Chapter 29
Danny didn't know what to do. His mind was going a mile a minute and he was stuck in quicksand unable to catch up.
He saw Cujo and Gotham in danger
He escaped prison
He followed Cujo to take care of the ghost behind this
He helped Dick and his friends
He ran
He, as a prison escapee, ran from the Justice League and his brother
Danny couldn't wrap his head around just how much trouble he was in. He can't go back, everybody will know who he is, what he is now. Batman will for sure go there too to look for him and make sure he's locked up forever. God what would Dick think of him? Was he an even bigger stain on his reputation now that he got to add 'prison escapee' to his list of sins? If anything Dick would probably want him buried somewhere in a hole nobody would find him to save face. Being related to a criminal was probably career ending for a hero like him.
Even after trying so hard to keep everybody safe from him, he still managed to hurt those he tried to protect.
Danny crash landed somewhere in a remote forest. All that pain he had been feeling over the years and now his powers in overdrive. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Destruction followed as Danny cried harder than he ever had before. His cries turned into his ghostly wail as trees were obliterated and uprooted from the force. Danny doesn't even know when he was forced to detransform, still crying and screaming into the night. Vaguely his mind registered the pressure on his chest from Cujo trying to calm him down. Tears blurring his vision, Danny shoved his face into Cujo's side as he cried into the pup's side. As the minutes ticked on, Danny's senses started to come back. He could feel the warmth off of Cujo as the pup faked breathing. Danny had no proof, but he just knew Dr. Frostbite taught him how to act more alive to comfort Danny more. But it worked quite well so he really couldn't complain.
When Danny finally calmed down enough to stop shaking, he released Cujo from his death grip. The poor pup was all nasty with snot, tears and bayou mud. Danny held out Cujo so the pup could go intangible and get rid of all the gunk before hugging him close again, softer this time.
"What do we do now, Cujo?" Danny sighed, looking up at the twinkling stars above. He didn't really expect an answer from the pup, or from anybody really. They could start living out here, away from people. He could learn how to hunt and just live off the land. There were trees enough, a bit further away from the clearing he just created but he could make a treehouse if he practiced hard enough.
But Cujo won't survive out here. There wasn't enough ambient ectoplasm for the ghost pup to feed off of and Danny would eventually not have enough to sustain him either. Cujo would still be forced to roam and somehow find ways between the realms like he always does. Could he really subject Cujo to a life like that? Always moving between wherever a portal would be or a good enough source for him to survive and then go look for Danny in the middle of nowhere? Could Danny even survive that? being cut off from the world, no social interaction besides Cujo?
"But how would I know if Dick was safe?"
Danny's idle musing was interrupted by the sound of Cujo hacking. Not wanting to get puked on, Danny floated them up onto a little platform and rubbed Cujo's back as the pup coughed. To his utter surprise, Cujo coughed up a gigantic feather. Danny had no idea where he even found that but he was mildly impressed it had survived inside of Cujo for that long. Cujo also looked very proud of himself and tried to give Danny the goo covered feather. He tried to push the feather closer to Danny before he tried to climb back in Danny's lap. Tried being a key word here as Cujo slipped in his own goopy vomit on the way. Danny sighed as he felt the stickiness of it still on Cujo's paws as the pup settled. Occasionally Cujo glanced between Danny and what used to be his stomach content, as if waiting for Danny's synapses to fire up again.
Danny would rather not look at the vomited up feather but just to entertain Cujo he stole a glance and felt his shoulders sag. On his way over, Cujo had left a paw print and a smear from when he slipped right next to the feather. Coincidentally, if you squinted enough it vaguely looked like the feathery, vomit version of a certain R he was all too familiar with. Cujo, of course, noticing Danny had realized the meaning behind his beautiful artwork, happily yipped up at him.
Danny sighed and leaned back on his arms. He looked back up to see a lone shooting star cross the night sky. "Ha, I wish" he laughed humorously, "It's a nice idea boy, it really is. But we can't. I can't. They wouldn't want me there." Unsatisfied with Danny's answer, Cujo pawed at Danny's leg. Specifically the pocket where he kept the remote Miss Waller had given him.
