Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Danny grumbled as he followed two blob ghosts to the farthest reaches of Gotham. Trees, rocks, and dirt with no path were quite a juxtaposition from the smoggy cityscape he left ten minutes ago. Danny didn’t know Gotham had a forest, but life liked throwing curveballs at him for sport. He floated up a small cliff in a brood while one blob ghost was hopping ahead. The other snuggled in his hair, letting out a loud purr that vibrated through the air.

“Stupid Vlad and his stupid plans,” Danny muttered. “He just had to steal the Infi-Map on a school night.” The blob ghost in his hair slumped deeper onto his head. 

“And the old vampire wannabe just had to lose the map in Gotham during our fight, blame it on me, then fly off to his castle of darkness and cheese!” Danny exclaimed. He then raised his hands in frustration. “Get good, old man! You were the one who was using the map during the fight! Oh! Here’s a thought— don’t drop magical stuff during a fight over Gotham!”

Danny huffed, “Once I get back, that Fruitloop is going straight to Toucan Sam.” The blob ghost lightly patted his head, and Danny patted it back.

The hopping blob ghost paused and looked around before it began to hop in place, letting out a series of tiny merps and bleeps. Danny and the other blob ghost flicked their attention towards them and approached, “We close to the map yet, Fred?” He asked. The blob ghost began pointing to their right side and merped. Danny smiled lightly, and with a nod, the three continued forward.

The three eventually made it to a small clearing next to a cliffside. The ocean rang in Danny’s ears as he looked around before spotting a dirt road. The road had minimal grass patches with fresh tire tracks indented into the gravel. 

“So, there was a road we could’ve taken,” Danny said, glaring at the road as though it praised the Flat Earth Theory to his face. With no regard, Fred hopped into the clearing and along the dirt road. Danny lightly shook his head and followed the blob ghost. He looked around the trees and cliffside before spotting the starry sky. His eyes gravitated towards the stars like a moth to a streetlight. Fred came to a screeching halt at the end of the road and in front of a towering cave entrance. The blob paused before they began to merp and hop aggressively to get the ghost boy’s attention but to no avail. The blob ghost in Danny’s hair tugged on a white lock once it became apparent he was deep in one of his obsessions. This action brought Danny back to earth, turning his attention to Fred before his gaze shifted towards the cave. He could feel his eyes widen slightly at the site.

“Wow,” Danny said as he approached the cave. He and the blob ghosts stared into the cave’s abyss with blank expressions. The echoes of water droplets and a howling wind filled the silence between them. The edges of the entrance shone like teeth in the moonlight, making the road beneath Danny's feet feel more tongue-like. Danny continued to stare while the two blobs tilted their heads like cats. The three faced each other, then back at the darkness beyond them.

“Fred.”

“Merp?”

“I want you to lie to me and say the Infi-Map isn’t in there.”

“… Merp.”

“Ancients, Fred! I said, ‘Lie to me!’ Daphne, tell me it’s not in there.”

“… Bleep.”

Danny let out a huff that turned into a whine as he engulfed his left hand in an ecto-blast to create a makeshift light. He then forced his legs to move like a stubborn toddler, “Of course, it’s in a spider-infested cave— of fricking-course.”

The cave felt like traversing a hallway with no ending, though it didn’t help that the tunnel was a straight line. At first, Danny didn’t think much of the path, and the twists and turns were just out of sight and draped in shadows. But Danny went from, “Huh, this is a long tunnel,” to, “No forks in the road? Okay,” then to, “Okay—, what Creepypasta did we just walk into?” Dred sat in Danny’s stomach as the minutes ticked away. The feeling skyrocketed with his thoughts once he noticed that the cave’s floor shifted from gravelly and rough to smooth silver metal. Danny knelt and touched the metal as Fred sniffed it. Daphne stayed curled up on Danny’s head, not even giving the floor a glance.

The metal felt lukewarm under Danny’s fingertips. He furrowed his brow, glaring at the ground, eventually shifting his gaze to the surrounding walls and ceiling. But they were left untouched.

“Uuugg—, this is some supervillain type behavior, Ancients—! My first time in Gotham and I stumble into someone’s evil lair.” Danny said with a groan while dragging a hand down his face. Fred, not even caring about Danny’s plight, jumped and readied to fly off into Narnia to meet the White Witch. Danny, noticing the blob ghost jump, scrambled to catch them, but they slipped through his fingers. His mouth lay agape for a beat before shaking the expression off his face and diving for the blob ghost. 

“Fred! Get back here! There could be an army of clowns in the—..! Now I know how Jazz feels.” Daphne didn’t even bat an eye as the boy descended deeper into the metal cave. 

