#and Danny never scared him because Jason always thought death was kind | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ayamari-no-goshi · 1 year

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And Think of Him as Living -> Steph’s chapter

AO3 ----> Companion chapter to this work

Fandoms: Danny Phantom (DP) / DC universe

Summary: THIS IS A CROSSOVER. Companion chapters to ‘To Join the Whispers’ written from the POVs of some of the others

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, and questionable mental healthParings: noneNotes: originally uploaded to AO3. Cross-posted to tumblr.

“So, what’s with that guy? I think Jason said his name is Roy?”

Steph glanced over at Danny as they waited for their food. It was supposed to be fast food then movie day with Tim and Cass, but Danny was currently with them. He never had Batburger before so that needed to be fixed. Tim had gestured to her that he was going to hack the surveillance cameras later so he could get stills of Danny’s reaction. They were so going to use it as future blackmail, or possibly show them to Jason.

Speaking of Jason, Danny was supposed to be training with him, but due to a surprise visit from Roy regarding something with the Outlaws that was put on hold. So his trip to Gotham wasn’t wasted, Tim and Cass decided to bring him along. Steph wasn’t bothered by it. Danny had a killer sense of humor, and unlike most of the batboys, would actually talk about what was bothering him.

“He’s part of Jason’s team,” Tim explained. “And they’re actually friends. I think. It’s kind of hard to tell when it comes to him.”

“Oh, they’re totally besties. Thanks!” she was momentarily distracted by the server handing over her order. “Didn’t you noticed Jason let him touch him?”

That was something she’d noticed since Jason’s hesitant return to the family. He rarely got close enough to let anyone touch him unless they were in costume. And now that she thought about it, he rarely touched anyone either. She figured it was because he was unnaturally cold. He always felt like he’d just come back in from being in a winter storm. That was probably a side effect of being undead and all that, but it also might just be him being awkward from his supervillain phase.

The only person where this didn’t seem to apply to was Danny. While the hugs still caught him off guard, Jason didn’t mind when Danny occasionally tapped his arm to get his attention. Or when they were training and they inevitably ended up in a wrestling match. It made Dick and even Tim somewhat jealous.

“I’m not sure if you could count that,” Tim grumbled as they found their seat. There was that jealousy rearing its head again. Even after everything that happened, Jason was still his hero, and he wanted a better relationship with his brother. They were getting there, but there was still hurt and distrust they needed to work through.

“Uncomfortable but used to it,” Cass clarified with a nod.

Danny was silent for a moment as he considered what they said. “But he couldn’t talk about anything around us? Doesn’t he trust us?” The unsaid ‘trust me’ was clear. Deciding he didn’t like the awkwardness, he bit into his burger. “Oh! This is good.”

“See? What did we tell you?” Steph grinned before taking a bite of her chicken wings. They were so good. “But Jason’s just like that. He doesn’t tell us anything, and none of us really know what he’s doing when he’s not in Gotham.”

Tim nodded as he bit into his own burger. “It drives Bruce nuts. He can barely keep track of him, and to be honest, me and Babs can’t really either. Most of our info comes from Roy since he’s also good friends with Dick.” He sighed and took a drink. “Jay’s constantly traveling, and from the little we know, his team sometimes gets contracted by different organizations. When that happens, we often find out what crazy thing he did after the fact. Then Bruce gets scared because his son put himself in danger, again, and he didn’t know. So, he tries to call Jason multiple times to lecture him. Then Jason ignores him, and Bruce lectures us instead. It’s annoying.”

Cass gave a hum of agreement. “Jay…” she paused to find the words she wanted, “takes risks he shouldn’t. Scares everyone when we find out, but he… mistakes fear for distrust.”

“Not only that, but there’s a lot from his past he won’t talk about in front of anyone. I know he regrets at least some of it. What exactly that might be, I have no idea,” Tim continued. “They fight a lot, he and Bruce I mean, about Jason’s methods, especially in the days before he kind of came home. I’m glad we left when we did because there was going to be another fight.”