Ah
Before she left she had made an odd comment about going "where the bird and bat are" when she wasn't available. At the time he didn't think much of it because her not being available seemed like a joke. An impossibility. But now? Maybe it was a secret message all along. A silent promise he agreed to. After everything that happened, he couldn't let her down even more now.
Danny sighed deeply into his hands, rubbing his face in aspiration. At least she wasn't specific? Sure, Gotham was the last place he wanted to be right now, but it was where the bird and bat are. Technically he wouldn't be disappointing her by disobeying a command, a promise, but he could also lay low and stay under the radar. He owed her that much after how badly he fucked up already. Plus, what were the chances they'd actually look for him in Gotham of all places. Hiding right under their noses might be the best option he has for now.
"Well, Cujo, I guess you'll get your way. Lead me to Gotham."
Cujo did so with much pleasure. Growing into his hound form, he let Danny climb onto his back as he started to walk back. Somewhere along the way, Danny had fallen asleep so flying wasn't an option. Cujo trekked on intangibly to make it a lot smoother for his sleeping passenger until they reached a few miles out. Danny woke up, feeling refreshed after the emotional hell day he had. Offering to switch places, Cujo shrunk down to pup size again and got comfortable in Danny's arms. Danny did feel guilty, letting Cujo carry him that far. Clearly the pup was exhausted and probably running on fumes by now. He clutched his friend a bit closer as he walked the final few miles invisibly. It would do them no good if somebody spotted him now in what was still clearly a prison uniform.
Once they entered city bounds he could feel the hum of the city calling to him. There was so much ambient ectoplasm it was giving the sky a green hue. Definitely enough for the both of them to survive on without issues. Cujo shifted in Danny's arms. Clearly the pup could feel it too, feel the energy he needed. Somewhat reluctantly, Danny set Cujo down. "It's okay, buddy. You can go feed. Just try to not cause any trouble okay?" He felt Cujo nuzzle into him before the pup floated off faster than Danny's legs were capable of for the moment.
Now alone, it took him just a bit longer to make it into the city as well. Everything was so loud and bright and just an insult to his enhanced senses. But complaining would get him absolutely no where so he set out to find a second hand shop to borrow some clothes from. He did feel horrible for stealing but he had to find clothes to actually be seen in and blend in. He'd pay them back once he could for sure.
Invisible, Danny got changed into his new clothes. Nothing fancy, just some worn out shoes, dark jeans, a yellow stained turtleneck and a green hoodie. Enough to stay warm and covering his collars and not be too suspicious. He bundled up his old prison uniform, checking to make sure he emptied the pockets and had the remote still on his person. Once he was sure it was all good, he walked up to some homeless people crowded around a dumpster fire. With little more than a look and no need for words, Danny dumped his old uniform in the fire. It caused a small explosion as there was probably still more than enough of Cujo's mess on there to cause a boom. Danny quickly nodded to the people eying him and left them alone.
If he knew one thing of big city life, it's that homeless people can be quite territorial. That was one mess Danny did not feel like getting himself into.
With nothing else on his survival plan for the moment, Danny just wandered around a bit. He kept his hood up and tucked around his head, hiding his hair as much as possible. He was having some issues keeping either of his forms stable so it would probably be better to hide any possible white hair. And even if, it would be even worse if rumors got out of Dick Grayson wandering the streets all alone. No, Danny had to do his best to stick to odd alleys and as far away from popular areas as he could. From earlier research he had done years ago, the Dynamic Duo avoided Crime Alley as much as they could. That part of the city was left abandoned to crime. Too corrupt to help. Too filled with memories to dare set foot.
Something that came to Danny's benefit for now.
Nighttime had arrived and rain had started to fall some time ago. Danny didn't care much for the rain. It felt oddly relaxing to have that sensation on his skin again after so long, but it made his clothes all sticky and cling to his body in ways that made his skin crawl. If he wanted he could just go intangible but he wanted to enjoy the soft drops for just a little while longer.