The glow of the three ghosts did little to chase away the shadows. Fred was in the lead by a good margin, so Danny had to quicken his pace to catch up. The ceiling began to shift into a tent formation the further they flew. The tunnel felt never-ending, making the pit in Danny’s stomach grow deeper. Danny took an unneeded breath to mentally prepare himself for another battle– but with one of Batman’s Rogues. Danny counted the odds of him running into the Joker . Granted, he wasn’t familiar with the Joker’s memo, but he did the math, and the chances of running into the murder clown weren’t zero. Dark thoughts reminded him of his Fenton Luck TM, so Danny estimated his odds were somewhere in the eighties. Danny’s emotions began to spiral, so he ran the numbers of other possible rogues before he spotted a blue light at the end of the tunnel.

“Poetic,” he said. But Danny gathered some courage and braced himself as he and the blog ghost passed through the threshold. Danny blinked spots away, letting his eyes adjust before freezing completely. His eyes could’ve popped from their sockets from how wide they were.

Before Danny was a cavern dipped in blue light, with metal platforms scattered about in layers connecting like toadstools. Construction pillars were still visible, but they weren’t obvious. Danny barely noticed them due to the gigantic black jet, a Mother Computer and her children, a T-Rex, a giant Joker Playing Card, and a gallery of display cases filled to the brim with black and gray suits sitting in the back. But, above the display cases innocently sat a glowing sign with a simplistic outline of a bat, filled in with black.

Danny’s legs moved by themselves, carrying him deeper into the cave as he began to mouth gibberish. He clutched his head with both hands, pulling his hair. He started to shake his head, causing Daphne to merp in concern. His voice became audible, but nothing coherent came out. Once he reached the platform's edge, he collapsed to his knees.

“The Batcave,” Danny whispered. “I’m in the Batcave.” He started to laugh slowly, which startled Fred from their perusing. Danny’s laughter quickly devolved into crying as he curled in on himself. Daphne clung to his hair for dear life, barely touching the floor, while Fred approached Danny with a worried merp. But the ghost boy continued to stew in his thoughts as he shifted from the fetal position to lying on his back. As he lay on the floor in silence, the two blob ghosts looked down at him with worry-filled eyes upon seeing a drying stream of tears on his cheeks.

“One hour,” Danny said. “One hour of being in Gotham, and I’ve just walked right into the Batcave like entering a public bathroom, thinking it was an evil lair. What is my half-life?” Daphne patted the boy on the head while Fred did the same but on his shoulder. Danny’s eyes widened as another realization hit him with a brick, “I can’t tell Sam and Tucker,” he whispered. “They’ll never let this die.”

Fred gave Danny some space as he sat up and collected himself. Daphne stayed on Danny’s head, but he didn’t move them. As he wiped his face and nose, Danny spoke again, “Honestly, though, this is pretty cool.” He then got up from the ground and let his eyes wander, “Not GZ or space cool, but definitely in my top ten list of cool things to exist. Nine-year-old me is pretty happy right now. If I saw Batman or Robin, I’d probably die agai—...” Danny’s face was drained of all color as reality sunk in with a vampiric bite.

“Oh, Ancients,” he whispered. “I just trespassed into Batman’s house to retrieve a magical map.” He turned invisible and darted his eyes around the cave before sinking into the platform to hide himself further. The two blob ghosts watched him as he continued to scan the area for any Birds and Bats. He didn’t find anyone, but his eyes did catch something else that his mind had not bothered to register minutes prior, “Is that a giant penny—!?!”

ooo 

Damian sat on the rafters between the final level of the Trophy Room like a bird of prey perched on a branch. His thumb fiddled with the handle of his katana, shifting the blade in and out of its Saya. He scowled while scanning his surroundings in a cycle. Starting at the top of the pit where the Trophy Room was built, to the various levels of the room in his peripheral vision, and then to the object that he was to guard. The heat of Damian’s glare could burn through his mask if he had the power whenever he cycled back to the object.

The object of his blistering stare was a magical map. It found its way into the Batcave during a mission brief on the Joker’s newest Arkham Break. A purple and green light appeared from above. The flash was the equivalent of a stun grenade with a thunderous sound to match that quickly reseeded upon its arrival. However, within its place was a map bound like a scroll with paper dyed black with green and purple accents. Once the map touched the floor, it began to wriggle and bob like an angry snake before rolling itself shut.

The map sat on the ground as Damian and his family scrutinized it with various weapons drawn. No one let out a breath or dared to approach the artifact. His father eventually lifted his gaze, scanning the darkest corners, the rafters, and every entrance and exit for any signs of an invasion by the local cat burglar who tended to steal magical and ancient items. The shadows never wavered, however, and neither did the map. Their worries only deepened the longer they waited. So, Batman took the bullet and lifted the map. 

He then opened the map and scanned its contents. Damian could see his brows furrow as his eyes moved behind his cowl. All the other Birds and Bats could, which only thickened their heads with more questions. Damian could feel Red Robin’s curiosity picking at the seams of his remaining sanity as he peaked over Batman’s shoulder by the tips of his toes. Batman then rolled the map back into place, which started an onslaught of questions from the others. He couldn’t answer much— if any at all. And since time was of the essence, Batman decided to place the map in the Trophy Room until he could find the time to study it.

