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#talia: OUR kid
spicy-apple-pie · 7 months
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What if Talia was able to save Jason before he was killed by the Joker? (comic)
cw: Blood and gore stay safe!!!
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if you're seeing this again, it's because this is a different version of the comic with a different content warning format. Thanks for liking and/or reblogging the first version!!!
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puppetmaster13u · 4 months
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Prompt 217
Babies can die if they don’t have enough physical contact. This is something that is known, but Talia does not have time to spend with her twins, and it’s not like she carried them thanks to the false Lazarus womb, so she didn’t even have that excuse to use. 
What she did have, was a near braindead teen who could be taught things through muscle memory. 
Which is how Jason ended up caring for a pair of toddlers between any training, even after his dip in the Pit. Well, he cared for them until he left for Gotham, to enact his plans, even if he continued to call them every week. 
But that wasn’t enough for little Damian and Danyal.
Where had their caretaker gone? Away from them? Where is Baba? Across the sea? Unacceptable. They will not stand for this! 
Which in turn, is how Jason discovers his the twins outside his safehouse window, having somehow made it to Gotham on their own- what the fuck, kids!?
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soulless-bex · 2 months
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talia secretly adopts all of bruce’s kids behind his back. dick? she got to know him shortly after he became nightwing and supported him through his debut. jason? she had more than enough time to adopt a parental role for him while he was still staying in nanda parbat. tim? she’s been corresponding with him since forever. she was so proud when he committed his first war crime too. steph saw her visiting one of the boys, recognized her and befriended her to spite bruce. duke sort of just assumed she was bruce’s wife after seeing the way the other kids act around her and never questioned it. she’s too scary for him to dare do that, and anyway, she’s pretty chill so he won’t complain. cass sees the whole thing unfold, and while i don’t think she’s talia’s biggest fan, i think she would find the whole thing funny anyway.
bruce never noticed. not until all of his kids had already fallen into the habit of calling her mom
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bluerosefox · 9 months
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Assassin Heir? Crime Fighting Furry? NOPE NO THANK YOU!
"Danyal, its time to end this game and return with me."
Danny should had known Clockwork had something in mind when he sent him on this mission. He knew he should had been suspicious of the time keeper when he noticed the little 'this is going to be fun' smile on his face when he sent Danny off into the portal.
"Get back here you demon spawn 2.0!"
But how was he supposed to know that he'd wake up in this world version of himself in a pit full of corrupted (AND NASTY) ectoplasim at the tender age of five or that when he swam up to the surface he'd be meeting face to face with what was apparently a cult.
"-O just spotted him a block away! I'll try to cut itty bitty bridie off!"
An Assassins Cult his, new to him, loving yet a little insane mother was in charge of (though during the few months he stayed in the compound he heard rumors and gossip from maids and others alike that if his grandfather returned from the dead he'll take over once again, no doubt punish Talia for creating another heir after the failure of the last one, most likely was going to kill Danny and that... that was can of worms Danny didn't wanna deal with yet)
"Ten bucks says they try to stab RR when we get the feral thing home"
"...Losers bet...."
Danny had lived with his mother for a while after being brought back from the 'dead' for apparently the first time, it turned out training a five year old with an actual sword and a dumbass hidden revenge seeking teacher was a terrible idea.
"I swear if this one tries to murder me like the others I'm asking Zatanna if there is a curse on me."
He dealt with her high demands of perfection, the endless training, and the constant comparisons to his apparent older brother Damain... Who didn't know Danny, or rather Danyal existed.
Nor did his father (when Danny, using his powers he's kept hidden since 'waking' up in this Realm, he sneaked his way around the base and discovered how he came into the world. And tbh he couldn't blame his mom how she made him, she was an assassin first and foremost, being naturally pregnant would had painted a target on her for to long... but he also felt it was unfair and an asshole move on his unsuspecting father as well)
"As your elder brother I demand you to stop running!"
Now don't get him wrong, he did like his new mother (total badass assassin lady and all that) and he knew she loved him in her own... deadly way. But yeah, she really shouldn't be taking care of kids. He could tell she struggled with wanting to be a normal mother but her first instinct after so many years was to be an assassin first.
Something she was trying to engrave into Danny with as well.
"Ah, hello Beloved. I see you've learned of our Danyal."
"Talia. Back away from him and leave Gotham now."
"I can not do that. The League needs an heir and since Damian refuses to return... I have decided to create a new one and I shall not be leaving until he returns with me."
"Talia."
Hence why when Danny, or rather Danyal al Ghul had gotten decent control over his powers he decided to leave the League. Again nothing wrong with the life his mom leads, to each their own, but he... really, really didnt want to be an assassin. Or an assassin heir.
So here he was, after almost a year on the run, using his powers and training to out smart and out maneuver his mother and her many band of Assassins, in Gotham. One of the last places he ever wanted to run to cause he knew his father and brother lived here.
It was just his luck that his mother had managed to intercept his train ride that passed into Gotham for a few hours and forced him to run into the city...
Add her assassins into the mix and running into Robin, who heard from Oracle his mother had been spotted chasing a young boy across the city, that same night.
After that it became a full on "catch me if you can" chase for not only his mother but for the batclan as well.
And after two whole days of chase, it seemed like the final showdown was about to begin because everyone was on top of this rooftop, his mother and her assassins on one side, his father and the batclan on the other and Danny well... he was right in the middle of all of it.
He just had to hope no one would notice him once the fighting started...
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illustriousdaydreamer · 3 months
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Aaron Bushnell is the first active duty servicemen to ever self-immolate. This man lit himself on fire in an attempt to stop a genocide his country was complicit in, and one that would attempt to actively force him to also become complicit. This is what he chose to post to his friends and family on Facebook before he lit himself ON FIRE in front of the Israeli embassy in DC.
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?'
The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now."
His final words were "It's Aaron Bushnell. I'm an active duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will NO LONGER be COMPLICIT in genocide. I'm about to engage in an EXTREME act of protest. Compared to what people are experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers it's not EXTREME AT ALL. This is what our ruling class has decided is NORMAL. FREE PALESTINE! FREE PALESTINE! FREE PALESTINE!.... FREE PALESTINE!" Before collapsing
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Talia Jane, @taliaotg, on twitter writes: "Loved ones of Aaron Bushnell, 25, reached out to me and gave me consent to post a blurred version of Bushnell’s protest today against genocide in Palestine.
“Aaron is the kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in the Air Force,” said Errico, who met Bushnell in 2022."
https://x.com/taliaotg/status/1761944158636331247?s=20
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ktkat99 · 1 year
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Angst/humor fic idea, if you need a prompt:
Bruce finds out the hard way which of his kids is okay with the 'unadoption' joke threats he makes when they annoy or stress him out. "Why did I adopt you?"..."I still have your adoption certificate. I wonder if the orphanage accepts returns?"..."I knew I should have left you on that street corner where I found you."
Dick fires back with twice as much sass, sometimes rolling his eyes and flipping off Bruce when he gets older.
Young!Jason looks so scared the first time he hears one, and Bruce never jokes about it again. Adult!Jason makes jokes about unadopting himself.
Tim is far too tired to register that it was a joke and gets quiet and avoids Bruce completely for the rest of the week until Bruce realizes what he did wrong and tracks his son down. They talk and Bruce never implies regretting to adopt Tim again.
Cass laughs along with him before pulling out her adoption certificate from her pocket and grinning, scaring him. His kids's adoption paperwork was all stored in a hidden, impenetrable, designed-by-Batman safe. Laughter fades and she just whispers "You'll never be rid of me."
Bruce- Maybe Talia wants you back.
Damian, not even phased- And maybe Alfred would have rather been working for a doctor than a clown-hating, nocturnal, combat furry, but I guess we're both out here disappointing our parents.
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shinobicyrus · 15 days
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I've seen a lot of posts about Batman using his Bruce Wayne alter ego for the good of Gotham: job programs for felons released from prison, orphanages, charities, high wages for his employees, ethical business practices...the legendary post where Bruce Wayne goes to Wal-Mart.
Thus far I've never personally seen anybody really dig into the persona of Bruce Wayne the Billionaire Playboy. A handsome, rich, powerful man who always is seen at fancy galas, art openings, charity dinners, and wild parties with at least one beautiful woman on his arm.
We know Bruce Wayne is the mask, and its Batman who has a...complex love life, depending on the iteration we're talking about. Talia, Catwoman, sometimes Wonder Woman.
Bruce Wayne's dates, on the other hand, are all "normal" people. Maybe they're an aspiring actress, a supermodel, a prima ballerina, the occasional reporter...and every time there's that bit of nervousness at the start.
Sure everyone knows Bruce Wayne. Everyone knows the story with him. Sometimes his wilder parties make the news, but there's never really been anything nasty reported about him. Never...allegations. But he's a billionaire. He's one of the most powerful people in the whole city, nevermind the country. If he did have some skeletons in his closet. Well. Men with power have a way of making those kinds of stories go away, don't they?
As time goes on the Date's fears dissipate pretty quickly. Bruce Wayne is nothing but polite, kind, and at times charmingly awkward in an 'raised by his butler in a mansion' kind of way with his dates. Some of them can tell he's holding back, of course. Maybe the more perceptive Dates notice he's smarter than he lets on - playing the himbo or hamming up the "know-nothing rich boy" act to the cameras or some of his wealthy peers.
He also listens, is the thing. He's always listening to what they're saying, is interested in hearing about their careers, their hobbies, their lives. Really listens, too. Might refer to something a Date said weeks later off-hand. Buy out the whole museum for a private dinner date with a famous painting from an obscure artist they like, or a private performance with another's favorite band.
He has anecdotes and funny stories for days that somehow says very little about his personal life. The Dates know he has kids (it's practically a running gag in the news that Bruce Wayne has adopted yet another orphan) and maybe she might spot one of them at the mansion, but Bruce seems very keen to shelter them from any intense spotlight and scrutiny, and they all seem happy if a bit weird like him.
Eventually, there's drifting. He's a very busy man, with a very busy schedule. On more than on occasion his nice old butler will call and extend apologies that Mr. Wayne will not be able to make it this evening. Sometimes it's virtually impossible to get a hold of him over the phone. After a while they stop trying. None of them feel quite surprised by that. In the end, it just doesn't work. Sure, he's a little distant and doesn't make himself emotionally available...but he's not a bad person.
Especially when the so-called "exes" of Bruce Wayne start networking. Gotham isn't a small city, but the social circles Bruce Wayne travels in aren't as big. They don't quite gossip or complain about him. More like...who else would get it?
(I touched his side once and he winced...like he'd been hurt real bad there. He laughed and said it was tackle polo. How does that even-?)
(Somehow, after two dates, he saw right through me and listened while I told him what that casting director tried to do. He nodded, gave me the contact details of a law firm, and said not to worry about the legal fees.)
(I don't know for sure it was him, but it can't be a coincidence that my building got bought out from under my shitty landlord and we were all able to buy our apartments under market value.)
(He got my brother in the best rehab program in the city after his relapse. It probably saved his life. We'd stopped dating months ago, I still don't know how he found out.)
