Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Choosing to apply for Gotham University’s aerospace engineering program was probably one of the greatest decisions Danny had ever made. Besides becoming the ghost king, of course. After donning the crown that he won from defeating Pariah Dark, he was forced to learn more about ghost culture and biology. Which meant that he finally realized that his rogues weren’t actually rogues. They were play-fighting with him. Go figure. As king, he finally took the time to talk with the other ghosts and helped them fulfill their obsessions without causing wanton destruction, leading to happy ghosts and a town that no longer needed protection. High school was a breeze once he no longer needed to fight ghosts at all hours of the day, and he got his grades high enough to apply for a scholarship for Gotham University’s aerospace engineering program.

Most people would think he was crazy for willingly moving to Gotham. However, those people probably weren’t used to the brand of crazy that was Amity Park. A normal college would have been excruciatingly boring compared to the daily chaos in Gotham. Nah, Danny wasn’t concerned about it at all. Daily rogue attacks would make him feel right at home. The only problem was his need for ectoplasm. As Danny learned more about ghost biology, he realized that not living in the ghost zone meant he needed to immerse himself in ectoplasm. Amity had plenty of ambient ectoplasm in the air due to the portal and all of the ghosts, so the necessity of an ectoplasm-rich environment had gone unnoticed. That wouldn’t be the case in Gotham. Clockwork had informed him that he would need to find some way to consume ectoplasm as the city had much less ambient ectoplasm than Amity Park. However, with all of the deaths that occurred in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country, there would be enough ambient ectoplasm that he only needed to supplement his diet. The easiest way would be to find non-sentient blob ghosts floating around the city. This wouldn’t be too hard, but it would require him to duck and hide around people to consume the blobs without standing out too badly. The other way was to eat raw meat. Since raw meat came from dead animals, he would be able to get ectoplasm from the meat. Except fresh raw meat was expensive. And Danny did not have the money to buy the freshest meat on the market in the amount that he’d need to eat. He also didn’t have the stomach to butcher an animal himself. So, cheap supermarket meat would have to do.

It also helped that Gotham was always cloudy. Weird thing to be happy about, right? Yeah, Danny would’ve thought so, too, until he realized that his ice core resulted in him being more susceptible to heat, which included disgustingly hot summers and the freaking sun. Gloomy Gotham still had some hot summers, but at least he didn’t have to worry about covering himself up at all hours of the day and carrying an umbrella around like some kind of vampire.

Danny chuckled to himself as he set his suitcases down in his room. Whatever could be said about the city, the dorms were pretty luxurious. The dorms were individual bedrooms with a shared bathroom, living room, and kitchen/dining room. At least he didn’t have to worry about keeping his roomie up with his tinkering.

Keys jingling outside made him pop his head out of his room curiously. The dorm entrance revealed a guy with black hair and green eyes pushing a surprisingly large suitcase. The man paused at seeing him, seemingly appraising him with a glance. “Hello. I suppose you are my roommate for the proceeding year?”

Danny blinked at the man’s proper speech. “Yeah, I’m Danny.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as his roomie fixed with him an intense stare. “I’m majoring in the aerospace engineering department. What’s your name?”

The other guy clicked his tongue but walked further into the common room. He pushed his bags off to the side before holding his hand out. “My name is Damian. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The guy turned back around and started bringing several boxes from the hall in.

“Nice to meet you as well!” Danny smiled. Although he was a little stiff, Damian seemed like a really nice guy. This would be great! “Are you fine with me taking the left side of the fridge?” He paused for a second. “Actually, do you have any food allergies? Like I should be careful about where I put peanut butter or something like that?”

Damian blinked at him in surprise. Danny wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Was it really that weird that he was trying to be respectful of his roomie’s diet? “Nothing along that vein of thought, although I am a vegan.” Damian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “That isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

“Of course not!” Now it was Danny’s turn to be surprised. That explained Damian’s earlier surprise. People must’ve given him flack for that in the past. “Dude, more power to you. One of my best friends is an ultra-recyclo vegetarian. I’m totally cool with you being a vegan. I’ll be sure to keep any meat I have in the fridge to the far side so it doesn’t accidentally touch your food.”

Damian’s brows lifted in shock. “That is impressive. I appreciate your consideration.” His lips pressed together tightly for a moment. “Vegetarianism and veganism have become much more commonplace in recent years. However, I still manage to come across intolerable bigots who find my lifestyle to be… attention-seeking.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Some people, am I right?” He shrugged his shoulders before going back to unpacking. “Trust me, I’ve heard the same thing so many times from Sam.” Danny flashed Damian a wide grin. “You’ve got nothing to worry about from me.” And with that, Danny went back to unpacking his stuff. Damian quietly went back to his unpacking as well, but Danny noted how the other seemed to go from being annoyed and stressed to being much calmer. This was looking like the start of an awesome friendship!

Chapter Text

When the dorm assignments were created, Damian assumed that Drake, Gordan, and Father had already vetted his dorm companion. After all, a family of detectives and vigilantes would refuse to be caught unaware by unknown variables. Regardless, Damian would be remiss to take them at their word. The young man had done his own background check of Daniel Fenton after hacking into the university to look over the dormitory assignments. He found him to be a standard civilian from the Midwest. His parents were a different story, but ultimately, Justice League Dark found them harmless, leading back to Daniel Fenton being a civilian nonetheless. Of course, meeting him in person would be necessary for the rest of his assessment.

One week had passed since Damian’s personal introduction to Fenton. And he wasn’t sure what to make of his new dormmate. When he first entered his dorm and saw Fenton, his immediate thought was that his family should never meet what Richard would refer to as ‘adoption bait.’ His roommate, with his black hair and blue eyes, would easily fit in with the Wayne household. The other man was also friendly, with a midwestern accent that reminded him of the Kent family. His easy temperament and desire to assuage Damian of any stress regarding his dietary lifestyle was another check for the idea of midwestern hospitality. Damian was relieved at the notion that his dorm mate may be a decent housing companion after all. At the very least, he would not be confined to a dorm with an insufferable boor. Momentarily content with the mental profile he made of his dorm mate, Damian spent the next few days getting accustomed to his new residency and observing the habits of his new companion. Fenton habitually woke up late and went to bed late. His room light would be on until two or three in the morning, and Damian could often hear the sounds of pencils on paper or the soft thud of some form of construction.

Fenton’s late-night habits were an easy issue for Damian to work around.  His room’s windows faced different directions as Father had ‘requested’ that Damian get a dorm at the very end of the dormitory building. Having the last room on the corner of the building ensured that no one would be able to see him leave or arrive in his Robin suit from looking out of their window, as the building itself was the most private one on the campus. The gloomy nights meant students wandering at night could also not see him. Fenton himself was surprisingly tolerable to be around. Damian was not expecting to make acquaintances with his dorm mate, but Fenton was an intelligent and laid-back person. Damian’s well-trained eyes had caught the faded callouses and cuts on Fenton’s hands, indicative of someone who often worked with tools and construction materials. The other man had stated that he was in an engineering program. Likely, the scars were from projects he pursued in his free time.

Additionally, he had kept his promise to keep his meat on the far side of the fridge. Fenton also offered to share his meals when he made something vegan. It would be erroneous not to state that his dorm mate's consideration of him was unappreciated. Although it had only been a week, the two had already eaten together a few times. Fenton talked about his aspirations in detail, to the point that Damian wondered how long the man could talk without breathing. He was stupidly open about his projects, but Damian also made a mental note to keep an eye on Fenton throughout the year. His dorm mate had gone on a tangent about several theoretical aerospace projects that could potentially hold promise for use on the Watchtower. Some things had caught his attention, mainly some characteristics that pointed towards Fenton being a meta-human, but ultimately, nothing of genuine concern was discovered that first week.

