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Danny can deal with a lot of weird shit so it wasn’t too out of his comfort zone when Clockwork kicked him into a new dimension for some “self-healing” and “to let off some steam” or even “Daniel you can’t keep taking your misplaced anger out on the Box Ghost he is going to cry” but whatever. So here he was on a different version of Earth in a city he’s pretty sure is the tenth ring of hell called Gotham. He isn’t even mad about being in a different dimension at least this time when dealing with alternate realities he doesn’t have to deal with an evil version of himself. What Danny is pissed about is the fact he is back in junior high.
He was in seventh grade at this rich prep school that only one percenters and scholarship kids go to.
He doesn’t know how Clockwork did it but he has an apartment set up close to the school and a bank account that doesn’t seem to run out of money. People here don’t even look all that concerned to see a random middle schooler walking around. He should probably be more worried about the chance of being kidnapped but that’s what powers and being in the favor of gods is for.
He can’t exactly complain about anything though, this is the most relaxed he’s been in forever. No ghosts to fight means he can focus on school and actually have hobbies. Him being back in seventh grade means he knows the material already and all the work is a breeze for him. School was usually easy for Danny and if it wasn’t for all the ghosts and superhero work he would have continued his straight A streek into high school. He was born into a family of geniuses after all.
To outsiders, it looks like he transferred in in the middle of the school year, March to be more precise. At first, the kids seemed to like the idea of a new kid but the excitement quickly went away when they noticed how weird he was. They started to avoid him and exclude him from group activities like the little shits that all middle schoolers are. Danny was fine with this, it wasn’t the first time he’s been through something like this. He’s been bullied all through his school career why would this be any different? Children have a knack for telling if someone doesn’t fit in.
At least back home he had Sam and Tucker.
He isn’t completely alone though. There’s this other kid everyone else also labeled as weird. His name was Damian Wayne and his dad seems to be the richest man in Gotham, maybe even on the planet. This makes the other kids tolerate him in a way they don’t with Danny but other than basic manners they also ignore him. Damian always seems to be brooding and in his little angst corner in the back of the classroom. The kid also has a knack for calling everyone around him stupid.
He certainly isn’t the friendliest person to be around but Danny has decided he is the perfect friend shape. The only problem is that Damian definitely does not want to be his friend. But Danny is nothing but stubborn so he will continue to pester the boy until he gives in. It’s foolproof!
— — —
It is in fact not foolproof…
Danny has tried everything to get the kid to like him and this is now about spite. Pure vengeful spite.
He has sat next to the kid, gone on and on about his own interests, tried to get Damian to do the same, offered to do homework together, and invited him over or out to hang out, Danny has offered to share his food for Aincents sake! Nothing seems to be working but Danny refuses to give up on this 13-year-old. He will never admit defeat!
He has come up with a five-day plan that will guarantee friendship by the end of this week.
Plan: annoy the hell out of Damian Wayne until he gives in is a go.
Starting on Monday Danny continued to sit in the seat right next to Damian. Before class, he would talk his ear off about anything he can think of, and during class, he would try to send notes to him when the teacher isn’t looking. Most of the notes end up in the trash. During lunch, he followed him around the campus as he tried to run from him. Danny might have needed to use his powers to keep up with the boy. Afternoon classes were spent trying to find out what Damian liked or any hobbies the kid had. Danny wasn’t getting anywhere until he mentioned Cujo.
Damian has a dog named Titus and a cat named Alfred.
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent much the same with the same results. Danny only figured out a few more things about Damian in those days. Such as him liking art and being the youngest of many siblings. Danny told him that he was a middle child with two sisters. Damian doesn’t need to know that one of his sisters is a clone of him.
Thursday seemed to be the most promising with them actually having lunch together. No food was shared but Danny found out that Damian was a vegetarian and was not interested in splitting Danny’s turkey sandwich he packed himself. Danny also found out Damian had a pet turkey. He swore to never eat turkey again and left his half-finished sandwich in his lunch box.
Friday was met with a nod of acknowledgment when Danny sat down in his seat which he returned with a grin. When they packed up for lunch Danny could swear he saw Damian look over at him before leaving the room to make sure he was still following. Lunch passed with fewer threats than usual and Danny learned Damian had to walk home from school today.
Danny’s lunch was something he remembers Sam making.
Afternoon classes had Danny being ignored but he had one last plan before the end of the day.