(He gave me a card with a phone number and told me that if I was ever in trouble to call it. Said one of his cars would come to pick me up, any time, any place, no questions asked. The one time I did have to use it after a bad party, it was Alfred.)
I think any tabloid reporter digging around for salacious stories or dirt about Bruce Wayne's love life would be completely and politely stonewalled when they try asking his former Dates. Even when money is offered. Every single one of them.
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sleepy-writes-stuff · 3 months
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DP X DC PROMPT #27
(Time for something a little more lighthearted/found family. Could probably also make this a crack prompt instead.)
(#) = Notes at the end of post
(*) = Just me building off of other ideas.
Visitation Rights
When Danny went to list Dani/Ellie as his heir after she'd come back from her years of traveling the world, he was quickly informed that he already had one in line for the thrown.
"What? Since when?!"
The pretentious, floating eyeball looked like he wanted to be anywhere else other than here, providing information to King Phantom, but explained anyway.
"The day you officially achieved royal status, you permanently linked your being to the Infinite Realms. When this happened, however, a child was in the process of being created with the assistance of ectoplasmic runoff that's been leaking into the mortal world for centuries. As a result of your power being incorporated into the Realms at such a time, this human child retained an imprint of your core signature. The Infinite Realms itself has recognized this child as your offspring. Your... other offspring has yet to be recognized in such a way and would therefore be considered your second heir once claimed."
Danny stared at the Observant with wide, blank eyes that were slowly filling with dread and panic.
"Why are you just telling me this now?? My coronation was over a decade ago!" He held his face in his hands and gave a horrified groan at what he just learned.
"If you really wanted that clone as your heir, I'm afraid it's too late to change it-"
Danny's head shot back up with a snarl and furious green eyes.
"That's not what I'm upset about you walking cataracts! Eleven years! I've missed eleven years of this kid's life!! How could you think I-"
At a loss for words, he growled deep in his chest. Deep enough that it echoed throughout the halls and rattled the floors.
"Who is this kid, and where can I find them?"
Once given the information and learning of the child's other parental figures, he gets to work. A few weeks later, he appears in the home office of a well-known billionaire with a stack of papers that he promptly slams onto the desk in front of the startled man. (1)
"I demand visitation rights to our son, Damian Wayne."
(1) Danny actually visited Talia first to get visitation rights. Needless to say, that didn't go very well. He's still got a couple knives floating around in his chest cavity because of it.
(*) ALSO! I'm not sure how this lines up with the DC/Batman timeline. All I figured out is that if Danny waited to be crowned until after he graduated college as an astrophysicist, which take 5 to 7 years, he'd be about 36 years old when he finds out about Damian. Bruce would be about 41, so the age gap is only 5 years. If y'all wanna make this Danny/Bruce, go ahead!
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snaileer · 7 months
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Call to My Bedside
When Danny wakes up with shackles around his wrists and chains pinning him to the wall, he’s not all that surprised to see his mother in front of him.
And no, he doesn’t mean Madeline Fenton, although he wonders if he’d be surprised by that either and really, what does that say about his life?
But no, he’s not all that surprised to be staring into the eyes of Talia Al Ghul right now.
Even if his heart stops at the sight of her.
Immediately, he tries to stand, shoulders pulled painfully behind him as he tries not to let her loom over him.
This is a woman he barely remembers, through no effort of her own, but that’s what happens when you left a kid to be trained by strangers before he’s whisked off to America against his will at age 5.
Really she was lucky he remembered her at all.
She crouches down slightly to make up for their height difference, face softening too quickly to be real, “I am Talia Al Ghul. Though you may not remember, you are my child-“
“I remember.” Danny cuts her off, trying to keep the anger from making his eyes glow. He does remember, he remembers enough to know that it would be dangerous for them to know he has powers.
He settles for glaring at her.
For a second it seems she just watches him, but the kindness drops from her face as she straightens.
The slap catches him hard enough to jerk his head to the side, chains rattling behind him as he unsuccessfully tries to catch himself.
Instead, they go taut behind him, leaving him to jerk sideways, breath rough by the surprise of the hit.
“Do not interrupt me, child.” Her voice rings cold in the air.
Danny doesn’t bother to lift his head, instead keeping his eyes pinned to the grimy floor. Had he forgotten how unforgiving this place was? What it was like?
“Look at me.”
Danny kept his eyes downwards. He didn’t want to look at her. He wanted to go home.
“Look at me, or suffer the punishment,” She said, voice steely.
He slowly lifted his head, eyes meeting hers.
“Good. You know who you are then, child? What place you are meant to hold in this world?”
Danny doesn’t answer, only glaring.
She barely blinks but her eyes sharpen in warning.
Danny grits his teeth, “I’m Danny al -Al Ghul, heir to the Demon’s head of the League of Assassins-“
The second hit is just as hard, but Danny is better braced for it.
“Your name is Danyal Al-Ghul, you are my blood and the blood of Batman, your heritage dictates a higher quality of discipline than this and you will show it.”
Everything in Danny’s being rebels against the name. He hasn’t been Danyal in years. And he refuses to go back to it.
He straightens his back, ignoring the ache of his shoulders as he snarls at her, “My name is Danny, Danny Fenton. I haven’t been your precious heir in years, and you can’t make me now.”
They couldn’t and he wouldn’t let them, not when he had the power to-
Talia idly pulls something from behind her and he feels the blood drain from his face.
It’s a picture of him, Tucker, and Sam, next to it is a larger grid of images, each making his heart drop further in his chest.
Sam. Tucker.
Jazz. Mom. Dad.
All of them in cells. Chained.
Hurt.
His family, his family-
“Did you think we would not know of your gifts? Would not know how you would think to leave us? You clearly do not remember as much as you think you do.”
Danny can barely hear her over the static rushing in his ears.
She grabs his face roughly, “We are the League, child, and you are one of us. You may have thought you were like them, but we are better. Meant for better, and you will not be allowed to squander the gifts bestowed on our bloodline through you. Until you can make the right choice yourself, as your blood, we will make them for you.”
Danny looks into her eyes, the certainty behind her words, and he feels a gaping emptiness open inside him. The kind that knows it’s not going away.
He wants to go home. He wants to see his family, and his friends. He doesn’t care that his parents don’t know his secret, that he’s just barely getting a handle on it himself, he just doesn’t want to be here. Not again. Please, not again.
Talia releases him, and he lets his body droop, sinking into himself as he crouches over the ground, the restriction of his arms keeping him from even fully curling around himself.
“Remove the chains, he will not be going anywhere,” Talia says, her shadow falling over him in the dim light of the doorway.
Danny barely moves as the cold metal falls away from his wrists.
And he knows she’s right.
He won’t be going anywhere. Not as long as his family is in danger.
The first months were hard. Harder than Danny remembers. Maybe his five-year old self had just had it easy.
He doesn’t now.
“Again!” His instructor shouts, bamboo staff coming down on the back of Danny’s knees.
He doesn’t let himself stumble. Not anymore.
At least his Arabic is getting better, he can understand it completely, as if he’d never forgotten it -as if it’d been his mother tongue- and he can speak it smoothly again, though shallow. You can’t even hear his American accent anymore.
Danny hasn’t spoken English since that first week, when they’d beaten it into him every time he’d tried.
When they’d beaten him for not understanding fast enough. Not reacting fast enough, not responding fast enough, to a language he didn’t know, hadn’t known for years now.
They’re right about one thing.
Pain is an excellent teacher.
“Again!”
He moves fast enough to dodge the bamboo stick this time, body shooting forward against his opponent.
Dodge, lunge, feint, block, swipe, block, block, block-shit-block, reach-
His back slams against the stone floor of the courtyard, knocking the breath out of him.
The instructor doesn’t step in. He won’t.
Not even when his opponent’s hands clamp around his throat.
Danny struggles, trying to use his inhuman strength to pull the arms away, but that inhumanity has waned since he’s been here, drained like the rest of his energy.
He feels the weight begin to build in his skull, he can’t breathe, he doesn’t have much longer, what can he- Danny forcefully moves his arms away, fighting instinct, instead pulling his legs up and rolling, just as they’d drilled into him, the change in leverage giving him the break he needed to be free as he stands-
The bamboo slams into his back, knocking him forward, “Again!”
Danny rolls with the momentum, ignoring the new throbbing in favor of dodging his opponent’s grappling fists.
Dodge, lunge, dodge, swipe, dodge, dodge, hit, swipe, block, forward, dodge, block-
Danny breathes through the sweat dripping down his skin, the way his ribs creak with every breath, the way his muscles feel numb and disconnected. None of it matters.
He just has to win.
He doesn’t have any other options.
He never did.
Not really.
This is why they brought him here.
Why he was born.
He has to win.
Danyal twists the arm of his opponent back until there’s a sickening crack.
“Again!”
A new opponent flies towards him with fists already raised.
He doesn’t have any other option.
He never did.
——
The next time he sees Talia is just before the ceremony to his next stage. She is waiting in his room when he walks in.
“Mistress,” He greets, bowing his head, feeling phantom pain bloom on his cheeks. It’s the only thing that makes him call her that.
“Danyal, your training is going well,” She says, voice idle in that meandering sort of way. This isn’t why she’s here.
“I will improve,” He says anyways. Because he knows he’s not meeting their standards yet, knows they’re disappointed by the heaviness in his bones that weighs him down and drains his energy.
She stands, making Danny go stock still as she approaches, featherlight touch on his chin as she tilts it upwards.
English drifts from her lips, “You have his eyes, his cheekbones…” her eyes drift down again, and it still doesn’t feel like she’s even really looking at him, “My chin and my jaw…not like Damia-“
Her hand drops.
Danny can’t figure out the change but he can feel it. Hesitantly, he asks, in Arabic still, “Talia, why… are you here?”
The steel returns.
“The bat is dead. You are the last of his power,” She says, then pauses. She seems torn about saying more.
She doesn’t, exiting silently as Danny stares into the air, unmoving.
His… birth father… was dead?
A man that was a great enough warrior to impress the Demon’s Head. Impress Talia.
A man… he didn’t even know the real name of.
It’s not like the Bat was anything more than a name to him.
A name he had to live up to.
Danny sighs and turns to his drawers. He has a training ceremony to prepare for.
——
Danny doesn’t resist the arms that hold him back as they swipe a broad slash across the skin of his back with the whip, simply letting himself curl inwards around the pain before he’s dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
He pulls himself back up just soon enough to see the next person dragged in and thrown in front of him.
The handle of the blade is pressed into his hand.
It wouldn’t be hard.
It should be hard. Right?
Killing a man whose crimes he doesn’t even know should be hard. It’s meant to be hard, right?
Danyal wishes he doesn’t know how easy it will be to fall into it.
But he can’t keep doing this. Collecting scars because he’s clinging to morals that aren’t even his.
He can’t keep doing this. He can’t keep doing any of this.
He has to.
Danyal slices the edge of the blade across the man’s neck.
The cut is clean. Deep.
