This Is A Sequel To This.

Love and Obsession: The Tim Drake Way

part 2

Everyone in the Batfamily knows Tim Drake has… issues with boundaries. They’ve spent years trying to teach him what’s appropriate and what’s—well—deeply unsettling and completely invasive. To be fair, he’s learned. Mostly. He doesn’t stalk his family anymore (much), and he no longer pulls up files on every single person they talk to (okay, maybe just sometimes). But it’s progress.

But then Tim starts dating Danny Fenton. And, oh boy, a few screws come loose.

It starts small, as always. Just little things. Tim’s a detective, after all—background checks are second nature. Danny’s living in Gotham, and Gotham isn’t safe. So, really, what’s the harm in knowing a little more about Danny’s friends? And his professors? And maybe also his classmates? It’s just standard protocol. Okay?

“Tim, you’ve run a full dossier on my entire biology class?” Danny asks one day, laughing as he flips through a file on the coffee table. Tim shrugs. “What if one of them is dangerous?” “Pretty sure the most dangerous thing in that class is the midterm.”

Danny doesn’t think much of it. He’s a little flattered, even. Tim’s protective. It’s sweet.

But Tim’s mind doesn’t stop there. Danny’s too handsome. Too charming. What if someone tries to hurt him? What if someone tries to take him away? It’s not obsessive—it’s just concern. So, a tracker on Danny’s phone? Necessary. Cameras in his apartment? Standard. Monitoring his sleeping patterns and hangout spots? Logical.

Tim tells himself it’s love. And maybe a little insecurity.

“You have a tracker on his phone?” Dick asks, trying not to sound alarmed. Tim nods, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “Of course. What if something happens to him?” “And the cameras?” “Safety.” “The background checks on his professors?” “Gotham U isn’t exactly known for its stellar staff, Dick.”

It doesn’t stop there. Tim knows everything. Danny’s eating habits, his favorite places to go when he’s stressed, his childhood allergies. Tim’s mapped out Danny’s entire life. He knows about Danny’s ghost powers too—of course he does. He’s Tim Drake. The moment he realized Danny was Phantom, it just… clicked.

Danny being half-ghost? That’s just one more reason to worry. Tim’s up late at night, watching for any signs of ectoplasmic interference. He tracks the energy spikes. He monitors Danny’s fights.

He doesn’t think Danny knows. He’s terrified of what will happen if he finds out.

But then he does.

One evening, Danny walks into Tim’s apartment and casually drops a folder on the table. Tim’s heart stops.

“What’s this?” Danny asks, raising an eyebrow. Tim swallows hard. “I… it’s just…” “You’ve been tracking me?” Danny opens the file, glancing through pages of surveillance reports, background checks, even analysis of his ectoplasmic energy. Tim feels like his world is about to shatter.

“I… I can explain,” Tim says, his voice tight. “I’m just… worried about you. You’re in danger all the time, and I—” Danny walks over, cupping Tim’s face in his hands. Tim braces for the worst.

But Danny just smiles. “Can I put a tracker on you too?”

Tim blinks. “What?” Danny kisses his cheek. “If you’re watching my back, it’s only fair I watch yours. I need to make sure you’re safe too.”

Tim stares at him, speechless. Danny doesn’t look scared. Or angry. He looks… fond. Like Tim’s obsessive tendencies aren’t a problem at all.

“I’ve never had someone care about me this much,” Danny says softly. “I trust you with my life, Tim. This? This just proves how serious you are.”

Tim thinks he’s just fallen deeper in love.

-------------------

The Batfamily? They’re worried.

Jason corners Tim in the cave. “Okay, so let me get this straight. You’ve got cameras in his apartment. You’ve mapped out his entire life. You’ve got a tracker on him and a heartbeat monitor. And he’s… fine with it?” Tim nods, a dreamy smile on his face. “Yeah. He even wants to put a tracker on me.” “That’s not… healthy, Tim,” Dick says carefully. “That’s—” “It’s mutual,” Tim interrupts. “We’re protecting each other.”

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose. “Tim, this isn’t how relationships are supposed to work.” Tim shrugs. “It’s how ours works.”

Damian watches the whole thing with narrowed eyes. “This is deeply unsettling,” he mutters.

They try to talk to Danny. Intervention style. They invite him over, sit him down, and gently (or not so gently) try to explain that Tim’s behavior isn’t normal.

