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Tim Drake sat parked in his car in front of the venue and let out a breath as he stared at his reflection. Tonight was another gala he had to attend as Timothy Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises and he needed to mentally prepare himself to deal with the schmoozing and ass kissery that came along with it. He looked down at his arm and pushed the sleeve of his suit jacket up to stare at the soul mark that glared back at him, taunting him as always.
Twenty seven years old and he had yet to find his soulmate. At this point, he was wondering if his soulmate even actually existed and the universe was just playing a giant prank on him.
Every soul mark represented things that were important to a person, pivotal moments in their lives that changed everything.
Tim’s was a red robin, a yellow Red Robin logo on its chest with the Libra constellation on the back in bright, Lazarus green. The robin was surrounded by green stars and bright green lines behind it. A mix of Lazarus green and Red Robin colors.
The robin made sense for Tim, becoming Robin, and then later, Red Robin had fundamentally changed his entire life and changed the course of his life. But for years, he had wondered about the green stars and constellation. What could they mean? Who did they represent? And what did they represent for that person?
First, when Jason had come back from the dead and had been dipped in the Lazarus pits, Tim had been worried that he was Tim’s soulmate until Jason and Roy had come out that they were soulmates. Then there had been the scare that it was Ra’s with his strange obsession with Tim, but that fear was long gone thanks to Damian of all people who told him that his grandfather had killed his soulmate and physically removed his own mark centuries ago to avoid the “weakness” that came with having a soulmate.
But it begged the question of who.
He shook his head and rolled his sleeve down as he pulled forward and threw his car in park once the valet had motioned for him.
He took the ticket from the valet and made his way into the venue. The gala was an award ceremony with organizations and businesses from all over the country coming in for it. All the biggest fortune 500 companies were there, every socialite with a nonprofit or influencer with a new program there.
Tim had been nominated for a few awards, the most important one being “Most Influential CEO under 30” one that Tam was pretty sure he had in the bag. Besides, who had made more of a difference than Timothy Wayne? Right?
He wandered through the large ballroom for a few moments, grabbing a flute of champagne from a server as he looked through the crowd, identifying well known faces, some newer, and everyone in between.
Tim flashed a small smile to a few other younger CEOs and quickly avoided an influencer who had set his eyes on him and started to beeline towards him only to run chest first into someone.
“Oh!” He exclaimed before reeling back, holding his champagne glass back to avoid spilling it. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
A deep chuckle rang through his ears and he looked up to find a younger man, close to Tim’s age giving him a soft smile. The man was beautiful, a few inches taller than Tim, shoulder length black hair slicked back and out of his face, sparkling blue eyes. Tim even caught sight of piercings in the man’s ear.
“Daniel!” A voice called before the man could say anything and Tim glanced over Daniel’s shoulder to find Vlad Masters of all people hurrying towards them. Tim refrained from rolling his eyes at the older man and looked back at Daniel who stepped back and looked at Vlad as he stepped towards them.
“Mr. Wayne, I apologize for my godson, he is unfortunately not quite media trained for these situations quite yet,” Vlad said and Daniel let out a laugh.
“And if we have it my way, we’ll be keeping it that way,” Daniel said before blue eyes slid back to Tim. “Timothy Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Drake Industries.”
Tim arched his eyebrows. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage. I know Mr. Masters, here, but I wasn’t aware he had a godson.”
“Yes, Daniel here has taken over my company these last few years as I have been unable to tend to it due to my cancer diagnosis,” Vlad told him smoothly and Tim looked him over.
Vlad Master’s cancer diagnosis had been all over the news when it had first been announced. It was declared terminal from what Tim could remember yet somehow Mr. Masters had managed to surprise everyone by living past each of the timelines doctors had given him. But the cancer had done damage, the man was barely recognizable these days, leaning far too heavily on his cane, face gaunt and hair thinning and completely gray.
Unfortunately for Tim, he had not realized that he had stepped down as CEO, it must have been a quiet transition.
“I see,” Tim said and looked back at Danny. “How are you enjoying CEO life? Dalv-Co is one of the top weapons manufacturers in the country, yes?”
“And now it’s the leading manufacturer for technology and medical supplies,” Daniel told him, glancing around the gala, eyes bored as if he wanted to be anywhere else in the world. He looked back at Tim and gave him a sharp toothed smile. “Soon, we’ll be surpassing Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises with the advancements we’ve been making in tech and med.”
Tim arched his brows. “Interesting, considering I haven’t heard anything about Dalv-Co in quite a few years. Not since Mr. Master’s cancer diagnosis three years ago.” Tim tilted his head to the side as he looked Daniel over, scrutinizing. “In fact, I hadn’t even known he stepped down. So you must not be making very big waves, Daniel. But it’s alright, maybe you’ll catch up. I’ll be surprised if you do, though.”
