Dick was nervous.

He had every right to be nervous honestly, those GIW agents were still hanging around and could strike at any moment. So far he had no way of defending himself, Danny, AND Alfred until they struck. Sure Dick could defeat them in hand to hand combat, but as they have obviously shown, they're going to try to avoid that.

Dick wanted to leave actually, he wanted to settle in one of their safe houses on the other side of Gotham. But he decided they should stay, because 1. Alfred was technically in charge and he wasn't sure that the butler would appreciate abandoning the manor 2. It was way too dangerous to let the GIW have free reign of the Batcave 3. Their identities might be compromised and that's a big problem.

There, of course, was the question of calling Bruce in. Dick decided they could handle this on their own, Bruce put Dick in charge of Danny's safety and he wasn't about to back down because the agents got loose. But he should at least let Bruce know about that. So while Danny recuperated on the medical table he shot Bruce a quick text about the escaped agents but they were fine, and yeah of course if it got too much he'd call him, yada yada yada.

In any case, Dick had a fair amount of anxiety bubbling under his skin, but he bottled it up for the sake of the child whose trust in him was trepidatious at best. He couldn't afford to have Danny run off like he had earlier, the agents were here for him and weren't above murdering anyone in their path.

They managed to get to Dick's room without incident, not seeing hide nor hair of any GIW since the attack on Alfred. Which he definitely made it a priority to figure out how on earth Danny knew Alfred was in trouble, because that could come in handy. Also he really needed to figure out how the agents even escaped, but the fact that they could turn invisible was not lost on him. If they could do that, what else could they do? Bruce was the one decoding their files, Dick had been at school and hadn't been able to help much in that department. He was paying for it now.

Stupid school.

On the brighter side of things, the young vigilante happily noted that Danny seemed to be more content in Dick's arms. He rested fully against him instead of huddling tensely like he did the first time Dick ever held him. It wasn't much of a step up, in fact he still wasn't even holding onto him, but it was progress.

Speaking of progress, Dick needed info and fast. The acrobat didn't want to ask too many questions right after the stressful impromptu surgery they did on his leg, but being in the dark wasn't something he thought they could afford at the moment. But he did relent to a more easygoing, less 'interrogating' conversation. The last thing this kid needed was a broken promise from their tentative trust that he had to keep reminding the boy was there.

"Alright Danny, I'm going to set you down on the floor, I'll grab some paper and crayons." Dick said, looking behind him as he lowered the boy to the ground. Alfred was behind him, both silently agreeing none of them should be alone while the agents were still out and about.

Danny plopped gently onto the floor, sitting still and waiting as Dick moved off to scower his desk for some paper. Alfred settled into the chair near the balcony after having grabbed a book from one of the bookshelves. The acrobat found some discarded math homework, granted it was graph paper it might have to do. Thankfully he found some other papers, old assignments with print on the front but the backs were clean. He grabbed those and the pack of crayons in the drawer, keeping the graph paper just in case.

He returned to Danny and fell into a criss-cross, placing some white paper in front of Danny and himself then splaying the crayons.

He could tell Danny was looking at him, the boy grabbed at his pant leg and leaned away. Dick disliked when Danny did that, he knew it was probably because he was uncomfortable but he hated not knowing how to fix it.

"Here, you can start drawing." Dick said, pushing a few of the crayons in the small halfa's direction and picking up one himself. "You just put the crayon on the paper, it'll make a mark and you can make shapes and stuff with it." Dick showed off the blue crayon in his hand before placing on end on the paper and drawing a circle. "See?"

Danny bit his bottom lip, no longer leaning away but not moving to pick up any crayons.

Dick held back a sigh and put his crayon down, "Do you have a question?" Dick asked.

The boy's white hair bobbed up and down, his hands now gripping at his ankles. "...Why... why are you here?"

Dick blinked, out of all the questions he was expecting that was not one of them. The acrobat shifted in his seat, fidgeting with his paper and taking a look around just in case any GIW agents decided to pop up. "'Cuz I wanna draw with you."

"But..." Danny's head ducked, an action Dick recognized as Danny expecting a swat and it tore at Dick's heart. "But... ex-experiment...?"

"It's not an experiment Danny, it's an activity that's fun. You like colors don't you?" Dick decided Danny needed more physical affirmations of non-violence, being on the same level as Danny seemed to be working so far but Dick wanted to really hammer it in through his actions. He promised he wouldn't hurt him, and Danny seemed to only believe that when he wasn't "in trouble" which he believed was more often than not. Dick wanted to prove it in a way Danny couldn't ignore or pass off as temporary.

Dick moved to lay on his stomach, feet in the air and propped himself up by his elbows. Danny's gaze was burning into him as he grabbed his crayon and started filling in his blue circle.

"...Sad?"

Dick looked up at Danny's small voice, finding the halfa apparently in shock. His toxic green eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape and hands tight around his ankles.

"What do you mean by sad?" Dick asked lightly, returning his attention to the drawing. Danny was always more uncomfortable when he was being stared at, and yeah, Dick couldn't blame him. Dick had his fair share of getting stared at, he'd grown used to it by now, but Danny had dealt with a very different type of stare. A stare that meant he was the center of attention, and attention meant pain more than half the time.

"...Blue circle..." Danny said slowly, only slightly shying away from the acrobat who started to lazily kick his airborne feet. "...Means... means you're sad."

Dick nodded along, glad he was finally getting somewhere with the color thing, but it might be easier than he thought. When they got the chance, (and maybe a bit further in the full-trust stage) Dick decided Danny should see the movie Inside Out. He already knew red was anger, blue was sadness, yellow was happy (joy), so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for green and purple to be disgust and fear.

"But you're not sad, you're pink."

Dick was thrown for another loop and paused his drawing to look at the boy. "Pink?"

Danny hunched his shoulders and looked away quickly, another thing Dick noticed Danny did when he was expecting something bad. Dick internally winced but he knew the boy had to get used to the stares meaning something other than pain. It would be a process, like everything else they were going to have to help the boy with. But his reaction wasn't as bad as a flinch so Dick counted it as progress. Small progress, but progress none the less. "Scared... i-in a bad way, makes you panic. It's purple and red, fire pink, but pink is also white and red so... pain."

Apparently this was more complicated than he thought. But how did Danny know?

"How do you know that?" Dick asked, trying to keep his tone light as he did another sweep of the room. Not only to make sure they weren't any agents but to take some pressure off of Danny.

The child's knees drew up and he hid his face in them with a fearful squeak. Apparently his attempt was in vain, Danny definitely felt in danger by that question.

"It's okay Danny, it's okay to know things, I'm just wondering how you know." Dick said, wanting to reach out to help. He thought better of it though and sighed as he looked down, drawing crude rectangle limbs for his blue circle.

"Its... It's okay?"