When the last bell of the day rang he quickly got his stuff together and followed Damian out of the building. Damian tried to lose him a few times but each time Danny was able to find or keep up with him. They were getting to the more rich side of the city where the apartment buildings were getting less and less and farther in between. This is when Damian dragged Danny into an alleyway, pushing him up against the wall with a furious look in his eyes.
“Why are you following me?” He seemed to growl out. He was trying to be intimidating and it probably would have worked on any other kid but Danny has seen too much shit to be intimidated. “Why not?” He quipped back with a grin that was a tad bit too feral. Something about it must have caused Damian to snap because the next thing he knew he was dodging a punch. This Danny knew, the fists being swung, the dodging, and the bruises that will come from a fight.
The kid was good Danny would give him that and he was confident if he didn’t have powers he wouldn’t have lasted but he did. Danny can take a punch and throw his own. He can fight dirty and roll around on the alley floor if it meant getting the upper hand. He knew no rules but that was the nature of ghosts. A punch could be a hello and a fight can be a new friendship. So with every hit and bruise and sore knuckle, Danny grinned. This seemed to piss Damian off more and he came at him stronger than before. Neither knew how long the fight lasted but by the end of it, they both were panting and gasping for air. They were leaning against the walls of the alley and Danny was surprised no one came to check on them with all the noise they created. On second thought this is Gotham and no one gave a shit if two kids beat each other up.
Both boys were supporting bruised faces and busted lips. Damian was going to have a limp from where Danny kicked him in the knee, not hard enough to cause any true or lasting harm but it was going to hurt like a bitch to walk on. Danny was holding his left arm where a big bruise was already forming from when Damian shoved him into the ground so hard his sleeve ripped. They had scraps that were bleeding and needed to be disinfected before they got an alley infection. Damian’s usually neat hair was a mess and both of their clothes were ripped in multiple places. Their pants weren’t salvageable with their knees being torn up from sliding across the ground.
Damian looked at the strange boy with newfound respect and curiosity. He was the first to get up. “Let us head to the manor now.” He turned to walk out of the alley with Danny hot on his trail. “That was so fun!” Danny exclaimed with a bright smile. “We should totally do that again, maybe not in a dirty alleyway next time though.” Damian just hummed in agreement.
The two continued to walk with Danny filling the silence and Damian contributing his input every now and then.
When they finally made it to the manor both boys seemed to be about to drop from exhaustion. Damian was used to being tired and sore from his night life but even he can tell the fight went on longer than it should. He was walking slower than normal with a slight limp and had to stop himself from rubbing at his eyes.
Danny on the other hand had no problem showing his exhaustion although there was still excitement and energy in his facial expression. His feet were dragging and his arm hurt more than it should. That was the downside of this dimension it had less ectoplasm for Danny to naturally consume. He was going to heal slower then he was used to but it was still going to be faster than a normal human.
They made it to the front door of the manor and were let in by an older man.
“Oh my...” The man said in shock when he laid eyes on the two. “Young Master Damian what on earth happened to you.” At first, he eyed only Damian but soon took notice of Danny also. “What did you two get into?”
“Hello Pennyworth, I believe I have made a friend.” That was all Damian said but it made Danny beam. “Hi! My name is Danny, it’s nice to meet you.” Danny held out his hand to shake, Jazz taught him manners after all. Pennyworth seemed to take all of him in in slight surprise that was quickly covered with professionalism and shook Danny’s hand. “Hello young Daniel it is a pleasure to meet you I am Alfred Pennyworth the butler of the Wayne residence.” Danny winced at the name and quickly corrected the older man, “Please, just Danny.” Alfred hummed in acknowledgment and quickly shooed the two inside.
Alfred took both boys to a sitting room. Damian recognized the room as one the family uses when they have surprise guests over who aren’t in the know. Alfred left them there with the instruction to not move and the explanation that he is going to get the materials to clean them up. The two boys sat there like they were told until Alfred came back with bandages, disinfectants, and new clothes for Danny. No matter how many times Danny told Alfred he could take care of his own injuries the older man insisted he be the one to treat them.
After all the blood was cleaned off and all the bandages were put on they were again shooed off to change into clean clothes. But not before being asked by Alfred if Danny was staying for dinner. “Yes!” Danny excitedly answered before Damian could decline.
After changing Damian reluctantly showed Danny around the manor. He couldn’t lie, it was pretty impressive. It was even bigger than Vlad’s mansion. It also seemed more homely. There were certain things around the manor that showed people actually lived there. It didn’t take long to run into one of Damian’s many siblings.
