Danny kept charging forward despite the best efforts of the Dynamic Duo. His eyes flicked over their surroundings time after time, hoping to catch a glimpse of them before they made another strike while keeping his now ragtag family where he could see them. Tucker, Sam, and Jazz had followed him in his flight from Amity Park, and it hadn't taken long for them to stumble across Danielle and incorporate her into their lives. The full story behind the pair of half ghosts had been revealed to the others shortly after that.
But now they were in Gotham wearing dirty and ragged clothes, most of them malnourished to some degree, and all of them battered and exhausted.
Danny saw a flash of yellow from the bright underside of the younger boy's cape moments before he flipped through the air, cutting off another escape route. Danny cursed, and the group quickly corrected their course to avoid the confrontation, taking a less likely path hoping to avoid the more formidable Bat. Right now, where they went didn't matter, they just needed to get away from everyone following them. More specifically the men in white suits with ecto-blasters that had caused the group so much trouble. It was the mad scramble across rooftops to escape that had caught the Caped Crusader's attention. Neither Bat nor Bird were visible once more.
A nagging feeling had preoccupied Danny's mind as well. The faint hint of recognition in the way Robin moved through the air. The way he spun and flipped fluidly, pulling acrobatic moves that would cause professionals to gawk was reminiscent of… someone. Danny knew that the Boy Wonder had to have been practicing almost religiously his whole life to achieve such skill at a young age, but that was hardly surprising considering Batman's rumored protective streak that was almost paternal. If the two were father and son, Robin likely would have been raised into this life and prepared in every way possible, including the necessary gymnastics.
A haunting cackle filled the air and Danny shuddered to a stop, everything clicking into place. His jaw fell open and his eyes widened, locking onto the impossibly familiar form dressed in red, black, and yellow. His mind stuck and churned, trying to process the noise and movement. He should have known. Pop Haly had always said he would never forget the sight of them on the trapeze. That he would always recognize one no matter how hard they tried to hide it. The way a Grayson moved in the air was distinct. He should have recognized it. But it couldn't be possible.
"Danny!" a young, shrill voice cried out.
His eyes snapped back into focus, his body moving on instinct. He ducked beneath the large, grasping arm covered in black. He dodged the swift strike from the smaller leg on the other side and ignored the brief pang as his mind remembered exactly who it was trying to kick him.
"Keep going!" he yelled to Danielle, who had stopped near the edge of the roof, the others already on the other side of the gap.
She nodded, her eyes remaining worried as she turned away. Danny had a lot of ground to cover to catch up. But it wouldn't be that hard. Tucker, Sam, and Jazz had insisted that Danny and Danielle take the slimmest and lightest packs. The ones that would hinder them the least if they needed to fight. Which meant that right then, Danny wasn't being allowed to carry anything other than the Fenton Phones in his pocket and a Fenton Thermos.
Deep, authoritative voices sounded behind them, yelling and screaming at the group of teens. Danielle crossed the gap. Danny kept running, preparing for the leap. A blast of glowing green energy the size of a baseball flew between Batman and Robin, nailing Danny's shoulder.
A small cry slipped from Danny's mouth. For a fraction of a second his vision blurred, and his knees gave out. His body, however, continued to pitch forward, the blast adding to his own forward momentum and toppling him over the edge. Danny lashed his arm out, hoping to grasp the lip of the rooftop. Instead he felt a large hand latch onto his wrist, bringing him to a sudden stop and yanking his arm out of its socket.
Batman quickly, but carefully, pulled Danny back up and setting him down on the loose gravel covering the top of the building. During that time the Guys in White caught up, forming a careful semicircle around the three people, ecto-blasters at the ready.
"Are you alright?" Batman asked, his voice as gruff and gravelly as the stories said.
"Depends on the definition of alright," Danny snapped glaring at the agents from his place on the ground.
"He'll be fine," one of the men said, "ecto-weaponry doesn't hurt humans."