To add alcohol to the wound, Damian was assigned to guard the map.

Damian understood his father’s line of thought. The presence of an unknown object teleporting into the Batcave with such ease without a person attached didn’t bode well. Either the person dissolved once they teleported or this was some convoluted attempt of an assault, possibly both. Another theory could be that the map teleported itself as it showed some level of sentience by moving about. However, its motives were uncertain. But, no matter which theory or educational guess one landed on, their base of operations had been compromised.

Furthermore, with the Joker running a muck, his father wasn’t taking any chances, especially with the clown’s history with Robins and Damian’s history of being a bit less merciful to rogues. So, at any chance given, Damian knew he would be the most likely to be benched besides Red Hood and Red Robin if his father had any say in the matter. Most of the time, he didn’t. However, the encroacher made of paper gave Batman a window of opportunity. Though at the expense of everyone’s nerves, including his own.

Damian also understood that out of everyone, he was the least likely to mess with the map without a cause. He could hold back his curiosity superior to most of Batman’s wards. However, that didn’t change the fact that Damian wanted to throw the map into a paper shredder and dispose of its severed remains into a bonfire. Damian knew he was the superior choice to guard the map to protect the Batcave and his family. However, alcohol stung when applied to a wound.

So, Damian waited in his perch for the past thirty minutes for something to appear, the map to activate again, or for his family to return, feeling his hair going gray with each passing second. His glare grew sharper at the map that sat innocently on a pedestal behind some reinforced glass, willing the magical carta to combust into flames. Damian scowled when the map remained unharmed before letting out a quiet tisk. He then changed his focus to carding through his shurikens for the third time that night when he got a message on his communicator.

Nightwing: Hey Robin, any updates on the map?

I have nothing to report. The object in question continues to remain motionless.

Nightwing: Seriously??? Like nothing???? ):0

Tt, That’s what I said. What part demands repeating?

Nightwing: *#Wincing.gif* Okay, okay— just checking in… But, if it makes you feel any better, we haven’t found the Joker yet. :3

Nightwing: At least nothing happened to the cave?? ’:3

Nightwing: No news is good news, right??? ’’:3

Nightwing: You're doing a great job, Baby Bat! :D

Oracle: *Pats Nightwing’s head*

Damian ignored the buzzing of his communicator as his siblings went at it and continued his surveillance before he heard the echoes of strained laughter bouncing off the cavern walls. He sucked in a breath and clutched his katana, standing up and peeking out from the shadows. The laughter appeared to be coming from the Batmobile Ramp, possibly male and seemingly alone. Quickly, Damian began typing on his communicator.

Update: Another intruder has arrived. I hear masculine laughter.

Nightwing: … Shit…

Oracle: Shit.

Red Robin: Shit.

Red Hood: Oh… Oh, that Ronald McDonald Bitch better not be doing what I think he’s doing.

Spoiler: Fuuuuuuuuuck

Batman: Robin, what’s your location in the Batcave?

I am in the Trophy Room. However, I can only hear one person. I don’t see any of Joker’s Men or the clown himself.

The laughter suddenly shifted to wails and muffled sobs. Damian retreated into the shadows with a pinched expression.

Update: The laughter has shifted to insufferable sobbing.

Another update: The sobbing has ceased.

As the communicator continued to buzz, Damian cupped his ear to catch the voice again. But all was quiet for a couple of seconds before the voice returned. However, all he could hear was, “One hour,” and “Entering a public bathroom, thinking it was an evil lair,” before hearing a comment about Half-life. Damian recalled a game with that name exists, but he had only heard whispers about it from the sons of Superman and other teenagers. Damian’s face pinched in confusion as he typed down what he heard in the chat. Everyone shared his plight once they finished reading.

He heard a light sniffle before the voice said something about coolness, comparing another thing to a ‘GZ’ and outer space, however decided it wasn’t as ‘cool’ as those, then topped it all off with a comment about being nine years old again. But he paused after saying his and his father’s titles. Realization seemed to hit this intruder like a punch to the face before continuing to talk. Damian couldn’t hear the rest, but distress was evident in the intruder's tone. He went quiet, possibly to retreat or hide, before the intruder suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, “Is that a giant penny—!?!”

The voice sounded young, like a teenager, clearly undergoing puberty like himself, if the crack in his voice was anything to go by. Damian peaked from the shadows again to squint at the top level of the Trophy Room, hoping to catch a glimpse of him from his perch, but to no avail. He went to type his findings into the chat when a sudden chill filled the air, causing him to pause.

The air reminded Damian of winter, nipping at his nose and cheeks whenever the wind rolled through. He could practically picture snowfall and icicles forming where he perched. With the sudden drop in temperature, Damian was surprised that snow hadn’t started to fall within the Batcave.