Dick fought himself, he shouldn't look up, all of his attempts of making Danny feel safe were (somewhat) working. Danny was finally believing him, believing he was safe. Being on his level, even lower than him actually, not making him the center of attention, it was all working.

Dick looked up anyway.

Danny's big and round eyes were on him, they were only slightly wet, not yet crying. His green irises seemed to glow with hope, yearning with such heated passion Dick didn't think anything could destroy it.

Yet Dick could, Danny was placing this trust in him that could make or break the child. What Dick wanted to do was obvious, he couldn't even imagine breaking the child, he wanted to see more of that passion. More of his light, more than just the dull reaction to whatever painful response he expected to receive for everything.

"Yes Danny, it's okay, you can share things with me, or Alfred and Bruce." Dick said steadily, trying to convey his sincerity through his own eyes because when Danny made eye contact it was blatantly obvious he wanted to look away immediately. That reminded the acrobat. "Only if you want to though, you don't have to."

Danny's brow furrowed, confusion washed over the fire in his eyes, putting it out and returning him to a dull dead green. Dick's heart twinged, as that was not his intention, but he saw the passion lurking underneath and it filled him with hope. "But... o-order...?" The child squeaked, hiding a touch further in his curled form.

Dick shook his head, "It's just a question, if you don't feel comfortable answering you don't have to. It would be nice if you did— but you don't have to. It's more important to me that you're comfortable telling me things rather than you giving me information because you're scared. You don't have to be scared because you won't get hurt if you don't answer."

Danny blinked a few times as he meekly looked down, ingesting the speech. Then Dick realized Danny was actually blinking back tears. "Kee— Guardians are confusing."

Dick released a breath, not understanding how all of his attempts to verbally console were doing the opposite. "It's not too complicated, if you trust someone you tell them things about yourself, if you don't trust them, then don't."

"But—" Danny cut himself off with a pained cry, lifting his hands to his head and digging his fingers into his hair. His eyes screwed shut as he buried his head in his knees, keening again loudly. "Wrong! Bad! Bad ghost! Why no hitting? Why is everything okay?! It's not okay! Not okay!"

Dick stared, stunned.

The child began to rock back and forth, hands tugging at his albino hair and gasping for breath. "Everything wrong! I don't understand! What do Guardians want?! Agents want blood, want screaming and asking to stop! Want hit to make yellow! Blood make yellow! Screaming make yellow! Ghost pain make agents yellow!" The boy screamed through his blubbering, choking on air and breathing heavily between spurts of speech. "Guardians want... trust! A-and nice! Guardians want comfort and okay. And that's wrong! I can't! I can't nice! I failed test, I failed nice because ghost only abom-abom-nation! Ghost only scum! Ghost only bad and no good! Ghost can only be hit! N-need punishment, need pain to make Guardians yellow! No good! Not good! Not okay! I can't make Guardians yellow by pain and that's wrong!"

"Danny..." Dick tried gently even though he was at a severe loss for words to respond with. The GIW didn't just mutilate his body, they messed up his mind. Big time.

"Please! If want okay then hit! Hit makes happy! Hit makes sense! Ghosts get hit and h-human happy." The boy stuttered over the end, shaking in place as his knuckles turned a similar shade to the hair they were in. The child went silent for a moment, breathing heavily and his hands went slack, resting on his head instead of fitfully grabbing. "I-I want... I want to make yellow for G-Guardians... but it's all wrong... all wrong. I-I can't, and that's danger."

Dick thought his heart might stop, that it already had and it was broken in two halves on the floor. This child... this child wanted to make his abusers happy by being abused. He didn't understand how Dick could be happy by not hitting him. Danny was conditioned, he was brainwashed, he was manipulated so much his way of thinking was completely backwards.

Scum. Dick was staring to hate that word, Danny kept using it to describe himself. (Danny didn't even think himself as human!) Dick knew exactly who that word should be used for, who deserved pain.

Those GIW agents were dead meat when Dick got his hands on them.

"Danny." He said, hating how authoritative his voice sounded, but it did the trick by making the boy freeze and pay attention to him. "You know how people feel, I don't know how or what it has to do with colors, but you know. You know what I'm feeling right now." Dick's gaze was locked on the small halfa, hating more than ever how he had to convince the child he was being given kindness and that was okay when he thought he only ever deserved animosity. "Look at me now. You're obviously in pain, am I happy? Do I have yellow because you're crying?"

Danny's eyes peaked over his knees, whimpering quietly as he sniffled in boogers and tears. Dick stayed still, having no idea if how Danny knew how people felt was actually visual as he thought it was (you need to look at things to perceive colors) or just really good observation. Or maybe it was magic, some ghost skill or something. Dick didn't care much at the moment, as long as Danny figured it out.

Danny's eyes settled on him, not his face or eyes, but lower down along his torso. Dick just watched, trying to catch the shift in the small child when he realized Dick wasn't happy.

There it was.

Danny's eyes blinked twice, the tears drying up in record time. He gasped quietly, eyes widening and flicking up to Dick's face before lowering again.

"Black." Was all he said, whispered reverently yet with a twinge of awe. "Black means broken."

"See?" Dick said gently, trying to regain some sense of calm and comfortableness. "Im blue because I get sad seeing you in pain. When I'm red I want to hurt the GIW because they did this to you. I'm black because my heart is broken because they made you think it's okay to be hurt, but it's not, they never should have hurt you."

Danny just stared, Dick wasn't sure his words even registered. He also hoped he was using the colors correctly, but he felt confident in the colors Danny told him the meaning of. What Dick really wanted to do was hug the poor child, but he couldn't do that from here.

The young vigilante started to move, lifting himself up slowly and drawing his knees in so he could sit on his heels. He kept an eye on Danny, making sure he didn't move too fast as to spook him more. Sure he was a great deal taller than the huddled child, but he surrendered that nicety so he could be better able to hug the boy.

"Can I hug you?" Dick asked hopefully, reaching his arms out just a little bit to be more inviting but not grabby. "That would make me yellow. But only if you want to, because I want to make you yellow too."

Danny's eyes shot up at that, looking like he just got the answer to life, the universe, and everything. That is to say he was shocked and confused, because why on earth is the answer to life, the universe, and everything 42?

Well actually it's quite simple when you're taught how to hack, it's just a bunch of coding.

Each character on a keyboard is represented by an integer between the number 1 and 127. For example, the letter 'A' is represented with 65, and the letter 'B' is represented by 66 and so on. The asterisk character is a wild card character which can be used in place of any other character. That explains why passwords are always concealed with an asterisk character.

The numerical equivalent of the asterisk character is the number 42. So the meaning to life, the universe, and everything is the number 42, that is, anything you want it to be.

Danny stared. He stared for a long time before he moved, but gently, methodically, he leaned forward out of his fetal position and crawled into the acrobat's lap. He rested himself down, not hugging or clinging, but laying himself in the older boy's reach. Danny was confused himself why he did it, internally questioning if he really wanted to see his guardian happy or if he actually wanted to be hugged.