“Don’t lie,” Stephanie rested her chin on her hands as she smirked at him, “you’re mad at him too.”

“Do you know how many hours I wasted trying to investigate that guy? And all I had to do was pry the information out of my brother?”

Steph had arrived just in time to watch that shit show. Apparently, Roy’s visit wasn’t entirely out of concern for his friend, who decided not to message him with any updates other then he’d been exposed to more Lazarus Water. Seriously, what was up with the Waynes and not telling people things?

But Jason had apparently been keeping an eye on sites that were once used by a trafficking ring run by an infamous murder-for-hire that both Tim and Bruce had been attempting to find for a few years. When Bruce caught on to how Jason used the past tense in reference to the man, he wanted an explanation.

Jason just smiled and said with a shrug, “He had a bad habit of always drinking these shitty cherry flavored energy drinks. His last apprentice didn’t agree with his side business and poisoned one of his drinks before destroying his main compound.”

Bruce nearly combusted on the spot because Jason had trained under such a person, killed the man, and had no qualms that he killed the man. They escaped with Danny before things could get too heated.

Danny played with his straw as he considered what they said. “He never talked about that before?”

“No. We have four… no, it’s closer to five years where we don’t have any idea where he was or what he was doing.” Tim shook his head. “We have hints. So, you know the guy who was looking into Amity?”

“The one with the ninjas?”

“They aren’t ninjas,” Tim sent her a nasty look when she snorted. Yeah, the members of the League weren’t ninjas, but they were close enough. “He’s the one who brought Jason back.” When Danny’s eyes widened, Tim made a quick movement with his hand to let him know they weren’t going to talk about that in any more detail. “He and his daughter are weirdly obsessed with Bruce, making them indirectly obsessed with the rest of us.”

“Indirectly obsessed? Don’t be shy, Tim. Ra’s just loves you. I still want to know what he’s doing with your spleen. You just know he kept it.”

Danny looked at him as he nearly dropped what was left of his burger. “I’m sorry, what? What do you mean he has your spleen?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Tim dismissively waved his hand. “It’s not important.”

“No, no, tell Danny about how an old rich dude is just as obsessed with you as he is with your dad and took your spleen as a souvenir after you guys fought.” She grinned as Danny’s expression grew more concerned while Tim’s grew more exasperated. “Wanna bet he’s using it as an emotional support spleen?”

“Steph, I will pay you a thousand dollars never to say that again.”

“Make it three thousand.”

Cass laughed before grinning at Danny. “See? You aren’t the only person with a creepy old man.”

“Danny, ignore them. That isn’t important,” Tim snapped as he threw a fry at her. “Anyways, we know that guy’s daughter set up some of Jay’s training during those missing years.” He grimaced as he glanced at Cass. “From what we know of their organization, we can guess she had him do a lot of terrible things. Other people we know who previously trained with them won’t talk about it either. So, don’t take it to heart when he won’t talk about himself.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Steph decided to add when Danny’s expression hadn’t quite lifted, “he’s been less guarded around us since you’ve come along. We can actually have conversations with him where he doesn’t just give one or two word answers like Bruce does.”

“I should tell him you said that.”

“You absolutely will not, Timberly! I don’t have a death wish, and if you even think about it, I will take you down with me.”

…

They had a great time at the movies. Although they were originally planning on going to one of the newer blockbusters, Danny managed to convince them to see the horrendously bad horror movie that had been released a couple weeks prior. No one else was in the theater which allowed them to make fun of the movie the entire time. It made it a thousand times more enjoyable than Steph imagined.

When they returned to the Manor, they caught sight of Jason and Roy near the corner of the Manor. It looked like they were talking, but Jason gave them a quick wave to acknowledge them without ever looking in their direction. It was creepy how easily he could sense Danny.