As he walked past one of the many shady alleys, he heard a soft meowing and light metal banging. It wasn't a happy sound and, ever the hero, Danny felt the urge to at least check it out. Slowly but surely, Danny walked further into the alley. His eyes softly illuminated the area around him as he walked closer to the sound. A few feet ahead of him he could see two cats. A black one with blue eyes that he heard earlier, pacing around and meowing periodically. It was meowing at a white cat that has its head and one of its front paws stuck in a tin. Every time the black cat meowed, the white one tried to take a step towards its friend, tin clanking on the ground.
Danny felt horrible for the poor animal. He crouched down to make himself as small as possible and carefully approached. Slowly inching forward and letting his invisibility drop so the black cat would notice him. The second it did, it looked spooked and hissed aggressively at him. Danny immediately stopped moving and sat down on the wet alley floor. The black cat looked anything but happy with Danny being there but seemed to tolerate him doing nothing more.
Taking the risk, Danny held out his hand, letting his smell get closer for the cat to judge him. No doubt he smelled horribly but the last thing he wanted to do was jump the white cat to get the tin off. That would just risk more danger and injury considering there was already enough blood staining the white fur. Luckily for him, the black cat got closer to him, still wearily sniffing the air but it was progress. As the cat got closer, Danny could feel his powers reside again as the green glow around him faded. "I can help." He said in the softest tone he could manage. He didn't know why he was talking to a street cat, maybe out of habit from talking to Cujo, but the cat seemed to understand enough.
The black cat walked back towards its stumbling friend. With a small rub against its body and little chirps, it guided the white cat within arms reach of Danny. This was his chance. Softly he let the white cat bump into him. From that contact, he tenderly moved his hand to pet the frightened cat. It's friend was right by its side, probably preventing the cat from getting spooked too badly. Once Danny felt like the white cat was settled enough, he brought up his other hand. "This is gonna feel weird." He warned, not sure if either of the cats even knew what he was trying to say. He reached for the tin again as his other hand kept petting the white cat. He focused on keeping as much of his power contained as he could before turning the can intangible and crushing it in his hand so no other animals could get stuck in it.
The white cat immediately tries to scurry away at the sudden loss of sensation but it didn't get far. The poor thing was probably exhausted from being stuck for who knows how long. It's friend immediately rushed to its side, licking at the wounds. Danny wasn't sure what to do. He managed to free it, but what now? Do shelters even take cats in the middle of the night?
Danny heard some soft meowing and looked up to see the black cat staring at him. Blue eyes kept contact as it paced around its friend. Still not really sure what to do, Danny held out his hand again. The black cat walked over and pushed it's head into Danny's hand, forcefully asking for some pets while meowing back towards its friend.
Now, Danny had read somewhere that cats only meow to their kittens and humans. Maybe, in his somewhat delusional yet heroic centered brain, this cat was asking for help for its friend. Just like how it called out for help earlier. Did it want him to help the white cat?
Carefully, Danny scooted over to where the white cat had stumbled. He hadn't dared to stand up so he wouldn't scare them so butt scooting across a dirty alley in the rain it was. Danny made just enough noise so the white cat knew he was getting closer without needing to lift its head up. The small chirps from the black one probably helped too. When Danny got close enough to pet the white cat, it only jumped softly. Fearful green eyes looked up at him and Danny felt himself freeze slightly. He could almost feel the fear rolling off the injured cat, but maybe that was just his own. Slowly, he leaned forward a bit so he could reach his hand out enough for the cat to smell. Whatever it smelled, it was enough to relax a bit.
The black cat damn near screamed impatiently at Danny, wanting him to do something. The cat was standing a few steps away from them, meowing and then turning around again to pace back towards them.
Did it want him to follow?
Honestly, Danny had been through weirder situations. Being commanded around by a street cat was oddly enough not the strangest thing so he figured he should just roll with it. Danny looked down to the white cat again, its green eyes starting straight into his soul. Danny did his best to scratch only the top of its head while talking in a soft tone. "I'm gonna pick you up okay?" When the white cat purred softly, Danny took it as a sign to go ahead. Carefully he scooped up the soaked, injured cat off the dirty floor. Wanting to keep it somewhat warmer and less exposed, he put the cat against his chest underneath his hoodie. It's head was resting just high enough so it was popping out of his hoodie. Once he was satisfied with his grip and the support of the injured cat, Danny started to follow the black one.
