บท 12: Chapter 12
Summary:
Young Danny settles in to life at Wayne Manor, surrounded by his family.
Fluffy, slice-of-life chapter, in honor of DPXDC Family Week.
Notes:
Thank you to everyone who has read, kudo'ed, and commented so far! I read all the comments, and they make my day. You guys inspire me! I am grateful to each and every one of you who support me!
Chapter Text
Bruce sat back in his chair with a sigh. Tim was sitting next to him; the young adult plopped his head down on his crossed arms and groaned. There was so much information! Neither Bat had been prepared for the absolute onslaught of data that the little computer drive had provided. The drive itself contained basic need-to-know information, which had given the pair of detectives a good head-start on making inroads on Danny's case. The biggest boon, however, came from a small coded packet embedded on the disc. The packet contained the login information to the Fenton's private, hidden off-site server.
The server was guarded by a web of security that was deeper than anything the Bats—including Oracle—had ever seen. Danny had been the key to unlocking that treasure-trove of data. The young boy's DNA coding was tied in to the apparently "living" security. Once he finally explained how to combine his DNA sequence with another set of data, the server unlocked for the detectives.
There was an incredible amount of information contained in the research archives. It was actually overwhelming for the investigators at first. They spent hour after hour poring over the index, trying to determine what they should prioritize in their studies. Batman found the files on ectoplasm fascinating. He theorized that the Lazarus Pits were formed from some type of ectoplasm, and that its other-worldly energy and radiation was the source of the pit's effects. The idea did not explain "pit madness" or the rage that often overtook someone who survived a dip in one of the glowing pools, but it did explain many of the "benefits" that the pools offered to the recently dead and dying.
Before long, Jason's days were full: homeschooling Danny, taking online courses from the university, and managing his "night job." The father-son pair could be found just about anywhere on the Manor grounds both on "school days" and during Jason's free time. Jason taught Danny science lessons in the gardens and by the animal enclosures. He taught Danny reading and writing in the library—but sometimes under old oak trees in the shade, too. Together, they tackled the alphabet in the playroom with life-sized letters adorning the walls, and math with extra-large clickable metric cubes and plastic toys. Danny would do worksheets and computer learning games by Jason's side, as the older Wayne did his university studies.
Jason also taught Danny valuable "life lessons" as well. There were so many little things that Danny picked up from his dad that the boy couldn't even catalog them if he tried! Danny learned to ride a bike along the many walkways on the Manor grounds. He learned how to pick his favorite ice cream flavors from his dad—and how to lick the ice cream cone so the treat didn't drip all over the floor, too! Jason demonstrated "library etiquette" to his son at the same time he taught him how to find books that interested him. Jason also taught him weapon safety, as there was no way to keep Danny away from all the dangerous things that the entire Bat clan used in their fight against crime and corruption.
One type of instruction that was heavily emphasized was taught across several dedicated afternoons each week was physical training and self-defense. No one liked the thought of Danny being in harm's way, but being the youngest Wayne, everyone agreed that the boy needed to learn how to defend himself without using his powers. No one wanted a repeat of the horrible night that Danny had come into their lives. All the Bats had a hand in his training in one way or another. He was taught to fight, and taught to fight dirty—especially by his dad. Bruce didn't approve of all the things Jason taught Danny, but he did acknowledge the need for the instruction and did not interfere.
Not all of the boy's time was dedicated to learning, though. Danny spent a great deal of time with his grandpas—especially when Jason had to be away. Despite how busy he was with research and other duties, Bruce did his best to make time for his grandson. He had a second triple-padded office chair brought in for Danny to sit on when Bruce was in his office doing business. He also had a small desk and computer set up for the boy as well. Danny would color pictures while Bruce did paperwork—sometimes the grandpa would take a break and join the boy in his artistic pursuits. Danny's desk was full of different fidget and learning toys. Bruce loved to secretly watch Danny building things with his magnet set. The boy would have his tongue stuck out in concentration while he worked on getting the pieces lined up to his liking. Another thing that Danny loved was spinning in circles in his special chair while his grandpa was on video calls. Surprisingly, none of Bruce's associates commented on the child-like giggles in the background when the eldest Wayne was online.
Alfred was also enjoying himself taking care of his first great-grandchild. There had not been a child Danny's age living in Wayne Manor since Bruce had been young. Danny enjoyed "helping" his grandpa Alfred cook. The elderly man taught the boy kitchen safety and how to mix simple ingredients. Danny was extremely proud to present his dad with the first batch of cookies he had a hand in making. (Jason certainly wasn't going to complain about the extra snacks and treats that now dotted the kitchen counters.) Danny also managed to convince grandpa Alfred to let him help with small tasks around the house. The tiny halfa loved floating up and dusting the high shelves in the library and den. Alfred even gifted the boy with his own feather duster once he saw how enamored Danny had become with the tool.
His other new family members all got their time in as well. Damian kept his word and spent time each day helping Danny train Cujo. The glowing pup was shaping up to be quite the impressive hound. Danny thought that the dog might be remembering some of his lessons from during his living days; Damian agreed. On slow afternoons, the young boy could be found in Damian's art studio, nestled in a corner set apart just for him. There was a huge drop cloth covering the walls and floor of the corner. Easels, corkboard, paints and brushes filled the walls and floor of Danny's "mini-studio." Finger-paintings shared the wall with crayon and pastel drawings. Bruce even had an extra sink put in near the corner to make cleaning up easier for his son and grandson.
