Danny Fenton really likes his boyfriend, okay.
Him and Damian have been going out for three months already, and he hasn't tried to kill him, doesn't favor Danny over Phantom or vice versa and has helped him with his school work and now Danny's a confident B minus student!
Things are going great!
Which is why he's suprised when he wakes up and finds himself in a cave. Specifically, the Batcave.
Danny respects Damian and his family and their privacy, which is why he hasn't gone down in their basement unless Damian has stated he wants Danny down there. After all, Danny hasn't let Damian down in his basement, solely because he didn't want to freak him out with his parents portal.
They both know their respective families are strange in their own ways, and Damian has admitted he likes not having his family butt into his business. Danny can agree, which is why realizing he's in Damians basement is weird.
Danny has experience with getting kidnapped, so he doesn't panic, obviously. He looks around in amazement of all the stuff in Damians basement, especially the giant penny and Dinosaur.
He also realizes he's not alone, he can't physically see Damians siblings and dad, but he can feel them, especially Jason, who's near the Batmobile. Damians dad is somewhere up on the top of the cave, alongside Damians sister, Cass.
"So, Danny," Dick says, he's the only visible person in the cave and he's wearing his Nightwing suit yet has his domino mask off.
"Hi, Dick." Danny replies back, craning his neck to stare at the display of suits, from here he can't see Damians but knows it's there.
"You and Damian, huh? You've both have been going out for a while already, you two must be getting pretty serious." Dick says, normally he was cheery to the point that it freaked Danny out, but right now he had a small edge to his voice.
"Going on three months, yeah. He's great. Hey, why am I tied up in your dad's basement?" Danny asks, now staring at Dick, confusion lacing his tone.
"Well, as his oldest brother," Dick starts, "and Mother Hen!" Jason yells from the side, getting shushed. "I, as well as our family members, want to make sure Damian's with someone nice who wouldn't break his heart, he's sensitive."
Danny is pretty sure Damian would actually hurt Dick if he heard him say that, especially in front of his family, but he stays quiet.
Without waiting for Danny to speak, Dick barells on, "It's nothing personal, just... the man up there's a bit paranoid, and I am inclined to agree. Which is why we're here."
"I mean, Damian is way out of my league. You could ask anyone, they'd tell you." Danny said, purposely starting something that he'd know would set Dick and Bruce off. "Someone absolutely terrifying and really hot. Like, I have a terrible love life, which is why I'm happy Damian's stuck by me this long, y'know?"
Dick's face pinched around the time Danny started saying Damian was hot and he inwardly smiles, starting to feel anger radiate from the top of the cave all the down to where he and Dick were at.
"Plus, Damian is super smart, my grades have never been higher! And he's really good at fighting, we were play fighting once and he did this one move that threw me on the ground with him on top of me. Not to mention he's crazy flexible, Damian did this one trick that-"
"That's enough." The deep growl of Batman hisses from right behind Danny.
Whoops.
I just remembered! (Thank you, historical fantasy section!) But like? Serving and protecting The King, especially a HIGH KING, is quite literally not just an incredible honor... but it can sometimes be a person's Life Ambition?
Specificly a WORTHY king.
Perhaps they were denied in life. Perhaps they FAILED. And in their dying moments struggle with all they were to LIVE. To PROTECT. Perhaps the PREVIOUS king was a great and worthy ruler... but their heir is...
Unworthy.
Maybe they are born to an age without Rulers. Power shifting between hands in hidden halls. Unclear and murky. All they want is for their loyalty to MEAN something. For things to be SIMPLE.
The universe is large. The Infinite Realms? Unimaginably larger.
Who would willingly swear to him? Fools! That's who! Every warrior soul worth ANYTHING gets as far AWAY from his Realm forsaken resting place as they can. Hides. Lest they be dragged in to his infernal, gods forsaken, cess pit of a so called "army"! *disgusted spitting noises*
But what does this mean? It means every trained FIGHTER... got the hell out of dodge. Oh, sure, a FEW refused. Like Pandora and her people. But most? The farthest side of NOWHERE, several layers down! Some still GOING! Better to be decried as cowards then have ANYTHING to do with THAT(said with loathing)!
