may you be safe among the stars my dearest son
having a lot of fun redrawing memes as tortles
Cave Boy Danny is a dad and that one fact makes Tim less suspicious of him.
Because the contingency plan for Bruce is his kids. It's also really concerning HOW young Bruce is a parent. (How old is he?!)
And this story won't be complete without Dani showing up to cause mayhem while calling for her Father.
She commits to the bit without even knowing all the details. Or the bit.
So, in Cave Au, I had planned to have Danny call Dani, his adoptive sister, instead of his daughter to make the Waynes much more nervous about him, but I'll write a different Au for you to make up for it.
Dani Fenton is the new kid in Tim's class. She's moved with her single father, Daniel Fenton, from a small town in Minnesota. At first, there is not much to her, even with her large brian.
She's a scholarship girl with a mind for chemistry that could make any scientist green with envy. Her uniform must be better tailored, likely second-hand, because it hangs loosely around her body as if made for a taller girl. She doesn't talk to other students, often popping in headphones when they are dismissed to the next class or during breaks.
Most of Gotham Acadamy doesn't want to interact with her, and she's completely fine with returning the sentiment. Personally, Tim only noticed her because she had a Dumpty Humpty sticker on her laptop.
He's surprised to find anyone in his generation who even heard the band, much less enjoyed it enough to have merchandise. It was a rock band that was popular twenty years ago when Bruce was a teenager.
Tim only knows about them because Bruce sometimes puts them on when he wants to work on any Bat vehicles.
He recognized her sticker, but it wasn't a reason to go over and start a conversation with her. The only action this realization caused was Tim pulling up his playlist and pressing one of Dumpty Humpty's songs.
No, what caused him to talk to her was an incident that happened three weeks after she arrived at Gotham Acadamy. It's a well-known fact that scholarship kids were picked on. Even though Waynes attempted to curb the bullying, it still happened to the kids they gave financial assistance to.
Tim had stumbled across a group of girls surrounding Dani by the soccer field. She was sitting on the grassy hill overlooking the field, and around her were various art supplies. Dani had likely been painting when the girls had rudely interrupted her.
It didn't take any of his Bat training to see how they were mocking her, and he sped up just as one girl reached out to try and snatch her screech book out of her hand.
The key word being tried.
Dani had been much faster, for she not only tugged her book out of the bully's reach but also kicked out the feet from under the girl in the same motion.
"Nice try." Dani taunted, her accent just peeking through. "Now, do me a favor and get your daddy to buy you a yacht you can't drive instead of bothering me."
"At least my Dad has money!" The other girl screeched.
Dani snorted. "Oh boy, you really cut me where it hurts. How will I ever recover from that comeback?"
"You Bitch!" A blond girl yelled. Tim knows her. Tina Lumiรจre, the youngest of Harry Lunmiere- a family who ran luxurious vacation services. A family that was always quick to lure in investors. She's been trying to flirt with Tim since Bruce took him in, convinced he'll fund her family business if she bats her eyelashes hard enough.
Tim hates interacting with her.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I'm a poor bitch that won't amount to anything, and I need to stay away from Timbo Dragon so you can go make rich stupid babies with him."
"That's not his name-"
"Look, I only have one day of the school week where I have a free period, and you're wasting it on this." Dani waves her hand around the group with an over-exaggerated squint. "I mean, honestly, why would I go after some guy? I'm a lesbian."
"You are?" The brunette in the circle of bullies asks, with too much interest. Dani sends her a wink, and the girl actually blushes. Tim is suddenly reminded of Steph, and that causes him to smile.
"That's not his name!" Tina shouts, stepping in between the flirting girls. Dani's face clouds over in distaste as she continues. "His name is Timothy Drake. I know you're lying about not being interested in him! I saw you staring at him in biology."
"I was looking at his rock band sweater. It's a band my dad likes-"
"Shut up!" Tina slaps Dani across the face, seemingly smug, but it doesn't last long since the raven-haired girl springs up with a nasty right hook.
It hits Tina right in the eye, knocking the girl down like her friend. She screams, which triggers all her friends to jump at Dani. Despite being smaller and outnumbered, Dani gives as good as she gets, throwing a girl over her shoulder and punching another in the throat.
Tim picked up his speed, walking into a fast run. He barely has the mind to pull out his phone and point it in the group's direction. "Hey, break it up! Break it up!"
The two holding onto Dani's hair let go like they've been burned. If a teacher had tried to stop the fight, they wouldn't have gotten far, but Tim is a Wayne. They have much more power than some poor staff.