Going into the second week of dormitory living, Damian felt like he was going to stab someone. Most likely Father and Richard. They were the ones who insisted that he experience living with roommates for his first year of university, so this entire situation was their fault. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat at a desk to review his notes on Daniel Fenton. He needed to reevaluate everything he had learned about him over the past two weeks. Though he would never admit his initial evaluation was wrong, Fenton was no mere meta-human. He sighed heavily but started with the characteristics he’d discovered that first week that led to his initial suspicions of Fenton being a meta.

The first oddity was discovered the day they had moved in. Fenton was putting away the kitchen supplies he had brought with him, and Damian decided to put away the food he had brought.

“Ooh, are those that brand of veggie chips made from those city greenhouses? Sam was telling me about those.” Fenton chirped from the side. The man happened to glance over at the sound of crinkling from the bag.

Damien quirked a brow in bemusement, looking between his roommate and the bag in his hands. “From city greenhouses?” The brand was a new one that Alfred had picked out for him to try. Fenton held out his hands, opening and closing his hands rapidly, and the childish gesture made Damian roll his eyes as he handed the bag over. Long, slender fingers plucked the bag from his hands, but Damian barely held back the shiver from his companion’s cold hands. He frowned. Why were Fenton’s hands so icy? It was unlikely that simply touching cold steel pots and ceramic plateware would make someone’s hands that cold. Perhaps it was indicative of poor circulation? Damian kept the thought in mind as Fenton passed the bag back to him, happily chattering about being correct.  He tested the phenomena a few more times by asking for something to be passed over or by ‘accidentally’ bumping into his roommate. It wasn’t just his hands that were cold to the touch. Fenton’s arms were also frigid, to the point that poor circulation made no sense.

The other oddity of Fenton’s had also been discovered on the same day he had moved into the dormitory. And that was Fenton’s fangs. The man was always laughing and smiling about something. The fangs immediately caught his attention, and Damian, between the cold temperature and fangs, decided that Fenton must be a meta-human. His power was not outwardly distinguishable, and nothing had come up during the background checks. Damian became hypervigilant of his dormmate upon that discovery. Was he a meta in hiding, or was he planning something untoward with his powers? He paid extra attention to the man the rest of that week but found nothing noteworthy. He decided that Daniel was likely a low-powered meta in hiding. The only characteristic that stood out was that even in the cooling September weather, Daniel never wore a thick jacket and left his window open. Likely, his ability was a tolerance to cold, which made sense with his cold skin. Damian had relaxed after that, thinking Daniel was a meta trying to pursue a degree.

Of course, he would be punished for his hasty evaluation. Damian had no excuse for why he thought so highly of Fenton so quickly. It was all thrown out the window during the second week of dormitory living when he had caught Fenton unawares in the kitchen. Damian had just stepped out of his room to make himself lunch before he headed off to class when he noticed Fenton standing at the stove. He had a raw steak out and had placed a small skillet on the burner. Damian wrinkled his nose in disgust. He would wait for Fenton to finish, then make his lunch. He went to shut the door but stiffened as he caught Fenton cutting a small piece of raw steak with his knife before popping it into his mouth. Damian’s eyes widened in shock as Fenton chewed happily, cutting off another piece and placing the remaining chunk of steak on the skillet. The second raw piece was also consumed quickly. Damian took a deep breath. That was deeply disturbing. Who ate raw meat like that? He quickly collected himself, quietly shutting his door. He loudly opened the door again and then strolled out of his room as though nothing was wrong. Fenton flinched as Damian walked into the kitchen, turning to smile at him as he turned the steak over on the skillet. “H-hey, Damian! Making lunch, too?” Damian just nodded as he pulled out a salad mix from his fridge. He plated it and carried the meal over to the table. Damian’s nonchalance had put Fenton at ease as the man relaxed and returned to cooking his meat. “I, uh, I like my steaks on the rare side. Do you want me to eat in my room? So, you don’t have to see it?” Fenton glanced back at him nervously.

Damian shook his head. He needed to see how much Fenton was willing to hide this eating habit. “My family eats meat in front of me. I can tolerate it just fine.”

Fenton relaxed fully at that. “Cool. Good to know.” He turned the burner off, and Damian noted that he had only seared each side of the steak for about a minute. Definitely not enough to properly cook the raw meat. Fenton sat down with his plate and cut into his steak, giving Damian a good look at how raw the inside of the steak truly was. Damian was perturbed. It was unsafe to eat raw meat the way Fenton was consuming it. Even though raw meat had popularity in dishes such as tartare and carpaccio, usually there were methods to ensure the safety of the person consuming the food, such as using acidity to help clean the meat or acquiring fresh, high-quality beef from a butcher. Damian was positive that this was cheap, grocery-store beef. Seeing the blood drip from the steak as Fenton ate another bite made something in his mind click. Cold skin, fangs, bloody meals… Damian quietly finished his meal and excused himself to his room. He was well aware that a large variety of supernatural creatures were real. Raven had shared several stories with him about supernatural encounters in the past. Fenton’s oddities combined with the fact he came from a supernatural town; it was becoming exceedingly likely that Fenton was a vampire. However, he needed more evidence to prove that theory.

Damian set up a camera in his room, trying to catch Fenton in the act of trespassing, possibly to drink his blood. He had also scoured the Gotham police department’s records for any mention of nightly attacks that ended with bites, blood drain, or death. Not a single report came up. Nothing was caught on his camera, either. Damian was astounded. A few more discoveries throughout his investigation had led to his certainty that Fenton was a vampire, such as good night vision, but ultimately, Fenton… had done nothing wrong. Damian wasn’t expecting that. When he determined Fenton’s supernatural status, he was prepared to take him down, but there was nothing, no proof, that Fenton had harmed another individual or committed any crimes. Damian slumped in his desk chair, glancing over all his notes repeatedly. The conclusion was clear. His dorm mate was a vampire. A vampire who wanted to get a degree in aerospace engineering. It would take some time to get used to, but Damian was admittedly impressed with his dorm mate. It led to a new dilemma, though. Should he tell his family about the vampire living in Gotham?

Yes, his dorm mate was a vampire, but he was an acceptable vampire. His family would not be able to handle this with the level of care that Damian could. His family would barge in, distrusting and ready to interrogate and intimidate the poor creature. Fenton, the vampire that consumed blood from grocery store meat instead of living humans or animals, respected his veganism, regularly cooked vegetarian and vegan dishes, made an effort to get to know Damian Wayne, not Damian Wayne, and regularly invited him to watch TV with him, play games, or ask about his day… No, Fenton did not deserve the antagonism his family would likely bestow on him.

“Damian! Sam sent me this new recipe for eggplant lasagna! Do you want to come to the store with me to get stuff for it?” Fenton called out from the common room. “We can also stop by the university’s communal garden to set up our plots!”

“Spare me a moment to get my bag together, and I will join you, Daniel,” Damian replied. He shut his notebook detailing his investigation of and tucked it into a hidden compartment in his desk. It was decided. His family didn’t need to know.

Chapter Text

That was it. That was the final straw. Damian could not handle another day with that-! That-! He stomped to his bed, grabbed the pillow, and screamed into it. The pillow muffled his breakdown. With great rage, Damian chucked it into the wall. His hands clenched so tightly that he was sure he was drawing blood. But Damian couldn’t take this anymore. The young man dug into his bag and pulled out his phone. There was only one person who could help him right now. Riiiing, riiiing, rii-.

