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When Phantom had allowed himself to be put on the part time roster for the Justice League, he had made it clear: He was a busy guy, he would help if it was world ending, or if someone important had died .
Overtime he began to loosen up, especially after the Guys in White were disbanded and the Anti-Ecto acts torn asunder. It was around that time that he really got to know his coworkers, He knew that Hal’s smiles would be tenser on bad days, his jokes harsher, the Flash would be sluggish after runs, especially when he had been going for a while, Wonder Woman’s eyes would be distant when she was having a bad PTSD day, Batman would micromanage, and Superman?
Well he would seek out his allies.
When Danny had moved to Metropolis for college and his journalism apprenticeship, he had been met with warm neighbors and a great group of friends at the Daily Planet. Lois and Clark were great, great friends, great coworkers, they owned a house in Smallville, and were good people all around.
Danny had been in Metropolis all of two months when he decided that Clark and Superman were one in the same. Clark had been with Lois, alone by their office cubicle, when he confronted them about it.
Which normally he wouldn’t, respecting another hero’s identity and all that good jazz, Danny knew the struggle, but the dude was hiding behind a pair of glasses.
He took it… better than Danny would’ve.
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“ Hey Danny, how are you?”
“I’m good, how are you Superman?”
“I’m great- wait wha-!”
“Danny-”
“Relax, I won't snitch. I’m not that mean.”
“How did you-?”
“Clark, the only thing keeping the world from knowing are your glasses.”
“...oh.”
“Plus, it takes a hero to know one.”
_____________________________
That conversation had sparked some interesting nights, where Lois, and Clark, in full heroing attire, would crash at his apartment. Danny was 19, going through college, so more often than not he would be writing up a paper for his class, while letting Lois grill him on his work as Phantom.
It was through that system that Lois found out about the Anti-Ecto Acts and the Guys in White, and made it her mission to annihilate them. It was also through that system that Clark found out about Vlad, Danny’s certified creepy, semi-obsessed rich guy nemesis.
Danny didn’t like talking about Vlad.
Maybe it was the feeling of being preyed upon whenever he came over and took advantage of his parent’s incompetence to be creepy, or the many times he had thrown Danny to the ground, the many times Danny had to pick small fragments of concrete out of his face, or the time that he had been strapped down with Vlad looming, or perhaps it was the time he had been cloned by the man.
In all honesty, Danny could go on, but he didn’t like to talk about Vlad.
It was just a preference.
One that Clark and Lois usually respected.
It had always been a subject that they acknowledged, but didn’t talk much about.
Which was why Danny was caught off guard by the sudden interest in Vlad one day.
More specifically how he had cloned Danny.
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“Did you ever find out how Vlad cloned you?”
Danny spat out the water he had been drinking, coughing violently as he set the cup down walking back to his small living room, plopping down on the couch.
“What?” he questioned, pulling his laptop back onto his lap.
“Vlad cloned you right?” Clark asked, he was sitting on Danny’s couch, well, laying actually, with his head in Lois’s lap. Danny froze, looking up from his laptop.
“Yeah why?”
“Do you know how?” Clark asked looking at Danny, and Danny shuddered, it was a thousand yard stare, one that didn’t see, but saw everything. Danny sighed, leaning against the back of the couch with a distant look, his eyes slid shut and he looked over at the couple.
“In all honesty, given how often we fought, and how often he creeped at my place? He had ample opportunity.”
Clark looked pale for a second.
“Did he use a blood sample?”
Danny shook his head.
“No, that’s the only thing I know, he never liked blood, he probably used skin, hair siliva, hell, I wouldn’t put it past him to have used my toenails .” the last bit was meant to inject humor, but all it did was distress Clark further, the man made a noise in his throat that’s what alerted Danny that something was off.
Danny slid the laptop off his lap and leaned forward.
“What happened?”
“What do you know about CAMDUS?”
“The genetic labs?”
“Yeah, some of the proteges investigated a fire, and found fifty-two sub-levels.”
Danny froze.
“Oh, creepy basements are never good.”
Lois smiled sadly at that.
“What did they find?”
“The floors were used for cloning.”
Danny felt the blood drain from his face.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, that’s not all.” Clark was laughing hysterically now. “They found a clone Project Kr-” the periodic table label for kryptonite Danny realized in cold horror. “He was a clone of- of me, Danny.”
Danny let out a long sigh.
“Oh shit.”
Lois huffed.
“Oh shit indeed.” she agreed.
Danny leaned forward again.
“Is the kid alright?”
Clark laughed sharply, standing up to pace.
“I don’t- I dont fucking know Danny, I was in shock, I rejected him, he was made to destroy me, replace me-”
“Clark calm down. “ Danny instructed, standing up, he was only to Clark’s chest, but it seemed to do the trick. He thought back to Dani, how she had manipulated him, fought him, how it had taken the two of them 4 years to be on talking terms, and even now how things were tense.
“What did you do?” Lois asked softly, easing her husband back to the couch. "With Dani I mean?"
Danny sighed.
“I did exactly what Clark did,” he admitted. Remembering the fierce anger, hatred, and resentment he had for Dani the first 2-3 years of her general existence “I turned her away, ignored her, tried to pretend she didn’t exist. She hated me for that.”
Both were looking at him now.
“Even now.” he continued softly. “We’re barely on talking terms, if you want my advice, make sure he knows that it’s not his fault, reach out, get him help. But for the love of the realms, whatever you do, don’t wait like I did, it only makes things worse.”
They nodded, and the conversion came to a lull. Lois spoke again.
“How’s your article coming along?” she asked. Danny looked up with a weary smile.
“Good, the research was a bitch.”
“Language.” Superman weakly protested.
Danny and Lois laughed.
None of them talked about the previous tension as they moved to a safer topic.
Maybe it was time to call Dani.