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Danny is tired.
He’s sixteen and has lost everything, everyone.
The GIW had finally managed it, they’d thrown a nuke through the portal, but the infinite realms are connected to earth, two sides of the same coin. In trying to destroy the thing they feared, they had only destroyed themselves along with everyone else on earth, while leaving the realms relatively unharmed. Because the infinite realms are infinite, they aren’t just connected to that Earth or even just that universe. No. The infinite realms is the space between every universe . And one nuke can’t destroy that.
Danny had been in the realms when it had happened, rushing a destabilising Dani to Frostbite.
He’d been too late to save her, her melting in his arms, then in his grief, he’d been too late to save them . Sam, Tucker… Jazz, even his parents. He heard the blast from the far frozen and would have rushed there if Clockwork hadn’t found him and told him what happened, saying he couldn’t have changed it without risking the multiverse.
So here Danny is, aimlessly floating through the realms, numb, empty .
He doesn’t know how long he’s been floating and he doesn’t care. For once the ghosts are leaving him alone and he just wants to float here in the numbness. It’s better then the pain anger guilt hurt-
He blinks at the portal suddenly before him, the stars shining through interrupting his spiral.
Stars.
He hasn’t seen stars since before .
He slowly floats forward, through the portal, and stares.
He doesn’t know how long he’s there, how long he watches, but a hand on his shoulder pulls him from it. He turns, annoyed at the interruption of the one nice thing he’s had since it had happened. It’s a man in a blue skin tight outfit, a red S on his chest along with a red cape and… underwear?
“You’re alive?” the man mutters, startled.
Danny almost snorts.
The man seems to shake his confusion off, “hello, I’m Superman, do you understand me?”
Danny nods.
“Good. That’s- that’s good, you’re near the planet Earth, may I take you to our base? You’re… well, some people saw you floating out here and were worried.”
Danny doesn’t want to. He turns back to the stars.
“We could put you in a room with a window? So you can still see… space?” Superman offers.
Danny shrugs. Taking that as permission, Superman gently takes his arm and pulls him away.
&&&
Danny’s on some kind of space station now. He would’ve been more excited about that before. Instead, he stares out the window, listening as Superman talks to two others outside the room he was put in.
“I can’t hear a heart beat,” Superman says.
“He is not of Earth, biology is different across the universe,” a woman replies.
“Which means our doctors aren’t equipped to check if he’s healthy,” a third deep voice adds.
Danny zones them out. It’s not his problem. Someone tries to speak with him. Not his problem. Food is left next to him on a table. Not his problem. There’s a shout and a bang. Not his-his ghost sense goes off.
He sighs.
Why does everything always become his problem? He listlessly floats off his bed and toward the commotion. And then he stares. Seriously?
“Cujo! Sit!”
The giant dog halts from where it was chasing Superman around, a woman who had been flying after them crashing into his back as he sits.
“Shrink!” he orders.
Cujo does so with a happy bark.
The people around them stare, all out of breath, a red and yellow one muttering, “aliens have dogs?”
Danny sighs, kneeling down with his arms open. Cujo bolts into them, almost knocking him over, snuggling into his chest as Danny holds him close
“Good boy,” he whispers, making Cujos tail wag wildly.
“You know him?” a gruff voice asks.
Danny nods into Cujos neck, not looking up, and not letting go.
“What does he eat?”
Danny startles a little at that, finally looking up at him. He wears an all black and grey outfit other then the yellow belt, with two little black horns on his head.
“ Ecto ?” Danny mutters
“Hmm, is that vegetation, meat or something else?”
“Something else.”
“What?” Danny shrugs. “Do you eat… Ecto? ” Danny nods. “Is that why you haven’t eaten what we gave you? You can’t?”
“I can,” Danny whispers.
The man nods before turning and walking away. Danny ignores him, going back to Cujo, but is interrupted a minute later by the man’s return, a plate full of food in one hand and a glass of water in the other.
Danny sighs as they’re placed in front of him, but takes a slice of apple to nibble on.
“Who are you?” he asks.
“Batman, and you?”
“Danny, I’m Danny.”
&&&
‘Batman’ ends up taking him back to his cave, which is weird, but he’s seen weirder.
“Who’s this?” another man in a skin tight outfit asks.
“Danny. Danny, this is Nightwing.”
‘Nightwing’ sends him a quick smile before turning back to Batman.
“Hood’s not going to like this, and neither is Robin.”
“It’s not like that,” Batman almost grumbles.
“Tell him that,” Nightwing replies as a motorbike pulls into the cave, and Danny stares.
Whoever this is, they have a core. A core that feels sad, scared, hurt and alone. The man hops off the bike pulling his helmet off.
“I need to use the computer, then I’m-“ he starts, before his eyes land on Danny and he freezes.
And Danny can’t help it. There a ghost here-or at least, someone with a core-who’s hurting. Danny chirps out a safe/friend/help?
The man startles, mumbling out a, “the fuck?” even as his shoulders lose their tension.
Danny floats forward to pull the man into his arms, rumbling noises of safety and friend. He relaxes against him completely at that, core loosening and letting out a soft pur.
Danny will look after him now.