“Damian? Hey, what’s up?” Jonathan chirped curiously.

Damian felt some tension flow out of his frame. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if his friend had not answered. “Your family’s farm raises cows, correct?” He whispered into the phone. A snort sounded on the other end of the line.

Jonathan chuckled, then pitched his voice in an impersonation of his friend. “Hello, Jonathan. I am doing well. I performed exceptionally on yesterday’s midterm. How are you faring?” Damian almost wished he had face-timed him so he could glare at the man for his mockery of an impression. In his normal voice, Jon responded, “I’m doing great, Damian! I got the grade back for that essay, and I got an A. Thanks for asking!”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Are you quite finished? My inquiry is of the utmost importance.”

Another chuckle met his statement. “Dude, you don’t have to whisper like you’re asking me something sacrilegious. Yeah, my grandparents raise cattle. They do it humanely, too. Why? Do you want to find a boyfriend for Bat Cow?” Although they were speaking over the phone, Damian’s eye ticked in annoyance at Jon’s jesting tone.

“That is not why I have called you. Batcow deserves only the best partner. Any bull needs to be thoroughly vetted for quality, but a mate is not up for discussion now.” Damian paused as his volume rose with his annoyance. Hushing himself, he walked over to his door and peered into the common room. Daniel was still in the kitchen, humming to himself and wearing his earbuds as he prepared lunch for himself. Quietly, Damian shut the door again. His lips thinned from grimacing so strongly. “No, I am inquiring about your grandparent's cows because… my dorm mate here at the University has a dietary necessity for raw meat.”

Jonathan choked on his spit, coughing loudly. “Hold on. Are you, Mr. ‘I Love and Support Animals so much that I think they are Better Than Humans, so I Became Vegan and Orchestrated the Downfall of Multiple Inhumane Slaughterhouses,” asking me for freshly butchered beef?’ A cacophony of rustling and thumps sounded from the phone. “Who are you, and what have you done to Damian?”

Damian softly snarled into the phone, keeping his volume low, “Jonathan, be serious. If you won’t assist me with my request, I’ll find someone who will.”

Rustling sounded from the phone, and Jon sighed heavily. “Okay, sorry, but you have to admit you’re acting very strange. Why such a crazy request?”

Damian hesitated for a moment. Jonathan was not as overprotective and impulsive as some of his siblings, but he needed to ensure he phrased his concern properly. “As I stated, my dorm mate requires raw meat as part of his diet. I will preface this by saying that I am perfectly safe.” Damian’s eye twitched as he heard Jon’s breath hitch on the other end of the line. “My dorm mate is a vampire, but he does not drink blood from humans or living animals. He fulfills his dietary need through his consistent purchase of the most reprehensible quality meat offered in Gotham, and it is driving me insane.” He heard Jonathan take a breath to say something and immediately cut him off. “I assure you he is a benevolent vampire, and I want to ensure that he stays benevolent by acquiring higher-quality meat to satisfy his dietary needs.” Silence reigned through the room. There wasn’t even a slight buzzing from the phone. “Jonathan?”

A knock came from his window, and Damian blinked in shock at the floating man outside. “Damian, let me in,” Jonathan said, pointing at the window lock from outside.

With another long sigh, Damian turned his phone off. “You did not have to fly over here.” He walked over to his window and swiftly unlocked it. “You realize it is mid-day, and people can most likely see you.”

Jonathan quickly pulled the window up and climbed inside. “I checked that the coast was clear before I flew up to your window. Besides, you just said that your roommate is a vampire. I think that justifies me coming over to check on you.” He shut and locked the window behind him before turning his attention back to his friend.

Damian clicked his tongue in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest. “I can handle myself just fine. If he were truly a danger to me, you know I would’ve dealt with the situation. As I said, though, Daniel is a benevolent vampire. He refrains from consuming human blood by ingesting animal blood instead. And by choosing to use fresh cuts of meat, he also refrains from frightening and physically harming animals for his food.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened. “That’s some fairly high praise coming from you.” He hummed lightly, then perked up with a large grin. “Did you become friends with your roommate?”

The other man’s eye twitched with annoyance. “Daniel is my acquaintance, not my friend. He happens to be a tolerable dorm mate, and I wish to keep things that way.”

Jon’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Okay, acquaintance. Now, what’s this story about your acquaintance,” Damian rolled his eyes, “driving you insane.”

Damian huffed but gestured for Jon to take a seat. “I am not exaggerating. I usually ignore the meat that Daniel kept in the fridge as I am not interested in seeing animal flesh like that, and he usually gets the meat fresh by going to the grocery store the day before or the day he consumes it.” Damian sat down at his desk chair and leaned forward. “I noticed the meat he had purchased the other day as he happened to prepare it while I was in the kitchen. I stress to you; his meat was gray.”

Jon blinked in surprise. “Gray? Like gray? Gray?”

“Yes. It was actually gray in color.” Damian leaned back and frustratedly pinched his nose. “I thought I misunderstood what I saw, so I went with him the next time he went to the grocery store for meat. He goes once a week to Gotham Mart.” Damian looked at the ceiling as though he was praying for the strength to deal with his situation. “He gets the cheapest, most reprehensible cuts of raw meat there. The meat is two or three days past its expiration date, hence the gray color.”

Jon’s jaw dropped in horror. Damian nodded in agreement with his friend’s reaction. Jon took a deep breath to collect himself. “That… is disgusting.”

“Yes. He also has the strangest reaction to milk of all things.” At Jon’s questioning look, Damian continued his explanation. “I have noticed that Daniel rarely drinks milk. He has oat milk in the fridge, but on occasion, he will purchase those small containers of milk, similar to what one would have in a school cafeteria. I usually return to the manor for the weekends, but I stayed over a weekend recently to work on a class project.” Damian recalled stepping out into the common room during the middle of the night to grab a snack while he worked. “Daniel was sprawled out on the couch, laughing at some show on the television. He had the carton of milk in his hand, and he giggled as he swayed on the couch. I thought he was drunk and was concerned, but when I stepped over to check on him, I could not smell any hint of liquor.” He leaned forward, and Jon did the same. “I know for a fact there is no alcohol in the pantry. I asked him if he was drunk, and he stated, and I quote, ‘I’m drunk on life!’”

Jon leaned back, taking in the chaos that was Damian’s dorm mate. “Maybe he was telling you the truth?” Damian cocked an eyebrow at him. “Seriously. Milk is something that all babies pretty much need universally. It helps them live and grow. Maybe he was being literal?” Damian smacked himself in the face with his hand. Jon chuckled before his expression turned serious. “Regardless, how often does Danny eat raw meat? If he needs blood often, we probably don’t have the means to supply him with that much meat.”

The other man frowned. “I would estimate that Daniel eats raw meat about once or twice a week. It could be that he needs to eat the meat more frequently because it is of poor quality, but that is just a hypothesis.”

Jon nodded in thought. “Then we’ll need something that provides him with frequent meat.” His eyes widened. “I’m guessing I’m the only one besides you who knows about Danny, right?” His friend nodded. “You know…” Damian looked over at him. “Dick is probably the best choice to help you.”

The youngest Wayne bristled for a moment, then sighed in resignation. “You’re probably right. Of all of my siblings, he’s the one who will most likely keep it a secret if I ask.”