"Tim," Tina wails. Her eye is already starting to bruise. She's going to look terrible for a while while it heals. "She attacked me!"
"No, she didn't," He says, rolling his eyes. He waves his phone at them. "Don't lie. I recorded the whole thing. Also, harassing others is super unattractive."
He didn't, but they don't know that. Tina's face falls apart as he helps Dani get her things and then escorts her to the main building. He doubts that will stop her harassment, but hopefully, it will detain them long enough for him to find a better solution.
"Thanks," Dani says after they finish walking. "That was cool of you."
"Don't mention it." He gives her a standard Wayne-dizzy smile. "What of mine sweater were you talking about?"
She grins. "The Dumpty Humpty one.'
"Oh yeah, that's my dad's. He loves the band."
Her eyes light up. "Mine does, too. Maybe we can get our dads to meet and discuss it."
Great. Dani Fenton was another opportunist trying to get Bruce to meet her parents. Pity.
"I'm sure there will be a chance in the future. Maybe the parent-teacher conferences, we'll run into each other," He says with a laugh, not giving her a direct answer. Dani nods and then walks off to her next class. He reports the girls, compiles enough evidence, and when he's sure the school will step in, he doesn't think about the afternoon.
Then, four months later, it's parent-teacher conferences. Bruce and Tim are just about finished visiting all his teachers, that are falling over themselves to get on Brucie's good side when Dani appears, dragging her dad behind her.
"That's him." She says, and Daniel's face lights up.
"You're the Dumpty Humpty fan?" He asks Bruce. His dad has no choice but to play along even though Tim knows he's dead tired and wants to go home.
"Of course. Who doesn't love a good Fairy Tale Ending to listen to on the way home?" Bruce laughs, and Daniel's grin widens.
"That's great, but I like Bloody Prince Charming more. Daniel Fenton, by the way." He holds his hand, and Bruce shakes it slightly more interest now. It's not that Dumpty Humpty isn't just old; it wasn't popular in this part of the country, so it's even rarer to find fans in Gotham.
"Bruce Wayne."
"Nice to meet ya!" Daniel chirps- seeing anyone other than Dick be that cheerful is odd. "Wish we can talk more, but I got to get to this one's art class."
"Of course," Bruce says, even though he's surprised they walked away so quickly without asking for anything more of them. Most try swinddle a second meeting somehow.
Dani waves Tim goodbye, and the Fentons are off down the hall, chatting between them in ordinary, eased tones. It's odd but a forgotten interaction for Tim after a few days.
Not so much for Bruce.
Tim finds out a month later that Bruce not only met up with Mr. Fenton again but even asked for his number on their second meeting. Then the two men went out for dinner, went to the mall, went shopping, and even did some charity fundraiser together.
Bruce would often message Daniel that it felt like he was the new teenager. Tim still did not think it odd.
Only when Damian burst into his room, dragging the rest of their siblings in. The youngest had called on a sibling meeting to discuss a new issue that worried him about Bruce.
"Tim, who is Father's suitor, and what are his intentions with Father?" The boy asked after everyone had settled.
"What?"
"Babybat has a point. I haven't seen Bruce this interested since Catwoman first appeared," Dick added. "I really hope this lover sticks around."
"What lover?" Tim questions Jason, who shrugs.
"A Daniel Fenton? The old man has been going steady with him for about a month now. Haven't you noticed? You were the one that introduced him."
"No, I've been focused on the Phantom case," Tim says, gesturing to the board covered in red yarn and a news clipping of the new hero.
Phantom had appeared a while back, going through the city and helping the little people. He's even harder to catch a glimpse of then Batman, but he's been helping to slowly cut down the pity crime and muggings, letting the Bats focus on the big guns like the Rouges.
The Bats had been trying to pin him down to offer assistance and gradated for all his hard work. They just catch him since Phantom is a meta and always slips away at the last second.
"Whatever the case may be." Damian started up again. "We must protect Father from those with less than honorable intentions."
"Hear, Hear," Steph and Duke cry, lifting up their juice boxes that Cass had passed out. It wasn't a proper sibling meeting without snacks.
"He can't be all bad," Tim said. "He's a single father."
"Having a kid makes him more worthy?"
"In my experience, step-parents have been really great." But Dana was incredible like that, so maybe Tim put too much faith in Bruce's dating life.
They all agree to closely monitor Daniel Fenton and his daughter Dani. There may be more than meets the eye.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/64075063/chapters/165141025#workskin
More WillMark based on the slow fanfic I'm writing ๐
I don't know why tf I saw this so late but YES!