Amusement flicked across Daniel’s face as he looked Tim up and down, the corners of his lips curled up in a small smile. “Well, Timothy, I hope you’re prepared for that surprise. Now, if you’ll excuse me, important conversations are happening and they unfortunately do not involve you,” he said before sauntering away, Vlad at his side.
Tim watched him go, gritting his teeth as he did.
“I see you have met young Daniel,” Lex said as he replaced Daniel at Tim’s side.
“Yes, I have,” he grumbled. “Where’s Conner, I thought you were making him attend these more?”
“Conner is with that Sandsmark girl tonight,” Lex said before taking a sip of his champagne. “What do you think of Dr. Fenton?”
“That man’s a doctor?” Tim asked with a scoff.
“PhD, but yes. From Mercy’s research, he got his PhD at just twenty three years old. He’s only twenty-five and from what I’ve heard is rumored to be winning that CEO award you were nominated for,” Lex said lightly before he looked at Tim. “I imagine he will be shaking up quite a few things in the coming years.”
Tim let out a hum, saying nothing as he watched Daniel Fenton laughing and schmoozing with the executives of STAR Labs. He was charismatic from what Tim could see and could very easily get people eating out of the palm of his hand. Not surprising if he was being groomed by his godfather.
Vlad had shot to power with Dalv-Co but had never been able to quite bust to the top to be at the same level as Wayne Enterprises or Lex Corp. But that hadn’t stopped him, Masters was a businessman through and through. He was sleezier that even Lex and was willing to double cross anyone and everyone to get what he wanted.
Tim wouldn’t be surprised if the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with Fenton.
He’d have to do some research on the man once he was free of the damn gala.
“What do you want, Lex?” Tim asked instead, looking over at his best friend’s father.
Lex let out a hum. “Just wanted to know your opinion on the new blood in the water. But it seems you haven’t been paying attention. Such a shame, Timothy, I thought you were better than this,” he said with a tone of disapproval.
“I’ve been busy,” Tim muttered, eyes still on Daniel. The man in question, glanced over at them with a smirk on his face, as if he knew they were talking about him.
Tim glowered at the man before smoothing his face once more into an unflappable, stoic look. His Timothy Drake look. Far more formidable than his laid back Timothy Wayne persona.
“Go bother your husband,” Tim muttered, glancing to where Clark was awkwardly lurking in a corner, his notepad in hand.
“He’s such a bore when he’s working,” Lex said with a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately for me, you are my only source of entertainment through all of this.”
“Bruce and Oliver should be here soon,” Tim said with a huff. The older they got, the more ridiculous Bruce, Oliver, and Lex got when attending galas of any kind. It was more embarrassing than the Brucie Wayne shtick.
“Oh joy,” Lex said with a sigh. “Good luck with your newfound competition, Timothy. It’s about time someone knocked you off of your pedestal.”
With that, Lex sauntered off, leaving Tim alone once again. Tim sighed and checked his watch, holding back a groan, another thirty minutes before dinner was served and then the awards would be handed out during dinner.
He made his way to his table, nonetheless, talking and chatting with those who intercepted him and trying his best to keep up his Wayne facade. A challenge, considering Daniel Fenton was trapped in his brain, frustrating stewing inside of him. Tim didn’t like not knowing things, absolutely hated it in fact.
The fact that he didn’t know about Vlad stepping down, nor his new replacement being someone in Tim’s age range. Dalv-Co had been so low on his radar that he hadn’t even realized they were moving past weapons manufacturing and trying new trades. Not only that but they were apparently successful in these new fields as well.
Finally, Tim made it to his seat and let out a silent scream as he recognized both Vlad and Daniel’s names on the placards at their table.
“I see our paths have crossed again,” Daniel said in that deep voice of his that Tim absolutely hated.
“Unfortunately so,” Tim said with a resigned sigh as he picked up his goblet of water. “I see you’ve been busy.”
“Of course, functions such as these are important to make connections,” Daniel said with a nod. The man leaned back in his seat and took a drink of his own water. “Unlike you, some of us attempt to be social in such events.”
Tim held back a scoff.
“I’m plenty social,” he said, refusing to rise to the bait. “Unlike you, I have already made my important connections and have no need to stoop so low as to kiss the ass of every person with a title behind their name.”
“I could tell considering you and Mr. Luthor were so close to one another. Tell me, how does Mr. Kent feel knowing how close you are to his husband? What a scandal it would be,” Daniel said, resting his chin on his fist. “Timothy Drake-Wayne sleeping with his best friend’s father? I can see the headlines now.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “He’s best friends with my father, something you would know if you paid attention to the social lives of the rich and famous,” he said simply.
“Oh, I do. Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen, and of course, Brucie Wayne, the elite three as they call them. They’re old news at this point, just a bunch of old men desperate to relive their glory days,” Daniel said with a roll of his eyes.