Jon clapped his hands together. “Then it’s settled! Now I want to go meet your new friend!” Damian’s eyes widened, but Jon ran to the door and threw it open before he could stop him. “Danny! I’m Damian’s childhood friend, Jon! It’s great to meet you!” Damian sighed heavily. It was going to happen eventually. He stepped out into the common room to deal with the disaster, which was his two friends meeting each other.

Daniel perked up happily at the sight of them. “Please, call me Danny! Damian’s told me a lot about you!”

Jonathan grinned while Damian rolled his eyes. “Only complaints, I hope. Damian is allergic to using the word ‘friend,’ so I know that if he sorta tolerates me, then we’re definitely friends.”

“You’re becoming less tolerable by the second, Jonathan.” Damian huffed but internally smiled as Jonathan and Daniel laughed. As the three continued to chat, Jon caught Damian’s eye. He gave him a subtle nod, and Damian couldn’t hold back a small snort of laughter. It seemed his childhood friend approved.

Chapter Text

If you had asked Dick what he thought his day would be like, he would’ve told you that it was gonna start great with a hot chocolate and a slice of strawberry short cake at his favorite café on his way to the Wayne Foundation Recreation Center where he taught his gymnastic classes. After classes, he would’ve done his shopping, maybe stopped by the manor to say hi, then headed back home to relax and enjoy dinner while watching a movie. The day would end with a good workout from patrol and then a good morning's sleep.

He never. EVER. Would’ve guessed that he’d be visited by his younger brother at his apartment in the evening. But that’s what happened since he was staring at his younger brother who had broken into his apartment and had made himself comfortable in his living room. “Finally. I was beginning to believe that you were going to spend the night at the manor, and my trip here would be for nothing.” Damian huffed from his seat on the couch.

“Hi?” Dick set his groceries down on the table, then turned to stare at his younger brother. “I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you, because I am, I’m always happy to see you, but why-? How did you get here?” Dick knew he hadn’t gotten a ride from anyone else in the family, or they would’ve mentioned it while he was in Gotham. Scratch that; Damian could’ve just asked him for a ride. Dick would’ve happily picked him up from the university if he had wanted to hang out. His eyes lit up and a wide grin stretched Dick’s face. “Baby Bat! Did you miss me already?” He lunged across the room, arms outstretched to hug his youngest brother, but the trained vigilante, jumped and dodged, leaving Dick to face-plant into the couch.

Damian growled as he irritably folded his arms across his chest. “If you are not going to handle yourself with decorum, I will leave.”

Dick whined, rubbing his nose to soothe the pain. “Noo! Don’t leave!” He hopped up and walked over to the groceries at the table. “I’m so glad that I happened to buy a frozen margherita pizza!” He pulled the frozen box out of the bag and set it on the counter. Dick gestured to the table as he started pressing buttons on the oven. “Come sit! You can tell me about your day while I get dinner ready.”

The youngest Wayne, rolled his eyes but sat down at the simple wooden dining table. “Fine. I might as well consume something before patrol.”

“Which reminds me, why didn’t you just have me pick you up? I was in Gotham today.” Dick looked over while leaning against the kitchen counter. He had messaged the group chat, so he knew that Damian had seen it. His baby brother narrowed his eyes at the table, quietly thinking about something. Dick’s smile slowly morphed into a frown. This kind of quiet from Damian meant he was trying to find a way to phrase something. He wouldn’t push, not while it was so obvious that his brother was struggling to find the words to share his reason for visiting. But Dick could feel his heart rate increase. Something was wrong.

His patience was rewarded as a moment later, Damian let out a long-suffering sigh. Dick perked up, giving his full attention to his baby brother. “I…” Damian looked up at him, face pinched in a mix of worry and determination. “I need your help with something, but you CANNOT tell our family about it.”

“If someone at school is bothering you, then-!”

“That’s not what’s wrong!” Dick paused as Damian loudly cut him off. His younger brother’s hands gripped the table tightly.

Dick took a deep breath. He was worried, but that worry would only stress his brother even more. “Sorry. I’ll let you explain.”

Damian glared at him. “Right. Before I continue, I need your assurance that you will not divulge what I am about to tell you to the rest of the family. I am not in danger, and what I need your help with is for a good cause.”

“I promise.” Dick held two fingers out in the salute for ‘scout’s honor.’

Damian raised a brow at him, then rolled his eyes again. “So, my dorm mate has been… tolerable.” Dick’s eyes sparkled with joy as he forced himself to stay quiet. Did Damian make friends with his roomie? “I’ve noticed that due to his dietary constraints, he frequently has to eat meat, but he saves money by purposefully buying poor quality cuts of meat. I would like to rectify this for him as I’ve come to realize that he is a vampire and purposefully eats meat instead of attacking humans and animals in Gotham.”

“Excuse me?”

Damian frowned at his brother’s deadpan response. “You used to be romantically involved with Zatara. Are vampires truly that strange of a concept?” Before Dick could say anymore, Damian continued, “I assure you that I’ve been quite thorough in my research. He has excellent night vision, consumes raw meat, has fangs, prefers being out when it is cloudy, prefers colder temperatures, prefers nighttime over daytime, has a lower body temperature than humans, and is completely unfazed by the crime and violence here in Gotham.” Damian rested his hands primly on the table, staring at his brother. “It was quite easy to put together. Of course, I had my suspicions from day one, but I was not fully certain until a couple of weeks later."

Dick stared unblinkingly at Damian. He opened and shut his mouth several times, unable to get the right words to come out. Damian patiently waited for his eldest brother to collect himself. “So, let me get this straight.” Dick took a deep breath to steel his nerves. “You think your roommate, Daniel, is a vampire?” He started pacing back and forth. “You’ve suspected him of being a vampire for over a month, and you are only just informing someone of this fact?” He grabbed at his hair with his hands, pulling on the strands as he continued to pace. “And you want me to help him get raw meat because you don’t want him to turn on Gotham if he doesn’t get enough blood?” He paused and squinted at Damian.

The youngest Wayne returned his gaze in bemusement. “Yes. Was that not clear? You repeated everything correctly.”

The older man walked out of the kitchen, plopped down onto his couch, and scrubbed at his face with his hands. “Why are you like this, Damian?”

Damian bristled angrily. “You and Father were the ones that insisted I dorm at the university. This situation is entirely the fault of you both.”

Dick gave a long-suffering sigh but sat up and propped his chin on his hands. “Alright. Let’s … get to the important part. How are you so sure that Daniel isn’t going after anyone in Gotham or the nearby cities?”

“I already cross-referenced all attacks that happened in the county with available camera surveillance and police reports. In the past three months, there has not been a single report of a person being attacked and having their blood drained. No one has reported any suspicious sightings of a person biting another person or animal and draining their blood. There have also been no reports of dead or injured animals with bite marks or drained blood having been found. Considering he is here in Gotham to obtain an undergraduate degree and most likely a job after graduation, it does seem prudent for him not to harm the city's people nor to appear on our bad side. As such, he is not a villain or criminal and does not need us interfering in his life outside of ensuring that he does not become a criminal.” Dick’s eyes widened as Damian finished his speech. “Thus, my request for you to assist me with providing fresh cuts of meat for him so that he continues to refrain from consuming the blood of Gotham’s citizens and animals.”

Dick knew what was happening here. The level of thought and care that was put into this plan while purposefully trying not to bring attention to his roommate… That could only mean… “Aww! Of course, I’ll help your friend out!”

Damian stiffened. Dick wanted to laugh at how he seemed to almost bristle like an angry cat at the suggestion. “He is NOT my friend! He is just a better ally than a foe.” He pulled out his phone and started frantically scrolling through something. “Besides, his dietary habits are abysmal and a crime that must be rectified immediately.”