He’s dead in less than a minute.
Danyal’s own blood continues to flow.
——
Danyal doesn’t know what’s happening. One minute he’s training, trying to push past the exhaustion lining his bones, and the next the entire west side of the courtyard is in flames, crumbling down the side of the mountain.
Danny runs through the rubble of the passageways, searching for the source, searching for reasons, searching for… he doesn’t know, but he knows he can’t be caught doing nothing.
He doesn’t find anything except ruins.
Danny is called to meet Ra’s Al Ghul two weeks later. His grandfather. The Demon’s head.
The man doesn’t even look at him.
Danny stays kneeling all the same, better safe than beaten again.
“Are you familiar with Red Robin?”
Danny inclines his head, just barely, “I… can’t say I am…Great One.”
The following hum is derisive.
“He is one of the Bat’s… followers. Recently, he has proven himself to me. His ruthlessness is impressive, his ability to pursue his goals: admirable. He would make the perfect heir,” Ra’s says and he must know it makes Danny’s heart drop, why else would he say it, “Do you know what Timothy lacks, Danyal?”
Danyal stays quiet, eyes tracking the grit of the floor.
After a pause, near silent footsteps enter his vision, “You are the culmination of his mentor’s blood and my own, blessed with the gifts of the Lazarus pits, and yet-“ the cape swirls as Ra’s turns away, “Yet it is squandered by the mistakes of your upbringing!” He yells.
Danyal clenches his fists, willing himself silent.
The air of the room falls level again, “I grow tired of your mediocrity, Danyal. You will advance, or I will stop wasting my resources keeping your baggage alive.”
Danny’s head whips up before he can think better of it, meeting Ra’s Al Ghul’s eyes where they stare down at him.
“Do not mistake my past grace for mercy, Danyal. Mercy makes men weak. There is no room for weakness, and we are here to purge it from this world. Do not forget that.”
“Of course, Great One.” Danyal’s heart pounds in his ears, fear jumping across each beat sporadically, “I will do better.” He tries to fill his voice with confidence.
He’ll do better.
He has to.
Ra’s looks at him, then turns his back and waves a hand dismissively, finally allowing Danyal to stand and leave.
He feels Ra��s’ eyes on his back the entire time as he leaves. And no matter how much he wants to, he doesn’t stop in the hallway. Even once the door is closed, he continues forward.
In his mind, Danny stops and heaves a breath through the grief crashing over him.
In his mind, Danny is a million miles away, at home, with his family around him, happy and safe.
In his mind, Danny rushes back into Ra’s al Ghul’s grandiose throne room and attacks him with the sword he’s forced on him, not stopping until he’s free or dead.
In reality, Danyal breathes out with false calm and moves on.
He has training to get to.
——
Danyal can feel the pressure of the Leagues- of Ra’s’- expectations pushing down on him.
It’s not new.
But he doesn’t let it weigh him down anymore. He doesn’t have that luxury.
Instead, he uses it to push himself harder, farther, pushing until he reaches those expectations.
And surpasses them.
And keeps going.
He won’t-can’t stop. So he keeps going.
Moving up, learning, training, getting better, faster, getting stronger.
Getting weaker.
Danyal ignores the strained whisper of his core in his chest in favor of aiming at the target in his scope.
An Ethiopian politician, making a name for himself by drafting new acts supporting the build of a dam on the Nile River.
It would endanger the lives of thousands in Egypt, cutting them off from the water that has flowed through their country for millennia.
It would never make it through the legislative ruling without him.
This is their duty. To cull the disease. To burn away the parasites killing the world. The ones feeding off excess.
Danyal pulls the trigger and starts packing the gun away.
His hands move with robotic precision, even without his guidance. No, his eyes and his focus are elsewhere.
Instead, Danny stares at the newspaper laying damp on rooftop gravel, eyes scanning every detail, every line.
May 7th of 20XX. Almost two years.
Alien invasion recently. Superman.
New hero in Russia.
Multiple car crashes in Pakistan. All survived.
None of it really matters to him, not really, it doesn’t tell him anything interesting, nothing he needs to know. It’s not even an American newspaper.
But…It’s the closest he’s come to freedom in three years.
Is it bad that what he calls a taste of freedom is knowing how long it’s been since he’s been free?
The rifle case clicks shut beneath his fingertips and he stands without so much as a lingering glance at the newspaper.
Danyal leaps off the roof, scaling down the side, ignoring the way his legs want to collapse beneath him as he lands in an alley.
He heads towards the rendezvous, job finished. Efficient as always.
Exactly as is expected of him.
———
It is several months more that he begins to realize there may be something truly wrong.
He’s training-fighting, losing- with the Lady Shiva. If Red Robin could beat her, Danyal must as well.
He’s fairing… okay.
They’ve been engaging for a while now, for a fight, a minute at least, maybe two.
He feels his breath rough in his chest, his face slick with sweat, his body buzzing with adrenaline and the push to do better-
His heart squeezes, seizing up tense and frozen for just a second, his body following in surprise-
There’s a sword through his stomach.
Danyal tries to focus again, to swing his sword, like he’s been trained, but everything feels… loose.
The sword is removed from his stomach, wet blood sliding down his tunic. Cold floor beneath his knees, had he fallen? No, he had to stand, get up, get up, get up. Get up!
Please, you have to get-
There’s hands on him, moving him, the hallways are too dark, -get up, you have to get up- he can’t tell where they’re going. No they’re not dark, his eyes are closed, he pries them open, gasping for breath as the pain in his stomach tears deeper.
Please, he just wants to go home.
Darkness still clouds his vision, but the people carrying him barely glance back as he groans.
His eyes flicker shut, too heavy to keep open as he tries to focus on anything but the pain, on not bleeding out, on please don’t let him die here, not here, please.
They enter another door, letting him stumble across steps farther and farther down.
When they reach the bottom, it seems as though every sound is sucked out from the room. An eerie silence thick in the air.
It forces his eyes open, just a squint, darkness prickling at the edges of his vision.
He barely catches a glance of cave walls before he feels himself thrown forward.
And familiar green fills his vision.
Panic surges.
Pain in his stomach. -His hand. The button!-
Green water surrounding him. -The portal is on!-
Liquid fills his mouth when he tries to scream. -There’s no sound between dimensions.-
It feels like burning acid running across every nerve of his open wound, creeping into his pores like tar covering a dying animal.
But it doesn’t feel like death.
He would know.
It feels a little like life.
He doesn’t want it.
He doesn’t get a choice.
He never does.
It feels like a thousand screaming souls, begging for justice and for freedom, just as he is.
They shout and yell at him to do something, to fight where they can’t, why can’t they, they’re so helpless, angry at their helplessness, angry at their inability, angry angry angry
Their pleas fill his ears, louder with each passing second.
He’s angry, angry, angry- how dare they, how dare they- he could win, they can’t stop him, they deserve it-who’s they?- he’s going to kill them, they can’t stop him-
Frigid humid air stings against his skin, no longer submerged, and green fog tinges everything.
But he-they- need to fight, kill them, stop them, do something, do something because they can’t- fight!
Danny lunges at the first person he sees, an assassin in all black at the edge of green waters.
His fist nearly collapses his skull. It doesn’t stop him.
There’s another and Danny lunges again, ignoring the sword that slashes towards him, grabbing it and snapping the metal with one hand, the other around the ninja’s neck, gripping, cracking, breaking-
Something heavy hits him over the head, the world staticking for a second as his hand loosens, a body dropping to the floor.
Hands reach at him, pulling, holding, restraining, and he fights with sharpened claws and fangs and burning fists of glowing energy and hands ripping hearts from their chest- until there’s so many bodies around him and restraining him, that it actually slows him down.
Enough to realize his powers are flowing easily once more, surprise cutting through the fog in his mind.
He stops actively pulling against the arms holding him down, his cheek now pressed painfully against rocky floor.
Where is he?
A nauseatingly familiar voice fills the room, “You managed quite the damage, Danyal,” Ra’s al Ghul stands in front of him, when Danny is able to lift his head and look, “Perhaps there is still potential hidden behind your weakness, the capabilities of your rage is akin to my first venture into these pools, so many centuries ago.”
The smile on Ra’s’ face sends twitches down his spine and confusion pools in his gut, “What…?” he murmurs, head still murky, but a bolt of fear races through his chest, and he forces his words into the League dialect once more, “What happened…? I..-“ His voice is small, and slowly he feels the assassins holding him release his arms and back away. He pushes himself upright to his knees, finding less strain in his muscles, in his bones, than he has for nearly two years.
“You failed your training, little Al Ghul,” A voice, Lady Shiva, speaks from his right. Her sword is still red.
Danyal’s eyes jump to hers, the memory rushing back- blood, the sword, falling, the water- his hand grips the side of his tunic even as his head snaps to the side, finally seeing the green waters lurking just next to them.
The Lazarus Pits, his training says.
Ectoplasm, his core whispers.
He looks down at the hole in the fabric of his tunic, any bloodstains around it all but gone. There’s not even a scratch.
The rest of his clothes are still layered with blood.
And Danyal knows it isn’t his.
He stands, watching as other league members file in, dragging away the bodies surrounding them.
There are too many to count.
He doesn’t even try.
Ra’s Al Ghul steps forward, drawing his focus once more.
He eyes Danyal critically, “Walk with me, child,” He says, already turning away with robes moving gracefully.
Danyal hurries to move with him, one step behind as they trail through the halls and corridors, slowly moving farther and farther up through the compound.
Finally they step out from an arch, the gentle late afternoon sun lighting up the sky with colors. Just enough light to see clearly, not enough to blind or burn.
It would’ve been a perfect afternoon to die on.
Instead, Danyal catches the sword thrown towards him with surprising grace. Ra’s face is filled with dangerous curiousity as he speaks, “Attack.”
Danyal doesn’t question it. Doesn’t wonder why Ra’s remains unarmed, doesn’t question if he might hurt him. He just acts, lunging forward at the command with nary a second thought.
“Starting today, you will train with me. Each week,” Ra’s speaks as he easily dodges and blocks Danyal’s hits, forcing him to take a new approach each time.
Danyal nods, “Of course, Great One.”
Ra’s knocks him to the ground, standing over him with sword drawn, “Call me Grandfather, Danyal. You’ve earned it.”
Danny’s heart squeezes.
He nods, “Of course Grandfather.”
——
After that, things change. Ra’s Al Ghul keeps to his word, calling for him each week, sometimes no more than a few days apart.
All too quickly it becomes a part of Danyal’s routine. The brutal training sessions of Ra’s beating him down and letting him up only to do it again.
He wishes he had it in him to question the Demon’s Head, but he doesn’t, so when Ra’s tells him to attack, even when unarmed, even when Danyal should rip his throat out with one use of intangibly, Danyal listens and attacks him.
Months into the now singular training, Danyal realizes that he hasn’t left this compound in a while, there hasn’t been a spontaneous move, or travel for a new master.
It’s just been… Ra’s.
