Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As the moon rises in Gotham many citizens slow down from a tiring day, some decide to hit the hay in hopes of getting some rest until next rogue appears and ruins everything. Others were destressing themselves through various activities such as sex, sodoku and stargazing.

"Not like you can see much sky in this place." A man thought bitterly.

Ontop of one of the many buildings in Gotham stood the figure of a man tall in height with a green suit that hugged his body, comfortably showing off his muscle mass, it's not as impressive as some of the more experienced Gothamites but is sure gets the job done.

Looking down from the edge of the tall building the man took a deep breath before falling, letting the sensation cut short before a glidder in the shape of a diamond unfurled from his back and lifted him up into the sky, exhaling in relief before smiling to himself.

"Hell yeah!"

Kiteman, one of Gotham's most famous pathetic villians to roam the sky. He's the best at what he does even if others wouldn't agree, so what if he was bested by The Bat and his colony of crime fighting vigilanties, he won some battles.

He did not.

They saw him as a threat.

They laughed at him.

He had allies.

They made bets with the younger heroes on how long he would last while fighting. It wasn't even considered a fight.

Tonight tho will be different as his plan was already taking place. The Joker escaped Arkham again and was on the run from Gotham's gaggle of heroes and by using this small miracle he was going to rob a bank for some quick cash as most of their focus on the insane clown. 

"I'm a genius!" He thought to himself with a light chuckle. "After taking the money i'll finally be able to buy a new couch and T.V to spruce up my apartment, maybe i'll buy some-"

His thoughts were cut short when a chill ran up his spine. Staring at the smog covered sky for something to happen. It did, after two seconds a glowing circular tear appeared in the sky shooting out what looked like a small comet.

The comet was heading straight towards him.

"SHIT!" He swore loudly but was unable to dodge as the comet collided with him hard sending them both plumitting towards the ground in a nearby alley and blacking out.

◆★◆

After a few hours he woke up with a groan, feeling tingles travel through his body before stopping after a few moments, moving his body upwards till he was in a sitting position and then stopping abruptly.

Something was gripping his right pec with the might of an eagle.

Looking down his brain short-circuted and the rebooted in an instant.

In his lap with their body pressed against his stomach was a small life form with dark black hair at the top but snow white hair at the sides and back, tanned skin littered with cuts showed themselves from his exposed arms, the shirt he wore was too big on his form as it swallowed him up.

"....HUH?!"

ᣟ°ᣞ❆ᣞ°ᣟ

Danny was going to commit first degree murder.

"Cease your endeavors ectoplasmic scum." 

Rolling his eyes he flew up to dodge a beam from the energy powered gun.

The Ghost Investigation Nit-Wits have been on his case all week, paired with his regular ghostly gallery to completely keep him from having any peace, not to mention his parents joining in from time to time to take a shot him.

"Atleast they take breaks." He thought bitterly, dodging another blast from the weapon.

"Aren't you guys tired of the same rodeo?" He powered up a green energy ball pulsing with ectoplasmic energy and fired it direct at the white vehicle. "You see me I see you," he dodged an incoming blast from one of their guns. "You shoot me I fly away," manipulating some of the ectoplasm in the air Danny redirected the blast, sending it back at the vehicle. "You chase me I wreck your van, you cry, I laugh and we go about our merry ways."

"SHUT UP!" Agent K shouted in rage.

"Don't let it get to you K, you know it's only trying to make you lose your composure." Agent O said gently patting his partner's arm.

"I know but that little ecto-brat has single handedly manage to destroy our base, weapons and respect any of the citizens of this ghost infested town had for us."

"Actually we never respected you guys in the first place." Danny quipped appearing between the two agents in their vehicle.

"GREAT MOTHER OF-" 

Agent K's curse had been cut off as the vehicle swerved on the road from the sudden shock of an unwanted passenger. It crashed right into a tree from the park they now found themselves in. Danny used his intangibility and flight to get out of the van after checking the two movie rip-off wannabes to make sure there wasn't any serious injuries caused to them and floated a few feet from the vehicle.

Tapping the Fenton Phones on his ear he connected with his fraid.

"DeadDiva to HQ, the Gays In Waiting are down, I repeat, the Gays In Waiting are down." 

"I still think O's gonna be the one to propose."

"I don't know Tuck..." A feminie voice started. "K has been in an out of jewelery shops for a few weeks now, I say he'll be the one to propose first." 

"Well i'm with Tuck on this, last time while I was snooping around their base I caught O trying to hide a small box behind his back while nervously talking to K."

"No way!" Both voices exclaimed in unison.

The ghost child was so caught up in his conversation about the agents love life that he didn't notice one had woken up from their earlier collision and was slowly making their way towards him. The colourless clothed man quietly stalked towards him as timid as a mouse, he began to slowly lift the new weapon from his back pocket that the weapons devision of the G.I.W was so gracious to provide him with and aimed at Phantom.

What he wasn't expecting was for Phantom's head to turn a full two hundred and seventy degree head turn like some possessed doll and spooked him enough to miss his shot but another opportunity arose as Phantom flew up, this time he didn't miss, aiming at where it's heart would've been if it was human.

The satisfaction felt great at first but then came the scream.

He hated it.

It made him scared.

The sound was horrible.

Agony and dread of victims he could never save .

Covering his ears and closing his eyes did nothing as waves of sound and energy echoed through Amity Park sending various objects of various sizes flying through the air and no doubt waking up its citizens.

Opening his eyes K discovered two things.

One.

Ectoplasm was splattered aggressively from where Phantom once floated.

Two.

Phantom was gone.

•°⊱♢⊰°•

Something hit him and it hurt so much.

It felt like the electricity that caused his untimely demise was now attacking his core to finally put him down for good.

His mind blanked out, unable to comprehend anything that was happening around him in that moment but pain. It eventually stopped but now his brain felt fuzzy and mushy. The feeling of being in the Ghost Zone comforted him like a baby in a blanket as he drifted aimlessly with no goal in mind. His body was feeling tinglely all over in a good way and he let that feeling lull him to sleep as his vision went black.

◆★◆

Eventually the feeling of being in his own bed broke through his senses, gripping what he assumed was his pillow with a bit of strength hoping to be sent back into the comfortable darkness of sleep.

"....HUH?!"

But appearently even that was too much to ask for as an obnoxiously loud voice announced its unwanted prescence to his dark abyss.

Danny opened his eyes with a groan to see he was face to face with someone's green covered stomach. Looking up he saw that his hand was not gripping his pillow but this person's boob who was now staring at him as a look of surprise covered their face.

They both stayed like that, staring at each other for a few moments until the man opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you-" 

"Why are your boobs so big?" Danny asked with all the shame of child.

"...What?"

"Why are your boobs so big?" He asked again.

"They're not boobs." The man replied taken aback by his question.

"And i'm not dead." Danny quipped back with efficientcy.

"Where are your parents?"

"Where is your bra?"

"THEY'RE NOT BOOBS!"

Chapter Text

"Okay now that we're, here time for some questions." Kiteman said with an air of finality.

After a solid hour of convincing the boy he wasn't going to lead him away and sell his organs he managed to get him back to his apartment, albeit, the child was looking around subtly at any escape routes his home provided. He may be labeled as stupid most of the time but he's far more perceptive than what others give him credit for.

"Okay." The boy agreed after a moment.

"Yes!" His thoughts exclaiming excitement over getting to interrogate someone, even if they were a child. "First things first your name, what is it?"

"Danny...Danny Fenton."

"Well Danny do you know where you are and how you got here?" Kiteman asked.

"No."

"You're in Gotham." He told him hoping the boy would understand but apparently luck wasn't on his side as Danny gave him a look of confusion.

"Never heard of it." He said leaving him a little shocked.

Not knowing about Gotham and all of its crimes with colourful crazies was honestly astonishing given how the whole world treats it like its own ecosystem that thrives off of violence and misery, then again, Danny did crash into him via swirling Mountain Dew green portal so him being from a different dimension isn't all that shocking. Still, it is weird to hear there isn't a Gotham existing in every and any other dimension though.

"So Danny, where are you from?" He asked honestly curious about Danny's dimension and all the things they have or don't have over there.

"Amity Park Illinois in America." He stated with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Well that explains the accent." Kiteman thought to himself, smiling at the boy's love for his hometown although he's never heard of an Amity Park anywhere in Illinois before.

"The most haunted town in America."

"..."

There was silence as Kiteman's brain tried to comprehend what he just heard. He blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side a little, all while the smile from earlier stayed on his face with a bit more of a stretch.

"The what?" He questioned slowly.

"The most haunted town in America." He said again like it was common knowledge, letting out an annoyed huff at the end. "Jeez you really are all boobs, no brains." He finished, crossing his arms in an equally annoyed manner.

Kiteman was too focused on the information that was provided to him by the two tone hair child to retort to the insult. So not only was the kid from a different dimension, a dimension where good ol' Gotham didn't exist, but also it's filled to the brim with dead people.

Wonderful.

"Uh huh... and you're sure it's haunted?" He asked, a little skeptical.

"Yup and they can be mean sometimes when they visit our home which sometimes ends up with things being destroyed or people being overshadowed."

"Overshadowed?" He questioned curiously.

"It's like possession but less horrifying where the victim's body is taken over and their mind is put to sleep so they're unaware of anything that happens to or around them. They basically become a meat puppet to whichever ecto-entity is using them, blissfully unaware in the void of their mind." Danny explained casually while rocking the wooden chair he was in a bit.

The older man's mouth hung open in a horrified shock at the description that was of Danny's explanation.

"Can they— Can they all do that?" He asked with an undertone of fear.

"Ofcourse, every ghost knows how to do that because it's one of their basic abilities along with; accelerated healing, super agility, super-strength, flight, ghost rays - which is an ecto energy powered attack, flight, invisibility, intangibility and even telekinesis and teleportation." 

"BASIC ABILITIES?!"

"More advanced ghost can do other things like shapeshifting, duplication and even size alteration." He explained "There are other things too that influence a ghost's abilities but that would be too long to explain and I don't trust you enough to give out anymore of that information."

"Fair enough!"

He really didn't want to know what other possible terrifying things these 'ghosts', if you could even call them that, are capable of at the moment but he still had one more question before calling it quits.

"Isn't there anyone in your dimension that deals with them and protects the living?" He asked.

"Yeah! There are ghost-hunters who try to help but honestly they're annoying and make the situation worse, their biased and incorrect accusations of ghost blind them from seeing the truth that is right in their face, there's also a ghost hero who protects both ghosts and humans but... I can't remember much about them but I do know they exist." Danny said getting a little upset before sighing in a tired expression that tugged at Kiteman's heart strings.

"Ghosts are like people, hell some of them were people." He started, looking directly at him as his eyes began to shine the same green from the portal he came from. It probably wouldn't have been noticeable in the day but Danny was using the semi-darkness of the living room in his apartment. "They are bad, they are good and sometimes they're down right morally grey, to say that we are all just evil is beyond ignorant."

He could see where the kid was coming from and agreed, human beings are way too complicated and complex to be put into one simple category so why should they do that for other species. His body was telling him he needed sleep and the kid was no better off as he looked like he was struggling to stay awake.

"Well Danny let's wrap up this interrogation and you can take the bed while I take the couch."

"You're letting me stay?" He asked surprised at the offer.

"I'd never put a child of your age on the streets of Gotham at this hour." He replied honestly. "The name's Charles Brown aka Kiteman but you can call me Chuck."

"What are you some sort of superhero?" Danny asked.

"Nope! I'm one of Gotham's most famous villains." Chuck said, puffing up his chest in a bit of pride and some form of doubt as he forced himself to believe what he just spoke.

There was a bit of silence and Chuck was starting to feel a bit nervous as Danny looked him up and down before settling on his face.

"So your name is Charles Brown and you're a 'super villain' named Kiteman?..."

"Yes." He replied nervously.

Soon a teasing smile found its way on the boy's mouth.

"Are you in love with a tall red-headed woman too?"

"Oh bug off!"

He playfully threw a couch cushion at Danny who let it hit him as he laughed with Chuck joining in.

◆★◆

Chuck had taken his shower after Danny's and was now fitted in sleepwear that consisted of a white tank top and black sleeping shorts. He'd given Danny a pair of boxers that shrunk in the washing machine and another oversized shirt with the words 'Fly High' on it with tiny gliders near the words. He looked adorable even when he pouted after Chuck vocalized his thoughts.

He was now resting on the couch which had now transformed into a makeshift bed after a few adjustments. The t.v was playing some nature show but he was going through the events of this night as he dozed off.

And then it dawned on him.

An easy to miss piece of information that repeated itself in his mind for a second time.

"They are bad, they are good and sometimes they're down right morally grey, to say that we are all just evil is beyond ignorant." 

His eyes snapped open with renewed vigor.

Rushing to his bedroom he saw Danny waking up to look at him.

"Hey Danny, just wanted to ask, what did you mean when you said we while explaining about ghosts?"

"It's because I'm dead." He replied easily with sleep still in his voice.

"But you're alive, I can touch you and I'm pretty sure you have a heartbeat." He desperately grasped at what little details he had about Danny didn't point to him being a dead child.

Danny looked at Chuck, gone was the sleepy attitude, it was now replaced with determination and a mischievous grin before placing his hand in his chest and pulling out his heart.

"You meant this heartbeat?" He asked as the organ lay in his blood and ectoplasm covered hand.

Chuck's face contorted into a horrified expression before fainting on the floor.

"Chuck? CHUCK?!"

*•°☯°•*

Within a place between multiple realities a being adorned in purple watches with a smile on his face. His form shifting to that of a young man as the time medallion that hung around his neck ticked.

"All is as it should be."

⭑°･☾･°⭑

In the city of Gotham, a manor remains still to the ever changing passage of time. Its foundation keeping many secrets hidden between the walls from the outside world just as its owners intended for it to do.

Through one of the hallways of Wayne Manor a grandfather clock stays stationary against the wall. It opens, revealing a hidden elevator to its main caretaker as he pushes a tray of tea and cookies through its opening while stepping in himself. He hummed to himself before finally reaching his destination. The rest of the residents were tending to themselves and each other after their earlier encounter with Gotham's circus side-effect.

The Joker had gotten away after throwing bombs, acid and bombs with acid that when exploded produced a destructive ghastly cloud that melted the flesh of any living organism. A poor stray was the first victim of its effects when the cloud came into contact with it, melting its fur, flesh and exposing the white bone underneath as it whined in pain before dying.

Robin witnessing the poor pup dying but unable to do anything, was enraged at the unfortunate event and dealt out major pain to some of Joker's henchmen that stayed to slow them down. The lucky ones escaped with bruises, black eyes and a broken arm or leg but two of them were unluckily beaten into a coma and had to be rushed to the hospital. His father was obviously upset and scolding him until Nightwing chiseled in to keep the peace and stop the situation from escalating any further.

"They got what they deserved." Robin argued in spite of his brother's attempts.

Batman opened his mouth to disagree but quickly closed it when a quick glare from Nightwing was sent his way.

Away from everyone stood Red Hood in all of his tanky glory. Something had happened while they were chasing the clown, he knows it, he feels it, and he felt how it influenced the pits by having an almost calming reaction throughout his mind, it's why he came back with the family to the cave tonight.

"You good?" Someone asked.

Focusing, he found Red Robin now a few feet in front of him, "You kinda blanked out there."

Walking up he threw an arm over his brother's shoulder and proceeded to ruffle his hair, much to the annoyance of the younger man. Even though he doesn't vocalize it as much, he loves spending time with his family. Who would've thought that therapy and talking to each other about their issues would improve their way of living. They still argue sometimes but not as much and not with enough heat to melt metal.

"Simmer down Timbers, I'm fine." Hood uttered as he stopped his attack on his brother's hair to lean onto him with his full weight.

"Oh my gawd, get off you're heavVVYy."

"Not a chance."

Signal chuckled at the scene as he discarded his helmet and domino mask to grab a cookie until a hand grabbed the back of his suit and pulled him back.

"You too~." Hood teased leaning on both Tim and Duke.

"Jay get off you're heavy." Duke protested trying to get away from his brother.

"Never! You both are forever sentenced to life as my support pillars."

Alfred watched with the interaction with a smile on his face as Cass and Steph indulged in their cookies and tea. Bruce smiled to himself a little before focusing on Damian once again.

"I'm sorry if I came across as harsh earlier and pushed aside your feelings on the matter of the puppy, I wanted you to be more careful with your opponent and got upset without asking why you did it." Bruce apologized sincerely.

"You are forgiven, father." He started, "I admit that my method of dealing with those criminals was more aggressive due to my anger getting the best of me... I'm sorry."

Bruce walked forward and enveloped Damian in a hug with Dick and Barbara smiling at the father-son scene.

As the rest of the family headed upstairs to rest Barbara went over the footage of Gotham's nightly events. Inspecting over footage she found that some of it was staticky and others stopped working completely but this didn't deter her, she wasn't called Oracle for nothing.

It took a few tries but by using a surveillance camera that was far out of the area but had really good zoom in feature she found it and took a closer look at the almost glitched photo.

Stood there in all of its glory was a swirling green portal with an almost blinding beautiful ball of green energy exiting it.

Chapter Text

Batman looked at the information the Bat-computer provided and squinted.

At exactly seven o' clock post meridiem time yesterday a large quantity of energy was detected in a particular part of Gotham, causing a shift throughout the area and creating a swirling entrance. Although nothing happened yet he was worried for two reasons. One, being the colour of the portal, there was no denying it, that was the exact same shade of green those cursed waters produced which means The League of Assassins and dealing with Ra's. He subtly glanced at his son to see the red helmet completely focusing on the screen. Reason number two, the thing that shot forth from the portal.

Reports from people said it was almost like a star falling from the sky, others said it made them feel a tingly sensation throughout their bodies and someone claimed it crashed violently into a bird before plummeting down in an alley. Unfortunately no camera or video was able to capture anything as the devices glitched, violently blurred or outright stopped working.

No one attempted to get closer for a better look because "This is Gotham, for all I know the thing would've latched onto my ball sack and used me to produce babies or some shit like that."

It could have very well happened, no one denied him that.

"So what's the plan B?" His coffee-veined son asked.

"Our top priority is still locating the Joker." He started, turning around to face his kids. "Some of his henchmen have been spotted around an abandoned factory up north and they have been spotted near the harbour, Red Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl will search the abandoned factory while Spoiler, Hood and I will scope out the harbour, I need Robin and Signal in the center incase this is all a stratagem to deceive us."

"Understood father."

"You got it B."

"Whatever you say old man."

He loves his kids.

"One more thing, If you come across any trace of the portal aftermath report back immediately."

"You got it!" Steph replied after gearing up.

"Good! Now let's move."

•°⊱♢⊰°•

Chuck glanced at the clock again before looking over his suit for a second time, correcting himself before deeming his look presentable.

It was time to make a move as Kiteman once again. He climbed the apartment stairs until he was on top of the roof. Danny had been put to bed after a tiring day of researching everything he could about the supers of this world and commenting on the outfit choices of some of them and the rogues, thinking back at the little interaction even he wasn't spared.

"There's barely any protection on him." He started, looking at a video of Hawkman in action. "It looks like it belongs in a BDSM video."

"How do you know about that?" He questioned, looking up from the sandwiches he was cutting for him and Danny.

"Unsupervised internet access and school." He answered truthfully.

"Jesus kid, you really shouldn't be looking at that stuff till you're at least eighteen."

"Speaking of looking at unsightly things, do you really go out in that green outfit you wear willingly?"

"What's wrong with my outfit?"

"...We're gonna have to fix that."

Walking to the edge he repeated the actions he's gotten used to doing and took flight. Gotham always looked prettier when he was viewing it from above with all the glowing lights creating a scene like one of those Pinterest photos. He touched down near his targeted destination peaking at it slightly from another building before a slight chill ran up his spine.

"What are you doing?"

Making a sound of surprise he came face to face with a floating and not sleeping Danny who peered at him innocently.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" He asked.

"I followed you." He replied happily.

He looked back at the store before facing Danny again.

"I'm going to 'shop' for a new t.v and couch and by shop I mean steal." He said truthfully.

"Can I help?" Danny asked eagerly.

"Of course you can." Kiteman replied with as much excitement as a child.

Danny then proceeded to pull out a fake mustache from his insides and applied it beneath his nose.

"Where did you get that?"

"Found it in one of your drawers."

"Oh yeah, I forgot I had that."

◆★◆

Danny used his invisibility to keep him out of sight and then floated himself sneakily through the building, passing people who were none the wiser to his little mission, floating for a while before finding what he was looking for. The electric generator sat there exposing itself to him and with one quick flick of his hand he turned the power off with his telekinesis. In an instant the store was plunged into darkness and the screaming of people began, he floated through the isles to to see them rushing for safety away from the store as their stomping echoed throughout the building.

Flying around he used some of his ghost-rays to scare people off that were hiding by intentionally missing the spot they were keeping themselves hidden. A satisfied feeling spread through him when no one else was in the store which gave way to the perfect opportunity as Kiteman walked through the door with a smile. Seeing in the dark came natural to him after his death and he used it to his heart's content. Locating the couch and t.v were a piece of cake as he illuminated the way for Kiteman using a small ball of ecto-energy.

The man grabbed the t.v before making his way to the couch near the entrance of the store.

"Good job kid, couldn't have done it without ya." He praised Danny with a smile. "You're a natural at this, you know that?" 

Danny giggled at the man feeling warm and fuzzy at the praise he was receiving.

"Let's go home and then we caa—ah shit!" Kiteman cursed before ducking behind the couch he wanted with the t.v and pulling Danny down out of sight with him.

Coming towards the store was none other than Signal and Robin. Kiteman honestly thought they would be searching further out in Gotham for the clown but he forgot that the bats were appearently everywhere when needed. Turning towards Danny he opened his mouth to say something, the thought hit him that he had no way to carry the couch quickly enough and out of sight but looking at the boy he closed his mouth at the sight of a mischievous grin plastered on his face. He suppressed a surprised squawk as Danny threw him onto the couch with ease, still clutching the t.v in his arms he felt the tingly sensation increase, this time with some other feeling added to the mix.

He then felt the couch he was on rise into the air before floating up quickly towards the ceiling of the store, he braced for impact, closing his eyes but felt nothing. When he opened them again he saw that he was out of the store and in the sky flying at a comfortable speed towards his apartment. They phased through the building with intangibility and let it, along with the invisibilty fade as Danny placed the new couch down.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" He exclaimed in exhilaration. "You truly are a natural, the way you used those green blasts of yours to scare everyone off and the quick getaway from those Bats, incredible, you sure this is your first time doing something like this?" 

"Well, I can't remember much but I do believe that I stole from some kind of organization before." He answered with a smile.

Kiteman's mind started to turn and ponder. This kid would honestly make for a perfectly good sidekick, he's got the brain and brawn for it if he was to believe what he saw at the store and did he ever believe. Honestly the only thing that worried him was his age, a part of him really didn't want this ten year old running around Gotham in a suit but the other part of his mind acknowledges the amount of young supers that are everywhere nowadays, even some villains have a young one or two to help them out in their acts of villainy. The latter side won fairly easily in his internal debate.

"How would you like to become my sidekick kid?" He asked putting a hand around Danny. "You got the brains for it and those powers of yours truly boost our chances of successful stealing."

"Hell yeah! I was going to go crazy if I just had to stay here all day." He said, pumping his fist in the air, radiating excitement.

Kiteman chuckled to himself. He had gotten the new t.v and couch he wanted tonight and gained a sidekick in the process, things are shaping up to get better and better with Danny around.

Just like having a son.

"Oh oh! We're gonna have to come up with a name for you." He stated.

Danny stared at him expectantly.

"How about Kiteboy?"

"No!"

"GhostKite?"

"No!"

"Glide...child?"

Danny gave him a deadpan expression.

"We'll work on that later, we have to design your suit." He said excitedly.

"I'll be doing that myself." Danny said, looking Kiteman up and down he took in the suit for a second time. "And a new one for you too, of course."

"Hey! My suit is awesome." He stated with fake offense before using his hands to dramatically gesture at himself.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Chuck ruffled Danny's hair. This sassy child was going to change a lot about his life, he could feel it.

*•°❊°•*

Signal and Robin made their way through the store, checking the isles for anyone or anything that might be here in hiding. Unbeknownst to the younger boy, Signal was uneasy the moment they stepped foot in this area. Something stupidly powerful was here not too long ago and he thanked whatever force was out there watching that he didn't encounter it. Inside the store was absolutely saturated in invisible light energy only he could see. What worried him was that it resembled the exact colour of the ball of energy the portal produced.

"It was here." He stopped, turning to the dark clothed Robin. "And it seems to be extremely powerful, like, planetary destruction level of powerful."

That wasn't a good sign for them really, who knows what could happen if they didn't locate that energy ball roaming around Gotham soon. Pressing the ear microphone he was able to connect with the rest of the family and informed them of the events that transpired. They weren't able to find the Joker after searching both destinations and detaining the henchmen but at least they've gotten a lead on another problem, it really wasn't a surprise to hear Batman vocalize one of his signature bat-grunts at the news of the powerful energy.

"I would like to adjoin another segment of information." Robin started, making sure everyone's attention was on him before continuing. "The energy it produces feels familiar."

"What do you mean by familiar?" His father asked, dreading the response he already knows awaits him.

Robin was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"It feels like the pits." 

Chapter Text

Joy filled the heart of a brown haired man as he looked around his apartment, reveling as he eyed the absolute change he was able to bring to not only his home, that was filled with new appliances and furniture for comfort and usage but his career as well.

Chuck and Danny have been together for weeks now, close to a month even and they've been pulling off successful robberies left, right and center. The best part of it all was nobody could tell who was making off with the stolen goods because of Danny's sneaky ghostly abilities.That brings him to another topic.

Danny.

He would never be able to deny it to himself any longer but as days passed his heart grew to care for Danny, and more when he got to know him better. The kid called people like Lex Luthor 'Frootloops', how could he not like the kid? He found it quite funny once he received the explanation of them being "Fruiter than fruit and loopier than a loopty-loop." The kid has been an absolute joy to keep around although something's been bothering him while having Danny around.

At the back of his mind he can hear it sometimes, asking a question that he never quite understands but feels. It sends the same tingly sensation he gets when around Danny to envelope his body and grasp at his mind, demanding to be acknowledged.

"Ḑ̴̪̻͈̗̟̩̻̰͒̓͋͂̐͆̓̃̂̚̕õ̴̬͇̖̭̙̔̑̌̄̊͊̑̀͝ ̵̖̹̱̯͖͈̌͊͐̂̆̽̂̑ỳ̵̞̤̩̳͖̝̮̼̝̻̫̋͛̈́͊̂̈́͐͋̕o̷̡͍̠͚͍̼̬͋ṵ̸̼͓̞͔̏̎͊͆̕͝ ̸̢̧̺̳͚͇̗̰͚͔͆͂͠a̵̼̭͆̿́͛͛̀c̷̯̫͑̿̑͝͝ç̶̡̡̤̖̝͎̳̟̤̉̀̌̽̃̇̑̐͊͛e̷̢̗͚̭̖͆ṕ̴̰̮̫̰͎̹̣̈́̇̾͆̒͂̇̇͝t̴̤̞̥̲̑̈̓̅͑͛̽̈́͊?̴̥͈̙͚̜̯̤̭͗̒̀̇͛̚"

He hears it when he works together with Danny as a team to steal from stores and praises him afterward for a job well done. He hears it when Danny lies down next to him after his ten year old body exhausts itself from playing and falls asleep as Chuck combs through his soft locs with his fingers. He hears it when Danny uses his body to create a horror movie style prank that leaves both of them laughing afterwards. He hears it when he encourages Danny to ramble on about space and stars, ensuring with a smile that he's always listening and asking questions as his son, Danny continues on.