The younger halfa once explained that not all ghosts had that trait. Most couldn’t detect another ghost unless they were within a few feet of each other, but Danny could accurately detect one within two miles, possibly more. The intent was a big part of it, the more malicious, the more easily detectable for him. But he could also sense friendly ghosts fairly easily. Jason seemed to be developing a similar ability, but it didn’t have the same range as Danny’s. They weren’t sure if that would strengthen in time or not.

“I don’t think his talk with Bruce went all that well,” Tim noted as Jason lit up a cigarette. With how Alfred was about smoking, Jason rarely risked it on the grounds of the Manor unless he was very stressed.

“Man, I want to know what they’re talking about,” she complained as they headed into the Manor. As long as she wasn’t the cause of the drama, she lived for it.

“I mean… if you want to, I can help,” Danny offered as he momentarily vanished from sight to show what he meant. “We just have to stay connected to each other and be quiet. Just because we’re invisible, it doesn’t mean he won’t be able to hear you.”

“Would he know you’re near?” Cass questioned.

Danny tilted his head as he considered it. “As long as we don’t get too close, probably not. He already knows I’m in the Manor.”

“Alright! Let’s do this!” No one would ever know just how happy she was that Danny could now help her get much needed gossip and blackmail from the bats. With Danny around, things were going to get so much more interesting.

…

“…still can’t believe he told me he was your son when you introduced him,” they heard Roy state as they creeped closer.

It was a strange feeling to be completely invisible. From all the training she’d received over the years to be as stealthy as possible, this was something new. She didn’t have to worry about sticking to the shadows, but at the same time, it just felt unnatural. Maybe that was at least part of the reason why Jason was so weirded out by his powers.

Jason chuckled. “It’s your fault you automatically assumed Bruce adopted him, and then mine because I didn’t expect him to enact revenge on me for training. Kid has parents, and they’re thankfully not me.”

“Dunno Jay, I think you could be a good dad.”

The deadpan look Jason gave his friend almost made her laugh, almost. “I am probably the most screwed up person you know.”

“You’re also the person who probably knows the best way not to screw up a kid.”

He snorted. “Yeah, it’s easy. Don’t let your kids dress in garish costumes and help you fight crime. Oh, and even if you are a piece of shit, don’t give your kid to a madman in hopes of paying off your own debts.”

That last part sounded a little too specific. Roy noticed it too. “Mind explaining that last one?”

Jason didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he lit another cigarette and took a long drag. “What… what do you know about my death?”

“Not much. Just it was the Joker. Why? What does that have anything to do with this?”

A sigh escaped Jason as he rested his head on the Manor wall. “Been thinking about it a lot recently. Bruce and I had been fighting. He thought I killed someone and at one point told me he wasn’t my dad. Got benched shortly after that because he thought I was being reckless. Maybe I was. I don’t know anymore.” He took another drag. “Started thinking Bruce only wanted me around so I could be Robin in Dick’s place.”

“Jay, you know that’s not true!” Roy immediately interrupted.

“Whether it’s true or not, it didn’t matter. It still doesn’t because it doesn’t change the fact I got it in my head Bruce was going to throw me out. Found out shortly afterwards about my biological mom, who ended up being a doctor working in an Ethiopian refugee camp.” He took another puff. “Thought maybe she’d want me. Shit happened and the Joker got involved. Bruce left me to watch the camp as he chased after chemicals the maniac was going to use to harm people.”

Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, he rested his arms on his knees as he hung his head. “I… I know what the stories say. That I got cocky and ran off to face the Joker alone, but I didn’t do that. I knew better. All I did was go find her and offer her help. She was alone. She told me she was alone, and I was naïve.”

Roy stared at him for a moment as a dawning horror came into his voice. “Jason… it was your mother? The reason that man got a hold of you… that was your mother’s fault?”

“She led me right to him.” He gave a jerky motion with his head, almost as if he was remembering the feel of being struck with a crowbar.