He feels more stable, more stationary than he remembers being in so long. His youngest years had been the same routine of constant movement from base to base, compound to compound. And then he had lived.. in America, and had a single home, a house he knew the direction to from anywhere in town. For so many years, he been able to settle in one place.
Only to be uprooted once more, thrown back to everything he’d left behind, everything he’d-
Danyal enjoyed knowing where he would return to at the end of the day. The sense of familiarity that came with the same room, the same bed and halls, day after day, week after week.
Maybe that’s why it catches him by surprise when Ra’s calls for him at the base of a landing pad, jet idle behind him.
Danyal allows a nearby assassin to pass a pack into his hands, clearly full of materials.
For a moment, Danyal wonders where they are going? What new training awaits him at the other end?
Then Ra’s steps aside, dangerously graceful as ever, and reveals the bay of the jet to be not empty, but filled by assassins, each standing at command.
Danyal looks to Ra’s once more.
“An Al Ghul does not only follow, Danyal,” He says with a sharp smile as he approaches, laying a heavy hand on Danyal’s shoulder, “An Al Ghul leads. And as you are my heir, you must learn to command the respect of our members.” The hand squeezes on his shoulder, making him look up, meeting Ra’s in the eyes, “By any means necessary.”
Danyal looks away, looking back at the assassins waiting for him, for his command.
He’s not ready.
He has to be anyways.
The hand on his shoulder feels like lead as he steps out from under it, filling his voice with power he doesn’t feel, and sending the squadron scattering to new assignments.
Flight, equipment, weaponry, information, planning, infiltration, execution, all of it, it’s all on him to control.
Danyal turns back to gauge Ra’s’ reaction, only to find him already halfway gone, the sight of his retreating back the only response.
Okay, he’ll do this.
He can do this.
He has to.
What else can he do?
——
He takes to leading missions with the hand of a natural.
It’s easy.
Send these people here. These people here. Block every exit, erase every loose end, don’t leave any witnesses. Finish the mission.
Their missions are for the betterment of everyone, they are fixing things, getting rid of corrupt leaders, people unworthy of what they have, everything they’re doing is for a reason. It has a purpose.
He has a purpose.
So he ignores what’s behind every number he sends for each job. Ignores the calculation behind every call to secure the exit that has five private guards. Ignores the number behind the perimeter assignment because he knows the building has a late hour maid present each night.
They’re just numbers.
And he’s good at this.
At least he’s good at this.
He kills the first person to question an order.
They don’t question him again.
Everything runs smoother when they don’t question him.
It’s easier this way.
It’s always easier.
——
He’s traveling again. Spending more hours sleeping in hotels and safe houses than any bed he might deign to call his.
More and more time goes by, bit by bit, hour by hour, each filling his body with sand like setting concrete.
Slowly, Danyal feels it begin to wear on him. The exhaustion of the missions, his own body weighing him down with every strike he takes. Refusing to react with the speed demanded of him to succeed.
Danyal pushes past it. It doesn’t matter. This is his duty, it is all that is expected of him and he will do it. Even as he finds himself clutching his chest in the dark of a mission, blood still leaking from his target below him.
He forces himself past it, eyes flickering, steeling himself, then wiping down his blade and leaving, muscles tense and bones shaking.
He makes it as far as the car waiting in the near abandoned parking garage below, his chest continuing to tighten, heart erratic beneath his ribs. Danyal grunts, pain lacing up his arm, struggling not to stumble as he staggers into his seat with a near gasping breath.
He pulls himself together, his words as confident as he can make them as he speaks to the assassin in the drivers seat, “Call Ra’s Al Ghul. Bring me to him. Now.”
Danny feels his heart twitch in his chest, his hand flickering in his vision, or is it his vision that’s flickering, he can’t tell, still the cold leather soothes him, heart pounding louder louder, yelling, screaming in his ears, angry so angry so angry, rage rage rage, fix it fix it fight fight fight for us fight! Don’t let it go, never let it go, revenge, make them pay, they have to pay-!
He comes back with a gasp and a burst of pain across his shoulder, adrenaline and fury still coursing through his veins in equal measure.
His hair is wet, green liquid dripping down his face in sluggish trails mixed with foreign blood. It lays plastered on the curves of his face, framing his eyes as he stares up at the Demon’s Head.
The same malicious smile sits on his face, “Welcome back, Danyal.” The words are tinged with expectance.
Danyal pauses, collected his words around his tongue like a lead weight in his dry mouth, “I- Why was I put in the Lazarus pit again?” Danyal can only hope he’s showing the right amount of deference to even be allowed such a question.
“You were brought to me collapsed, and your heart failing you. The Lazarus pits provided a temporary solution,” Ra’s says, his eyes sharp, “But it is temporary. This problem will not be allowed to continue.”
“Of course, Master,” Danyal pulls himself to his knees, “…I believe it’s because of my accident-“ Danyal pauses, this is closest he’s come to actually telling them how he got his powers, what it did to him-, “There was electricity, and the shock, my heart was-is damaged. I don’t know why it’s getting worse-“
Ra’s hums, “The body can be fixed, child. The mind cannot. This,” Ra’s places a hand on his back as Danyal stands, “is merely an obstacle to our goal.”
“I will not fail you, Grandfather.”
“I know, child.” His words are a guarantee, an assurance to Danyal.
He will prove that the confidence placed in him is not mistaken.
——
It is barely months after that second time that Danyal once again feels his body’s failings encroach on him.
His heart beats off pattern, falling out of rhythm more with every passing day.
Danyal takes a deep breath, willing it to calm himself.
He will not let this stop him. He is an Al Ghul. He is capable. He is strong, and he will not be held back by his own body.
Danyal turns his focus inwards, ripples traveling along the surface of the ectoplasm in his core he’s left untouched for so long now.
He lets the ectoplasm submerge him, turning his form ghostly, his eyes sharper green than they’ve ever been before.
Danyal lets his feet lift off the ground, just for a second, weightlessness enveloping him, the buzzing of the world a background in his ears.
Then his toes touch the ground again and Danyal snaps into movement towards his closet. He puts on his usual league clothes over the old hazmat suit, feeling the layers lighten as he covers them up. Until it feels as though he’s only wearing the league clothes, and his white gloves stare in his face.
Slowly, he removes them, staring for too long at the green lines like cracks trailing up his arm.
Danyal turns away.
He has work to do, he can’t let himself be held up with small feelings like that.
As Danyal travels the halls, every step an effort to remain flat on the ground, he feels the ectoplasm within him roil, coursing faster and stronger than he ever had before, even in the Ghost Zone or in A-.
It revitalizes him and Danyal arrives to Ra’s Al Ghul’s training with bold confidence filling him.
Ra’s greets him an enigmatic smile and a challenge of his strength.
Danyal meets him kind, dodging every lunging, swiping every parry, light on his feet like he hasn’t been in years now.
Their fight lasts longer than any other they’ve had, his muscles able to hold up stronger in this form, his stamina infinite as the ectoplasm he draws from without any need for breathing or rest.
Ra’s Al Ghul is impressed even as he holds Danyal beneath his boot, his sword pressed to his neck.
Glowing green sluggishly leaks from the scratch.
Danyal pays it no mind.
Instead he stares at the small cut on the crown of Ra’s’ head, a single crimson red droplet crawling down the side of his face.
Danyal did not win. But he didn’t loose either.
Satisfaction fills him in a rush, carrying him through even as they reengage.
——
Danyal strives to reach his goals, to hit every target set out for him, beat every opponent put against him, to reach the expectations and the potential that the Demon’s head sees him.
To make himself worthy to be here, to stay.
And he knows his weaknesses hold him back, make him vulnerable, put everything-one- in danger.
So he stops being vulnerable. Stops letting his body, his weaknesses, dictate his capabilities.
Faster and faster his store of ectoplasm drains within him.
And Danyal makes himself stronger and stronger, short exposures of the Lazarus pits to keep it from stopping him.
He can’t stop.
So he keeps going, keeps training, fighting, growing- when had he gotten tall? When had he gotten older?
He keeps working, to be better, to be the best.
And as he approaches the Demon’s chambers weeks later, he is surprised to hear yelling.
More than that, he is surprised to hear Talia’s voice be the one yelling.
He pauses outside the door, eyes narrowed and body resting on the edge of invisibility.
He does not want to know the punishment for eavesdropping, nor for interrupting them… and yet…he hasn’t spoken to Talia, not truly, not since she told him the Batman was dead. Barely seen her except beside the demons’s head in ceremony as he stands at the edges of a room.
It has been entirely too reminiscent of his childhood.
Danyal’s ears prick up as the volume increases once more.
“You cannot ask me to bring him back to use him for-!”
“I do not ask for anything, Daughter! He belongs to the League! And the League to me! It was a mistake to allow you to keep-“
Ra’s’ voice drops too low to be heard through the door, muffling the rest of his words.
Danyal steps back from the door, standing in the hall with questions blooming in multitude.
Moments later, Talia Al Ghul steps through, a force of fury in every step. She catches sight of him immediately, and when Danyal makes eye contact, her eyes are filled with worry, stress, regret, a thousand what-ifs and plans and concerns.
Somehow he knows none of it is for him.
He bows slightly, and she passes by him without a word.
Danyal watches her hair flow as she retreats further and further down the hall until he finally turns around to enter the room.
Ra’s Al Ghul is waiting for him.
He gives no indication that he knows Danyal heard him, so Danyal doesn’t say anything. But he doesn’t make the mistake of thinking that means Ra’s doesn’t know.
He always knows.
His training continues.
For days, and weeks, and months more, he continues.
But even a ghost cannot lie to himself forever.
——
When Damian wakes up with chains around his wrists and the familiar feeling of harsh metal beneath his knees, he is not surprised to see his mother standing in front of him.
He wishes it were only his mother.
Instead, his grandfather stands in front of him as well, eyes staring down at him with impassive judgement. Damian feels his spine straighten against his will, the feeling of ‘never good enough’ creeping through his limbs.
He glances at his mother behind Grandfather’s looming form. Her face is uncharacteristically open, the barest hint of tension evident in her jaw, her eyes almost brighter with the concern hidden behind them.
Damian forces his eyes away as Grandfather begins to speak.
“You’ve wasted your time with your father Damian,” he starts, “Letting your training go to waste as the league continues to work to better the world.”
Damian wants to sneer, a scowl forming on his face, “The league does nothing but hurt innocent people. My time as Robin has saved hundreds.”
Grandfather’s eyes sharpen, “And I see it has taken your discipline as well.”
Damian grinds his teeth, “Anything I have learned, I learned from my Father and my family,”
“Your family?” Grandfather says, his tone almost mocking as he raises an eyebrow, “You are an Al Ghul-“
“I am a Wayne too!” Damian says, straining as he rises to his feet, “I am Damian Al Ghul-Wayne! Just as you wanted me to be! And it is my choice to be a hero, to be Robin, and I stand next to Father and the others with pride!”
Grandfather’s glare intensifies, “Do not interrupt me again, Damian. You will not be exempt of the consequences.”
Damian stares him down, fear pressing against his insides with a scream too familiar to his youth.
