Note: Hi, happy holidays! I've already posted this story in AO3 (under this same username; that's were I'm now publishing most of my fanfics). This is also the first time I write a crossover, so I hope you like it!
Been There, Done That
Danny had never felt so annoyed before for being interrupted. He could blame the lack of patience on his upcoming finals, or the stress of pending school projects, or the way he had to constantly look over his shoulder for whatever Vlad was planning. Heck, even the lower-than-usual caffeine intake could be the cause (Alfred had been adamant of indulging his industrial needs for the beverage, which the others thought put Tim's addiction to shame).
No. His lack of patience had all to do with how weird his ectoplasm felt under his skin whenever Jason Todd was around. Like a hornet's nest buzzing threateningly if the other's emotions were all over the place.
And with how demanding and exasperated Jason looked, he was definitely in a mood the half-ghost wanted to steer clear from as soon as possible.
"No," Danny repeated coldly, pushing as much of his threatening ghostly aura as he was willing to show the other ecto-adjacent man.
Jason was not unaffected by the unearthly response, but he was certainly undeterred. "C'mon! It'll take you a second to pull it off and no one would notice."
Danny scowled. "It wouldn't take a second and it's still no. Can't you see I'm busy anyway?"
The vigilante turned a deadpan look at the books scattered across the desk. "Studying? Really? As if you hadn't aced all your other tests this year."
Pushing aside his concern about how well Jason had been following his academic achievements, Danny sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do know we all have different priorities, right? Not everyone wants to follow your cult."
"You kinda did when you decided to come live with us, kid."
"It doesn't count when I'm not actually adopted," Danny defied smugly. "I'm like… an overstaying vacationist, remember?" An arrangement that had been made between two sketchy billionaires, who unknowingly shared a love for hidden lairs under their expensive homes and looking for black-haired teens to mentor.
"And you do realize Bruce has been itching to show you the cave and all the family secrets for a while now, right? That's a technical adoption right there. You can't nope your way out of it forever."
Danny shrugged. "I've dodged that bullet enough times that I'm sure I'm wearing him down now."
Jason grinned mischievously. "You know, I could drop a few hints to keep him interested in trying. 'Hey, Alfred, don't you think it's weird Danny hasn't gotten sick since he's been here? Or how cold he is? Or that he looks the other way when there's any hint of our nighttime activities?' They've all noticed that part, by the way."
In other circumstances, Danny would've been paralyzed with anxiety. Not only from the blatant blackmail but also from the idea of others figuring out his secret. In a different life, once upon a time in Amity Park, he would've been too nervous and unable to keep his ghostliness at bay, manifesting through his angry green eyes, a sudden temperature drop, or some loss of tangibility.
Now? What he couldn't hide was his amusement as he leaned back against his chair. "You can also tell them you've known for almost three months. That should keep Bruce interested enough."
The two stared at each other in a silent battle to see who would budge first. Danny smiled with a tinge of bitterness. Who would Batman tell, anyway? His dead parents? The disbanded GIW? The Justice League who couldn't be bothered to look into Amity Park when things were worse? Vlad?
To be fair, Danny had half-expected the Waynes to end this exhausting song and dance ages ago. They had many opportunities, like when he caught them sharing snacks in the kitchen after midnight, or when he openly stared at the obvious cuts and bruises that hadn't been there the night before, or when he asked them why there were no bodyguards despite being so wealthy in such a dangerous city.
He also knew they were paranoid enough to go through his laptop files, past school records, social media, personal messages, his room, and even had one of the younger vigilantes stalking him now and then. Danny realized if they hadn't found anything by now, they probably wouldn't find anything at all.
Unless Todd talked.
"Fine," the man huffed with crossed arms but didn't move to leave the room yet. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.
Danny couldn't be sure what had led Jason to keep his secret for so long, but he had a hunch it was not just Red Hood's need for leverage against Bruce (nor to buy Danny's silence from that accidental meeting when he caught the man stealing from The Bat Cave™).