Stephanie didn’t realize she was crying until she felt the tears fall onto the hand that was covering her mouth to prevent her from making a sound. She’d glanced at Jason’s records when it had been revealed to her he was back from the dead. While it was detailed, it didn’t go over what Jason was thinking at the time. Bruce often put rationale for a person’s actions either confirmed or suspected in his files, but that one was surprisingly blank. Didn’t he know why Jason fell into that trap? Or was it that he couldn’t bring himself to admit it? Either way, she never realized Jason was trying to find someone he thought might love him.

Wait, he didn’t even say love, just wanted. God, no wonder he thought Bruce hadn’t cared about him when he came back. Every other adult in his life chose something else, someone else, over him. And him finding out about Tim would have reinforced the idea he didn’t mean anything to Bruce.

She needed to think about it later. There was a lot to unpack, and she didn’t think she could handle it at the moment.

“It was my fault.” Jason’s voice sounded distant. “Got duped and paid the price. I made peace with that.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against the bricks.

“Jesus, Jason.”

“Just because I rose from the dead doesn’t mean I’m suddenly the son of God.” Only Jason could turn a moment so serious into a death joke. Steph could feel Danny shaking from silent laughter beside him. She forgot. There were two of them.

“You’re such an ass.” Roy just shook his head. “But I didn’t know.”

“I don’t think anyone knew, even Bruce. Doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. You became the poster child of what happens when you rush in unprepared. It was just easier to accept, but it never made sense. You were a good kid, and I remember you being much more willing to listen than Dick ever was. It hit him hard, you know.”

“So you say.”

“Jay, he was a wreck. The guilt he hadn’t been able to help you ate at him to the point he could barely function. He didn’t sleep, and I’m pretty sure he was hallucinating you at one point. He even kicked out a lot of the younger members of the Titans because he was sacred one of them would get killed too.” Roy held out his hand to help Jason up. “You know, with all your hang ups with younger heroes, I don’t understand why you’re helping to train Danny.”

Jason removed his cigarette and stomped it out. “Trust me, if I had any chance of convincing him to stop and go back to a normal life, I wouldn’t stop pestering him until he did. I can’t tell you exactly what’s going on his end without his permission, but even if he’d stop, he’d still have to defend himself on a regular basis.” He ran his hand through his hair. “He’d been operating as a solitary hero for a year before we ran into each other.”

“It’s that bad? There are no professional heroes that can help?”

“I hate to say it, but right now, no. There are entities in Amity Park that can use people like meat puppets so it’s too risky to bring anyone in. We’re aware of equipment that can help but trying to replicate it is proving difficult. Bruce is having Zatanna, Constantine, and Jason Blood look into things on their end to see if they can make amulets or whatever.” He played with his pack of cigarettes for a moment. “He’s a good kid, and I don’t want to see him end up like me.”

“Dead or… broken?”

“Both. So, I’m going to do whatever I can to try to prevent that.” His gaze was distant for a moment before he shook his head. “Damnit Roy, I am the worst person for this job. I’m still trying to sort my own shit out.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about him going on a killing spree across Gotham, right?”

“Let’s see, he didn’t get his head bashed open, get dumped in a Lazarus Pit, and then fell off mountain into a river, so I think we’re good for now.”

“You had me worried there for a moment. I thought…” Roy stopped speaking as Jason’s words sunk in. “What do you mean you fell off a mountain? How did you fall off a mountain?”

“Damian’s mom pushed me.”

Roy just shook his head. “Alright, if you’re done smoking, we’re going back inside and getting some of Alfred’s apple pie. I don’t think I can handle anymore of these admissions today. Just when I think you Bats can’t surprise me anymore...”

“I’m hurt.” The smile on Jason’s face told them he was joking, but the smile fell as he glanced in their direction. Did he know they were there? “I am not going to be happy if I found out I had eavesdroppers. It’s bad enough Bruce has recording equipment everywhere on the grounds.”

“Come on, Jay. No one’s out here.”

“And here I thought you’ve met my family. You know, the people who have been trained by the world’s most paranoid man.”

An icy chill washed over her and the scenery blurred for a moment as a feeling of wrongness made her skin crawl. The next thing she knew, they were all visible and collapsed in a heap on the floor of the den. Well, everyone except Danny, who nervously stood over them.