The black cat lead Danny down some of the oddest little alleys and shortcuts. Oddly enough, any person that was outside made way for the cat and his human follower. Maybe this cat was a secret mob boss or something. Local street cat gangs wouldn't be the weirdest thing for Gotham of all places.
Eventually the cat led him to an apartment complex and meowed at the door. Pushing it open, the cat started trotting up the many many stairs until they reached one of the top floors. There, it chose to calmly sit in front of a door. No longer screaming, sorry, meowing at Danny, he figured that must be their home. With his heart racing, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.
bonus:
Danny, looking at the feather: Cujo what the fuck
Cujo: well you see there was this big flying chicken trying to attack Not-You...
Danny: *hears random meowing* is that a scream for help i hear?
Danny, following the black cat: thats right, move bitch i have precious cargo for the cat gang
Chapter 30
Selina Kyle was having quite the odd couple of days.
First, she got a surprise visit from her favorite little hero. Dick had looked absolutely miserable and who was she to deny the boy a safe place to stay. Getting him cleaned up was the easiest part of that evening however as it took many, many hours for the boy to exhaust himself into sleep. If she hadn't known he was adopted, she'd be tempted to say he got it from his father. But as it stands, she had to have quite a talk with the man.
Still, for the sake of the boy, she sheathed her claws. At least until she knew Dick would be able to handle discussing it again.
It being the severe communication issues that idiot has and how he treats Dick in the progress.
But that's for later.
For now she focused on getting proper meals into the boy and actually letting him rest. Who needed school or patrols when mental health was starting to take a physical toll. Of course she had called Alfred to know Dick was safe. She always did. The big bad buffoon may not need to know, but the true head of the house did. He always made sure to send her extra funds to make sure any and all of both their needs are covered. That did also include some help with easy to make recipes so she could make him healthy meals as well.
And then Ivy started acting weird.
She had cancelled on girls night, preferring to stay in and watch movies with Dick. Harley had taken it upon herself to call Selina to rant about how she is acting distant and weird about her plants. While she was used to Harley's tumultuous relationship issues, the plant thing did raise a few flags as Ivy was never one to shy away from talking to Harley about them. So with a heavy heart, she had to send Dick back to the Mannor. If anything were to happen, she'd prefer him going out with his full gear on and somebody to watch his back.
Because going out he would, with or without support.
Unfortunately, his departure wasn't all too liked by her babies as two of her little trouble makers jumped out the window right after Dick had left. Those two rascals had always liked Dick a lot, often sleeping close to or with him when he stayed over. Which really didn't come as a surprise since he was the one who found the pair as kittens. Nanaki had a habit of trying to sleep on Dick's head, often making one wonder where the fur ended and the boy began. Shiro on the other hand preferred sleeping at his side, nestled between his body and an arm.
Usually they'd only follow him a block or two and then come back. They're not particularly good at staying out of trouble so when they didn't return by morning, Selina was getting worried. Usually she wouldn't worry too much about her cats, they're smart and know where is safe and where isn't. But these two? She wouldn't know how to break the news if anything happened, especially with so much already going on in that poor boy's life.
She was planning on going out, to see if she could find them. But then the attacks happened. Just like she had expected, Ivy was involved in this. With how big of a mess the entire city was, there was no use in going out. All she could do was hope they would find their way home.
She had been busy, trying to think of a way to speak with Bruce without revealing that Dick had come here. There was also a diamond shipping Harvey was transporting in a few days and the temptation to mess with lil ol' Dent was too sweet.
And then she heard a knock on her door. It was soft and she wasn't expecting anybody so she was weary when she looked through the peephole. All she could see was a soaked to the bone kid. Still keeping her guard up, she opened her door and had to hold herself back from openly freezing up. The kid in front of her looked near identical to how Dick looked when he was younger and went through a period of not eating. She was so focused on his face, the boy awkwardly shifted the little bundle he was holding under his hoodie.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. I accidentally ran into these two and followed that one here." He stammered through the sentence and avoided eye contact at all cost. Nanaki's purring around her leg snapped her out of her stupor enough to open the door a bit more. "Why don't you come in?"