Dick's arms lightly wrapped around the child, sinking lower to the ground so he could more fully envelop the small halfa. He didn't miss the hitch in the boy's breathing, or the initial flinch at the first touch, but he melted into the hug and that was enough for Dick. Sometimes the answer to the biggest most confusing problems was as simple as a number, or a hug.

They stayed like that, Dick loving being able to hug the scared boy and prove physically how much he cared. He could tell that's what worked best with Danny, physical boundaries (when he hid under the table) and physical emotions (the cores, however that worked— but also body language). Danny had trust issues with words, and only believed them when actions reinforced it.

This was good, Dick was learning the rules to Danny's game.

Dick was rewarded for his new knowledge, the tension in Danny's body eventually fell away and he was practically dough in Dick's lap. They shifted only once, Dick picking up the halfa so his head leaned against the older boy's shoulder and he could rub his arm and head with his hands. Danny didn't complain or move away, he didn't even squeak, his eyes just stayed low, watching Dick's chest like a hawk.

It was only a few minuets later when Danny broke the silence, surprising the acrobat— But this did not make Dick lose the smile he had on his face since the child came to him.

"...It's... it's a circle." Danny said quietly, one frail hand hesitating to come up before finally moving to lightly trace a softball sized circle on Dick's chest. "I... I call it a... a core. It has colors that mean feelings and feelings make actions. It swirls."

Dick nodded appreciatively, rubbing extra soothingly into the boy's scalp. "I'm sorry we're confusing and scary to you Danny. It's a pretty big change from how you were treated before and I'm not surprised anymore that you're frustrated. We were trying to change you too much all at once into a way of thinking you were traumatized into not thinking anymore. So I'm sorry, but we're not going to hit you, not now, not if you ask for it, not even if you get in trouble, not ever. We want you to feel safe and happy, that's the Guardian's goal, we want you to be yellow." Dick felt the boy tense under his arms and the acrobat let out a deep breath. The child probably thought he wasn't worthy of being happy, and if his actions in the past have anything to say about it it was rather obvious he was confused by the notion of himself being happy. Words were the last thing Danny was going to trust, but if he could start now, even if Danny didn't believe him, someday he would. "Weather you're a ghost or not doesn't matter, we want you to be happy, you need to let yourself be happy. If there's something you enjoy, or something that we do that upsets you, that makes you not happy, tell us and we will fix it. It doesn't have to be a lot, we want you to be comfortable so you can tell us at any pace you want. We can just do little things to start if you want. You don't have to tell me about the cores unless you want to, do you want to just draw them? Would that make you yellow?"

Danny didn't respond for a few seconds, and Dick was actually glad because that meant Danny was actually thinking about the question and what his answer would be. The halfa nodded, resultantly rubbing half his face against the teen's shirt. The child shifted a little and pointed one finger at the butler still reading in the corner of the room, no doubt listening in but not interfering until he thought necessary like he always does. "A-Alfred has one too... his is nice."

Danny started to wiggle, beginning to untangle himself from the older boy and crawling for the paper and crayons. Dick watched, taking in a deep breath and smiling. Jeez this kid was adorable, and much too traumatized. It was tiny, but progress of any size was still progress, he reminded himself. And this did feel like a great bounding leap in Danny's book, even though it was more like a baby step. Things weren't exactly resolved, but some of the tension went away and honestly that's all Dick could ask for.

All he knew was that he and Bruce were in for the long haul.

Danny glanced at him once, pausing right before he grabbed the crayons almost like he was asking permission. But Dick made sure he was passive, he wanted Danny to start by himself without prompting. But when it was clear Danny wasn't going to do that Dick nodded a little, gesturing to the paper and crayon. Danny stared at his chest (where his core must be, he HAD literally pointed it out) for a few seconds longer before finally turning his attention to the crayons.

Danny went to town on the papers, grabbing as many colors that could fit in one hand and fisting them into scratchy circles on the paper. He was hunched over the paper, still on his knees and focused wholly on the circles he was making.

Dick wanted to keep watching but knew he should probably not watch too intently in case the kid looked up and felt threatened by the attention. So he turned to his own drawing, reveling in a comfortable silence and secretly plotting the demise of the GIW. Maybe he could set a trap for the agents, force them out of hiding, make Danny the bait—

Dick's drawing hand froze and he blinked.

Whoa. No. He was NOT going to use Danny as bait. He wasn't going to USE Danny for anything. He could set a trap without the child, in fact the child shouldn't even know the GIW were still at large.

Danny caught his attention, he was flipping a few papers over, looking for more places to put circles. He had two papers in one hand, all with varying amounts of colors but all in a circular formation. In his other hand he looked for more paper, finding the backs of the blanks he put circles on had some black print on them. He drew on it anyway, scribbling harshly with the black crayon until it inevitably snapped in half.

Danny froze, eyes widening as he watched the broken crayon fall from his hand. He looked up, his face gone pale and full of fear.

Dick didn't understand until the boy scrambled back from the broken crayon like it was on fire.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He hiccuped, wide terrified eyes on the acrobat as he shrunk away. The boy's back hit the side of the bed and he hunkered next to it, but his big eyes stayed on Dick.

For a second Dick felt doubt, was this terror really terror or was it a show he put on for the agents? The poor boy did say that's what the agents wanted, the agents had wanted him scared so that's what he did to make them happy. Danny was fine seconds ago, and he was most of the time too, he was only scared when he got "in trouble". Like breakfast that morning when he hid under the table or when he ran away from Dick to help Alfred. But what was Danny really feeling? Was he actually scared? Was he putting on a show?

In any case, Dick decided to treat it as real emotions. Because he figured if you act a certain way for a while it's going to become habit, and habit becomes a way of life when there's nothing to do except please your abusers.

At that thought Dick felt the need to rush over, and started doing so, but the child flinched at the movement and he stopped. "Danny it's okay. Remember? We won't hurt you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"B-Bru-Bruce said—! Rule! N-no b-brea-breaking!" Danny stuttered, tiny chest heaving as he spouted off in a panic. "N-new rule no hitting when bad... b-but I broke it! Bad! W-what happens if bad but no hitting?!"

Dick felt like facepalming, "Danny he meant like a decoration or the chandelier, crayons break all the time. And even if you did break something we wouldn't be mad, accidents happen all the time. You're not in trouble. Here, come here."

Danny sniffled and hunched closer to the bed. Dick felt stupid, he just ordered the kid around again. He just wanted to help! The reluctance the child had to following what he said was obvious, it twisted Dick's gut and he hoped this didn't unwind everything he just created with the boy two minutes ago. Stupid stupid stupid.

Eventually Danny pulled himself away from the side of the bed and made it into his lap again, but he kept his head down and his hands started to shake where they rested loosely in his lap. Dick rubbed at his head with one hand, cursing himself up and down in his mind.