Damian held the phone out to Dick, who took it without hesitation. “Oh, come on, Baby Bat. It can’t be that-.” His eyes widened as he stared at the photo in front of him. Daniel was cutting into a steak that looked dyed. It was an unnatural shade of gray and red, undebatably raw inside and just slightly seared enough on the outside to look like someone had attempted to cook it. He swiped to the next photo and saw another inconspicuous photo that Damian had taken of his roomie and saw the same thing but with a porkchop. Then another of chicken cutlets in a wrap that was still bleeding slightly onto the plate. The last photo showed a… was that a toaster? Was Daniel using a freaking toaster to cook his meat? “That’s so unsanitary…”

“Exactly. Are you going to help me now, or must I request assistance from a different relation?” Damian swiped the phone out of Dick’s hand and pocketed it again.

“No, yeah, I’ll help.” Damian didn’t make friends often. He had very few, mainly Jon and Raven. If Damian was so sure that his dorm mate and friend was harmless, then Dick was going to cover for him for as long as he could. Dick hummed to himself in thought. “You know those monthly subscription boxes that people like to get for groceries?” At Damian’s nod of affirmation, he continued, “I know that there’s one in Gotham that delivers fresh-cut organic grass-fed meat twice a month. It’s pretty expensive for a college student, but I could easily pay for it. I have had access to Bruce’s credit card since I was your age. I’ll just use that to pay for it.”

Tension seeped out of his little brother and Dick felt even more confident in his decision. He watched as Damian pulled a laptop out of his backpack. The younger man opened it and began typing something. “That is amenable to me, but I insist on us doing so right now. That way, Daniel will receive his box soon, and I can stop him from procuring meat from the store during his grocery run tomorrow.”

Dick snorted, causing Damian to glare at him. “Wow, you’re such a good friend. You’re not worried that he’ll be annoyed at you for doing this without his input?”

“No? Why would he be upset with me for providing him with a higher quality of food than what he is currently consuming?” Damian seemed to be a mix of perplexed and offended at him for even asking.

If you asked Dick, it was pretty cute that Damian wanted to help his friend so badly, but he already knew this was going to be a problem if Damian ordered the box for Daniel without getting his permission first. “Because, Baby Bat, Daniel might get offended if you don’t ask him. It can come off as rude or snobby if you order it and demand he take it. Like you don’t believe he can get his own groceries, or you think that he’s too poor to afford it.”

Damian frowned at the implication. “That would be a problem…” He glanced at Dick without saying anything further. Dick waited patiently for his youngest brother to collect his thoughts. “How should I phrase it so that I do not incur Daniel’s disappointment or ire?”

“Weeeeeelll, I guess you can start by bringing up your concern for his health?” Damian nodded so seriously that Dick had to choke back a laugh. His youngest brother pulled out a yellow notepad and began writing down notes. “The meat doesn’t look very healthy, so I’d start by saying that you are worried that he might get sick if he keeps eating that meat from the store. Then, I’d bring up how he’s your friend, and you would like to help him get healthier meat. If he’s okay with it, you know a butcher shop that delivers meat and can easily deliver fresh, high-quality meat to the dorms.” Damian nodded absently as he jotted everything down. “If he’s worried about the price, you’re okay with paying for it, as his good health means more to you than spending a little more on groceries every month. Don’t phrase it as charity or anything like that; you’ll definitely upset him. Focus more on your friendship being the reason, and he’ll be more likely to agree with you or at least negotiate with you about it.”

“One of his best friends is also heavily into environmental preservation. As part of my argument, I could remind him about the negative impact of slaughterhouses.” Damian didn’t even notice as Dick’s smile got even larger. Look at his brother! He only knew Daniel for a little over a month, and yet he knew so much about his roommate. “His other best friend also has a strong affinity for meat, so implying that his friend would disapprove of his choice of meat may also help. When his friends visit, they will also be eating the same food he is unless they go out to eat instead. That may sway his opinion in my favor.”

Dick couldn’t hold it anymore. He burst out laughing at how cute his little brother was being. He quickly dodged three knives that were thrown his way. “I’m sorry, Dami, but this is just so cute! I’ve only ever seen you like this with us and Jon!”

“Tsk.” Damian turned away, flushing slightly with embarrassment. “If that is all, I would appreciate you either turning your oven off or finally putting the pizza in the oven.” Dick’s eyes widened and he dashed into the kitchen. He had completely forgotten about the pizza! Thankfully, nothing was in the oven yet, so he happily placed the pizza in the oven. Finished with his task, he turned to his brother, only to see him slightly smiling as he texted someone on his phone. Dick’s eyes crinkled with joy. It was so heartwarming to see his little brother so happy.

Chapter Text

Something was up with Damian. Now, if Danny brought this up to his friends, they would probably laugh at the fact that Danny noticed he was acting odd in the first place. To which, Danny would shrug his shoulders and agree. What could he say? Ghosts were not a good reference for ‘normal,’ and Danny was so used to interacting with ghosts on the regular as the Crown Prince of the Infinite Realms. But his royal status and experience from his now-retired vigilante role meant that Danny was fairly observant. Damian had behaved weirdly around him since the first week he moved in. Initially, the half-ghost was worried that maybe his roomie didn’t like him. But they became such good friends so quickly that it couldn’t be the reason for the continued glances and weirdness.  So, Danny tried to be subtle about eating raw meat, but his roomie was more observant than he looked. How could he not notice all of the side eyes Damian gave him whenever he pulled his raw meat from the fridge? At least he hadn’t been caught while eating the occasional blob ghost; that would’ve been harder to explain. Regardless, that brought Danny to the current moment. They had been going on a couple of months now as dormmates, and Damian had been quietly watching TV with him for the past hour. It was this hilarious comedy about the antics of a group of people in community college, but Danny knew this show wasn’t something Damian found entertaining. Honestly, Danny loved the show, but Damian’s running commentary about the stupidity of the characters and their antics was to die again for. So, the fact that he had already sat through a whole hour without complaining meant that he was really deep in thought about something. “Is something bothering you, Damian?”

His roomie blinked before shaking his head. “No, nothing is bothering me.” He paused, “Well, I suppose there is one thing.” Damian clenched his hands into tight fists, but met his eyesight. Danny hoped he hadn’t crossed any boundaries somewhere or done something wrong. “I have been… concerned about your well-being lately. You have been consuming that meat from the market, which is insufficient for proper health and nutrition.” Danny opened his mouth to speak, but Damian quickly cut him off. “Not that anything is wrong with the venue you are shopping from. Rather, it is the fact that the quality of the meat you are purchasing has the potential to make you ill. And I am concerned that you will fall ill if you keep eating it.” Damian’s cheeks reddened with a light blush as his rambling continued. “As such, I would like to offer you a proposition. Although you are more than capable of purchasing your groceries, I do not want to see you suffer illness unnecessarily. You are a good ally here at the university, so I would be more than happy to offer to pay for your meat instead. I know of a delivery service that can make biweekly deliveries of fresh-cut organic range-fed meat to the dorms. It would be a comfort to me if you accepted.”