"What's the plan for tonight papa kite?" Asked the voice he has grown familiar with over these past weeks.

Chuck had set up something special for Danny tonight, some gifts he could find if he followed the coordinates and little clues to the exact location but Danny didn't know that. He was most likely thinking it was some sort of solo mission he was graced with the chance of completing since it would be his first after arriving in Gotham and becoming his sidekick after all.

Looking at Danny, the boy didn't have a proper outfit yet as he was still looking into materials and fabrics for them both, nor did he choose a name for himself yet, insisting he didn't want an official one because it should match with the suit he created. He had settled on wearing an all black bodysuit with dark green lining that helped with blending into the natural darkness of Gotham, black boots with the same shade of green as the lining on the outsole of the shoes, a black hood that complemented the black mask that covered his face, leaving no trace of identity as the green lens over the mask's eye sockets gazed at him curiously.

"Well as you know tonight will be the night where your first act of thievery by yourself will commence." He explained.

"Hell yeah!" Danny exclaimed excitedly.

"Using the comms you somehow built without me noticing, you will keep me updated on your progress." He finished. 

"Are you ready kid?" 

"Aye aye Captain!" Danny replied, saluting him.

Laughing a little, he patted the kid's head before speaking again.

"Now off you go kid and remember not to talk to any strangers, especially, the bat kind."

◆★◆

Danny flew away from the roof of the building to his first destination. His half dead heart beating with incredible elation at the task at hand.

His first stop was strangely enough the burrito food truck he and Chuck often visited a couple of times. Thinking back, he remembered the time Chuck and him fought over the last burrito as they had quickly finished off the others. Needless to say Chuck had tried to shake Danny off to no avail with the younger grabbing and biting for the burrito.

"YOU ATE THREE!" Shouted the boy as he sprang forward to pounce on the man.

"I'M A GROWN MAN!" Chuck replied, catching Danny with one hand keeping the burrito out of the kid's reach with the other. "HOW MUCH DOES A SMALL BODY NEED TO EAT ANYWAYS?"

Using his intangibility, Danny lunged for the burrito but Chuck quickly brought it to his mouth and bit down in an attempt to quickly consume it. Not one to back down, Danny bit the other end, successfully breaking off a big piece and retreated to the other side of the room and quickly ate.

Chuck was not amused.

"Number two eighty-two." One of the men working the food truck called.

He didn't even bat an eye at Danny's outfit, probably because he was so used to seeing costumed civilians on a daily basis.

"I got it." Danny said into the comms, walking away with the warm super-special burrito that only comes around once a month.That's what Chuck tells him anyways .

"Great! Now look at the wrapper for your next clue."

He unwrapped the burrito a little and took a peak at the message before biting into the burrito with delight.

Addison's.

◆★◆

Addison's was a small clothing store where you can buy and get clothes custom made to your taste. Danny remembered when Chuck took him here to be measured and buy clothes for him two days later of them meeting and not having anything for Danny to wear that shrunk while washing in his closet.

"Woahhh!" Dannh exclaimed after being measured.

A beautiful outfit that resembled the darkness of space that subtly sparkled like stars came into view and he had to stare.

Chuck looked away from the clothes he picked up for Danny and noticed him staring at the outfit.

"Like that?" He asked.

"It's so pretty." He said not taking his eyes off the clothing.

Walking up to the lady behind the counter, he gave her a piece of paper. She read the writing on it and disappeared into the back before walking back out with a wrapped brown box and handing it to him with a smile.

"Enjoy." She said cherrily.

He walked out of the store and placed the parcel with the burrito from earlier in the pocket space his body provides, a little disappointed at the events, he expected stealth and robbery not people practically handing him the items. He tapped the comms once again to communicate with Kiteman.

"I've secured the parcel." 

"Good! Don't open it just yet, there's still one more place to go, look under the parcel." Informed Kiteman.

Danny looked under to see coordinates written in blue pen ink. This time he was going somewhere he'd never been before, his hopes of getting to steal something rose again like a plant under Poison Ivy's control and he took off to his destination.

◆★◆

Arriving at the destination Danny was greeted with the sight of people guarding the area.

"Finally some action." He said laughing a little before activating his invisibility.

Danny floated towards the guards in weird outfits and painted faces, passing by them with ease as they were none the wiser to his presence.

Entering the building he witnessed several more guards holding what seemed to be guns and various other weapons that didn't look very professional. He paid them no mind as he snuck past them to get to the room at the back of the first floor.

Unfortunately his cockiness got the better of him and while lazily floating halfway across to the room he bumped into one of the guards, suddenly remembering that he also forgot to go intangible as well. The man rapidly turned his body and looked around, startled by a force that was seemingly invisible to the eye.

Danny held his breath and floated higher as another guard came up to the other one.

"What's wrong?"

"Thought I felt something bump into me." The guard replied.

"There's nobody here and if it was one of them metas with a camouflage ability there's many of us here." He stated. "They wouldn't be able to get past all of us unnoticed."

"Oh but he will." Thought Danny.

This time he made sure to go intangible again and flew towards the room without making a sound.

Flying into the room he saw that the lights were off but then again he didn't need it, night vision has its uses after all. Touching down on the ground he turned off his invisibility and intangibility and made his way towards the built in safe attached to the wall, turning for the correct combination. Eventually he gave up and used his intangibility to grab the item, discovering a small box. 

Before he could open it though Kiteman responded on the comms first, before he could even report back.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked, excitement coated his voice.

"Yeah but all these guards were overkill, is whatever in this box really that important?" Danny questioned.

The comms were silent as he awaited an answer.

"....Guards?"

"Weird looking ones too." He admitted.

"No guards were supposed to be there." He said, worry growing in his voice. "Wait! What do they look like?"

"They're wearing a bunch of purples, greens and even have their faces painted, kinda like clowns." Danny started. "They're even armed with a bunch of weapons ranging from guns to pipes, not really sticking with a weapon theme if you ask me." 

"Danny listen to me, you need to—"

The panicky voice of his mentor was pushed to the back of his head as the light turned on, illuminating the room brightly and eating away at the dark. A man with deathly pale skin came into view.

His hair, green.

His suit, purple.

His smile, manic.

Danny couldn't move no matter how much he wanted to and he didn't know why. His body froze, he didn't know why but he was scared, very scared.

The man walked up to him slowly and easily as if nothing was wrong, as if he expected to see him. Danny trembled slightly once the man came to a stop a step away from him, his eyes gleaming with delight at how easy he was able to place fear in the near dead body of Danny and leaned down slightly to make eye contact.

"Hi there~."

◆★◆

"Hi there~."

It was all Kiteman needed to hear as his body moved all on its own, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he glided with speed closer and closer to the building.

"Not again!"

He touched down on the ground.

"Not again!"

He knocked out the two goons guarding the door with one punch each to their foreheads.

"Not again!"

He pushed open the door with new found strength, the slam echoing off the walls and throughout the building. All eyes were on him but his eyes were focused only on one man.

The Joker.

He was there in all of his clownish get up and not empty handed either. There in his right hand, being picked up by the hood was Danny. His body shaking in fear and staring at the ground clutching the gift in his hands for comfort.

"Chuckie! What a surprise."

The voice sounded layered as the comms he was wearing that connected to Danny's doubled what Joker was saying to him. In that moment he thought about his son, Junior, dying to a fedora wearing fuck before making his mark on the world. Now his mind thought of his other son Danny, trembling in the hands of a mad man and desperately grasping his gift. The voice in the back of his mind was now louder than ever, blasting its cryptic question that seems so clear right now.

"̸͉̪̭̅͌̅͌́̀́̂̏͊̐̈́͠͠D̵̙̩͖͖̬̙̻̱̼̼͙̥̖̯̟͎͇͔̙̰̭̜̳͇̟̫͊̌͂͒̏́͊̈́͜͜͜Ở̷̧̨̨̢̢̝̻̯̜͈͕͇̦̬̹̱̱̥͔̬͉̳̰̥͋̾͐̒͛͑̅̓̎̃̑̆̑͊͑́̉̍̈͝͠͝ ̷̡͖͔̟̮̖̥̤͍̹͖̦̜̱̮̭̫̩̻̱̬̣͇̬̈́̈́̈́̎̈́̾͊̍͝͝ͅY̸͉̪̹̹͙͎̹̯͐̅͒̾̏̓̎̋̈̀͝͝͝ͅǪ̵̢̛̭̗̺̭͇̭͍͙̩̔͋̉͐́̄̓͛̈́̿̒̓͒͊͐̈́̕͜͜͝͝Ų̴̛̯̲͎͍͚̥͈͎̩̩͆̑̓͋͗͆͒̋̉̅̎͑͛̽̈́͒̈́͛͝͝͝ͅ ̵̢̮̩̥̰̗̖̼̤͌̽̽A̴̺̲̋̈́C̴̢̱̙̹̹̼̱͖̀̓͌̀͆̓͑̋͊̇͝͠C̷̡̧̛̺͓̙͔̠͕̝͕̝̻̞̙̗̱̲̅̀̈́̀̀̐͋͊͝Ȩ̷̨̧̧̧̝̖͔͖̰̯̖̲̜͈̻̞͚̺̝̯̝̻̗̗̱͂P̸̧̧̞̠͍̬̼̥̝͇̲̗͔̙̘̪̻͎̬̳̝͆̾̇͂̉̇͂̎̏̏̈̆̓̃̉̄̕̚̚̕͝T̵̨̛̪͚̤̈?̶̙͇̹͖̺͒͊̓̌̅̔́͑̂̏̈́̑̓͋͗̌̑̿͗̕̕͘̚͘͜͝"̷͎͙͉͙̯͍̬̼̐͌̉́̅̀̊̀̃̐̓͂̓̇͐̇͐̅̃͘͝

"̷̧͉̼̜̳̌̽̿̉̒́̉̓̍̚Ḑ̸͚̘͚̥̺̭͙̌̌ò̷͔̮̤̩͙̜͍̭͕̼̕ ̵̩͙̘̮̱̿̽̚͝Y̸͍̱̹̳̌͗̔̂̓̚ỏ̶͎u̶͙̼͋͒̕̚ ̷̗̹̳̦͊̉Á̷͓̜̞͕̏͜ͅc̴͉̲̰̪̱̠͙̙͚͚̓͝c̶̘̮̥̻͍͛̏́̄͘͠ę̶̙͕̖̠͇͕̃̈́̒̅̾͐͠͠ṗ̵̧̛̖̳̯̘̥̱͇t̴̹̹̮̑̋̒̓͝?̴̧͙̜̣̞͉͎̟͗̐̃̈́͝"̸̢͎͉̰̬̂̈́̂̓͑̒̌

"̴D̸o̷ ̷Y̷o̷u̸ ̸A̷c̶c̷e̸p̶t̶?̴"̷

"I do!" He finally responded after so long of not understanding. He understands now that he needs to be the person to protect and care for Danny. To do anything to ensure his child Danny is safe.

"I'm thinking of mailing you to Batsy in pieces." Joker said looking at his son Danny.

It was the last thing he heard before his vision went green and his mind collapsed into a violent wave of anger and hatred. He was able to comprehend two last things before completely losing himself.

The feeling of biting into flesh.

And hearing a satisfying crunch.

◆★◆

He didn't know how long he was out of it for but when the green from his vision faded and the anger went away he saw that he was now cradling a crying Danny in his arms while also producing non-human sounds of comfort from his vocal cords to his son Danny.

"It's alright." He said softly, combing his fingers through Danny's hair to calm him down. "You're safe now."

He repeated his actions and words until Danny fell asleep. Lifting him up and holding him securely he began to take notice of the pain his body was in but pushed that aside in order to hold Danny. Then he noticed the state of everything else around him.

Blood covered the floor and splattered across the surface of some boxes, injured goons spread over tiles, some with claw marks deeply embedded over different areas of their body and some with bite marks on top of broken limbs. He didn't see Joker who had most likely gotten away from whatever caused this carnage.

Right now the only thing that mattered was Danny, he would reflect on the events that transpired here tomorrow. He needed rest.

⭑°･☾･°⭑

They had finally done it.

After weeks of not finding the Joker, not locating the Lazarus Pit portal ball, dealing with Gotham's other criminals and missions with the Justice League they were given a beacon of hope to ease their stress.

A helpful report from an anonymous person claimed to have spotted a large number of Joker's goons entering a building that was being cleared to be used as a children's hospital in the near future. To top it all off the person had gotten video evidence to further their claims.

They climbed the sides of the building and entered through the window of the fourth floor, slowly descending and checking for goons until they reached the last floor. Spreading out they hid behind large boxes in the darkness that concealed the view of the stairs they came from but also limited their view.

It was quiet, too quiet.

Signal departed a few minutes ago after saying he felt the energy the 'pit comet' produced and was now following said trail of energy in hopes of locating its area of location.

"I can feel it, it was here." Robin said quietly over the comms.

Everyone knew what he meant.

"....I feel it too." Red hood added.

Hood had admitted that he felt a calm sensation course through him ever since the portal opened and its 'star' fell through, calming the pit madness greatly the longer it stayed in Gotham. So now they were at least hopeful it wasn't malevolent.

Moving closer to get a better look after not hearing or seeing anyone they came face to face with a macabre scene.

Blood and injured goons painted all over the floor was not what they were expecting. Claw marks that had to be done by some animals were displayed over bodies and limbs were bent in ways they shouldn't be and were shown without a care on who saw them.

"Good Lord!" Nightwing expressed, covering his mouth with his hand.

Batman walked up to a still conscious goon after calling some ambulances and began to interrogate the man. He was staring off into nothing, almost like he wasn't fully there.

"Where's the Joker?" Batman asked.

"The man simply lifted his arm to point to a corner on the other side of the building, still not registering who was talking to him at the moment.

Red hood followed the direction, weapon in hand.

"Jesus Christ!" He exclaimed.

Walking up to Hood they were able to see the horrific sight that was a mutilated Joker with his suits drenched in blood.

Chapter Text

Walking up to Hood they were able to see the horrific sight that was a mutilated Joker with his suit drenched in blood. 

The man was dead, they couldn’t deny it. It was hard to consider any other possibility when the corpse was right in front of them.

Nobody spoke, instead, they stared at the body. No matter how many cases they’ve seen like this, witnessing the body for themself always fills some of their members with a sense of disturbance.

His corpse laid there with their eyes open but missing any evidence of life if the glazed gaze had anything to say about it. Traveling downwards past his chest, shredded cloth revealed what was once a pale stomach now aggressively ripped open by three vicious claw marks and stained red with blood. Intestines spilled out from the three slits, breaking free from their confinement of flesh to say hello and kissing the cold floor of the building as a greeting, leaving its unwanted red liquid behind to paint a picture without permission.

Bite marks offered themselves up to the eyes of those that were curious. Chunks of flesh noted their absence from the right arm, legs and left shoulder with glee. Bone evidently displaying their existence, sticking out of broken skin and rejecting the natural shape of human limbs that now twisted and turned to resemble a rubber toy.

Red Hood couldn't say he felt bad for the bastard, in all honesty he was mentally rejoicing at the kind gesture of whichever stranger decided to finally take out Gotham's most polluted piece of trash. However, just because he was delighted doesn't mean his sentiment was shared with others, especially his father. Looking at the man he saw the corners of his mouth turned down slightly from the stoic look his mask enhanced, gears turned and twisted in his mind as he further examined the body. Possibilities and preparations by the thousand forming behind that cowl of his, all assessing the methods of this new potential threat.

Robin's expression never changed at all really, all too familiar with the ways of killing that the League of Assassins exposed him to at such a young age and his hatred towards the clown still lingered at the back of his mind now oddly satisfied with Joker's cold and clawed corpse. That being said he was curious about the cause of the clown's demise seeing as whatever caused it clearly wasn't human. The claw marks nor bite marks resembled any of the animals he researched about in his spare time as he mentally tried to match them with all the animals his brain could remember at the moment, so, he was stuck overlooking the now dead man for any possible clues while Red Robin took pictures for evidence.

Nightwing, not wanting to look at the body anymore, made his way back to the goon that pointed them in Joker's direction. Stooping down in front of the dazed man he asked his question.

"What happened here?"

There wasn't an immediate response at first, the man was still pretty out of it. It wasn't until the siren of an arriving ambulance was heard that the man finally responded.

"It wasn't human."

°•☘•°

Tashi didn't know how he ended up in this mess, really, he didn't.

He was a man helbent on keeping himself out of any trouble that presents itself but it seems like trouble loved to fuck him in the ass whenever the chance arises. Due to sheer dumb luck he's managed to survive some of the worst Gotham has thrown at him. Inhaling Scarecrow's fear gas and envisioning his worst fears? Survived it. Mr. Freeze turning the whole city into a winter wonderland? Got a day off and hot cocoa. A magical virus that infected the people and caused an apocalypse? Been there, done that, got the cure.

It started when he left his boyfriend's apartment after spending the night with him. He had wanted to earn some extra cash in the moment so the two of them could take a trip away from Gotham.

Somewhere like the Caribbean, maybe Barbados, he wasn't sure of the location yet but he and his lover would sort that out later once the cash was in his pocket or bank account.

A man handed him a flier for a job that could guarantee him quick cash and although he seemed sketchy he still accepted it. Everything and everyone in Gotham was shady but that didn't mean they were all doing something too illegal. 

◆★◆

Turns out they were doing something too illegal, illegal as in working for the Joker.

Tashi tried to leave but once the door closed his fate was sealed. If he attempted to leave now they would most likely kill him on the spot and hang his body up as an example for those who thought backing out now was a good option.

In short terms, he had found himself in very deep crazy clown fuckery.

"Ben is going to be so pissed when he finds out." Tashi thought about his boyfriend and sighed inwardly.

The twenty-two year old really wanted to just go home and never think about this again. One guy that was not too far from him claimed something bumped into him but another guy quickly shut down the possibility. Honestly at this point he really wanted Batman to appear so they could get this over with and he could go home while these people were put in Arkham—

"Wait! I'm a part of people, people are me, shittt!" He thought bitterly.

Just then Joker appeared, giving him fright with that scary smile before disappearing to a room at the back. He was calming himself down and going over all the possible ways he could escape alive tonight when Joker appeared again, this time holding a frightened childlike figure with a smile.

"Oh fuck!"

And then as if the situation couldn't get any more ridiculous Kiteman slammed the door open with great force if the echo was anything to go by, staring directly at the clown who greeted him in sickening amusement.

As Kiteman stared Joker went on about playing with Batsy and throwing Gotham for a loop with the idea his twisted mind concocted. None of it was to Tashi's liking whatsoever but then to make the situation even more fucked up he planned to include the very scared child in his plan.

"I'm thinking of mailing you to Batsy in pieces." The fucked up circus creation said with warped delight at the thought.

It was the wrong thing to say.

It was a very stupid thing to say.

Everything changed in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly the temperature began to drop and a wind that should be non-existent in the building blew against the hairs of his skin, even being clothed from the top down did nothing as his whole body shivered at the feeling. Goosebumps started to form underneath his clothes, pulling back a sleeve on his arm. He saw how prominent they were against his skin as he stared at them for a moment. Looking back up he discovered a whole new sight and he didn't like it.

The air was dangerous as a feeling of dread overcame his body. It was almost like the area had gotten significantly darker to match with the aura of impending doom that was being sent out in harsh waves.

There stood a creature in the doorway where a man once was.

He tried to get away, to move but couldn't, paralyzed by some kind of primal fear the creature trapped them in. No matter how much his body protested against it, he couldn't look away.

It wasn't human.

Arms that were once average became too long, tearing the fabric that once encased them to reveal sharp claws the color of rotting flesh.

It wasn't human.

Legs that had been acceptable grew to heighten it, carelessly ripping material as feet a sickeningly pale white with sharp toe-claws freed themselves from the confinement of boots.

It wasn't human.

The sickening crack of the spine was heard to ears who listened as the bones broke and rearranged themselves to broaden its appearance.

But the thing that scared him most of all will stay with him for the rest of his life, until he was nothing but worm food six feet deep into the earth.

The eyes.

The eyes that no longer hid behind a helmet were not of this world. A violent green made itself known as it glowed with unknowable power. The pupils from which the green glowed seemed to enlarge themselves and swallow up what was left of the irises. A shade of darkness seemingly being summoned from another plane of existence attached itself to the face and morphed the eyes even more, making them grow to a size that shouldn't be possible for any human being.

But that's just it.

This thing wasn't human.

His heart was beating faster by the minute and the atmosphere worked alongside his fear to simultaneously suffocate him and make bile rise from the pit of his stomach. He desperately attempted to keep it down. The more he looked at them the more he felt as if he was going to pass out.

Some fool decided that they were brave enough and shot the thing in its shoulder despite the obvious feeling of danger penetrating the soul. The hole appeared in its skin, smoking a little as the smell of decay with a citrusy undertone wafted against his nostrils, making his nose scrunch up in disgust before red flesh glowed green and covered it as if it was never there.

All hell broke loose.

The creature let out an ear shattering screech that grated against the flesh of his ear, the sound foreign to the human mind, immediately causing a chain reaction with the goons as they all covered their ears in a futile attempt to block out the sound.

It was fast, too fast. They were so unprepared as the creature wasted no time in taking them down. One by one, moving at speeds incomprehensible to the human eye witnessing it, only being able to catch a small glance when the creature stopped to claw and bite at the next victim. He heard the snapping of bones as limbs were twisted as if they were nothing more than mere cheap elastic plastic strings.

His heart dropped to his knees. The creature was now in front of him, bending its form with ease as those green voids of death looked directly into his own terrified organs of sight. As if to mock him for being so weak in this moment, for being scared to the point where he couldn't move and for being stupid enough to accept the invitation that allowed for him to end up in this circumstance.

For a while they just stared at each other. The creature with its now bloodied form staring at him with expectancy and him with salty tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

A cry that bore a resemblance to that of a high pitch chirp and somehow a baby at the same time broke their staring competition and the creature's head snapped back with a distasteful sound as the neck bone twisted to an odd position.

Joker had dropped the child to make an escape while the creature was busy with him, thinking that he could use the opportunity to get away but unfortunately for him that didn't work in his favor as the creature set its eyes upon his retreating form. Hatred seemed to take its place once again in the glowing green eyes of the creature once more and it dashed towards the clown once, his eyes only comprehending that it disappeared.

This time he sat down and pulled his knees close to his chest, screwing his eyes shut as a piercing scream rang throughout the building. The sounds of blood splattering and bones breaking came next, loudly echoing against the walls there was nothing but silence.

Soft sounds of a melody that sounded otherworldly sang about comfort and safety filled the silence in an eerie but strangely relaxing way.

Opening his eyes he found no monster but a man comforting the form of the weeping child that hugged him tightly in their grasp, clothes shredded and barely clingy to his body. He sat there until the child's cries ceased and lifted their sleeping form in a secure but comforting hold and then left like nothing happened.

Blood that stuck to the skin of the man with shredded clothes told a different tale, one which he would be unable to speak of without his heart filling with horror and his mind flashing images of those eyes.

⭑°･☾･°⭑

"Hello! Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" Nightwing asked, a futile attempt to get the man to talk more.

He only said one thing before he stopped responding completely. Ambulance vans came and cleared the floor of injured goons and took away the Joker, leaving nothing but a bloody scene and Gotham's vigilanties.

News stations were certainly going to cause a lot of commotion as the news of Joker's death spread onto the citizens of Gotham. A party would be thrown and a lot of people will celebrate all throughout the streets but who's to say this wasn't exactly what Joker wanted all along, it certainly wouldn't be the first time he pulled something like this. Gathering a large number of Gotham's populace out in the open and then attacking full force as he reveled in the screams of those desperate for a chance to escape a grim fate.

"The mass must not know about Joker's death yet." Batman started. "For all we know it could be another trap, all videos, pictures or news showcasing his demise must be halted and taken down until further notice."

"Already on it." Oracle said through the comms.

Gathering enough evidence they left the rest up to the police and retreated towards the cave to dissect any and all evidence they obtained while they waited for Signal to return with information since his comms shorted out and they lost contact. Barbara had been checking his last known location eversince.

They were giving him some time to come back on his own before fully going into search mode and looking for him.

To top it all off a museum will be holding a special event in a few days and they needed to find this new threat before any worse could take place.

Chapter Text

Kiteman finally made it back to his apartment with a sleeping Danny in tow, opening the door with one arm as the other was used to hold Danny.

He didn't want to wake the kid after all that happened that night but they needed a shower. So with a few gentle nudges he woke up the boy and had him take a shower first before sending him off to bed with a kiss on the forehead.

A few extra hours were spent cleaning himself with soap and water, scrubbing vigorously with the bath sponge but not registering why just yet. Getting out after finally deeming himself fresh, he made his way towards the living room where he had set out sleep wear and deodorant. He applied them to his body and sat on the couch, flipping through channels and stopping on a news station that caught his attention.

"In tonight's story, a violent attack was made on several of Joker's henchmen at the old factory on Syndicate Avenue that was being cleared to be rebuilt into a children's hospital, leaving a massive amount of blood covering the floors and boxes within the building."

Chuck listened as the news reporter went on describing the scene, cutting to live video and pictures within the building as yellow police tape and blurry camera features did their best to cover up the sight of obvious blood all over the place.

Running a hand through his hair, he brought it down from his head to his lap and stared at it. Bringing his other hand into view and placing it next to the other as he took it all in.

There on his fingers were the remnants of his earlier exploits, staining his cuticles red as a reminder of his sins.

Suddenly, occurrences from tonight came flooding back to him at full force from the inky dark of his memory. Taunting him with visions and tales of his misdeeds that left him in a state of shock.

He remembers now.

He remembers the green otherworldly energy granting him with power as it coursed through his body and overtook him. He remembers the way his bones shifted and snapped underneath the overwhelming force that crashed into him. He remembers how his form rearranged itself into that of a predator. He remembers attacking those goons, biting and clawing at them without mercy. He remembers advancing on the Joker and hearing his screams piercing the air as he tore chunks out of flesh out of the clown.

So why doesn't he feel bad about it?.....

If anything he should be appalled, horrified and disgusted at his actions. 

He's not a murderer, he doesn't kill people, he never went to that level of extreme before unlike some of Gotham's other criminals but the proof was in the blood pudding and for some reason he couldn't care less. He just didn't feel as awful as he should be, instead, he felt satisfied and happy. A part of him purred in pleasure at what he's done to keep his baby Danny safe.

