, apparently.

The Justice League members proper had gotten them all beds to sit on. John, Hal and Salaak were checked out for injuries and illness before being sent to shower and change clothes. The rest of them had to wait while Batman insisted that all of them get checked out, especially because everyone but Guy needed a medical work up.

They were all decently calm about it, all things considered. At least until the ex-prisoners returned dressed in comfortable clothes and settled on their own beds, and the Flash ran off to get them all food.

“What happened while we were away?” John asked, his eyes fixed on Superman, who, as the current resident alien, had stayed to help the non-humans feel more comfortable.

“Well, you were gone for a while,” Superman started.

“We noticed,” Guy said.

“Hal apparently sent a message to Ellie at some point before you all were taken which said that he’d have to go to Oa and would probably be gone for a little while,” Superman continued.

“Really?” Kyle asked, turning exasperated eyes toward Hal, who had the good sense to look embarrassed.

“I didn’t want her to worry if she couldn’t get in contact with me for a bit,” Hal protested.

“She literally needed to be worried,” Guy said.

“Yeah, I noticed. I’ve been kicking myself about it for a while, trust me,” Hal said. He looked back to Superman. “How did you all figure out what was going on?”

“At first, when not just you but the rest of the Green Lanterns disappeared, we assumed there was an emergency.” Most of them nodded. That had happened before, after all. All of the capes in the Justice League had their own responsibilities. Generally, not everyone had to be called for a Justice League problem. “And once we knew at least some of you were on Oa, we decided not to worry. Until you continued to all be gone.”

“How did the King find out?” Killowog asked.

“A letter arrived at his home, declaring that three of you were on trial, with the heavy suggestion that if he did not arrive as a witness in your case that you all would be found guilty and executed,” Batman said. “Around the same time, we began planning to send a few members to Oa to locate you, either for rescue or to offer assistance. Then Phantom arrived.”

“He was extremely concerned for you,” Wonder Woman added. “We made a plan to go get you, but he was insistent he could handle it himself. He did bring Ellie as his second.”

“Oh, he definitely handled it,” Guy said. “He didn’t need you guys at all.”

“He really didn’t.”

Kyle nearly jumped out of his skin. Ellie had apparently gone invisible or something because she hadn’t been there when he last looked at Hal. Now she was floating next to him.

“Would you like to debrief us?” Batman asked, entirely blasé about and entire extra person appearing in the infirmary.

“Right, so,” Ellie started.

“Food delivery!” Flash declared, appearing with a couple of carts piled high with food. “Hey, what’s with the serious looks?”

“Mission debriefs,” John said.

“Ah, can this wait until after food?” Flash asked.

“It won’t take too long,” Wonder Woman said. “We want to know what Phantom did.”

“Right, so you know how the Infinite Realms is like, right?” Ellie started again.

“Some of us do,” Batman said.

“We have no idea,” Guy said.

“We’ve never heard of it before now,” Katma added.

“Ah, right. So, basically, it’s the called the lands between for a reason. It’s in between literally everything. Sort of like the glue that holds it all together. Johnny said his kid said it’s like how thoughts happen in the space between the synapses in the brain.” She said Johnny like they were supposed to know who that was. It definitely wasn’t their John, since he didn’t have a kid.

“An apt descriptor,” Batman said. Okay, so at least someone knew who she meant.

“Anyway, the Infinite Realms are made up of the will of its residents. Back in ye olden days, the King was basically able to bend the entire place to his will all the time. But the more beings died, the more spirits came to live there, the less the will of the King could affect anything. So now it’s Phantom’s will against a Googleplex amount of people who exist there. And it was like that for the guy before him too. We think that’s why Pariah merged rings, to have his will have more weight. Except that a lot more beings have come to exist in the Infinite Realms since he was locked up. Anyway,Phantom sort of, kind of managed to impose his will over the entire realm.”

“That… I didn’t realize he could do that?” Hal said.

“I’m not sure he knew either,” Ellie said. “Not to this degree.”

“That doesn’t explain what happened,” Batman said testily.

“Right. Danny made it illegal to be a Green Lantern in the Infinite Realms. Except these guys.” She waved to all of them. Danny must be Phantom then.

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Green Arrow said, raising a hand. “Phantom just managed to use his will to override the powers of the most willful people in the universe?”

“Well, it sounds bad when you say it like that,” Ellie said, wincing.

“You have to admit it isn’t exactly good,” Hal said, lightly bumping against her in a way that Kyle clocked as more than friendly. Well, that was interesting. Still, women with swords and guns were pretty attractive no matter who you were. Kyle could get it.

“It will keep the others from arriving safely to many places,” Katma pointed out.

“Any non-ship transportation to space is going to be impossible,” John added.

“And if anyone arrives in the middle of a battlefield, they could be in danger,” Arisia added.

“And forget having secret identities if you’re going to just arrive in your civilian clothes,” Kyle added.

“So… it’s bad, is what you’re telling me,” Ellie said.

“Potentially catastrophically,” Batman cut in. “The Green Lanterns have helped with universal stability for quite a long time. Given the recent troubles, this just undercuts the Green Lantern Corp even more.”

“More so because there will be another schism after everything revealed at the trial,” Killowog added. He looked around to all of them gravely. “The Guardians are the reason for the creation of the Red Lanterns. Atrocitus would never have risen to power without their original force slaughtering an entire sector.”

“They did what?” Green Arrow squawked.

“The first police force they had was called the Manhunters, and they were like cyborgs. I don’t think they’re related to Martian Manhunter,” Kyle added. “But these cyborgs had a glitch and slaughtered a whole sector. Atrocitus is a survivor. The Red Lanterns are his vehicle for revenge. Likely especially because the Guardians specifically chose to cover their own ass.”

“They chose not only not to document the massacre of Sector 666,” Salaak added. “But they actively suppressed records of that sector’s existence. None of us knew any of this.”

“And Phantom exposed all of that, as well as the like billions of ghosts who’d been stuck following the Guardians around for who knows how long,” Kyle added.

“One of the rules of the Green Lantern Corp is that we follow the Guardians without question. Which has approximately never entirely worked,” John added. “But the Corp has already been split by Sinestro and his people.”

“And now it will split again,” Katma said.

“And who knows how many people will join the Sinestro Corps,” Hal added.

“Well, you know, who also knows how many people will try to come here and join you,” Ellie pointed out.

“What?” Kyle felt like she’d just slapped him with a fish.

“Come on, three well known, popular, well respected Green Lanterns were suddenly imprisoned and faced a death sentence for the crime of trying to help someone. And when said, supposedly evi,l someone showed up, the only thing he did was prove that the Oans have been lying. And the rest of you stood up to fight for these three when you didn’t know what Phantom could do. You’re the only ones who aren’t going to have the same limitations.”

“We’ll have other limitations,” Killowog pointed out.

“And all new kinds of freedoms,” Guy added.

“It’s going to be different,” Kyle stated.

“It is concerning that there’s someone with this much power,” Arisia noted.

“Phantom’s generally not a fan of that fact either,” Ellie said.

“Say, since when did he get that much control over the ice constructs?” Hal asked suddenly.

“You’ve seen those before?” Arisia asked.

“I was there for a test to see if the Ring of Rage was a Red Lantern Ring. One of the tests was to make a construct like the Red Lanterns do. Which he managed, but it they were also… like that. Except not nearly as individualized,” Hal explained.

“Yeah, he hasn’t done it since then. But you have to understand…” Ellie started before trailing off.

“Understand what, El?” Hal asked. Ellie smiled a little at the nickname. She was kind of cute and Kyle could see she obviously liked Hal the way Hal liked her in return.

“One of Phantom’s people came to him recently, someone he really likes and values. Danny found out they’d been badly, badly hurt in the past. He was already beyond pissed when the letter showed up. Finding out your own people had arrested you for trying to help me and him… I’ve never seen him be that cold-angry before. I didn’t even know he could make that many of those ice guys.”

“Did he scare you?” Hal asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

“Not… Not like the way you’re asking. It’s not that I thought he’d lose control, or that there was potential he’d lose control. It was like… he was so angry that it just stopped being anger and became resolve. I’m used to Phantom as my big brother. Today I saw him as Phantom as my King. Phantom as a ruler. I saw a stranger, and I saw his future. And that scared me. I don’t want to lose him to being only that.”

“You will not lose your brother like that,” Wonder Woman cut in. “He is very stubborn; stubborn enough to control a realm that could not be controlled, even if only for one thing. He is stubborn enough to not lose himself.”

“He has the potential to hold onto his humanity indefinitely,” Batman added, which seemed like shockingly high praise from someone Hal and John often referred to as ‘the most paranoid hard ass in existence’.

Ellie smiled weakly. “Thanks.” She turned and looked at the rest of them “You all have a home to go to, right?”

“The Citadel is California,” Hal said with a smile. “You should come visit sometime.”

“Oh my god, I totally should. I used to travel all the time. I haven’t wandered in ages. I haven’t ever been to California!”

