Chapter Text
Danny was running from the GiW. He can't remember how he got captured and he didn't even know how long the GiW kept hold of him. Months or years Danny lost count. He was torn apart so many times he completely lost hope. He's not even sure how he escaped.
One moment he was getting his organs ripped out then everything went green and he was flying away as fast as he could. Danny kept on flying for days until he came up on a city with more ambient ectoplasm than any other city beside Amity Park.
Danny flew into the city, his exhaustion catching up to him as the dark gloomy city guarded him from the GiW's threat. Danny could feel the darkness that resided in the city but entered anyway.
Danny felt his intangibility and invisibility leave him as he landed on a random rooftop. Danny couldn't transform back into his living form. His body was barely kept together by his hazmat suit alone.
Danny collapsed on the roof laying on his back. Danny winced in pain trying his best to keep all of his organs in his body and in the right place. Danny's eyes started to close and he forced them open.
He can't fall asleep yet. He's not safe. If he passes out he'll transform and he can't do that. His body wouldn't stay together.
Danny just layed there for a while letting his form heal. Danny did his best to stay awake as he felt his form stitch itself together. It was difficult though because he wasn't gaining any new pain to keep him awake. He was healing and he wasn't going to be torn apart anymore.
He laid there for what felt like hours but could have been mere minutes. Danny then heard something land on the roof he was on.
It sounded heavy but not heavy enough to be a person, maybe a cat? The thing approached him, its steps light and almost silent.
Danny turned his head towards the thing and was surprised to see a person staring down at him. The person was wearing a mask and a black vigilante suit with a big blue bird symbol on his chest. The person flinched away from him as their eyes met.
"Hello? Are you alive?" The vigilante asked and Danny would have scoffed if he had the ability to breath right now. Danny's vocal cords weren't working and his lungs hadn't come all the way back so he just shook his head.
"Wait, what? What are you?" The vigilante asked and Danny couldn't speak or move so he just stared.
"Okay, undead creature. Can you understand me?" The vigilante questioned, crouching down and examining him. Danny gave a small nod.
"Cool! I'm Nightwing! Who- uh... huh. Do you need help?" Nightwing asked him and Danny froze in fear.
Help from a vigilante? How safe is that? Is that safe?
"Can I help you?" Nightwing asked, sounding very unsure of himself. Danny nodded. Nightwing frowned and looked over his body not sure what to do.
"Pr-o-te-ct me." Danny managed to breathe out enough air for a simple plea and Nightwing nodded.
"Yeah, I can protect you. I would get some medical supplies but I'm not sure if I can actually touch you." Nightwing said, trying to poke his arm. Danny immediately went intangible and Nightwing shivered as his hand went through him.
"Freaky." Nightwing said not trying to touch him anymore. Danny gained his tangibility again then closed his eyes tight in pain. It wasn't the poking or cutting pain he's used to but a dull throbbing pain of his body healing itself.
"I found an undead creature. I think it's a spirit or ghost. I'm not really sure. It looks like a fourteen year old but his body is... not alive. " Nightwing was talking to someone on his comms and Danny listened but didn't strain his ears to listen to the other person on the other side of the line.
"It looks like he was vivisected. He's bleeding green stuff that looks like Lazarus water and his body looks like it's been torn to shreds." Nightwing said and Danny frowned, already very aware of all his injuries.
"You don't have to come out here, he's just lying on a roof." Nightwing said and Danny started to panic.
"Yes, I'm sure he's sentient. He asked me to protect him." Nightwing said and Danny felt a little bit of relief.
Nightwing called him sentient. He hasn't been classified as sentient in ages.
"Th-an-k you." Danny managed to say his thanks as his lungs regenerated most of the way.
"No problem kid." Nightwing said and Danny smiled at him. Nightwing smiled back then went back to looking over the rooftops.
"No, I can't move him! He's intangible!" Nightwing yelled and Danny smiled as he realized Nightwing was worried about him.
Someone was worried about him. He forgot what it felt like to be worried about. He should probably leave before Nightwing tries to bring in an expert.
Danny let invisibility and intangibility wash over him and he slowly floated down into the rooftop. He observed the room he floated into and was glad to see it vacant of life and looked very much abandoned. Danny relaxed and let himself heal.
Danny laid there for hours until his healing finally closed up the wounds on every part of his body and he was no longer being held together by his hazmat suit alone. He finally transformed back into his living form and immediately passed out.