Chuck felt no remorse for what he's done. The feeling of Joker screaming out in pain as he ripped open his stomach with his claws sent shivers of satisfaction through his being.The look of fear he received as the light slowly left the eyes of the insane mad man made him giddy.

Given the chance he would do it again.

"No no no!" He exclaimed, shaking his head slightly to rid himself of such thoughts.

"I'm not a murderer, I'm not some vicious killer, I'm not a monster....am I?"

His question went unanswered as he could do nothing more than sit back on the couch and be consumed by the distressing thoughts that mingled around in his mind.

*•°❊°•*

Signal drove through the streets of Gotham on his bike with determination.

Following the green light's energy had proven to be a difficult task to say the least. The thing moved as if it had a mind of its own, relentlessly taunting and teasing him with its tricks as he indulged himself in its playful nature frustrated.

Gripping the handles tighter he drove from one end of a block, to another and around buildings, the light constantly fluctuating between getting brighter and dimmer the longer he played.

"C'mon just pick one already." He mentally said, anger seeping into his thoughts the longer this game of cat and mouse carried on.

As if hearing him, the energy shined brightly before completely blinking out of existence without a trace to follow.

"You've got to be kidding me."

There was nothing he could pick up on. No hint, trace or drop of the lazarus energy ball was left in the area.

Stopping the bike he his head fell on the tank cover before groaning out a frustrated noise. It has been a few hours now and he still hasn't found it.

Taking off his helmet, he let the cold air touch his face, relieving a bit of stress. His domino mask mirrored his expression of defeat as he got ready to inform his family of his unsuccessful findings. In an instant the energy returned to his sights once again.

It looked and felt more calm now, creating a clear trail of light to follow.

Putting back on his helmet he started up his bike and followed to where the light led him with haste.

◆★◆

The energy led him to an apartment building on the east side of Gotham, a little shabby but overall a very good structure.

He got his weapons and advanced towards the building with his weapons strapped close to his sides. The energy led to a room on the third floor, so by climbing a nearby tree he peeked into one of the windows and saw the room absolutely shrouded in the energy, attaching itself to everything and anything in sight. Focusing on the bed he saw the sleeping form of a boy who was no older than ten, blissfully unaware of the terrifying power residing in the room.

Signal unlocked the window and climbed into the bedroom as quietly as possible to not wake the child. The child, still sleeping unaware of his bat themed guest, slept without a care in the world as he searched the whole room from closet, to draws and even underneath the bed in case it was hiding in an attempt to attack the child once nobody suspected anything but found nothing. 

"It is possible that it's still in this room, with the amount of energy everywhere it would be possible to shrink down and hide itself but then again the power would be seen a lot clearer while getting near to it..." Signal thought silently to himself.

Walking towards the door, he made up his mind to search the rest of the house in case it was hiding somewhere out there when a small gasp caught his attention.

"Crap!"

The kid was now awake and looking at him in shock before his expression did a complete one-eighty and turned into one of awe and wonder.

"Yellow Angel!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Well that was a first for him, no one ever called him an angel with such admiration before, he found it adorable and amusing.

Turning around he made his way to the bed as the child threw his sheet aside and scrambled his way to him, leaping as Signal caught him with relative ease and efficiency .

"What are you doing here?"

"Were you chasing a bad guy?"

"Are you really an angel?"

"Is Batman a vampire?"

"Did Superman and him ever make out with each other?"

Laughing at the last two questions from the boy, he remembered the days he would go online to search for theories and information on his favorite heroes.

"Okay slow down kid." He started, smiling at the boy. "Can you tell me your name?"

"My name's Daniel Fenton but you can call me Danny." He answered quickly and joyfully.

Signal chuckled at the action, almost forgetting why he came here in the first place. The kid really knows how to charm, that's for sure.

"Well Danny, I was looking for something and it led me to your room but it seems to have gone missing again."

The boy's eyes sparkled with determination.

"I'll help you find out, I know I can! You can count on me Mr. Signal sir." He said with all the honesty of a truly helpful child.

This kid really pulled at his heart strings, he's obviously still sleepy but willing to help in any way he can, even cutting off a yawn to show Signal he wasn't tired. That made his heart melt even more.

"It's alright Danny, I'll find it eventually. Youuu..." He started, stressing the end of the word as he tickled Danny in his hold, making the boy release a jovial laughter. "...need to go back to bed."

"Awwww! Okay Mr. Angel." He said a little disappointed.

Signal hugged the boy to cheer him up before placing him back onto the bed and making his way to the window. Halfway through he was stopped by Danny.

"Wait! I have something for you." He said getting off the bed and going into one of the drawers from one of the two nightstands and pulling out a small neatly wrapped gift box.

"This is for helping out the city, being awesome and being one of my favorite heroes." He said with a smile.

Signal, touched by the kind gesture, took the gift and gave the boy one last hug while throwing him up in the air, receiving another laugh from Danny before going through the window and descending the tree. As he got on his bike he looked back at the build, then to his gift and smiled. A pleasant coldness coming off of it he felt even through gloved fingers.

Starting up his bike he made his way back to the cave where his family awaits him and his findings of his nightly escapade.

*•°☯°•*

A being in purple robes chuckled to himself.

He had to admit, there were other ways in which he could have chosen to distract the young super but sending him on a wild goose chase throughout the city was a lot more entertaining to him. Constantly surveying the flow of time often bores him and he needs some fun for himself from time to time.

Sue him.

Only the best for his little prince and future king of the Infinite Realms after all and he made sure it was the best. Even if that was lending a hand to ensure the ethereal bat was on his prince's side.

Shifting his focus, he looked at the form of Charles Brown, aka Kiteman, from his view within the green realm he called his home and decided it was time for an extra push.

Without the prying eyes of the Observers of course.

All for the betterment of the prince and countless other realities after all.

•°⊱♢⊰°•

As Chuck sat there still contemplating his morals the environment began to shift, startling him enough to jump off the couch and into a fighting position. It was as if time just stopped.

Green waves of energy filled the room, the sound of ticking clocks traveled to his ears. The living room began to expand, showing no signs of stopping as the ceiling was practically nonexistent at this point and the couch seemed to be moving miles and miles away from him. The ticking ceased and he was left with silence, his body felt a soothing sensation overtake it, almost as if it was welcoming back an old friend who had been away for quite some time.

Here in this green abyss the TV, which had not miraculously moved away, glitched and released high pitched noises as something messed with the frequency. A figure emerged from the seemingly endless green plane of existence, making Chuck go into a defensive position once again as a blue skinned man with purple robes and staff approached him with a knowing smile.

"Calm down! There's no need to get so defensive, I assure you that if I wanted to be rid of you no one would even remember your existence enough to aid you." They said in a calm tone.

"Who are you?" He asked, watching the being carefully.

"I go by many names, all given to me by denizens of different dimensions but you may refer to me as Clockwork." 

"Why are you here?" Chuck asked, his guard still up.

"I just dropped by to inform you of a few things and give you something for accepting our ghostling." Clockwork responded.

Lowering his stance, Chuck looked down at the green water like substance he was stepping in and noticed that his body changed again, albeit slightly and a lot less monstrous than before. His eyes were glowing faintly with a toxic green, the claws on his hands were more akin to sharp fingernails and his teeth felt sharper as he used his tongue to drag across them, feeling their size and numbers.

"All of that happened once you accepted him as yours to care for." Came the amused voice of Clockwork.

Snapping his attention back onto the nab he saw that his form was no longer than of an adult man but of an elderly male with a long white beard.

"Are you....Danny's parent?"

"In a way, yes, you can call me his guardian. I was the one who sent him here and into your path." He responded.

"But why?"

Clockwork was silent for a moment before speaking again. His form shifted to that of a child.

"Daniel is meant for greater things and success coats itself on the walkway of his future." He started. "Sometimes a mess can appear on his walkway and tarnish it. I clean up the path and make sure he doesn't stray too far from it and wander into unknown dangers."

Chuck took in everything that was being said and stored it in his mind like a sponge soaking up water.

"Sending him to you was one of the safer options. I originally was going to send him to Gotham's knights but that would have made things more complicated than it should be, he doesn't need to regain most of his memories just yet and your behavior in parenting certainly exceeds my expectations."

He was honestly a little flattered. Having an all powerful being compliment him really made his ego happy.

Form shifting to that of an adult man again, Clockwork got closer to him.

"We also need to discuss your body."

"My what?" Chuck questioned quickly.

"Your form! As in the way the ectoplasm in your body bestows you with power."

Ah.

Of Course he remembers that power, it was used to take down one of Gotham's most wanted after all.

"I advise you to invest in bigger clothing to wear as your muscle mass and height is about to increase. You should also be close to or be in the same area as Daniel as his core soothes your parental instincts and numbs the pain of metamorphosis. Also, be aware that once your transformation is complete you will develop abilities of your own and that can get messy very fast." He explained to Chuck without stuttering once.

"Okayyyy, I think I got it."

Clockwork got even closer placing his staffless hand on one of Chuck's pecs while staring at him directly in his eyes. A strange feeling brewed underneath his skin.

"Have faith in yourself, you're doing a good job so far from what I've witnessed and I know you will push Daniel in the right direction." He said.

"Ye—Yeah!" Chuck responded, struggling a little bit with his words.

"Before I go I have one more thing for you, a gift."

Clockworked floated backwards a bit and tapped the ground with his staff. Immediately, the whole area changed again, gone was the green endless space, it was now replaced by what looked like one those high class thousand dollar apartment buildings Bruce Wayne and the rich of Gotham use like spare rooms.

This amount of space and rooms should not be possible within his apartment space. His home was literally defying all known laws of physics at the moment.

"Good luck and goodbye." Clockwork said as he left through a green portal and resumed time once again.

Sitting down on the new couch set he was gifted with from Clockwork, Chuck digested and processed what just took place not too long ago.

He grunted in dissatisfaction when a movement caused pain to shoot through a particular area of his body. 

Sighing as the pain started to minimize.

"My dick fucking hurts."

Chapter Text

It was dark....dark and empty.

Nothing as far as the eye could see was in sight. Usually, that was the case for Danny Fenton, not being able to dream as much after his accident and why should he, his dreams were taken from him and crushed once that stupid portal his parents built was completed and he activated it. He used to be jealous of others and their ability to have dreams so easily but now, he takes comfort from the inky blackness. It freed him from his nightmares and gave him a chance to relax before it happened and he would be forced to wake up and deal with the issue.

Although he doesn't remember what the issue was, he remembers that peace stopped once it came around.

Light began to shine through in the form of little white dots, making themselves known amongst the darkness. In an instant the darkness was filled with more lights which became stars and planets. The space created galaxies. Nebulas of all different colours were present in a brilliant display, adding wonder to the scene.

Danny formed inside the dream, wearing an astronaut suit with his initials written on the right side of his chest. He looked older now, thirteen or fourteen to be exact, with eyes that were an impossible shade of sky blue.

Suddenly, a green colour seeped into the scene, merging with the vacuum of space to create something beautiful and serene. 

He floated further through space aimlessly. Not really having a clear destination in mind but knowing that his body will guide him to where he needs to be.

As he passed star systems a multitude of intricate snowflakes with a green shine to them started merging together in front of him, turning into a large mass of unknown white goo that glowed lightly.

Traveling closer to the mass, he was able to see beautiful patterns that seemed to constantly shift and change under his watchful gaze. Tendrils reached out to him from the mass, morphing into hands at the ends that grabbed him in their hold. Slowly pulling him towards the comforting white of the mass.

Being closer than ever allowed him to view what looked like a humanoid figure. Upon closer inspection he realized it was some kind of skeleton, made from the same substance of the mass it was connected to from the torso and down. Bones that made no sense the further you studied them made up the creature's appearance, as if to taunt the brain that searched for an understanding of what it was witnessing. Eye sockets glowed a vibrant green, similar to that of the space around him. The longer he looked into them the more he saw. Floating islands, doors and even little figures frolicked and floated in its endless vastness.

The skeleton reached out to him with its boney hands and pulled him into a hug that he accepted with no hesitation. Its embrace was cool yet warm and inviting to him as he sank into its boney form, becoming the flesh the creature was denied with.

The two beings merged into one and the mass squealed and squirmed before contorting with the change. Its otherworldly white turned into an indescribable black that filled itself with nebulas and uncountable constellations. The only other traces of the uncanny pure white were on the hand like tendrils and the entity that stood in the middle of it all. Its form now filled out and staying still as the mass underneath it continued to contort in on itself and make noises.

A crown of ice floated above the head, shining with mystical beauty as if it had somehow managed to trap an aurora borealis within its icey confines. A halo of stars formed behind the entity's back, spinning itself at incomprehensible speeds to appear as one ring of bright light.

Now with its ring formed, the mass came crashing down on the entity, drowning it as if it were a raging sea. The entity did nothing about it, rather, it let the substance take them. After a while the substance calmed down swiftly and only ripples were formed, creating movements that would hypnotize the minds of those who witnessed them.

Two large dots of green materialized from the cosmic sea and stared at an almost invisible force that watched it from through a protective barrier.

◆★◆

Waking up, Danny found himself thinking about the dream and what it meant before the memories of last night came back to his mind. The food truck, Addison's, weird guards and a clown.

His core was in a state of distress and he unintentionally called out for his parent, which was immediately followed by Chuck barging into the room and making his way to Danny. Comforting in a hug while his ectoplasm worked its magic to calm him down.

"It's alright, you're safe now." His dad Chuck told him, repeating the words as Danny hugged him.

"How about we get ready and i'll make us something to eat, sound good?" He asked, looking at Danny.

Danny nodded and let go, making his way to the bathroom and getting ready for the day. Once he was done, he dressed himself in a simple white shirt with red sleeves and blue short pants with stars embroidered on the sides. Stepping out, he let his dad Chuck into the bathroom where he came out after some time passed, wearing a red t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

"Must not be doing anything today." Thought Danny.

Making their way to the kitchen, Danny was hit with a rather confusing sight. The place was bigger than what it's supposed to be, adorned with new furniture and rooms that were not here before.

"Did something happen while I was asleep? I mean obviously, but what?" He asked, sitting down by the new kitchen table and chairs.

Chuck turned to him from where he was by the cabinets, hand still reaching towards it.

"Your dad dropped by, Clockwork, and explained a few things before leaving." He said.

"Clockie!" Danny exclaimed with excitement. "If he showed up then that means I'm meant to be here."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Chuck thought with a smile, turning back around to get ingredients out of the cabinet and then making his way towards the fridge.

Setting the ingredients down on the counter, he then started up the stove. Frying the eggs and bacon while Danny got down from his seat to help prepare the waffles. Chuck chuckled a bit when he caught Danny stealing a piece of bacon, thinking he wouldn't notice. He brewed some hot chocolate for him and his son Danny, putting a bit of coffee in his as he set them down on the dining table.

They began to eat in comfortable silence, happy with each other's presence.

"Hey Chuck! Look what I can do." Danny announced, grabbing his attention.

He flipped a piece of waffle, bacon and egg in the air using a fork, before reusing the same fork to send flying into the air while the food was still airborne and effectively stabbing the food together. Opening his mouth, he caught breakfast and pulled the fork out with a victory smile.

"THAT'S MY BOY!" Chuck cheered, clapping his hands as Danny ate what was in his mouth.

Finishing and cleaning up the dishes, they made their way back to the living room to discuss a matter that Chuck wants to get out of the way before anything else.

"So Danny...." He started off, a little nervous as those sky blue eyes looked at him innocently. " How do you feel about me becoming your guardian?"

The boy was quiet for a while as he really thought about the entire situation.

"I guess it's okay, I like you and you're good to me. Even taking me in when you already had your own life to worry about." He said.

Chuck's heart swelled with joy.

"But..."

And then dropped a little.

"I'm not sure I want to call you dad just yet. My core sees you as a parent and I know the ectoplasm in your body recognizes me as your child but I'm not ready to make that step yet." He explained, kicking his feet anxiously.

Chuck could understand that, he was a little disappointed sure but he couldn't expect Danny to call him that right off the bat. He most likely thought calling him dad might make Clockwork upset.

"That's okay with me, I'm going to try my best to ensure you're healthy and happy while staying here." He responded, ruffling Danny's hair.

That seemed to ease the boy's nerves as Danny let out a breath of relief that he was holding in.

"We can use this day to explore the other rooms, but first, how about you open one if the gifts I got you?" He suggested.

Danny reached into his insides and pulled out the small wrapped box. Receiving a nod of approval and smile from Chuck, he unwrapped and opened it.

It was a white cube...with a button.

Looking back at Chuck the man excitedly urged him to press the button, so he did.

The top of the cube separated in half, showing some kind of camera lens inside and coming to life.

What he thought was some weird camera was actually a holographic projector device that had him mesmerized. It showcased all the galaxies, planets and stars this earth was familiar with, even having a feature where you can select one and zoom in to an extent for a better look and see different details of each of them.

"Like it? I ordered it after one of your many talks about space and put in a special request for it to be about space since all the other ones were either animals or shapes that moved when you...."

Chuck stopped and looked at Danny. The kid had tears coming from his eyes now, making him slightly panic at the thought that he had made some kind of mistake by giving the gift to him until Danny quickly tackled him in a hug, forcing him to lie down fully on the couch.

"Thank you." Danny said.

Although it was small Chuck heard him clearly. Returning the hug, he sat up with one arm around Danny and began combing his fingers through the boy's hair. The ectoplasm in his body sends waves of comforting energy to the ghostling, producing a tune in the form of humming that they grow familiar with, all while Danny leans further into him in content and playing with his gift.

*•°❊°•*

The afternoon sun shined down onto the form of a teenager as he made his way through the manor.

Duke took his gift he got as Signal out of the freezer and made his way to his room. His family had been relieved with his return and questioned him about his findings due to the comms not working well with the strange energy of the Lazarus Pit Comet. He reported all of his findings and watched as his brother, sister and father immediately took to the bat computer to update and search for information regarding his encounter.

Spoiler, being the nosey bat she was, asked about the box, which he explained that it was a gift from a kid for being helpful. That earned him a few awws and teasing from Jason and Steph.

Closing the door, he made his way to his bed and sat down on it. Opening the gift, he felt the coldness from before escaping into the room and into the air, looking down he saw what was a figure of him in his Signal outfit, carved with immaculate detail out of ice.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed in awe.

He definitely has a favorite person now, Cass is going to have to share that spot because Danny had made his way to the top of that list. He was totally going back to that apartment and thanking the kid by squeezing the cuteness out of him so his heart won't bear the consequences of the boy's cuteness anymore.

What was weird though was the energy his mini figure gave off was still there. Similar to that of the energy ball but to a very lesser extent, probably because it was marinating in the energy that filled the kid's room.

Which reminds him.

He needs to go back to the apartment again and conduct a proper search without being distracted by Adorabzilla.

If he thought about the kid any longer, he was going to become his father and adopt the child right then and there.

He wouldn't want any harm to come to the kid after all, he would feel terrible knowing he could have prevented it if he stayed a bit longer.

Chapter Text

Within the confines of Arkham, Joker's goons sit reviewing information they've gathered from their attack and coming to terms with their boss being dead.

Some of the men haven't made it into Arkham as they were able to plead their cases of innocence to the court since most of them were just random civilians that were tricked into working for the Joker, but those who were actually a part of Joker's gang stayed in their prison. Spreading the word throughout Arkham to the other goons of his death. A breakout was soon to be scheduled and there would no doubt be a huge party once the rest of Gotham catches up with the news. What had other goons from other villian's attention however wasn't just the clown's death per say, but who caused it.

Tales began to spread about how it was one of the Bats that did it, either the sword wielding brat or the red helmet hooligan. Another theory was that it was a man who Joker had screwed over by killing his family, causing the man to snap and go on a violent rampage that ended with Joker being dead. Some others suggested that some kind of enhanced animal escaped from a lab it was being held and experimented in, came across the clown ending in a death battle between the two with the animal being the obvious winner.

Rumors spread like wildfire and more goons began their own speculation and theories to add to the story. But no matter how many times they were asked his henchmen would not know what ended their mad master. They thought of it as a bad omen, as if even daring to speak the name of the creature would paint a target on their back and cause it to appear where it would finish the job it started back at that building. Their memories will forever be haunted by the figure of a joke of a villian snapping his bones and rearranging them into a monster from the darkest depths of their nightmares. Its uncanny green eyes that pierced their souls with its gaze of hatred and unspeakable violence left even the bravest of them with a look of pure fear whenever they thought back about it.

Even if they did say who it was no one would believe them anyways, they'd laugh while patting them on their backs before asking them to really tell them who it was and they wouldn't hold it against them for doing that. Kiteman, a delusional man that compared himself to the worst of Gotham and wore what was essentially a giant plaything with no possession of gadgets, fighting skills or powers to back him up and not enough brain either overpowered them. It is laughable when you really think about it, one man wearing a glorified glider taking on and defeating a large number of people without any help or former fighting skills to back him up, but, the power they saw him display that night was no laughing matter.

The man made his mark as something that should be feared from then on out. Joker's goons were an example of that, much to the annoyance of Dr. Jonathan Crane, further known throughout Arkham and Gotham as Scarecrow.

Scarecrow couldn't be more upset at the situation, not to say he wasn't glad the clown was gone, he enjoyed hearing that part from goons he caught quietly discussing it with each other, hence how he found out. What he didn't enjoy was the condition of the goons, their fear was abundant, he could practically smell and taste it whenever one walked by his lunch table. A fear so great that it constantly left those burly men as nothing more than trembling children calling out for their parents. The fear was delicious and he wasn't the one who caused it. Another person has unknowingly challenged him for the title of Master of Fear and he was going to show the insolent pest who was the one incharge, no one takes that from him. All he had to do was wait for the eventual big breakout and would hunt them down to put them in their place.

Criminals of higher status received word from their own henchmen who had conversation with the clown's goons and spilled all the news to them. Soon enough every Gotham villian within Arkham was aware of the current situation. Some of the corrupt guards were bribed into bringing alcohol and food from outside and with some time a party was held right there in the cafeteria to celebrate the good news. Killer Moth somehow got confetti and streamers to decorate while Bane got one of the guards to bring shot glasses and bottles of tequila to put with more alcohol. Needless to say everyone was enjoying themselves as not even the guards stopped them, clearly enjoying the news as much as anyone else. However, their curiosity on who killed the Joker had not subsided but rather pushed to the back of their minds to enjoy the party.

Riddler's wasn't easily pushed back though and his mind reminded him that someone had actually taken out Joker just like that and even scared his goons to the point where they would rather be stabbed and shot than to name the person who had done the deed. To be honest he still wanted to kill the clown himself, or be partly responsible for his demise after the whole gang war thing they had a while back. He would have to personally seek out this mystery person and figure them out for his own pure enjoyment.

"You're thinking again! How about we take a left and go some place where the rest won't see us~?" The voice of Clock King suggested, wrapping an arm around his waist.

After he gets dicked down by his slightly intoxicated fiancé of course, then he would set about his search for the mystery person. For now he's just going to enjoy the moment in case the clown comes back to life and decides to ruin their fun.

As Clock King and Riddler snuck off, the rest of Arkham drank, ate and partied. It was only after a while that a very selected few felt and noticed somebody wasn't in here partying with them. Someone who would have been in Arkham by now due to their stupidity and nature. A being that was capable of giving the Dark Knight a headache on a good night. The pieces fell into place and soon the person was painted in their minds, someone asked the question their tongues were burning them to say.

"Wait a minute! Where's Kiteman?"

The question went on uncaring to the ears of the majority within Arkham's cafeteria party.

•°⊱♢⊰°•

Chuck went out to buy lunch for him and Danny, coming back with a few of the burritos they're obsessed with and a bag filled with snacks and drinks to go with their meal. They ate to their heart's content and stored the leftovers in the new fridge and pantry for later.

"Now let's check out the rooms." Chuck said, picking up Danny and placing him on his shoulders.

Danny giggled as he sat down on his caretaker's shoulder. Chuck began walking to the nearest door his eyes came across, which happened to be the one on the wall across from the couch set, a little to the side from where the TV was placed.

Upon opening the door they were greeted with the sight of a large space with no ground. The room was a combination of a dark blue sky, stars and clouds that appealed to the ectoplasm coursing through Chuck and made Danny's core scream in satisfaction. The boy floated off of Chuck's shoulders and proceeded to do a series of loopty-loops and tricks within the air. Taking a hesitant step inside the room, Chuck discovered that the feeling of solid ground was very much present, giving him a much easier time entering the space. Danny stopped his fun and floated towards him while reaching out his hand for Chuck to take.

"Sorry to disappoint you kid but I can't fly, remember?" He spoke with a smile.

"Yes you can! The ectoplasm in your body gave you the gift of flight, I can feel it." Danny said with absolute certainty.

Trusting his son Danny, he took his hand and waited for something to happen but was met with nothing. Danny started pulling him up into the sky and that's when he felt it, being able to fly felt so natural, like something that was always part of him that he forgot. Rising past a few clouds he felt himself become more comfortable with this method of flight and eventually let go of Danny's hand and took part in self flight, laughing as he mimicked Danny's earlier actions of loopty-loops and tricks.

"See I told you flying was a part of you."

"Yeah yeah! You were right, I was wrong but do you want to know what I also think?" He asked, stopping and floating in the air as Danny came to a stop. "Come closer."

The ghostling obliged and floated closer to his guardian, getting even closer when Chuck urged him to with a hand motion. He was three inches away from him when Chuck's hand lightly tapped his shoulder and revealed a playful smile.

"You're it." He said, taking off higher at a fast pace away from Danny.

Danny laughed as he and Chuck engaged in a game of tag, flying through the air and doing their best to avoid the other once they've been tagged. Danny lost sight of Chuck while playing and searched for the man. Arms quickly wrapped around him and pulled him to their hold.

"Gotcha!" Chuck exclaimed.

He began tickling Danny, causing the boy to laugh with pleads of letting go. Unbeknownst to Chuck his other form began seeping through a little, gifting him with sharper nails, teeth and green to his iris. Too caught up in the moment to notice his ectoplasm reacting to being in close proximity with Danny.

After coming down from their laughing fit Danny was ready to see another room. They flew out of the room, closing the door and making their way to another door that was located in the hall in their bedroom and bathroom. Now looking at the hall they realized the rest of the rooms were located there on different sides. Making their way towards the one that was next to the bathroom they opened it and were shocked with the scenery that presented itself to their eyes.

They were greeted with a beautiful sandy beach with the clearest waters they have ever seen. To the left was filled with trees, flowers and short grass reaching further into the unknown area of this strange room. Stepping in they both flew up to get a bird's eye view of the place and discovered it was some kind of tropical island, surrounded with clear waters that showed the sandy seafloor whenever you looked at it and carried on for miles and miles, possibly being an infinite sea.

Descending back onto the beach they walked, feeling the warm sand between their toes and underneath their feet before spotting some things in the distance. Getting a closer look they saw a lot of training equipment, ranging from small dumbbells to heavy lifting weights and leg press machines. Chuck got the feeling he was going to be spending a lot of time in here, with the abundance of equipment he was gifted with he got the feeling that Clockwork purposely created this room as a way of saying he needed to get into a better shape if he was going to protect Danny from then on.