“Then you should definitely come,” Hal said. “It would be a good first date.”

Ellie beamed. “Okay, I’ll be there then.”

“Wait, did Hal manage to get a girlfriend out of being in prison?” Guy asked.

“It’s just a date,” Green Arrow said. He was smirking. “So far.”

“Only Hal,” Kyle said, grinning now too.

“I hate all of you,” Hal declared, which just made Ellie giggle.

“Alright, people. Time to eat something,” Flash said. “And sleep. We can get you to the Citadel later.”

“Flash is right,” Superman added. “You’ve all had a stressful time. You need rest. That’s enough debrief for now. We can leave you alone while you eat.”

“I think Flash and Green Arrow can stay,” Hal said. “And Ellie.”

“I’ll hang out for a while,” Flash said with a big smile.

“We have been worried about you lot,” Green Arrow added.

Kyle sat back against the pillows on the bed. He was feeling tired. It wasn’t a bad tired, exactly. But all of the fear and stress he’d been feeling was… just a jumble in his chest. It was easing, but he was feeling a major adrenaline crash. Given the way literally all of his fellow Green Lanterns were looking, they all probably felt much the safe. Kyle wasn’t feeling very hopeful that he’d even be able to stay awake after they ate.

They were safe, though. So, it didn’t really matter if he fell asleep, did it?

Chapter Text

There had been a series of entirely gruesome murders over the past month. At first, there were just a few, all over Gotham so it wasn’t as logical to tie them together. At first, Jason wasn’t in a place where he even noticed. He moved back into the manor for two weeks. It was a suggested by Dr. Jazz, and Jason had agreed. He hadn’t felt comfortable in the Manor since he returned to Gotham, but after those two weeks the Manor almost felt like home again. No, it really felt like home again. Memories the Pit had suppressed slowly resurfaced over those two weeks. The death echoes quieted over time, but those first few days they were so loud and so constant that Jason couldn’t be alone. He had to always be able to see his family, especially Bruce.

Jason thought he could be forgiven for missing the first signs. He wasn’t well enough to notice, and even if he was, Bruce kept all case work from Jason in that time frame. The first deaths happened in Crime Alley, but Jason wasn’t there. He’d managed to talk to his gang after the first two days where he could barely raise his head from his pillow. He just needed to be certain that fort was held down, but that was all. Even that cost him, and he spent a third day laying wrapped in his older comforter underneath his old bed, occasionally joined by Bruce or Billy, depending on who was available. Otherwise, for those two weeks, Jason had no contact with Crime Alley otherwise.

The first time Jason heard about the murders was from the news. Multiple people in Bristol had turned up dead. Not just dead, but openly flayed alive, their bodies split open and posed in some Hannibal-style artistic bullshit manner. When shit happened to rich people, that was when the police got involved, not before.

Bruce was the first person to realize that the Crime Alley deaths were not only connected to the Bristol murders, but that they a showed a pattern of escalation, with the posings becoming more and more elaborate. Still, he thought that this just meant the killer had started practicing in Crime Alley and moved to Bristol when they were “ready”.

Then the posing murders started happening all over Gotham. Multiple in a night were discovered. When the bodies were examined, it became clear that the murders were happening less than an hour apart, and the victims had been in multiple different parts of the city when it happened. Bruce started looking for a gang.

Due to the nature of the murders, Bruce suggested there may be some extra-human sources. Jason had already been searching as Red Hood, when Batman suggested that the murders may be committed by something supernatural, that was when Blue Hood became officially involved.

“You didn’t have to come with me for this,” Jason (as Blue Hood) said to Batman.

“This is a part of Gotham I don’t understand yet,” Batman said. “It’s important that I learn.”

“Fine,” Jason grumbled. Bruce had been kind enough to not grill Jason about ghost stuff while he was at the Manor, but his curiosity and paranoia could only be held at bay for so long. “And you’re certain Robin isn’t following us?”

“He’s back with his father at this point,” Batman said. Which Jason did know. He’d made certain that Tim wouldn’t be available when he agreed to take Bruce with him for this meeting.

“Right.”

“Want to tell me why?” Batman asked. It was more of a demand than a question, but Jason could still hear the question mark attached at the end.

Jason let out a long sigh.

“I mentioned the Crime Alley’s Dead Children’s Society,” Jason said as a lead in.

“CADCS,” Batman said.

“Right, and I said they had an odd organizational structure.”

“You did.”

“So,” Jason said, stalling still.

“Hood.” Batman didn’t sound very impressed.

“They call her the Cadix Queen. The Cadix ghosts are loosely affiliated with each other, but all of them follow her will. And they’re all children, even her. Thing is, well, thing is that Children don’t have all of their brain function, and that doesn’t get better when they die young and can’t properly grow the brain the rest of the way. Sometimes you get normal kids. Sometimes you get chaos gremlins, and sometimes… sometimes you get Peter Pan.”

Jason glanced back at Batman, who tipped his head to the side, asking for an elaboration without using words.

“In the book, Peter’s just… cruel sometimes. He’s unending childhood. He’s thoughtless. He forgets people. He doesn’t care, or he cares up until he doesn’t. He’s not evil, because evil implies having morals. He just doesn’t. The Cadix Queen, she’s Peter Pan, and has every bit as much control over her kids as Peter had over the Lost Boys.”

“You’re wary of her,” Batman noted.

“I have a right to be… look, when she gets her eyes on a kid, a living kid, who she wants as her own, she’ll start… poking and prodding. She’ll do everything in her power to get them on her side, so when they die, they’ll choose not to transition and will choose to stay with her. I won’t say she’d kill a kid on purpose.” Though he wasn’t sure he’d put it past her. “But well… she likes special kids. Robin’s really, really special. She was really interested in BB,” in Billy, “until she got close enough to taste his magic. He’s… tainted.”

“Too adult,” Batman guessed. Jason nodded in agreement.

“She’ll respect my authority, but I don’t want to put R at risk.”

“I see,” Bruce said.

“Anyway, you’d normally not be able to see her. Until I can get the Drs. Fenton to send me some Specter Spectacles and a Ghost Translator, you shouldn’t try to deal with the dead. They normally aren’t strong enough to interact with or be seen by the living.”

“But Cadix Queen is,” Batman said.

“She isn’t, but I’ve got a trick up my sleeve.” More like in his ribs. “But just remember: you’re an adult. A lot of the Cadix ghosts were killed by adults, including the Queen. You’re going to be in her territory. Just keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking.”

“Understood.” Batman was being pretty nice about it, but then again, he had to know how nervous Jason was about this.

Jason walked them into the abandoned building where the Queen held court. It was a run-down brownstone that Jason had purchased to keep safe from outside developers. It was “technically” condemned, but not really. Those signs were just to keep out the majority of public. Kids who liked to play in the “haunted brownstone” were either scared off by the ghosts, or welcomed in. Adults in need of shelter were allowed “upstairs” only, but heavily discouraged from staying. None of them stayed long, even if they couldn’t figure out why.

Blue Hood grabbed Batman once they were inside, turning them both invisible. He dropped them down, down and down, through the first two floors, through the three basements, down to an area unreachable by the living, except for Jason’s abilities which allowed him to bring himself and Batman down there.

Beneath the brownstone, many stories below the street, was one of the oldest buildings of Gotham, one of the originals built when Gotham was founded.

“Is this Old City Hall?” Batman asked, not entirely able to hold back the wonder in his voice.

“This is the OG Old City Hall,” Jason said. “Well, the first proper one that wasn’t just a shack.” The Old City Hall was so old, without any living people down there for so long that ectoplasm tended to stick better, making the ghost’s abilities stronger down there. “Gotham just built up and up until the pavement itself was many stories above the buildings.”

“The historians would love to find this,” Batman noted idly.

“Well, it’s the seat of the Queen’s power here.” Park Row, Crime Alley, it hadn’t always been a crime riddled hellhole.

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Batman said.

“Good,” Jason said, his voice as firm as possible. This wasn’t something anyone needed to try screwing around with.

Normally there were ghosts floating around. No one was there, not in the rooms, the halls or the walls. It had Jason on edge. He walked Batman through the rooms and halls until he came to the Mayor’s office.

There, sitting on the desk, was a girl. She sat cross-legged on the rotting remains of what had once been a desk. Her hair was long, entirely unbound and floating around her. Her hair was streaked black and white, her wide eyes were red, and her skin was a pale blue. She wasn’t standing, but when she was, she barely came up to Jason’s hip.

“You brought an adult here, Todd,” the Queen said, her voice as cold as Danny’s ice.

“Your majesty, this is Batman-”

“I know who he is!” she snapped. She stood and floated over to Batman; really she walked, taking unnecessary steps, which slowed the process. Finally, she was standing in front of Batman, her eyes a little above his, as if her floating actually made her taller. Her hair cascaded all the way down to the floor.