Maybe Jason kept quiet out of the goodness of his heart. Maybe the "bat clan" hadn't said a thing because they still don't know how to deal with an unknown like him. Maybe poor communication skills were not exclusive to the Fentons.
Or maybe Danny's luck was just compensating for everything he had already endured with the explosion at the Nasty Burger.
"Why haven't you told them, anyway?" Danny mused out loud after a beat. As much as he didn't want to give space to more conversation, Jason's mood had cooled enough to make him tolerable at least.
"I've been giving you time to come out to say it on your own terms," Jason admitted. It sounded so much like something Jazz would've said, making Danny's heart sink at the reminder that his sister had known he was Phantom and hadn't said a word until it was too late.
"They're not stupid either," Jason's voice brought him out of the dark spiral he started to descend to. "They all have their theories, but they know you're a good kid who wants to escape a bad situation. We also know what it's like to lose someone and feel you could've done more to save them." Danny turned his gaze elsewhere, making the temperature drop as much as his renewed desire to end this conversation. Despite the visible shiver, Jason plowed on. "We. Get. It. How else do you think we joined this 'cult', as you like to call it?"
The half-ghost offered a sad smile. "You mean it wasn't the Bat Burger discounts or the ride in the Batmobile?"
The vigilante rolled his eyes and sat on an armchair close to Danny's desk. "Ok, so you're not interested in the shared trauma or the perks. What about the training? Aren't you even a little curious about how you could improve if they all knew? The skills you can learn?"
"Oh, I'm all down for learning." Danny gestured at his desk like a model showing off a brand-new car. "See? These books are enlightening when I actually have a chance to read them and do my high school projects like any ordinary teen, instead of fighting off the freak of the week."
"Kid, you're far from ordinary," Jason insisted, the exasperated mood returning. "That's the whole point! We all got skills and tools and maybe even the chance to break the mold, and that allows us to face our problems and help in ways no one can."
"Sure, because dying on command is an awesome way to solve things."
"As if you hadn't gone flying above Gotham a couple of times last week."
Danny snorted. "Chilling outside and taking the burden of a mask and a cape are totally different things."
"See? I'm not even talking about wearing a mask."
"You sure? I thought going down to the cave meant picking up a costume from that lovely display."
"Bruce wouldn't drag you into this unless you asked. Or stalked him. Or stole his tires. Don't know what his standards for recruiting are nowadays."
"I'm not interested. End of story," Danny ground out and turned to his schoolwork to get his point across. "Now please go away before I decide to haunt you for eternity."
He couldn't see Jason's face from his peripheral vision but he could feel the heavy stare. He was probably reigning his anger or something, but Danny couldn't care less. After a few seconds of blatantly ignoring the older man, Jason tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk and stood up. "You know what?" he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Forget about Bruce. I'll be the one to wear you down."
Danny raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to face his visitor. "Is that a challenge?"
Jason turned with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, it's a bet."
The young half-ghost resisted the shiver that traveled down his spine. He knew how seriously the batkids took their bets. He wouldn't be surprised if they were already running clandestine gambling circles led by some crime lord like, well, Red Hood. Or was that a stereotype? It felt like a stereotype.
In other words, there was no way he was getting out of the bet with his sanity intact. And he valued whatever sanity he had left.
"Fine," Danny sighed in defeat. "If you don't get me to join your clan,— and trust me, you won't,— I get to choose your new vigilante name."
Jason didn't even blink. "Oh, don't worry. I'll pick your new code name once you do, Casper."
"Nuh-huh, hold on," Danny replied before the other could get carried away calling him names. "You're not leaving without some ground rules: you can't force or trick me to join. It has to be genuine. So no asking me to help in anything you can get someone else to do."
There was at least one member of the Justice League or the Teen Titans to cover each of his powers. And wasn't there a Justice League Dark for the ghostly and occult as well?
"In that case, you're allowed a free trial if it means it'll help convince you," Jason said with the same satisfied smile.
"Wasting your time on that one, but sure, whatever."