Danny just laughs. “You guys do know I’m half-ghost, right?” “That doesn’t mean—” Dick starts. “I spent my entire life being hunted by ghost hunters. I’ve had worse invasions of privacy.” Danny smiles. “Tim cares. He keeps me safe. That’s all I need.”

The bats don't quite know what to say.

-------------------

Tim and Danny, two slightly unhinged souls who think mutual surveillance is the ultimate act of love.

The bats? They’re just trying to keep up.

(“At least they’re happy?” Barbara offers weakly. Bruce sighs. “For now.”)

Gotham’s version of love was never going to be normal. But this? This is a whole new level.

Aftermath

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Ive never really met anyone that thought of ribs as interesting… that’s such a shame. Ribs and the things they do are fascinating…. I think about them everyday.

Warlock Jason.

So this started with a headcannon:

Anything can become a god with enough time and power. Humans r the rarest gods bc they don’t life long enough. Most ghost can’t bc of their obsessions. A ghost can only draw power from their obsession so the less specific their obsession is the more likely they will become a god. Like clockwork is the god of time bc his obsession with time is broad, allowing him to gain much more power than someone with a more narrow obsession like say box ghost

Halfas however r pretty much guaranteed to become gods. They r alive enough to have changing obsessions and gather power in other ways but dead enough to life much longer than humans.

So that brings the question of what god Danny would be. This line of thinking gave me a cool idea.

Danny would be a protection god and a death god. There is other death gods but non like Danny. There r many gods that r gods of different things but non like Danny. Danny is the first that is a god of juxtaposing things. Protection is inherently preserving life. Death is distorting life. These factors make him a being of balance. He is the embodiment of ‘necessary evil’ or ‘doing bad things for good reasons’.

People that fall into these ‘morally grey’ parts of life become his subjects. As his subjects they r under his protection and when the day comes he will be the one to great them in death.

He has been this for a long time, watching over his people but unable to interfere as is the nature of a god. That is until Jason Todd comes along.

As a man that has been touched by death and now lives to protect Jason is closer to Danny that any of his subjects before. This always Danny to speak with him, to guild him and to protect him. For a long time Jason didn’t even know about this. His only interactions with Danny had been threw dreams or soft words in the back of his mind when the pit got to loud. He thought it was either just the pit or his brain trying to coup with what he has been threw.

Then in a mission one day he has to work with the JLD. This is his first time working with them and upon meeting him they r all rather jumpy. He thinks this is bc of his ‘reputation’ and just decided to let it go. However as things get more and more desperate and they start realising this threat is not something they can deal with alone John turns to Jason and goes:

“Alright, time to call in ur Eldritch sugar daddy.”

“… my what??”

I found this prompt about aroace Danny and thought you might like to check it out.

https://www.tumblr.com/dcxdpdabbles/765333199553544192/you-know-what-would-be-really-fun-you-know-the

Ooh yes that is fun!

…though i’ll admit, the part of me that’s a fan of unhealthy unrequited love is a little disappointed the rejection was taken so well. Nothing actually wrong with it ofc, but just not my usual preference. So I wrote my own version with a slightly different path:

Several members of the Bat family were waiting impatiently in the drawing room for Jason’s return. He’d said he was going to ask Danny out today, and they couldn’t wait to hear how it went! They knew it would go perfectly; from their “research” into Danny, they were certain the pair would hit it off well! In fact, Jason had already used that information to successfully form a friendship with the other boy as a stepping stone.

…But then Jason stomped into the room and dropped onto a chair, letting out an angry huff and staring at his hands.

Dick was on his feet in an instant, stepping closer to Jason before pausing. “What happened?”

“He said no.”

“What?!”

Jason glared up at them. “Danny turned me down.”

“Did he say why?” Steph asked.

“No,” Jason grit out. “He just said ‘sorry’ and something about ‘I don’t’ or ‘I can’t’ or something like that then ran away.” His voice dropped to a mutter, “Wasn’t really paying attention after the first part.”

This time it was Tim who chimed in, “He said ‘can’t’? Maybe he wanted to but someone was threatening him! I can check the security cameras to see who’s approached him recently.”

“Or I could just ask him, you know?” Dick offered.

“A vigilante asking him about his dating life? That won’t be suspicious at all,” Jason commented sarcastically.

Dick blushed. “I– I mean—”

Steph rolled her eyes and cut him off before he could get any further. “Or maybe we could not go to the Bat option immediately? Just set up a few ‘coincidental’ meetings to talk to him, ask him a few friendly questions. Even if we don’t get direct answers, we might get some hints towards how you can win him over.”