Feeling a bit angsty so I had this idea.
Danny is dating one of the Bats/Birds, and everything is going great, amazing even! They know each other secrets (from powers to everything etc), they have a wonderful place to live (even if its in Gotham), Danny is in college on the way to becoming a space engineer (and he does side jobs for unrestful ghosts), he's actually getting sleep again since leaving Amity Park, gets along with their friends and family (those who Danny or his partner still talk to, up to the writer), there is even talk about marriage and perhaps adoption/kids in the future between Danny and the Bat/Bird he's dating!
Everything is setting up for a good life in his future, something Danny didn't think could have after his accident. He was happy finally, and currently packing up his old apartment because he's moving in with his partner in a few days.
So he felt like his core was being pulled out of him when he opens his apartment door one day receiving a knock to find his parents, who had hadn't seen since they kicked him out of the house after coming clean about being Phantom (their words of anger and denial that their son was 'dead' and now a monster, still hurt)
Sure they didn't attack him or proclaim he's dead but still their last words and anger HURT.
Danny didn't give them a chance to open their mouths, both looking nervous and guilty, before he slams the door close and turns invisible, grabs his phone, and fly's out of his apartment to his partner's place in a panic attack.
His partner, isn't happy.
They were in the Watchtower now, having decided it was a better for them to talk to the Ghost King there, away from prying eyes and people.
Although Conner thought he was playing it off cool anyone with super-hearing could hear how fast his heart was beating, from nervousness or excitement they weren't sure but one thing's for certain is that they were about to get answers.
The Ghost King was set to arrive in a couple of minutes so that gave everybody some time to prepare. Most of them were tidying up while the magic users were grilling into everybody what and what not to say or ask at risk of enraging their guest.
Superboy felt his presence long before his superhearing caught the swish of the familiar red cape.
"Soo... Mom?"
Conner presses his lips together, refusing to meet Clark's eyes, he shrugs but the movement is barely visible.
"Were you planning tell me?"
"Well.. yeah, I mean.. eventually."
A moment of silence passes by.
"Did.. did you go.. looking for him?"
"No.. he was just.. I ran into him on the mission regarding the rampaging necromancer who was trying to summon an army of undead to take over an island he claimed was rightfully his. "
"The necromancer? That's.. that was three months ago, why did..." Clark pauses, he realises why Conner didn't tell him.
Conner's still avoiding his eyes.
Clark sighs, "I.." Conner's shoulders stiffen.
"I'm sorry, I didn't..." He places his hand on Conner's shoulder, which prompts Conner to look up at him for a moment, before shifting his gaze to the wall behind him.
"I'm not mad, I'm just...confused. I thought... I thought we were doing okay."
Conner opens his mouth but doesn't speak for a moment.
"Hey.."
Conner looks back to Clark.
"Talk to me bud, I want to listen."
Conner's shoulders fall.
"I just.. didn't know how you'd react I guess. I was just.. scared."
Clark doesn't respond for a moment, Conner looks away again. He moves to step away, but he's stopped when Clark drags him into a hug. Conner stiffens again, but almost immediately melts into it. He presses his face into Clark's arm.
Clark sighs again, and when he speaks, his voice is muffled by Conner's hair.
"I'm sorry Con.. I am. I should've done better. I should've been better. You deserved better. I wish you would've felt like you could tell me. But.. I'd love to hear about him now.."
Looking up at the man he can now comfortably call his father Conner opens his mouth to speak, wanting to share alll the things he has been up to with his other parent, but before he could utter another word a green portal appeared right there in the conference room.
It's appearence captured the attention of every hero in the room who assumed their positions, giving the portal their full attention. Whatever Clark wanted to know he was about to find out right now.
[Part: 1 Here]
I am not one to usually bring up powerscawling in media because it gets tiring and aggravating, but are we not going to talk about how they made akumatized Aurore much more powerful?
Like manipulating the weather and climate is one thing but now she can also control people??? Girlie is a force to be reckoned with, the heroes are so luck to reach the tower in time because if they were a bit later she would've won.
Human Reporter: Breaking news, gay alien robot continues to fumble a bad bitch.
*camera pans to the background scene*
Megatron: *on his knees* Please come back with me.
Optimus: Absolutely Not!
Megatron: My glorious metalic princess with a savior complex, PLEASE.
Optimus: For the 100th time I am NOT joining you on your murder crusade.
Megatron: PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZโ
it's about time
sequel-ish to this
the statements "clothes don't have gender" and "clothes can and do invoke gender dysphoria and euphoria for many people" can and should coexist.