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Danny was dreading this.
He was going to some rich person gala with Sam as her plus one. Was he going with her partially to piss off her parents? Yes. But also because, apparently, he’d be able to get along with some of the Waynes enough for Sam’s parents to stop pressuring her to go to these galas so much to interact with them. Unlike Sam, her parents were Social Climbers™ and wanted to have some sort of contact with the Waynes more than anything else at this point. And if Danny helped with that, maybe they’d finally stop trying to have Sam take out a restraining order against him.
From what he’d been told, he has charisma (though his lack of a social life outside of his friends could argue against that) and he has enough in common with some of the Wayne children. Or at least the ones that were supposed to be present at the gala tonight.
Sooner than he’d like, he and Sam were in a car with her parents (who may or may not have been throwing Danny dirty looks every chance they got) as they were driven to the event. Danny wasn’t really paying attention when he’d been told where it was being held. All he knew was the drive was both too long due to the looks he kept getting from Mr. and Mrs. Manson and too short because all of a sudden they were arriving at the dreaded gala. He really did not want to be here, but he was Sam’s ride or die and would suck it up for her.
They got out of the car and walked into the building. Sam’s parents were soon butting their way into a conversation after urging Sam to mingle and “make sure Danny doesn’t embarrass us.” Did he kind of want to embarrass them out of spite right now? Yes. Was he going to? Hell no because then they might try and keep her from hanging out with him again.
He and Sam went over to the food table to get something to eat before mingling.
“So, who is it that your parents really want you to befriend or whatever?”
Sam rolled her eyes a bit at Danny’s question.
“They want me to talk with the Wayne kids. Y’know, as in Brucie Wayne?”
Danny felt his eyes widen a bit. Sam just nodded.
“So, a bunch of his kids are here tonight and my parents want me to try and befriend them or at least get a conversation going so they might get an ‘in’ with their dad,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ve only really interacted with one of them before but it was a while ago and we never really stayed in touch.”
“Which one?”
“Jason Todd-Wayne. The one who disappeared cause he ‘died’ but was actually kidnapped or something? The whole thing was really bizarre.”
Danny thought about that for a moment. “Maybe he actually did die and somehow came back? I mean, I’m half-dead and so are Vlad and Ellie.”
“How on Earth would one of the Waynes be in some sort of situation where one of them dies and somehow comes back?”
“...I don’t know! It was just a suggestion!”
After they ate some of the food, Sam started looking around for any of the Waynes. After a couple moments, she grabbed Danny’s arm and started steering him to one section of the room. Danny was able to orient himself fairly quickly and make it look like he was willingly walking with her rather than being dragged halfway across the room.
They ended up in front of three men. One of whom was probably a little shorter than Danny and looked more tired than Danny was (which he didn’t think was possible but here they are) and who looked the youngest of the three, a taller man who was lean but muscular from what Danny could tell. The third was tall and built like a tank and had Danny prompt losing all brain function.
The third guy, the one who looked like he could break Danny in half, was HOT. Unfairly so.
“I’m Sam Mason,” Sam said, “and this is…” she nudged Danny out of his stupor.
“I’m Danny. Danny Fenton,” Danny said, shaking their hands after Sam had. He had an interesting reaction when he shook Hot Guy’s hand; his Ghost Sense partially went off but not entirely. It was like he got a slight chill rather than the puff of breath regular ghosts caused. So the guy probably had died and come back. Take that, Sam!
“I’m Dick Grayson-Wayne,” tall and lean said (he willingly went by the name ‘Dick’?), “this is Tim Drake-Wayne,” he said as he indicated young and tired, “and this is Jason Todd-Wayne,” he finally indicated Hot Guy. “I’m the eldest and these are two of my baby brothers.”
“Dickie, I’m only a few years younger than you-”
“My baby brother ,” Dick said. Jason just rolled his eyes.
“So, you two looked absolutely thrilled to be here-”
“Jason,” Tim interrupted Jason with a hiss of his name.