But, despite the similarities, describing the air like a winter breeze didn’t sit right with Damian. It felt more raw, staticky, and present than any December night he had ever experienced; it was haunting.

Damian shoved that observation aside to try and spot the teen while simultaneously texting the others once he overcame the sudden temperature change. 

Red Hood: Demon Brat, respond! You're giving the old men here aneurysms.

Spoiler: Nah- nah- nah, stage four kidney failure.

Red Robin: It looks like patrol is being cut short.

Nightwing: Oh, hush! I’m not that old!

Nightwing: But seriously, B and I are heading over right now.

Batman: Everyone but Nightwing continues their surveillance. Robin, if you’re in a safe position, please walk Wiggles.

Spoiler: ^^^^^

Tt, I am with Wiggles and Goliath now. However, the new weatherman removed possible snowfall from his forecast. 

The roads, thankfully, aren't frozen over. But the weatherman is more of a boy than a man with his ramblings. If I could locate him, I would give him a scolding.

Red Hood: He lives, hoes!

Oracle: Do you guys think this guy is after the map?

Red Robin: Oh, it’s very likely. These break-ins are waaay too close together to not be connected.

Spoiler: And a meta too!?! The plot thickens!!!

He scanned the room with his mask but noticed that the screen occasionally glitched, creating lines and spots in his vision. Switching to thermal was just as effective. Damian felt his eye twitch at the display of inefficiency. He then tisked before shifting his focus to develop a new strategy, biting his tongue. As Damian contemplated, the air continued to drop in temperature, making Damian pause again before raising an eyebrow. He focused solely on the air around him, soaking in the cold the best he could through his Robinsuit.

This Zephyr, Damian began to think. It’s moving. With that realization, he shifted strategies.

The intruder has given himself away due to his inability to control his powers. I’m following his movements, and I plan to engage.

With the text sent, Damian closed the chat.

ooo 

Danny continued to let invisibility wash over him as he descended deeper into the Batcave with Fred and Daphne. His eyes wandered around, soaking everything up with the wonder of a child in an aquarium.

“Wow, that’s Killer Croc’s tooth,” Danny whispered. “And Penguin's umbrella— and an oversized Riddler Question Mark! And—.” He paused and stared upward at a giant set of bowling pins. Danny quietly stood in the presence of the other gigantic memorabilia around the room, from a robotic Superman to chess pieces and guns. He eventually raised an eyebrow at the objects, “Okay, why does the Dark Knight have so much oversized stuff?” He asked. “ What dramatic Edgelord makes bowling pins bigger than a bus? No- no, wait— better question, how did he bring any of it down here? It’s a cave!”

Danny grumbled to himself before noticing Daphne, still in his hair, looking in a different direction, completely still. He turned and looked for Fred, who was a little further down. After passing many trophies, he saw Fred staring at one corner deep within the room. Both didn’t let out a merp or a bleep as they stared. Danny floated and stood next to Fred before following their gaze.

The case the two blobs fixated on was behind many other trophies. One would miss it if they weren’t looking. Danny squinted and lifted his hands over his eyes like binoculars to see what was inside. Though blurry, Danny could tell the case had a Batsuit with a dull white rectangle on a black pedestal. Next to the Batsuit was a white necklace on a similar pedestal as the rectangle. The blob ghosts didn’t hop or float further down to the cases, so Danny didn’t either.

“You guys can stay here for a bit if you’d like,” Danny whispered. “I can find the map and come back.” At that, the two blobs shifted their attention to Danny. They stayed quiet before Daphne nodded and hopped down from Danny’s head to stand beside Fred. With a nod and a smile, Danny floated back to the bowling pins and descended a flight of stairs to the next layer of the Trophy Room.

After traversing many layers of the Trophy Room, Danny eventually entered the final level. He could see many more devices made to kill, while others made him question Batman’s taste in decor. One man’s trash is Batman’s treasure, I guess. Danny thought as he passed some incredibly realistic masks that made him wonder if they were human skin. The sight made him shiver before he spotted four sets of giant dice. Seriously, Dude? I get the need to collect stuff the size of a house, but at some point, people will think you're compensating for something! He then paused. Darn it, Sam was right– this is an over-glorified Man Cave. Danny let out a sigh at the realization before spotting another room. He floated in to find the room filled from wall to wall with cases concealing magical items like staffs and amulets. But he gawked and slumped forward at what was in the center.

The centerpiece was the Infi-Map behind a protective case. It lay inside, rolled up and still like an artifact in a museum. The map sat in the light of the case. At that, Danny figured the map was basking in it like it was having a day at the beach. He grumbled, “Glad someone seems to be enjoying this,” before scanning around the case. The floor and surrounding cases were clean, which Danny glared at with a critical eye, but he floated forward anyway.