Tim perked up. “Oh! I can bug him for you! Maybe that’ll help find info that wasn’t on his social media!”

“Stalker,” Jason chided affectionately. “But genuinely… thanks, guys. You’re right, this doesn’t have to be over! I can definitely find out a way to win his heart!”

***

Meanwhile, Danny lamented how long his new aroace pride pins were taking to ship. He’d lost his last ones while moving to Gotham, and he wished he still had them. Maybe he’d have had an easier time forming more than just a single friendship if he’d had a visual indicator that he was part of the community for other queer folks to see.

I LOVE COMPLEX DATED ADVERBS. Wherein. Heretofore. Thereon. Hereunto. Whereof. Hitherward. Hereinafter. How can you look at these words and not lose your mind. They're insane. I think I'm in love.

You already know Danny absolutely takes every chance he can to embarrass Vlad. Every single one.

They’re attending a Gala and Danny does everything in his power to ensure everybody thinks they’re vampires. Hisses at people, loudly talks about 1800’s events as if he were there, and recoils when he sees a woman’s cross necklace. Everything he can to perpetuate rumors. Vlad is exasperated. His name and pale skin, along with the fact nobody in high society has ever seen him in the day, does not help this rumor.

They’re visiting metropolis to take a tour of LexCorp because Vlad has to sign some type of business agreement. Danny is there because Maddie thought it would be nice for him to get out of Amity every once in a while. The business agreement is out the window the moment Danny walks in the room and loudly proclaims, “oh! So you’re the ‘bald idiot’ my godfather keeps mentioning.”

Vlad knows no peace, even in amity park. He has to give a speech as its mayor? Danny is either in the crowd, asking him the stupidest questions, or he’s trying to convince the town, as phantom, that Vlad was his killer when he was alive.

Just everything he can to make this man’s life more difficult.

Gotham's newest Crime Lord - part 3

Part 2 | Masterpost

"You know your way around the city." Dan commented, eyes narrowed once he realizes that Kitty and Johnny adapted a little too well to Gotham. Going to places even he didn't know existed, exploring and giving them intel he never realized was relevant. They knew history of Gotham in a way a local would. 

Johnny shrugged, turning back to Kitty who welcomed Ember with a bright smile. The two were squealing, talking about how they were going to help mess with Firefly after burning down a well-loved studio down town. 

For Dan, he wasn't going to intrude too much on his former rogues but... "You're from Gotham. Both of you." 

Johnny twitched, watching as Shadow moved to play with Elle in the air. 

"Yeah, we’re not too sure if our folks are still kickin’, but Kitty and me took off after they flipped over our thing. This place still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but hey, you guys are here. Gotham’s cool these days with all the furries and rogues runnin’ around." Johnny laughed, his cocky nature still burning bright, even when he looked almost melancholic at the memory of this place. 

No ghost was truly comfortable in their hometown, whether they died there or not. This was where they were born, where their lives began. 

"I see..." Dan mumbled, glancing to the space where Danny was usually in. His younger brother was off doing kingly duties again, slumped by work and the Observants pestering him about shit. 

There's a quiet knock on his door and Jeremy was poking his head into the room again. The ghosts didn't even care, continuing to be visible and floating around. Discomfort and a bit of fear was clear on the man's face but he turned to Dante with as much courage as he could muster. 

"Boss, we've got a lead on the missing kids." 

Ah, yes. The recent disappearances of children. He doesn't know where they go, what happens to them. All he knows is that children were picked of the streets and never to be seen again. 

"Someone's been takin' kids?" Kitty grimaced, not minding how Jeremy shuddered. "Dan, dear, darling! Send me and Johnny. We know this city better than Batman and his little birdies."

Again, Dan sighed. "Gimme a minute, Kitty. Not enough information." He grunts, turning to Jeremy to hand him the report. 

"Anything else?"

"Well... About the Bats..."

"They snoopin' around again?" 

"Trynna sniff out Phantom." Jeremy shrugs. "Red Hood's been pretty active. Heard he's been wonderin' about Phantom not visitin' the kids last week." 

"Thanks Jeremy. Tell Marigold I said hi." 

"Will do, boss!" 

Once Jeremy left, the other ghosts were swarming Dan like bees. Their eyes glittering with anticipation, excitement, and vengeance. It felt strange for them to pay attention, to follow him. Danny's always felt like the better leader, struggling and suffering in the role yet rising above it all. That was why he was the king now. 