He turns away with a click of his tongue.
Shame whispers at his cheeks.
Grandfather waves a hand blithely as he turns his back, “Bring him.” He pauses at the door, “He remains bound.”
Damian watches his Grandfather leave, his eyes drifting sideways to his mother.
“Mother, why am I here?” He demands, tone sharp and clear. He tries not to let show how lost he is.
Mother steps forward, laying a gentle hand on his face and the other at the crook of his neck, cupping his cheek as her eyes soften. Regret sits behind them.
“Mother.” He says again, pulling slightly away from her hand, “Why am I here?”
She sighs, stepping back, “The Demon’s Head has need of you.”
Then he watches her leave as well, and Damian finds his arms and hands grabbed as assassins unchain him and push him forward.
He reluctantly lets them lead him through the unfamiliar halls of wherever they are, just a few paces behind his mother.
They stop in front of an open doorway, and when Damian is dragged in front, the sight he is met with brings confusion over anything else.
In front of him is a young man, no older than Todd or even Drake, laying asleep in a hospital bed with a heart monitor attached to him.
The beeping that fills the room is shallow and unsteady, much like the boy’s breathing. His hair is dark with speckled streaks of grey and a natural paleness in his skin.
Worse than that is the IV Damian can see tucked into the crook of his arm, tube trailing up to a bag.
Slowly feeding Lazarus water into his veins.
Damian whips his head around to look at his mother, only to find her staring disdainfully at the boy in the bed.
It only serves to confuse Damian more.
What had this man done to cause his mother such ire?
“Take the sample.” His Grandfather’s voice commands. And Damian feels the arms holding him shift to a more secure grip, pulling him to his knees even as he fights them. A man in a white coat approaches him, and Damian fights harder when he notices the syringe in his hand.
The sting of the needle is dull against the fear crashing through him as his grandfather watches.
His mother looks away.
Finally, Damian jerks as the hands he now knows are Ubu’s release him, still hovering close as he is dropped. He is surprised to see that they actually took blood, rather than dosing him with something. Sedative or worse.
Damian scowls at his grandfather, but he simply looks unconcerned as the assumed doctor moves forward to take a second sample, this time from the boy laying in the bed.
“Why am I here, Grandfather?” He asks, eyeing all parties critically.
“Haven’t you realized, Damian?” His Grandfather asks with a mockingly raised eyebrow, “His heart is failing, and the Lazarus waters can only fix so much by the nature of his defects. Your brother needs you, Damian,” Grandfather says, voice serene, “And you are going to help him.”
Damian barely has a moment to process his words before the hands are pulling him back once more, he yanks his arms from their grip, “Grandfather! What are you- let me go!” Damian turns fully to incapacitate the assassins, only to have Ubu pull his binds harshly sideways and give the servants leverage enough to actually tame his movements.
“Who is he?! Mother!” Damian turns to her, unsurprised to see her turning a blind eye once again, “Mother who is he!? What is Grandfather talking about?! What are you doing!?” The assassins pull at him again, successful in getting him through the doorway as he struggles.
Just before the door closes, he hears the Doctor speak to his grandfather, and his response.
“The boy is a match Great One.”
“Good, prepare Danyal for surgery. As soon as possible.”
The surprise is enough that the door closes in his face and he is dragged back through the hallways.
He stands as much as he can, walking at pace, refusing to allow them to disrespect him by letting them drag him.
He glares at Ubu as he shuts the door of his cell between them.
Once he knows he is alone, Damian takes a better register of his situation. He is still in his Robin uniform, so that means he was out with the family- he has a brother- they’ll be looking for him. He believes he’s on a boat, the rocking, the design of the doors and walls- a brother!- he has to make sure he can be found. Grandfather has plans for him-why tell him now- he doesn’t seem to be listening to Mother’s decisions- his brother’s name is Danyal- he might be in danger-they both could- how is he going to get out-
Damian stops.
He readjusts his clothing, feeling the minute shift once more. There’s something between the collar of his suit.
Slowly, Damian runs his hand along the fabric, finding a small bump he recognizes as a tracker.
One of his own bat made trackers. But how..?
Mother.
Damian scoffs to himself. Of course, he should have known she would never show such an obvious display of affection without reason. She was still largely loyal to Grandfather, but Damian was not so naïve as to think she did not care for him at all.
The vibration of the tracker is rhythmic beneath his fingers, the only solace he gets.
His family is coming.
He knows it.
He just hopes it’s fast enough.
——
Perhaps Grandfather’s first mistake was taking him as Robin, when his family was always the most on edge, the most prepared, the most connected.
Or perhaps his first mistake was training Bruce Wayne in the first place.
Either way, Damian watches from the other side of an observation window as his Grandfather and Father engage in a fight racked with fury on both ends.
Richard jostles him, bringing his attention back into focus.
Right.
His newest brother.
He mumbles an explanation to them, words slurred as they leave his mouth. But he knows they heard him. The shock-caution-suspicion painted across their faces could mean nothing else.
Perhaps his Father was under a curse. Surely there was a limit to how many unknown children one person could have in a single lifetime?
All the same, once freed, he moves to help Drake and Richard remove the boy-brother, Danyal- from the operation table next to him, stepping over the doctors knocked unconscious at their feet.
Reluctantly, he allows Drake to support him under one arm, the anesthesia still weighing down his eyelids.
They rush through the halls like a bull, both him and Drake separating to fight off more than one assassin. Even Richard has to set down Danyal to join the fight at least once.
But finally, they make it to the Batplane idling next to the hull.
The moment they are onboard, the plane starts to move away, but his Father is still on board.
Still fighting with Grandfather as they burst through the doors, fists and weapons engaged in equal measure.
Father dodges sideways, blocking hits until he reaches the rails, then he jumps over without hesitation. And just as Damian is about to shout for him, arm reaching out futilely, Richard blows past him.
He is leaping out of the open cargo door with just as much surety as his father leapt, a cord tied around him, and with perfect precision, he watches Richard catch his father at the extension of his swing.
It’s a perfect demonstration of their partnership.
And Grandfather is left scowling out at them from the ship.
His mother stands alone and calm on the upper deck, watching.
Damian turns his attention to his family.
And to Danyal with them.
——
Returning to the cave is less of an affair than Damian may have expected from such a mission.
His father is-has been- silent for most of the flight, staring at the body of Danyal with blank eyes.
Even Drake and Richard conspicuously cast a glance back every few minutes. Damian controls himself from doing the same. He is not so undisciplined as to be as obvious.
Still, the tension only rises the longer Danyal continues to remain asleep. Even by the time Damian feels the last of the anesthesia leave his own system, Danyal is unchanged.
Damian is certain his grandfather would not choose someone so sickly to be his heir, someone so incapable of protecting themselves in this state. Surely there was a reason he was kept, a reason he was allowed this weakness when Damian was-
Regardless, Damian didn’t trust it. The others could get pulled into this invader’s lies all they wanted, Damian would be there to stop him, he was sure of it.
Still, he watches Pennyworth dote over him in the medbay, Father laying him down on a medical bed with harried care, removing his cowl with barely a thought.
Damian ground his teeth, did they not understand that this was an operative trained by his Grandfather? An assassin with no attachment to them that was favored enough by Grandfather to warrant Damian being-
Damian turned to his locker, glad to replace his weapons stores and feel the weight of his sword at his side once more. It would be a pain, but he would have to find a way to receive a package from his mother if he wanted his other sword back.
It was merely a replica of one of his betters but the desire remained.
He watched from the corner of his eye as the family began to gather in front of the Batcomputer, the screen’s light casting shadows on them even in the artificial cave lighting. Finally, they were going to be doing something.
Damian approached, lingering at the edge where he could still see through the curtains of the medbay.
“I’m not the only one who noticed a suspicious lack of life threatening wounds right?” Drake began, turned away from the console with one hand still on the keys, “I mean, there was that first surgery cut, but that was the same as on Damian. It certainly wasn’t enough to necessitate Lazarus water being entered directly into this kid’s bloodstream.”
Damian scowled, “He was like that before they attempted this. Grandfather said that there was something wrong with… Danyal’s heart, said that I would be able to fix it.”
Father cast another brief look at the medbay, Pennyworth’s shadow still moving within. “I’ll have Agent A call Leslie. Robin,” he turned towards Damian, “Did Talia or Ra’s mention anything else to you? Where .. he’s been this whole time?..Why you didn’t know of his existence?”
Damian shook his head, “No, only that he was my brother and that the pit water was being used to fix him somehow. That I was needed to save him.”
Father hums, turning back with pensive silence.
“B, we don’t even know how long this kid’s been there, he’s older than Damian,” Richard pleads. And it makes Damian duck his head with clenched fists. Who was he? Why was he so much more favored by Grandfather?
Why had they told him he was the firstborn of mother? Of father?
“He could always be a clone with advanced aging, we know Talia is capable of it, she’s done it before,” Drake adds. But the theory sits uncomfortably with all of them. Something just not quite right.
“But then why did they need Damian?” Richard says back.
Father grunts.
“Is it really…” Richard starts, “I mean, we have to consider that she actually kept it secret again. Even from Damian.”
“But B wasn’t even with Talia before that, Damian was the first time they… y’know.” Drake says, a grimace on his face at the end.
Father hums, “But I’d fought Talia before. And I had trained with Ra’s.”
“All it would have taken is one DNA sample, right.” Richard says with a sigh, carding his fingers through his hair, “Well, we might as well-“
There’s a slight clatter on the medbay level, silencing everyone as their heads snap to the sound.
When nothing follows, Father motions them all to head up, flanking the room.
Damian is the closest, entering first. No sooner does he notice Pennyworth laying on the floor before he feels a hand slip around his neck and another quickly snatch the sword at his side. Within seconds, Damian feels his back pressed against another body, the cold steel of his own sword stinging at his neck as he stares into his Father’s eyes.
Except his father is not looking at him, he’s looking at the person holding him.
Danyal.
“Where am I!? Who are you!?” The voice behind him demands, the vibration buzzing against him with the familiar staccato of Damian’s native league dialect.
His family shares a weighted look, clearly hesitant to say anything. Already Damian can see the way their fingers twitch towards weapons and utility belts.
The steel at his neck tightens, “Tell me now or I slit his neck and deliver your bodies to the Demon’s Head myself.”
Father’s stance tightens, anger pulling at his gloves even as he forces himself to put his hands up in surrender. When he answers, it is in the League dialect, “We’re not a danger to you, Danyal,” the blade doesn’t so much as twitch, “Put down the swor-“
Stephanie Brown’s voice rings out across the cave, “Hey, Kate and I just finished patrol and-“
Damian doesn’t pay attention to the rest of the sentence because the moment Brown starts speaking, his assailant’s group loosens just a bit, accompanied by a low, broken whisper of, “English?…”
Damian immediately jabs the flat of his arm up, putting the blade farther from his neck as he begins to grapple with him.
In the blur of movement, Damian sees his sword coming at him, throwing his body back with a barely a second to spare, feeling the supporting hand of Richard on his back as he joins their combined front.