"Also," the man said with a more serious expression, "You don't have to be a vigilante. You just have to be officially introduced to the family business and train in whatever skill you want. That's all."
"Fine, honorary part of the clan, then," Danny amended.
Jason nodded. "Anything else you wanna add, Inviso-bill?"
Danny's cheeks turned red in an instant as he sputtered. "How did you even find out about that?" Hadn't Vlad tried cleaning up all traces of Amity's ghost situation? He was sure he had gone out of his way to even convince the locals that it was all a hoax.
But of course, this was one of the world's greatest detectives. "I could teach you how, y'know?" Jason offered.
"It's like you secretly want me to change your vigilante name, Wonder Hood."
That wiped Jason's shit-eating grin. "Ugh, now you won't know what else I found until the bet's over."
"Fine. The bet's on, I guess" Danny grumbled.
Jason shook his hand before leaving the room with a small salute.
Once he was gone, so was any chance of concentrating. Danny tried to keep reading even as the words stopped making sense. He wondered how much it would actually hurt to go back to being Phantom. To help others after learning how to make better use of his abilities. Maybe even have a more balanced life now that he knew there were vigilantes perched in every gargoyle in Gotham.
The slithering memory of a sinister laugh and the promise of an inevitable future brought him back to reality.
Everyone was better off without Phantom. Even Vlad, who at least wasn't planning on ripping out his humanity now.
He had promised his family he'd never turn into him.
He still needed to finish that homework, anyway.
Jason couldn't help the devious grin setting on his lips as he reached Wayne Manor's living room. Two weeks of effort brought a significant change from "weary and respectful distance" to "somewhat tolerable company" among his siblings and one self-isolated Danny Fenton.
All it took was an innocent "I thought you had added Danny already" in the group chat and an offhand comment between patrols about how "maybe the kid feels he doesn't belong" to push the batkids in the right direction.
Sure, the others had already tried being friendly with Danny after he passed their scrutiny and background checks, but the kid had pushed everyone away with his hyper-focus on schoolwork and the constant brooding in his room. Not to mention the way he avoided anything that even hinted at their life as vigilantes.
But today, there was significant progress. Instead of hiding behind a closed door, Danny was comfortably working on the living room floor, close to Tim and Steph who were in different seats around the room and focused on their own projects. It was definitely a rare view after so many months of trying to convince Danny to join movie nights, Batburger outings, and even gaming challenges. Good to see at least homework sessions were more successful to draw him closer.
Jason didn't always visit the Manor but he had at least promised his siblings he'd do it more often, at least to see if he could help in getting Danny to loosen up a bit. Now he wouldn't have to worry about sneaking in to keep an eye on him, like he used to during his constant pestering.
He sat on the couch closest to the half-ghost and opened the book he brought, with no real intention of reading today.
"Glad to see you joining us, kid," Jason said. "What are you working on?"
Danny eyed him with suspicion, one of the things that had remained the same after the bet. "Just a physics project,"
"What kind of project?"
A deep sigh. "A presentation for my finals."
Jason hummed. "Well, glad to see you're getting back into science, then."
The other teens perked up at the interaction and exchanged looks. Bait taken. "I didn't know you were into science. What fields are you interested in?" Tim asked as Steph wrote something furiously in the group chat.
Steph: new interest detected: Danny likes science
Danny hadn't mentioned his love for space or any hint at his parents' work? Huh. Makes sense in a way. Most of the things Jason had learned about him were only possible once he found out about the ghostly business surrounding him. That gave Jason a VIP pass to witness his rants and slips whenever he questioned the kid about using his powers. Stargazing, looking out for natural portals, sensing a shade nearby… At least the excuses were original.
Jason definitely needed to use this in his favor. "You should've heard him the other day. Gave me a full rant on, what was it? Interdimensional travel?" He spared a glance in Danny's direction, who looked so much like the demon brat for a moment. "He's smarter than he likes to admit. I bet he's got really useful skills to land him a spot in NASA if he worked with you, Timbers."
As much as Jason disliked his replacement, he had to admit Drake was crazy smart, if only a bit distracted at times. The lack of sleep probably didn't do him any favors.