"Nothing is wrong Danny, look." Dick reached for the crayon he was using (orange, Danny was using most of the other colors) and held the boy with his other hand. The halfa's head was on his chest again, but this time he was not dough in Dick's arms. Danny was rigid, his body was locked and stiff, even shaking just a little bit. Dick pushed the crayon into the boy's sight then snapped the crayon in half with his fingers. Danny flinched hard and a small whimper escaped him. "It's just a crayon, I won't get in trouble for breaking a crayon and neither will you."

"But—" Dick held his breath, when Danny started with 'but-' it was usually followed by a rule the GIW beat into him. But this time he just whined and tried to draw back from the hug.

"It's alright, what do you want to say?" Dick tried, internally panicking if he should let the kid go or hold him tighter.

"W-what happens when get in trouble? If no hitting... what punishment does Guardians do?" Danny asked, still shifting and pulling at the arm curled around him that was keeping him in Dick's lap.

The acrobat blinked, Danny was asking about what they did for discipline if it wasn't hitting. But that wasn't the point, the point was Danny wasn't in trouble. "Danny it's okay, you're not in trouble-"

"Please!" The boy cried, this time falling limp in his arms as his back shook with fresh sobs. "Please! Please I'm sorry!"

Dick was confused, still unsure if he should let the boy go. Having him sobbing in his lap was good in some ways, but horribly wrong in others. "Danny, I'm sorry I don't understand."

"Please what is punishment? If not in trouble now, when? Guardians keep saying no trouble... when is trouble then?! What's danger?!" The boy was getting frustrated again and Dick relented to letting the boy go. Danny immediately tried to scramble backwards, but Dick laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, trying to make him stay without force and without holding him. Thankfully it was enough to make the boy freeze in his tracks without further terrifying him.

Dick took a deep breath as he shifted his grip on the child's trembling shoulder. If it really worried Danny that much he might as well give him an answer even if it wasn't needed. He did promise to answer Danny's questions when he asked them, now was the time to prove his words trustworthy. "When I get in trouble Bruce usually takes something away, and he gives it back when it's over. Nothing too important though, like a video game or TV time." Dick said gently, bending forward to try to drag the boy's eyes up to meet his own, or at least to look at his core. That's what usually made him believe the words, and it made sense.

Danny shivered in place, bottom lip trembling and keeping his head down as he sat in an awkward and tense criss-cross. "W-w-what a-are..." He squeaked and his hands rose to his face, wiping away tears but also hiding himself. Again Dick almost spoke to prod the boy on, but words never helped, so he stayed quiet and hoped the silence would goad the child like it had before. "...w-what a-are v-vid-vido g-gam-games? A-and Tee-Vee?"

Dick took a deep breath through his nose, another bout of sadness and anger rolling over him. He absentmindedly wondered if it reflected in his core. "They're fun things that pass the time when I'm bored, it's nice to have them but I don't need them, that's why Bruce can take them away. Bruce will never take away anything you need, he won't take away food or clothing, or your bed or blankets."

"C-can he take y-you away?" The small halfa's trembling voice wavered, ever so slightly leaning away from the grip on his shoulder.

Dick huffed and bent his head to the side, coughing into his outstretched arms shoulder to hide his amusement about this very serious question. Quickly enough though, he responded. "No, well sometimes, but that's called school."

"...Learn things at... sho- scoo- school." Danny said, head picking up finally, but just enough for Dick to see his nose through the matted white hair.

Dick nodded, smiling anyway. "Yup, I leave home to learn things at school, but I always come back, just like everything Bruce takes away when I'm in trouble."

Danny suddenly seized under Dick's hand, wide eyes shooting up to meet the acrobat's as his legs tensed and slightly folded inwards. "I don't have fun for boring things, what does Guardian do if no things to take away?"

Dick made a show of thinking, squinting off to the side and biting his tongue. "Eeeeh, Bruce will make me help out with Alfreds chores sometimes, even when there is stuff he can take away, it's up to Bruce. But for you he'll probably just make you go to bed early."

Danny blinked, not speaking for a moment or two as his eyes flicked down to his core a few times. "...That's it?"

Dick couldn't tell if his tone was hopeful or confused, and decided that both were correct. "Yup!" His hand came up without thinking, a smile crinkling his eyes as he booped the child's nose as he spoke.

Dick let go of the halfa's shoulder quickly, a wave of raw terror smashing through the acrobat. He should NOT have done that.

Danny's reaction was more subdued than expected though, he flinched back of course, looking a bit frightened and inched his way backward from the acrobat. But he didn't scream or cry, nor was all the trust he built in the past hour or so lost, something Dick decided was a miracle.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you like that." Dick said as he scooted back some to give the boy some space, deciding to create an example of himself.

Danny eyed him suspiciously, hands coming up and he curled a little bit more. "...Why?"

"I know you don't like random touches, so I'm trying to not touch you without asking. I'm sorry I startled you by booping your nose." Dick apologized as sincerely as one could for booping a nose. Unfortunately he couldn't hide the smile rising on his features.

Danny shifted in place, seemingly thinking a great deal about this because his own hand went up and touched his nose. "Booping bad?" He asked quietly, eyes coming back up.

Dick's grin grew bigger but he answered none the less, "That's for you to decide, not me. I like booping noses but maybe you don't, and that's okay. I should have asked if you were okay with booping noses before I booped your nose."

If Dick had to say 'booped' one more time he was going to lose it.

Danny seemed to notice, his eyes were pulled away from his face and looked down at Dick's chest, his core must be tattletaleing on him. Danny's hands grabbed his knees, his head tilting to the side as he spoke curiously. "Lots of yellow... booping makes lots of yellow?"

There was no stopping Dick now, a cackle busted from his chest, filling the air quite fully. Danny seemed to tense with his continued amusement, his eyes growing big and ducking his head. "Yes," Dick nodded, chest continuing to huff with laughter he tried to contain for the boy's sake, "booping makes a lot of yellow.' Dick beamed a smile at the boy, trying to convey that there was no reason to be tense because he was laughing. He had to admit though, laughing felt really good after the tense morning they had. Dick felt the sudden urge to make Danny laugh, he wondered what would seem funny to the little ghost ...probably not tickles.

Danny shifted in his seat again, this time rising to his knees. He pointed up at Dick, eyes cautious but interested. "Bruce did that too."

"Yellow?" Dick asked, his chuckling dying off rather quickly.

Danny shook his head, but also nodded it. "Laughing and yellow."

"Bruce laughed with you?" Dick asked, completely bewildered. Sure Bruce laughed plenty of times, at galas, at the office in WE, but at home he rarely laughed. It's not that Dick didn't try, Dick thought he was funny and his friends at school definitely thought he was funny. To Bruce Dick's comedy only warranted a smile or snort, only every now and then when he caught him in the right mood would he full out laugh. And he knew it was nothing against him that he didn't laugh all the time, Bruce was just that big of a party pooper. But the question remained, what had Danny done to make Bruce laugh?