Batman regarded her blankly, or that was probably how it seemed. Jason knew Bruce. He knew the man probably wanted to gather the girl up in his arms and take care of her. It was far, far too late for that, though.

“Your majesty,” Batman said.

“No-” the Queen said swiftly and too loud. She winced at the sound of her own voice. “No,” she said more like a whisper. “Call me Ali.”

“Ali,” Batman said. He nodded his head toward her.

“Yes,” she said. “I know who you are. The same way I know who Jason is, who he was. Batman protects children. He fights for them. He cares… cares in ways adults don’t. Bruce Wayne takes children who aren’t loved and loves them. He pours everything into this city all of the time; money, resources, time, his body, his life… you care. You care enough that I will not kill you for being an adult in my domain.”

“Your Majesty,” Jason started.

“I am still angry with you,” she said. “You brought an adult to this sanctuary. You best repay me for what I had to use to be visible for and adult.”

Jason sighed. He pulled two large flasks from in his chest. He uncapped one, handing it to her. She took a ‘step’ back from Batman and guzzled down Jason’s ectoplasm. The second she accepted, but threw on the floor, shattering it. A few seconds later, the ectoplasm began to seep into the floor until it was gone.

“Your offerings are acceptable,” she said. She sat cross-legged in the air, hooking one knee over an ankle, dangling one leg down, kicking it idly. “What is it you come seeking?”

“I need information about murders that have been happening all over Gotham,” Jason said.

“I see,” she said. “Alright, I will give you what you seek without sending you on a goose chase first.”

“Appreciated,” Jason said. That was the other reason he didn’t like working with the Cadix Queen: she loved sending him on useless scavenger hunts.

“But I require a favor in return.”

“Name it,” Jason said.

“This is for Batman,” she said.

“What do you need from me, Ali?” Batman asked. He reached up and pulled off his cowl. That freaked Jason out a little bit, but then, the kid already knew Batman’s real identity. The girl grinned when she saw Bruce’s face, which made her look like a normal child for just a second.

“There is someone you must, must find. It’s important.”

“A living person?”

“Oh no, oh no. They’d been dead only a decade less than I have,” she said.

“And that’s been a very long time, I take it?” Bruce asked.

“Yes, yes, yes. There were three of us you see. I was the youngest. At first there were three: Ezekiel, Amity, and Alice.” A chill went up Jason’s spine.

“Amity?” he asked weakly.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she chirped. “Ezekiel, Amity, Alice. But Alice was young. Alice was pretty. Ezekiel was founding a city with his friends. Alice wasn’t an adult yet the way Amity was. Alice didn’t know better. The rich man who funded the group thought Alice was pretty. Ezekiel thought he wanted to adopt Alice, but no. He wanted worse. The worst. Alice never, ever saw the sun again with living eyes.”

Jason’s heart dropped into his stomach. That story wasn’t so strange, not in Crime Alley. No wonder the whole place was cursed, if that was what it took to found Gotham.

“You’re Iphigenia,” Jason said before he could think better of it. Iphigenia, the child Agamemnon sacrificed so he could take his men off to gloriously get slaughtered in the Trojan War, as was their right.

“Mmm, yes, yes. That’s not a bad name,” Alice said. She hummed to herself. “Adults lie, and cheat, and destroy. Ezekiel loved Alice, but he did not look too closely. Only Amity looked closely. Only Amity. And Amity gave herself to a devil’s deal to get the power to kill the rich man. My Amity was Clytemnestra. She was a god. She was a witch. And they killed her for it. Yes, they did.”

“You want me to find Amity,” Bruce said.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Alice cooed. “Amity became a witch for Alice, but she killed for herself. But she freed Alice from the rich man. Alice got to watch the devils take the rich man away. And then Alice got to watch Amity curse herself and everyone else. Alice was an adult, after all, and adults are stupid and blind and hateful.”

“What can I do that Jason can’t?” Bruce asked.

Alice hummed a tune. It was old, Jason could tell it was, even if he didn’t know what it was. “Ezekiel had friends. His friends had children; the way Ezekiel had children. Those children had children. Everyone married each other. But you know that.”

“I do,” Bruce said.

“Good. Jason’s of my domain, but you are of Ezekiel’s blood. You will be able to find Amity. Ezekiel passed on. Amity did not. But she is not like me, and she is not like Jason. She’s more, and less and much, much worse. She haunts, not the way a ghost haunts. She haunts with control, to control. She haunts for herself.”

Jason knew he’d be making a trip to Amity Park soon. A lot was happening with Danny, but he needed to know, since ultimately, if Amity’s spirit was strong enough, Danny might be needed to contain her.

“I’ll find her,” Bruce promised.

“Good, yes. Do not call me Alice, call me Ali. Alice was stupid and kind. Ali knows better.”

“Ali has survived for a long, long time,” Bruce said with a gentle voice. “And Bruce would like to visit Ali again, if she will allow.”

Ali’s face lit up. “Yes, please. I’ll tell you a secret.” She flew to Bruce and whispered something in his ear, something Jason couldn’t hear. After a moment, she pulled away, looking at Bruce, who nodded. Ali grinned and flew back over to the desk with more energy than she had before. It could be Jason’s ectoplasm, but he thought it had more to do with unburdening herself.

“And now, the information we need?” Jason asked.

“Yes, yes,” Ali said dismissively. “When you killed the killer, the killer drank well from your ectoplasm.”

Jason felt like all the blood was being drained from his body. “What?” he whispered.

“You kill a killer and the killer stays dead. But the dead don’t stay in the grave.” She was singing now. “You kill a killer and the killer stays dead. But the dead don’t stay in the ground. You kill a killer, and you feed him well. The killer haunts as a hunt. You kill the killer and the killer stays dead. But the killer kills all the more.”

“Jason-” Bruce said.

“He’s a ghost,” Jason whispered. “Oh god. It’s Zsasz. It’s fucking Zsasz, Bruce.”

“Ali,” Bruce said, turning to the singing ghost, who had started her song over again. “Do you know where Zsasz is?”

“No, no, but my hounds can track, they can, they can. They will.” Her smile turned nasty.

There was growling at her side. Three huge shadows appeared from nowhere. Given the way Bruce’s eyes ran around the room, he couldn’t see them, but he could hear their growling.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Jason said. He watched Bruce pull his cowl back on.

“Grab onto a doggy and don’t let go,” she sang.

Jason grabbed Bruce first before grabbing onto the collar of the closest shadow hound. Jason had enough time to turn himself and Bruce intangible and invisible before the dogs took off, howling into the night for a hunt. Ali was cackling behind them as they left.

“Are going to be able to fight him?” Jason heard Bruce’s voice over comms. He wouldn’t be able to hear otherwise with the noise of the wind rushing past their ears and the racket the hounds were making.

“I will,” Jason said. “I’m going to give you the thermos. I’ll get him over toward you. Your job is to suck him into the thermos, and to not get overshadowed, got it?”

“Do you think he’s learned to do that?”

“I have no idea, but let’s assume probably,” Jason said.

The shadow hounds dragged them all the way to midtown. They dropped them right outside of an office building. Jason kept ahold of Bruce as they began to search each floor, covering a lot of ground because they could go through the walls and floor. Finally, after searching eleven floors, they found him.

Zsasz looked different in death than he did in life. Jason was kind of shocked that he hadn’t been dragged immediately to hell, but that shock took a back seat to everything else. Zsasz had green skin and his scars now glowed white, even more prominent than before.

The body he was posing was bleeding out. Jason could tell that his victim wasn’t going to make it. More than that, there were other ghosts around. Zsasz had been so haunted in life, but he seemed to be even more haunted in death. More than that, the ghosts around him looked… sickly.

In Gotham, there wasn’t enough ectoplasm for most ghosts to interact with the living world, but Zsasz could do more than interact, he could kill. That meant he was getting ectoplasm from somewhere. With how frail and thin the ghosts looked, Jason would bet that Zsasz was sucking them dry.

Jason pulled the thermos from his chest and thrust it at Batman. He stepped away, dropping his invisibility. He strode over to Zsasz. After a few steps, he even allowed his boots to make noise. Zsasz head ripped around.

“Oh-ho! It’s the Blue Hood. Come to try and kill me like your red companion? Well, it’s too late. But don’t worry, I can add you to my tallies.” He dropped the body he’d been posing. They were still alive, barely.

Jason laughed darkly. “Who says you can kill me?”

“Who says I can’t?” Zsasz snarled.

Jason raised his hand and shot Zsasz right in the chest with an ectoblast. He flew backwards.

“What are you? You’re dead too, huh? Well, that’s fine. I bet you’d be a very tasty battery!”

He stretched his arms out straight and crossed them. This caused a red line to come out, heading right for Jason. Jason flew over the slash. That had to be Zsasz’s special ability.

Zsasz continued you wildly throw his arms. Each time, another red slash was hurled at Jason. To a normal, living person, even someone as well trained as Bruce, these attacks would be fast and deadly, but Zsasz was a new ghost, and he hadn’t spent time training with the Ghost King himself, holder of boundless energy and sass.