“Hopefully, Batman doesn’t have anything that fights or protects against ghosts,” Danny mumbled as he crept toward the case. Once he was close enough, Danny used his intangibility and reached inside. He held his breath, shut one eye, bit his bottom lip, and mentally prepared to flee. But his hand remained unharmed. So he grabbed the map, letting his powers wash over it, and took it out of the case.

Danny sighed, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders before looking at the map. “You, Mister, are going right back to Frostbite,” Danny said to the map. “No more adventures for tonight, the next week, or the next mon—.”

A wisp of cold breath caught in the back of his throat like he had swallowed a mint whole, causing Danny to jolt. Danny coughed as he thought, What the heck? Was that my Ghost Sense? Then, the hairs on his neck stood, filling him with the urge to move. Danny stepped to his left, readying to fly off, but froze as a glint of light whizzed past his right ear and eye like a dart. The mystery object hit the empty case with a loud crack. Danny flinched with a yelp a second too late and stared at the object.

Implanted in the glass, causing it to crack like a spiderweb was a shuriken. Danny couldn’t gawk at the weapon for too long as a quiet tisk caught his attention. He turned to find a dark-caped figure fully draped in shadow, standing in a throwing position. Danny noticed that the figure stood between him and the doorway, which made him want to groan. But, before he could groan, make a snarky joke, or identify the figure, they unsheathed a long blade and lunged at him like a giant cat. Danny dodged the attack with a “Whoa!” Backing away from the center and to the left side of the room, forgetting to float and landing on his butt with a stumble.

As the attacker’s blade cut through the case like a hot knife to butter, various boobytraps sprung to life, which the figure only needed to shift their head to dodge. As the top half of the case fell to the floor with a loud smash, glass shards scattering and reflecting the light, Danny could finally identify his attacker as a teenager like himself. They had a stylized mask, spiked black hair cut short, and a black and yellow cape customized like Batman’s. Danny recognized them immediately.

“Robin,” Danny said in a strangled whisper as his mind tried desperately to catch up with what he was seeing. Of course, a Bird or Bat would stay behind to guard the map! Danny screamed in his head. It’s probably a Batlaw—! “Ancients!” Robin threw three shurikens, piercing the floor a few inches from Danny’s feet. Danny clutched the map tightly, trying to stay still. But he felt like a deer in headlights with the way Robin turned to stare him down. Robin tisked again as he flicked his Katana and directed it towards Danny, letting the dim lighting of the room reflect off the blade. That action made Danny squint before his eyes went wide. He did a double take of himself to be sure, but there was no doubt that his invisibility was still activated.

“Surrender the map and yourself, Trespasser,” Robin said, standing tall and demanding, breaking Danny out of his thoughts. “Or perish.” 

“How can you see me right now?” Danny asked. “You're not supposed to do that!”

Robin’s face pinched with a sneer at being ignored, “Follow my commands, Trespasser. Or taste your iron.”

Danny blanched, “I ate, thanks. But seriously, how—.” Robin threw another shuriken, landing next to Danny’s ear.

“You will answer me first.”

“Well, I asked a question. So technically, you have to answer me first.”

Robin’s eye seemed to twitch under his mask, which made Danny smirk. “Your games are unamusing,” Robin replied. Danny blinked at not being called out more for his gremlin behavior. “I will only say this once more. Surrender to me or perish.”

Danny tilted his head before tossing the map around from side to side. When Danny noticed Robin’s gaze wasn’t following him, he stuck his tongue out like a lizard. Robin threw a dagger, which landed near Danny’s other ear.

“Answer me, Trespasser!”

Danny blinked again, “Hey, umm— what color is my hair?”

Robin’s stare grew sharper, which Danny didn’t think was possible, “Tt, stop evading my orders and comply.”

Danny let a devilish smile creep on his face, mirroring the Grinch, “Tell me my hair color first, then I’ll surrender.”

“I have no time for your tomfoolery!”

“Oh, my Ancients,” Danny started to laugh, causing Robin to snarl. “You can’t see me! Wow!” Danny slapped the ground. “You had me going there for a minute, my guy!”

Glass shards crunched under Robin’s boots as he approached. Danny paid no mind as he continued to laugh himself sick. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye before he noticed Robin towering over him. Danny had little time to react as Robin lifted his katana to strike. He lunged out of the way, watching the blade leave a clean cut in the pedestal like cutting through cheese. Danny gawked at Robin.

“Dude, how are you doing that!?!” Danny asked. Robin gritted his teeth in a sneer before turning to face Danny. His expression dropped slightly, and after a second of silence, he said, “Snow white.”

Danny paused, “What?”

Robin stood straight with a huff, puffing his chest out. He then pointed his blade at Danny again, who let out a quiet yet dramatic sigh. “Your hair is white as snow,” Robin said, causing Danny’s breath to hitch. Danny quickly checked himself and realized that he had unintentionally dropped his invisibility. “Now, will you follow your word and surrender the map and yourself?” Robin asked. “Or do I have to make you?”

