#Cassandra Cain and these idiots that she unfortunately loves

[deadsetobsessions]

He could overlook a lot of things, but this was getting ridiculous. You’d think seasoned vigilantes would have better excuses prepared, but Danny had caught that flash of panic that crossed Tim’s face as Danny came face to face with Tim dragging an unconscious Steph to her designated room in the manor.

“Uh.”

“Danny! Uh, Stephanie brained herself- uh, sliding down the bannisters and- pleasedon’ttellBruce.”

Danny blinks, staring at Tim and then very pointedly, very slowly, turned his head back towards the direction he came from: the main hall… where the bannisters were. He wonders what vigilante hijinks they were trying to hide from B this time.

Tim coughs, trying to inch Stephanie away. “Uh. She was doing… cartwheels?”

Danny let his eyes slowly take in the bruises that were clearly not from “cartwheeling in the mansion” on the both of them. There’s a huge bandaged cut on Steph’s forearm and a giant bruise on the edge of Tim’s jaw. Tim’s face twitches nervously, not that anyone else would have noticed- except Danny has enhanced ghost senses and could feel the panic coming off of his adopted brother.

“You know…” Shit, what does he do? Not knowing would be so much easier if these idiots gave him good excuses! “I don’t think I want to know what you two have been up to… but should I be worried for your, uh, physical health?”

“Nope!”

“… Okay.” He says. Tim opens his mouth to make further excuses but Danny adds quickly, “But don’t tell me, because if Bruce asks, I want plausible deniability.”

Cartwheels, Danny’s ghostly ass. Luckily, this show of doubt reaffirms Tim’s belief that Danny believes them all of the other times. Danny grins inwardly, planning capitalizing on the guilt that flashed over Tim’s face.

“Deal.”

“Want help?” The halfa points at Steph, who’s still being dragged over the carpet by a noodle armed Tim. Danny knows Tim’s strong, he’s a vigilante, but it’s funny watching him pretend to struggle.

“Please. I’m so tired right now.” He looks it too. Danny’s brows furrow with genuine concern when he takes in Tim’s drowned raccoon look. He picks up Steph, firmly removing her from Tim’s suddenly weak grip. Being careful to avoid her injuries, Danny nods at the door to her room. Tim cracks it open and does a little showy gesture towards the inside.

“C’mon, we’ll tuck her in and then I’ll tuck you in.”

“What, you don’t have to do that.”

“If you don’t let me tuck you in and make sure you sleep, I’ll tell Alfred who really accidentally poured boiling hot coffee on his azaleas last week. And I’ll sic Dick on you and tell him you haven’t been sleeping enough.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Tim grumbles. “But fine. It’s really not my fault I’m this tired. A missing spleen is hard to handle, you know.”

“Yeah, missing an organ sucks,” Danny says, shit eating grin hidden long enough to catch the contemplative bloodhound look that passes over Tim’s face.

“Which- uh, which one of your organs is missing?”

“Liver.” Danny says, remembering the flashes of pain. He tilts his head away to hide the grin at Tim’s panicked face.

When he tucks Tim in, he pretends to believe Tim’s sleeping act and left his room while mumbling about the Wayne’s clumsiness and bruises and stocking up on bruise cream. He couldn’t even enjoy Tim’s floundering, this time, worried as he is.

——

“Brother.” Danny half turns his head, just to beam a sunny smile at Cass. He signs an exuberant hello. The halfa hangs up his coat as he addresses his adopted sister.

“Cass! What’s up?”

“Dinner.” She smiles back, signing that Alfred wanted them to the dinning room post haste. The main dining room, because rich people were fruit loops and Batman is totally included. Cassandra looks down and gasps.

What…?

Oh. Fuck. Danny glances down. He genuinely forgot about that.

“Huh.”

“Okay?” Suddenly, Cass is right next to him, hand reached out and hovering over the actual knife Danny forgot was sticking out of him. At least it’s where his liver should be, so he won’t have to pretend.

“Oh. Yeah, I’m good. Don’t have a liver.” Danny decides on the spot that he’s not gonna mess with Cass. She smiled the same as him. “Got mugged on the way back but I think they said I could keep the knife, right?”

“Danny.” She’s frowning at him. He feels like he just kicked tiny Cujo. But he doesn’t feel bad enough to blurt everything out.

“Here. You can have it if you want?” Danny casually pulls out the knife and holds the wound together with his bare hands. Cass looks more alarmed. She bodily picks up Danny and starts running.

“Woah!”

Cass throws him at Alfred, gently.

“Miss Cassandra! Why, I never-!” Alfred pauses in surprise.

“Uh. Wow, Cass. You’re really strong.” Danny pipes up, hand still over his gushing wound.

She ignores him, pointing at Danny and telling Alfred, “Hurt. Got mugged. Dumb.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault Gothamites are ready to jump people at any moment. Besides, it’s daytime. It’s not like the vigilante furries are out to save my butt. I think I did really well coming back safe, you know?”

“Hurt. Forgot the knife. Was in him.”

“Master Danny!”

Danny pouts. He also knows there’s a discreet camera in the corners of the sitting room, so he’s definitely hoping he could phase into the cave when Barbara eventually tells the group that he called them “vigilante furries.”

Alfred clucks his tongue and set to work patching him up. Danny tries not to bask in the careful way Alfred tended to his wounds. It reminds him too much of Jazz, if Jazz was British and a man with greying hair.