“No, he’s right. And if Jason remembers me at all, he knows it too,” Sam replied, crossing her arms.
“I thought the name sounded familiar,” Jason said, looking as though he were thinking. “Though I’m pretty sure when I met you at another gala, your parents had gotten you to wear some pink frilly monstrosity.”
Sam nodded. “They did. Burned that thing first chance I got. The only reason I agreed to come to this one was because I was able to bring Danny with me.”
“Plus bringing me gave you the perfect chance to piss your parents off,” Danny added. Jason barked a laugh and Danny felt his stomach flip.
“Why would her parents have a problem with you? Are you two dating or something?” Dick asked, looking confused.
“No, we are NOT dating,” Sam said almost immediately. “They just think Danny’s a bad influence and blah blah blah.”
“It’s cause they think my parents are nuts and that automatically makes me not on their social standing,” Danny added with a bit of a bitter laugh. “Her grandma’s cool though.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jason said. “I vaguely remember them and they seem like social climbers.”
Sam nodded. “Yep. Hate my friends and that I’m not trying to fit in with the rich kids at my school.”
“What did you mean when you said they think your parents are nuts?” Tim asked. Danny just shrugged.
“It’s cause they believe in ghosts,” was all Danny said in response. That’s all anybody really needed to know. “They’re a little spirited about it.”
Jason and Tim both groaned at the pun while Dick smiled wide just as Danny did.
“Not another one,” Jason grumbled under his breath.
“Somebody who appreciates peak humor,” Dick said, still grinning at Danny.
They all talked a bit more, Danny getting into a conversation with Tim at one point about engineering, which Dick was also a little interested in. Jason went over to talk a bit to Sam.
~~~~
“So, is your friend single?” Jason asked after a little bit of small talk with Sam. She looked over at him.
“He is.”
“He into guys at all?”
“He’s bi, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Sam responded. “And I can tell he has a crush on you, too.”
Jason looked at her. “How do you know that?”
“He has a few tells. And he’s been lightly blushing anytime he looks at you. You should ask him out.”
“Hn,” Jason responded. He was definitely thinking about it, but what if Sam was wrong? Danny looked more comfortable talking with Dick and Timmy than he had when he’d been talking to tall three of them, especially Jason.
~~~~
Danny was standing with Sam and talking a bit while the three brothers went to talk to their dad about something (and apparently find out where the youngest brother disappeared to; Dick had mentioned something about attempted stabbing?). They went over to get some food and drinks.
After they’d been eating a bit, Sam broke the silence.
“Danny, just go on over to him.”
Danny whipped his head to look at her. “What?”
“I’m talking about you looking at Jason and so obviously pining over him. Just go over and ask him out or flirt or something!”
“There’s no guarantee he likes me back! I’m not making a fool of myself in front of a room of snobby, rich people.”
“Goddammnit Danny, just go over there! You can face the fucking Ghost King but not a cute guy?”
Danny glared at her, his eyes briefly flashing green. “Fine,” he said, walking over to where Jason had planted himself, away from his brothers.
“Hey,” Jason said as he walked over, “looking for a break from all the rich jerks?”
Danny chuckled and nodded before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah, something like that.”
They made small talk for a little bit.
“So, uhm, would you be interested in maybe going out sometime? That is assuming you’ll be in Gotham for a bit,” Jason asked, rubbing the back of his neck a bit and a slight blush spreading over his cheeks. Danny looked up a bit in shock. He’d been trying to gather the courage to try and ask out Jason and he was being asked out first?
“Oh! Uh, yeah, I’d love to! I, uhm, was trying to try to ask you out myself. And I’ll be in Gotham with Sam and her parents for a few days before heading home. But I’ll be coming back in the fall since I’ve committed to Gotham U.”
Jason smiled wide. “That’s great. So, free tomorrow night for a dinner that’s way less stuffy than this?”
Danny smiled back. “Sounds perfect.”