Danny facepalmed, then dragged his hand down his face with a groan. “Me and my big mouth,” he muttered. Robin rushed over, readying to strike again, but Danny lifted his hands in mock surrender.

“Okay- okay,” Danny said. He then got up from the ground and stood at full height with his hands still raised. Danny blistered internally at being shorter than Robin by a foot, forcing him to look up slightly. Robin paused but quirked an eyebrow at Danny’s words.

“Place the map on the floor,” Robin said with no room for argument.

Danny huffed but lowered his hand that held the Infi-Map to the floor. He then smirked before diving through it. Danny emerged from the other side to find Robin frantically searching the room with both hands clutching his katana.

“Reveal yourself, Knave! Running away is futile! ”

“Oof, a new name already. That’s a record.”

Robin turned around and scowled up at Danny, sending him a stare that could turn metal into rust. He then threw three more daggers Danny’s way, which he let phase through him with a bored expression.

“Really, Dude?” Danny said. “That’s all you goo—!” Faster than Danny’s eyes could catch, Robin leaped atop from one case to another till he was almost at eye level. But, instead of throwing a weapon or using his katana, Robin grabbed onto Danny mid-fall. He clutched Danny’s middle with the grip of a Koala while using his body weight to swing around. But since gravity was a suggestion to Danny, the two spun around instead of falling to the ground. Danny forgot to phase out of Robin’s grip due to how fast he acted.

“Dude, get off!” Danny said as he began to push the other boy off.

“Escape is futile,” Robin countered, clinging and clawing at the other’s attempts to shake him off. “No tricks or games can aid you, Knave.”

“Well, Joke’s on you, Rob! I don’t even know what ‘Knave’ means!”

“Tt, then you were tailor-made for the word!”

The two continued their attempt at wrestling mid-air, pushing and clawing like cats. But the other didn’t budge. Danny began to feel nauseous from all the spinning and somersaults. Then, remembering that he had more powers than flight that he could still use after his fight with Vlad, Danny let Robin phase through him. As he stabilized himself, Robin landed and then made a beeline for him.

“Seriously!?!” Danny said before stopping to hold back a hurl. “What are you? The Terminator?” But Robin didn’t answer him as he jumped on more cases and threw an onslaught of projectiles. Daggers of various sizes and shurikens of many shapes stuck to the wall and ceiling with loud clunks as Danny phased and dodged them. Robin leaped into the air again, his katana raised, readied to cut the air in two. But Danny dodged the attack by a hair, letting Robin fall. However, to Danny’s horror, Robin clung to the cave wall and started to climb upwards with the speed and flexibility of Moondrop from Security Breach. The katana was clutched in his mouth as he climbed.

Danny felt his mouth drop at the sight. He then pointed a finger gun at Robin in an attempt to shoot him off. But Robin blocked the ecto-blast with his katana without removing it from his mouth. The ecto-blast, to Danny’s and seemingly Robin’s surprise, was absorbed by the katana. They both paused before Danny shot another one, which Robin blocked again. But like a sponge powered by a vacuum, the ecto-blast was sucked in. Danny and Robin looked at each other for a beat before a smirk made a home on Robin’s face. Out of all the smirks Danny had seen, this one took the fudge due to the handle being clutched in between his teeth, showing his canines more prominently.

Danny gulped hard before saluting and saying, “Bye-bye, Birdie!” He then flew out of the magic room with Robin hollering, “Cowardly Snake! Return the map and hand yourself over!”

“Are you still mad about the hair thing? Jeez! Look, you were only half right! My hair isn’t always white!” Robin threw more shurikens his way, but each one missed its target. Danny dove and bobbed around trophies in an attempt to lose him, but Robin was at his heels. He eventually found and flew up several stairs. But the trek to the top of the Trophy Room felt like walking up an escalator in the opposite direction. Robin kept on throwing daggers whenever he thought Danny wasn’t looking. But Danny shot some ecto-blasts at him in response.

Once Danny was near the top level, he saw Daphne and Fred looking at other trophies.

“Fred! Daph! We gotta go!” The two blob ghosts turned at Danny’s words, and upon seeing the map, they merped. But they had to do a double take when they saw various sharp projectiles shoot out from the darkness. Robin emerged soon after, running full force towards the ghost boy. They flew over to Danny regardless and curled up in his hair.

With Daphne, Fred, and the Infi-Map in hand, Danny flew out of the Trophy Room. Once he saw that the entrance he came from was clear, Danny went to fly through it. But his stomach dropped when Robin shot out from the depths using his grappling hook. Danny came to a screeching halt as Robin landed on the platform a few feet away. He scrambled before darting his eyes around the cave for an escape and spotted an elevator. As Robin ran at him, Danny darted to the elevator with little thought, going inside and flying upward.

When Danny left the elevator, he huffed and started to sag, with the night’s events catching up to him. Danny took the short time he had left to rest and looked around. Dred rose to his throat, though it was most likely vomit.