Damian was trying to find Alfred the cat to show to Danny when they entered the game room to find two teen boys playing on the gaming station. They were yelling at each other and did the usual trash talk brothers did and didn’t even seem to notice them walking in until one of them lost. “Damn it!” One of them shouted as he threw the controller on the couch yelling in frustration. The other one just laughed at him, “I remain undefeated!” The two continued to argue about a rematch until they saw Danny and Damian standing there.
The loser immediately perked up paying attention to them. He got up from where he was sitting and approached, “Hey Damian welcome home, who’s your friend?”
“I’m Danny!”
“Cool, I’m Duke.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
The other teen stayed on the couch looking at the two in shock. “No way Demon Brat actually has a friend.” Damian glared at him, “I resent that statement.”
“You can resent it all you want doesn’t make it any less believable. Also what the hell happened to you two?”
Damian crossed his arms and rolled his eyes so Danny decided he should explain. “We fought in an alley and now we are friends.” He got matching black stares in response.
“You… fought the Demon Brat?”
“Yep!”
“And survived?”
“What like it’s hard?” That just got him astonished looks.
“Tsk. We must be leaving now. Come now, Daniel.” Damian turned to leave the room and Danny’s complaining about his name fell on deaf ears. With the door closed behind them they missed Tim running to his phone to inform the family group chat.
Dinner came rolling around fast with the whole family arriving at the manor for it. The news of Damian bringing a friend over spread fast along with the story of how they became friends. Even Bruce was surprised by this turn of events. He wasn’t going to tell anyone this but he fully expected Jon to stay Damian’s only friend. Damian expected his nosey siblings to get in his business and try to interrogate Danny over dinner. He wasn’t going to stop them of course, Danny was annoying and deserved it in his humble opinion.
Danny knew Damian had a big family but he still wasn’t expecting the amount of people waiting for them at the dining table. Apparently, this isn’t the usual table they used for dinner but due to how many people showed up they had to use the main dining room. The food was brought out and it was a chaotic free for all from there. When people were settled and had their plats full is when the questioning began. Danny saw how everyone was either outright staring at him or glancing at him from the time he stepped into the room.
“So Daniel,” Bruce stated but was corrected by Danny, “It’s Danny, Mr. Wayne.”
“Of course, so Danny,” Bruce was quick to correct himself, “how did you and Damian become friends.”
“Well I just transferred into his class about a month ago and everyone immediately decided I was weird and left alone.” Danny was picking at his plate not really paying attention to what he was saying. This is the best food he has ever had in his life or afterlife. “I noticed everyone also thought Damian was weird too so obviously we had to become friends.”
A few people snickered at his words and Damian tsked again. Bruce said, “Obviously,” in an attempt to keep Danny talking. “Damian didn’t want to be friends but I was annoying enough to wear him down in the end. I think the fight helped though.”
“The fight?” Bruce asked curiously. He has yet to be informed on how specifically the two boys formed a friendship but he did take notice of the bandages and bruises on the boys. “Yeah the fight,” Danny started up again, “I decided to follow Damian home and we beat the shit out of each other in an alley and now we are officially friends.” His head shot up with a worried look on his face. “Sorry about the language Mr. Wayne.” Bruce just laughed it off saying that it is perfectly okay.
“Are your parent’s going to worry when you go home all banged up?” Dick started his own questions. Danny looked at him giving him his attention. “Nah I live alone.”
“Live alone?”
“Yeah, it’s real cool actually. I get to run my own errands and decorate the apartment all I like.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Uhhh away?”
At this point, most of the Wayne family think they have another Tim situation on their hands.
“How long have they been away?”
“Since I transferred schools?”
Yep, definitely another Tim situation. Although now it begs the question of how Danny was able to hold his own against Damian. He had to have some sort of training for that and with how banged up Damian looks it was unlikely the ex-assassin held back. Is Danny another child that needed their help?
‘New brother?’ Cass signed causing some of her brothers to laugh. Danny would definitely fit in with his black hair and blue eyes.
“Danny,” Bruce said gaining the boy’s attention, “How about you sleep over tonight?”
“If that’s okay with you then sure.” The boy then went back to eating. It didn’t escape the bat’s attention how happy he seemed to be eating Alfred’s food. Who knew how long it’s been since he had a home cooked meal.
— — —
Later that night as Danny lay in the bed in the room that was given to him he couldn’t help but think, ‘Ancients damn it… are rich people trying to adopt me again?’
Turning over in bed he decided that was a problem for future Danny.