Tim hummed thoughtfully at the suggestion, ignoring completely the threatening flash in Danny's eyes towards the older brother. "I mean, we do have internships at Wayne Enterprises—"
"An internship? Pfft!" Jason interrupted. "He's practically your newest brother! I'm sure you can teach him a few things personally if you visited more often."
Steph chuckled. "We better warn Dick you're after his role of caring older bro, Jay."
"He's got a good point, Steph," Tim replied with a heavy look. Their let's-get-Danny-to-the-batcave plan in plain view almost made Jason roll his eyes. "I mean, if you're interested of course, Danny. I'm sure Bruce already told you we have some side projects—"
Danny blanched. Even if the kid didn't go through with the offer, the look on his face was already worth today's effort. "That's okay, really! I wouldn't want to mess up whatever family projects you already have and I usually learn better on my own."
"I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to give it a chance, Danny," Jason chided.
"Oh, I'm dead set on figuring it out on my own, Jay," Danny shot back.
"I sense we're missing relevant character development here," Steph stage-whispered at Tim.
Danny sobered up at the comment and closed his laptop and books. For a moment, it looked like he would excuse himself and leave to hole up in his room, as usual. But there was a hint of something in his eyes. Like a challenge being accepted. It was gone the moment he smiled at Steph.
"Ok. How's this for development? I wasn't going to focus on science at first. In fact… Uh… Nah, too embarrassing to share."
That little shit…
"Aww, c'mon, you can tell us," Steph prompted.
"It's silly, you'll probably laugh at me," Danny replied, going as far as rubbing the back of his neck to really sell it.
"Try us, Danny," Tim encouraged.
Steph smiled warmly in agreement. "Yeah, we really want to get to know you better."
"I think this is the most you've spoken since we've met you."
"Shh, you'll scare him away, Tim."
Jason couldn't get a good read of what game Danny was playing, but he was definitely up to something. The brat even took a long pause and cleared his throat to buy time.
"Fine," Danny finally said. "Thing is… I wanted to be a teen hero."
"What!?" "No way!" Tim and Steph exclaimed at the same time.
"You gotta be shitting me…" Jason mumbled. This felt like an illegal move. Maybe he should've put more rules to this bet.
Danny shrugged. "I know, stupid, huh? But then I started to explore other interests. Something more grounded. Like… astrophysics."
Steph scoffed. "Danny, you can't just dump something like that on us and not elaborate."
"Oh, well, since I wanted to be an astronaut before, and Gotham Academy has a great program for—"
"No, no, the hero part."
Jason's phone buzzed in his pocket and he noticed Drake was typing in the chat. This would be a wild day in the messages, no doubt, especially with how many were missing the interaction and would probably want all the details. He'd bet Babs was already watching the living room's video feed, but maybe he should lay off on the bets for a while.
"Yeah, you know," Danny replied with a shrug. "I used to think it would be cool to parkour into the night, fight the bad guys, and stand up for the helpless. Or was it the hopeless? Both?"
Tim's big brain caught up with him after he got the ball rolling in the chat. "Wait, you said it in past tense, so you know it's dangerous and not something serious to try to do, right?"
"Unless you were trained by, like, assassins or some other vigilante," Steph pointed out.
Or had superpowers, Jason wanted to add, but he didn't want to blow the kid's cover like that. If this conversation had proved anything, it was how serious Danny was about leaving that life behind. Even if it meant pulling risky shit like this.
"Oh, trust me. I know," the kid replied, giving Jason a brief glare. "And it's not like there's a school for new heroes or a manual, right? And can you imagine how much it would cost to keep up with the latest gear or just getting a suit clean? No wonder guys like Red Hood had to become crime lords."
"Why am I not recording this?" Steph whispered as she gawked along with Tim.
"Because you value your life," Jason huffed.
But Danny wasn't done.
It was almost as if Jason's annoyance fueled his little trolling act further. "And that's another thing: who in their right mind would want to risk dying or harming their loved ones, right? Unless, you know, they're the reason to pick up a mask. Though wouldn't therapy be cheaper?"