Danny found himself in a dim yet warmly lit office with wooden walls and floor decorated with fancy carpets and old-style furniture. When Danny turned around to see where he came from, he found a grandfather clock. The two blob ghosts started to purr, but Danny’s senses became overshadowed by dizziness and nausea.

“Oh, Ancients,” Danny whispered. “I’m in Batman’s attic.”

ooo 

Damian felt his heart drop when The Knave reached the elevator and flew inside. With a tisk he dashed to the other side of the cave and ran behind the elevator to take the staircase that most of the family ignored. In record time, Damian reached the entrance behind the grandfather clock. He crept towards the door, blade at the ready. Damian pressed his back against the wall and listened for The Knave’s voice. After a second of silence, he kicked the door down, damaging the clock. Damian ran through the wreckage and darted his eyes around the study. He quickly spotted a head of gravity-defying white hair past his father’s desk.

When on-site, Damian couldn’t help but compare The Knave’s hair to snow. But starlight was another comparison that his brain made without his permission. Quoting a Ghibli movie to describe someone’s hair, if only in his mind, wasn’t something this stranger deserved. However, the similarities between his hair and other anime protagonists flowed through like a broken dam. 

The Knave stopped his prying and flinched with a yelp before quickly turning around to face Damian. Once The Knave’s more luminescent than Lazarus green eyes landed on him, Damian felt his cheeks heat up again. Damian shook the warmth and thoughts away and focused on the two green blobs in his hair before he dozed off. Their glowing red eyes seemed to stare into his soul, which Damian used to help ground himself.

“Shoot,” The Knave said, drawing Damian’s attention back to him. “Look, Rob, I’m not here for a fight! Honest! I didn’t mean to trespass. I’m just getting the map back for a friend.”

“Tt, a likely story,” Damian replied as he swiftly pulled out three bō shurikens, which he held in between his fingers out of sight.

“I’m telling the truth,” The Knave continued, backing away. “The Infi-Map was stolen from him again by my Fruitloop of a Godfath—.”

Damian let The Knave distract himself with his nonsensical and insufferable chatter as he hopped over the desk. He slashed the air with his katana before switching to the shurikens between his knuckles. The Knave dodged with a yelp before Damian attacked with an upper kick to throw him off. At that moment, The Knave lifted one of the office chairs and blocked him, damaging one of the legs in the process. Damian sneered at the action before The Knave threw the chair at him and fled.

Damian glared daggers at the shurikens lodged into the chair. He then tossed them aside before darting after The Knave. But the other boy phased through the door before he could reach him, though only by a hair. Similar to the clock, Damian knocked the door down. He knew his family wouldn’t be pleased, especially Alfred, but The Knave’s breach had gone too far. By the time he left the office, The Knave was already far down the hall.

Damian tisked with a sneer as he chased after the other like a bull seeing red. He followed The Knave’s otherworldly glow and mutterings of, “Fudge, fudge, fudge!” His speed increased every second. The Knave turned to look behind him, and unparalleled fear stretched across his face due to how close Damian was.

“Oh, Fudge and Waffles!” The Knave hollered before shooting a blast of energy and accelerating. Damian dodged a few energy blasts, gritting his teeth. He blocked the rest with his katana, and like all the rest, the blade absorbed them. However, Damian began to notice a slight glow in the steel patterns. Damian took note but filed it away and focused solely on the capture mission.

“You're making this harder on yourself, you know!” Damian shouted.

“That’s kinda my brand, Rob!” The Knave replied as he turned down another hallway. Damian sneered at the nickname and nonchalants. He was about to voice his displeasure before noticing they were closing in on the Grand Staircase. With that realization, a plan began to emerge. A smirk formed on his face effortlessly. He stopped in his tracks and retreated into the shadows. Damian traced the edges of an old painting before pulling it away to reveal a passageway. His eyes followed The Knave as he stepped inside and merged with the darkness.

Damian followed the path he needed and exited the passageway. He found that The Knave had beat him to the stairs, which almost incited a yell out of him. But Damian refrained. The other boy seemed to believe he’d lost his pursuer with how he was looking around the room. He floated beyond the railing and near the chandelier. But his position was only temporary, so Damian crouched and searched for a way to reach him.

Damian couldn’t jump off the railing. He wasn’t as tall as Dick to reach the chandelier or The Knave. So, he scanned the room for another option. He only had one shot for a sneak attack. But a way to the chandelier caught his eye. Damian checked on the Knave again and saw that he had moved forward slightly. However, his back was facing Damian. Perfect, Damian thought with a foxy smirk and climbed a support beam and up to the ceiling. He then swung on the ceiling rafters like a sloth and slid down the tubing of the chandelier to the pendant holder. Damian was quiet like a shadow, all the while watching The Knave.