"It doesn't do lasting damage, sure, dilo," Danny deliberately dropped in the word for idiot in the Gurvari Romani he had grown up with to see how Batman and Robin would respond. Both of them tensed slightly and watched him a little more closely, Robin more so than Batman. "But they still hurt and can cause some serious burns on the higher levels. Which someone thought it would be smart to use," Danny snarled. It might not be smart to provoke them, but the information was accurate. One of them was bound to have their blaster on the highest settings and it would easily cover for Danny's injuries.
"What's going on? Why did you shoot at him?" Batman demanded while Robin shifted closer to check over Danny's burned shoulder.
"He is in violation of-" one of them began.
"Some butavo rule that doesn't even apply here because there are no ghosts involved," Danny cut in, dropping the word for stupid, watching Robin stiffen once again. "I'm not in your jurisdiction."
"Ghosts?" Robin asked.
The agent nodded, "Our agency has full authority over all ghostly matters due to the Anti-Ecto Acts."
"A story of xoji in three words," Danny muttered. Xoji means anger, it was the closest word to hate he could find. Their parents had always avoided that word, and finding resources for a language that doesn't have a written form is not easy.
Robin glanced at him, shuffling a little closer still, openly staring now, taking in every detail of Danny's face.
"You are carrying ecto-weaponry," the agent continued, addressing Danny directly now. "That violates Article 3, section 4, subsection 3."
Danny grinned to himself, "Article 3, section 4, subsection 3 also states that the makers of all ectoplasmic weaponry and technology may use it as they please and grant others the right to carry it. So, as a member of the Fenton family, I have the right to carry that technology."
The agents shifted uncomfortably, muttering to each other and comparing notes on what little they remembered of that section.
"So that means you attacked and injured a teenager without cause and nearly killed him by shooting him off a building," Batman clarified, openly glaring at the agents.
"Um…" the agent said.
"I should be arresting you," Batman growled.
The agent stood a little taller. "You have no authority! We are government agents and you are just some nutjob with fancy toys!"
"Batman is a founding member of the Justice League," Robin interrupted, "an international peacekeeping and planetary protection force. I think he out ranks grunt agents."
The agents scowled, they all knew they the argument had been lost. "We will be back," the lead agent said. "Return to base." The agents turned as one and left the trio alone on the rooftop.
"Article 3, section 4, subsection 3," Batman started, "what's really in there?"
Danny grinned, "I have no idea, but neither do they."
Robin was staring at Danny again. Batman shot him a look that Danny was tempted to read as concern before turning back to Danny. "We should probably get your shoulders fixed up."
Pain flared again at the reminder. "Right," Danny grumbled, his dislocated shoulder hanging limply while his burns throbbed dully on the other. "Probably should."
"Let's get you to a doctor then," Batman said, moving to help Danny up.
"No!" Danny yelped. "I mean. That's really not necessary. You can just relocate my shoulder now and I can use the first aid kit my friends and I have. It's really no big deal."
"Why don't you-" Robin started.
"Does it look like I have the money?" Danny asked. "Or want to be found? Hospitals are not going to be helpful in the long run."
"Fine," Batman said before Robin could argue. "But I have a condition."
"Let me hear it first," Danny said slowly, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I want to know what you and your friends are doing on Gotham's streets."
Silence fell over the group. Danny glared at Batman before relenting, "Things got dangerous back home."
Robin seemed to pale. "Your parents-"
"No!" Danny cut him off quickly, shock evident in his features. "No, nothing like that! It was just… dangerous in general. And my parents weren't capable of doing anything and neither were the police or anyone else. So, we just… left."
"Does it have to do with ghosts?" Batman asked, though it sounded like he was looking more for a confirmation than actually curious.
Danny stared at him, "I guess you would have picked up on that. Yeah, Amity Park, where we're from, is more than a little over run. Or at least it was when we left. My parents are ghost hunters as well as scientists and inventors. They're at the front of anything relating to ectoplasm, especially weaponry. But they're not the most observant of people and have yet to catch any of the real trouble makers, which are all about a level five or higher on the power scale. The Guys in White aren't any better. Worse, actually," Danny frowned, "at least my parents didn't destroy the observatory because they thought some random kid with fake white hair was Phantom."