Tim furrowed his brow. "Well, yeah, but that's why they keep their identities secret and train to do their best."
"If you can call a fight against the Condiment King training. On second thought, he'd be terrifying if he used the Nasty Burger's sauce." Danny shuddered.
Jason rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed was this to open up a different can of worms. "You sure have given this hero gig a lot of thought, huh?"
"Yeah, Danny, you've been here, what? Four months?" Steph turned to look at Tim for confirmation. "You've got a pretty strong opinion for someone who's never met our city's heroes."
"At least not that you've told us," Tim added with a hint of suspicion. Maybe this was dangerous territory or maybe they could get this bet back on track…
"Yeah, sounds like you should get to meet one of the Robins before you make any judgments, kid."
"Or one of the Batgirls," Steph reminded them.
"Nah, pass. I'm over that whole phase. Been there, done that."
Was Danny doing this on purpose? He was giving them way more information than necessary, risking his secret in the process.
"Exactly how much 'done that' are we talking about?"
"I've never been a batkid, if that's what you're asking, Tim," Danny said with a nonchalant shrug. "But it's obvious anyone choosing to live a double life would have a lot of trouble keeping things balanced, right? Like, what if instead of studying for my finals I ended up, I don't know, researching a case I had open or something." Drake quietly closed his laptop. "It would probably take half of my sleep schedule, half my meals, half my spare time... That's like being half alive! So, yeah. Great character development: I decided to leave the heroics to those who can pull it off and go to space instead."
Jason knew the others had more questions than answers now, and Danny had managed to crush any intention the others had of showing him the Bat Cave, if the messages he scrolled through were any indication.
Steph: he'll either make fun of us or run with the wind
Cass: (broken heart emojis)
Dickie: idk we shouldn't scare him away then… don't wanna be the one telling B if we do
Someone cleared their throat at the entrance of the living room, making everyone turn to look at Alfred. "As exciting as it is to see you all having a pleasant conversation, perhaps you'd rather continue in the dining room. I'm sure Master Bruce would be delighted to participate as well."
That did the trick and erased Danny's triumphant look faster than he could say 'fuck'.
Duke: can't believe this is the one time I miss dinner
Dickie: i feel you bro
Cass: (sad emojis)
Babs: I'll send you the video later
Dickie: where's Jay anyway?
Steph: here, channeling your big bro energy
Damian: What are you hiding, Todd?
Jason: I'm just enjoying a front-row seat
Steph: you're just scared he'll keep roasting red hood
[Several users are typing]
Steph had the good grace to smile sheepishly when Jason glared from the other side of the dining table.
Alfred's cooking was always a great reason to stay in the Manor. Saving his vigilante name for the next month was a solid second reason even if the others didn't know it. Everyone would chalk it up to his curiosity about the upcoming train wreck during dinner.
Because there was no way Danny Fenton would be able to keep that sass in front of Bruce.
The old man and Damian had joined them as expected, chatting about some rescue project the demon brat was working on. Once everyone was well into their meals, Tim gave Bruce an obvious look motioning toward Danny, who was too distracted to notice since he sat as far away from Bruce as physically possible.
"So, Danny," Bruce addressed the kid with a friendly tone. "Tim told me about your love for space. We'd be delighted to set up a telescope on the roof for you."
Danny looked confused for a moment before he gave the man an awkward smile. "Thanks, Bruce. That would be nice."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "It's a relief to know you're not looking to be the next Robin."
The silence in the dining room felt abrupt. Drake almost choked on his food while Bruce shot Damian a scolding look.
"We're still teaching him some people skills," Jason told Danny to break the tension. Sure, he wanted to get the kid to open up with the family more, but he never meant to corner him like that.
Danny sighed and shook his head. "Word sure spreads fast, I guess."
Bruce apparently hadn't heard that part of the conversation from Tim before they sat for dinner, if the look of utter confusion was any indication. "Did something happen?"