Jason flew fast, dodging the slashes, which were destroying the office around them. His goal was to keep Zsasz distracted and facing away from Bruce. Unfortunately, Zsasz apparently learned how to move and throw his special ability around, because he was not staying still well.

“I thought that I was releasing others from the horrors of the world, but now that I’m freed of the shackles of flesh, I see how much existence is the same horror whether in life or death. You kill or you’re killed. Sometimes you’re killed and you kill.” He cackled. The sound set Jason’s teeth on edge. Zsasz had never been stable, but he’d never been this close to Joker!crazy before either.

“Lovely special ability you’ve got there, Vicky!” Jason shouted. “Let me show you mine!”

He didn’t have to throw out his arms or shoot. He’d laid the trap while he was flying around, while he was drawing Zsasz away from Batman.

Implosions, black holes, they sucked things in before they destroyed them. Jason’s implosions were incredibly powerful, but they wouldn’t just destroy a ghost. Instead, when Jason activated the trap, it sucked Zsasz down to the floor. He dropped ass first to the ground. Despite trying to get up, he couldn’t escape the gravity well Jason had created.

“What is this?” Zsasz snarled. He started to throw his slashes wildly, which began to slicing the ceiling.

“Now!” Jason shouted.

He didn’t have to say more. Batman had the cap off the thermos and fired right at Zsasz. It sucked him right up. Jason turned him implosion off immediately, not wanting to leave it running where it could cause unimpeded damage. He dropped to standing, panting with lungs he didn’t need to use. He watched Batman snap the cap back on.

“The victim,” Bruce said.

“They aren’t going to make it,” Jason said. He turned and walked over to the dying man. He dropped to his knees in front of him.

“I-I’m not gonna make it, huh?” the dying man whispered.

“No, I’m sorry,” Jason whispered to him. He pulled off one of his gloves, laying it on the dying man’s forehead.

“S’fine, guess.”

“Any message you want to me to send?”

“No one to send it to,” the man gurgled. He stared up at Jason, eyes beginning to unfocus. He wouldn’t be seeing anything with them for much longer.

“I can help you transition,” Jason said. He pulled his other glove off with his teeth. He ran one hand through the man’s bloody hair, the other he used to hold his hand.

“M’I gon be like-like ‘im?” the man shuddered out. “Like the others?” He glanced over at the other ghosts Zsasz had made. Jason wasn’t surprised he could see them. The only thing keeping the man alive was sheer willpower.

“You can become a ghost,” Jason said. “I’ll take you to the Infinite Realms. I know the King. Phantom’s a good man. He had good advisors. It’s a whole different type of existence.”

“And if I don’t do that?”

“You go… somewhere else. I can’t tell you where you’ll go.” Jason didn’t know. He didn’t know what the options were, after all, nor did he know the state of the man’s soul.

“How’z the infinite?”

“Green,” Jason said. “But there’s patches of colors. It can be rough, and it can be wonderful.”

“T-there. I want to go there,” the man said.

“What’s your name,” Jason murmured.

“Lawrence.”

“Alright, Lawrence. Just let go. I’ll keep you safe.”

Lawrence looked at him, panting hard once, twice, three times. Then his breath left his body, along with his spirit. Jason held out his hand, catching the spirit. Lawrence would form into a ghost no matter what, but Jason could make it easier by letting Lawrence feeding off of the ectoplasm Jason put off.

“Batman,” Jason rasped out. He could hear the death echoes again. He could hear Lawrence’s fresh death, but he could hear Patty, and he could hear Zsasz, and he could hear his own. He wouldn’t be able to fight.

He shifted to sit down. The other ghosts were gathering around him, trying to gain some of the ectoplasm he put off too. They were starving.

“Hood,” Batman said. “What do you need?”

“Call Phantom. Get him here right now. I can’t… I can’t take them all. They need more help than I can give.” Jason’s words came out as a sob.

“Oracle already made the call,” Batman said. He sat down next to Jason. “What else can I do?”

Jason leaned himself against Batman. He started crying. He couldn’t stop. Batman- Bruce didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t try to soothe him. Jason wasn’t going to be able to be soothed. Bruce just being there, sitting with him (and not running away or trying to fix the situation or fix Jason) was the only thing he could handle.

“Blue Hood, what happened?” Danny’s voice washed over him. He heard it before he felt the portal open. It stayed open once Danny stepped out from and came to stand at Jason’s side. The starving ghosts looked at it and Phantom with fear and desire.

“This is Lawrence,” Jason said. His voice sounded the way it used to, back before he was Robin, before he was homeless, when he was just Jason Todd, son of Catherine Todd, and he was scared and hurt after he’d done something to make Willis hit them both. “He wanted to go to the Infinite Realms.”

“Hood,” Danny said. He knelt down in front of Jason. He took Lawrence from Jason’s hand and cradled the spirit to his chest.

Jason dropped his head. “B?” he murmured. He couldn’t explain. It was too hard.

“Zsasz became a ghost when Hood used his ectoplasm to help the ghosts who’d been haunting Zsasz,” Bruce said. “Zsasz had been killing people since he died, a hundred and seventeen at last count.”

“Yeah, that tracks,” Danny said, looking past them to where the hungry ghosts were. “He’s been sucking you lot dry, huh?”

“What?” Bruce asked. Oh yeah, Bruce wouldn’t be able to see them.

“Zsasz kept himself strong by stealing from the ghosts of the people he killed,” Jason explained in a rasp.

Bruce drew in a sharp breath and let it out in one motion.

“Okay,” Danny said. The portal changed, looking frosty blue. “You lot go through here. I’m taking you to the Far Frozen, that’s where my doctor is. All of you need special care. They’ll help you. It won’t hurt anymore when they’re done with you. Go on. I have to settle up here.”

Jason looked up. He could see the hungry ghosts line up and shuffle through the portal one at a time. He swallowed and dropped his eyes down to his knees.

“Hood, can you look at me?” Danny asked.

“It’s my fault,” Jason said. “I killed Zsasz. I didn’t stay around to check. I just assumed the demons would take him. He wouldn’t have killed all of those people if-”

“Don’t,” Danny said, his voice gentle and firm. “We can talk about blame to the end of time. But Zsasz chose to do those things. He chose to kill. He chose to hurt people, both while he was alive and dead. And now, he belongs to me. Batman, hand me the thermos.”

Bruce offered Danny the thermos, which Danny took and stuffed into his chest cavity. “What are you going to do with him?” Bruce asked.

“He get to go to Joker prison?” Jason asked weakly. He couldn’t imagine Danny just dropping Zsasz odd with Walker.

“No. I’m giving him to Fright Knight. He can make him into laffy taffy the way he did with Freakshow.” Danny smiled darkly. “Don’t worry. It will hurt, very, very much. And once he’s paid back all the pain he’s caused while he was alive and dead, then and only then will I see about putting him with Walker.”

Jason swallowed and nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Danny gave him a sad smile. “You made a mistake, but it isn’t your fault. From now on, remember that there’s always a potential for anyone to become a subject of the infinite realms. What happened here is nearly unheard of. I’m actually going to have to speak to my advisors about it. I’m certain it’s happened before, but I’ve never heard of it… you couldn’t know Zsasz would do this to these other ghosts. And normally a ghost in Gotham wouldn’t be strong enough to cause this amount of damage.”

“Well, Batman’s villains tend to be tenacious,” Jason said dryly.

“Which means we’ll need to keep an eye on every villain death that occurs,” Bruce said. “We won’t let this happen again.”

Jason looked over at him. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” Bruce said. “Phantom, I’ll be by in the next few days to see about getting tech that will allow the rest of us to assist Blue Hood in this effort.”

“I’ll let Val and my parents know. They’ll get stuff ready.”

“Thank you,” Bruce said.

“Alright, I have approximately a million pounds of bullshit to handle. Jay- Hood… thank you for calling. I was needed and this was a good time to ask for help. Jazz will be so proud.”

Jason huffed out a laugh. He pushed himself up to standing. Batman scrambled up, grabbing Jason so he could lean on him. Jason did just that, letting Bruce hold up most of his body weight.

“You get some rest. I’ll come check on you in a few days,” Danny said.

“Okay. Thanks,” Jason managed.

“Come on, the Batmobile is downstairs,” Bruce said. He guided Jason away from Lawrence’s body.

“But what about Gordon?”

“Oracle’s sending him the report.”

“You gonna tell him about the ghosts?”

“He needs to know,” Bruce said. “We’ll figure out a proper story later.”

Jason felt when Danny left. There were no more spirits. The office was absolutely destroyed, and there was a dead body on the floor.

“I want to pay for Lawrence’s funeral.”

“I’ll make certain that happens then.”

“Thanks,” Jason murmured. He was too tired to talk after that. He leaned heavily on Bruce and let himself be manhandled down into the Batmobile. He knew Bruce was going to drive him back to the Manor. That was fine, Jason wanted to go home.