Danny seemed to sense his confusion and reverence, his core tattled again didn't it? The little halfa sank to sit on his heels, hand coming down as he shrank. "Is... is that bad?"

Dick was already shaking his head, smiling wide for the boy. "No that's good, that's really good Danny, Bruce doesn't laugh that often so it's important when he does."

Danny took this information like it was his next life goal, which... actually it might. Dick decided to change the subject, it was not lost on him that this was the longest conversation they've had. Danny was really talkative (for him at least) at the moment and Dick didn't want this moment to end.

"Do you have a core Danny?" Dick asked as innocently as he could.

The child shrugged, still looking down in contemplation, but luckily he answered. "...Sometimes... I don't always."

"What about right now?" Dick asked, confused on how the boy could only have a core sometimes.

Danny shook his albino head, his hand coming up to rub his chest. "I think... I think only humans have it. The clock ghost didn't have one."

"Clock ghost?" Dick inquired, unsure if this ghost was from his time with the GIW and was a bad memory of sorts. Dick was just cautious, anything from Danny's past with the GIW was something to be cautious about.

Danny nodded, still rubbing at his chest but his words grew quiet. "He made Agent A go away... then he told me Alfred was in trouble."

"The bad Agent A?" Dick nearly gasped, the agents had been in the manor, definitely bad news. But also curiously enough, did Danny have an ally? "Do you know where the ghost is now?"

Danny shrugged as his face scrunched, like he himself wasn't sure. His hand came down and rubbed his thigh, the child as a whole seeming to rock backwards. "Disappeared, words got messed up."

"Did he give you a name?"

"No," he shook his head, shifting in his seat while his face continued to make odd expressions. "Maybe, he said weird things, but he had a clock in his chest and a lot of arm times."

"Well if he shows up again maybe he'll introduce himself." Dick said, unsure of what to make of some random ghost helping Danny. Arm times? Did he mean watches?

Danny didn't respond, this time shifting from side to side on his knees. Dick was confused by this, Danny was being very fidgety right now and he couldn't understand why. It was like he was rocking but not quite, his face was scanning the room and was twisted into an uncomfortable look. Danny's hands went to his pants and fisted the clothing, clenching and unclenching until a little whine came from the back of Danny's throat.

"You okay?" Dick asked, wondering what the heck was going on with Danny. Then it hit him, duh, the agents were still out there! He was worried about the agents! "It's okay Danny, I won't let the agents get you."

Danny's head snapped to the acrobat, but the look was all wrong.

"Danny?"

The child stood up, this time hopping from one foot to the other as his hands still fisted his pants. Danny's face was growing... green... wait is that how Danny blushed?

"N-need..." the boy started quietly, eyes darting around the room as he wiggled and shivered in place. "C-corner?"

"You need a corner of the room?" Dick tried to translate, when Danny nodded quickly Dick took a good look at the child. The words 'potty dance' just entered his brain when it finally clicked. "Oh, no, you need a bathroom."

Danny seized and shook his head, "W-where my room? If no per-permizion to corner here I go in corner there."

Danny's toes were curling and Dick shook his head as he stood up. Danny thought the corner of his room was the correct place to go? Yeah, Dick was going to have none of that. Those sick bas- "You can just use my bathroom, it's just right here."

Dick reached out to place an arm over the child's shoulders, guiding him to the bathroom connected to his bedroom. But Danny cried out and twisted away, huffing now as he continued to shuffle his feet uncomfortably. "N-no ghost i-in ba-bathrooms, r-rule!"

The acrobat sighed and loosely put his hands on his hips. "Well here we have a different rule, if you need to go, no matter what you are, you go in the bathroom because that's where all bodily waste should go."

Danny whined and ducked his head.

"It's perfectly alright Danny, I'll come with you if you want." Dick reached out a hand, deciding to let Danny dictate when they would go to the bathroom, even though he was sure if it wasn't soon then Danny was going to have an accident in his pants. Danny seemed to realize this too, and was probably weighing the pros and cons of peeing in his pants or risking the bathroom. In fact Dick almost told him he'd probably get in trouble peeing his pants rather than going to the bathroom, but if he was this hesitant to use the bathroom now he might not later... resulting in a mess... and probably a freaking out Danny.

Thankfully Danny decided the risk was worth it because he stepped forward and took Dick's hand, an eye flicking back and fourth over his core.

Dick smiled and led the boy to the bathroom, quickly explaining the toilet and sink. Once Danny was inside and nodded to his instructions Dick started backing out, closing the door. Just as Dick was about to click the door shut Danny cried out, the acrobat quickly popped his head back in.

"The point of a bathroom is privacy Danny," Dick explained, the boy hadn't pushed down his pants yet and Dick was thankful for that. But if it made Danny feel better... "Do you want me to stay?"

Danny's head shook, "C-come in... when done?" He asked gently, voice slightly cracking.

Dick nodded, "Sure, I can come in when you're done, just knock on the door to let me know okay?"

Danny looked confused for a second but nodded and started moving to shove his pants down, that's when Dick took his head back and closed the door.

The acrobat let out a breath as he stood there, blinking tiredly and running a hand over his face. Danny was complicated.

"If you are in need of a break Master Dick," Alfred spoke from across the room, his wise gaze lifting from his book. "I'd be more than happy to entertain the young master for you."

"No, I can do this Alfred." Dick said. He was sure Alfred hadn't meant he couldn't handle it, he was nice that way, but there was no hiding from Alfred that he was tired. Just a little though.

"I know full well traumatized little boys can be overwhelming." Alfred rose an eyebrow, "even you Master Richard."

Dick's lips quirked into a smile, a small huff exiting through his nose. "Danny is... something else though."

"All trauma manifests itself differently Master Dick, and while his is a severe case it is none the less treatable with some of what you might call TLC."

Dick huffed through his nose again, folding his arms and leaning heavily on one foot. "We might need more than just a little."

"I'm glad we came to an agreement," the butler stated, going back to his book. Dick just stared, confused because what on earth was Alfred trying to get at?

"What?" Dick finally asked.

"What's what Master Dick?" Alfred was definitely toying with him, he knew that butlers smirk anywhere.

"What was the point of saying all of that?" He clarified, genuinely confused because this man was so random sometimes yet always knew the right thing to say and when to say it.

The older man set his book down, settling a smart look on the young vigilante. "I'm saying you're doing a great job Master Dick, but this is just the first day, it would not do Master Daniel any favors to run yourself into the ground." Dick opened his mouth to respond to that, because even if it was not even a full day yet and he was getting tired, he was no where near 'running into the ground'. But the butler rose a hand, a single finger pointing upwards as the British man continued. "You are doing well in learning his game, as he is yours. But now that you know the rules do not expect them to work every time. Every rule has at least one exception and Daniel is no different. This will not be the last frustration he has with our way of thinking, and neither will it be yours with his. No matter how well you know the rules, or prepare, or take every precaution necessary, he will still become frustrated, and we must let him."