"Alright, let's get to work. Most of these kids have one thing in common. Their skills. Flexible, acrobatic, and have some sort of combat training. Usually in self defence." Dan plugged in the USB into his laptop, projecting the screen on to the tv. "The latest disappearance is Layla Smithson. Fourteen. Gymnast and was sent to take taekwondo classes by her parents. Before that was Evan Chavez. Another gymnast but was also known to get into multiple fights."

"So whoever is takin' the kiddies, they go after the ones with pretty good skills." Ember hummed, turning to Kitty and then nudging her. "You've got anything to say about that?" 

"Well... Maybe." Johnny shrugs too. 

"Ooh! What about that nursery rhyme every Gothamites gets to listen. Y'know. About the court."

Dan frowned. "What court?" 

"The court of owls!" Kitty grinned, "Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowy perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send the Talon for your head." 

"Who the fuck uses that kind of shit for a nursery rhyme?" Dan scowled, but considered the possibility. "Any idea if they're real."

"Very." Johnny warned, "When Kitty and I died, we came back here a couple of times. Explored the place and tried to dig up secrets that would have killed us if we were livin'. One of 'em was the court. A secret society of a bunch off rich bastards."

"Johnny," Dan warned, knowing that something was still being kept from him. 

"There's another thing..." Johnny hesitated but Kitty took his hand and continued. 

Kitty grimaced, "The Court of Owls has a bunch of soldiers. They got this chemical they use on people, turnin’ ‘em into their own assassins. From what me and Johnny dug up a while back, these assassins were trained when they were kids. They call 'em Talons."

Dan wanted to yell, scream. Burn down the cursed with it's cursed bricks. Fuck. Fuck. Was the world always so shitty? 

"You're telling me... There's an entire secret society that uses chemicals to turn children into assassins?" 

Children.... Fucking children. They were weaponizing kids!

Ancients, he might just commit mass genocide again. 

"Alright. Alright. We leave the living people out of this. The court? Their talons? I want all of you prepared. I'm gonna contact Danny to drag Skulker and Wulf's asses here immediately."

Elle grinned, "GRAB AMORPHO TOO! We're gonna need his help if we want to dismantle the court."

The office is vacated quickly, with Elle dragging Ember and Kitty for girl time and Johnny runs off with shadow. Dan is left alone, frustrated at the new information before he does his best to summon his brother, the very annoyed ghost king that appears before him in full royal regalia. 

"A bit busy, Dan. Still tryin' to fight the laughing magician to help with getting rid of the Anti-Ecto Acts. Constantine is running around trying to destroy the GIW now." 

Dan snorted. He knew about John Constantine. The crazy motherfucker who's soul fragments were scattered around and Danny had to deal with the paperwork and mission to collect them all. 

"I know, yeah, sorry. I get that's important. But we've got a situation here."

"What would that be?"

"Secret society of rich fruitloops that are worse than Vlad. They're kidnapping children and making them into brainless assassins."

Immediately, the room grows colder than the far frozen. Danny's eyes are as green as they could ever be, but his pupils were an icy blue that would have made Frostbite shudder. 

"What do you need?"

"Skulker, Wulf, and Amorpho." 

"I'll send them on your way. They'll be here within 3 hours." Danny sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I'll finish up things on my end to help."

"Sure thing, twerp."

"Fuck you." Fondly. 

"Fuck you too." Affectionately.

"OH! Your revenant was looking for you." 

"THE SEXY RED HOOD WAS LOOKING FOR ME?!" 

It was an entire week of silence. Of Wraith not doing anything at all. Even the rogues felt apprehensive to act on anything after Wraith's new subordinates started popping up to pester them. The reports were the same. Distorted footage, meta-human abilities, and a ridiculous amount of chaos. 

Apparently, Two face has waged war on one of them, named Ember. Riddler was also ready to throw hands with Specter. And then Harley and Ivy were hunting down a couple names Kitty and Johnny 13. Why they were named that, none of them knew. But considering Wraith and Phantom's titles, the entire group was Ghost themed. The majority of Gotham have taken to calling them the Ghosts. 

But then...

"Bruce... Get a look at this." Barbara's voice shook, horrified as she stared at the screen. Majority of the family was already in the cave, preparing to patrol once more. But their eyes were drawn to the screen. They all froze, struggling to fathom what the fuck was it they were looking. 

"Holy shit." 

Everyone was frozen, staring at the clear, untampered screen. 