Chapter Text

Tefé’s parents were smothering her. It felt like she was drowning with how much they kept touching her and petting her. The bracelet they had her wearing made her feel sick, and she knew it made her dad feel sick too, but he still kept touching her, smiling at her whenever he looked at her, putting himself close to her. She didn’t blame him for hovering. She was leaving the swamp and Houma, and it didn’t look like she may ever come back.

Still, she could admit to herself that she was happy when moving day came. Her parents had helped her pack, and Tefé had tried to say goodbye to her home, but being cut off from the feelings that made up her entire perception of the world had been so painful that she couldn’t stand to look at the swamp. She knew what it looked like in her memories, and that would have to do.

On move day, her mother had them sit in her boat and wait for their contact to arrive. And arrive she did, right on time.

Tefé hadn’t met Sam Manson when she’d been there before, but when she popped out of a portal in the swamp, she looked exactly the way her mother had described. She had black hair, purple eyes and clothes that were black, made of lace, leather, canvas and cotton. Watching her head and shoulders float just a bit above the water honestly was pretty funny looking. She tipped her head up and smirked at Tefé.

“You Tefé?”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling in return. She liked the look of Sam Manson immediately. She looked even cooler than Tefé had imagined when her mother had described her.

“You can hop right in. We’re going to arrive in my backyard, and I’ll take you to Grayhaven afterwards.”

“Grayhaven?” Tefé asked.

“My friend’s going to have you stay with him for a few weeks. Don’t worry, he’s got a really awesome garden. I think you’ll like it. Even if it’s not as cool as my farm.”

“You have a farm?” Tefé’s mood immediately perked up. There was a farm where she was going?

“Yeah. Come on in. Abigail, you can hop in too. Swampy, I suggest just getting there on your own.”

“Noted,” Tefé’s father said.

Tefé didn’t waste another second. She threw herself from the boat, right into the hole, right into Sam’s waiting arms. She got splashed with swamp water as she jumped, which rocked the boat. She could hear her mother scolding her, her father rumbling something. Sam stumbled back when she caught her. Tefé didn’t care. She’d just closed her eyes and jumped, jumped at a chance to go somewhere new, somewhere that might have people more like her.

“You can open your eyes,” Sam said, and Tefé did. She opened her eyes to see a small but still sprawling farm. Tefé wasn’t very big. She was slight, as one of her teachers said. Sam wasn’t huge, but she was sturdier than Tefé’s mother.

She heard her mother thump onto the ground near them. “You should try to be more careful, Tefé,” her mother stressed.

“Okay, ma,” Tefé said, but she wasn’t looking at her, she was looking at the life around her.

“Hold on there,” Sam said like she’d let go of Tefé when she hadn’t yet. “Let’s get the cuff off. You won’t need it here.”

Tefé whipped around, holding out her hand immediately. “Off, please?”

Her parents taught her to be polite, and that seemed to be the right thing to say, given the way Sam’s smile softened. She laid her hands on the cuff, fiddled with it a moment, then it popped right off and Tefé could feel again, feel the way she was supposed to.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed. “Mama, can you feel that?” She whipped around, seeing her dad forming next to her mother. “Papa, can you feel it?!”

“It’s… there’s a lot here,” her mother said slowly.

“I feel the Green,” her father said. “And the Black.”

“What’s that?” Tefé asked.

“Plants, flesh, decay,” Sam said. “Overgrowth mentioned the Arcane family have been avatars of the Black before.”

“They have. My uncle represented the Black for a time,” her mother said slowly. “Tefé, my love, you can feel all of that?”

“It’s… not balanced exactly. There’s more of the Black here, I think,” Tefé said. She struggled to explain something she wasn’t certain she had words to explain.

“This is the seat of the King of Ghosts on earth,” Sam told her. “The King is my best friend, and he’s listened to me a lot, so he’s helped me push for more green space in the city. And of course, there’s plenty of animal and human life around here. Balanced means everything is equal, and it isn’t. But it works.”

“Yeah, that’s it. It works.” Tefé’s voice almost came out as a coo. Never in her life had she felt a place like this, a place that felt like she wasn’t being torn between but instead that she fit too among everything else.

“I’ll admit, that isn’t a part of the world we deal with a lot here,” Sam explained. “So, we’re having to do research. But you are safe here. There’s nothing that overrules King Phantom in his own domain.”

“So, he can just do whatever he wants?” Tefé asked curiously.

“I mean, he could, but he also has morals… you’ll get it when you meet him. He’s got people to protect, and the circle of people to protect keeps growing.”

Tefé nodded. She turned and rushed to her father, practically jumping into his arms. The past few weeks had been… no, the past year had been… much.

Her parents were angry at the Parliament of Trees. She’d heard their reasons, but she didn’t get it. The plants screamed when they died. Those trees had screamed when they were killed. She simply took a life for a life. That’s what the Parliament told her their point was. But it felt weird when she did it. She could have done more. She could have melted those men all the way instead of just melting their hands and feet together. Her father said she strung those men up like paper dolls. They had looked like that. It felt bad. It felt bad.

There were whispers in her head. The Parliament had taken her away from her family before. She always came back before she was gone too long. Or her dad brought her home. She felt safest nestled in his arms, hugged into the plants that made up his form. It woke memories of something that happened when she was young that she was told her mind blocked out to protect her. She couldn’t remember what happened, but she could remember just how very safe she felt in her father’s embrace.

Her mother said there was something in her blood, something that drew dangerous creatures. Those creatures captured her. They stole her away to a place without any green at all. It was hot, too hot all the time. Her father walked into those fires and then walked home with her in his arms. She didn’t remember everything, but she remembered how safe she’d been when he held her.

Her parents split up. Her and her mother lived in Houma and Tefé went to school while her father lived in the swamp. She didn’t live with her father anymore. She hadn’t for a couple years. Her mother always looked sad when she spoke about her dad. Her dad’s leaves trembled with sadness when he spoke about Tefé’s mother. They were a sunflower and the sun. They reached for each other. Her mother nourished the human heart of her father, and in return, her father gave everything he could. They were always brighter together, even when they were fighting.

It seemed like they only time they were together now was because she needed something.

Tefé hoped with all her heart that they wouldn’t stay apart now. Tefé was a complication, a problem that kept them apart, though they would never, ever say that. They would be horrified if they knew she knew that. It was just true. She hoped that without the extra trouble she brought them that they would reach each other again. She wanted them to be together and happy.

Her father lifted her off the ground, cradling her close. She hadn’t felt safe to touch him with the bracelet on. It had hurt him while it was badly uncomfortable for her. She hadn’t wanted to touch him, but now she could. She soaked up the touch and comfort which only moments before had felt frustrating and overwhelming.

“I think I belong here, daddy,” she whispered to her dad. The vines of his body tightened its hold around. He was silent for a moment. Her words hurt him; she knew they did. But he tightened his hug even more.

“I am glad,” he said. “It is good that you will be happy here.”

Because there wasn’t anywhere else to go.

Her dad slowly unwound his hold and set her down. She took his hand and then grabbed her mother’s hand too. Her mother squeezed her hand.

“My little miracle,” her mother whispered to her. Tefé smiled at her.

“Can we meet your friend now, Ms. Sam,” Tefé said.

“Yes,” Sam said. She looked amused for some reason. “Follow me.”

She turned and marched toward the big house that was behind her farm. Tefé tugged her parents along. They trailed behind her, the way Tefé’s toys used to when she drug them along on her childhood adventures.

Sam guided them into the back door. She made like she meant to go right through the hall to the front door that Tefé could see from the back door, but she paused as they passed the kitchen.

“Tuck, what are you doing here?” Sam asked, sounding incredulous.

Tefé peaked around Sam, finding a tall black man with glasses in the kitchen holding a little baby.

“Chris was getting fussy,” Tuck said with an easy smile. “Sorry to interrupt.” He tipped his head a bit, looking past Sam the way Tefé had to look at him. “You’re the Hollands, then?”

“Ah, yes, that’s us,” her mother said. “Sam mentioned she was married.”

“Tucker Manson-Foley,” he said cheerfully.

Sam broke away from their group, quickly taking the baby right from Tucker’s arms, settling the child against her chest, the same way Tefé’s dad held her.

“Sam, you don’t have to,” Tucker said.

“I know,” Sam said sharply. Tucker just gave her an easy smile like she hadn’t snapped. Sam’s expression soothed into a happy, soft expression. “I like holding my baby is all.”

“Well, she’ll be here when you get home,” Tuck said. He put his arm around his wife and kissed her ear, which made Sam, who looked tough as nails, blush a delicate pink.

“Right,” Sam said, clearing her throat. “Tefé, this is my husband and our baby girl. Her name’s Chrysanthemum.”

“That’s a big name for a baby,” Tefé said. She let go of her parents and approached slowly, wanting to see the baby better.