"So, they're brilliant scientists but horrible hunters," Robin clarified.
Danny nodded as Batman stepped forward. "Wait, what are you-!"
"Relocating your shoulder, like I promised. Have you ever done this before?"
"U-um, y-yeah. I was just a kid though." The last time Danny had dislocated his shoulder was back at the circus. He had been practicing with the family and done something wrong, causing the joint to pop out of place. Jazz and Sam considered it a miracle that Danny hadn't dislocated anything fighting ghosts yet. Danny said it was because his opponents spent more time trying to cut him, shoot him, or crush him than jerking his limbs around, his ghostly body was more resilient around the joints too.
Batman nodded, "Robin, take his hand." Robin complied as Batman began counting down. The Dark Knight yanked on Danny's arm and a sudden jolt of pain tore a scream from his throat as the joint was righted. Robin winced at Danny's death grip on his hand.
"One last question," Robin started. He shifted nervously searching for words as Danny rotated his arm testing his shoulder. "Are you… um, are you, by any chance… adopted?"
Danny grinned, "Of course, pral."
Robin was shaking now. Brother. Danny had called him brother. Danny was his brother, his long-lost half-brother. They'd been separated after their parents fell. Dick remembered his mom explaining to them that the year before he'd been born their dad had loved another woman and had made Danny. Their dad hadn't known about Danny until the older boy was three. Danny's birth mother had died in childbirth. Dick remembered how clumsy Danny had been, stumbling through the circus camp and slowly lagging behind in their practices. He had been on the ground when they fell. Dick remembered clinging to his older brother, the last of his family as the Social Service worker took them away. He remembered the separation and the desperate searching and questioning after Bruce took him in. They never found Danny. His records stopped abruptly after the first night.
"How?" Robin asked. "How did you know? Where were you? What happened?"
"Um… well, you move like, um…"
"A member of your family," Batman interrupted. "No names."
Danny nodded. "You move like one of us. In the air, that is. And you responded to Romani, which, you know, is rare. And you wouldn't have asked if I was adopted if you didn't know me."
"And the other questions? Where have you been? Why couldn't we find you?"
Danny frowned at that one. "I was in Amity with the Fenton family. The last one… I have an idea, now that I think about it. But I'd have to check a few things first."
"Can't you at least-" Robin started, breaking off as gravel crunched under someone's feet.
Danny turned around, wondering who it was.
Jazz stood with a Jack o' Nine Tails ready, "This is why you don't bring up the back," she said.
Danny leaped to his feet and darted over to the red head. "Jazz!"
"And who's this?" Batman asked.
"Sister," Danny answered quickly. He paused for a second, thinking. "And part time therapist."
"We left you alone for fifteen minutes, Danny," Jazz frowned, "how did you manage to get yourself shot and make friends with the Dark Knight and Boy Wonder that fast? And how did you get rid of the Guys in White anyway?"
"Batman handled it," Danny smiled.
Jazz stared at him. "Please tell me that you haven't told them your life story."
Danny pouted. "I wouldn't need to. But I haven't said anything about that, if that's what you're worried about."
"Wait, what's 'that'?" Robin asked.
"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed. "And what do you mean you wouldn't need to?!"
"Do you remember the first few months, Jazz?"
"Yes, but are we talking about one or two?"
"One," Danny answered, pointing at Robin.
"Danny!" Robin yelped. "You don't just-"
"I swear it's in your blood," Jazz grumbled quietly, though everyone heard her.
"You trust her with this?" Batman asked.
"I trust her with my life," Danny said seriously. "And we know how to keep a secret."
Batman nodded, "Do you have a phone?"
Jazz looked confused, "We have a couple of burners, just in case."
"Which one does Danny usually carry?" Robin asked, catching on.
Danny's eyes lit up in understanding as he rattled off the number. "But we can't afford much so don't call too often. They really are just for emergencies."
The Little Bird grinned and agreed.
"Come on, Danny, the others are worried."
Danny nodded before darting forward and wrapping his arms firmly around his little brother. He smiled, waved and turned to follow his older sister across the buildings to his other little family.