Danyal now stands alone in front of them, stolen sword extended in warning.
And now that Damian can see his face, he knows why his family was hesitant… Danyal’s eyes flicker a bright Lazarus green.
“What do you want from me? Why am I here?” he demands once again.
His Father steps up, “I don’t know how much know about me: my name is Bruce Wayne,” There’s barely even a flicker of recognition, “But you might know me better as Batman.”
The eyes widen, eyes scanning them with fervor before narrowing with suspicion and denial, “The Batman is dead, the Demon’s Daughter told me so herself.”
Drake steps forward, “She was wrong. He came back-“
Damian rolls his eyes, “Clearly Mother must have told you. Do not be stupid.”
Danyal’s brow furrows, silently mouthing the word ‘mother’ beneath his breath.
“I don’t-“ He cuts himself off with a grimace, hands tightening on the shaft of the sword, “I don’t believe you, what-“
“What happened? Did we bring back the demon spawn, why are you all-“ Brown bursts into the room, words already filling the air. Only to stop when she sees Danyal.
He raises the sword at them again, noticeably less stable as he supports it with two hands, “Who are you!? Why am I here!? Tell me-“ He grunts again, putting a hand to his chest, “Tell me, now! I-“ the sword drops, Danyal using it to support himself like a cane. Father steps forward, hands extended. It only serves to make Danyal lift his head to glare at him.
“Stay back-“
“We’re only trying to help-“
“I said-“ Danyal grunts, hand clenching at his shirt as he drops to his knees, “Stay- Stay back- I’m-“
The sword falls from his hands with a metallic clatter on the stony ground, Danyal gasping for breath.
“Back- off..” He whispers, the English falling from his lips with desperation as he curls in on himself.
Father rushes forward the moment Danyal’s body goes limp, lifting him onto the medical bed as the room bursts into motion. Richard is grabbing medical equipment as Drake helps father with providing CPR as Brown moves to get Alfred, all of them quick to jump to action.
Damian slowly steps forward, picking up his abandoned sword from the floor.
He turns it over in his hands, making sure it is unharmed from the ordeal even as he watches his family rush to help each other.
Just what had Grandfather been doing to Danyal?
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c-nstantine · 3 months
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The Key to Marriage With Bruce and Y/N Wayne
Description: Interview with Mr. & Mrs. Wayne
Warnings: allusions to sex
Word Count: 0.9k
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Q: How do you guys spice up your marriage?
"I don't think we should say," Bruce said, looking at his wife with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"We could not name names," Y/N suggested with a shrug before looking at her husband. She always loved these kinds
"Alright, go ahead," Bruce nodded. That should be good enough.
"Sometimes we invite others into the bedroo- Oh, shit, are the kids watching this one?" Y/N realized as she slapped her manicured hand across her mouth.
"Dick and Jason, please make sure all of your siblings are asleep," Bruce spoke, looking directly into the camera. However, somewhere some woman's ovaries collapsed because she felt as if Bruce Wayne's eyes were piercing through whatever device she was watching the interview on.
"But, yeah. We invite others. Not in an open relationship way but in a community effort way," Y/N tried to specify.
"It's usually our friends. We have invited a few of our exes, though," He spoke fondly as he remembered the time they shared a bed with Clark and Lois or the other time with Oliver and Dinah.
"Do you remember your fiftieth?" For Bruce's 50th birthday, Y/N had arranged for a fivesome between her, Diana, Selina, Talia, and Bruce. At certain times, it felt like she enjoyed it more than he did but he was more than happy by the end of the night. Well three nights, considering that Y/N booked it on their private island.
"We had a time that night, as the kids would say." Bruce chuckled to himself. To him, it was one of the greatest presents ever.
Q: Y/N, why did you take Bruce back after finding out about Damian?
"That's a great question. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't hurt by his actions. We were separated for a little bit," She started to tear up when she remembered how betrayed she initially felt. She got over it eventually but it took some time.
"It was the worst five months of my life. I didn't deserve to be forgiven but she forgave me anyway. She never held it against Damian either. Even when she wasn't talking to me, she made sure he was okay with being in a new environment." Bruce reached for her hand and linked their pinkies. He never wanted her to feel that way again.
"Oh, don't worry. I had my fun during those five months but I do love my husband and he loves me," She nodded while looking into his eyes.
Q: When did you two know you were in love?
"The moment I saw her," Bruce lacked hesitation as he answered. He never had a doubt in his mind about Y/N. He loved her so much that it pained him to leave her.
"Bruce?" She questioned. She never knew that was when he fell in love with her. He didn't say 'I love you' until after eight months of dating and their first time having sex.
"What? It's true. The first time I saw you was in a coffee shop, and I knew then that one day, somehow, I'd be with you," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Mine is a little less poetic. It was the first time we had showered together. It was just so perfect, intimate, and he wasn't afraid to be vulnerable with me," She said softly and began to twiddle with a knotless braid that framed her face.
Q: Do you guys have celebrity crushes or hall passes?
"Mine is Wonder Woman," Y/N said immediately. It was no big secret that both of the Waynes had a huge crush on Diana. Bruce was simply better at denying it.
"I don't have one," He lied but Y/N decided not to press him on it. His real celebrity crush was probably Zatanna and that's why Y/N was arranging that threesome next.
"You do know I would leave you for her, right?" She egged on.
"Oh I am well aware," Bruce admitted with a slight smirk playing on his lips.
Q: Do you have favorite kids?
"I don't think we do. I think the kids think we do, but we don't," Y/N looked to her husband for confirmation and nodded in agreement.
"They only really accuse us when they are trying to get out of trouble," Bruce admitted.
"Dick is somehow always around when someone is about to be punished and he's like 'You'd never let me get away with that'," She said mimicking her oldest son.
Q: Do the kids prefer a parent?
"I do think the kids have a favorite parent," Y/N said tilting her head while looking at her husband. Bruce snorted, before raising an eyebrow.
"Y/N is the favorite parent," Bruce said with a teasing smile.
"Maybe but Martha and Cass are total Daddy's girls," She rolled her eyes.
"They do have me wrapped around their finger just like their mother," Bruce gestured to his wife before ending the interview.
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Taglist: @flyestvenustrap @megamindsecretlair @blxckdesire @prettyvintageafternoon @lilbanas @certifiedloverwoman @melissa-ashe @hoyoooo
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puppetmaster13u · 7 months
Text
Prompt 75
Jason wakes up from his pit-rage cranky, hungry, and exhausted. He’s really craving some churros or chili dogs or even some of that hot cocoa Bruce had always made for them after a nightmare. He’s in one of his bigger safehouses, his head is pounding still, and his domino mask is still on but he’s too grumpy to take it off. He’s not expecting Talia’s kid to be sitting at his table alongside Talia herself, who is casually sipping at some tea. His good tea. Blugh. He does not want to deal with this after a pit episode…
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infictionalwonderland · 10 months
Text
the big bad birthday — h.lewis
SUMMARY, it’s your birthday and amidst the wholesome birthday posts, everyone’s entertainment comes from the chaotic and completely drunk off your tits content!
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liked by yourusername, gkbarry and 234,680 others
faithlouisak, to the girl of my dreams, my sugar plum baddie pookie boo bear, the big spoon to my little spoon, the sugar in my tea, the absolute fittest fucking person on this planet with the best tits ive ever seen (soz wroetoshaw). HAPPY BIRTHDAY OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SPEND EVERY FUCKING BIRTHDAY WITH YOU UNTIL WERE BOTH CRIPPLED AND ROLLING ABOUT IN OUR WHEELCHAIRS IN ALL THE SKATE PARKS LIKE THE COOL KIDS WE ARE XOXOXOXO tagged—@yourusername
view all 23,506 comments yourusername FAITH STOP IT.
yourusername I LOVE YOU SO BLOODY MUCH MY HEART IS LITERALLY ACHING AND UGH YOURE JUST MY FAVOURITE PERSON EVER COME KISS ME
-> faithlouisak don’t have to feckin ask me twice sexy bum
-> behzingagram @wroetoshaw
-> yourusername YO YO YO FAITH UR BOYFS TRYING TO HATE CRIME US?????!!!?????
-> faithlouisak AHHH HOMOPHOBE
bambinobecky the cake is so true 😋😋😋😋😋😋
mrskelly THE PHOTOS OF THEM I CANNOT THEYRE ACTUALLY SO CUTE BRO! THEIR FRIENDSHIP MAKES ME SO HAPPY 💕💕
mummy_behz wishing the beautiful beautiful birthday girl all the best! 💐💐
-> yourusername thank you so much ruth 💝
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liked by max_balegde,miniminter and 311,289 others
taliamar LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WILL YOU PLEASE STAND BC IT IS THE FUCKING BIRTHDAY OF MY LOVVERR! yn i love you so much i genuinely cannot put it into words (can put it into our songs tho xx) you’re the most amazing person that i have ever met, you make me laugh all the time, you keep a smile on my face always, your energy alone is enough to make me feel all bubbly and giddy inside. with you, i feel safe and happy and loved and i feel like im a little kid again and i can conquer the world. you’re truly the very epitome of perfection, lover 😉 tagged—@yourusername
view all 30,561 comments ksi bro harry’s birthday post better be outta this world 😭
-> tobjizzle honestly, he’s got hella competition
yourusername STOP IT TALIA YOURE SO CUTE AND I ADORE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY AND YOU DESERVE THE ENTIRE WORLD BABY. MWAH!
-> taliamar stop i shouldn’t be crying it’s YOUR birthday
-> miniminter and she’s crying now. @wroetoshaw ?
-> wroetoshaw balling mate
gkbarry birthday lass looks so hot drenched in rain xxxx
-> yourusername eat me out 😘😘😘😘
-> gkbarry 🍽️🍽️🍽️🍽️
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liked by zerkaa, taliamar and 211,597 others
freyanightingale YN YN YN! from the day that i met you i was amazed by you, by your beauty, your kindness, your wit and your literal intelligence - to this day, that amazement has only increased and i know that as i stay by your side until the day we both die in our cute little hospital gowns in our hospital beds with rooms next to each other, i will die still being amazed by you and your very being. i love you so much and you deserve the universe, and even more. HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU BEAUTIFUL SOUL 💕💕
p.s yes i am lying on her arse in the 8th slide it was a true life experience tagged—@yourusername
view all 16,993 comments zerkaa i feel cheated on
-> freyanightingale cry about it
-> taliamar literally no one cares
-> faithlouisak omg piss off u HOBO
-> tobjizzle flabbergasted.
yourusername FREYA!!!!!!! BRO IM ACTUALLY GONNA HAVE NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY, luv u ari, AFTER ALL THESE MESSAGES AND YOU BET YOUR FAT ASS WE’RE GONNA HAVE HOSPTIAL BEDS NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER???? WE CAN WEAR OUR MATCHING HARRY POTTER SOCK SETS AND GET MATCHING ACRYLICS XXX
-> freyanightingale you’re my favourite person ever xx
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liked by yungfully, chunkz and 501,590 others
nellarosee happy birthday to the most stunning, happy, loving, genuine, funny & gorgeous gorgeous girl that i have ever known, you are truly one of a kind my girl! tagged—@yourusername
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liked by georgeclarkeey, chloeburrows and 298,126 others
gkbarry dear sexiest bitch in the entirety of europe, wishing you the best birthday there ever was. we need more people like your fantastical self in the world, cheers for sticking around this long 😘😘😘😘😘
p.s come to mine later, wear ur red set 👅 tagged—@yourusername
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liked by yourusername, tobjizzle and 58,330 others
r0sielewis happy birthday to the best girl i’ve ever known, the first genuine friend i have ever made and who i know will always be there for the rest of my life! happy birthday to my role model, my makeup artist, my hair stylist, my therapist, my personal stylist - happy birthday to my everything. i love you so much yn, i hope you know that! all of us lewis’ do (especially mum.. & harry ig) 🤍🤍 tagged—@yourusername
LATER. . .