It also means they weren't where Pariah could get to them when he woke. Couldn't help. Couldn't fight. Couldn't be commanded to kneel. Nothing. They removed themselves completely. Planned on CONTINUING to remove themselves. Preferably to the farthest reaches of forever, far beyond the bastard's gaze.
But! The whole REALM INFINITE felt it? When that... that hissing, acidic, malicious undertone? SLAMS back and away, like somebody's knocked a parasite from their backs. Replaced by coolness and starlight. Delicate balance and blood on your teeth. The pounding in your chest of HOPE.
It flutters so small across their backs, inside their chests. Washing away the old.
The King... feels tiny. Young.
.......what are they doing? Running like this. Hiding away like that will change anything. How long... when did...
There are so many of them now. A veritable army of souls, of all Ages and People's. Every armor and crest imaginable. They'd been so.. so REPULSED by Pariah... nothing else had mattered but to get AWAY. Where even ARE they? What YEAR is it? Does any of that matter?
Their Obsessions whisper. Loyalty. Service. Protection. Honor. You have left you post! Abandoned your DUTY! What are you DOING!?
They are AGHAST. They turn around at once. The King! How could they have ABANDONED the King!? Who is guarding him if they are all HERE?!
(Yes. Danny is fine. He is eating the "Thank You for keeping us all from dying to whatever the FUCK that was!" tamales Paulina's mom pushed into his arms on his way back home. He didn't even try arguing. He made eye contact and knew he would lose.)
(Why does he feel like something really, really bothersome is headed his way?)
It's UNACCEPTABLE. Unthinkable! The King? Unguarded? Where assassination attempts and nefarious PLOTS could occur?! What if someone tried to steal his eggs!? Or attacked him while his exoskeleton was molting!? They aren't entirely sure which species he is yet, but there are SO MANY NEFARIOUS PLOTS OUT THERE!!
*panicked honor guards*
Just? Imagine becoming king. And thinking "well, aside from the skeleton army I have to figure out, at least I don't have to manage anybody!" Only to *WABAM!* your ENTIRE GHOST COURT shows up like a week later. Turns out they were hiding from your predecessor.
You have a whole ass honor gaurd. Who REFUSE TO LEAVE YOUR SIDE. You have Chefs. Who WILL cry if you send them away. The Literal Best In The Multiverse are all following you around... YOU, a RANDOM TEENAGE, with Excited Shoujo Sparkles in their eyes... because you punched a jackass really, REALLY hard.
There is no way to make this stop. Your friends are laughing at you. The interior decorator wants you to look at swatches. What are swatches and why are you being harrased by them at 1am, you wonder? If you are Mean(tm) they throw themselves upon the floor and blame themselves for their Wicked, Evil, King-Upseting Ways and you can't even TELL if your being played here.
It's like being bullied by house elves. Or Miette.
Your parents are too excited by all the New Research (at least the reveal went well?) To SAVE THEIR SON, and your sister is HELPING THE ENEMY (Traitor!), so now you're being bullied into eating vegetables and studying more.
Then? THEN!! WHO SHOWS UP?! Like... five WEEKS late?! The Justice League. Gee! GREAT RESPONSE TIME, GUYS! Reeeal snappy! But ya, JUST missed the guy!
.......YES HES BEING SARCASTIC!!!
@hdgnj @stealingyourbones
The Holdovers (Alexander Payne, 2023)
One of this days I'll get back into drawing seriously
How have I never seen this photo before!
It’s making me imagine being at barton with Angus and having a lazy reading day together
Nah mate, this ain't easy, it's like trying to go rowing but you got one of the oars instead of two so you go in circles instead of forwards
As a kid learning about the holocaust, I never understood how people could let Nazis rise to power. But now I’m watching it happen in real time.
his flaws make him so much hotter i need journalists to get this!!
no i KNOW, like SHOW ME his eye bags, SHOW ME the lines around his mouth, SHOW ME his acne (that he doesn't have somehow, how is his skin so NICE i need ANSWERS??)
like we like him bc he's a lil goofy looking, NOT because he's some like jacob elordi type LET OUR BITCH BE GOOFY LOOKING!!