Dick frowned at the butler's words, taking a look down and thinking, because clearly Alfred had a point he was trying to get across, but it just wasn't quite clicking. "Let him?" Dick didnt like the idea of letting Danny be frustrated, he'd rather Danny never feel bad or confused.

"I seem to recall the only way to get back up again," Alfred paused slightly, settling a wisened look on the acrobat, one that held bouts of sadness yet fulfilling pride. "is to fall."

Dick was beginning to think he was understanding now. "He won't be able to feel joy if he doesn't feel sadness."

"There have been times when Master Bruce could calm you down after a nightmare, and there have been times he couldn't. I admit I have never seen Master Bruce so devilishly passionate as he had been in those moments, but there was simply nothing he could do. Just like I was inadequate to properly care for the freshly orphaned Bryce Wayne." Alfred looked to the bathroom door, voice softening somehow in such a way Dick thought impossible. "He is going to need you. He is going to need all of us, but he is still a child who will let his emotions out in the only way he knows how, and cushioning every fall will only suffocate his growth. It is a balance many parental figures struggle with, to know when to let the emotions out lest they consume and destroy him and when to dry his tears and get him back on his feet. Both are required, though one is hard to watch and the other is both mentally and physically taxing. But do not feel discouraged or inadequate Master Dick, I am simply warning you, now is not the time to let him be on his own to figure everything out, but it will come, and we will see the fruit of your labors when he rises."

Dick was still processing, he wasn't in shock, he was just soaking the advice in. For a good few seconds Dick wondered how on earth Alfred got so wise. Besides that though, he realized he really would do anything for Danny. But if that included taking a step back to let the boy think for himself then so be it, Dick had no intentions of controlling Danny's thoughts, but he could see how that could quickly become an issue. They could accidentally become the GIW, controlling his thoughts and his way of life, Danny needed a voice too, and it was Dick's job to make sure it was there in the first place, and if that meant shutting his own mouth then Dick was all for it.

Thankfully that was not now, but it was a good warning, because now was when those foundations were made. What happened in these first few days and weeks after being freed from the GIW would mold the boy into whoever he would become in the future, hopefully his own person. Danny was nine, Bruce told him, nine. He should already be making plenty of his own decisions, but looked to Dick for permission to grab a crayon. He was afraid of using a bathroom like a normal human being.

Dick's thought process shattered when a light thumping noise emanated from the bathroom door. Dick jumped honestly, he wasn't expecting it in the moment of quietness and he was deep within his mind when it happened. Dick looked to Alfred first, dipping his head and speaking. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Alfred."

"Any time, Master Dick." The butler returned to his book as Dick twisted around, hand going for the doorknob.

Dick swung it wide open and Danny stood still next to the sink, arms stiff at his sides and head down. A little bit of Dick twisted inside at the sight, Danny seemed to be expecting some type of subjecting action. The formality present in Danny's behavior alone was enough testament of the GIW's atrocities, they probably conditioned him to expect a beating every time they entered the same room as him. So Dick came forward and crouched in front of the child, wanting to touch but remembering his own promise and kept his hands to himself. He was different from the GIW and he was going to prove it.

"Hey there Danny, you all good now?" He asked with a smile, his eyes not quite crinkling as he ducked his own head to get a look at the child's eyes. Danny avoided his gaze for reasons unknown to Dick, he couldn't understand why Danny was so shy now. He was hoping for a conversation, but the boy said nothing.

Did something happen? Did an Agent pop up in the bathroom? Well no, Danny wouldn't still be here if that happened. Was this all because he was using a bathroom? This was a mystery Dick couldn't figure out without Danny's help, but he didn't seem to want to.

"You alright? You can talk to me, remember?" Dick said, getting worried over the prolonged silence.

The child just sifted from foot to foot, this time leaning towards the acrobat. Dick was so confused, Danny never voluntarily came into his space and he thought the boy was scared of him again. Apparently not? Confused, Dick did something he knew and offered a hand up, Danny's shoulders scrunched but surprised the acrobat by latching onto it immediately. The halfa pointed to the toilet, an odd sound coming from the back of his throat as he inched closer to the older boy.

"What's wrong with the toilet?" Dick asked, standing up as the child half hid behind him with a vice like grip on the acrobat's hand.

Danny just pointed again, this time Dick deduced where exactly the problem was.

"You're scared of flushing?" Dick couldn't help the fond smile rising on his face, Danny was still a child after all.

The boy nodded vigorously, a choked sound coming from him when Dick stepped forward with him still attached. Dick easily flushed the toilet and Danny ducked behind him, keeping his firm grip on the elder's arm.

Dick realized he liked it when Danny used him as a shield, because as Danny was more attuned to physical confirmations of trust he was showing he trusted Dick to protect him from the evil toilet bowl. This was the first time Danny ever outwardly showed he felt protected by Dick, and that made Dick feel good.

The acrobat twisted around, facing the boy huddling behind him. "Did you wash your hands?"

The boy's head shook and his tight grip on Dick's hand went slack, and just like that Danny seemed to want to get away from him. The little halfa stepped away, head down and arms straight at his sides again. Dick frowned, definitely a learned trait.

"Hey it's alright, I'm not angry, I just wanted to know. Washing your hands is what you do after going to the bathroom, I can help you." Dick tried, but the child seemed to shrink away. "Is something wrong Danny?"

After getting no response Dick took a deep breath through his nose and settled down on one knee, again putting himself at Danny's level and trying to make himself look more inviting. "Can you at least look at me please?"

Something small squeaked from the boy and his shoulders scrunched again, but his head did turn upwards. Danny's eyes were big and wet again, but this time Dick had no idea why or how. Dick decided he wanted his core to talk to Danny, but he didn't know much how to do that, so he did it with his face instead. Dick furrowed his eyebrows, titling his head a little to the side as his face twisted in concern. "Danny I'm sorry but I don't know what's wrong, and I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"...S-said no have to... to answer if I don't... want to...?" Danny said brokenly, hesitating far too much for Dick's taste.

Dick nodded, not letting the concern on his face slip because he was still very concerned. "I did say that didn't I? And while you don't have to, in this situation you would be helping yourself and me by telling me what's wrong. I want to help you Danny, but I can't do that without your help."

"...Why...?" Danny asked quietly, Dick almost spoke again but Danny kept talking, something Dick was pleasantly surprised about. "W-why not be like G... GIW...? Why want to help and make me yellow? I failed nice test."

Okay well now Dick was confused again. Test? What test was Danny talking about? "What test Danny?"