The Knave let out a sigh of relief before realization colored his eyes like a highlighter. He then slapped his forehead with his palm and muttered, “Idiot.” The two blobs let out a series of merps as The Knave moved further away from the chandelier. As he floated he began to open the map. Damian sucked in a breath at that, realizing what The Knave was planning immediately. So, he tightened his grip on his katana and jumped. Damian aimed for The Knave’s shoulder to pin him down or at least throw him off guard. But The Knave coughed. Then The Knave, surprisingly, turned to look behind himself, and away from the unraveled map.

At that moment, everything moved in slow motion to Damian. His aim was perfect, still lethal, but only if he planned to let The Knave bleed out. Impaling the shoulder was the scenario he desired. If The Knave flew out of the way or density shifted, he would still be distracted long enough for Alfred to arrive. Considering the ruckus he and the Knave caused, Damian thought it foolish to think the elderly butler wouldn't investigate. All Damian had to do was distract long enough or subdue him before the others got back. Killing was off the table, and failure wasn’t an option. But The Knave didn’t fly away. He only turned around, facing Damian and changing Damian’s trajectory completely.

Damian could do nothing but watch as his blade pierced the map. The map ripped like glass, unlike any paper Damian had ever seen. It released a sound akin to the wind, followed by a breeze soon after. The blade continued to cut through the paper as he fell. But all too fast, yet so slow, the tip of the katana passed through. Damian didn’t need to feel the pushback of the blade to know that he pierced the other boy. The boy’s eyes were impossibly wide with shock, and Damian couldn’t help but mirror the expression. Ice began to creep up the blade, through the map, and up Damian’s arm. The coldness ate through his Robinsuit like it was never there. But Damian was too shocked to care.

They both fell to the floor, but Damian didn’t feel any of it. The Knave was in a similar state. But they were both shaken out of their stupors by the crackling and flickering of the map before a series of green and purple lights burst through its cracks, ripping it apart. The green lights swished and swayed like the Northern Lights. But the purple lights shifted into a series of doors of every shape and size. The doors surrounded them in a sphere, but one door was larger than the rest. Damian couldn’t get a good enough look, but it opened beneath them like a monstrous maw.

“Master Robin!” Said an all too familiar voice dipped in panic. Damian turned to find a masked Alfred near one of the entrances. He had a rifle in hand, with eyes filled with distress behind his domino. Damian felt his heart sink at the sight of the elderly butler’s expression. But before Damian could call out to him, he and The Knave fell through the door and into the depths beyond.

ooo 

The magical doors and lights vanished along with Damian and the intruder. All was gone in a flash. Once Alfred’s eyes adjusted, he frantically searched for the two teens. He assumed the other was a teen, anyway. They looked around the same age as the Young Master. No speck of dust or rug was out of place, however. It was as though nothing had transpired. Alfred’s brows furrowed in frustration at the situation he had found himself in. Worry crept into his heart for what this could mean for the family.

I was so close, Alfred thought. Unimaginably so, yet... He then ran a hand down his face. Don’t dwell on your failures, Pennyworth, Alfred added. Use them as a step forward to retrieve the Young Master and Wayward Child. He then sighed. The Masters will be most distraught.

Alfred pulled out his communicator when something green and purple caught his eye. He approached, knelt, and examined the object.

“Hmmm, troubling .” Alfred thought aloud. A black, green, and purple piece of paper lay on the rug. It fit the description of the map The Masters had encountered. Yet its color seemed to be faded. He was careful not to touch, however. “Truly troubling.”

Chapter Text

I everyone, it’s Rooster/Promptcorner here, coming back from the dead! I don’t even want to look at the last time I posted, because damn.

First off, I want to apologize for not posting. It’s been hectic in the kitchen, literally. Nothing bad, I promise— just the work life balance being nothing but a complete lie. And my boss doesn’t know when to cool it. When she gets ideas, she goes all in and she doesn’t think that anything will go wrong. I have muscles now, but my body hurts. Making artisan preserves is no joke (if you don’t know, I got a full time job, nine till closing in an artisan preserve kitchen).

I can understand, though, I do it too. But I want to get better at not overdoing things and dragging other people with me, I plan to update the masses when shit goes wrong and to keep people in the loop when something changes. So, here on out, I’ll tell the people the deets.

I will be posting this update on my other works, but each one will be different depending on the chapter status. But know that I am not dropping any of my fics. That is a promise from the high Rooster Court.

Life was tricky after posting this fic, my old schedule went out the window, and I do apologize for not saying anything sooner. 

Alright, so a little while back, I had an idea and did a pull on my tumblr page since I was stuck on the Pokémon Danny should look like. Should he be like Mewtwo? A Frostlass? A Hisuian Zorua? But none of that fit right in my head, Danny is too unique to be turned into one of those. I then remembered that Little Babyman existed and everything clicked. And that won the pull! So, next chapter Danny will turn into Little Babyman. ;3

I don’t know when this next chapter will be posted, but I’m aiming for the end of the month, fingers crossed.

Again, I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. But I hope to break it.

-R00sterCat