Huh… Danny was honestly surprised by his roomie’s generous offer. It was true that the meat he got was expired, but there was still enough ectoplasm in it for him to be fine. Though it had to seem disgusting to everyone not aware of his biology, eating the expired meat prevented the cuts from going to waste, and it was cheap. Plus, being half ghost meant that things that were generally considered toxic to humans didn’t affect him the same way. He remembered the time he’d freaked Jazz out by accidentally drinking bleach (his parents had left the small bottle out on the counter, and he was exhausted from sleeping a total of 5 hours over the past two days. Bite him). He’d been perfectly fine after the incident, so he knew things like food poisoning didn’t affect him. Still, fresh-cut meat would have more ectoplasm due to the timeframe after the animal’s death, providing him higher ectoplasm levels overall. Maybe he could actually cook some of the meat he got instead, though the raw meat did taste really good. “Are you sure? I could tell that it grossed you out a little, but I’m okay with eating it. I’ve eaten worse and have been just fine, so you don’t have to worry about me.” He hoped that would ease his friend’s concern, but that only made the other man more tense. At the pained grimace on Damian’s face, Danny chuckled and decided to put his friend out of his misery. “If you really don’t mind, then sure. I think that’s really nice of you to do for me. I’ll figure out a way to pay you back somehow.”

Damian shook his head again. “Do not feel the need to pay me back. I am quite happy to do this for you.” He pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text to someone before tucking the phone back into his pocket. “Besides, my older brother is the one who researched and found the subscription service. I requested his help procuring the service and informed him to order it for you. You should expect the first shipment to arrive by the end of the week.”

Danny held back another laugh. “Well, in that case. You should invite him to our hangout at the observatory on Wednesday. I’ll pay for the tickets as thanks.” Damian opened his mouth to protest, but Danny waved him off. “Subscription services like that are pricey. Let me do this, okay? I don’t feel comfortable accepting without showing my gratitude in some way.”

The other man sighed but nodded his head in acceptance. “I shall let Richard know of his requested attendance and get back to you with his reply.” He huffed under his breath as he began typing out a text. “I assure you that you two will get along rather well.” Danny grinned as Damian flashed him a withering look. “You both enjoy puns far too much.” A second later, his phone pinged. “He said he’ll be there.”

Danny grinned, happily showing his teeth. “Awesome! This is gonna be so much fun!”

Dick fiddled with his phone as he waited for his brother and his brother’s friend to arrive. The Gotham Planetarium and Observatory wasn’t that packed since it was the middle of the week. It was honestly the perfect time to visit. Dick looked around again. He was so excited to meet his baby brother’s friend. Nothing would make him happier than to thank Danny personally for being such a good friend to his baby brother. Ever since their conversation about Danny, Damian had been so happy and had really opened up to him. Damian messaged him more than usual to talk about school and his friend. Danny did not know about Damian’s vigilante life, making him the only ‘normal’ friend that he’d ever made. Going to the observatory, eating together, going to school events and volunteer opportunities together, staying up late to talk… All of the things that Dick was hoping Damian would experience by staying in the dorms. As he reminisced about his brother, Dick looked up again. He brightened as he caught sight of his brother walking towards him with his friend in tow.

He couldn’t hold back a chuckle as he realized how easily Danny would fit into their family. Of course, the young man had had black hair and blue eyes. Danny was just a little taller than Damian, but his eyes crinkled with joy as he looked around. Dick waved, catching the guy’s attention, and Dick grinned as the man grabbed his brother’s hand and dragged him over. Damian followed along with an exasperated expression, but it was obvious that he didn’t mind. Otherwise, Damian would have wrestled his hand out of the other man’s grip. Dick was already vowing to protect Danny from the rest of the family, just because of how happy he made his youngest brother.

Danny stopped in front of him with a wide smile on his face. “Hi! Are you, Dick? Damian’s brother?”

“Yes, I am!” Dick put his hand out, and Danny shook it without hesitation. The eldest Wayne brother shivered at how cold the other man’s skin was.

Danny didn’t bat an eyelash, the warmth in his smile a contrast to his frigid skin. “Damian said that you helped him order the Butcher’s box for me. It was really too kind of y’all.”

Trying not to stare at the other’s visible fangs, Dick slung an arm over his brother’s shoulders. “It’s my pleasure! Damian’s told me a lot about you, and I was more than happy to help him do something nice for his friend.”

Damian rolled his eyes, walking away from them. “Are we going into the planetarium or not?”

“Oh, yeah!” Dick perked up and headed for the ticket line. “Let’s get our tickets and head in.”

“Ah, Dick! Wait!” Dick paused and turned to Danny, who was fast walking to him. The vampire held up his phone. “I already bought our tickets online! We can just head on in.”

Dick’s eyes widened in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to do something to thank you and Dami for your generosity.” Danny led the way to the front doors, where Damian was already waiting for them. “You two are helping me more than you realize. So, I asked Damian to invite you, and I would pay for our tickets.”

At their approach, Damian opened the door and held it open for his companions to pass. Danny flashed him a grin, then held out the digital tickets to the door lady. She nodded at them, and the three made their way inside.

Ever the space enthusiast, Danny’s eyes widened in awe as he stared at the hanging ceiling display of the galaxy and its planets. Damian nodded at it, also impressed with the size and detail of the planets. It had an accurate star map projected onto it, making it look like there were stars surrounding the planets and the sun. “I heard that the planetarium had an impressive display of the Milky Way Galaxy, but this is even more beautiful in person.”

Dick looked at him curiously. “Do you like astronomy, Danny?”

Danny whirled around, eyes wide with incredulity. “Like it? I love it!” Damian huffed a laugh, making Dick wonder what joke he was missing. Before he could even ask, Danny had grabbed both of their hands and dragged them to the side of the lobby area, out of the way of the general foot traffic. “Outer Space is amazing! There is so much out there that humans have never seen, and with the proof of alien existence, thanks to Superman and Martian Manhunter, consider all the cultures and species that inhabit other galaxies. Research says that there are over 100 billion galaxies, but it is much more likely that over 200 billion galaxies exist. That’s over 200 billion galaxies full of planets, stars, and moons, with who knows how many alien species living in them!” Danny continued excitedly sharing space facts to the point that Dick was becoming lost.

But it was cute to see Damian’s friend so excited. While Danny spoke and pointed at the display, he could see the man’s bright smile and sparkling eyes. What did it remind him of? A golden retriever! Dick could see it. Danny exuded golden retriever energy. Happily barking out space facts, looking back and forth between him and his brother, and looking as though he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“Daniel.” Dick jumped. He stared at his younger brother, shocked at his mild rudeness. He actually interrupted his friend? Who was so excited to share this info with them? It felt wrong. Was that weird of Dick to feel that way? Danny, though, paused in his rambling, tilting his head in confusion. “You stated interest in the new Hubble exhibit, and, although I find you highly knowledgeable in your explanation, we will spend the whole day here if I do not redirect us now.”

Much to Dick’s surprise, Danny immediately agreed and pulled out the map. “Thanks for reminding me! I want to see it before the observatory opens so we can look at the stars!” Dick was slack-jawed. Danny didn’t get offended or sad at being interrupted. “It’s over here! Come on!” Danny booked it for the stars leading to the exhibit, pausing every now and then to allow Dick and Damian to catch up.

That settled it. Dick had just met Danny, but if anything happened to him, he would kill everyone in the room and then himself. Danny was sunshine incarnate. He was a cinnamon roll.

The trio walked into the auditorium, darkened with spotlights angled at the various photographs mounted on display walls. A projector was set up to show a documentary and an interview with the astronomer who took the pictures, detailing the process of the discovery. Dick whistled softly, awed by the setup. He turned to ask Danny a question, but his eyes widened in shock. Danny was looking off to the side, but Dick could see that his eyes were glowing faintly. Not bright enough to garner attention, but enough that it was visible if you looked long enough. The eldest Wayne sibling looked at his brother, and Damian raised a brow at him. That should probably be added to the list of vampire traits.