Mondays belonged to Cass. The young woman would come over early for breakfast with the family and then spent time teaching Danny some of the many different forms of dance. The young halfa loved to float in the air and copy his aunt's movements. He was surprisingly graceful in the air, and if Jason had more than a few videos of the pair of them flowing around the room to music, well, no one was the wiser. Cass also taught Danny sign language. She was a good and patient teacher, and his signing ability grew more refined every day. The small half-ghost looked forward to his quiet time with her each week. Steph would sometimes join the pair, and when she did, the trio would usually head to the gardens for a nice picnic lunch provided by Alfred.
Wednesday afternoons were reserved for Uncle Dick. (Danny still giggled at the man's chosen name.) The eldest of Bruce's brood had dusted off the gym studio on the Manor's second floor and worked on Danny's gymnastic skills. The boy was amazingly agile. He had no fear of falling, nor was he bound by the laws of gravity—unless he wanted to be. Dick (and the rest of the family) had to actually teach Danny what he could and could not do in public. Still, Danny excelled on the trapeze and with the acrobatics. If not for his meta status, he would have been a serious contender in the Olympics one day. The boy could flip and spin in the air with precision; his ever-improving skills made Dick proud. His moves were amazing, and the gymnastics were one of the few activities (besides self-defense) that could tire the boy out. Dick always stayed for dinner on Wednesday evenings. Danny's presence was a nice buffer against old wounds between the brothers and their father. Dick was just grateful that he had not only gained a nephew, but he had also regained a brother.
Tim always dropped by on the weekends, as often as he was able to, and he always brought some new piece of technology for Danny to tinker with. The first week Danny was there, he had taken apart four different pieces of electronics (two of them Tim's) and made an entirely new device out of the scraps. It reminded Tim of his own younger days, so Uncle Tim was sure to encourage the boy's rapidly evolving engineering skills. He often brought Danny down to the Batcave to check out all the different gear the vigilantes used. The young adult quickly learned to not be surprised when Danny suggested an improvement to the equipment. The boy had yet to suggest something that didn't turn out better for the changes made—although Alfred didn't quite approve of having to buy new toasters every other week. Tim was just amazed at the boy's ingenuity and baffled at his insistence on using duct tape at every opportunity.
Duke would sometimes come by after his classwork in the afternoons. His specialty was helping Danny work with his powers—and playing video games. Danny had been amazed when Duke had first gifted him a Switch. Danny's experience with video games had been the basic ones available back in Amity Park, which were more than a decade behind the ones in the rest of the world. Danny spent a lot of time learning all the games he had available to him. After working on their meta abilities, the pair could often be found in the game room building up their islands in Critter Crossing. Two large-screen televisions sat side-by-side, each one with a dock for the handheld gaming system. Danny learned more about math with Uncle Duke than he did with his dad during lessons!
One of Danny's other favorite things to do was to video chat with Barbara. Almost every night before bed, and before the vigilantes went out on the prowl, the computer genius could be found online talking with the boy—especially about his feelings. Barbara had been a little confused at first when Danny started seeking her opinion about different things in his life, until one evening when the boy confessed that she reminded him of his beloved older sister who had died. From that point on, the red-head became exceedingly protective of the child that looked up to her and valued her opinions more than almost anyone else's. She went above and beyond quietly creating an identity for Danny, along with diligently keeping any information about him from spreading into the wild where it might come back and hurt the child.
Weekends, though, were by far some of Danny's favorite things. The majority of the family descended on the Manor on Saturdays and Sundays, and all of Danny's aunts and uncles loved spoiling him. After breakfast was the time when Uncle Tim and Grandpa Bruce let Danny engineer and create. Later in the morning, when the others arrived, there were games to be played and contests to be had. Uncle Duke taught Danny all the ins-and-outs of Mario Kart and Mario Party, and everyone loved to play with the boy. The weekend tournaments became a thing of legend among the family. Only Duke knew that Danny had the ability to manipulate the video games, so he was the only one who knew the real reason Jason kept winning most of the games.
"Hide-and-seek" took on a whole new meaning with Danny playing. For safety reasons, they always played with partners, so that no one was hiding alone. Whoever was hiding with Danny typically won—unless Duke was the one searching. When Duke and Danny paired up, no one could find them until they wanted to be found. Between Duke's light manipulation and Danny's invisibility, those two made quite the team. Danny learned quite a bit of stealth from his uncle.
Danny's "combat training" took the form of a weekly sparring contest. He would watch his family as they competed, and then afterwards, he would pick the techniques that interested him. Then, the family would work together, helping him learn what he had seen demonstrated. Danny's favorite moves were ones used by Damian and Cass. For reasons no one but Bruce suspected, Danny seemed to gravitate to the style used by the League of Shadows. The child soaked up the lessons like a sponge. The ones observing Danny thought he looked a little bit like Yoda fighting against Palpatine in Star Wars—he flipped, bounced, and whirled around his opponents almost too fast to be seen. He preferred to use a collapsible Jo staff, and was quite the opponent, even without the use of his powers.
The evening dinners were absolutely Danny's favorite time of the weekend. He loved the feelings he got sitting at the table surrounded by a family that cared so deeply for him. No one fought with each other while Danny was at the table—his presence was like a balm that made everyone get along, and both Jason and Bruce were truly grateful for that fact. Jason had never felt as close to his siblings as he did during those dinners. The pain, heartbreak, and betrayals all faded to nothing as the man watched his family unconditionally love his son. The meals brought Bruce and Alfred a measure of healing as well. Seeing their children/grandchildren in harmony filled the men with warm joy. The entire family felt closer than ever before, thanks to the addition of the young boy. Danny had truly found the place he belonged in the world.
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