The boy looked like he wanted to refuse, shifting his weight while staring down his hoodie. "Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you more than I already did. I just wanted to get help for this one?" He sounded almost unsure of his own statement but the little bundle in his arms protested against all the movement. A muffled hiss came from his hoodie, which prompted Nanaki to meow at the boy again.
Almost begrudgingly, the boy sighed and walked a few steps into the apartment. Selina wasn't sure what exactly happened but she had a feeling this was probably how he got here in the first place. The boy looked down at his feet, obviously ashamed of the mess he was making already.
Selina took a steadying breath, trying to banish the images of Dick from her mind. She knew he was safe, she knew he was healthier than this. She knew this wasn't him.
"Don't worry, we can clean that later." She started, keeping her tone steady. "Can I see what you're holding?" The boy blushed slightly but nodded. She stepped closer and tried hard to not react to the collar she could see sticking out from under his shirt. A meta then, not the worst situation she had been in. Nanaki's meows kept getting louder as she had found her way up the table. With very vocal encouragement, Selina pulled at the top of the boy's hoodie so she could have a better look inside. There were a few smears of blood over his shirt. A bit lower was Shiro, curled up. "Shiro." She called out softly. Shiro looked up and immediately started to try and climb up to get to her. Selina gave her the smallest pet possible before trying to lead the boy to the bathroom.
"You can take her there, its where I keep my medkit." With a small guiding hand on the boy's boney back, they walked to the bathroom. In moments like this, she was thankful that she had a big bathroom, otherwise this would have been quite an uncomfortable situation. "I'll need to take off your hoodie so she won't need to move too much, okay?" Selina waited as the boy seemed to think over the question. He didn't seem sure on how to handle such a question but she didn't want to rush him. He seemed a bit cagey and the last thing she wanted was him running off right now. After a while the boy nodded and tried to take it off with one hand. Seeing him struggle, Selina carefully helped him out of the clingy fabric, trying desperately to not notice how every bone was so prominent.
Maybe Alfred knew some good meals to feed this kid?
Worries for later.
Right now, she'd rather focus on cleaning up Shiro's cuts. "You can put her next to the sink. You might want to keep her distracted, she doesn't really like it when I clean her wounds." The boy nodded and shuffled over to the side to pet Shiro. "Does," his voice cracked, "does she get injured a lot?" He sounded so genuinely concerned, her heart melted a little.
"She does," she answered as she got out the antiseptic soap and some gauze. "Shiro and Nanaki are trouble magnets. If something didn't go wrong the past week, it did, you just didn't find out what it is yet." She laughed softly as she prepared for the battle that will be cleaning Shiro's cuts. They aren't deep but they do need to be cleaned up and bandaged before the wounds get licked open. She stole a quick glance at the boy and had to school her reaction yet again as the boy's once black hair had turned a stark white while petting Shiro. The shaggy white locks only accentuated the gauntness of his features. Tearing her eyes off of him, she washed her hands first before getting the antiseptic for Shiro.
The boy seemed more than happy to focus on keeping her occupied. Shiro in turn decided to play nice for once and not rage war against the wipes or bandaging. "She likes you, you know." She mused absentmindedly, surprised at how well Shiro was behaving. She could tell the boy was confused by how he paused his movements. "She's usually never this good of a patient. I usually leave with a few battle wounds of my own." Selina knew she wasn't the best at small talk but even she was running out of ideas at this point.
Luckily, the boy's stomach decided to growl as they were finishing up Shiro's bandaging. "I was about to make dinner, you could stay for a meal if you want." She knew it was a big ask for a kid she had never met before. There was just something about him, his identical look to Dick that make that annoying part of her brain that kick into full gear.
"I really wouldn't want to overstay my welcome, ma'am." Nanaki had decided to interject herself again, hopping onto the counter just to meow loudly at him. The boy looked over to Nanaki, somewhat unsure. "But I'll just make everything dirty and all." Nanaki didn't seem convinced as she meowed even louder.
"You're welcome to take a shower if you'd like? I, um, babysit for a, ah, friend pretty often. I'm sure some of his stuff would fit you."
