Chapter Text
Chapter 1: When a Fruitloop Calls
Danny hated being right, but the batsuit did fit. Honestly, it was nearly short on Danny, but he’d make do. Bruce was going to murder him after Team Phantom rescued him from whatever Lex Luthor was planning.
The batcave was quiet as the team prepped for the fight in a few hours. Dick was going to meet Team Phantom just outside of Gotham. In the meantime, the group was spread out through the cave getting their gear ready and checking to make sure everything was in order.
Danny also wanted to keep an eye on Jason. Clockwork had pushed him to go with his brother’s team to rescue his father.
His mentor was calculated in every decision he made. Something Clockwork was trying to teach Danny with mixed results. Now, Danny loved Clockwork, he was a great ghost, powerful and full of wisdom, but he was born in the zone. Which meant that Clockwork’s mind was closer to a bag of wet cats when it came to understanding humans.
And Jason, his mentee, was painfully human. The same way Danny was right after his accident. As the years have gone on, Danny had started to lose some of his humanity. His ghost form slowly changing proved that, but Jason, he was Gotham in human form.
There was a reason Lady Gotham desperately tried to bring him back. He was her hero. She needed him here.
Danny was proud of Jason for putting a costume back on for the first time in months. The kid had been adrift as he tried to figure out his obsession and coming to terms with his death. Protecting his family was a big part of it, but Danny had a sneaking suspicion that Jason also felt a need to defend his city.
Jason was territorial of Gotham as it was, but now that the GIW invaded and stole his dad, his instincts are probably going a bit nuts. Danny was glad that Sam, Tucker and Val would be going with him and the Titans to rescue Bruce. They could watch out for Jason’s more ghostly issues.
Danny was hoping that this mission would put Jason in a better mindset.
With the last piece of the suit on beside the cowl, Danny walked over to Jason, who was carefully counting smoke bombs as he was adding them to his belt. “Got everything?” He asked as the kid jumped, his blue eyes narrowing slightly.
“Don’t do that. You’re even quieter than Bruce in that thing,” he said with a grimace at the mention of his father. “But, yea, that’s the last of my supplies.”
Danny wasn’t going to tell him that he was floating just off the ground so this walking tank masquerading as body armor didn’t clunk around as he moved.
He ruffled the kid’s hair. “I’ll keep that in mind. Does the costume fit?”
It didn’t quite look like a robin costume. There was a lot of red and black, not to mention no R anywhere in sight. “Al had to make a few adjustments to a slightly older model since the one from before the…accident…was burned. Apparently, I’ve grown like two inches, but we fixed it.”
It was good that he was still growing. It took Danny literal years to grow after he got his powers, but then again, his parents didn’t feed him properly and his power development ran parallel with his physical growth.
After his ice powers came in, he finally started to grow and fill out.
He sat down next to Jason on the bench. “Are you ready to go out and fight again? If it’s too much let me know.”
Jason shook his head, his hair flopping in his face. His fists were clenched in his lap. “I need to do this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be Robin again, but this feels better than sitting around and waiting, ya know?”
Danny did know and he let out a sigh. This kid was going to be a hero in his own way. He doubted that Jason was always going to be called out to fight crime the same way his family did. He might only be a special occasions kind of hero, like Danny.
Actually, now that Danny thought about it, that could be something they called about later. That would probably also make Jazz happy.
No more dead Robins. They had all agreed on that.
Danny’s phone vibrating off of the side of the batcomputer turned his attention away from his mentee. He dived for the device using his ghost powers to try and reach it. It slipped right past his fingers and hit the cave floor with a thump.
He sighed as he picked it up, it wasn’t cracked, but still ringing with his sister’s name coming up as the caller ID. “What’s up, Jazz?” He asked. Sam and Tucker stopped what they were doing.
It wasn’t Jazz’s voice that answered the phone and Danny was immediately on edge. “Ah, Daniel. Jasmine let me borrow her phone,” Vlad replied.
That was suspicious at all. Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with this today. “Vlad…why are you with Jazz?”
Sam quickly made her way over to Danny and he put the phone on speaker.
Danny might as well find out if Jazz has been taken as well. Make this a two for one kidnapping. Vlad gave a patented evil chuckle over the line. “We’ve found an easy way for your team to get into Lex’s little lair.”
For some reason Danny felt this might be too good to be true. “And how is that?” He asked.
“Me. I was invited. He’s looking for another scientist with ties to ghost weapons. I am apparently on that short list. I have an appointment with him later this afternoon. I can bring your team with me, while your other hero friends sneak in,” he replied.
How did he learn about their plan? Had Jazz said something to him or had he planted bugs on them? He was going to need to sweep his entire apartment, again.
“Sam, Vlad has an in for you, Tuck and Val,” Danny said to Sam as she pulled the phone out of his hand, turned it off speaker phone and started speaking to Vlad.
Ugh, fruitloops. She was better at handling him than he was. “Are you ready to fight as Batman?” Jason asked as he put one of Val’s extra helmets on his head. He looked like a little biker vigilante, and it was adorable.
Danny rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous laugh. “I’ll be okay. I think. It can’t be too much harder than being the ghost king at the same time.”
Multitasking had never been Danny’s strong suit. He was a single minded worker that got one thing done at a time. Managing himself as Batman and his clone was going to be a pain, but at least they wouldn’t be shooting blood blossoms at Batman.
He hated that he wouldn’t be fighting with his team, but at least they would have Jason as the emergency halfa if things got too dicey.
“I still don’t think you’re the ghost king,” Jason muttered and Danny threw an arm around the kid’s shoulders and not for the first time Danny wished Jason was right.
He had two worlds to save today.