“With lots of room for nicknames,” Tucker said. “Chris is going to be able to pick exactly whatever she wants to call herself in the future, whether she’s a she or not.”

“I… huh?”

“A discussion for another day,” Sam said. She carefully resettled her baby into her husband’s arms. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just complicated.”

“Okay,” Tefé said. She’d ask later.

Tuck knelt down slowly so Tefé could get close enough to see. Chris was all soft brown skin, big brown eyes and the beginnings of what would probably be very curly hair.

“I don’t get to see babies much,” Tefé said. She didn’t dare touch, and carefully did not think about why she did not to want to touch any delicate humans.

“Well, you’ll see Chris a lot. You’re going to stay with Danny and Val for now, but in a few weeks or months, we’re going to move you here so you can be near the farm and our herd of animals. How do you feel about that?” Tucker asked.

Tefé found herself grinning at the thought. She’d barely seen the farm, but already she loved it. “I feel great about it.”

Tucker gave her a warm, kind smile that filled her chest with happiness. He was nice. Sam was nice too, but tough. Tefé wanted to get to know these people.

“Good. We want Chris to be a little older, and a little less likely to wake up crying in the middle of the night,” Tucker explained. “You’ll still be over here a good bit before you move in.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tucker.”

“Tuck’s fine,” he said.

“Mr. Tuck,” she amended. He laughed.

“Okay, you win with that one.” He slowly stood up and walked over to her parents, who had been quietly waiting in the hall. “It’s nice to meet you two as well. May I call you Abigail, Mrs. Holland?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” her mother said. “Your home is lovely, and your child is adorable.”

“I know, right?” Tuck chirped. “You’ll stay here when you come to visit. And uh- how do you want to be addressed?” Tuck looked past her mother to her father.

“Alec is acceptable,” her father rumbled.

“Right, so I know it’s not gonna be super comfy for you to just stay in the house, but you can come and go as you please, right?”

“Yes.”

“Cool, so you can stay on the farm or commute during visitation days.”

“This is acceptable.”

“Is this a place we’ll be able to visit often?” her mother said. “I remember that there only a few allowed places…” she trailed off. Tefé hadn’t known that.

“I mean, you can’t just show up here for no reason, but this place should always be available while you’re visiting. Ancients know my wife despises Constantine. They can’t be in the same room without getting into a blowout argument,” he said cheerfully.

“Really?” her mother asked.

Sam shrugged. She moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tuck. “I told you I can’t stand the man.”

“It’s hilarious, since they’re both such anti-government, anti-monarchist dweebs, but yeah, I think the personalities are too close or something.”

“Tuck, that’s so gross, especially because of Danny,” Sam grouched.

“Hey, you used to have a crush on Danny too,” Tuck laughed. “He likes grumpy hard-asses who are a lot of trouble.”

Sam stuck her tongue out at Tuck. “What does that say about your tastes, T-man?”

“Well, first off, my taste isn’t so bad I want to jump Constantine’s bones. And second off, Danny and I clearly don’t have the same type. And third, I don’t like grumpy hard-asses who are trouble, I like you, my wife, who is a grumpy hard-ass, but also extremely passionate, caring and one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.”

Sam’s expression looked all gooey. Then she cleared her throat. “Anyway, Constantine isn’t coming here, so the farm’s basically always going to be available.”

“Who’s Constantine?” Tefé asked.

The entire room went quiet. All eyes turned to look at her. That was in no way suspicious. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for anything like an answer.

“Constantine is someone your parents have a lot of history and conflict with. He’s very close to the King,” Sam said. “He also lives here part time. For everyone’s sake, it’s best if him and your parents don’t see each other.”

There was more there, a lot more. Her mother looked positively guilty and had let her gaze slide away. Her dad let out an unhappy rumble, then let it settled. Neither of them contradicted what was said. Whatever it was, none of them were going to tell her the whole truth. That was fine. This Constantine lived there. Tefé would have plenty of time to snoop out the truth.

“Okay. Can we go to Grayhaven?” she asked. She noted the way all of the adults looked relieved. Her mother wasn’t looking at her, though.

“Yeah, let’s go. Tuck, I’ll be back later.”

“Take you time,” Tuck said. “Say bye to momma, Chris.” He grabbed the baby’s arm and waved it at them. Chris gurgled and cooed, but otherwise seemed entirely unbothered.

Sam gave her child and husband kisses and then resolutely lead them out.

It was a walk between the Manson-Foley farm and Grayhaven. For one thing, Grayhaven was deeper in the city center than the farm. At first, Tefé kept glancing at her father. She grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go. People in Houma, who were at least used to the existence of Swamp Thing, still got scared whenever her dad appeared. Tefé would hurt anyone who tried to hurt her dad.

Except that no one tried at all. He was nothing like anyone else there, and he definitely stood out, but as they were walking, a flaming ghost on a motorcycle streaked across the sky, followed quickly by a woman with white hair and glowing green eyes. Tefé stopped at stared at the sight.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“Skulker, or Ellie?” Sam asked.

“Uh, Ellie, I guess. The woman.” Tefé wasn’t used to seeing anyone with white hair except old people, or her and her mother.

“That’s Danny’s clone and sister,” Sam said. “The King, well, we call him Danny. Danny and his wife Val are the city’s heroes, but they’re waiting to meet us, so Ellie offered to take point today. She’s chasing Skulker. Skulker’s a ghost and a hunter. Normally he won’t shut up about taking Danny’s pelt for his mantle- ya-da ya-da, whatever. He’s an annoyance. Ellie’s faster and stronger. At this point, she has him on the ropes.”

Tefé looked around, realizing that there were a lot of ghosts, ranging from weirder looking than Skulker to very normal and human looking.

No wonder no one was looking at her dad. There was no one like him, but everything here was so weird that he didn’t actually stand out.

She still didn’t let go of his hand, though.

They eventually arrived to Grayhaven. Tefé could feel it before they got there. The Black’s powers centered on Grayhaven, but the garden that was around the building was thriving, cared for but still wild. It took a lot of self-control to not rip her shoes off and put her feet in the grass once they were through the gate.

Sam knocked on the front door and then let herself in.

“Company!” she called. She walked right in. After a second, Tefé followed. She dropped her dad’s hand. She stuck close to Sam as she walked through the entrance hall into the living room and kitchen.

“Morning, Sam,” a warm female voice said. There was a very pretty black woman standing there, folding a blanket before laying it over the back of a sofa.

“Hollands, this is Valerie Gray,” Sam introduced.

Val’s gaze shifted back to her mother and dad. Anger entered her gaze, cold enough that Tefé barely kept from not shivering. Then Val’s eyes snapped to her. The anger was gone, replaced with a quiet calm.

“So, you’re Tefé then?” She wore a warm smile now.

It didn’t slip Tefé’s notice that Val was entirely ignoring her parents. Tefé glanced to her mother, who’d dropped her gaze submissively. Tefé didn’t let herself think about the few times she’d seen her mother do that. It only happened when she either did something she felt bad about, or something reminded her of her uncle, and she automatically assumed the position most likely to save her pain. Tefé’s dad placed a hand on her back. Tefé looked back at Val. Dad would take care of mom.

“Yeah, I’m Tefé,” she said. “Um, thank you for having me, Ms. Valerie.”

“Don’t worry about it, Tefé. We knew we were going to have you here the second John mentioned you.”

“Thank you anyway,” Tefé insisted.

Val chuckled softly. Then she looked up. Her smile dropped off her face. “Danny,” she said, her voice filled with caution.

There was a Black chill down Tefé’s back. She whipped around. Behind her parents was a man. He was as big as her dad, and rather than the comfort of the Green around him, he felt so strongly of death that all of Tefé’s powers started screaming. There was the lightning of anger in his gaze. It was deep and cold like a snowstorm, like death. Then his eyes snapped to her dad and his anger to turned hot, hotter than a forest fire.

One thought entered her mind: He’s like me.

He wasn’t an elemental, but he was something more and powerful. But he was human too, just like she was. Half human.

“You’re Swampy then?” Danny asked.

“If you must call me that, then yes, that is me,” her dad said. His voice was more measured than Tefé expected.

“Lovely,” Danny snapped.

“Danny,” Val said again. “Are you alright?” Her tone was so firm that there was no space for Danny not to answer.

Danny pushed past her parents, actually bumping shoulders with her dad, who moved when he normally would never. He went to Val and pulled her into a hug.

“That bad?” Val asked, wrapping her arms around him in return.

“Frostbite is optimistic.” Dannys voice sounded dull. “Jason will be here tomorrow. He’s going to stay a few days.”

“You’re bringing someone else to stay here too?” her mother asked.

Danny stiffened, then let his shoulders drop. He let go of Val and straightened up, turning to look at her parents.