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tobjizzle has posted to their story!
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moss-on-trees · 1 year
Text
dp x dc prompt: our stepmom from hell au
danny meets bruce wayne as an adult. bruce had only just started out as batman, and he just finished his degree in space engineering.
both have family to grieve, bruce his parents and danny his entire town who was poisoned by the giw in the name of purging the world of ghosts.
they see each other's pain and become friends, fall in love and later get married. (you decide whether they know of each other's identity). a few months after that, danny disappeared with a hastily written apology written on a sticky note, promising he'll be back as soon as possible. bruce searched for him in vain, and only stopped when he met dick - since the boy needed his full attention.
danny's in the infinite realms stabilising the timeframe since clockwork was poisoned by the giw, who attempted to destroy the ghost zone by corrupting its ectoplasm with the same airborne virus they used in amity.
as the ancient of space, he's the only one who can replace his counterpart even temporarily and as such he cannot leave until the ancient of time has recovered. that also means he doesn't have his fine control over how much time has passed and knows it's unlikely that he'll be able to go back to bruce's timeline any time soon (especially considering how much the flash and his family have made a mess of that timeline, he wants to strangle them). he's resigned to it and watches his husband's life from a screen in his brief moments of respite from his grueling task.
clockwork is almost healed when jason todd is resurrected. danny cheats and uses his own abilities as the ancient of space to steal him from the league and heal him from the lazarus pits' corruption. this sets back his return but he thinks it's worth it to save his stepson.
two years later, he and jason show up on wayne manor's doorstep. it's time for the rest of the kids to meet their stepmom.
(because of jason's disappearance, talia brought damian to bruce earlier.)
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flamingpudding · 1 year
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Part 4 of Ghost Kid in Gotham
<<1 Previous Next
How to catch a baby brother
Richard 'Dick' Greyson had a problem. It wasn't a nuclear level of problem but it also wasn't a paper cut level of problem either. Because apparently he had a baby brother no one in their family but Damien knew about. Granted Damien had confessed that said baby brother was dead and had supposedly died eight years ago.
The explanation that Talia had apparently pulled another Jason was not helpful at all. According to Damien, in response to Tims findings, there was no other way for the twin to be alive other than Talia having preserved his body and then decided after eight years to drop it into the pits. Well lets just say his opinion on that woman if it was already down in the depth it certainly was now.
Which, considering the glowing Lazarus green eyes, could mean that there was now an eight years old child running loose in the Bat Cave with Pit Madness. Not just a simple feral eight years old that looked like perfect B adoption material and so happened to be blood related.
"Guys we need a plan. We can't just let our little teethling run loose."
"Richard, do not refer to my brother as little teethling." Dick only grinned. "Well the little biter needs a nickname and until I find something else fitting its teethling. Or do you have a better suggestion?"
Sweet little Baby Bird was now glowering at him. Oh protective were we, his little brothers definitely were the cutest. He was definitely going to tease sweet little Dami about this later once the first phase of new little brother crisis was over. For now they had to find the little guy first. The Cave wasn't exactly childproof.
"Let's use Jason as bait." Tim suddenly suggested causing the second oldest to grimace. "The little guy apparently likes biting him. We could use that as an advantage."
"Absolutely fucking not." Little Wing disagreed and Dick chuckled in good humor.
"Aw come on Little Wing, this is your chance to make a bond with our new baby before any of us can."
"For once I agree with Todd. Absolutely not, who knows where he has been. I will not have my brother become sick from biting him." He would have cooed at this, if Jason's face change from surprise at the agreement to a purely offended scowl wasn't so funny.
"Okay no biting bait. But we gotta draw out the little guy and calm his Pit Rage." If that feralness the kid displayed had even anything to do with Pit Rage.Considering the glowing eyes though he would think so. Dick eyed Jasons for a moment, he didn't seem to be affected at all nor had he said anything about the Pit being upset or feeling anything strange. So maybe the little guy wasn't suffering to an extrem from it? But he had apparently been brought back by a Lazarus Pit, so the likelihood with their experiences so far was slim.
"Well we gotta find a way to secure the little guy before B comes back or Alfie finds out." Jason mentioned still scowling at Damien. "By the way, I want to be here when you guys tell B about this. I wanna see his face and make fucking sure the little biter won't be turned into another kid soldier."
"Jason." He scowled, this was definitely not the right time for that sort of discussion but he had a point, they needed to find little… what had Damien said his name was? Wait did Damien even tell them the little guy's name? They all had just been using nicknames so far.
"Dami, what's the little teethling's name again?"
"I haven't told you yet." Ah okay so he didn't have a hole in his memory. "It's Danyal, but when we were younger he didn't like the way grandfather and our teachers called his name and insisted on being called informally as Danny."
"Okay right, so we better find little Danny and get everyone together to introduce-"
"Might I ask who this 'little Danny' is, Master Dick?"
He did not scream. But his heart rate shot up with Alfred just appearing behind him like that. Really sometimes Alfred could be as bad as Cass in the ways of sneaking up on people without them knowing.
"Alfred, hey hi what are you doing down here?" He was not nervous, no he wasn't. The way the butler narrowed his eyes at him did definitely not scare him at all, nope.
"I was informed that all of you returned uninjured." Though his eyes narrowed at Jason's hand that got cut earlier and his brother instantly tried to hide it behind his back when he noticed Alfreds eyes on him. "But the four of you, despite having returned to the Cave, have not come up yet. So I was merely checking on you, to make sure nothing was wrong after all."
He gulped. Really there was no way of ever hiding anything from Alfred.
"Jason brought a child to the Cave that we found out is Damien's twin that had died eight years ago but was brought back to life and is now feral and hiding somewhere in the cave."
At least it was Timber that blurred out everything they knew so far.
"His name is Danyal." Baby Bird added and the four of them waited for Alfred's reaction.
"I see. I will go prepare one of the rooms then and inform Master Bruce to return sooner from his meeting with the Justice League then. As well as prepare for a family dinner as soon as possible, I assume. Will my help be needed in finding young Master Danyal?"
"No worries Alfie, I think I have an idea on how to draw out the little shiiii-biter. You made cookies, right?" Jason at the last minute corrected his words because of the look and Dick couldn't help but snicker.
"I indeed did. If my help is not required then I will be on my way."
Giving them all one last look over, the Butler smiled before he turned to leave. Dick, Tim and Jason let out a sigh in relief once Alfred had left again to which Damien only eyed them strangely.
A little while later Jason went to get the cookies and came back with the plate and staring at a green post-it note. "Since when does Alfie stick green post-it notes with cryptic shit on plates?"
"What?" His brother only shrugged offering the note to him. Tim was looking over his shoulder at it and the two stared at the strange writing.
"I think Cass or Steph might be pulling a prank on us? These look just like random squiggles."
"Let's leave this for later and look for the little teethling." He passed the note to Tim, noticing the curiosity in his eyes. Oh boy, he probably should make sure his little brother gets some sleep instead of trying to encrypt whatever was written on that little note all night.
"Now everyone lets take a cookie, resist eating it and go hunt down our little teethling."
Damien narrowed his eyes on him. "I told you to stop calling Danyal that." The little baby bird still took a cookie though and marched away into the bat cave. They had separated wandering through the Bat Cave trying to cover as much ground as possible and by this point Dick was ready to call for Cass to join them, maybe even wake up Duke just so they would finally find the little kid.
That was until a familiar yowl of pain resounded in the Cave. The direction made Dicks stomach sink once he remembered just what was in the Cave in this direction. "Jason!"
Once he arrived there he feared for the worst. Jason avoided the area, because B had placed their Lazarus Pit there and his brother had often said that it was one of the reasons he didn't like coming to the Cave that much anymore let alone into this area of the Cave. To hear his brothers shout of pain from that area couldn't mean anything good.
Well that was until he got to the scene. Dick didn't know how long he stood there frozen but at some point he knew he took out his phone to take some photos of what was happening. Tim was already laughing and Dick was pretty sure that Babs was most likely recording this with one of the many cameras B had in the Cave.
Jason lay with his back on the ground, with one hand his brother was still holding the cookie waving it desperately before Danny's face who was biting down on the other arm sitting on the downed vigilante's chest. Little hands gripping onto the arm in an attempt to make sure no one was taking his chewtoy away from him. Meanwhile Damien was trying to lift the little biter off Jason by holding him with his hands under the kids armpits.
"You little shit! FUCK! Come on, here is the cookie! Take the fucking cookie! OUCH FUCKING HELL! How is he resisting Alfies cookies!"
"Danyal, No! You do not know where Todd was or how dirty he is. Let go of his arm this instant. We do not want you to get sick!"
"Hey!"
This was gold, Dick decided, and would go straight to the black mail as well as family memories folder.
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too-much-tma-stuff · 11 months
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Home for the First Time
It was early when there was a knock at the door of Wayne Manor, Bruce was still in his nightgown because even though it was nearly noon he’d been out late. He stayed back while Alfred opened the door, curious to see who it was and hoping he hadn’t forgotten he was supposed to meet with press or something today. But no, it was two children, nearly identical besides the fact one had blue eyes and the other green.
“Hello,” The blue eyed one greeted with a bright, charming smile, he had one arm out slightly, subtly shielding the green eyed boy who was hanging back a little, a serious look on his face and a stubborn set to his jaw. “My name is Danyal Al Ghul and this is my brother Damien. Perhaps Bruce remembers an ill advised dalliance with our mother Talia roughly 11 years ago? We are the result, and she says it’s time we meet our father and learn what we can from him.”
“Of course we’ll submit to a DNA test to prove our lineage,” The green eyes one, Damien, put in. Danial didn’t look at the boy as he nodded along.
Behind Alfred Bruce choked on his coffee and started to cough. Alfred was unflappable as always and simply nodded once. “I see, why don’t you two come through into the sitting room? The paternity test shouldn’t take long using our equipment, we’ll just need a bit of your hair,” Alfred said as he stood back and usured the kids in. Bruce deciding now would be a good time to disappear and compose himself before he had to meet these unexpected children.