Bruce sucked in a deep breath, reading the bloody message written on the wall of... He couldn't recognize it properly. "Farewell to the Court of Owls that once watched from their shadowy perch. Their talons covered in the blood of children they once purge. Farewell to their judge, the parliament says goodbye. To Talons, to owls, the ghosts says hi." 

And right beside the message was the hanging body of what Bruce recognized was the Judge of the Court of Owls. 

The Court of was in ruins. 

"Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!" Tim screeched, almost stumbling as he stared at the morbid message. "The Wraith and his ghosts took out the fucking court."

There was a loud rev of an engine, momentarily dragging their attention to Jason who was hurriedly getting of his bike and taking of his helmet. "Fuck, you've already seen it."

"You saw it in real life?! Where the fuck is that? The location is distorted but the entire thing is being broadcasted to the entirety of Gotham." 

"There are two of 'em. That one's on the clocktower."

Barbara snapped her head towards him, "MY clocktower?!" 

"Sorry 'bour that Barbie. But it got the job done for them, all of Gotham know about the court now."

Bruce grimaced, "And the other location?" 

"Arkham... The Talon is the one being hanged up there. The message is shorter: Bye-Bye owls. Shouldn't have messed with the dead." Jason clicked his tongue, "That's either about the fact that the court has been messing with the dead or it's cause Wraith's group is called the Ghosts." 

Jason shook his head, knowing for the fact that he'd have to track down Phantom soon. His eyes turned towards Dick, who stared at the screen as if a burden was just freed from him. Jason thinks it has. 

They had found out about the Court a little while ago, then found out about Dick's situation with them. How the circus he grew up in was one of the facilities that groomed Talons. How Dick was supposed to be recruited as one when his parents died. 

"Dick?" Jason murmured, gently taking Dick's hand. The other man jolted, his domino mask hiding whatever emotions there was in his eyes. 

"Little Wing..." 

"C'mon. Let's go grab some of Alfred's cookies. The rest of the family can deal with this." Jason quickly hurried his older brother out the cave, urging him to change our of his suit. 

Dick, once again, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, struggled to understand that his nightmare that was the Court was finally dead. Most likely slaughtered by the hands of a new crime lord, a rogue that seemed desperate to keep children safe. He held the tea tightly, closing his eyes as Jason sat opposite to him. 

The court was dead. 

Talon was dead. 

"I'm gonna go look for Phantom in a bit." Jason hummed, trying to appear comforting to Dick. 

And the image of the Judge of the court's body hanging from the clocktower flashes in his head again. 

"Jason." Dick whispered, "Get me a meeting with Wraith."

"What?" Jason blinked, "Dickie, no. Wraith might seem like a pretty nice guy with how he's protecting the kids, but he's still..." He paused, "He's still like me." 

"I need to meet him, Jaybird. I need to confirm that the Court is gone for good. He's the only one who can do that for me." 

"Why would Phantom even let you meet him?"

Dick frowned, sucking in a deep breath before taking Jason's hands. 

"Tell him that Nightwing was supposed to be a Talon."

Part 4 | Masterpost

we dumped tea into the harbor for less

"If I have to, I'll become a monster for them!" But, like, not really.

Danny is dating a hero, and he's been keeping the whole "Phantom" thing under wraps.

After all, he's retired. Amity is under control. There's no real reason for "Phantom" to make an appearance, and it's not like Danny wanted to be a hero in the first place.

But his hero, naturally, has a villain, and one day that villain grabs Danny and the hero both.

The hero is in a glass box made of just the right stuff to contain them. Probably not like, forever, but long enough for the villain to dramatically murder Danny right in front of them.

He...really doesn't want Phantom to have to make an appearance.

But the cards are down, there's no one else coming, and Danny decides to compromise.

No one outside of Amity knows about Phantom. He is, after all, the American Governments biggest embarrassment; they believed pseudo science and declared an entirely separate species to be ghosts, of all things.

So they keep a tight lid on all things Phantom related.

While Danny may have been able to...finagle his own scientific papers a bit, to make ghosts seem to be aliens from another dimension and get those Anti-Ecto laws taken down, he is actually half ghosts.

And ghosts don't have actual physical forms.

So he decides to be dramatic.

"If I have to, I'll become a monster. For them."

With that, he Goes Ghost, taking care to make sure his form is far more monstrous than human.

The villain never stands a chance.

On the other side of things, his hero lover is convinced they just watched Danny sacrifice his humanity to save them.