"Ouuu! There's so many buttons." Came the voice of the ghostling.

Chuck floated to Danny's current location and saw that there was some sort of machine sticking out of the sandy ground with many colorful buttons adorning its sleek black metallic control panel. He pressed a green button and watched as a green blob the size of a house cat appeared from the jungle and advanced towards them with speed. Danny shot it with a green blast from his palm, making it disappear completely and receiving a point that displayed on the screen of the machine.

Testing it out again, Chuck adjusted a dial to five and pressed the green button once more, this time five of the blobs appeared and were quickly defeated with a few blasts from Danny's ghost rays, earning him more points. He learned from Danny that they were blob ghosts, normally the weakest things within the Ghost Zone but those ones were different since they lacked any emotion and were just constructs produced by the island. An idea popped into his head and he couldn't help but smirk to himself at the thought.

"Hey Danny." He said, getting the boy's attention. "Are you up for a challenge?"

Danny perked up at the question, curiosity evident within his eyes.

"What kind of challenge?"

"One with the assistance of this lovely machine. I'll create a hundred blob ghosts and spread them throughout the island." He started, looking at Danny, he saw how he had the boy's attention and continued. "We'll search and take them out whenever we spot one, when the timer is up we'll come back here and let the machine decide who accumulated the most points."

"I'm down for it but what does the winner receive?"

Chuck smiled mischievously before giving his answer.

"Winner gets the last super-special burrito."

"You're on, old man!" Danny exclaimed with playful competitiveness.

Chuck set the timer and turned the dial to one hundred before pressing the button. They both rushed into the jungle to begin their hunt and come out victorious with a delicious prize waiting for them at the end.

◆★◆

If he was being honest with himself, there wasn't a high probability of him winning this competition over Danny. The ghostling had a multitude of powers over him with experience in using each and every one of them. All he had was basic flight, a change in appearance and some super strength he discovered earlier when he turned the bathroom door handle in the convenience store and it squashed like butter in his palms. He quickly paid for his items and left after that in a hurry, hoping to be far away before any of the workers there noticed. Realistically speaking he really wasn't going to win, but that won't stop him from trying. This competition will help in kick starting his journey into being a better father guardian for Danny.

Two blobs spotted him and advanced their movements to try and attack him by jumping and ramming into him with force. Using a bit of his strength he popped them both with a swing from his fist. Taking them down wasn't hard but finding them was proving to be troublesome, he would have to float around for some time before spotting one or two he could take out. He had only managed to get ten blobs by now while Danny has probably gotten twenty by now. A way to speed up this process needed to be discovered quickly or else he was going to lose the expectations he set for himself.

Sitting down on a flat rock near a lake, he sighed to himself as he let the wind blow against his skin. He sat there, accessing his thoughts on how he could turn this predicament around to benefit him when the tingly sensation returned, sending waves of alertness throughout his body. Chuck perked up and looked to the side where he saw a blob rapidly making its way towards him. He punched it, earning himself another point before realization suddenly struck him in the head. The tingly feeling he mistook for nervousness was sort of like a built-in detector, it was there whenever he made contact with another ecto-entity such as Danny or Clockwork, alerting him to their presence. He grinned with delight, he just discovered a way to change the game for himself and he was going to use it to his full advantage.

Over the course of a few minutes, he had managed to rack up forty points in total with the amount of blobs he found using his ecto-awareness, he calls it, to his advantage. Coming across a few fruit trees, he was made aware of ten blob ghosts by his very useful gift and got to work. Seeing the little creatures pop against his fist was a lot more satisfying than it should be, their demise adding to his victory and pride. The timer from the machine beeped all throughout the island, signaling the end of this competition. He floated towards the beach where he saw Danny waiting for him with a smile on his face, obviously confident in his endeavors.

"Had a hard time grandpa? I was getting bored waiting for you to catch up." Danny teased.

"I think I did a pretty good job, small fry." He said, ruffling the hair on top of Danny's head.

Turning to the machine, they looked at the points on the screen where it displayed....a tie. Their competition had ended with a tie, fifty points each.

They both looked at each other.

"Share?"

"Share."

◆★◆

Exiting the room, they made their way to the kitchen where they warmed up the burrito before splitting it in equal halves and chowing down, enjoying their treat after working up an appetite. Chuck looked at the time, seeing it was now six thirty in the evening and got started on preparing dinner for Danny and him. Putting on a pink apron, he got started on preparing a meal that consisted of spaghetti and meat sauce.

Danny made his way back into the hallway once he saw Chuck focus entirely on cooking the dish to perfection. He wanted to take one more peak at another room before calling it quits. Looking in, he saw what was evidently a plain work office room which really didn't make any sense to him. Considering the state of the other rooms, this one should also be just as wacky and mind-boggling as the others. Walking in, he looked around expecting to see the room stretch and reveal an entire library or something the further he walked in, right before his eyes, but nothing like that happened, cementing the fact that it was just a boring office room that Chuck would use to do work in or something like that. He was just about to leave when a bookshelf caught his attention and he tried taking a book off the shelf to show Chuck proof of his disappointment. A click was heard and the shelf slid to the side to reveal a hidden hallway.

"Clockie you sly dog." He thought with a grin upon his face.

Walking through, he came upon another more technologically advanced one that split into three before disappearing into the doorway. On the other side was a lab the size of an indoor school court, filled with tech, plants, holding cells for ecto-entities and vials of unknown contents. To the side was another door that split apart to reveal a storage of ectoplasm in clear containers, in comfortable coolness, sitting upon shelves that stretched further into the back where more ectoplasm sat in big containers. He swiped a small bottle and downed it, satisfied with the taste of pure ectoplasm entering his body. Walking around the lab he inspected everything and deemed it perfect, perfect enough to even start with the proper creation of the new suits he promised.

Deciding he'd seen enough, he exited the lab and made his way back to the plain office. Leaving the room, he skipped his way back to the living room where he played with his holographic projector and waited for his dad Chuck to finish cooking dinner.

*•°☯°•*

Clockwork smiled as he looked on at Danny and Chuck. Satisfied with how things were playing out and fondness eating away at his core the longer he observed the two.

His young prince was soon due to a meeting with the youngest of the Bat-Bunch and he for one couldn't wait for the absolute chaos those two will bring once they were together. He can already feel the energy of a tired father rolling off Bruce Wayne and making its way over to him in this realm.

Even though he enjoys waiting patiently for the fun to start, he does feel disheartened at the thought of Danny's loved ones worrying for him and Amity Park's yearning for their hero. Some of the ghosts have even begun a search for him. Skulker using his tracking skills relentlessly to find him, Johnny and Kitty searching the realms for him, Ember using her fans to give her a hand in locating his whereabouts and Young Blood asking his friends and sisters if they found any sign of him yet once in a while only to receive the same answer that left him dejected each time he heard it.

They're all suffering from his loss and unfortunately more suffering is coming their way. Amity Park is soon about to go through a series of devastating incidents that will quite literally shape the fabric of not only its reality but many others as well. His prince is bound to be victorious, he knows it, but first he's going to need care and nurturing to get him to be as powerful as he needs to be and some allies in his corner who are well versed in these sorts of life altering events.

"May your future be as prosperous as your being my prince."

Chapter Text

"I detest such an aggravating occasion."

"I know you do Baby-Bat but this is a really special happening." Dick reasoned, sitting down next to his brother.

Damian bit back a scowl, trying to appear as unbothered about the whole thing than he actually was. The museum would be hosting a special event regarding partnering with WayneTech to add new technological upgrades to the space exhibit. It had been decided by his father that he would be accompanying the man throughout the showcase as it was mostly catered towards a younger demographic, which Damian qualified for, much to his dismay. The rest of his siblings had managed to weasel their way out of it with excuses of patrolling and searching for any signs of the League of Assassins in case they were poking around Gotham looking for their portal prize. He doubted the thing would willingly show itself anyways.

"Thomas or Drake would have been more sufficient for this useless demonstration of our capabilities with father's company." He argued, mood still sour from being picked to go about and waste his time.

"Yeah but they're doing other important things and you could benefit from more interaction with people outside of our family."

"I have—"

"Jon doesn't count." Dick countered before he got a chance to finish speaking. "Neither does your interactions with the Young Justice team."

Damian didn't bother hiding his scowl this time, visibly annoyed with his older brother's attempts. Somewhere along the lines Grayson had decided that he needed to socialize with other kids around his age that weren't secretly a crime fighting vigilante and he's been persistent ever since.

"Who knows, maybe you'll make a new friend or two."

"Your tenacious trials on this topic greatly irritate me." He shot back, looking away from his brother to further his point.

Dick sighed, placing his hand on his younger brother's head. "Just promise you'll try doing it for me atleast." Getting Damian out of his comfort zone was easier said than done but he'll be damned if he doesn't try his best to do so.

Damian let a few moments pass as he thought. He turned to his brother and looked him in the eyes.

"Fine." He said in defeat.

"Thank you Baby-Bat." Bringing his arms around the youngest member of the family and hugging him.

A small smile made its way onto the boy's lips. People often thought that Grayson couldn't say no to him, and while that may be true for the most part, Damian often couldn't say no to him either. He would rarely ever disagree with whatever his favorite brother asked, but the others nor Grayson needed to know that. His brother nudged his cheek with his own, getting in one last hug before getting up and leaving to go and plan.

Bludhaven had been mostly quiet recently and although Dick was skeptical, he relented and came to Gotham for a few days to participate in bonding with his siblings. Damian had been his first target and the man did everything in his power to spend time with him, whether it was to help care for animals or simply paint with him, he'd been there. But that was weeks ago. Joker broke out of Arkham and they chased him only to lose him, a mysterious portal appeared with Lazarus Pit essence and spewed forth a 'comet', robberies were happening across Gotham and they weren't able to catch the thief or thieves, and then they found Joker mutilated and dead with many injured goons who refused to speak out of fear of whatever it was that got their boss coming back for them. Everybody in his family was on high alert after that, the thought of whatever creature did that being out there unnerved them all. Peace seemed to barely be an option anymore with this family, no matter how hard they tried to relax together something always came up.

Damain made his way to the barn area where he found Bat-Cow grazing happily on some grass out on the lush side of the pasture. She noticed him and happily trotted her way up to him, using her head to nuzzle a greeting towards him. He smiled as he accepted and began petting her. If he had his own way he would be spending the rest of his day and night tending to his animals, but fate had other plans for him unfortunately. So now he was using this time to pamper his pets and maybe draw a picture or two before time snatched him away to force him into a suit and be whisked away to a museum where he would have to interact with people.

While all the others were doing their own thing he couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen, and it would involve him and whatever came out of that portal. He hasn't told anyone about it yet, not wanting to base his claims on nothing, but, from the corner of his eye, he swears he can see something small and green appear before disappearing. It continued like that for these past two days, him not being able to get a proper glance at whatever the thing was nor photo evidence to prove his claims and the thing successfully hiding itself. Damian swore he heard it giggle in a weird high pitch melody when he tried to capture it with a camera and failed. The thing was definitely toying with him.

Noise drew his attention away from Bat-Cow, he grasped the knives that were in his pocket and slowly approached the bush where the noise originated from. Whatever it was, it was small and he couldn't help but think the elusive green creature was finally showing itself and making a move. Now in front of the bush Damian waited for it to attack, only to hear the noise cease completely. He waited a few minutes before finally taking the lead and looking into the bush, prying the leaves apart with his hands. What he saw was not on his list of expectations at all. Five green crystal shards, glowing a familiar green as they came into contact with the sunlight from where they lied down in the center of the bush.

The crystal shards had a strangely captivating presence that enthralled him. It was as if the Lazarus Pit had replaced its maddening effects with ones of peace and serenity, only to throw it out in the forms of crystalline shards. Although his other secret plan of today was to find the animal that killed Joker, because he was sure it had to be an animal, no human unless unhinged and enhanced could create such a grisly sight, and taming it behind his family's back would have to wait. He was still very cautious of the creature of course, but his curiosity sometimes outweighed his rationality. These shards were of more importance to him right now in the moment so he took off to the cave after giving Bat-Cow one last petting.

In the cave he utilized its advanced machinery to give him an analysis of the crystal shards, and sure enough the data it provided matched with most of the components of the Lazarus waters. To say it was a complete match would be a lie, it was as if the shards were a more pure version of it, complete with a more calming effect. Footsteps were heard, making their way towards him before stopping, judging by the sound of them he could tell exactly who this was without turning around.

"Whatcha got there Demon Brat?" Came the questioning voice of his brother Todd.

"While investigating a rather interesting noise I found these crystals in a bush where the sound was coming from." He explained.

Damian picked up one and turned around to face his older brother, only to see that he was completely transfixed on the shard he held. Testing a hypothesis, he moved his hand from left to right, up then down, and around and around to, noticing that Todd's vision did not move from the shard. His little experiment here just furthered any proof of them being related to the Lazarus Pits. He wasn't quite done though, he wanted to test the awareness of his brother in this state, to see how far this hyperfixation went.

"Your helmet is unsightly."

"Mhm."

"Your skills as a vigilante are subpar."

"Your preparation of culinary cuisines shouldn't even qualify as an edible substance."

"Sure whatever— HEY! My cooking is amazing you little brat."

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. Damian threw the shard at him where the other proceeded to catch it, going right back into the trance the shard had him in. Turning to the Bat-Computer he created a file on the shards. So far everything was pointing towards the pit, which means Grandfather may have the answer to this problem, his mother, who most likely knew about this would be making an appearance soon if any of this was going where he thought it was heading. Either way he really didn't want to confront them at the moment.

Looking at Todd again he was not surprised to see that the older one's eyes were still on the shard, Damian didn't think he even blinked once. A part of him however was already thinking of ways he could use this whole ordeal in their upcoming prank war. Normally Jason wouldn't be around the manor that much to be stuck in their ongoing endeavor but when he did he showed off along with Brown. Despite being a tank of a man he's able to move very quickly, not quicker than him of course, but quick enough to dodge a few well aimed attacks of water filled balloons. These shards just elevated his advantage over his brother's speed.

"A very good advantage indeed." Damian thought.

"TODD!"

The man jumped at the loud sound, shard momentarily flying out of his hand as he did a series of startled gestures that resembled a chicken flailing about with their wings. Once he regained his composure he glared at Damian.

"Very funny Demon Brat." He spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Comical performance Todd, but I've witnessed Jerry showcase a better chicken impression while being a turkey."

"Oh please! That Thanksgiving garnish wouldn't know acting even if he could comprehend it." Jason responded playfully.

"And yet your mediocre craft fails to get a round of applause." Damian smirked, already knowing where this was about to go.

"I'll show you mediocre."

"Bring it you melodramatic theater piece."

Jason tackled Damian, the other taunting the man as he escaped. A chase ensued throughout the manor while Alfred smiled at the scene, it was the moments like this that the elderly man loved. He may have snapped a few pictures to put in the family photo album but nobody needed to know about that right now.

◆★◆

The time had finally arrived despite Damian's secret hopes of it never coming. The sooner he participated the sooner he could get this over with. He really wanted the creature to show up right now, giving him a chance to avoid this whole ordeal, but fate had other plans, its reappearance would have to be on its own terms he supposed.

"For Grayson." He muttered to himself, applying gel to his hair and watching it take on a shape he was familiar with.

Not many people knew this, and his siblings minus Alfred have forgotten, but his hair was actually curly and fluffier than what he's led the media to believe. A gene he's not sure who it descended from. He doesn't need to give the others, and annoying adults, more reason to pet and play with his hair, Grayson was enough thank you. This was a secret that plans to be well kept, so he hasn't shared it with anybody else. The gel was in a way his only defense when it came to maintaining his secret, but he suspects that Gordon may be catching on. She's seen it fluff up once but he was able to quickly hide it with the hood of his cape. The other time, she caught him carrying the very specific hair products he uses up the stairs, but he was also able to shake her off that time with the excuse that it was used to make Titus' coat shiny and clean. With her managing the security system and therefore having access to all the cameras within the manor he's made sure to be extra careful now.

"Hopefully some imbecile won't get their cold or hot beverage on it." Like most things in the universe there were weaknesses and his products were no exception. It turns out that really cold or hot water was able to reveal what he fought so hard to keep hidden, he's not about to let all his hardwork and sneaking go to waste.

Cleaning his hands once more, he smoothed out the tux he was wearing until he was satisfied with its look. All black, with a white undershirt and green tie to compliment his eyes. Although it has been plaguing his mind for a few weeks now he hasn't decided on whether or not to pierce his ears. Apparently Brown had thought he would look good in a pair, Todd and Cass agreeing with her. He found himself liking some of the earrings that were shown to him but his mind wasn't completely made up on that decision, so he pushed back the topic in favor of focusing on everything else. Glancing down at his feet he saw the black formal shoes still having their spotless shine to them, his face almost reflecting in them. With one more look to himself he exited his room before stopping again. It wouldn't hurt to keep a crystal shard on him, even if he really didn't need them and was perfectly capable of going without their serene comfort. Damian made his way to the cave and pocketed one, then rushed back to the elevator where he ascended to the hall, walking outside to greet his father by their chosen mode of transportation.

Getting in the front he leaned back into the seat, his father starting up the car and driving off to their destination in silence. That is until his father spoke up.

"Thank you for accompanying me tonight." He said, eyes still on the road.

"Not like I had much of a choice to begin with." Damian grumbled.

"I know you don't like doing these sorts but everyone else had their hands full."

Damian looked away unimpressed.

"Plus." He glanced at Damian as they stopped by a red light. "I wanted to spend some time with you, one on one."

The corners of his lips twitched up at the confession a bit. "How about the two of us going to the art exhibit after?" His father suggested. "You could tell me all about them."

"As if you don't know everything there is about them already." His discontentment on this whole situation was easing up as his father continued driving.

"Yeah but I'd rather you explain it to me than anybody else."

Parking their car and getting out, they were heading up the steps when paparazzi bombarded them. His father immediately pulled out his 'Brucie Wayne' act as he answered their questions and dodged some others. Damian made sure to school his expression enough into one that was unbothered yet looking interested as questions came his way. It was more acceptable than scowling and almost stabbing a reporter that got too close to his personal space years ago, though, he will say the urge to drive one of his hidden knives into one of those cameras was tempting. It was a good hour before they finally got away and were able to proceed with their entry inside of the building.

The museum had been decorated with space themed decor and cardboard cutouts, pointing them towards the space exhibition. They walked, getting greeted by a few of the workers and people that were there until they made it to the space section. Children and teens along with their parents were there, listening as the instructor spoke. Her eyes met theirs and she immediately turned to announce them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Wayne here for providing the museum with the new improvements to our exhibition." She said, smiling as a wave of cheers erupted from the people to thank his father as he reciprocated their applause with a smile.

They all boarded the 'spaceship', it was really a specialized bus made to look like a model of a small spaceship on the outside and seatings on the inside improved for comfort as they ride. A wire which was hidden and near invisible and even more so in the dark made it seem as if the vehicle was hovering a bit off the ground. Truthfully, they could make it hover but his father advised against it, claiming the public doesn't need access to that kind of technology just yet. It was made with more durable material though and safety protocols in case of rogue attacks, which when activated with a button would cause the 'ship' to go into lockdown mode.

"Alrighty then." The instructor's cheery voice flowed through the bus speaker. "Our first stop is the Milky Way galaxy."

Damian followed along as the woman stated facts and asked questions, most of which were being answered by a boy who looked ten with black hair at the top and white on the sides and back of his head. He couldn't see their face as they were mostly close to the front and he was at the back. The man he was seated next to, which Damian assumed was some kind of parental figure, seemed familiar to him, but like his ward, his features were also indescribable from his view at the moment.

It carried on like that, the boy answering questions, answering his own and getting a response. Damian already knew of these facts and more, given his time as a vigilante, there was still a lot the rest of the world didn't know about our galaxy and others, keeping them safe and other extraterrestrials safe until the time was right. All in all, WayneTech had done a good job with this exhibition. Passengers got out and headed to the gift shop while some others went their own ways, a manger came up to talk to his father and he escaped their conversation, making his way to where the other teens closer to his age were.

"For Grayson." He reminded himself.

One teen spotted him, pointing to where he stood to the others which caused them to to look in his direction and rush towards where he was. Questions upon questions where being asked and he couldn't give an answer to any of them, overwhelmed with the speed at which they were asking questions and how much they irritated his being, not being given the chance to say something in their prefered time. Apparently they got upset with him not answering back at their pace and walked off, going around the corner to the other side of the wall.

He decided to make one more attempt at socializing with regular people before calling it quits and going to the art exhibit. Hushed whispers could be heard from the other side of the wall as he got close, his hearing was better than the average person after all which also caused them to be a bit more sensitive to noise, hence his hooded cape he wears as Robin. Stopping in his tracks he listened in on their conversation.

"The rumors are true he really is weird."

"I told you we shouldn't engage with people like him."

"Yeah but I atleast thought he would be open about his obviously wealthy heritage."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Nuh uh! It basically confirms that his dad is just a manwhore that sleeps around and he was forced to care for him since it would look bad in the eyes of the press if he abandoned him."

Damian clenched his fist, anger rising from within. Here he was trying to make friends and all he got was inconsiderate people insulting him and his father.

"My dad says that he was made in a specialized lab where Bruce gave his DNA to make another kid but something came out wrong."

"My grandma says that his dad adopts children of colour to show that he isn't racist, otherwise his brother Duke wouldn't even be considered family."

He'd heard enough, he was going to give these pests a piece of his mind and maybe fist. Grayson wouldn't be mad with him about it.

"Sounds like your grandma is bitter she couldn't have children with different skin tones or features without them being associated with another race." A new voice said, stopping him in his tracks.

He recognized it as the boy was answering all the questions from earlier. Peering around the corner he watched as the boy, who seemed to be four years younger than him atleast and smaller than the other teens confidently walked up to them.

"What?" The other asked, not expecting such a bold statement.

"I said your grandma is a bitter, crusty, racist witch." He said, stopping to stare at them.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" One asked, clearly annoyed.

"Shouldn't your parents be in bed correcting their mistake?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Hit a nerve there, let me guess." He started, looking over all the teens once more. "You're a shallow group of teens who have nothing in common except being pricks to people who don't immediately fit your bill. Behind each other's backs Becky with the bad bob over there spews so much bullshit her breath has begun to pollute the air. Mike in the musty suit here tries his hardest to imitate a rich lifestyle but not the cleanliness that comes with it apparently. Trina with the tyrannosaurus teeth that take separate paths while overlapping one another can't or won't close her mouth for so long. And Samuel over here lashes out cause his mom left to be with another man that treats her right."

It was quiet as Damian digested the tongue lashing those teens were subjected to from this child with a lot of bravery and seemingly zero hesitation. The teenagers aren't seeming to take it well but they changed from fury to confusion.

"How do you know our names?" Mike asked cautiously.

The atmosphere seemed to shift as Damian watched. The boy wore a blank expression with calculating eyes as he listed off their addresses and information with deep detail, presuming belonging to the teens as their faces became horrified the longer the child went on. He liked that.

The sound of footsteps making a hasty retreat echoed, getting further and further away. Damain straigtened uo his posture and fully rounded the other side of the wall where he came face to face, well, more like face to stomach really, he was taller than the child with two coloured hair. He stared down at the boy.

"Ummm....Hi." He greeted with a nervous tone now instead of the full confidence he just displayed.

Damian got a good look at his face now. Blue eyes reminiscent of a sky that isn't plagued by smog of Gotham but rather a very relaxing shade of blue stared at him innocently, blinking once and then twice. A button nose and freckles that looked like stars traveled across his nose bridge to the opposite sides of his face. He was sickeningly cute, an undeniable adoption bait practically waiting to be snatched by his father if he didn't already have a parental figure. He was going to have to make sure his father didn't see this one or not they were going to end up with another robin on the streets, parental figure present or not.

"Those guys were jerks, you shouldn't be friends with them." They boy stated, still looking up at Damian.

"I trust your judgment." The boy looked at him a bit surprised. "The way you handled them was justifiable, thank you."

"My name is Danny." He held out his hand.

"Damian." He responded, shaking the surprisingly cold hand.

A smile that promised mischief graced the boy's lips. Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to enact further revenge by pranking them?" He asked.

Damian liked that, he really did. Giving the boy his own smile of mischief he responded.

"I would appreciate that."

ᣟ°ᣞ❆ᣞ°ᣟ

Danny can't seem to shake the feeling of something going wrong tonight, he feels it in his core and strangely enough his skin. That's something he would like to discuss with Chuck but he didn't want him canceling their outing or worrying himself all because his skin felt funny. It was as if it would tear at the slightest pull from another being and expose rotting flesh underneath, infected with maggots and other parasitic bugs, happily feasting away at the decay of his flesh and laying their eggs on his bones.

Two days after him and Chuck explored the rooms he discovered that their bedrooms and bathroom had changed. Chuck's bedroom that Danny usually occupied had expanded to three times its size. A king size bed with sheets of green, pillows of white sat upon it as the head of the bed connected to the left side of the room, against a wall. A small fluffy carpet lay at the front of the bed while two nightstands sat on the two sides. A dresser stood next to a flat screen TV on the right side of the room with a small painting and mirror. Everything looked and smelled new, instantly making his dad Chuck rejoice.

He was surprised when saw a room that was obviously meant for him appear next to Chuck's. It was the same size but instead catered to a child like him, with space themed decor and a model of a spaceship on the dresser. He also had gotten a walk-in closet. The bathroom had also gotten bigger, another one appearing the same size next to it.

Beside these changes to the environment some other things have been happening as well. For one, in these two days Chuck had been training endlessly, trying to push past his limit. Since time worked differently in the tropical training room a week had passed in there when out here it had only been a day. A week where Chuck had trained non-stop, causing him to collapse out of exhaustion when he came out and giving Danny a fright. After he panicked and made sure he was alright Danny gave him a good scolding on taking care of his body that Jazz would be proud of, making the man swear to never do that again and take breaks. It seems that whenever Chuck is in that room his other form seeps out to a certain extent. He's still not fully developed but his teeth and nails were sharper, his eyes glowed green whenever he stopped his intense training and came out for a break. Danny remembered them glowing intensely while his chest puffed up and down to gain oxygen. Pigmentation of skin on his arms and legs turned to different colours associated with the dead from time to time. Overall his metamorphosis was going smoothly in Danny's opinion.

Danny saw the determination of a man who was willing to put his body through hell if it meant protecting him and he couldn't help but feel giddy with glee at the action.

The other thing was him.