“This is incredible! Look at the Lagoon Nebula and the Orion Nebula!” Danny fawned over the photos quietly. He smushed his hands into his cheeks in excitement. “And look!” He fast-walked over to the following image. “This is the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, showing almost 10,000 different galaxies in one snapshot!” Danny hugged Dick, then hugged Damian. “This is one of the best days of my life!” Dick but his lip to prevent himself from laughing at his brother. Damian was stiff as Danny hugged him, awkwardly putting an arm around Danny, while looking unsurely at him. “Top 10 for sure! This is so much better than the day that Sam, Tucker, and I made Vlad take us on a tour of the Johnson Space Center!”

“I am pleased that you are this happy,” Damian muttered awkwardly. It was a testament to Danny’s friendship with Damian that the man quickly let go of the hug after starting, likely aware that his friend wasn’t much of a fan of physical affection.

Danny continued with his space explanations, even gathering a small crowd around him on occasion as other attendees listened to his pseudo-lectures. Joy radiated off Danny as he navigated the dark exhibit like a pro. And Dick couldn’t help but notice that Danny could spot the exhibit details from the other side of the room. For him and Damian, they were much more in-tuned to seeing in the dark, but Danny seemed like the dark didn’t detract from his vision in the slightest. Dick mentally added it to the list of vampire traits he was keeping on Danny. He had no concern that Danny himself would ever go rogue, but mind control and fear gas were always possibilities in Gotham.

After a few hours of walking around the observatory, the group eventually made its way back down to the lobby. The observatory was getting ready to close, and people were leisurely heading back out into the city or walking into the gift shop to look around before leaving. Danny walked by the gift shop, giving it one longing glance before continuing for the exit, strolling to stay near his companions. Dick, with vigilante instincts catching the look, immediately turned and headed for the gift shop. “Hey! Let’s look around for a bit!” Danny blinked at him in astonishment, while Damian scowled in annoyance. Dick flashed a charming smile as he gestured at the store. “Every trip to a museum, zoo, or observatory should end with a walk around the gift shop, even if you don’t get anything.”

Danny hesitated for a moment before following the brothers into the gift shop. “Sure. It’ll be neat to see what the observatory here offers.”

Sharp eyes watched as Danny scanned the shelves. His eyes lit up as he noticed a model of Curiosity. However, he said nothing about it and continued slowly walking through the store. Damian raised a brow, turning to look at his older brother subtly. Dick met his gaze with a small smile, then turned and looked at the model. It had a price tag: $149.99. Dick picked up the box, carrying it with him as he caught up to Danny. “Hey, this is pretty neat, don’t you think?”

Danny turned to face him, poorly hiding a grimace as he set an astronomy book back on the shelf. Before Dick could inquire about his reaction, Danny’s expression morphed into excitement as he noticed the box in Dick’s hands. “Oh? That’s the NASA Mars Rover Curiosity second edition model! It’s based on the rover that NASA sent to Mars to explore the potential for microbial life!”

Quickly heading back to the model shelf, Danny scanned the various merchandise. He set the model down, only to pick up a similar one sitting next to it. The younger man held the box out for Dick to see. It was a Curiosity model, almost identical to the other one, but he noted the clearance sticker and the label stating "first edition" on the corner of the box’s front. Danny pointed at the model. “If you’re interested in the Curiosity model, this is the one you want to get. The color on here is more accurate. The second edition is brighter to make it more appealing to children, but this shade of brown is darker and accounts for the reddish-brown dust marks that would coat the rover from traveling across Mars.” Dick blinked as Danny rambled. Damian was listening intently, nodding his head in agreement as Danny continued. “Not to mention, this part of the joint in the Rover doesn’t move in the second edition. However, this is an integral part of the rover’s ability to turn 360 degrees to capture recordings of Mars. The second edition only turns 280 degrees before stopping due to the design.”

“Truly, the second edition is inferior to the first edition,” Damian stated sagely. Dick bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing. Watching Damian interact with Danny would never stop being adorable.

Dick took a breath to regain his composure. “Actually, I was asking because I wanted to get one for you, if you like it.”

Danny blinked, eyes wide in surprise. Red bloomed across his cheeks as he blushed in embarrassment. “Oh, uh-! Thank you! That is-!” He scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I actually already own the first edition model.” Then, he blinked and several emotions flashed across his face. Danny quickly put his hands up in surrender. “It was a gift! From my uncle! I didn’t buy it. If I had that kind of money, you wouldn’t have needed to help me out with my diet stuff.”

Damian blinked owlishly. “Your Uncle Vlad?” Dick perked up at the name, wondering if Vladimir was a common vampire name or if that was the Vladimir. “I do not recall you ever mentioning your uncle before now.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, we didn’t get along for a long time. Uncle Vlad is a friend of my parents from when they were in college, and they fell out of touch for years before Vlad reached out to them again when I was in middle school. To make a long story short, he was obsessed with marrying my mom and having me as his son. However, my friends and I realized that he was just really lonely. Once we helped him understand that he was already considered family to my parents, he stopped being a huge fruit loop. Which is great because we actually get along now, though that doesn’t stop him from being a fruit loop on occasion.”

Danny chuckled as though his comment wasn’t extremely concerning in every way, shape, and form. Dick wasn’t sure how to respond to that actually. Not only was it just a massive lore dump, but, if his detective instincts were right, Vlad was the one who turned Danny. “I’m… glad to hear that your relationship with him is better now.” Damian nodded in agreement, but his eyes were narrowed thoughtfully. Danny smiled and turned away, resuming his survey of the gift shop. Dick exchanged a glance with his youngest brother before continuing to walk through the gift shop as well. This situation just got a lot more complicated.

After the observatory trip, Damian and Danny returned to their dorm. Dick had bid them farewell before starting his drive back to Bludhaven. When he was about halfway there, his phone rang. He quickly put it on speaker as he drove. “What’s up, Damian?”

“Hello, Richard. Did you catch what Daniel said about his uncle?”

Dick hummed in reply. “Yeah, I did. I think his uncle is also a vampire and is the one who turned Danny. It would explain why there is no paper trail for your friend being an established vampire and likely why he tries so hard not to drink from humans.” He thought back to Danny’s explanation of his relationship with his uncle. “I also think Vlad turned Danny because he was obsessed with having him for a son. Siring Danny essentially forced him to be his son in vampire terms. And that would explain why Danny hated him for a bit before Vlad somehow redeemed himself to Danny.”

“That’s not all,” Damian interjected thoughtfully. “I researched Daniel’s familial allies when I returned, and I have found that his uncle is Vladimir Masters.”

Gears spun in Dick’s mind. “That’s the guy who got rich incredibly fast through a bunch of business deals.”

“Exactly. In addition, Masters lives in a castle in Wisconsin but is the mayor of Amity Park and is often between the town and his castle.”

“Which,” Dick nodded absently as his mind whirled with the new information. “Would be a far distance for a normal person, but someone with the power to fly, such as a vampire, could make the trip back and forth between Wisconsin and Illinois fairly quickly.”

“Yes. The evidence leads to Masters as a vampire and Daniel’s transformation as a recent event. Now we know how Daniel became a vampire.” Dick raised a brow in thought as Damian paused.  “Although his supernatural status is a recent development, I am reassured that Daniel is no threat to us or Gotham. Daniel truly appears to have control over his abilities.”