"Fenton revealed he used to be interested in heroics," Damian grumbled.
"Used to. Big key words there," Danny added sheepishly.
Steph chuckled, trying to bring back a lighthearted mood. "And he sure went full debate-team-mode on us."
Her effort might have made it worse. Bruce was pensive, assessing his newest ward. If Jason had to guess, he was probably reexamining their past interactions in a new light. The last thing Danny needed was to be seen as a threat, but the kid dug his own grave with his risky game.
Bruce hummed and stared at Fenton right in the eye. "Is that why you came to Gotham?"
Danny shrugged but didn't look as tense. Maybe he expected a harder question. "Not really? According to Vlad, it was either coming here or going to Metropolis with Lex Luthor. And only one of you had experience with kids in tough situations."
"And only one had a city with teen vigilantes everywhere, isn't that right?" Damian questioned.
Danny gave him a warm smile. "In any case, that's not a good sales pitch for a wannabe hero. At least it's not that crowded in the astrophysics field."
Tim leaned closer to the table to look Danny in the eye. "Was it crowded back in Amity Park?"
"Nah, and it was exhausting to cover that much ground alone, despite living in a small town," Danny replied nonchalantly. "Jay, can you pass the salt, please?"
Of all the places to drop that kind of information…
But then again, this was definitely working in keeping Bruce from revealing everything now. Instead of telling the kid so he understands the importance of being discreet and avoiding misunderstandings that could unknowingly reveal their secrets, Bruce would be weary of encouraging a new vigilante and putting an untrained kid at risk.
In the dumbest way possible, he was trying to win this bet no matter what.
"Danny," Bruce asked slowly, cutting through the thick silence, "were you a hero in Amity?"
There was a downcast look in his eyes and a hint of bitterness in the half-smile that followed. "No, I would've saved everyone if I was, right?"
The way the temperature dropped with Danny's emotions went unnoticed by the others at the table. But Jason knew this wasn't the evening breeze. The small oppression in their chests was not the result of their heartbreak after hearing the implications behind the kid's words.
Jason understood the cry for help.
"So, anyway," Danny broke the tense atmosphere with a more relaxed tone. "For the record, I did say I'd rather not be a hero. That's why I picked you. Because you seemed like a normal and happy family despite all the pain in the past."
Bruce looked like he'd been punched in the gut. And it reverberated in everyone else in the room.
Danny smiled sadly at the group surrounding him. "I'm so grateful for everything, really. You've given me enough space to improve my grades, to allow me to get back on my feet without stressing over Vlad's plans for me or someone else's shady agenda. I might actually have a shot at NASA now and hopefully change my future. So, thanks. It really means a lot."
No one knew what to say. Jason felt like shit knowing he had been insisting the kid to take a chance and work with his abilities instead of running away from who he was. But the hint of fear behind his words… this had nothing to do with teaming up with other heroes to hone his skills. This was not about losing a stupid bet.
It was about being at peace with himself again.
Danny got up from his seat at the table, silent as a ghost. "Yeah, sorry for killing the mood. So, if I may be excused, I'll go finish my physics project, 'kay?"
Everyone watched in confusion as Danny left the room. There was still a cold sensation nearby, so he could very well be close enough to eavesdrop. Or maybe the air was just that heavy after the expected train wreck was replaced by an emotional roller coaster.
"Uh, Jay?" Steph's subdued voice spoke after a beat. "What just happened?"
Jason snorted. "Nope. I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."
"You were suspiciously silent during this improvised questioning," Damian accused.
Drake squinted at him. "And you stayed for dinner. You never stay."
"You knew more about Danny than any of us could get out of him in four months," Steph added.
"You definitely know something."
"Is this true, son?"
Everyone stared at him expectingly. Good thing he worked well under pressure. He was surprised to learn Danny did as well, even if his technique could be polished.
"Still not my story to tell," Jason replied, leaning back on his chair with crossed arms. "Anyway, unrelated note, but I might be changing my hero name soon. Just a heads up."
Hopefully, it wouldn't be as bad as Wonder Hood.