He feels the ectoplasm beneath in his flesh shift and squirm about his body. The feeling being too much and welcoming at the same time as he carried out his daily task. Sometimes, patches of white would appear on the skin of his forearms, soft and gooey to the point where he would push a finger on it and watch as it sunl through till he reached his bone. His face filled with glowing freckles that resembled constellations, their sting feeling as if needles were being stuck into his face as they constantly shifted into constellations he knew and others he didn't, stopping after a minute, they scared his face permanently, not going away even with his healing abilities. His eyes still held their ectoplasmic colour but oftenly the pupil would be replaced with white energy, a burning feeling was persistent as they stayed pulsating with otherworldly power, only going away when he shut his eyes for few seconds, tears would often find themselves at the corners of his eyes afterwards. It honestly reminded him of a star you would see while looking up at the night, twinkling instead of showing an inky black when you look into them. His hair would occasionally defy gravity, the white of it almost shining if you look close enough, display patterns that look like snowflakes the longer he stared.

The worst of it tho came when he was taking a nap, instantly snapping awake while his back and spine erupted in pain. Movement was not an option as his body didn't allow him to, he felt as if something, no, some things ripped open his skin to escape, tearing through the material of the shirt and rising into the air, his spine cracking and burning in protest. Three minutes had passed before he could finally move again, getting up he saw a multitude of very thin, mostly transparent glowly tentacles along with frills appear as he stared in the bathroom mirror, fading away after a few minutes of staring. Nothing happened the next day and he looked normal so he didn't tell Chuck about it and after seeing the man collapse all his mind could think about was helping him, giving him a small piece of the truth when he was questioned about the freckles.

A hand ruffled his hair and pulled him out of his thoughts. His dad Chuck was with him and they were happy, that's all that mattered in this moment.

As Danny leaned into Chuck a commercial came on displaying a fashion show in Europe. This seemed to jog Chuck's memory of something, that something being the other gift he got for Danny, telling him to open it before sprinting to the bedroom.

"Wonder what it'll be this time, maybe he got me a custom made Martian Manhunter costume?"

Reaching into his insides he pulled out the box and opened it, letting out a shocked gasp at what was in front of his vision. There in the box was a suit, made with the same material he was eyeing on the outfit at Addison's Clothing Store. The deep black material that subtly sparkled captivated him once again. Dad Chuck had gotten it made for him, they even included small sun and moon gold earrings. It was really meant for him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing but touching the suit confirmed that it was very much real.

Danny quickly changed and realized the suit fit him perfectly and was very comfy. His smile is evident upon his face. Chuck came rushing out, presumingly finding whatever he was looking for. Two pieces of paper that were actually tickets when getting a closer look were held triumphantly in his hand as he smiled, showing his white and slightly sharp teeth.

"These...." He started, waving them in his hand. "Are tickets to the museum that will be hosting a special display at the space section tonight and we're going."

Danny really couldn't fathom it. This man was going above and beyond for him while all he had to do was make sure he was fed and protected. He really meant what he said when he told Danny he was going to ensure that he was happy. The food, the holographic projector and now this. He could cry right now, he was pretty sure happy tears were starting to form his eyes.

"Curse this emotional childlike body."

He tackled his dad Chuck into a hug, letting the older man know he was happy through a series of high pitch chirp-like sounds. Chuck got the memo and lifted Danny into the air, smiling as he tossed him up and down.

At this moment they really do look like father and son.

◆★◆

Night had come very quickly to Danny and he couldn't have been happier. He took a shower then entered his room to get ready, the suit beckoned him as he rushed ro put it on. The earrings resided happily in his earlobes as he put them in, spraying himself to smell better he walked out of his room and into the living room where to greet Chuck, seeing him in a black suit of his own and neatly combed hair. The man looked at Danny.

"Looking good kid." He complimented, taking out his phone to take a few pics.

"Naturally." Danny flipped his hair, making Chuck chuckle in the process.

"We might need to get you a haircut soon, your hair is beginning to look a little shaggy since you don't comb it nor brush it regularly."

"That's so much work." The ghostling groaned out. "If I'm getting one so are you, we both know I have the cuteness to pull off the shaggy hair look. You'll just look like a hobo."

"A hot hobo!" Chuck exclaimed with a grin.

"You're the level of delulu I aspire to be one day." He teased, playfully looking at him in awe as he clapped his hands together to pose in wonder.

"Brat!" He returned just as playful, grabbing the comb from the couch and combing Danny's hair.

Danny felt himself relax as Chuck combed through his locs, happy with the other's presence. Once he was done Chuck took another pic before Danny held his hand to exit the apartment, only turning around to lock the door once he closed it.

Chuck guided them down the stairs, out of the building and towards a car. Clockwork had stopped by once again while Danny was taking a nap on the couch yesterday to give it to him before leaving again, complimenting his lookas he went through a portal. That brought back the strange feeling for some reason but Chuck disregarded any further thoughts about it to focus on Danny and enjoying their little outing.

Stepping up to the car, he unlocked it and opened the door for Danny before going to the front and sitting down in the driver's seat. He started the car, making sure Danny had his seatbelt on and drove to their destination, light conversation flowing between the two of them. Sometime Chuck wondered if he hadn't met Danny, hadn't taken him in or Clockwork decided to place him in someone else's care if he would be stuck in the cycle of unsuccessful robbery attempts and being thrown into Arkham every other week or so, where he would be mocked by his peers. That boy had seriously saved him from his own self destruction and he was going return the favor by keeping him safe and happy by any means necessary.

"We're here." Chuck announced.

The ghostling had turned in his seat to stare at the museum as Chuck parked the car. It was as museum looking as a museum could look. Big, made of stone, pillars supporting its structure and very much normal. That didn't stop Danny from feeling every bit of excitement though, he was going to enjoy this night one way or another. Chuck opened the door for him and after unbuckling his seat and locking the car doors they made their way to the entrance and into the building.

Cardboard cutouts and decor inspired by space was abundant, all pointing towards where the space exhibition was. After pulling his dad Chuck along they set their sights upon the exhibition. Danny loved the space exhibition back in Amity Park, no matter how tired and done with their jobs the employees sounded, he loved seeing all the models of planets and star systems. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold a candle to what Gotham's museum had to offer. Technology enhancements were everywhere, with holograms of planets to specialized lights that created a swirly mass of stars as against the darkness of the ceiling, occasionally showing shooting stars or comets. He was so enamored with everything that he didn't notice when the group of people he was with started cheering for someone.

Chuck, still holding his hand, pulled him away to walk with the others. Danny's focus was still on the ceiling, so imagine his face when he looked back down and there was a spaceship in front of him. His state of shock has not gone unnoticed by the instructor lady, she snickered at his reaction and then addressed the rest of the group, ushering them inside of it in an orderly fashion. The inside reminded him of a bus, a very teched up bus. Comfortable seatings and screens welcomed them all. The windows were circular but also fitted with a very tough glass, enhanced with special minerals to ensure safety. He could still easily break it though, not that he was going to, but it was good to know his strength wouldn't fail him if something were to happen.

Instructor lady gave the signal to the driver in front and he started up the spaceship. Danny made it a point to let her know he was very knowledgeable about space. His dimension or not, space will always captivate his core. Interested in something the hologram displayed outside the dark of the spaceship, Danny pointed to it, asking the lady what it's doing here since he hadn't seen anything like it when researching on the internet.

The lady grinned. "That is a new discovery made by an astronomer earlier this week. We've been keeping it out of the eye of the public for a while before finally showing it off here. It honestly kickstarted this whole event." She admitted.

It looked like a green nebula at first but the longer he stared the more the particles came together, pulling into each other until the center of it resembles an eye. Danny blinked and it seemed to disappear, now looking like how it was a few seconds ago.

"The astronomer in question named it the Fantomo Nebula, due to its clouds of gas and dust resembling cartoon ghosts saying boo." She explained. Danny stared at it again, noticing that it really did resemble a cartoon ghost, he laughed a bit at the faces. "It was almost like it appeared out of nowhere to give everyone a fright, those poor souls were practically puzzled by its sudden existence."

She then went on to speak more, answering any questions people had and by the end of it they gave a round of applause before departing from the spaceship, finding their way towards the gift shop and other sections of the multiple exhibits. Danny convinces Chuck to go by himself and explore the place while the man heads towards the gift shop. The young ghost wandered through the museum, looking at all it had to offer before making his way back to the space section.

A group of teens interacted on the father side and then shot off around the other side of a wall at something they saw. Danny's curiosity got the better of him and he found himself using his super hearing to tune into the conversation. He felt bad for whatever was on the other end of those teen's bombarding the questions, by the sound of it the person hadn't gotten a chance to say a single word at all, poor thing. Eventually they gave up after not getting an answer from whoever they were homing in on to speak to and honestly good for that person, some of those questions were a bit too personal for his liking and too fast paced. Coming back from around the wall and walking further away from it before stopping and huddling together. What Danny heard next was honestly disappointing to him, not five minutes had passed and they were already spewing crap about the person. From calling them weird to the person being a lab accident, it was the last comment that piloted his next action as he walked closer to them.

"Sounds like your grandma is bitter she couldn't have children with different skin tones or features without them being associated with another race." He announced.

With a bit of confidence to his stride he got closer to the teens, recognizing their faces in an instant. It was one of his early missions with Kiteman and he came across a group of teenagers being the absolute worst to a homeless person. Following them, he got information about them all before dropping balloons filled with slime and salt on them and their new outfits.

They went back and forth with their remarks until a single comment he made got under one of the girls named Trina's skin. Using what he discovered about them, he listed very detailed aspects and private information about their lives and watched as their faces morphed in real time. He enjoyed their angry expressions and then basked in their confused faces. He saw the way brain cells started to play a role in their brains again.

"How do you know our names?" Musty Mike asked with caution.

He let the atmosphere around him turn cold as a blank expression with eyes of assessment found their way onto his face. Danny spoke of their home address, family member's names and places of work their caretakers occupied. Horror became their last expression and he ate it up. They panicked and ran away like headless corpses. What he didn't expect going to the wall was for the person to appear in front of him when he was about to turn to go to the other side and look directly down at him with green calculating eyes. To his surprise the teen thanked him and complimented his way of dealing with those jerks. For some reason he liked the teen's presence.

He couldn't help but smile at what his brain cooked up as they were shaking hands. Damian, the name the teen told him, raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would you like to enact further revenge by pranking them?" His brain is planning those teen's punishment.

Damian mirrored his own smile with one of his own, surprising Danny for the second time tonight, happy chemicals in his brain increased. He was so going to be besties with the teenager.

"I would appreciate that."

Chapter Text

Planning can be a hassle for some and down right difficult for most, but when two boys amped up on a revenge plan, ideas of the most devious detailing tend to flow like water down a stream. Such as the case of Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne's revenge scheme.

Not many materials were around to enact their prank but that didn't bother them. All they needed was faith in their plan, which they had, brain power, which they also had plenty of, and their hunger for revenge attitudes. Hence why they were now creating a scare tactic. If done correctly it will have those terrible teens pissing their pants and running to their parents for fresh underwear.

Damian was supposed to lure them into a room they picked out in the museum, trapping them there by closing and locking the door, whereas Danny would use his ghostly abilities to scare them into a quivering puddle.

Danny hasn't said anything about using his powers to make their tatic fully work to Damian, but he did manage to convince him that all he needed to do was get them in the room and he would do the rest. The older boy, although skeptical, decided to give him the greenlight on his part, going along with his excuse and beginning their revenge. Damian walked off to find their targets and him going his way to get ready, feeling funny as he phased through the door.

Something was wrong, he felt squirming start up underneath his skin again but this time, this time it was different, it was violent. His flesh burned and his bones ached, making him fall to his knees, his hands helping to support his weight. His vision got blurry with every passing second and any sounds he was able to hear were reduced to a mesh of numb background noise with a slight ring to them. From his blurry sight he could make out what could only be his arms, now a white goopy substance, melting onto the floor like ice-cream on a hot pavement, bones that made up his hand becoming more visible enough for him to identify them.

He finally collapsed and stayed on the ground until pain subsided. He was regretting not telling Chuck about his earlier troubles but he was too far now, and Danny had a revenge plan he was going to see through to the very end with his new friend by his side. No matter what he was going to enjoy every last hour of this event, excruciating pain be damned.

The first to return to a normal state was his vision, the next being the burning feeling of his flesh reducing to a mere sting, and finally, his aching skeleton becoming numb and tingly while his hearing made a comeback. Pushing himself up, he wobbled and leaned against the wall for support. Motivating his mind with constant thoughts of pranking his victims he stumbled his way through the room he and Damian picked out, effortlessly navigating through the dark and lying down on the cardboard boxes behind large crate boxes. The coldness of the room comforted him in a way he didn't expect and he soon found himself closing his eyes and drifting into a black void.

A figure waited in the distance of his empty abyss. Its white body displays a face devoid of any features.

•°*♤*°•

"These buffoons are more dimwitted than I thought." Damian glances behind him at the group of teens, too interested in their conversation about matters he could care less about. Too invested in their conversation to notice where he was leading them.

He gave them far too much credit than he originally thought when he first interacted with them. Their brains were really not all of that impressive. He managed to get them to follow him by simply stating he had something to show and they just went along. You would think by now that any normal person in Gotham would ask more questions before simply following someone because they said so, but apparently these idiots were not normal, they lacked common sense. Rich or not, you should never follow some stranger because they told you to, even if they were well known and have a great presence.

Perhaps he should be thanking them for their small brains, it certainly helped with making the plan go more smoothly. The room was in his sights now and he couldn't help but smirk, not that they could see him doing it. He could already imagine their faces when he captures them on video to preserve forever in a file, or even get a few pics from it to frame.

"This room is where my father and the manager are holding the better technology." He turned to look at them, completely transfixed on what he was saying, waiting for him to continue. "It is to be shown later down this year but since I have taken a liking to you all I will give everyone here the pleasure of viewing them first, but don't tell anyone else, understood?"

They took the bait, like a fish desperate enough for a worm to not notice the hook it was attached to that would bring about its demise. Their faces lit up and Damian took the lead, walking into the room first. Due to his training and time as a vigilante sneaking back out the door while going unnoticed was as easy as hiding his numerous pet insects from his father. The rest of the teens continued to walk in, not seeing him slip away from them and locking the door on his way out, cutting off any possibility of escape. All he had to do was wait for Danny to do his part.

So now he waits....

°•☘•°

Samuel couldn't say he wasn't skeptical of the one and only Damian Wayne. His earlier interaction with him left a bad taste in his mouth. Maybe it was jealousy, and maybe they were bombarding him with questions but at the same time the other teen gave off this vibe he didn't like. Like a snake hiding itself perfectly, coiling itself around with scales that blended into its environment, he would know, his father's the same way.

Still, he wasn't expecting some pipsqueak to come to Wayne's aid while the others were smack talking him and dish out their secrets, well, not much of a secret in Trina's case but you get the point. Even if he was right and Samuel agreed with the boy's observations with the others it still included him. His mood soured again, thinking back to what the brat had said. He missed his mom and he doesn't blame her for leaving to be with someone better, she deserved better after all. He just wished she would've taken him with her or told him where to find her.

But then again why should she?

He was a spitting image of the man that caused her pain and made her suffer. Blonde hair adorned his shaved head, not wanting to see it any longer and full like his father's. His eyebrows were the same shade of blonde as his hair, taunting him with the resemblance of the man that helped create him. The only thing that was different were his eyes, a small blessing he was happy to see everyday when he gazed upon his reflection. Instead of the icey blue of his father the warm grey of his mother greeted him, happily reminding him of the good times he shared with her.

It was a shame though, his attitude turned out very much like his father's and he hated it. When she left his temper flared, causing him to lash out at anyone, not even his so called friends were safe. He was disgusted with himself, in those moments he could see why his mother had no trouble leaving him behind. If anything, she saw the terrible person he was inside, just like his dad. Sometimes he would sit in his room as his father went out to 'party', often leaving him home alone and not coming back until two to three days later. They never spend any time together anymore, too caught up in their own feelings to check on the other.

He's well aware he needs a therapist, since his dad's a cop and a 'good guy' in the eyes of the public no one would probably take him seriously. Viewing him as someone who's problems stemmed from being too emotional rather than someone with a shitty father, who also has to take care of himself because one parent left and the other doesn't want to be around him for longer than one day.

So as he follows Wayne into the room he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice when the teen disappeared or when the door locked, leaving them trapped in a dark room. At first he was pissed, thinking about being trapped in a room with his 'friends' for so long didn't do his mind any good, but then he saw it. Little lights appeared around them, green and warm to the touch. One was even circling around them as if excited by their presence, urging them to follow it and so they did.

A feeling of delight bubbled from within his chest as he followed the light. The darkness became less and less as they walked, a scenery of beautiful meadows and tree size flowers entered his eyesight. Wayne had most likely introduced them to a high tech simulation room that creates places out of story books to give people who visited a magical experience. It certainly felt like one.

The light moved again and he followed it to a tree. The tree itself was odd looking, its trunk was white and twisted itself to resemble a spiral, while the branches we black like charcoal. The leaves were snow white with a hint of on the veins and upon the branches were clusters of a strange fruit he'd never seen before. Purple like a plum, shaped like a star and big as an ambrosia apple.

Testing his luck he grabbed one only to be surprised when he could feel it. The Waynes surely out did themselves with their tech but he wouldn't admit that out loud. Biting into it he discovered it was sweet with a tangy aftertaste, cold and unlike anything he'd ever tasted before. The inside was a white colour with a very light green surrounding the core. Looking around to discuss his findings he noticed his 'friends' weren't anywhere inside. A feeling of confusion soared across him as he swallowed the piece that was in his mouth, he was pretty sure they were right beside him not too long ago.

"Where could they have gone off to?"

Looking around he again tried to see if he could spot them to no avail. If he found out they left him out of something again he was going to call it quits on their 'friendship'. He was going to before since they often brought out the worst in him, but it would be a lot sooner now.

"Can you help me find them?" He asked, gaining the light's attention.

Sure enough the light began to guide him. As he followed the scenery began to change, warping the sky to one of grey clouds and gloom. Flowers no longer looked happy and vibrant, instead they were dark and depressing, leaves eaten away by decay and petals wilting to somehow resemble faces of agony. Meadows lost all of their green and inviting nature, now all of it was yellow and dead, a mist covering them to give off an eerie vibe. It felt like something out of a horror movie where a slasher or monster would come to drag him off by his feet, but with the knowledge of this being just a simulation he and the light guiding him he carried on into the unknown.

As he kept following the light he came upon the entrance of a cave. The light didn't stop though so he continued to follow, avoiding sharp rocks and puddles of water. A breakthrough was made when he saw glowing mushrooms leading towards a crack in the wall. The crack was big enough for him to shimmy through and as he did rock started changing to look more green in colour, turning more crystalline the further he went in. Coming out the other side he was greeted with crystal walls, mushrooms growing around puddles of water that were suspiciously green and patches of moss blanketing certain areas. Walking further out he couldn't help but be shocked at what he was looking at. There, right there, wass a massive area with a lot of space, crystals glowing vibrantly and water coming out of holes to make beautiful waterfalls.

In the middle, suspended high in the air, was concerningly large structure that made him think of the many bee and wasp hives he saw on those nature shows he regularly watched. With that in mind he noticed big hexagonal shaped combs embedded into the walls, some even filled green goop and something white curled up on the inside in the middle of each comb that wasn't empty.

"Best not to think about it."

Locating rocks in the form of steps he made his way down and followed the light towards the hive. Hiding behind big treelike mushrooms or moss that was as large as bush gave him a sense of safety, although he couldn't see or hear anything it didn't mean that nothing was not here. He was proven right when the noise coming from the water caught his attention. Ducking behind a moss bush he peaked out to witness a creature that resembled a mix between a headcrab, from the video game Half-Life, but with a skinnier base, sharper claws and thin tentacles on its back. Every part of the creature was white, which made it easier to see, except for the tentacles that were green and claws that were pitch black.

"Fuck, Fuck, FUCK! WHY ME?" Samuel mentally could not.

Those little fuckers sents shivers of fear and disgust everytime he saw them on screen, making him steer clear of the game and anything that looked like it. He contemplated leaving and wishing the others their best but he also liked the comfort Light, he named it, gave him. He also didn't want to be alone incase one of those things popped up again.

Being as quiet as a mouse he sneaked past the creature, doing all he can to not look at it or give the creature any indication he was in its home. Navigating swiftly with Light by his side they reached crystalline rock that formed a spiral set of stairs that led into an entrance of the hive, narrowly avoiding the creepy crabs that descended down using their tentacles and claws to swing and stick to surfaces. Samuel wanted to scream when one got too close to his face while swinging but suppressed it and watched as it continued on with its business, paying no attention to him or Light.

Entering the hive he found it to be just as gross as its inhabitants. Green goop coated every visible surface, some of the hexagon shaped combs were empty while most held what could only be the same crabs he's been seeing but in their larvae state.

Suppressing a gag, Samuel followed Light deeper into the hive, coming across more crab larvae that hatched and hid. Turning a corner Light led him to, he saw the horrifying display that was his 'friends' trapped in what looked to be giant upright transparent combs. What he could assume were feeding tubes connected to their stomachs, pumping who knows what into their bodies.

It was a spine-chilling sight to behold. He wondered what was going through their minds right now. Are they aware of where they are and the state they are in, or, is it just pleasant dreams and sunshines happening in their heads, he hoped it was the latter. He wouldn't want to be stuck in his body aware of the horrible situation he's in with the knowledge that terrifying creatures are using his body for their own purpose. He was powerless to do anything about it.

He was going to need something that would break the hard material, something that would produce enough force to shatter them. Conveniently enough, crystals of a very useful size were attached to a slimy wall. Picking one to his liking and pulling it out he discovered it was shaped like a very edged baseball bat, much to his relief, he swung it a few times to test it out. It was heavy but not hard to hold, a comfortable weight he could work with. Mustering up all the bravery he could he swung, stopping himself just as it was about to make contact. 

Pulling back he took a deep breath.

Closed his eyes.

And with all his might swung the bat once more.

Cracking the comb.

He swung again.

And again.

Watching as more cracks appear, watching as his efforts started to pay off.

With one final pull back he gripped the bat even tighter.

And swinged.

Breaking the tough material.

Samuel watched as the body of Becky slumped to the ground, her clothes covered in goop with the rest of her body. The feeding tube, which he could now see close up, was just as grotesque as everything else in her. It connected to her flesh like an umbilical cord, green veins and weird growths covered her stomach, the open stomach dress she'd chosen to be worn tonight betrayed her, siding with the monsters inhabiting this hell hole he entered to give them easier access to her stomach.

Rushing to her, he held her in his arms. Eyes making their way to stare at the feeding tube, he grabbed it and pulled slowly, taking satisfaction from the gush and squelch sounds, only to be brought back to feeling absolutely disgusted once again by the way Becky's stomach looked. Thankfully she wasn't bleeding, breathing out a breath of relief as it closed and healed on its own. She had begun to stir so he wasted no time, giving her a little shake to help her open her eyes faster so he could explain their predicament to her.

"Where....am I?" Her sluggish and soft tone sounded unnatural since she never displayed it before.

"To put it lightly, you're in an underground alien hive being used as an experimental guinea pig."

"WHAT?" She was fully awake now.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

She took a slow breath, memories coming back to her. "I was following the light from the meadow." Her hands swiped away some of the goop that covered her dress. "Everything got brighter, but not to a point where it was uncomfortable or blinding, and the feeling of extreme comfort overcame me. It made me sleepy and forced my eyelids to close. When I woke up you were here telling me about aliens using me as a guinea pig."

"Yeah that was true, look around."

He watched as she took in everything with wide eyes. Their situation was truly a sticky one. For just being a simulation everything felt so surreal.

"Mike and Trina are still trapped, grab a crystal and help me smash."

Becky nodded before scampering up and getting a crystal suitable enough for her use. They smash combs and take out feeding tubes, explaining to the others briefly where they were. With everyone carrying their own crystal weapon they began making their escape.

Everything was coming along well and they haven't run into any full grown crab creatures yet, much to Samuel's relief.

Oh how he wished it would've stayed that way.

A sound from behind caught the attention of the small group. Light flashed in a sequence of colours, almost as if it recognized what was behind them. Turning around, his eyes met the thing that made the noise. It was like his mind was being forcefully opened up while also desperately grasping for any information on what this creature might be, and trying to make sense of the form that assaulted his sight.

Thin tentacles that seemed to stand on the blurred line of being just that and hands were the first thing he noticed. Frills with patterns that looked like eyes, or were eyes, stared directly at him. It was as if they were looking deeply into his life, laughing at the misery that had befallen him the longer he looked at them. In the center showcased bones of various sizes and shapes that seemed impractical, mimicking a maw of some sort that promised pain if one was to get too close.

Did it just smile?

Samuel had no time to dwell on what he thought he just saw as the creature released a deafening screech. Covering his ears, Samuel looked at the creature again. Somehow without a face to fully express itself, it looked like it was giving them the most shit eating grin imaginable.

Then it hit him.

That wasn't a simple screech.

It was a call.

"MOVE! WE GOT TO GO, NOW!" He voiced urgently, making the others follow his command, leaving no time for questions as they all understood what had just happened.

◆★◆

Samuel led them out of the hive and down the spiral stone stairs. It didn't matter what saw them now, they knew they were escaping and were coming for them, all he knew now was quickly exiting this cave. From the corner of his eye he saw a swarm of crabs crawling about and chasing them. His bones tingled unpleasantly as one leaped at him only to be met with a bat to its body, effectively making it fly far to the side and hit hard against the wall. He mentally rejoiced as he reached the other set of rock stairs that symbolized their escape, but then he heard a scream.

Looking back he saw Trina, who was supposed to be with them, swinging her crystal in an attempt to ward off the crabs that were swarming her.

He could leave her to her eventual fate but he was better than that. Although he didn't like her she was much more tolerable than the others. He wasn't going to leave her to become crab food, he was not his father.

"Light! Lead them out here while I get Trina, the rest of you, follow Light."

Gathering enough courage he charged forward to Trina, swinging his bat at any crab that dared to get even an inch closer to him. He was at least ten steps from her when a crab got the upper hand and jumped on her face, covering her entire head. His blood ran cold as her screams were muffled by the body of the creature, sending waves of fear pumping to his heart. His mind played out the ongoing scene in slow motion as Trina struggled helplessly against the thing.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his body had already made the decision for him. With a war cry and newfound speed he surged forward, striking as many crabs as his eyes could see, hearing the crunch and scream they gave off once their crustacean forms connected with his bat. He swung the bat with strength amplified by his fear state, watching as the crab flew across the body of water nearest to a waterfall, getting impaled by a sharp stone where it died.

Trina looked horrified. She hung open a little, bloody and scared before closing it. The rest of her face was okay, if you didn't acknowledge the cuts caused by the creature's claws on the sides of her face or the cuts underneath her eyes.

As long as she was still alive Samuel didn't care how she looked right now. Using one hand to grab her he quickly led them towards the stairs, viciously swinging at the nightmare crabs that got in their way and making it up to them. He led Trina to the crack and ushered them through, following after he got a few more crabs with his makeshift bat.

Thankfully, the others were there waiting for him by the cave entrance. Once they double checked everyone they ran towards the area Light was leading them to. Scenery shifted from the warm nature area to the dark and cold of the room they entered, much to his relief. They banged on the door, watching as it opened and the familiar hall of the museum breached their vision.