The eldest of the Wayne children nodded absently. “Yeah, I agree. I’ll update his ally files regardless with the new abilities we saw him display today and with his backstory, but I agree with your assessment. Danny is a good kid, and he doesn’t need the harassment that B would give him if he found out about him.” After exchanging a few more words, Dick wished his brother a good night before hanging up. He knew that he and Damian wouldn’t be able to hide Danny from Batman’s eyes forever, but the more information they had on him, the easier it would be to convince Bruce that Danny truly wasn’t a threat. The man was paranoid at the best of times, and, maybe it was silly, but watching Damian listen enraptured to his friend and seeing Danny return that respect in return… Dick wasn’t going to be the one to ruin that. He would do everything in his power to help Damian keep his friend.

Chapter Text

Damian was dreading the winter break. The reason was not that he enjoyed his classes and did not want to stop. Although he was enjoying some of his art and art history courses, the math and general science courses were too elementary for him. After all, the League did not tolerate ineptitude in any fashion. He had been tutored in college-level courses right up to his departure for his father’s mansion. Some of the material was new, but most of it was repeated knowledge. No. What he was dreading was the interrogation by his family.

Damian returned home for some weekends and still interacted with his family every night as Robin, but there was not much time to thoroughly interrogate him about his day and his roommate. So, the family prioritized asking him about his day. It was easy to leave Daniel out of the conversation that way. However, winter break would provide his siblings unfettered access to him. This means they would want to interrogate him about everything that happened during the first semester of his university life.

He did not want his family to know about his vampire dorm mate, but he also knew it was only a matter of time before they found out. He needed to have control of the situation if he wanted to ensure Daniel’s safety once the family discovered his secret. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at his comm unit that was sitting on his desk in his dorm room. This meant bringing Gordon into the secret.

Gordon had a private line for each of them that the rest of the Bats could not access, not even Timothy. If Gordon were aware of all the evidence that he and Richard had compiled, then she too would agree with their assessment of Daniel being a non-threat. She would also be able to help hide him from the nosier Bat members, such as Father, Timothy, and Brown. Duke and Jason would be more respectful with boundaries, something the rest of the family had no acknowledgment of.

It was time to stop stalling. Damian picked up the comm unit and dialed the private line. White noise resounded for several seconds, then a click sounded.

“Damian?” Oracle’s voice crackled to life in the unit. “Are you alright?”

Damian pursed his lips. Of course he was fine. He was the superior Robin, Damian Wayne, the blood son of Bruce Wayne. There was nothing he could not handle. “I am insulted that you felt the need to ask, Oracle. I am perfectly fine, and anything that could threaten me would have been dealt with accordingly.” He bristled slightly as the woman chuckled on the other end of the line.

“You’re right. I just checked because I wasn’t expecting you to use this line.” She hummed, then laughed again. “On second thought, I should’ve expected it. You’re by yourself at college. The whole point of independence is to want to do things yourself. Which includes hiding things from the Bats.”

“Yes, which brings me to something that I’ve discovered during my time here.” Although Damian could not see her, he knew she was listening with rapt attention. Gordon had an admirable thirst for knowledge and the skills to obtain it. “Before you overreact, there is a civilian supernatural in attendance at the university who I already investigated alongside Richard, and we have both deemed him a non-threat.” The comm was silent.

“We have found that my roommate, Daniel, is a recently turned vampire. However, there have been no attacks on people or animals that could be attributed to a vampire in Gotham nor his hometown. Daniel consumes raw meat with standard frequency, allowing us to conclude that he gets his need for blood from market cuts. In addition, I observed him for two weeks and found that he exhibited no aggressive tendencies towards me or other civilians he interacted with. He is truly here to get a degree and continue with his life.”

Furious typing rang through the comm unit. “So, you and Dick both believe that Daniel Fenton is a vampire that doesn’t feed on people? And never thought to mention it to the family even once?” Damian frowned at the harshness of her tone. Gordon was furious. “What if something happened to you? We wouldn’t have known until it was too late! Also, how did Tim and I miss this? A vampire? How did that not show up in our background search of him?”

“As I stated before, his turning must have been recent, as Richard and I found no trace or evidence of him being an established vampire.” Damian opened the notebook he kept on Daniel’s vampire status. “He has no evidence of false documentation. There are no attacks in Amity Park or Gotham that indicate a vampire perpetrated them. He has no criminal record, though his high school records portray a drop in his GPA and minor infractions after an accident when he was 14 years of age. In addition, he originates from a location where the Justice League is highly aware of a supernatural presence.”

The typing on the other end of the line paused. Honestly, he did not understand why Gordon was angry. Damian had done his due diligence when it came to investigating a potential threat. Her anger was unjustified considering the fact that he already informed her that Daniel passed his inspection. “His parents are well-known ghost experts who publicly apologized for their biased representation of ghosts, leading to national publicity of a safe supernatural city in the US. We have already determined who the vampire that sired Daniel was and, unfortunately, do not have enough evidence to have him arrested for doing it against the will of Daniel.”

Gordon sighed heavily. Light tapping sounded on the other end of the phone. “Alright. Yeah, I believe you. If nothing suspicious turned up for all of us, then it’s likely that it was never there to begin with. Like you said, no evidence of scrubbed information or false documents, so I doubt someone actually did anything.” She paused, then started typing again. “I’ll compile a civilian folder for him and list out everything you and Dick have on the guy. But this way, we have more than enough proof that Daniel isn’t a rogue or a threat to Gotham. This will help for when the rest of the Bats learn about him, which is why I guess you called in the first place?”

“Yes, it is.”

More typing. “Alright. Go ahead and tell me everything you’ve got. Also,” Damian noted the change in her tone. It went from serious to teasing, which always spelled trouble. “Daniel, huh?” He flinched. “I see you have another motive with this as well. You want to tell me about your friend?”

“We’re acquaintances!” Thankfully, Gordon could not see the embarrassed indignation that was surely visible in his expression.

Gordon giggled over the line. “Touchy, touchy! I think I hit a nerve there! So…” There was a pause in typing. Damian could imagine her leaning back in her chair, smirking as she paused in the information she was compiling for Daniel’s ‘civilian’ status. “I understand why you’re telling me about your friend, but how did Dick get involved?”

Damian huffed irritably. Yes, he supposed it was true that he and Daniel had strong enough emotional ties to each other as to be labeled friends over acquaintances, but Damian would never admit it out loud. Firstly, his family tended to overreact to specific actions or behaviors due to his League upbringing. Anything relating to friends and socializing led to infantilizing encouragement by his family. The other reason was that Damian knew his family would ignore, or more likely trample over Daniel’s boundaries to discover everything they could about him. “I decided to reward Daniel for his willpower and control over his… I suppose a polite way to phrase it would be his thirst.”

Gordon hummed encouragingly.

“However, Daniel accomplished this by purchasing the lowest quality of meat available. His decision to refrain from attacking people to quench his thirst was admirable. I decided that providing him with higher-quality cuts of meat was a worthy gift. However, I was unsure how to arrange the matter, so I approached Richard to ask for his assistance.”

Gordon waited a few moments to ensure he was done speaking before speaking. “That’s actually a great idea. Make sure he has the food he needs so he doesn’t have a reason to go rogue.”

“Exactly.”

“So, then. I have his new file ready. Why don’t you share with me everything you and Dick have come up with?” Damian flipped back to the first page. “And Damian…” The younger man paused, waiting for Gordon to finish. “I really am glad to hear that you’re enjoying college. I’ll be on your side when you decide to introduce your friend to the rest of the family.”

Damian smiled softly. “I appreciate your support in my decision. Now, let’s get started. We have a lot of information to look over.”