It was Danny's turn for his face to twist in confusion, but it was quickly overrun by fear and shame. "T-the nice test... guardians are nice to m-make me o-obey... b-but I r-ran... and u-used p-powers... and R-Robin said to stay... a-and I did e-everything w-wrong..." The boy was in tears now, again, for the fifth time that day. His shoulders came up to his ears and his arms held each other tightly over his chest, head lowered as the tears breached his eyes and trailed down his cheeks. His entire body trembled, eyes no longer staring at Dick, but on the floor and still wide with terror. "...T-that's w-why e-exp-experiment o-on t-table... I-I w-was bad... n-no more n-nice g-guar-guardians... s-s-so why—?"

Danny's voice cracked and his word was cut off, and when he didn't start again Dick figured he was done, and Dick was glad of that. Dick wanted to hug him again, but this time he wasn't sure if Danny would allow him to again.

"It wasn't a test Danny, we aren't nice to make you obey us, we're nice because you need it." Dick stressed gently, trying to convey how much he cared through the words alone. He did notice that they've had this conversation before, Danny wouldn't be able to comprehend why, yet he kept asking for it. Dick couldn't do much about that except keep telling him the truth and hope that someday he might believe it. But first things first, "We didn't experiment on you Danny, there were bits of ectoranium in your leg that needed to come out because they were hurting you, you don't need to feel pain."

The acrobat sighed again, not really looking forward to explaining again why they were being nice and why Danny could be happy. But clearly the boy needed it, he kept questioning it, probably thinking it was a lie. "Danny the GIW hurt you, really bad, you were bleeding out when we found you. You would have died because they were bad people doing bad things, but no more, you're with us now. Now you're not going to get hurt, now you don't have to be afraid, you don't have to be quiet or hide, you can be happy. Because no matter what they told you, human or not, ghost or not, you are Danny, you are sentient and can feel things, and you deserve a chance to be happy."

Danny just continued to cry and Dick continued to kneel there, wondering if anything he said made a difference. This was the problem last time, changing Danny too much too quickly, Danny just couldn't understand why they were being so nice. Hopefully the day he believed these words was sooner rather than later.

Dick quietly sighed, shifting a little and taking a glance to Alfred. The wise old butler only raised an eyebrow, this was Dick's fight, he had to use what he knew to combat this evil.

"How about this Danny..." he started again, getting a new idea that just might work, "let's ignore the why, ignore everything everyone has ever said to you and let's live right now, right where we are and the problems there. Right now you're crying, and I don't like that, so to fix it I'm going to hug you because that makes crying go away."

Danny sniffled in place, hands coming up to rub his itchy eyes and runny nose. He wasn't full out sobbing anymore, that was an improvement. He was staring warily at Dick through his tears, maybe not trusting the 'ignore the why' or maybe some of the acrobat's earlier proclamations were still running through his head. In any case, Dick opened up his arms, going for an inviting smile he knew was much too laden with sadness, "So Danny, can I hug you?"

The small halfa stayed rooted to the spot, until he took a step forward, then another, until he stumbled and shambled right up to Dick. He didn't latch around, he didn't grab, nor did he even face the older boy on his level. He just leaned into his chest, hands still clutched near his own neck and put his face in the acrobats shoulder. His back bounced with new soft cries and only slightly flinched when Dick's warm arms wrapped around his small body.

The arms squeezed gently, rubbing his back softly, one moving up to his neck and the fingers combed through his hair. Dick started swaying from side to side, gently hushing his cries and massaging the back of his skull.

"I— I —hic—" the boy started breathlessly, or at least attempted, he got interrupted by his own hiccuping. Dick just continued to soothe, two more hiccups jerking the child's body before he attempted speaking again. "I-I can't! I'm sorry!" He said in a sobbing rush, burying his face further into Dick's shoulder, more towards the crook of his neck.

His sobs renewed with that declaration and Dick raked softly through the boy's hair and rubbed gentle circles on his back. "It's okay Danny, it's okay, I know it's hard. You don't have to believe me right now." Dick murmured, tilting his head just enough to be almost speaking directly into Danny's ear. "You're being super brave right now Danny, you're doing such a good job."

Dick was unsure of how long they stayed like that, time got lost when Danny cried in his arms. It felt stretched, like the moment was lasting forever, but it was actually five minuets, or he would blink and it seemed like Danny's crying was over within seconds.

This one felt long, maybe it was because he was kneeling in a bathroom, but it felt like it was lasting hours. He could tell Danny was running out of tears, surely the kid didn't have that much water in his system. Or maybe now that he did have water he could actually do normal bodily functions like crying and peeing. Dick made the mental note to get Danny a water bottle to keep with him. He wondered how Danny would react to that, or any gift at all for that matter.

He made a second note to find something to gift the boy, but it had to be something he was interested in.

Then Dick realized something. This might be the first time Danny ever had someone to cry on, the first time he ever could do anything like crying or talking without some form of physical anger. This was the first time Danny was coddled for crying, soothed after being upset instead of beaten down. Danny must be expecting it every time, but instead they would hug him, that alone would be so confusing to the child.

"So brave." Dick muttered, pausing his ministrations to gently squeeze the boy again. Danny was leaning heavily on him, he actually might be asleep, in any case, the bed was better for cuddling in than the bathroom floor. "Can I carry you Danny? We can continue cuddling on the bed, it's much more comfortable there, but only if you want to."

It took Dick another second to really realize how severe the ability to choose was taken from this child. Danny probably never encountered something like this before, choices and having to choose the correct one. Dick could tell it was making the little halfa nervous, he tensed in his arms ever so slightly.

But the child shook his head, wiggling as he tried to escape Dick's trapping hug. The acrobat let go, letting the boy loose and tried to get eye contact. Danny was still sniffling, hands near his face as he swiped at his nose and eyes. Eyes obviously busy being rubbed, Dick decided to plan their next course of action.

"Do you want to take a nap Danny? Or do you want to continue drawing?" He asked, then after a few seconds of thinking tagged on, "or how about food? Are you hungry? Or we can do anything else you want to do."

This time Dick could clearly see the boy's anxiety, he seized and clutched at his own hands, curling up defensively with the tiniest movements. Maybe Dick gave him too many options, or maybe Danny was just that scared of making a simple decision.

"It's okay Danny, none of those choices will get you in trouble, I just want to know what you want to do next." Dick explained, settling an arm over his propped knee and leaning on it.

"...Why?" Danny's small voice cracked but he continued softly and wetly. "W-why g-guardian stay? W-what does g-guardian want g-ghost to do?"

Dicks eyebrows twisted up in concern and consideration. "May I ask what you mean by that? I want to answer but I am confused by your question."

Danny squeaked a little, his shoulders coming up a little bit more. "A-agent's w-would leave me a-alone... u-until they w-wanted to h-hurt ghost... w-why does guardian stay?"