But because they were watching him and he was watching them in return, Danny noticed the moment Alfred’s hands stalled and Cass’ gaze got intense. What now…?

Oh, fuck, his vivisection scar. Oops. Danny smiled, channeling Dani (his lovely clone sister) at her most innocent.

Cass smiled back, just as sunnily, fists tightening at her side in repressed fury.

——

“Cass? Why’d you call us?”

“Yeah, baby bat. I got a couple o’ smugglers to talk to.”

Cass paces.

“What is it, Cassandra?” Damian tuts impatiently.

“Danny. Has… scars. Autopsy. But was struggling. When cut.”

“What.”

“A vivisection, Master Jason.” Alfred’s voice was crisp and eerily cold. His hands are folded, rage only held back by his sheer will and a well practiced sense of propriety.

“We find. Who hurt him,” Cass snarls. “We. End.”

Jason’s eyes glint green, hands going to his guns. “Fine. By. Me.”

“It does tie in with the dead comment. I wonder what happened to him.” Tim clacks away at the bat computer, furiously looking into the matter already. Bruce has taken to prowling, stressed out at the prospect of one more of his children- not a vigilante at that- getting hurt the way Jason had. Worse, even. A vivisection. He was alive, dissected. Aware enough to struggle. Dick looked like he was torn about hunting down and lunging at whoever hurt Danny to rip their throats out with his bare teeth versus the urge to go back up to the manor and wrap Danny in bubble wrap.

In the corner, Danny was having a quiet breakdown because he came here to watch them react to vigilante furries, not offering to murder the people who vivisected him. What the fuck?? He ran his hands through his hair, invisible.

——

“Oh, by the way, we should consider more daytime shifts.”

“Why?” Spoiler asks Barbara.

“Danny got mugged. And called us the nightly furries.”

“The fuckin’ what-?” Jason chokes out, laughing. Bruce stops his pacing, body language becoming slightly offended.

Danny muffles a laugh only Alfred would have heard.

#danny phantom #Danny ‘plausible deniability’ Phantom #Jason Todd #red hood #batman #tim drake #dick grayson #cassandra cain #black bat #Tim usually would be a better liar #but usually he lies to Batman #not Danny #Cassandra Cain and these idiots that she unfortunately loves #Danny: you stabbed me so I’m keeping the knife #Danny plays finders keepers with Gotham muggers #he wins #cartwheeling in Wayne manor #dc x dp #dp x dc #bamf danny phantom

[the-writers-wrench]

A few Fanfiction Recommendations

Before I continue, I’d like to say in all caps, NONE OF THE FOLLOWING STORIES ARE MINE. Now that’s out of the way, I can’t be accused of taking credit for other people’s works. Here’s four stories I’d like to recommend in the last hour of fanfic writers appreciation day (or beginning hour of the 22nd, depending on how long this takes).

1. Locked-Verse by Dragonbat. On the worst day of Batman’s life, the GCPD finally nab the bat. @pop-culturereference, I think you would get a kick out this one. It’s not completed, and likely won’t be at this point, but I still can’t recommend it enough. The author began it in 2005, and it follows the pre-52 timeline (New Earth if I understand correctly). Nearly all the batfamily at the time is in it, the plot is enjoyable, and the characters are well written. This is the story that made me fall in love with Cassandra Cain, even if the path she takes isn’t quite what she takes in the canon. The story is over 700k words and split into 4 works, and I loved each and every one of them.

2. Tano and Kenobi by @fireflyfish. If I had to pick any time travel fic to recommend, it’d be this one. None of the others have taken me for such an enjoyable ride, and I’ve read more of them than I care to admit. You know it’s good when you’re hunched over your computer at 1 am, wanting to strangle [REDACTED] for being an idiot and a jerkwad while willingly ignoring the Spanish presentation you’re giving in a few hours. Without giving too much away, an adult Ahsoka Tano finds herself transported to Pre-Phantom Menace and next to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. If it sounds familiar, that’s because time travel fix-it fics are a dime a dozen and you get what you pay for. The difference is that Mrs. Fish does a good job of it. Worth an easy 5 bucks minimum in comparison to all the others.

3. Legend of Zelda: The Return by Rose Zemlya. A chance encounter with a Zelda fanart led me to this post-Ocarina of Time story. Young Link is a young adult again, albeit without any of his memories from OOT. Unfortunately for him, the world still has need of the Hero of Legend. What I enjoyed most about this story was how the author took the existing characters, along with some new faces, and put them in a whole new situation. We also see more of Link’s personality, see him have doubts, experience frustration and loss. I haven’t read many Legend of Zelda fanfics, but I doubt many could top The Return.

4. A New Journey by Texas Longhorn. In which Ash finally becomes a Pokemon Champion. Now all that’s left to do is become the Pokemon Master, and also feelings for everyone’s favorite redheaded water trainer. Everyone has aged up significantly by at least six years, which actually allows for more mature themes to be addressed while still keeping it from being weird and creepy. Not everything goes their way, which is important for a story. Ash and Misty don’t immediately get together, and have rocky moments in their relationship. This is without a doubt my most treasured fanfiction. The title for favorite fanfic can fluxuate based on the day of the week and time since the last update, but A New Journey is the only fanfic that holds the distinction of starting my writing career. After catching up in 2013 to to the then current chapter, I wanted to write my own A New Journey. I don’t think I can give a better endorsement than that.

#fic reccomendations #Fanfiction #Batman #Star Wars #The Legend of Zelda #pokemon