“Sorry guys,” he explained as he rubbed his neck. “I kind of panicked.”

“Warn us first.” Cass had recovered first. “I could have accidentally hurt you.”

“I will. Next time. I promise!” Danny even crossed his heart to show he meant it.

After picking herself up and dusting herself off, she glanced at where the game consoles were under the TV. “Well, if we’re going to sell the idea we weren’t eavesdropping on a conversation we had no business hearing, we might as well look the part. Who’s up for a racing game?”

“Oh! If we do, can I show you guys something neat?” The impish smile on Danny’s face almost made Stephanie decide it was a bad idea. Almost. But, after that convo, she needed a different sort of mischief.

“What exactly are you going to do?” Tim eyed him curiously.

“Oh, you’ll see!”

…

“What exactly did I walk in on?” Jason hesitantly questioned as he stood in the doorway. Surprisingly, it took him over an hour for him to come check on them. No one heard any yelling, so it didn’t seem like he and Bruce got into another fight. However, after they discovered what Danny could do, they had been far more focused on testing that.

“Todd,” Damian greeted as he briefly glanced in his direction. The pipsqueak decided to investigate due to the noise and had gotten curious. “Has the idiot left?”

“Roy? Yeah, he headed back, but that doesn’t answer my question.” Jason took a step in and glanced around as he rubbed his chest. Duke had let it slip that was a sign his ghost core was bothering him for some reason. “I thought Danny was still here?”

“He is. Damnit! That’s so not fair!” she complained as the blue shell she used just passed through the car in first place in the game. “We’re racing Danny.”

“But the game’s not paused?”

“Jay, remember how we found out that Plasmius was able to possess our systems in order to gain access to information?” Tim didn’t look at him as he focused on trying to keep his car on track.

“Yeah… wait, are you telling me Danny’s literally in the game?” He stepped a little closer to the screen to notice that one of the normal characters had been replaced by a white-haired teen. “That’s one hell of a cheat.”

“He has been hard to hit,” Cass stated as she adjusted her position on the couch. “I will find a way to win.”

Tim let out a groan as his attempt to pass Danny’s car failed again. “It’s been interesting to see what exactly he can and can’t do. He still has access to his base powers so everything we try to throw at him hasn’t worked. I’m really tempted to hack the game and put in my own codes to see what will and won’t work. After this, I’m definitely going to take this data to Babs to see what we can come up with.”

About a minute later, the race was over, and Danny won, again. As the rest of them grumbled, the halfa materialized out of the game, still in ghost form, and laughed. “Come on! I thought you guys would be more of a challenge! Oh, hi, Jason!”

“Would you look at that. You really were in the game.”

“Yeah! I don’t get to do it too often. Haven’t really had a chance to play a lot of games recently.”

While a slight smile appeared on Jason’s face, his brows furrowed slightly. While she wasn’t as skilled as reading his expressions compared to the others, Stephanie was pretty sure he was bothered by Danny’s lack of free time. “Then don’t let me interrupt. Sorry I had to bow out earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it. Are we going to go back to training?”

“Not today. All things considered, you’ve earned a break.” He glanced towards her, Cass, and Tim. “Thanks for earlier.”

Tim nodded as he started putting in some code in the game. “Anything interesting come out of your chat with Roy?”

“Not as much as I’d like.” His eyes flashed. “Since I’m still on house arrest, I have to rely on Roy and Kori checking it out for me. There are a lot of different organizations that could be trying to move in.”

“What me to send a drone? Or have my team check it out as a backup?”

Jason tilted his head as he thought about it. “Tempting.” Oh, this had to be bothering him if he was willing to consider help from anyone. “What’s the catch?”

“Look through my open case files and let me know if you have any info I can use.”

“That’s it? I’ll think about it.”

Damian tutted. “Now that you’re finished talking about what Pennyworth has banned in the house, I believe I have come up with a plan to defeat Fenton. Todd, you will be joining us.”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You want me to join?”