Dick contemplated an answer, apparently the GIW would leave him alone until they wanted a punching bag, so all this prolonged contact was probably freaking the boy out. Dick didn't want to leave the boy alone, especially not while the GIW agents were out and about, but he also knew Danny would have a really hard time going from 'once and a while beat-up visit' to 'Guardians there all the time but no violence'. Maybe later, Danny could have some alone time to really think things through, that's probably why he acted different in the bathroom, because he was by himself.

But right now Dick couldn't really give Danny that luxury while the GIW were on the loose. "Yeah we have been spending a lot of time together haven't we? I'm sure you're just about tired of my presence huh?" He smiled, trying to joke with the boy.

Danny only seemed confused by it, and gave no response, probably because he had no idea how to respond to that.

Dick took a deep breath and slightly shook his head. "Sorry, I just mean you're probably tired and want to be alone right?"

The boy's eyes seemed to harden with confusion, if that's a thing, and he shrugged.

Dang it, why did the GIW have to make Danny so indecisive?

"Well I think it's time for a nap, you've had a pretty stressful morning and the only way to get that energy back is to sleep." Dick said, honestly he was surprised the kid hadn't passed out yet, crying five times in one day with all the trauma he experienced? Yeah, a nap was definitely in order.

Dick stood up while he gave the kid a smile, not reaching for him but extended a hand out for the boy to grab. Danny seemed reluctant, but he uncurled a hand from his chest and grabbed Dick's, holding it tight. The older acrobat gently pulled the boy along and out of the bathroom, heading for the big bed near the mess of papers and crayons. Danny could finish drawing later, the boy was exhausted, and Dick wanted to extract the GIW from his house without worrying about their little charge.

Maybe... maybe it was time to call in big Bat.

"Here, you can sleep in my bed for right now." Dick said as they came up closer to the large bed. Danny's other hand came up to grab the hand he was already holding, his alarmed eyes going up as if Dick just told him to put his hand on a burner. Dick smiled down at him, trying to relieve the tension the boy was wracked with. "I'm giving you permission, I would like everyone in the same room for right now okay?"

Danny seemed to understand this better, his acid gaze lowering to the soft bed with less trepidation.

Then a weird noise made it to Dick's ears, it was distracting and faint, but growing louder. It was something moving fast, slicing through air, like how a shuriken or boomerang sounded.

He didn't get much of a chance to look for whatever it was because the sound became present in the room and got cut off by a yelp from Danny and a metallic 'thunk'.

Dick twisted and kneeled in an instant, trying to figure out what happened and hoping Danny didn't cry again. It took all of Dick's willpower not to reach up to see if Danny was alright, he had to remember to keep his hands to himself. Danny was rubbing the back of his head, face contorted in a grimace, there was no tears but his eyes shone with a familiar wetness.

On the floor was an innocent boomerang.

Danny seemed spooked by it, clutching onto Dick and scooting up close to his side. "It's okay Danny, are you alright? What is it?" The acrobat leaned forward and picked up the boomerang, confused by its sudden appearance.

The words GIW were right on the top of his mind when Danny shivered violently next to him. More concerned about that, Dick turned to the boy, only to witness a puff of cold hair exit his parted lips. Danny was staring wide-eyed at Dick, Dick staring confusingly back. What was that?

Then the whole room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Goosebumps prickled along Dick's arms and he swore the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Then an icy feeling dripped right down his spine, like that time Wally poured ice down the back of his shirt as a prank. But this wasn't ice, it was something else... something... alive.

Danny whimpered quietly and got even closer to the acrobat, Alfred even seemed to feel it all the way over in his chair. Dick locked eyes with the butler for a second before the older male saw something behind the duo and shot up from his seat.

"Master Dick!"

It sounded like a warning, honestly everything felt like a warning, but that's the exact moment Dick became aware of a deep, raspy, wet panting sound.

A shadow dropped over the two children, the cold feeling getting just a hint stronger. The eldest looked up and back, only to be met with a giant green muzzle full of sharp teeth the size of his head. Dick stumbled back, tugging Danny behind him until they hit the bed as he took in the rest of the intruder.

It was obviously a dog, a giant, green, glowing dog.

If Dick didn't clash with insane clowns and plants bent on world domination every week he might of been surprised and or terrified.

At least, MORE surprised and terrified than he already was.

The giant beast was definitely green, a toxic shade not unlike Danny's eyes. It wasn't transparent, but Dick could sort of see through it, it was hard though with the halo encompassing the thick green fur. The massive dog had a giant black nose, easily the size of Dick's entire arm, below the nose the dog's giant purple tongue lolled in and out, dripping thick dollops of ghost dog saliva onto the hardwood floor. (Gross... Alfred was not going to like that.)

Dick was having a hard time placing the breed, he was thinking Mastiff or Rottweiler, but he was deciding he was going to go with Bullmastiff. It's ears were black, perked forward ever so slightly, and it's butt was swaying just enough to hint a wag. It's eyes though, it's eyes were blood red, without any pupil and staring straight at Dick. Curiously enough the dog had a collar on, a giant black spiked collar, the single letter A engraved on one side.

"...Hi." Dick got out after a second of just existing in the dog's presence. He was unsure if this dog was friend or foe, or what it had to do with the GIW and the boomerang. What he did know, was that the dog was HUGE, definitely taller than Dick, and maybe even taller than Bruce!

He was being stared at, and he felt in danger, this was a very big dog with lots of muscle who could probably fit all of him in his mouth with one chomp. Dick hadn't really been afraid of dogs before, but this one was the size of a horse, and that's definitely terrifying. Sure he'd been around elephants and horses and even big cats most of his younger years, but it's different when it's a giant DOG. Dogs are fast, elephants are not, horses even aren't that fast, cats and dogs are the ones to look out for.

Dick did not want to move in case the dog shifted moods, it didn't seem too aggressive, but in his line of work it was always best to assume the worst and either be right, or pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately the universe decided Dick should be right.

Dick's grip on the boomerang and Danny's hand tightened as a low rumbling growl started at the back of the dog's throat. The dog lowered itself, face starting to wrinkle and teeth beginning to show. Those red eyes narrowed, almost turning into slits, a full blown growl snarling in Dick's face.

Now. Now was the time to call in big Bat.

Dick was galvanized into action when the giant dog let out a sharp thunderous bark and reared up with its gaping maw open, ready to swallow the two boys whole.

WHOOPS

12066 WORDS

Um see this is what I didn't want, whooooooopspssss. This chap is longer than 10,000 by quite a steep margin.

Whoops

Ngl, there was actually supposed to be a lot more actual action in this chapter, but then all the Danny stuff kept happening and honestly this thing is sort of writing itself so...?

YAY WE FINALLY KNOW WHAT BLACK MEANS! Anyone surprised? Anyone facepalming? Anyone think it's weird or cliché?

Hahaha, just don't assume it's simple. I live to make simple stories complicated.