They rushed out, not noticing the Wayne who was recording them with his phone or that their injuries along with any evidence of their horrifying encounter was gone.

It wasn't until Samuel was home in the comfort of his bed swearing to be a better person, get better people in his life and seek help regarding the behavior of his father that he noticed it....

There, propped up against the door of his room was the crystal bat.

•°*♤*°•

Damian Wayne was delighted.

On one hand he was thrilled with how easily the plan had worked, these teens looked scared out of their minds. On the other hand, the plan seemed to have worked too well. Those weren't the faces of teens who had gotten a simple jumpscare, those were the faces of teens who went through a horrifying event that would no doubt play in their minds when they try to forget it. He could live with that.

It was a little suspicious on how long it took Danny to scare them, he expected something quick and efficient. But he pushed it aside, simply thinking Danny needed more time to work his talents. Damian waited for the boy to appear, giving him a toothy smile and explanation on how he managed to traumatize teenagers so quickly, but he got nothing.

Confusion festered in his mind when Danny didn't step out after a while. He walked in, switching on the light to give him a better view. Danny was nowhere in sight, only boxes and crates were seen. Walking further in, Damian's nose was hit with an odor making him pause in his tracks. This smell was all too familiar, he smelt it more than once, where it was in his time in the League or as a vigilante when he and his family were too late finding the victims. Following the smell it got stronger as he got closer to a stack of crates. Walking around them he saw the sight that made confusion turn to disturbance.

Danny's rotting corpse....

Damian froze looking at the boy he was not too long conversing and scheming with. A pit formed in his stomach as he continued to look. There was no explanation he could give at this moment to explain the rapid decay of his new friend's body.

Breaking out of his state he was about to tap the emergency button hidden on his collar to alert his family on his unfortunate discovery. He was going to make sure what or whoever did this to Danny received their painful punishment.

"Damian?"

He stopped.

There was no way.

Bringing his eyes back to the form of his friend he saw that the boy who was supposed to be dead blinked at him.

It was unsettling really.

The flesh around his eye sockets tainted his tan skin with sickly green veins that looked like cracks pushing out from the skin around his eyelids. His left hand was barely covered, bits of flesh stubbornly clinging on, showing the bones that were meant to stay hidden and protected by the body's outer organ. His right hand had an off-putting colouring, mostly green and purple. Some kind of fungal growth could be seen attached to it and his neck, the latter partially eaten away enough by it to give Damian a view of the muscles in the boy's neck.

"What's going on? I 'eel phany." The boy's words were slurred and riddled with confusion.

"Danny listen to me." Damain got closer to him, staring directly into the other's eyes that seemed to have dulled significantly. "I need you to stay calm and conscious, I'm going to call for help."

"Wha—"

"I'll be here with you." He assured his friend. "Just don't move."

The boy watched as Damian pulled out a device from his pocket and put it to his ear. He couldn't think much of it as his consciousness started slipping away once again.

"Da–ny? D–nny! DAN–Y!"

A voice called out, sounding worried with each passing syllable. Desperation oozed of their form, feeding him somewhat.

Black started creeping into his vision, not noticing the panic the other person was in, nor aware of the decay speeding up the breakdown process of his flesh even more. Only silence and emptiness greeted him as he finally closed his eyes.

•°⊱♢⊰°•

Chuck had to admit, the gift shop was pretty cool.

Themed decorations of space covered the ceiling when he walked in. Shelves with cool oil lamps that they've gotten the oil to mimic stars sat there. How they did it he will never know. Cups and mugs of various sizes sat on another shelf, all with imagery of planets and cheesy quotes and puns. To The right of the shop was a candy, snack and drink section. All including a space theme to their appearance.

He walked through another aisle before stopping.

"Oh this is coming home with me."

He grabbed the item and proceeded to venture through other isles, picking up things of interest and making his way to the counter to pay. He was given a tote bag, which was also space themed, to put his purchases in and he walked out. The item he bought would surely get a laugh out of Danny.

"Now where did he go?"

It had been a few minutes since they last saw each other but that was like hours to him. The parental bond he has with Danny really made him obsess with keeping the kid safe, and not knowing exactly where he was at the moment made him worry. For all he knows the ghostling could have been kidnapped, or flew around and got stuck on something that prohibits his powers, or—

"Oof!"

Colliding with another person on accident was always embarrassing to him, especially when he was more often than not the collider. To be fair tho, the other person wasn't affected as much as him, hell, he barely even budged. It felt like running into a semi-squishy brick wall, making him almost fall if it was for said human brick wall's quick reflexes, catching him by the arm and stabilizing his balance.

"Sorry about that, I got caught up in my thoughts and wasn't paying atten—...."

Words died down in his throat as he looked at the collidee, his heartbeat quickening its pace as he registered who the man he collided with was.

Bruce-Motherfucking-Wayne.

"Oh fuck!" He silently cursed in his head at the fuck uo he just nade by coming into contact with Gotham's billionaire bachelor. "You done fucked up now, lets hope he's as nice as he portrays himself."

To his relief the man just smiled at him in a non-threatening way.

"That's alright, it was an accident."

Bruce let go of his arm, freeing him and asking if he was okay. If Chuck could he would have distracted the man and ran away before he could even notice him escaping. But this form didn't possess the speed he needed and too many people and cameras were around him. So he stood there, hoping the conversation he knew was coming would end quickly.

"Did you enjoy the show?" He asked, still having that charming smile. "Hope everything was to your liking."

"It was great!" He may have said that too quickly but being next to Gotham's prince and talking to him was making him nervous and anxious. "I mean you and your company did an amazing job, everything was like a magical experience with your upgrades, had my son mesmerized."

"Son?" The man questioned, curiosity so strong he could feel it, it was probably another ability from his other form leaking through due to how stressful the situation he's in was.

He just registered what he told the man and internally screamed. He wants to be able to call Danny his son but that would be too soon for the boy, plus, his mood saddens a little with the thought. He wasn't his actual dad, Danny already had Clockwork and one back in his home dimension waiting for him with the rest of his family.

"Well, he's not really my son but I've been watching over him these past couple of weeks for a friend and I can't help but call him my own from time to time."

Truth of it is he's scared Danny will just go back to his home dimension and forget about him once his time is up. Chuck couldn't bear the thought, it pained him to think of never seeing his son Danny again.

"Ah I know that feeling, I have two kids who I consider as my daughters, but they aren't mine legally." A fond smile graced his lips.

"He sure loves space."

"Oh you don't even know the half of it." Chuck's mood lightened up. "Kid practically taught me everything I know and more about space."

Conversation with Bruce was a lot easier than he expected. They both shared their fair share of stories about the kids. So when the alarm in the building went off that signified a rogue attack he was very much in the right to worry. Remembering how Danny reacted to the Joker was still fresh in his mind. He didn't take notice of the people rushing past him to get to safety, nor did he notice Bruce communicating through an ear device he pulled out from his pocket and used it to talk to somebody, but he did notice frost and ice creep out from underneath the museum door entrance.

⭑°･☾･°⭑

If you told Bruce Wayne that he would be witnessing Kiteman beat the shit out of Mr. Freeze an hour ago he would have raised an eyebrow and asked if you were okay. Checking to see if you had sustained any head injury a while ago. But what he was witnessing was not something his mind simply conjured up for shits and giggles.

Allegedly, when he first caught sight of Kiteman he mentally groaned, thinking the man was going to pull some stupid act that would take away from the time he wanted to spend with his son and ruin his extended track record of not being the one to deal with him but no. What Bruce got was the shocking news of the man having another son, then to find out the boy wasn't his, then to turn around and have a nice conversation with the man about their kids. It was refreshing as it was weird but he welcomed it, indulging and finding himself enjoying the other man's company. So when he got the news that there was a mass breakout at Arkham he knew he would have to cut the conversation short and come back to Kiteman at a later date.

Mr. Freeze somehow arrived in their vicinity in a matter of minutes, busting open the doors, letting in cold air and frost as he began to put his ice-gun to use. Him and Kiteman had already taken cover, getting far away from the ice villain. It wasn't until Kiteman remembered his son that he split from him in order to search for the boy.

The button on his shirt sleeved beeped with a sound that they only used when there was really an emergency that needed all of their attention. So to tap into his comms and hear the sound of his youngest telling him, mildly panicked, about finding a body only to have it cut out while he was calling the body's name made his fatherly instincts flare up. He darted away from his spot in an attempt to locate Damian and his whereabouts, ignoring the looks he received from people who were hiding in the rooms he broke down the doors to get to.

What stopped him in his tracks however is when he noticed Kiteman confronting Mr. Freeze, anger he'd never seen on the man until now adorning his face. The ice villain must have said something that didn't sit right with Kiteman because the man's face went from surprised to enraged in an instant, eyes almost appearing illuminated. He was definitely sure the man snarled, bearing his teeth that seemed sharper in the moment. Quickly, Kiteman ran up to the other villain and delivered a punch to the gut, making Mr. Freeze puke up blood that splattered the helmet of his suit. What came next was a series of fast punches that downed the other villain. His jaw dropped as he watched the continuing onslaught, watching as Kiteman's face seemed to shift into something else for a split second.

Needless to say Bruce was rethinking everything he knew about Kiteman. His files were definitely going to need an update when he got back home.

⸙ᣞᣟ⌂ᣟᣞ⸙

Amity Park had gone to shit, that was the truth.

But to figure out what happened we are going to have to rewind to a few weeks earlier.

★◆★

The citizens in this haunted hotspot had just been subjected to one of the most devastating wails they've heard been produced by their local ghost hero.

People looked outside, some even dared ro come out of their homes, no doubt trying to get away while their houses shaked. Debris littered the ground, benches and lamps scattered everywhere, it was as if a natural disaster had just befallen them and left it in a haste. It was a mess but thankfully no one had been hurt.

The Fentons were quick to drive around the streets, looking for the ghost that caused this level of destruction. Their daughter, Jazz, stayed home, anxiously pacing in her room. She knew exactly who caused that wail and it made her heart ache with worry. She knew her brother doesn't use the wail as often, only utilizing it as a last resort when a threat became too much for him. With that knowledge alone she knew something terrible had gone down and judging by the intensity of the wail it was super bad.

Sam and Tucker have been trying desperately to find their friend, going to the park while the rest of the citizens grouped together to discuss or stay in their homes and ignore everything until the morning sun shined down. They didn't allow themselves the luxury of either option though, their friend was missing with no contact between them to tell them where he was. Searching is what they plan to do and they were going to search until Danny was found.

Valerie Gray watched as the citizens of Amity Park conversed. Her hoverboard supported her weight as she looked on from above, occasionally glancing down to make sure any ghost who could cause this much damage with a wail and she was on a lookout for him. She wanted answers and she would make the ghost boy give her them. Now only if she could find him.

The A-Listers' group chat was in a frenzy tonight. To them their hero had gone toe to toe with some super strong foe and used the wail to an extreme they've never heard before to come out on top. It meant power scaling, it meant an update on the blog about his powers, it meant he had won. No one considered the possibility their hero had fallen for it meant that doom would be in their future and nobody wanted that.

An effect rippled through the Ghost Zone. For newer ghosts they found themselves confused at what it meant, but for older ghosts they knew exactly what was about to come.

A future laden with devastation had just opened up and the residents of Amity Park and the Infinite Realms were going to feel the most of it.

It meant war.

Something most ghosts avoided due to the actions of the last king. A play most ghosts wanted no part acting in, but their fates were sealed. The gate has opened up and soon they will be arriving. 

Arriving to devour realities, arriving to rule the realms, and arriving to remake every known thing in their own twisted image.

They will start out slow at first, not really being noticed by anyone, and then they will come rushing in, ready to tear down and take away everything.

G.I.W agents return to their base, oblivious to what they had just done. Congratulating each other for a job well done and partying to their hearts delight when the curtain of despair pulled back to start their stage play of ruination. They will be the first to feel the heat of their mistakes and be torn apart into oblivion.

May Phantom have mercy on them all.

Chapter Text

It was a big win for the GiW. Their most notorious foe, Phantom, had been dealt with, permanently.

No longer will that stupid spector get in their way again. Everyone at the base in Amity Park rejoiced, drank to a job well done and praised agent K for his well aimed shot that took down the ghost.

Now, phase two of their plan could commence.

You see, for a while the GIW have been trying to implement a special operation, one that if done correctly would rid them all of any ecto-entity inhabiting Amity Park, but due to Phantom and its fiercely protective behavior of guarding the city no one within their ranks have been able to make start it until now.

The conditions have been met, and with one final nod from their superior the GiW hopped into their vans, turning it on, and drove to their marked destinations. One van would head east, the other west, another south and the final north. Every van contained the same machine meant for the same purpose.

Their goal was to build a shield, but not just any shield, a shield that would encase the entirety of Amity Park, essentially creating a barrier that would trap the ghosts in and render any ghosts from entering the area. Although, this also meant that they would also be trapped in here but that was a risk they were willing to take for the greater good of humanity.

Agent O stepped out of the vehicle, his white suit extra clean for this occasion, and headed to the side of the van. Sliding back the door revealed a lovely device, one their best engineers worked themselves to the bone to make sure it was efficient. Powered by ectoplasm and made to self charge by taking in the surrounding ectoplasm in the air, which was abundant due to the veil that separates their world and the Ghost Zone being so thin here in Amity Park.

His lips tugged into a smile as he looked at the man he planned to marry after this whole fiasco was done. He'd already bought the ring, all that was left was to pick out their vacation spot and propose to the man of his dreams there. His excitement more so came from the knowledge that after this mission is completed he and K will start their journey as husbands, rather than their foe being defeated like everyone else. He could almost imagine the look on K's face when he whisks him away to—

"Agent W to Agent O, we are in position." A voice said, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Agent O here, we are also in position."

Looking over at K he received a nod of confirmation that the others were also in their correct destination. Everything was going smoothly for once, usually by now Phantom would have gotten wind of their plan and swoop in to completely destroy everything in sight, costing them a lot of money. But since he isn't here the probability of them not having to continuously replace their gadgets went up to a hundred percent, and it was all thanks to his partner and their well aimed gun.

"All agents are in position, commence operation Ecto Contamination Cleanse."

A while back the GIW began to take notice of how seriously the immense ectoplasm affected the citizens of Amity Park. It started with glowing eyes that appeared whenever a citizen showed a strong emotion towards something, which when studied later also helped them to see in the dark better than most nocturnal animals. After a few experiments they found out it went away with the use of a spray made with a particular kind of flower that was supposed to be extinct, although subjects reported stinging in their eyes and later a slight blur to their vision afterwards. But they recovered and were released back into society.

Then it got worrying.

Upon closer inspection it dawned on them that the effects of the long exposure to ectoplasm were becoming permanent and the spray no longer reverted the ones sprayed with them back to normal, in fact it seemed to cause great pain in their eyes, some screaming out in agony.

The second thing they noticed was a lot more concerning than just glowing eyes. People's teeth became sharper, more predatory, as if they were creatures of the hunt. Agent O remembered being next to a baby in a cradle while hunting for a ghost when the baby opened up its mouth to yawn, revealing a small set of teeth that came out of its gums, spooking him as they retracted afterwards. It was apparently the most comical thing the baby had seen all day cause the little sucker laughed at his reaction.

The third thing they noticed cemented their reason to create project Ecto Contamination Cleanse, or ECC for short.

Say what you wanted to say about muscle mass and how it affected your strength, no highschooler, even if they were a jock judging by the letterman jacket, should be able to LIFT A CAR WITH ONE HAND. Such things like that shouldn't be physically possible, not even their best agents that had special training for years could do what the highschooler did, but that wasn't the end of it cause the same teenager proceeded to THROW THE CAR where it was then CAUGHT by another teenager with ease.

Another time was when they witnessed another teen's headband fly off their head and get stuck at the top of a three story high building. He remembered the way both his and K's mouth hung open when the teen did a series of acrobatic moves that shouldn't be possible, and would put circus performer to shame, to SCALE THE BUILDING just to grab the headband, apply it to their head once again, and BACKFLIPPED onto the ground without any trouble, eyes glowing subtly from their victory before stopping.

The whole facility was in an uproar after they brought video evidence of the baby and teenagers. Everyone believed this was some sort of ploy by the ghosts to infect them and turn them into monsters to attack the rest of humanity and take over the world so they got to work. Their best engineers construct the devices to enact their plan and their best scientists try to come up with ways to cure the infected populace. It was a struggle but they were finally able to create the shield and special tool that would work as a detox for the infected.

The machine whirred to life. Its transparent tubes filled up with ectoplasm, the sound of it powering up was like music to the ears. A melody that promised change and prosperity, an end to a battle that they have been fighting ever since the GIW was created. With this machine powering to life their future would be nothing but easy sailing.

Green glow emanated from the tubes and with a final hum a green beacon of light shot forth from the machine and entered the sky, soon followed by three more identical beacons of light.

"Excellent!" K's voice broke through his state of awe. They watched as light started to spread out and form the green dome they've been expecting. "The shield is coming along nicely, all that's left is to wait for it to fully form." K spoke into the comms.

For a split second O swore he saw some kind of large oval appear in the sky, but he chalked that up to more likely being a figment of his imagination, enhanced with the little sleep and drinking he's done while celebrating yesterday.

The shield finally formed, and with a press of a button camouflage itself from the prying eyes of the outside world. As much as they believed the rest of the world had a right to know about these monsters and their evil ways they really don't want to deal with the press, or worse, nosey teenagers snooping around and hindering their progress. They fought too hard to get it to kick off and they won't have anyone interfering with their operation.

"Agent K to J, is the shield secure?"

After a few seconds a response came through. "Very secure."

"Good." K's shoulders went down in a show of relief for a brief second, only to revert back to their original stance. He can't wait for this to be over so they could finally take a vacation. "Any ecto-entity interference?"

Unfortunately the ghosts are still around. Now that Phantom is no longer on the playing table they might start to target the GIW and that would be the most unwanted outcome. Becoming a target for a bunch of spectral scums was not on their to-do list but it is expected.

"It's ghost-free sir."

"Lovely! Make sure to keep an eye out for anything or anyone that comes into close contact with the beacons. I do not want this shield to stop doing its job."

"Affirmative." And with that they turned off the comms. O got closer to his partner and rubbed their back to comfort them. This whole thing would soon be over and they could relax somewhere far away from Amity Park.

"Do you ever think that we made a mistake when we applied for this job?"

Thinking back, they had been at least nineteen when a man in an all white suit saw their skills in the military and asked them to follow him to his office. That day changed their lives forever.

"Not really, we're protecting the people of the world so they can continue to live in peace without the interference of these creatures."

"Sometimes....sometimes..."

He knows what his partner is thinking about, he often thinks about it too.

The screams of their enemy that sound so similar to their own kind. The way they imitate humans so flawlessly that the GiW constantly question their methods but never speak it out loud. The way they sometimes wore the faces of frightened children when experimented on.

It honestly makes them question, but they had a job to do, and if they let their thoughts get in the way of the job it would give these filth the upper hand.

"I feel like we're making a big mistake and it's going to cost us....a lot." K looked at him.

O kissed his cheek and continued to sooth his soon to be husband.

･｡⭑･∆･⭑｡･

Alcohol bottles were a common theme in his house. The tell tale signs of a pathetic drunk chained and shackled by his past mistakes.

Clothes were thrown about haphazardly in different rooms, probably needing to be washing but the owner did not care right now. All that was on his mind in this moment of time was to get a bit of rest before some arse eventually called upon him to fix their easily avoidable fuckery.

John lit a cigarette, inhaling the contents before exhaling the smoke. A bottle of whiskey was held tightly in the grasps of his other hand, taking a swig from it every time he put down the cigarette.

He had just got back from a meeting with the Justice League and Justice League Dark, who all gave their updates on crime or whatever bullshit they were doing while patrolling the planet. Of course he gave his little two cents here and there aswell, much to the displeasure of the Bat and other members since he smoked while doing so, but fuck them. How would they like it if he they had to continously deal with magical creatures and demons trying to claim their souls or take their firstborn child or eat his dog or some fuck like that.

John relaxed himself with another drag of his cigarette. He was anticipating something, something big. The magic running through his veins could feel it all in the air. A great change was about to come but he couldn't tell if it was good or bad so assumed the latter, cause honestly, when has something like this ever worked out in his favor, barely.

Then it happened.

A small tingly feeling underneath his skin before it turned into a wave of pain. It was like a whole new kind of power that was simultaneously old and new revealed itself to him.

Reality had torn open itself, a great force entering this plane of existence and bringing with it untold secrets.

John collapsed on the ground under the sheer power of the force, his whiskey spilling on the carpet and his cigarette burning out. This power, this force, it spoke, yelled and whispered to him all at once. Spoke of beings beyond his comprehension, yelled at him of a war about to come, and whispered to him about a new king that would rise to be triumphant over all.

He tried to scream out, to vocalize his pain, but nothing came out. Too overwhelmed by the unknown force and repressed by the power that held him like a prisoner in its grasps, cutting off the ability to will his own body into movement, even if minimal.

It all came to an end in an instant, leaving as soon as it arrived. His breaths coming out tired and shaky, his heart beating quickly in his chest. The House of Mystery seemed to shake in his vision, as if it understood everything that happened and was about to happen.

"Bloody Hell!"

Constantine begrudgingly got up from where he fell over and quickly made his way to a room in his house that would have all the answers he needed.

Searching through all the books he could find nothing aligned with the kind of power his body was assaulted with. It seems like he was going to have to conduct a deeper investigation on this matter, ask a few magical beings that were willing to give him answers. But before he could leave the room a popping sound echoed through the area. There floating above his head was a book titled 'The Infinite Realms'.

He'd never heard of it before, and by the way the book emitted the same power, albeit less intense, he knew this was what held the answers he was looking for.

As he began to read through the contents his face turned to shock, and with a few more pages turned horror.

The book spoke of powerful entities, gods and untold horrors from the beyond that could easily take over their dimension with a flick of the wrist. A god who can manipulate time in any dimension on a whim, a warrior with four arms that could easily destroy dozens of armies without breaking a sweat, and a yeti that could cause an eternal ice age with the wave of its hand, and finally, a king with unlimited power that commanded them all.

"Fuck!"

Chapter Text

Worry ate the girl up. Her pacing becoming more frantic as time passed by but she simply couldn't help it right now, not with her brother out there somewhere. Not responding to any of her messages or calls, not phasing through the walls of her room to spook her then calm her down, not here telling her she worries too much and will develop more grey hairs than their father, and certainly not here tinkering with one of their parent's inventions. Turning something they deemed a failure into something that was a success, or, rewiring one of their weapons to his benefit.

He was always good at that, taking apart some of their parent's smaller devices when they were younger and fixing them so they could work when he thought no one was watching, but she was, and she has the pictures safely tucked away in a box in her closet, for safekeeping and nostalgia. She never understood when people would say that all the brains went to her and not Danny. Sure, she may be booksmart and when it came to the mind and psychological effect of people around her, not that they gave her the time of day to really pick at their psyche, but her brother is just as intelligent and even more so than her or their parents.

When his grades started dropping people were quick to make assumptions, claiming he was a lost cause and how he'll never get any further in life. She too began to worry about him after hearing so many comments, she chalked it up to him having trauma after the incident with the portal. She remembered how Sam and Tucker came out of the basement scared and holding her brother that smelled of cooked flesh, dawning litchenburn scars that travelled from his arms all the way up to his neck. How she screamed for her parents, her voice panicked and scared, watching as her father barreled in through the door followed by her mother. They took one look at him and immediately got into action, dad holding and carrying Danny while mom started up the RV, followed by her and his worried friends. In the end he was alive and that was all that mattered to her.

And then the ghosts started coming through, changing their way of life in Amity Park forever. One by one they poured through, causing trouble or panic among the citizens. She saw how tired Danny got, not being able to stay fully concious at the table for breakfast sometimes, all to their parent's obliviousness. Their parents were too busy trying to vanquish the ghosts and stop their 'evil plan', which she often disagreed on due to the nature of their hero Phantom and how he protected them. 

Then the truth smacked her in the face, she cursed her mind for not noticing the obvious signs earlier.

Danny was Phantom.

Jazz watched him transform, everything clicking in her mind at once for her to paint the picture. Suddenly everything made sense, from his bad grades to his tiredness and dark eyebags when he claimed to be just studying late. But it also brought forth a grim revelation. Her brother was a ghost, her brother was dead. 

She didn't want to believe it at first, coming up with the excuse that it was simply something he gained from being exposed to ectoplasm for so long in their household, but that didn't make any sense. If that were true her and their parents would gotten something like Danny from being exposed to the substance much longer than he was. She then moved on to what caused his unfortunate demise and their was only one thing that came to mind.

The portal.

In her logical mind there was no way someone, much less a young adolescent boy, could be shocked with such a high voltage of electricity and walk away with a heartbeat, but Danny did, she was so happy to see her little brother breathing and alive that she quickly dismissed those thoughts. Oh how a fool she was to think that things would be that simple. When Danny got around to explaining his situation to her her mind was put somewhat at ease. Appearently being dead and alive at the same time was something he eventually came to terms with, and with his obsession being protection, something she learned later, fighting the ghosts and keeping Amity Park safe seemed like the right thing to do. With a little push from Sam of course.

Eversince then she became a part of the team. Helping to distract their parents so he could find the ghosts without any interuptions, patching him up and comforting him after a nasty battle left him battered and bruised, and watching as he rised up to defend with all of his might and power like a true hero. 

Although he could be an annoying gremlin that dives and dig through trash to find parts their parents had thrown away to build things, or needed a few sprits from a spray bottle she keeps around her to stop him from eating ectoplasm he finds on the floor or walls, especially after their parents made a mess in the lab, she was without a doubt proud of him.

It was no secret that Phantom was powerful, everyone saw how the ghost that gave him a hard time to defeat in the past usually took a few minutes to go down now. Everyone knew that he keeps getting stronger with the passage of time, even to the point where some ghost weapons don't affect him like one time anymore, reduced to nothing but a mere sting or light pinch. Jazz sometimes wondered if he would reach a point where none of the weapons created to take him down would be affective against him anymore. She'd seen that kind of power creep into his human form, being totally immune to the cold and harsh blizzard that one time, pushing open a door only to send it flying into a wall and even being able to pop off his head like some sort if doll. They had a lengthy discussion about that last one.

"How did you even figure out you could do that?" She was equally impressed and concerned by the way her brother used his head like it was a ball, throwing it up and then catching it as it came down.

"When I got my head cut off." He answered casually.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"Yeah." He stopped to now juggle his head, creating two more duplicates of it to completely copy a juggler. "Me, Sam and Tucker went to visit France to take a few pics and eat fancy food when we spotted an antique shop."

She for one did not like where this story was heading.

Heh!

Puns.

"After we went inside and looked around we spotted a Freaking, Guillotine. It was just there, out in the open for all to see." The boy laughed, unaware to the way his sister's face began to shift in the moment. "And then I got the idea to put my head in the hole while Tuck held the string to lift the blade I thought was fake so Sam could take a picture."

He stopped juggling and got rid of the duplicates, one head now held above his head as he screwed it back on.

