He's A Phantom (Dp x Dc)

Chapter 3

I plan to update every Tuesday, but don't worry if I miss a day. I probably just got writers block or forgot :/
This chapter is early because I have work Tuesday and won't be able to update.
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In the past two years, Danny there had hardly been a moment when he felt safe. Every time he woke up on a rooftop or in a shelter, it was quickly. He was almost instantly alert and checking his surroundings for possible danger.

This morning, however, Danny awoke slowly, surrounded by warmth. his mind felt hazy and at ease.

I wonder what Jazz made for breakfast..

Danny shocked himself with the thought. He hadn't seen Jazz since he had last visited her 6 months ago.

Danny looked around and, upon realizing where he was, felt cold dread creeping up on him. The room was filled with the glow of sunlight, meaning he had overslept quite a bit.

He hurried over to the balcony, ready to make his escape before anyone came to disturb him. After glancing around a bit, Danny was disappointed to find that the weathered bricks on the outside walls of the manor were far too smooth to climb. He also noted that 'his' room was a few floors above the ground, making it nearly impossible for a human being to simply jump down.

These things would be no problem for Danny normally; however, he needed his escape to look like something a normal 16 year old boy would be capable of.

Judging by the mansion and the amount of respect Bruce was given by the police, he had connections. Someone as high-profile as him would not be easy to evade, if he was determined to search.

There was a light knock on the bedroom door, accompanied by the polite voice of the butler he had met the night before.

"Young master, I've brought towels and a clean change of clothes for you. You were allowed to sleep through breakfast, but you really should have lunch. It should be ready by the time you finish cleaning yourself up."

Danny sighed. He would have to find another way out.

He walked back into the room from the balcony, opening the door in order to receive the items Alfred had brought for him.

"Thank you, Alfred," Danny mumbled, still not too keen on speaking to the man.

"Of course, sir," Alfred replied with a slight smile before turning to leave.

Danny rested his head against the now closed door. Just what had he gotten himself into?

Pulling himself together, he headed into the bathroom he had noticed the past night. He stood under the cold shower for at least twenty minutes, disgusted by the seemingly neverending  amount of dirt he scrubbed from his hair.

After he had dried himself off, Danny looked into the mirror. He was pleasantly surprised to find his hair back to a shiny raven color, rather than the tangled filthy mess he had become accustomed to in the past months.

The red t-shirt and black jeans he had been given were a bit loose, but fit far better than the previous outfit he had grabbed from a donation bin. Danny wondered whose they were.

He stuck his head out the bedroom door. There was nobody in sight, meaning he would have to find his way to the dining room on his own.

Danny wandered the halls, trying to remember any landmarks from them night before guide him. After roaming the labyrinth of a manor for a while, voices could be heard coming from the end of a hallway that Danny vaguely recognized.

He made his way towards the source of the noise, the voices growing louder as he neared.

Finally, he stood in the large doorway of the vast dining room.

"I told you we should send someone to go get him. This place is a maze when you're not used to-"

The man, who wore a royal blue hoodie over a plain black shirt, was interrupted by Bruce, who seemed to have noticed the boy standing awkwardly in the room's entrance.

"Glad you could make it. Have a seat," he said, looking straight at Danny and gesturing to the last seat on the right side of the table, right next to him.

Danny stared at the floor as he shuffled over to the chair. There were three people he had never seen before seated at the table, and he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with the strangers.

Danny had always been good at reading people, and something about these people felt... dangerous. He had noticed the same about Bruce, but the man seemed better at masking it.

The smallest, in particular, had caught Danny's attention. He could have been considered cute, if not for the murderous glare he was giving Danny.

"I'd like you to meet my sons," Bruce stated, before introducing them one by one.

"Damian, my youngest. He's 11 and likes to bring in animals off the street," The boy frowned, as if offended by this statement, but simply crossed his arms and nodded towards Danny.

"The one asleep on your left is Tim," Danny hadn't even noticed the boy doze off, his head held at an awkward angle by his hand, "He's closest to your size, so we lent you some of his clothes."

Danny nodded, grateful to have something decent to wear.

"And that's Dick, my oldest." Danny had to hold back a chuckle at the name, "He stays here sometimes, but he also has his own place so he might not be around all the time".

Dick smiled and waved at Danny, knowing exactly what the boy was thinking. Plenty of people laughed when they heard his name for the first time.

"My two other sons are out of town at the moment, but I'm sure you'll meet them in due time."

Just how long was Bruce planning to keep him?

This reminded Danny that he needed to go destroy that blood sample the police had taken. He was sure he wouldn't be able to just walk in and grab it, so he'd have to use his ghost powers to take care of it later that night.

He had noticed plenty of security cameras throughout the manor. That meant he'd have to go invisible just to leave the building.

Danny was pulled from his thoughts by Alfred, who was placing plates of chicken and steamed vegetables in front of each person at the table.

Though he'd already eaten the night before, Danny did his best to eat all of the chicken. He didn't need to eat as much as normal people, but be also didn't want to seem off to the others.

He didn't touch the vegetables.

"So, do you have a name?" Dick asked, trying to make some kind of conversation.

Danny hesitated. He knew all of their names, but they knew nothing about him. He felt a bit guilty, but at the same time didn't want to compromise his identity.

Well, he thought, there are plenty of Dannys in the world. As long as I don't give a last name, it should be fine.

"It's Danny," he answered.

Well, no going back now.

Bruce looked shocked. Dick had achieved in mere minutes what he had been trying to do since they had met. This must be what Tim and Duke had jokingly referred to as Dick's 'Golden retriever energy'.

"Nice to meet you, Danny. I hope you enjoy your time here," Dick grinned without missing a beat.

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1.2k words
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