The boy looked pretty concerned, waving his hands in denial. "Oh no, ma'am. I couldn't. I really didn't mean to bother you for this long, I couldn't possibly accept all of that." Black shackle like collars stood out in stark contrast against the deathly pale skin of the boy's wrists. She couldn't help herself but stare at them. She knows those, they're inhibiters. Why would a child need multiple? Who dared shackle this poor boy.
He seemed to notice her staring and immediately hid his hands behind his back. Almost like a child with their hand in a cookie jar.
Selina crouched down slightly, her heart breaking as she caught a glance of the utter fear in the boy's eyes. She reached out her hand slightly, an open offer, hoping he would trust her. She watched him eye her cautiously, hair slowly changing back to black as he finally held out a hand too. Carefully she kneeled forward and gingerly looked at the collar on his wrist. She couldn't immediately find the locking mechanism, probably modified ones then. "Do they hurt?" She had to ask, they just looked so tight on his thin arms. Were they always this tight or were they tightened as he lost weight? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.
The boy shook his head and retracted his hand to cradle it close to his chest. "Will you tell Batman?" She felt her heart break at the fear in those beautiful big blue eyes. She folded her feet under her as Nanaki decided to try and sit on her lap. "He doesn't need to know everything that happens in this city." Which was true, no man could keep an eye on this city on their own. Even with an army of Batmen, there would always be cracks for information to slip through. Who was she to close one of those gaps when it came to just one kid.
He didn't seem all too convinced but he didn't seem to want to sprint out any second either. "But the no metas rule-"
"is only there to keep them safe." She finished for him. "Gotham isn't a good place for anybody, especially for metas. He doesn't want traffickers thinking there are any to be picked up and sold off." It was the truth and there really was no need to sugar coat anything either. As young as he looked, she was willing to bet this kid was more mature than some adults she knew.
With a sigh, she slowly got up, placing Nanaki back on the counter next to Shiro. "Clothes are in that drawer, towels in this one. I won't force you to stay or lock you in if you don't want to, but know you're welcome to stay." She smiled at him before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She made sure to not lock it as she walked over to the kitchen to take a few steadying breaths. This was probably the biggest risk she had taken all night. She knew she couldn't do more to convince him to stay, it was his own choice now.
Shaking loose her tense muscles, she started preparing dinner. A simple vegetable stew with rice. One of the recipes she remembered Alfred gave her when Dick was still so light. As she was cutting the vegetables, she heard the soft click of the bathroom door opening. Trying her hardest, she did what she could to make it look like she was ignoring the boy trying to sneak out of the bathroom. It was his choice and if this boy was anything like Dick, there was no talking him out of it if his mind was set. She turned her back to him to prepare the beef cut.
She could tell he got close to the front door by the squeezing of one particular floorboard. Holding her breath, she listened for the unavoidable sound of the door opening and closing again.
Except all she heard was Nanaki meowing at him. The boy kept trying to shush her to no avail.
"Oh, come on," she heard him whisper, "I-"
Whatever he wanted to say was cut off by Nanaki meowing even louder than before. The sound purposely drawn out for as long as her lungs could handle.
"Oh. My. God. Oh my god, fine, fine just please shut up." She heard the floorboard squeak again as he stumbled back towards the bathroom. "Remind me to never let you meet Cujo." He grumbled before closing the door. A few seconds after she heard the water be turned on. Relief flooded her body as she let out a shuddering breath. She thanked whatever gods were looking out for the boy and continued making dinner with renewed vigor.
A little while later, the bathroom unlocks and the boy waddles out, clutching Shiro to his chest. She felt another tug at her heartstrings as she looked him over. He had picked out one of Dick's black sweat pants, a white tee and a different green hoodie with the hood up to wear. He looked like he was drowning in the fabric. Lengthwise it was fine but there seemed to just be so much extra fabric bunching around his wrists and ancles that wasn't there when Dick wore them. She walked over to the dining table, doing her best to smile at him and not let the worry show. "Right on time," she pulled out a chair for him to sit as she placed coasters on the table. "Take as much as you like, just make sure you don't eat too fast."
The boy nodded, sitting down and letting Shiro readjust herself on his lap. With one arm bracing Shiro, he leaned forward to grab the serving spoon for the rice. With a loud clang, it fell on the table. Selina was watching him, she saw him grab it, she saw it fall through his hand like he wasn't there. The boy started panicking, hurriedly trying to gather up the spilled rice with his hand. "I-I-I Ma'am I am so sorry, I didn't mean to." The boy was turning into a stuttering mess, struggling through his panic all the while still holding Shiro in place.