"Long story short, the string snapped and off came my head. I was fine but the look on the store owner's face when he saw me holding my head with blood on my shirt and shoes was priceless, you should have seen the—....ohhh...."

The boy finally saw his sister's face and realized he just crossed a line without knowing and may end up really dead this time for not noticing his mistake sooner.

"....I'm...I'm in trouble aren't I?" He was very scared at that moment.

"BIG!!!"

Jazz shaked her head at the memory, she grounded him for a week and forbade him from travelling to other places outside of Amity Park, besides the Ghost Zone, without her being there because it appears that Sam and Tucker have unfortunately been affected by his stupidity due to long term exposure with him over the years.

All of this pacing wasn't doing her any good, she need fresh air. Poking her head out through her window she closed her eyes, inhaled, breathing in the fresh cool air, then exhaled. When she opened her eyes again she was met with the sight of green light in the distance, a bad feeling forming in her gut. Her parents were out on the streets, still searching for any ghosts their device might show them and she didn't recall them mentioning a new device they created in any of their rants recently. So naturally only one suspect came to mind. Some one or some people who have been nothing but a great annoyance to their team and town. A group of people with a big enough budget to pull this off.

The GiW.

◆★◆

Jazz stepped outside the comfort of her home and onto the hard cement of the sidewalk. Her vision picked up four green beacons of light in different distances, now forming what looked to be some kind of energy dome. She quickly got out her phone and alerted the rest of the team in their groupchat, recieving texts from both of them asking her questions about it. They told her there was still no sign of Danny and they would be heading into the Ghost Zone to check for him.

"I hope wherever you are you're safe little brother."

She didn't know how long she could stall their parents with the excuse of Danny being with his friends, eventually they were going to want him home or suspect that they were hiding something from them. She was working on dumb luck and calculated time to be honest.

"When you get back you're grounded for another week."

She shot off into the direction of one of the beacons, hoping to figure out what the morons in white were up to now so she could hopefully make the team's job a lot easier. Red Huntress also had the same idea it seems, she was flying above her, heading in the same direction.

✧˖°.乙.°˖✧

Zatanna felt it when it hit her like a demon possessed school bus. She was backstage in her dressing room getting ready for her show when power that felt familiar and foreign all at the same time made her jolt back in pain. Voices all speaking in a different tone, ranging from loud to quiet entered her head. She clutched the sides of her head as the voices continued to tell a story.

She'd been expecting this and prepared for when the force eventually made its way to her so it didn't hurt as much as it was supposed to, thanks to the nature of the spell she casted earlier the pain could've been a lot worse, but it still hurt nonetheless. Not much could be done when something like this happens, most Homo Magi who are more intuned with their magic, which allows it to grow, can tell when a powerful being enter this plane of existence while others not so intuned will get a headache, but for it to be this painful spoke volumes on how truly high-powered this being is.

Getting up she felt the voices leave and her body silence the pain to allow her to walk properly. She thanked her quick thinking skills that lead her to place a numbing spell on herself. She was just about to make a call the members of the Justice League Dark when her door opened up, revealing a man with a clipboard.

"Your up Ms. Zatara." He informed her with a smile before closing the door.

"After the show, then I'll contact them."

◆★◆

Surprisingly, Constantine contacted her first, asking to meet up to discuss some very important matters, no doubt being what she and presumingly ever magical being felt an hour ago. They were going to be meeting at a cafe they were both familiar with but first she wanted to analyize the magic she felt before.

To be honest it felt like her soul knew more about this power than her, a feeling of being caressed gently by it a long time ago, in a place so close but so far out of her reach. The story it told her did nothing to ease her worries though. One must always be wary of any magical creature, no matter how benevolent they may present themself as, there is always an underline sense of danger that comes out if poked at for too long.

She thought back to her days as a member of Young Justice. Her first dealings with other magic users was with the team, it gave her some experience and prepared her for the encounters that came later down her path of life. Beings such as Klarion and even Doctor Fate helped shaped her into the person she's become today, someone who took precaution when it came to forces of a more magical nature. Not to the point where she was paranoid like Constantine but careful enough not to be caught waging her soul to a spirit with a slippery tongue.

As she grasp onto the essence of the power from earlier she tuned into it. Feeling as the power gently touch the tips of her fingers and flow through her body. A realization like no other was suddenly as clear as day to her.

Death magic.

Her senses were so overwhelmed that she didn't take notice of the unmistakeable feeling sooner. Such kind of magic was always tricky for her to deal with since she never praticed the art of necromancy as often as she did with other kinds of magic. Too many things could go wrong with the simplest of spells if you didn't pronounce it right or be crystal clear with your intent, something like bring back a mouse to the living plane could be the building block to start a global apocalypse. Those were blessed by a death god or touched byvthe hand of death too many times could weild it without dealing with as much problems a normal Homo Magi would have to face. Death magic this strong was not a good sign at all, and with those voices she heard earlier mentioning a king she had a very good idea of who just entered this realm.

"Etaerc a latrop Encitnatsnoc."

A ring of light twice as big as her body opened up and she stepped through, scaring the blonde british man. To him it most likely looked like she appeared out of nowhere. It was honestly a fun spell to use when she wanted to give her teammates a scare. The ones that have magic can sense her coming, including John here but he still gets spooked from time to time, the ones that don't always gave her hilarious reactions. If she could go back in time without messing up the timeline and snap a picture at the exact moment Wally's face looked as he yelped, not expecting her to just appear, she would frame it and put it in her room to laugh at every once in a while.

Constantine looked like Constantine. Amd by that she meant having a cigarette in his hand and reeking of bad choices.

"I'm grateful that you could make it luv but did you really have to use that particular spell?" His grumpy tone making her smile.

"With you? Yes!"

"Harding fucking har!" He took a glance at the people around them, minding their own business and not paying any attention to them, an effect caused by the cloaking spell she sensed he put up earlier. "You know why I called you."

"Let me guess, you also felt the power that came crashing into our world?"

"Shit was bloody painful."

"You knew it was coming and didn't make any type of preparations to ease the pain that would eventually come with it?"

"Give me a break, I was busy putting up with a couple of arses that got in trouble with a demon and dealing with the asses from the Justice League for the thought of putting up any numbing spells to cross my mind." He replied bitterly before continuing. "Besides, I wasn't expecting it to be that powerful."

She waited a moment before speaking up again. "So what do you propose we do going forward dealing with this possiblw threat?" Any ideas were welcomed with open arms in her book.

The man pulled out a book from his trenchcoat and placed it on the table, pushing it towards her for her to get a better look at the writing and gold lining on the cover possessed.

"The Infinite Realms....never heard of it."

She would remember hearing of something that given by the title seemed very important.

"Me either." Good, so it wasn't just her who had zero knowledge of this realm existing before now. "After getting my ass up of the floor I searched for some answers, not finding any book in the House of Mystery that mentioned the place."

He took a drag of his cigarette, blowing smoke to the side.

"I figured I would have to ask around and see if anyone else knew of its existence. Then the book popped out of nowhere, containing all the answers I was looking for."

He stared directly into her eyes, a look that told her he knows things and they weren't something that brought much comfort to his mind.

"You should read it first, then we could discuss afterwards."

"That bad?"

He didn't speak, instead placing his attention upon a cup of tea next to him that was cold by now, warming it up with a spell. She watched as the tea steamed as he blew on it and took a sip.

Zatanna picked up the book in her hands, opening it and turning the pages to see a biography that labelled everything from the history of the place to the entities that inhabit it. She turned to pages that explained what the Infinite Realms is.

The book explained how it was the space between dimensions, the glue holding countless realities together, and the place where most souls travelled through before ending up in a different plane of existance. It was fascinating, to think that this realm had been here the entire time without her knowing was crazy to think about. A place outside their reality that her soul knew about and it was so close.

Continuing, the texts mentioned how the first king formed after they defeated a powerful entity. The realm gifted them two artifacts which came to be known as the Crown of Flame and the Ring of Rage. Both items were used to cement the fact that the king had been acknowledged by the realms itself and boost their power to greater heights. An act that stayed consistant when new kings or queens were chosen.

Appearently, to become the ruler of the Infinite Realms one had to beat the current ruler in trial of combat. Later down the line a new king was crowned after defeating the previous one and holding their core captive. To this day no one knows what happened to the previous king's core, it was speculated to be destroyed by the current one at the time but no evidence was found for that to be regarded as the truth. Unfortunately for the realms the current king became a tyrant, corrupted by the power he was supposed to use to protect his subjects and enslaved any entity he could get his hands on.

Pariah Dark was not someone to be taken lightly. It got to the point where a group of powerful entities called Ancients came together to imprison him inside an object called the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

"Look at what it says about the Ancients on the other pages." Constantine's voice told her.

As she continued to read fear took root within her. The power these entities hold made most of their powerful foes look like toddlers in comparison. It would take the combine efforts of several Justice League members, with a few magical enhancements, to at least knock out one of them.

"Shit!"

Chapter Text

The morning sun illuminated the city of Amity Park. Many of the citizens were already up and about, trying to make ends meet or get through the day without any casualties. All with their own goals in mind they go about trying to complete them so they can return home and rest as the cycle continues on again. This does not exclude the younger population either, specifically, two teenagers who were running on nothing but determination and caffeine.

Sam and Tucker looked exactly how they felt, dead tired. They can only run on coffee for so long before they inevitably drop down from exhaustion after all, and it wasn't as if the ectoplasm in their bodies that increased their stamina could keep them going forever, but they were going to try anyway. That was on brand for their group, even Jazz.

"His ecto-signature is not coming up anywhere on my PDA, I'm genuinely stuck." Tucker pushed his glasses to rest on top of his forehead, wiping his tired eyes with even more tired hands that have been relentlessly tapping away at his device.

They have been searching all over Amity ever since they lost contact with Danny from their seats back in Tucker's bedroom. They have searched from the highest peak of the tallest building in the city, to the deepest depths of the secret tunnels they discovered weeks ago, but nothing seemed to give them any indication on where their best friend had gone and they were nearing the stages of panicking. Checking the Ghost Zone was their next step, they were overlooking all the places in Amity for one last time before making their journey there.

"I don't get it, it's not like he could have teleported outside of Amity, we would've picked him up with the tracker you made him." Sam held back a yawn as she finished her sentence.

They had to admit it was fun seeing Danny teleport to random places at first, off of a bench or two steps behind them when they were walking together. It was hilarious when he randomly teleported in the hallway and landed on top of Kwan, the two kissing in the process. Luckily for them the hallway was mostly empty except for the four of them and Kwan was too stunned with the whole thing to comment or bring it up later.

The whole thing ended with Danny discovering he was also attracted to the same gender and Kwan blushing before looking away whenever they crossed each other's paths. Neither Dash nor any other A-lister picked up on it yet and they doubt Kwan would have immediately told them, but with the way Danny also blushes and looks away as well Paulina had been actively raising her eyebrow at the two eversince.

But it started to make them worry when he randomly teleported in a fight. Skulker had come around, ready to put Danny's pelt on his wall like he always declares and the two ended up clashing. Their fight also gained some unwanted visitors in the form of the Fentons and before you knew it anti-ghost weapons were being fired up into the sky, trying to hit one or both of them. He eventually beat Skulker and put him in the thermos but his teleportation activated again and put him face to face with a beam that if he wasn't quick enough to dodge would have melted his face off.

After getting the hang of his teleportation power Tucker, being the genius that he is, created a tiny tracking device with some help from Danny for all of the members of their team. Small and hidden from the eye if you didn't know where to look. The trackers were also in the shapes of things they liked the most, which helps to make it blend in more with the right outfit, so Sam's was plant themed, Danny's space, his pixelated and Jazz's brain themed.

A message was sent to their group chat by Jazz. She had sent them a picture of the GiW's latest passion project, a beacon of green light. Taking some time to focus their vision on something else they noticed the light far up ahead, which was also accompanied by three others in different areas of Amity. Tucker replied to her first and then Sam, both questioning her about the light and then giving a rather glum update on her brother's whereabouts. He then texted her about searching the Ghost Zone which also means they would be using the Specter Speeder, a little heads up to her before going to use it.

"I say it's high time we checked the Ghost Zone." Sam couldn't sit back and relax herself while one of the people she cares about is lost somewhere, probably hurt or worse.

"Agreed."

As the green dome continued to spread around Amity Park the two teens hastily made their way into the basement of the Fentons. They filled the Spector Speed with whatever they would need and jumped in, powering on the vehicle before entering the portal.

Being in the Ghost Zone provided them with a sense of comfort, it was like a second home to them, there when you needed it and ready to assist you with your needs. To an outsider that may sound crazy, with all the ghosts floating around and the endless space it had, but to someone that has been around ectoplasm long enough to be influenced by it the zone was very much a paradise to some as it was a prison to others.

"Do you see his ecto-signature on your device?"

"No, not yet!" His turquoise eyes shining with stubbornness, figuratively and literally, the zone tends to make their eyes glow sometimes.

"Maybe if we go a little I would be able to get a reading on his ecto-signature."

As they traveled through the zone they took notice of the scarcity of ghosts around them, usually there would be at least large groups of blob ghosts everywhere but now there wasn't any, not even an ectopus or other ecto-animal could be seen.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." A voice said.

Kitty and Johnny materialized in front of them, Shadow with Johnny as he sat on his bike. They would sometimes hang out with them after being chased by Danny, often bringing them snacks from different parts of the zone to try. It was on one of those days they discovered ghost edibles and Johnny accidently gave one to Danny. Apparently when Danny is high he tries to recreate things he has seen in space with his ice powers, it was very cool to watch even if their bestfriend kept trying to crown them prince and princess of the Ghost Zone since they mean so much to him by using his ice to create crowns for them. Johnny got a scolding from Kitty and Danny eventually came down from high with a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head.

"What are— Woah!" Johnny's face held a surprised expression as he looked on at the duo. "What happened to you two?"

"Not to be rude but you look like you haven't slept for days and partook in an underground mosh pit." Kitty teased.

"Danny's missing." The two dead teens perked up with that response, looking at them with their full attention.

"We tried to track him back in Amity but we found nothing, so we thought he might have somehow ended up here in the Ghost Zone." Same explained to them.

The two were quiet, taking in what had just been shared with them, they both turned to face each other, a silent conversation without words taking place before settling on an agreement.

"We'll help you look." Kitty said.

"I still owe the brat motorcycle lessons and it would be a shame if he wasn't able to do them." Johnny added, hands gripping the handles to his bike.

"Thank you!" Both Sam and Tucker thanked simultaneously. Extra eyes were very much appreciated right now and with them helping finding Danny will be a little easier.

°⌁ꌗ⌁°

He saw the signs and he felt the pain, maybe not to the extent of Constantine or Zatanna but being the Champion of Magic exposed him to the force that entered a few days ago. A new yet old power had entered the playing field and carved its stay among the stars, hence the sudden appearance of a green nebula that definitely wasn't there before.

A few days ago he had been flying over Fawcett City making sure no pedestrians were in trouble or bad guys were out doing nefarious deeds, but he still was on edge. He could feel something coming, approaching closer, until reality opened up and something came through. Pained roared to life in his body, a force so great it sent him plummeting towards the ground in a nearby park. When he collided with the earth he was surrounded by trees that blocked anyone from viewing him. The writhed under the night sky, voices coming at him from seemingly nowhere, all telling him a tale in different tones. He thought it would go on forever but then it stopped.

"Ugghhh!" His voice groaned out, disoriented from the force.

As he got up he felt bits of the power still lingering around him but this time it felt different. At first it felt somewhat forceful but now the magic he felt almost seemed like it was trying to comfort him in a way. The feeling of a gentle and cold breeze washing over his body, taking away any and all pains he felt before, his skin tingling as it made sure he was alright.

He knows how concerning death magic may be to other people and they have a right to be worried, even now he still felt the king's might linger underneath his skin, potent and powerful. To a degree he could understand where Constantine and Zantanna's worry and almost fearful explanation to the rest of the Justice League was coming from remembering the feelings that he felt after the pain subsided.

Feelings of being comforted, as if a blanket wrapped around his mind to soothe the aching pain of the voices that came earlier.

A hand cupping the side of his face as the other played with his hair.

Feelings of being caressed gently by the power as it snuffed out the tension in his body.

A body hugging him, cool hands slowly going around in circles on his back, apologizing for the trouble it had caused.

Feelings of his soul being protected by a force that vowed to never let any harm come to him.

He couldn't see them but he knew that they were here, it kissed his forehead to reassure him of its promise.

These are all the things he felt and could still feel from the force, in and out of his superhero persona. Though, he knows his tidbit of information would do very little to sate the minds of earth's strongest defenders. These people had seen more than him and sacrificed a lot, but they still did it, all for the safety of earth's inhabitants and the prolonged survival of the planet itself.

He admired them a lot.

"Shazam, is there any input you would like to give before we continue?" Batman's voice rang through his thoughts, halting them in the process.

Leave it to Gotham's Dark Knight to see through his dilemma. The other member's eyes were all on him now, making him feel a little nervous on the inside, but he acted as if it didn't bother him and opened his mouth to speak.

"I agree with Constantine and Zatanna, we should be careful and we should prepare. If the inhabitants of this Infinite Realms are as strong as the book suggests then it is in our best interest to create a plan as quickly as possible." Talking like an adult was almost like a walk in the park for him nowadays.

"However...." Everyone's eyes remained on him, waiting for him to continue his speech, Constantine had raised an eyebrow at him, making him a bit more nervous. "I do not believe the king is our enemy."

"What?!" Constantine stared at him as if he grew two more heads. "Did you not read what the book said, or hear about the war the voices screamed at us about, or felt the bloody overwhelming DEATH MAGIC that came with the king's visit a few days ago?"

He knew this was coming but he was prepared to explain his reason for not suspecting the king of starting a war. The king had been in this realm for a couple of days already and in that amount of time, with that amount of power at his disposal, he could have easily taken over or destroyed the world as soon as he laid eyes on earth. Sure there was the possibility that he was waiting for the right time to strike but what good would that bring him, waiting around for them to get the upper hand and seal him away doesn't seem very logical considering how easy his plan could backfire. Besides, those feelings he felt that night were definitely the true feelings of someone who was kind and caring, enough for him to argue on the king's behalf.

"I know most magical members here after his arrival and how much pain it caused us to have such a being like that, one who reeks of extremely powerful death magic, to enter our world for who knows what." He took a breath and continued. "But that's just it, he's already entered our world, with that much power he could have easily had the earth under his control days ago or destroyed but he didn't. Yes there is a chance he could be biding his time for something but it doesn't add up with what information we were given."

He looked at the Justice League with determination sparking his confidence. "I also need to confess to something else that happened to me that night when the king entered."

"And what would that something be?" Zatanna asked him in a soft tone, still in disbelief on the nature of the king but willing to hear him out, he always liked her.

"While shaking off the disorientation from coming into contact with the king's power I not too long after experienced his magic again, but this time it was different, it helped me."

"Helped you how?" Wonder Woman asked.

"It healed me of any pain I received from the previous encounter and made sure I was well enough to fly home." He decided to leave out the part where the being's power literally felt like it was comforting him as if he were a friend, that would have been a little too embarrassing to say aloud.

"Okay but why only you?" Constantine asked. "The rest of us didn't get any princess treatment and a pat on the head."

"I am not sure, but I can say that he isn't malicious and he isn't our enemy."

Shazam let out a sigh of relief as the members continued to discuss around him. He knows the king isn't here to harm them or the rest of the world but that doesn't give an explanation to who is. It is possible that it could be a group of Ancients who don't like the new king for some reason, or, it could be a group of ghosts who believe someone else should get the crown. The voices spoke of a war, but maybe, just maybe, it wasn't the beings of the Infinite Realms that were attacking. They have been reading about the terrifying power these beings possess and assumed that it had to be them that were making a plan of attack.

"If neither the king nor his 'ghosts' are going to attack then who is?" He was still in denial about the existence of ghosts but Deadman literally exists and Shazam was sure the speedster had dealt with all sorts of gods and monsters. "Zatanna and Constantine here made it pretty clear that the last one was corrupted by the power he had, who's to say the new one isn't corrupted in his own way and is beginning to sow seeds for an attack?"

He knows that is not right, the power before spoke to his soul without any ill intentions behind them. A king who had all that power and all those powerful subjects under his command wouldn't need to wait so long for an attack when nothing they possess at the moment could truly harm him. It just doesn't make any sense to him.

"We'll continue to prepare." Batman said, gaining the attention of everyone here. "If what Shazam said is to be believed we could try to negotiate with the king to get answers."

A sense of accomplishment filled the hero.

"I really don't think that's a good idea mate." Constantine reached the inside of his trenchcoat to pull out what looked like a water bottle but he doubted the contents inside was just water. Judging by the faces of a few members they thought the same thing.

One question remains on his mind though.

Who was attacking?

Chapter Text

"Recognize Batman 0-2."

The zeta-tube announced his arrival, speaking in the same automated voice he was used to. It was supposed to be a regular meeting, updating each other about events that took place in their part of the world but apparently the Justice League Dark members found something very important that they think every present member here should be aware of and he wasn't going to say no to that. Knowing information was a very vital asset to him, whether it be a new villain, hero, or a surprise child who was kept hidden from him. He really hoped the latter wouldn't happen again, not that he wouldn't be delighted at finding out he had another kid, it's just that it was always hard for him as a father because once they figured out he was Batman they would also want to help him in fighting crime and end up hurt.

He really didn't want anymore of his kids to be killed or almost killed while taking part in vigilante work, it's becoming increasingly hard to bear witness to such a thing and continue his job without being too violent.

Entering the room he scanned the area to see who was here. Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were having a conversation amongst themselves. Flash, Green Lantern and Green Arrow were laughing together at something one of them might have said earlier. Martian Manhunter, Canary and Zatanna were drinking water and conversing by the large window. Some members haven't arrived yet and others won't be able to make it due to being very busy or off-world on a mission such as Plastic Man and Hawkwoman.

Superman spotted him first, looking his way and sending him a bright smile, this caused every other member to look his way. They all took their seats as the last two members, Shazam and Constantine, arrived. He looked over them one last time before speaking.

"Today we are here to discuss an issue that the members of the Justice League Dark found that has the potential to be serious threat and a big problem if not dealt with soon."

"More like will become a bigger problem if we don't send the bloody thing back soon." Constantine piped up from his seat. "I'll let the lovely Zatanna here explain our shitty situation."

Everyone turned to her.

"A few days ago every magical member here received a bit of news that a new power was coming into play in our world."

Well that couldn't be any good, magical beings were always such a hassle to deal with. Unlike the rest of forces in their reality logic couldn't always be applied to a magical foe, and even then they always seemed to be able to pull some last minute trick out of their ass to create confusion and chaos.

"Normally we would use numbing spells or put up with the pain that comes with something powerful entering our world since it wouldn't be so bad, just a light headache or small pains in the body, but this was more than what we were expecting."

"Felt like two tanks were having a party in my brain." Constantine added.

"Yes, we weren't prepared for how much power was going to enter all at once and it took us by surprise and as If that wasn't enough voices also spoke to us, everything was just confusing and overwhelming, we could only make out some of what they were saying. One spoke about the rise of a new king and the other is the main reason we are concerned....a war." 

Batman looked at her, squinting his eyes a little, from where he sat he saw his fellow members take in what the magician was saying. Green Arrow sat up straighter and Flashed looked a lot more focused than before. They were no stranger to war, they had fought battles on earth, outer space and even in other dimensions. It was not without casualties but they pushed through and came out victorious. It was nothing to brag about, thinking back to how many lives were lost both young and old left a sour taste in all of their mouths, a part of themselves changed forever.

"We were going to search for answers when a book appeared over Constantine's head and practically gave him the answers to most of our questions. I put them into a files so you all could take a look at and read what was found."

Clicking a button a holographic file appeared to each member titled 'The Infinite Realms' for them to see. As he read he was given an answer to what the Infinite Realms was, a place that was very crucial to their existence and was a main factor in holding the seams of their world together. What interested him was the inhabitants of this place, these—

"Ghosts? You're joking!"

"It's no laughing matter mate, we should be taking these kinds of ghosts very seriously." Constantine looked at the not convinced speedster.

"Are we sure these aren't some kind of goo species and not the dead?"

"They're dead alright, if the magic we felt was anything to go by then this is without a doubt the truth." Zatanna told him.

"Eehhh!" Flash still wasn't convinced.

"You fought hordes of the dead before, why is this so hard to believe?" Constantine asked.

"One, they were either caused by a virus made in a lab therefore making them not dead since they were all living, and two, you really want me to believe that there's a bunch of dead people floating about and we haven't encountered one yet, not even with your magic?"

"You're learning about them now with us, and besides, people don't turn into this kind of ghost easily. Their deaths have to be brutally painful and there has to be enough ectoplasm in the area for their soul, along with a very charged emotion to latch onto and create this kind of ghost. It also states that most ghosts reside in the Infinite Realm, away from the living."

Batman diligently listened to Zatanna as she explained the denizens of the Infinite Realms, hearing how questioning them about their deaths was out of the question as it was considered taboo, evoking the ghost to become violent and attack you if you weren't careful. Truly harming a baby ghost was considered high treason and you were sentenced to a fate worse than death, that he could agree with. Another thing that caught his eye was how ghosts could have the same core type but have completely unique abilities that separated them from other ghosts with the same core type. The entire type thing reminded him of Pokemon and apparently they could evolve to.

"Damn! These ghosts are kinda...." Green Lantern started, looking at the file with surprise in his eyes.

"Cracked, insane, stupidly powerful? Yeah!" Constantine finished.

"It says here that one of their babies could have enough power to destroy a small town, and in the right conditions level a city." Martian Manhunter read out loud.

Faces began to change with that tidbit of shared information. The room was drowned in a deafening silence as they all continued to read from their hologram file. Ghosts who spent an increasingly lengthy amount of time in the Infinite Realms grew to become even more powerful than they previously were, and if it was long enough they could be considered ancients. Ancients were like gods, each having their own unique kind of power that could give the living beings in the living realm a run for their money, or destroy them and take over the planet. Next to them were the Observers. Eyeball-like beings who watched over the time stream, operating more like a hivemind than single entities.

And then there was the Ghost King.

The one that sits above them all, governing each and every one of them. Whatever the king says goes, their word was final and all under their rule have no choice but to obey. The power that came with being the Ghost King was no laughing matter. Reading up about the previous king, Pariah Dark, they learned what that kind of power did to him.

It turned the ghost into a tyrant who used his immense power to wage war on any and everything that wouldn't bow to him, smiting down his foes and adding them to his army which to this day have remained skeletal soldiers who remembered nothing of their past but to fight for their king. It wasn't until a group of ancients came together and locked him away, sentencing him to an eternal slumber.

But he got out again.

A ghost seeking power through the crown freed him from his imprisonment and attempted to take him down only to fail. With the king free he was able to send his army to a city called Amity Park to search for the ghost with his knight as the ghost carried an artifact called The Ring of Rage that the king needed. Not long after he transported the entire city into the realms for a swift takeover. It was through the efforts of one very brave ghost and a few allies that Pariah Dark was locked back into the sarcophagus and sent back into eternal sleep.