---------------
Danyal was nervous and excited as they sat in the drawing room, cradling mugs of tea neither of them had drunk. Damien was probably suspicious of an attempted poisoning, but Danyal was just nervous! Not that he showed it, his hands didn’t shake and an impassive little smile stayed on his face as he observed every inch of the room. That was the difference between him and Dami really, Damien had been raised the heir to the Demon Head, Danny to the Bat and Wayne industries. They had gone through the same physical training of course but they had different behaviours ingrained in them.
Damien had been taught to repress all emotion and not show it at all where as Danny had been taught how to mimic them. Hide his true emotion and show the appropriate ones. A ‘press smile’ as they say, to charm and manipulate and give just the right half answers that truly gave nothing away. He excelled in science and technology which would be perfect for running Wayne Enterprises, so it mattered less that his reading skills flagged behind Dami’s a bit, or that he had been the weaker combatant.
Had been, until he had been struck by lightening and then revived by Lazarus. It had been a disappointment, but thankfully not something he could have been faulted for, an act of god to punish their grandfather for his avoidance of death and because even the gods feared who they would become. He remembered the strike, the unimaginable pain of it, and the aftermath as he lay on the ground, his heart stuttering and thumping to hard, then not, then fluttering, then not, then nothing as he had passed out.
He did not remember being dropped in the pit, but he did remember waking up within it. It burned through his veins, seeping in to the hand that had been struck holding his weapon, racing up along the fractals of energy, collecting the currents that still had him twitching uncontrollably and curling together into a hard ball in his chest. A wash of cold spread over him from his new centre, soothing the burn of the acrid, acidic pit. It made drifting there… comfortable.
He knew it shouldn’t have been, he had seen multiple people break the surface, gasping and screaming and clawing their way to shore, but it wasn’t for him. Then again Ra’s bathed in the pool, so maybe this was alright? It made him wonder about the people who never surfaced again, did they choose to stay because this was how it felt to them too? Drifting listlessly in comfortable… What? What was this feeling. Danny had turned and dove deeper into the pit, seeking answers as he always did, even when it wasn’t wise.
He didn’t know how long he swam before he could see the edges, the pool narrowing closer and closer till he could barely make it through, and then he found an exit. It was small, a porthole into a void of stars and doors. It was unlike anything he’d seen and he realised immediately it was calling to him, that was why he had dove. It wanted him to enter, it called it was where he belonged, it terrified him. When something far to large drifted by his little vantage point he fled back towards the surface, the life he knew, and the broken family he still loved.
He was a bit surprised to find that Damien and mother were still there but grandfather had already left. That was fair really, Danny didn’t know how long he had been down there, but his brother and mother are still there. It seemed Damien was being allowed a rare moment of weakness, on his knees by the edge of the pond, staring blankly into the water with their mother crouching next to him, rubbing his back though Damien’s eyes were still dry. They were… grieving him.
He burst through the surface of the glowing pool, gasping for air he scrambled up onto the bank, coughing up the disgusting liquid clogging his lungs. His ears were ringing and his sight narrowing to a green blur, completely unaware of what was going on around him until two hands, one the size of his own, and one larger land on his body. The smaller set held back his hair while larger rubbed his back, slowly sound returned and he heard his mother’s soft cooing and Damien’s panicked breath.
He gasped for breath and looked up at the two of them, the green retreating from his vision as he blinked rapidly. “Damien? Mother?” He had gasped seeing the relief overtake both of their faces that Lazarus hadn’t stolen his mind.
It hadn’t, in fact he was just as sharp as ever and had found that since then no one could detect him when he wanted to remain unseen, no door could stop him or keep him out. He was what any assassin dreamed to be, but it had also come with new awareness since he had been overhearing things no one would usually let him hear. He had heard the conversations Grandfather had with mother going back and forth about which of them should go to their father, since it was always meant to be Danyal but now with his new abilities he was clearly chosen by Lazarus so maybe he should be the true heir.
Danny known Grandfather was manipulative for as long as he could remember, not like Damien, who still had faith in the league and their grandfather. Damien was smart, and talented, he was suspicious enough for both of their physical safety, but he had a much harder time realizing when they were being manipulated, or when they were being used. That was alright, Danny could make up for this weakness as Damien had done for his unwillingness to kill. It had taken him a while of carefully planted seeds in both Grandfather’s ear and Mother’s to bring them around to the idea of both of them going to father.
Danyal didn’t know if father would be any better, but he would probably be easier to escape from then the league and maybe with some distance he would gain the courage to point out to Damien how it was wrong.
That was how life found them both sitting on their fathers couch, Danny’s tea long since having grown cold. He surfaced from his thoughts, seeing his eyes shimmering unnatural green in the reflection within the cup, as it usually did when he thought about his death.
He blinked it away in time to look up and see Bruce entering the room, he put his smile back on and stood, Damien following suit and looking sullen. They had agreed Danny would take the lead, but Damien still didn’t like it. “You must be Bruce, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Danyal said offering his hand to shake. Bruce blinked looking a little startled and shook his hand, Danny did his bast to give a good, firm handshake, hopefully his hands were too cold. “Mother always speaks highly of you, and even Grandfather admits there’s much we can learn from you,” He said, stepping back to let Damien shake Bruce’s hand as well.
“And anyone who can impress grandfather must be half a god,” Danny joked causing Damien to hiss and elbow his side as he usually did when he though Danny was speaking out of turn. Danny made a little oof sound and then gave Bruce a conspiratorial look, pleased to see he had made the stoic man crack a smile.
“It’s good to meet both of you as well, I’m sorry I didn’t know about either of you until today. The paternity test confirmed that you are my sons, Alfred is already setting up rooms for you next to each other in the family wing. In the mean time how would you feel about meeting a couple of your siblings? I believe Tim, Cass, and Stephanie are home at the moment? You’ve had a long trip, if you’d rather wait till tomorrow then I understand.”
“We’d love to meet them,” Danyal said, a little louder then usual to cover his brothers scoff. Damien scowled at Danyal who scowled back just as fiercely and tried to step on Damien’s foot, he knew the other boy would move out of the way before he could but it would make his point not to be disrespectful! It was clearer then clear that their father didn’t care much for blood given how much he loved all his adoptive children no matter what Grandfather thought. If Bruce wanted a biological heir he could have easily have gotten one, their blood might give them a slight advantage but they would have to prove their merits. But of course Damien believed everything Grandfather said still.
Damien dodged and then kicked back, Danyal rolling his eyes and dodging as well. Before a full fight could break out they both heard Bruce chuckle at them, Danyal gave the man a sheepish smile and while Damien blushed and looked down at the floor sulkily. “Alright, well then follow me. I’ll call Dick as well, I’m sure that when he finds out he has two new brothers to meet he’ll come running, I’m sure he’ll be here for dinner as well.”
“We’ve heard a lot about him too,” Danyal said with an impassive smile, they had to know about those who might be their competition after all. Danyal knew a bit more then Damien but they both knew what they needed to, like strengths and weaknesses. Danyal wondered if he was going to have to come to their adopted siblings defences, he fully expected Damien would try to assassinate them, whether or not it was actually wise to do so.
“Alright, then lets go see Tim first, he’s playing video games in his room. Steph and Cass are in the studio together,” Bruce said as he ushered Danny and Damien out of the sitting room and up a set of back stairs into the family wing of the manner. Danny and Damien following, having a silent argument of signs and dodgable blows about how exactly they should be handling this. What finally ended the argument was Danny flashing fang, his eyes glowing green and baring his teeth at Damien. Both to remind Damien of his true strength and to show how important this was to him, which made Damien relent for now he wasn’t sure.
Either way they had sorted it out by the time Bruce opened the door. “Tim, how do you feel about two new brothers?” Bruce said almost sheepishly and Tim groaned, pausing his game and spinning around in his chair.
“Damn Bruce where did you find these two?” He asked giving his adopted father a tired glare.
“On his doorstep,” Danny said promptly.
“We’re his biological sons,” Damien said at almost the same time, then glared at Danny who shrugged, both were true.
“Damn really?” Tim asked as he finally got up, examining both of them.
“We already did the paternity test,” Damien said with what Danny would call an unwarranted amount of pride.
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Danyal. You can call me Danny if you want,” Danny said, stepping forward and offering Tim a handshake and his best smile. Tim blinked and shook his hand. “I’ve never played a video game, they didn’t allow such frivolities in the compound. They look like fun though, perhaps you could teach me?”
“Uh sure, sounds fun. What about you? You want to learn other little bro?” Tim asked looking to Damien.
“Why would I want to learn a skill with no practical use,” Damien scoffed. “My name is Damien, and I do not approve of nicknames,” He said, giving Danny a haughty look as he shook Tim’s hand. Danny just rolled his eyes.
“Whatever you say little D,” Tim scoffed. Damien gave an indignant squawk and before he could go for a weapon Danny grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back.
“Okay that’s enough of that,” Bruce said, grabbing a knife Danny had missed Damien drawing and twisting it out of Damien’s grip as Danny got his brother in a headlock.
“Sorry about him, the League of Shadows doesn’t care much for social graces, I barely escaped being just as feral as him,” Danny joked before letting out an oof as Damien elbowed him in the side and escaped his hold.
“Eh it’s not the first time a brother has tried to kill me. I can look after myself,” Tim said, which was clearly a warning to Damien judging by the look. Danny knew that Tim could, but also knew he was still underestimating them, and he hoped that wouldn’t bite him before he figured it out. “Let me know if you change your mind, I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do with tech and media, I’ll be happy to be your guide.”
“Tt,” Damien scoffed and stomped out of the room.
“Well I’m looking forward to learning about all of that, I think it’ll be fun! Ignore him, he’ll come around. Just, uhh, watch him, That won’t be the last time he tries to stab you. If anything it’s a bonding activity for him,” Danny joked as lightly as he could before hurrying after his twin, Bruce on his heels.
Part 2: here
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hello-eden · 1 month
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Due to time fuckery, consider! A universe where Danny is reincarnated to multiple(or even all!) of the bat kids moms/mother figures. Catherine, Janet, Talia, Mary(I can’t remember others right now off the top of my head so let’s throw in selina for fun)!
Like he’s just out here with sort of duplicates of himself maybe no idea what’s going on in their heads until some event catches up and all of his memories rejoin. Does he take one body? A new one? does he shift between forms depending what he’s doing, or who’s he’s scolding? who knows? All I do know is that this could end in Bruce/Danny and the kids being like “you’ve slept with how many of our moms?” Lots of soft feels tho too for the kids who haven’t seen them in a while and like Danny finally having a single set of memories with all of his babies
I don’t know this is a mess and I wrote it vv quick but an interesting idea I think! I love your work<3
most have died and the afterlife time isn't linear. Danny being on the good side of whatever person helps with the reincarnation so they're like let me just reincarnate you close to the heroes and forget to turn it off after the first lifetime so it keeps happening.
Talia gets their Memories Back a little bit after they send Damien to go live with their father and realize that all of their past life children are living with this one man that they had a kid with in this new life. When all of the kids realize that Talia is The Reincarnation of their mom  it's going to be very awkward.
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