“Yes, I need to prove my superior driving.” At the kid’s statement, Steph couldn’t help but share a knowing grin with Cass. While he still talked way too formally for someone his age, he really was trying to bond with his siblings.

“You’re just mad Danny keeps beating you,” she teased as she glanced at Jason. “We have room for another player.”

Almost as if he could hear Jason’s unasked question, Tim added, “Grab a controller. I think I figured out what cheats I can use to finally stop Danny’s streak.”

“Oh no, whatever shall I do?” Danny feigned concern as a devilish grin crossed his face. “I guess I need to bring in the big guns.” Before anyone had a chance to react, Danny grabbed Jason’s wrist. Before Steph could even blink, the teen pulled his passenger into the game with him. Seconds later, the tiny forms of Danny and Jason could be seen on the TV screen. Even though Jason was in his human form when he went in, he showed up in his ghost form.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she complained as she watched how the two picked a vehicle together. It looked like Jason was going to drive while Danny guarded their car. “There’s no way we’ll be able to stop them now!”

“I’m not ready to give up just yet. Time to see if those cheats will pay off.” There was a glint in Tim’s eyes Steph recognized. This was just a puzzle to him, and he was going to do whatever he could to solve it.

Cass nodded in agreement. “There is a way. I will help distract.”

“Whatever you guys say. Let’s do this.”

…

By the time Bruce crashed their playtime a couple hours later, Tim had added enough modifications to the game that they were able to have a few wins against Jason and Danny. But even with all of those cheats, Jason’s insane driving and Danny’s ability to deflect most direct attacks made them a force to be reckoned with. They were so going to have to do this another day.

They weren’t entirely sure just yet how Danny knew when they were stopping, but he soon reemerged with Jason in tow. Even Bruce was openly surprised by what he just witnessed, but anything he was going to say died on his lips as Jason started laughing. And it wasn’t the deranged sound he sometimes made while he was Red Hood. No, it was a deep, good-natured laugh that Steph was positive she had never heard from him before.

“See? I told you it was fun!” Danny told him as he reverted to his human form.

“You did.” The genuine smile on Jason’s face made him look so much younger. “Hi, old man. You can’t say a damn thing. I never left the grounds.”

=================================

All of the notes:

In Red Hood: the Lost Days, Jason sounds almost as offended over Egon’s (the murder-for-hire he was training over) choice in drinks as he was about the fact he was a child trafficker. It is specifically stated they are shitty tasting.

I don’t know why this doesn’t come up more. But yeah, Tim’s missing his spleen because of Ra’s… and because of the BatPham discord server, there is now a running joke that Ra’s, due to his infinitely creepy ways, keeps it as his emotional support spleen. The good news is that a missing spleen isn’t too much of a concern – the body is able to compensate pretty well. He just has to be vigilant about infections.

But also, from the time Jason was resurrected to his appearance in Gotham, the Batfam doesn’t know what he was doing. Then, Jason goes dark again for 1-2 years, briefly reappearing to attack Green Arrow’s sidekick Mia and the story we don’t talk about where he briefly impersonated Nightwing.

There is no Robin!Jason slander in this house. For the most part, Jason wasn’t an angry or reckless Robin. In Death in the Family, Bruce states that behavior was unusual and chalked it up to him finally processing grief. But, Jason is an unreliable narrator, and there’s some evidence the Lazarus Pits mess with memories.

Jason is a mess, and I love him. In both the animated UtRH and in Red Hood: the Lost Days, we see him fall off a cliff. Talia pushes him off of one in the comic after she leads him out of Ra’s compound.

I mentioned it before in Whispers, but I don’t ship Jason and Roy. I head cannon them as battle buddies which is a mostly military term. These are people who go to war together who have a bond so strong that you can’t really define it.

#And think of him as living #To Join the Whispers #danny phantom #dp x dc #dpxdc #danny phantom crossover #dp #dp crossover #danny fenton

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