After that a new king was recognized by the Infinite Realms and he has yet to show his true nature to the entire realm. There wasn't any information on who the ghost was that defeated the previous king, or his allies, or the ghost that freed the king in the first place. All they know is that after inheriting the crown the new Ghost King was absolutely more powerful now and he was on earth, their earth.

"So....what do we do?" Flash asked, while his voice may have sounded relaxed and casual his eyes were anything but, alert and ready.

"Fortunately the book mentioned some weaknesses these ghosts have." Batman pressed a button that showcased what he was referring to. "Some ghosts hold trauma from their past lives and any object that was apart of their deaths could be used to harm them."

"That's kind of messed up." Green Arrow commented. "We also can't question them about their deaths or have the time to find each individual ghost's object of trauma."

He let out what his kids called 'the bat grunt'.

"Magic also has an effect on them, so some magically enhanced weapons for those of us who don't have magic will come in handy."

"There are also plants called Blood Blossoms, these are very effective against ghosts but we will use them as a last resort as they are known to melt a ghost's core and destroy them." He glanced around the members, his eye falling on one who had a distant look in their eyes.

"Shazam, is there any input you would like to give before we continue?" He asked, the hero quickly turned his attention towards him.

Despite working with him for quite some time now he still hasn't figured out the man underneath the suit and it itches him to know just who Shazam was when he wasn't saving the day or assisting them with tasks. He's tried countless times to figure out but everytime he thinks he has gotten closer the man just disappears. His mind was very persistent and wouldn't let him fully rest until he knew the identity of the man.

"I agree with Constantine and Zatanna, we should be careful and we should prepare. If these inhabitants of this Infinite Realms are as strong as the book suggests then it is in our best interest to create a plan as quickly as possible." That was something he could agree with.

"However...." Shazam was hesitant with his next words, he along with everyone else was intently listening to the man. "I do not believe the king is our enemy."

"What?!" Constantine looked at Shazam in confusion. "Did you not read what the book said, or hear about the war the voices screamed at us about, or felt the bloody overwhelming DEATH MAGIC that came with the king's visit a few days ago?"

Batman understood where Constantine was coming from, they just learned of the last king being a tyrant and without knowing the nature of the new king he had every right to be worried. But, he also didn't want to judge too quickly, sure he had overwhelming death magic, that didn't mean he was also a bad or evil. He listened as Shazam explained his reason.

 "I also need to confess to something else that happened to me that night when the king entered."

"And what would that something be?" Zatanna vocalized his next words.

Shazam went on to explain how the king's magic healed him and helped him to take flight back to his home safely. It seemed like the magic was also partially sentient or acting on the king's will, he's going to have to ask him more questions about that later. He got the feeling that the man was hiding more details but for what reason he doesn't know.

"Okay but why only you?" Constantine asked the hero with suspicion. "The rest of us didn't get any princess treatment and a pat on the head."

"I am not sure, but I can say that he isn't malicious and he isn't our enemy."

The rest of the members including him discussed with each other for a while, Flash stating his piece on the Ghost King. Batman made up his mind and spoke.

"We'll continue to prepare." He said. "If what Shazam said is to be believed we could try to negotiate with the king to get answers."

"I really don't think that's a good idea mate." Constantine grumbled, pulling out a bottle that definitely wasn't water from his trenchcoat, much to the displeasure of some members.

With a final agreement the meeting came to an end.

◆★◆

Batman still wasn't able to question Shazam, his kids needed him. Tim had lost all of his secret stashes of coffee and had gone feral, biting anyone who got too close.

Now as Bruce Wayne he continued to watch on as Kiteman beat the everling fuck out of Mr. Freeze, the man was beginning to make cracks in the other's helmet.

Mr. Freeze managed to get in a lucky hit that stopped Kiteman from damaging his suit any further. Using the opportunity given to him he pushed the other man off of him and aimed the freeze-gun at him. Kiteman rolled out of the way faster than either of the two expected, standing back up before rushing to the ice villain once again, much to the other's dismay. The other villain scrambled back, trying to get away, running through the building with Kiteman hot on his trail, both of them disappearing behind a corner.

Bruce wondered if he should help Mr. Freeze because Kiteman clearly wanted to beat him into a coma. Remembering his son he continued on searching. The others aren't going to believe him when he goes back to inform them of what he just witnessed, maybe, this was the result of the energy ball that entered a few weeks ago. There was also a possibility that the ball could be the same Ghost King he and the Justice League discussed and have been looking into as of lately. The date aligned with the exact same time the energy ball was spotted coming forth from a portal.

That could explain why Duke believed it was extremely powerful and why Damian and Jason both made the connection between it and the pits. What was essentially a death god was in Gotham, a death god that not only could go toe to toe with Wonder Woman and Superman and come out on top, but one who also had a connection to the League of Assassins, which he doesn't doubt knows about the king already.

"DAMIAN!" He called out for his son but didn't receive an answer.

Running towards another door he barged in, not seeing Damian but a few criminals wearing a black masks. With the breakout at Arkham and Mr. Freeze showing up here they must be using everyone's panic to rob the museum of some very valuable items before anyone could notice them.

"Jackpot!" One with a bat said, looking at him with a smile.

He clenched his fist, although he would rather have them believe he was the defenseless Brucie Wayne he couldn't afford that right now with his son not by his side. Damian may call him a hypocrite but that's if he finds out and Bruce wasn't going to tell him.

•°*♤*°•

He wanted to do something but there was nothing more he could do. Damian watched as the fungus attacked the boy's body, the bones in the other's hand more visible than before. The smell was horrible but he could not find it in himself to move away, looking on as half of the boy's face was being eaten away by rot. Damian's brain racked itself trying to come up with answers on how this fate had befallen Danny.

His first thought was some kind of chemical weapon. Danny must have ingested or came into contact with something earlier, not knowing the effects it would have on his body and going about his day without any idea what was going on in his body.

His next guess was magic. It was possible that someone had placed a curse on Danny, the spell slowly eating away at him until it came into full effect now. Maybe Danny or someone in his family offended a magic user enough to place a cruel curse on him that guaranteed death.

His third guess was either some kind of meta or alien with the ability to make things rot. Perhaps they targeted Danny because he was an easy prey, or their motives were a lot more sinister.

All were very plausible theories but it still didn't reveal the identity of the person who did this to Danny. The only people he could think of right now were the teenagers that they scared off. It was possible that one of them had the ability, and with how scared they were it was possible the ability activated without the teen meaning to and harmed Danny. He could try to get a sample to scan later but he was already pushing it being in close proximity with the body, he didn't know if it was contagious by touch and he was taking a risk. It would also help if he could get either Zatanna or Constantine to confirm the use of magic.

"What is taking him so long?" Damian wondered.

Unless a villain had entered the museum his father should have been here minutes ago, this room isn't very hard to find and they have been here multiple times, be it from a rogue or a simple trip.

Footsteps heavy and uncaring could be heard on the other side of the door, frantically running through the halls before stopping right at this room. Sensitive hearing was very much a requirement of an assassin and he was no exception. Trained to be able to hear even the slightest of movement in his surroundings, it is one of the reasons his cape has a hood because sometimes the noises were too much. Brown however didn't get the memo as she would still blast her music from time to time in the manor, luckily for him his home was big enough to avoid her and any noise that was too much of a bother to him.

"Took him long enough." He murmured.

With his father now here they could both find a way to help Danny. Placing his focus back onto the boy Damian witnessed some of the fungus fall off from the boy's face, attaching itself to the boxes Danny was currently lying down on, spreading as slow as Danny was decaying. Pieces of flesh also rotted off and stuck to the boxes. It was truly something unsightly to behold.

"Help is soon here Danny." Damian reassured him even though the boy probably couldn't hear him by now.

Leaving from behind the crates he rushed towards the door, ready to inform his father when the door slammed open, stopping him in his tracks. What he saw was not his father but a group of masked men looking back at him. Judging by the weapons they were brandishing and the empty sacks they held he was positive they were here to rob the museum, which means there were more of them around the place and his father's delay could be a result of running into more criminals.

What great luck he has.

"Sweet a Wayne!" One exclaimed, sounding far too happy for his liking.

"And he's the youngest one, we can be sure his daddy will pay a hefty price to get him back safely." Another said.

Damian scowled, he had no intentions of humoring these fools, Danny needed help and if these lowly small brained buffoons thought they were taking him away then they better think again.

"Come on kid, we don't bite." One said, grinning from ear to ear.

They stepped forward, attempting to grab him. He might have to break a rule tonight that may get him in trouble later, playing the small defenseless boy was something he disliked but tolerated for the sake of portraying his story to the media and sell the image of a boy who was trained by assassins and a vigilante. Right now he was going to make these idiots regret even thinking they had a chance to take him.

A chirp stopped everyone in their tracks.

They all looked at each other, not moving. They heard the chirp again, this time with more echo to it and cooing of a baby mixed in with it.

"The hell?!" A masked man vocalized looking at Damian. 

"You hiding some kind of bird behind there boy?"

Damian didn't give them a response even though he was perplexed, because as far as he knew there wasn't any kind of animal behind him and one that sounded like that would've immediately caught his attention earlier.

The chirping continued, now sounding like high pitch whistling of dolphins. Chirping, whistling and cooing all came together in a strange mash to create a beautiful melodic sound.

There was something else to it, something otherworldly that stopped it from being just a mesh of noises created by normal earth inhabitants. The melody was hauntingly beautiful like the call of a siren, singing to him as it reached out with its hypnotice notes, trying to ensnare him.

His body shivered, the call was tempting, dangerously so, if it wasn't for his training against these sorts of things he would have blindly followed the song to his demise. There was something about the song that spoke to him in a way that almost seemed familiar.

"Who cares what freaky foul is behind there, grab the kid and let's go already." The man who he could assume was the leader ordered.

As he got into position to attack the first man that stepped towards him the man was abruptly lifted up into the air. Damian watched as the man struggled and yelled before disappearing.

Alarm rang through his body as more men tried to escape only to be met with the same fate as the others. One by one they were picked off, the leader gave one last frightened yell before he too disappeared. Silence filled the room as Damian contemplated an escape but thought against it due to the invisible creature that was still here, lurking around and watching for his next move.

Damian slowly stepped backwards towards the crates that were hiding Danny, in an attempt to dissuade the creature from taking him. To his shock Danny was nowhere in sight when he checked, the only indicator that he was here were the patches of fungus growing off some of the rotten flesh, attached to the boxes where the boy once laid down on.

An unwelcome thought entered his mind. It was one that told him Danny had been taken by the creature in this room, helpless to defend himself when it happened. Looking at the fungus he was reminded of him, its fuzzy growth made him think of the boy's hair. Mushrooms he didn't recognize glowed a very soft blue, reminding him of how unnaturally blue the boy's eyes were sometimes, a shade of blue that seemed impossible to obtain through any natural means.

The pieces of flesh also reminded him of the boy's state. Once tanned skin turned a sickly green, spreading out onto the boxes like some kind of thick fleshy cobwebs, just like how it spread over Danny's skin with zero mercy for how it affected the boy. Tiny white creatures that may be insects crawled about the flesh and fungus, not comprehending the true tragedy that took place a few minutes ago. Damian assumed they had a nest in the thicker chunks of rotting flesh, feasting on the fungus their home provided.

Another chirp.

This one sounded more curious than any of the previous ones. He walked towards the other side of the room where the call came from, his body guiding him to the location of whatever it was that took Danny. He stopped in front of another stack of crates, this one three times higher than the other. Warily he grabbed the two knives hidden in his shirt sleeves, preparing to face whatever it was that was here. There was also the possibility this creature was the same one that killed Joker so he might have to be extra careful when dealing with it.

A low chirp came from right in front of him.

"Show yourself!" He commanded.

Damian watched as the being slowly faded into existence. From the bottom, thin tentacles were planted against the crates like curly vines growing on a brick wall without care, translucent yet and icey blue. His gaze traveled upwards taking in more features, frills he had seen on various species of jellyfish flowed like silk sheets in a non-existent wind. Looking closer he saw what appeared to be patterns on the frills, they resembled that of basic drawings of eyes that one would carelessly doodle in their book when they were bored.

Looking further upward he was a humanoid body. Paper white skin that looked gooey to the touch greeted his eyesight without any shame. Long arms that became skeletal looking at the lower arms stayed stationed beside the creature's body, fingers or bones that were slightly pointed made up its hands. Ribs portrayed their structure from underneath its skin, it was disturbing how easy one could count them but they also bared a resemblance to gills of various fish specie. He wasn't sure at this point, his mind was having trouble telling what which one they were.

His eyes finally made their way to the creature's head, looking on in both wonder and alarm. Its calvice somehow showed white snowflake shapes the longer you stared, moving on their own as if falling from the sky. The neck had some kind of scar that made him think of the wifi symbol. The face was devoid of any notable features but a mouth could be seen from where he was, pointy ears on the sides of its head. Standing out among a face with no features was a very bright light, shaped like a diamond and shining from the creature's upper face, it was hard to tell if light was on its face or simply floating in front of it. What caught his attention though was how brightly the light shined, almost like a star but it never illuminated the room once.

He was rendered speechless.

Damian continued to stare at the creature, something about its presence soothed him. Despite its earlier actions he somehow knew it didn't mean him any harm. It was intriguing enough to make him lower his weapons and as if sensing the change in emotions the creature slowly lowered its head, now it was face to face with him. With a clearer mind he was able to figure out why the creature felt so familiar. It felt like the time he and Duke went to the store, it felt like the time he and his siblings went to the places that had been robbed, it felt like the time he saw Joker's corpse.

This creature felt like the pits.

Well.... 

Not exactly like the pits.

The pits often radiated an aggressive energy, one that complimented the action of refusing to die, refusing to stay still in the ground and accept one's inevitable fate. Pit madness often took a toll on the sanity of those who were dunked in the green waters, his grandfather and mother experienced it before but they were always able to bounce back from it with some minor issues. His brother Todd however was a different case, the rage stuck with him, made him angry and drove him to commit extreme violence the longer it festered within him. He's gotten better nowadays but he'll still witness his brother's eyes flash green whenever he becomes irritated. Sometimes he wonders if he too would have become like that if he never got away, being driven to the brink of insanity the longer he stayed with the cursed waters.

The creature wasn't like that though. Instead of the aggressiveness he was used to, a calming sensation overtook him. Peaceful in a way that promised no harm and was open to him waves of comfort.

Slowly reaching out a hand towards the creature he planted it on the side of its face. He closed his eyes, feeling the positive energy exuding from the creature as if it was using its presence to flush something from his system, cleansing him of some kind of impurity it felt in the process. Opening his eyes once again he saw the creature's lips pull back into a smile that was far too wide, teeth that seemed human enough if it wasn't for how straight and white they were on display. Unsettling but non-threatening towards him.

The creature let out a playful chirp at him and descended from the crates. Now standing in front of him he was able to see that the creature was at least six feet and seven inches tall. Tentacles reached out to grab him with surprising strength considering how thin they were and hoisted him upwards. Playful chirps echoed through the room as the creature played with and tickled him. Damian, against his wishes, laughed as the tentacles kept poking him in his ribs, their rips having some sort of vibration that affected him.

As he was placed back down on solid ground Damian smiled at it, the creature still using its tentacles to poke playfully at Damian's face.

"Playful thing aren't you?"

Another chirp was its response, making Damian chuckle at the action.

"By the way, what did you do with those robbers from earlier?" He looked around the room. "I don't see them anywhere."

The creature stepped back from Damian, unhinging its jaw like a snake and coughed up a ball of green goo and ice. The ball popped, revealing the men from earlier who were now covered in slime and ice, unconscious. They were still breathing though so that was good enough for him.

"Good job!"

It chirped again, coming towards him and lowering its head, an act he was very familiar with because of his other pets. Damian began petting and rubbing the creature's head, complimenting it for a job well done as it chirped and cooed some more.

Damian stopped and the creature looked up at him. His face held a frown and the feeling of worry entered his body once again.

"A boy named Danny...." The creature titled its head in his hold. "Something happened and he....got sick, have you seen him, he was lying down on the boxes behind there?"

Pointing to the crates the creature turned its head to look over at them before focusing on Damian once again, chirping out what sounded like a no. It wasn't lying, he could feel the honesty pouring off from its being, but it only served to make him dejected.

Could it be that in that time Damian wasn't looking, the rot had taken over Danny completely, decaying his body to the point where barely anything was left behind except for some fungus and flesh....

No.

Something else must have happened, he could feel it, he refused to believe Danny was eaten up by the rot that quickly. There was something he was missing, a vital piece of information that felt so close, as if it was right in the center of his hands.

A loud chirp cut through the air, bringing his attention back to the creature with its head in his hands.

Damian looked directly at it, the bright light shining from its face never making him wince once while he gazed at it. The creature wanted something again and he got the feeling he knew exactly what it was. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the crystal shard he had and fed it to the creature, smiling as it happily ate.

"It is a shame you are not small enough to fit in my pocket, hiding you from father would be much easier."

Understanding exactly what he wanted, the creature's form began to shift. The tall body twisted and melted until it was a small gooey puddle on the floor, jumping and entering his pants pocket. After a while he felt rustling and movement in his pocket, poking out its head Damian suppressed a sound that he would never dare to vocalize in front of others, watching with awe in his eyes at the creature.

Floating out his pocket, giving him a better look at its new form. Gone was a completely alien look, replaced by a much more human appearance. It reminded him of a mermaid, the top half consisted of tan skin, both hands and lower arms were white, tiny patches of white and black covering its upper body and back. In the middle of its chest was a black birthmark, shaped like either a D or P. Two small ears on the sides of its head, white hair flowing as if it was underwater. Adorable green eyes looked at him with joy, small fangs poking out from the lips, white and black spots splattered across his cheeks and nose mimicked freckles.

The lower half resembled that of a jellyfish, frills and four tentacles saying hello to him, glowing a beautiful blue that had some hints of green like one of the many bioluminescent species that dwelled in the deep.

Damian held out a hand, the now small creature floated right onto it and sat down without hesitation. Using his thumbs he gently caressed its face, in this form the creature's more human appearance tickled his brain, as if it was the missing piece to a puzzle he has been putting together.

"You know, you kind of remind me of someone—"

"DAMIAN!"

Chapter Text

Danny cooed from his place inside the pocket of the other baby ghost. They were driving somewhere but he couldn't tell exactly where, all he knew was it made the other baby ghost upset and he didn't want that for his new friend. Projecting an aura of comfort and worry to the other he received head rubs from a finger along with the feelings of amusement from the other.

The car stopped and Danny felt when Damian undid his seatbelt and got out, walking at a hurried yet controlled pace. They stopped only to open the door and close it again, silently making their way to a set of stairs before ascending them and walking to what could only be Damian's bedroom.

He felt as a hand carefully wrapped itself around his tiny body and lifted him delicately. Danny was placed on a very soft pillow as Damian stepped into another door, coming out of it in clothes that looked a lot more comfortable than the suit he had on before.

"Father has forbidden me from going out tonight so I will be using this time to study you."

Danny gave him a chirp.

Damian held out his hand to Danny who floated and sat on it. The other ghostling looked at him closely, picking apart every detail on him he could find with his eyes "I guess that partially explains what happened to Danny."

Danny chirped again as Damian used the finger on his other hand to lightly rub his head. Damian then returned him to his pocket prison and exited the bedroom with Danny's head poking out to inspect his new environment. The hall they were traveling in was clean and there was no build up of dust that could be seen, only the regular small particles that showed themselves in the moonlight coming from the windows that helped illuminate the dark along with the light from the electrical bulbs. A long carpet adorned with beautiful designs stretched far, only stopping when they reached the stairs.

As Damian descended Danny's eyes found themselves fixed on the big chandelier that glowed ever so brightly. It wasn't until Damian turned the corner with the chandelier out of sight that he knew what Damian was thinking.

"We shall see which foods are to your liking."

"Might I ask who you are referring to, master Damian?" An elderly man stepped out from behind them dressed in butler attire, eyebrow slightly raised at the other ghostling.

"It is for a new companion I acquired while at the space event."

The elderly man looked at Danny "And I'm sure master Bruce knows about this?"

"He will eventually. For now I require sustenance to feed him, an array of fruit and meat will suffice please."

"Very well young master." The man said, not bothering to ask anymore questions as if completely used to Damian's antics.

Danny watched as the butler cut pieces of fruit and meat into small cubes before separating them in different dishes on a tray, a small bowl filled with water was also added.

"Thank you Pennyworth that would be all."

"Before you go young master I must inform you that a few of master Tim's friends will be sleeping over at the manor after he finishes with current breakout at Arkham."

Damian scowled, annoyance and irritation exuding from him and hitting Danny, "Of course those buffons chose to be here right now," he muttered. "Thank you again Pennyworth." As Damian took the tray and turned to leave Danny looked at the man who saw him staring and gave him a wink.

They made it back to the room where Danny was once again settled on the bed, this time with a tray of food in front of him.

"Now we are going to see which of these foods are your prefered diet."

He took a piece of fruit and held it out towards Danny who immediately bit into it, chirping with delight. Damian then took a piece of meat from the other dish and Danny gobbled it down all the same.

"So far an omnivorous diet...Slow down, you are going to choke."

. ݁˖ . ݁⌁B͛⌁. ݁˖ . 

"C'mon Con, it's my turn now."

"No can do Bart, I'm about to destroy this guy."

The speedster pouted as he sat back down watching his friends play the game, he would be playing as well if it wasn't for his controller suddenly deciding it had enough of him and broke. Now he's forced to wait for a turn, something he does not like to do.

A loud cheer erupted from Cassie and Conner as they beat the boss that was kicking their butts a while back and gained new items. Conner celebrated by placing a kiss on Tim's cheek who was sitting on his lap.

"Ewww!" A teasing tone escaped his lips.

"Yeah mom and dad, no pda in front of the baby." Cassie snickered.

Conner grinned, "He'll need another demonstration to prepare him for the big world." Leaning in he gave Tim a kiss on the mouth instead.

"Blegh! I'm going to the kitchen."

Bart sped off, arriving inside the kitchen where Alfred had set out more snacks for them if they needed more. He was just about to reach into his favorite bag of unhealthy carbs, chicken wheezes, when he heard a chirp. Bart stopped, looking around he couldn't see or pinpoint the bird that made the noise and continued his snacking. Then he had an idea. Reaching into the bag he pulled out a single chip and then placed it on the counter before backing up a bit.

It took a total of two minutes before something invisible began munching away at the chip. Bart watched on, placing another chip down when the being was finished with the first one. After three more chips he decided to test the waters and hold a chip between his fingers. His lips stretched into a smile as the being ate the chip directly from his fingers, another chirp was sent at him when the chip was all gone and he didn't need a translator to know what it meant.

"You got it my invisible friend," he reached into the bag again and soon the sound of small munching resumed from in front of him. Bart continued to feed it until the bag was empty "Sorry they're all gone now."

Bart expected the creature to run off now that it has had its fill and he would report his findings to Tim who would freak out before going into overdrive and searching for a small invisible being in the manor. What Bart didn't expect was for a tiny glowing mermaid to appear before him with grabby hands.

◆★◆

"GUYS GUYS, LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"

"There is no need to yel– What is that?"

The rest of the teens turned their heads to see Bart cradling a very small humanoid creature.

"I found it in the kitchen."

"The kitchen?" Tim got up from his kryptonian seat, alert and curious, walking up to Bart and their previously unknown house guest, staring directly at it while listening as Bart rambled on.

"They like chicken wheezes so obviously they're superior to all of you."

"Ouch, replaced by someone you just met." Cassie feigned hurt.

"Sorry not sorry, some people are just better."

Conner raised an eyebrow, getting close to them "What even is it?"

Tim had already pulled out his personal tablet and was typing away, occasionally he would take a picture of the creature only to scrunch up his face or let out a dissatisfied grunt. He could deny it all he wants but it was the small things like this that reminded them that he was definitely the Bat's child.

"I'm not seeing any description from the league or bat database that matches up to its appearance, we might have to take this up to Aquaman or Aqualad judging by its aquatic appearance."

Conner reached out with a finger to poke at it making the creature release chirps that doubled as laughter "Alright I admit it, it's cute, what do we name them?" The creature made grabby hands at Conner who eagerly took them from Bart.

"But what was it doing in the manor, could it have been lost?" Cassie turned to Tim who was still tapping and typing away.

"Either that or it intentionally came here, which would be very bad for us," Tim looked up from his tablet to face both Bart and Cassie "I'm not a hundred percent sure but I get this nagging feeling that it is connected to whatever's going on in Gotham."

A loud stream of chirps and laughter pulled them away from their conversation. Conner was lifting the creature in the air, flying around while cooing and praising it as if it was a baby, much to the creature's delight. It could very well be a baby for all they know, Bart was just happy that they were keeping it for now.

"What about the name Guppy?" Bart suggested, "They basically look kinda like a baby fish."

"I like it!" Cassie chimed in.

They stared at Tim who was still very skeptical of the creature.

"...Guppy it is."

"Welcome to the team Guppy," Bart smiled as Guppy chirped in approval.

After flying with Conner Guppy made grabby hands at Cassie who awed and took him from the kryptonian's hands and began petting them, eliciting sounds of satisfied chirps.

"If anything happens to them I'll destroy everyone and then myself."

"Cassie, you've only known them for five minutes," Conner chuckled.

"You're right, she needs to destroy everyone and the planet," Bart laughed.

"That's doable!"

Bart looked at Tim who was still staring at Guppy with suspicion in his eyes, not that Bart can blame him, he has every right to be suspicious, especially when your family has been subjected to a few assassination attempts every once in a while. At Least one of them needs to be a bit paranoid.

"C'mon Tim hold them," Cassie put Guppy in Tim's arms. The two stared at each other as if waiting to see what the other would do, unblinking. Some time passed and their staring game came to an end when Guppy blinked.

"HA!" Tim shouted at his win. 

It was then and there that Guppy decided they didn't need their lower half anymore and the jellyfish-like tail melted and dropped to the floor in a gooey puddle.

 "OH MY GOD!"

Chapter Text

"I'M BACK! The power of pride month was enough to revive me."

...So that was a fucking lie, the power of pride month has failed me, death to all twinks.

On a more serious note I am sorry to inform you all that I will not be uploading anymore chapters on this fic for a long while. This does not mean that I am ending this book however, oh no, I will be rewriting this entire book.

While going through the comments people have said that there isn't a lot of Kiteman and Danny interactions and I 100% agree, I got so caught up in trying to establish important plot points that I pushed aside my whole reason for making this story in the first place, to show how you can find and form family with the most unlikely of people.

After weeks and months of not coming up with anything to post I realized that it was time for me to step down and review my entire work from top to bottom and I was left unsatisfied. I don't when I'll be coming back to this but I asure you it will be with better writing this time.

For now I will be putting my focus on school work and short stories from other fandoms that I have been wanting to explore for a long while now.

Thank you for reading and I'll hopefully see you all next time.