“Jason is a halfa like me,” Danny said. “And he’s always welcome in my home. But he’s going to stay at a hotel while he’s here.” His tone was fairly controlled, but then it became hard as permafrost. “I respect that you are concerned about the safety of your child around strangers, but you don’t have a leg to stand on, not in my domain. Don’t act like you get a say in anything I decide here. The only reason I’m letting you in my city at all is John says you’re good parents.”

That was what got her mother to jolt like she’d been hit.

“He- he said that?”

Danny nodded slowly. “I don’t like separating families, but neither of you are ever stepping foot in this house after today.”

“Thank you for allowing us here today.” It was weird and upsetting to hear her dad talk like that, like he had to be polite or else.

“You should know where your child is living and who’s she’s staying with,” Danny said with a shrug. That was when his eyes landed on her properly.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed. What she could feel from him was out of this world, too great and terrible for her to truly understand it. “You really are like me!”

A lopsided smile settled on his face. He crossed the distance between them and knelt down in front of her. “I’m sorry I was so prickly when I came in,” he said. He looked so much more relaxed and natural. “One of my students got really hurt, and a new subject of mine did something terrible.”

“What happened?” Tefé asked. She reached out for him, and he raised a hand, letting her grab it.

“When people die, and by people, I mean sentient beings and animals, if it’s particularly violent, the there’s a greater chance that the person who died won’t be able to transition to the afterlife. They become stuck, a ghost. The Infinite Realms is a place where everything and everyone belongs, so it accepts ghosts and therefore, if a ghost can transition properly after they’ve become a ghost, then they arrive to the Infinite Realms. We called this a secondary transition sometimes, to be less confusion. Anyway, if something interrupts the secondary transition, then they become trapped. They generally end up haunting the places they died or the people who killed them. I very recently brought trillions of ghosts to the Infinite Realms who had been trapped haunting their murderers for thousands of years.”

“Woah,” Tefé whispered. “Were they haunting one person?”

“No, a people. A people who were partially responsible for the slaughter of an entire sector of space. None of those people I brought to the Infinite Realms looked anything like anything I bet you’ve ever seen.”

“Woah,” she whispered again.

“Yeah, woah,” Danny said. He did manage a smile, but he sounded exhausted. “My student is caring for the ghosts in his home city. He killed someone who was extremely haunted, but the violence of that death made the killer a ghost. And the killer just kept killing. Outside of places like Amity Park, there isn’t enough ectoplasm for the ghosts to be seen. In order to kill more people, the killer was bleedings the ghosts he made dry for the ectoplasm they made. Those ghosts are now all extremely weak and sick. My doctor is Frostbite and he’s been helping they heal.”

“Ghosts can be healed?”

“We can still hurt. Which reminds me… I understand that a group called the Parliament of Trees has been giving you certain orders and trying to use your body.”

“The tree-cutters,” Tefé whispered. “Are they stuck on me?”

“They are,” Danny said. “But don’t worry, they won’t be for long. Would you like to see them?”

“No,” she whispered. “Yes,” she said louder.

Her mother gasped. Danny indicated with his head that she should turn around. There were three cutters, though she thought she’d killed more like six or seven. One of them turned away and wouldn’t look at her. The second held back. The third knelt in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” Tefé whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

The one who knelt for her said something in a language she didn’t speak and would possibly never be able to understand, as it was definitely not human. But she felt the meaning down in her bones.

‘Don’t worry, sweet girl. We know you couldn’t control it.’ The man placed his hand on top of her head. The touch was cold but… but she kind of liked it. ‘We’ve seen what’s happened to you. I forgive you.’

A few tears slid down her cheeks. “T-thank you.”

The man smiled sadly and stood. He started saying something to Danny, who spoke back in the same hissing language as the man.

“Okay,” Danny said after a moment. “Sam, can you take them down to the portal?”

“I got in, Danny. Come on, fellas, let’s get you to your new home.”

Sam managed to guide the three ghosts out of the room. Tefé started wiping her eyes furiously.

“I don’t- I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” Danny said. “You’ve got a lot of power, and I can tell. It’s easy to lose control, especially when someone you feel like you should trust is taking advantage of you.”

“You know what it’s like?”

“I know what it’s like to have a council of assholes trying to determine what you are and are not allowed to do and harassing you when you don’t do what they want. But you don’t need to worry about that here, okay, Tefé?”

“Okay, Danny.”

“Good,” he said with a grin that made something in Tefé’s chest flutter like a bird. “Us half-humans have to stick together.”

“I thought so too. Are you going to teach me how to control my powers?”

“I’ll help you train them,” Danny said. “Hopefully one day, you’ll be strong enough with enough control that you’ll be able to leave here and go wherever you want. Does that sound like something you want?”

“It is,” Tefé said, feeling tears come to her eyes. “I want to be able to go back to Houma and my dad’s swamp.”

Danny’s smile stayed so warm. “Then that’s the goal we’ll work toward, okay, kiddo?”

“Okay,” she said.

“Your parents and I need to discuss arrangements for you and visitations so they can come see you. It’s going to be kind of boring. Would you like to go out to our garden?”

“Can I?” she asked. She turned to look at her parents. “What?”

Her mother hand her hand over her mouth and her eyes were full of unshed tears. Her dad had a funny expression on his face, it was like proud and sad at the same time.

“We haven’t seen you this happy in a long, long time,” her father said.

“It just feels easy here,” Tefé said.

Her mother set out a small sob, but her eyes pulled up at the corners, so Tefé knew she was smiling behind her hand. Her dad smiled too.

“Then there is nothing we could be more grateful for.” He looked past her to Danny, who had stood up at her side.

“Every kid deserves to be safe and happy,” Danny said, looking a little embarrassed.

“Tefé, go outside,” her mother said. She sucked in a few breaths and wiped her eyes quickly. “Your dad and I will see you when we’re done. I know you want to go take your shoes off.”

“I do!” She felt herself beam. She turned, looking for the way out. Val had opened a door, and Tefé ran right out of it into the touch of wild growth that was the garden at Grayhaven.

She ripped her shoes off the second she stood on grass them tossed them away, uncaring where they fell. She ran out to the garden, opening herself to the power of the Green and the way the plants reached for her.

She could call this place home and never regret it in her life.

Chapter Text

“Danny’s been kind of weird recently,” Ace said. She was sitting at his left. Billy was cattycorner to Noah, sitting across from Ace. Across from Noah was a man named Jason. Noah didn’t know him, but Billy swore that Jason was his big brother. Jason had been quiet while they walked to Death o’ Espresso for lunch. Billy ordered for all of them, and Jason had sat silently the whole time Billy was gone, his eyes fixed to the kid protectively. He looked exhausted.

Billy returned with a tray of drinks, and when he finished handing over the drinks he floated the tray back to the counter, like the showoff he was. That was the type of stunt that made Noah’s dad try to pull his own hair out, which was pretty funny to watch, actually.

[How so?] Noah signed in response to Ace’s comment. She was right. He didn’t spend a lot of time around the Grays, at least not Danny. Normally he wouldn’t notice if Danny was acting weird, but then Val had called him to come to Grayhaven, where John was. His dad had looked pale and sick and when Danny returned literally kept hovering around him like a nervous carrier pigeon.

“There’s just a lot of stuff he’s been dealing with recently,” Billy said.

“How is it you know these things and the rest of us don’t?” Ace pouted.

“Because I know,” Jason said, saying the first words he’d spoken since Billy introduced them.

“And how do you know, huh?” Ace asked.

“I used to be Robin before I died,” Jason said. He took a sip of his coffee like he hadn’t just dropped that bomb on them.

“The hell?” Ace hissed.

[How many Robins have there been?] They all kind of looked the same, and Noah had only started looking into Gotham because Billy lived there.

Batman apparently hated metas or something. Whatever it was, Billy had to have special permission to live in Gotham from Batman himself. So, either Billy was very persuasive, or Wayne’s pocketbook could buy Batman’s agreement. Either way, Noah was not expecting Jason to just cop to that.

“Three,” Billy answered before turning to look at his big brother. “Jason.” He sounded concerned.

“Yeah, so far. Who knows when that’ll change. I like the current guy. He isn’t too bad. Anyway, if you see anything about Blue Hood, that’s me. I work with Batman sometimes and I hear things.”

“So, Supers shit,” Ace said, rolling her eyes.

Noah nodded in agreement. He, like his dad, hated when the superheroes got involved. That was always when shit got messy.

[So what, you’re a ghost hero?]

[Half], Jason signed back.

Noah frowned. [You okay, man?]

Jason let out a tired huff of air. [I need a vacation. Death makes a sound and every time I hear it, I remember what it sounded like when I died.]

Noah sucked in a breath through his teeth. [Yeah, that would do it.]

[It is nice to meet you. Billy really likes you and I’m glad he has friends he likes. He can have a hard time opening up.]

“Can you guys not go so fast?” Billy asked.

That was when Noah realized that Jason was using perfect BSL. They were signing pretty fast.

“No way, kid,” Jason said. “You need practice.”

[What’s up with Danny?]