At least he could multitask even under stress, which was rather impressive.
"Honey, it's okay. Accidents happen. Let me clean that up okay?" She tried to soothe him as she cleaned off the rice from his hand and guided him to sit down again. The clean up took less than half a minute. With a new scoop, she served him a small amount to taste first. As she slowly poured him a cup of water, she looked back at his hand. Every few grabs for the spoon his hand would pass right through it. "Does that happen often?"
The boy stopped trying as the spoon fell out of his hand a second time before he could eat. "It didn't used to. I think. I haven't had to control it myself in a while, though." He rubbed at the back of his neck. From what little she could see, that was a third collar. At this point she wouldn't be surprised if he had them on his ankles too. No wonder he couldn't control his own powers anymore. Who knows how long he had been stripped of the ability to do so.
"Maybe it's like riding a bike?" Selina felt about as stupid as that sounded, especially with how the boy looked at her. She awkwardly cleared her throat and tried to focus on serving herself. "You know, when you haven't done something in a while you tend to forget how to. All you need is a little practice to remember."
Big blue eyes blinked up at her before he let out a content hum and started trying again. Perhaps for the better, the rest of the meal was spent in relatively comfortable silence. The boy ended up eating quite a lot more than she expected he'd be able to stomach. As they finished up, he got up to wash off his dishes, much to Shiro's protests. "Thank you for the meal, ma'am."
Selina smiled gratefully at him and took over his dishes. "It's okay, I'll do them. You go lay down with Shiro before she gets too grumpy about being moved again. " He looked unsure for a second before supporting Shiro with both arms and moving to the couch. Most of the cats there moved away to make room for the two, except Nanaki of course. Nanaki climbed up the back of the couch to wriggle her way into the boy's hood. The poor kid pulled down his hood and Nanaki immediately took her shot and tried to get comfortable on his head. "Um, ma'am?" He helplessly tried to look over to her but could barely move as Nanaki was still trying to somehow settle down.
Selina chuckled as she came over to help. "Nanaki sometimes gets an identity crisis and thinks she is a hat." She picked up the offending cat and guided the boy to lay down. She waited until both him and Shiro looked comfortable before releasing the feline to nestle on the boy's head again. It didn't take long before the combined purring of Nanaki and Shiro started to lull the boy into sleep. Selina grabbed one of the spare blankets and covered him up without covering Shiro in his arms.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Selina smiled as she tucked him in. "No need. And you can call me Selina if u want." The boy sighed contently as he carefully pulled Shiro closer to his chest with very little protest from the white cat.
"M-ny." The boy mumbled as he was slowly falling asleep. Absently, Selina hummed questioningly as the patted the boy's white locks. "M Danny." The boy, Danny, mumbled out. As his breathing started to even out, his hair faded back to black for the last time that night.
The next few days were much of the same routine. Danny would hang out with the cats, usually with either Nanaki or Shiro somewhere on his body. He'd help with cleaning where he could and would watch as Selina made meals. He'd try to meditate here and there but the frequent storms would always snap him out of it. Luckily enough, she only had to fish Danny out of the floor one time after lightning hit rather close by. He really wasn't fond of thunderstorms and struggled to sleep during them. With how temperamental the weather had been lately, that was sadly rather often.
Right now, he was sleeping on the couch again. Regular Show was playing in the background to try and cancel out the thunderstorm outside. Nanaki was wrapped over his eyes and ears, trying to be a furry sleeping mask. Shiro was in her usual spot with her back curled towards Danny and her head using his arm as a pillow. For as much as they liked to cause trouble, they were also quite the pair when it came to taking care of the boys they liked.
Confident in seeing him sound asleep, she stepped away and into her bedroom. She left the door open on a crack just in case Danny woke up in a panic again. She took out her phone and dialed in an all too familiar number, waiting until they picked up to raise it to her ear.
"Good evening, Miss Kyle."
"Hey Alfred." She greeted the old butler. "I'm sorry to bother you so late."