[Shit you really don’t want to know about. Let’s just say he’s had to do some king shit, and not in the fun way. Also, Constantine’s involved and Danny’s got feelings for him and that makes him pretty emotional.]

Noah shuddered. [The fuck, man? That’s my dad.]

“Wait, what?” Jason asked.

[John Constantine is my dad. Please do not talk about Danny having feelings for him, it’s creepy.]

“Oh my god!” Jason’s face turned a livid red and he sunk down in his chair. “Kid, why the fuck did you not tell me Constantine had a kid who you’re besties with?”

“What stupid thing did you say?” Billy asked, sounded deeply amused.

“Ugh, I said… oh God, I can’t say this out loud.”

“Is it about Constantine’s big old crush on Danny Gray?” Ace asked with a big smirk.

Noah signed a lot slower and in ASL. [He said Danny likes my dad.]

“Ew, no wonder you got the heebie jeebies,” Billy said with an exaggerated shiver. “But yeah, totally. I think Val’s coming around about it too.”

Noah slammed his hands over his ears and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear this.

“Come on, face it like a man,” Ace said. Unfortunately, Noah could hear her words better than before because his hands blocked out the sounds of the cafe.

Noah shook his head.

“Pussy.” Ace sounded so unimpressed.

Noah let out a big sigh and lowered his hands. He slowly opened his eyes.

[Can we please not discuss my dad’s sex life?] he signed in ASL.

“Gladly,” Jason said. “Well, I feel like I learned my lesson about gossiping.”

“You should find out who someone’s parents are before you gossip to them?” Billy asked sweetly.

“Brat,” Jason huffed out. At least he didn’t look so much like he wanted to just crawl into bed and never get up again.

[Pick a new topic]

“Jason, you should tell them about making friends with Ms. Austen,” Billy said.

“I feel like that’s name dropping.”

“You basically just name-dropped Batman. This can’t be nearly as impressive,” Ace said.

“Well-” Jason cut himself off as the waitress brought their food. They all said (or signed) their thanks. Only once she was gone back to the counter did Jason start talking. “I’ve basically always loved Jane Austen novels. When I realized there was a chance to meet her, I had to take it.”

Jason looked younger then. He smiled, and it was shy, a slow opening of his heart. Billy had told them before that Jason was 19, but it was hard to see him as that young with how big and exhausted Jason had been when they met. Surly put on years. Smiles took years off.

Noah was more than happy to keep Jason talking about ghosts he’d met and Regency era literature, along with the series of books Ms. Jane Austen was publishing at Jason’s loving insistence. There was life in his eyes that hadn’t been there when they first arrived.

Before the meal was over, Jason was laughing and joking with Ace. He put his arm over the back of Billy’s chair and Billy had snuggle against him, the way Noah had seen him do with Tim Drake when he was in town. Jason was still smiling when they left the coffee shop, and they all went their separate ways. Noah managed to snag a picture with the four of them right before they seperated.

He clicked his tongue to the beat of a song he had playing in his head as he walked back toward APU. He forwarded the picture to everyone from lunch before pulling up Tim’s contact info and sending him the picture too.

‘The hell? You trying to make me jealous?’

Noah grinned.

‘Only a little. Jason’s pretty nice.’

Tim took a second writing.

‘He is.’

‘Are all of you Wayne boys going to show up at some point?’

‘Well, first off, Dick is out of the country and keeps putting off his return date. Second, Jason and I aren’t actually talking right now.’

Noah frowned.

‘The hell, why?’

‘He… well, it’s complicated.’ A second message arrived immediately afterwards. ‘He is really nice. We both want to make up, but I just can’t deal with it right now.’

Noah paused for a moment, stopping and positioning himself so he was leaning against the closest building wall and not just standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He thought about what he was going say and took a moment to write it out before hitting send.

‘It’s not going to get better if you don’t deal with it.’

‘I know. I will soon. Things seem to be settling with my dad and Dana. I’m starting to feel like I can breathe again.’

Well, that was concerning. Noah kept up with the Metropolis crew, but Tim didn’t even live in the same city as any of his friends. He was the most separated of all of them, by money if nothing else. At least now Noah could understand what it was like starting to date someone who lived in a whole other state. Tim was pretty good about giving him dating advice, which was appreciated, but not always helpful. Still, Tim (currently) knew Hera better than Noah, so Noah was happy for the assistance when he could get it.

‘Try and take care of yourself.’

He finished his message to Tim and then pulled up a different chat. He sent the picture to Hera.

‘So, I met Tim and Billy’s other brother today,’ he added as soon as the picture had sent.

‘Hot damn! What is it with Wayne men? They’re all adopted. Why are they all so hot or cute?’

Noah snorted. ‘Natural selection.’

Hera sent a cry-laugh emoji. ‘Dork. You having a good day, babe?’

‘So far anyway.’

He was about to say something else when his attention was wrenched away from what he was writing. His head whipped up, eyes snapping to a figure walking barefoot in the park. The person was a small white girl with pure white hair. Noah wondered if this was another half-ghost, but he knew looking at her that it wasn’t true.

For one thing, there was a pull toward her. He hadn’t felt a pull that strong since he’d first met John, when he’d captured him instead of the old lady he’d been sent to grab. It was the same strong sense of ‘I don’t know why, but I need to know this person.’ It was the Boggart’s spell. The one Noah’s mum died for. The one that stole his voice.

Noah’s feet were carrying him over to the girl before he could even think about what he was doing. When he got halfway there, she looked up, her ice blue eyes meeting his own.

“You feel like me,” she said, no small wonder in her words. There was a powerful, potent magic around her. The plants beneath her feet grew up around her legs, greeting her like a friend.

Noah typed a message into his phone, hitting text-to-speech.

“Last time I felt like this near someone it turned out we were related. Could we be related?”

“Huh, that’s a funny thing,” the girl said. “And I don’t think so. I was special made. I know I don’t have any siblings and my parents didn’t have a child before me, because it wasn’t possible.”

She believed her words, but that didn’t inherently mean anything. He gazed at her face, searching for something. Her eyes were familiar, more than familiar. He only knew one person with eyes that shade of blue.

Honestly, it would be more surprising if John didn’t have more kids than just him.

But if she wasn’t ready to face it, then he wasn’t going to make her. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to learn about her.

“My name is Noah. What’s your name,” his phone pronounced in its not-quite human voice.

“Tefé,” she said.

“Tefé”. He winced. The text-to-speech entirely mangled her name. “Sorry, the app isn’t good at pronunciations.”

“What is it exactly?” Tefé leaned in, looking at his phone.

“I can’t speak. This is faster than handwriting or trying to sign with people who probably don’t know sign language.”

“Makes sense,” Tefé said. She looked up at Noah. “I don’t know sign.”

“Most people don’t.”

“Do you like this better?”

“No.” He noted how Tefé winced. He tapped away quickly to get out a follow up message. “This isn’t my voice. I have no idea what my voice should sound like. I’d prefer sign, but most people don’t know, and even less people here use the sign language I use best. This is easier.”

“Easier isn’t inherently better,” she said like she was quoting someone.

Noah nodded in agreement. “Are you new here?”

“Yeah, I’ve only been here a few days. I’m staying with Danny and Val.”

Well, that certainly answered questions.

“You have magic?”

“I’m an elemental.”

It occurred to him that maybe Tefé shouldn’t give out so much information about herself.

“Do you tell everyone that?”

“Well, you’re the only one who’s asked so far.” A smile played on her lips. “But no. You feel special. Safe. I think.”

“I won’t tell. Are you training while you’re here?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Trying to anyway. Everything here’s kind of funny. All of the parts of life play here in a funny way. Sometimes it’s like being swept away. Other times it’s like a grounding headache.”

He nodded like he understood when he knew he never would. “How does it feel now?”

“It’s like…” she trailed off, her eyes unfocusing. He stayed still and waited for her. It took a couple of minutes before she continued. When she did it was like she hadn’t stopped at all. “Quieter than it used to be. I think maybe we were supposed to meet. Do you think so? You must, since you said you felt like you do now when you met someone you were related to. Unless it’s like my mother’s uncle. He was really bad. This relative, are they bad?”

“I mean, he’s an ass sometimes, but no, he’s the best.” Noah smiled to himself a little. He paused to type the rest of his message. “I don’t know about supposed to meet, but I don’t think it’s wrong. This thing, it drew me to my family.”

“Huh. Maybe we could be related then,” Tefé said thoughtfully. “Are you an elemental?”

“My dad has magic. I can feel it, apparently, but he doesn’t want me to learn how to use it.”

Tefé frowned deeply. “Why wouldn’t he want you to learn?”

“He says this thing: the price is always higher than the prize. Magic costs more to use than it gains you. It’s a last choice. And he’s seen a lot of people get hurt using it. Most people, really. Truthfully, I’ve seen it do a lot of good, but it does cost a lot. I want to learn about it, but not how to do it.”