"It is of no bother to me. Is there something I can assist with?" Alfred, always a gentleman.
Seline sighed a she went over the notes she took. "Well, I tried to make those speedster meals you recommended. They did seem to help a bit but," she sighed, "I'm not sure if they're helping enough." He had been eating more with every meal, that much was true. They quickly figured out he likely had a fastened metabolism so they had changed the meals to speedster recovery meals. To the best of Selina's abilities of course. She couldn't get her hands on fancy supplements and even then, doing this without proper medical supervision was dangerous in and of itself. He hadn't shown any signs of refeeding syndrome but Selina had also been careful with her meal choices.
"Miss Kyle, while I do understand your worry, it is much too soon for any visible improvements to show already."
She sighed again. She knew he was right, it hadn't even been a week, but he was so thin and sleeping so often. She didn't need to be a medical professional to know it wasn't enough for him. "I..know. You're right. Perhaps I could stop by the Manor one of these days? Pick up a few things?"
"It would be a pleasu-"
"Who are you talking to, Alfie?"
"Ah, Master Richard. I was just discussing something with Miss Kyle."
"Oh," she heard Dick's voice come over the phone. Compared to Danny, he sounded so full of life, so healthy. All that did was make her worry more for her sleeping charge. "Hi Selina!"
"Hi kitten. How have you been?" She tried hard to stay composed. He sounded so much happier than the last time she saw him, like he had found that spark again that he lost some weeks ago.
"You'll never believe this!" She could almost hear him bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You were right about Ivy! There was something mind controlling her or something. But it's okay though! We got her checked out and back in Arkham for now. Cujo came to save the day! Wally had to grovel on the ride home because he couldn't deny it anymore." God he sounded so happy. What would it take for Danny to sound like that too? "But…," Dick trailed off for a second, like he was searching for the right words. "If Cujo wouldn't have shown up I don't think I would have seen-"
"Dick?"
Selina nearly jumped up on the ceiling when Danny suddenly appeared behind her. Her phone clattered on the floor as a tense silence filled the room. Danny looked terrified. His eyes glowed such a bright green she was sure he could illuminate the whole room if the lights were off. With every second passing she could see his breathing speed up, panic setting in. Neither Selina nor Danny dared to make the first move.
"Danny?" Dick's voice echoed though the room, snapping them both out of their silent staring contest. "Danny was that you?"
"You…You told them?" Danny's voice cracked and Selina wanted nothing more than to grab him in a hug. She could see the tears slowly well up in his eyes and couldn't stop her own from forming.
"Danny," she tried to take a step forward but Danny immediately mirrored it by taking one back. She held up her hands in surrender, phone conversation long forgotten as she tuned out the voices yelling on the other side. Selina tried to slowly crouch down, hold out her hand again just like in the bathroom a few days ago. "Danny-"
"You said you wouldn't tell him." Tears were starting to fall as Danny tried to stay calm. Slowly he started taking more steps back. With every step he took, his hair was turning more and more white again, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the thoughts in his mind. Or simply in denial that the only person he trusted betrayed him.
Against better judgment, Selina tried to reach out again. If she could just get a hand on him, hug him, hold him and tell him it will be okay. Maybe she could still save this. Save him.
But Danny was too fast. Selina stumbled after him as Danny fled from her room and towards the window. "DANNY!" She yelled out in worry as the boy showed no sign of slowing down. With absolutely no warning, Danny flew harmlessly through her wall, right into the raging thunderstorm outside, leaving Nanaki and Shiro scratching at the still closed window.
bonus:
danny: stranger danger? idk her all i know is im getting harassed by this cat
selina seeing danny: my baby?
danny: *constantly shifting between forms, clearly struggling*
selina: my new meta baby
selina: stay?
danny: but im dirty
selina: shower and stay?
danny: but batman...
selina: nanaki
danny: good point
corporate would like you to point out the differences between these two pictures *scared danny* *a scared cat*
selina: these are the same picture
cujo: my job is to guide to safety
nanaki: i like to harass, safety is just a side effect
danny: about to make the wrong choice
nanaki: *screaming intensifies*
danny: i am in distress i need something to cuddle
shiro: i volunteer as tribute