“And does Vlad not do the same thing, Daniel?” Tim asked innocently.
“Danny,” the man said with a grin. “And of course he does. He only insists on attending these things so that he can show me off and brag that he has his own heir that is rising in the ranks. I may not have grown up with a silver spoon in my mouth like you, Timothy. But unlike you and everyone else in this building, I have vision. I know what the people want and I’m not so far out of touch that I don’t keep up with the competition. It seems you’ve gotten dull the older you’ve gotten. A shame really.”
Tim gritted his teeth and held back a sigh of relief as others joined the table and watched as Danny’s personality flipped on a dime as he charmed everyone at the table with stories of his life in Minnesota and what it’s been like taking over Dalv-Co.
Eventually dinner was served and Tim picked at his chicken piccata as awards were announced.
He held back the curse as Danny was announced the winner of the coveted award for most influential CEO under thirty and forced his way through the rest of the night.
He would do his research on Danny.
Not only that, but next time he met the man, he would destroy him.
Tim’s pencil snapped in half as he stared at the email that Tam had sent him that morning.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I’m afraid not. Apparently, the entire deal has been very hush hush for the last few months,” Tam said apologetically.
“You’re sure?” Tim asked, still staring at the headline.
“Positive. They’re around the corner,” Tam said with a sigh.
DALV-CO TO MOVE TO GOTHAM CITY AS NEW HEADQUARTERS
Tim gritted his teeth as he stared. He just knew Danny was doing it to fuck with him. Knew it deep in his soul. What he was going to do about it, he didn’t know. But Danny Fenton would regret the day he crossed Tim Drake.
“I think we should schedule a meeting with Dalv-CO,” Lucius said simply. Tim whipped his head over towards where the older man sat next to Tim’s father. Bruce nodded his head in agreement.
“It would be a good idea. I have been doing research into Dalv-Co and under Dr. Fenton’s leadership they have changed course almost completely. They are more focused on peace than destruction. I think a partnership between Wayne Enterprises and Dalv-Co could be a good idea to explore,” Bruce said, tapping his pencil on the table.
“Absolutely not. Are you forgetting what company this is? It would be like working with LexCorp. Masters has always been slimey and untrustworthy, he’s even been on the Justice League watchlist,” Tim argued indignantly.
“But Fenton is not his godfather,” Lucius pointed out. “And Bruce is right, he’s taking the entire company in a different direction. It could be worth it to get a good idea of whether or not our beliefs and plans align and create a potential relationship with them.”
Tim looked to his COO for any back up.
Tam gave him a grim smile. “It’s a solid idea, Tim. It would give us a chance to get a better read on Dr. Fenton and his intentions as well.”
The CEO looked between the three in the room, each one had a point. If Dalv-Co was moving to Gotham, they needed to see why and see if they aligned in ideals. It was a good idea, a great one even. But after the gala, Tim hated Danny on principal and wanted nothing to do with him.
“Fine, let’s set a meeting with them,” he said in a resigned tone, glaring at the headline once again.
Tim leaned back in his seat and watched as Dr. Danny Fenton and Danny’s COO, Samantha Manson walked into the conference room and held back his glare. Danny was dressed down for the meeting, his hair no longer slicked back, instead pulled into a bun on the top of his head, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, star and moon earrings dangled from his lobes and Tim was surprised to see a septum ring in his nose. Nothing fitting of a CEO, especially when both his COO and mentor were dressed nicely for the meeting.
“Mr. Drake-Wayne, thank you so much for the invitation,” Danny said as he took a seat opposite of Tim. “I must admit, I was rather surprised to receive an email from you asking to meet.”
Tim hummed in response. “Yes, well, my COO thought it would be good for us to get to know our newfound neighbors, especially when it seems many of our goals align,” Tim said and Danny gave him that cocky lopsided smile that Tim absolutely hated.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. We are going through some major changes at Dalv-co, including a name change for the organization. As it is, we are still in the process of realigning our ideals and working out a new strategic plan for the next fiscal year. But I can tell you that a major part of our plan is to delve into technology and how it can help rather than hinder. Especially in the medical world. Sam can explain it far better than I can, but our newfound focus is on rehabilitation rather than harm, more… harm reduction than anything. Isn’t that right, Sam?” Danny asked, glancing over at the dark haired woman beside him.
Samantha then launched into her own spiel, outlining plans for environmental reform, technological advances, and medical technology. Of course, they used the fact that Vlad had received a cancer diagnosis had been one of their leading reasons to change course.
“We have scientists who are currently working on finding ways to use AI to detect cancer in a person far sooner than currently technology allows. We are also, of course, dipping into the medical research field as well to start helping fund research for cancer cures,” Samantha finished. “I believe a partnership between Wayne Enterprises and Ecto-Tech could be incredibly helpful for both of our companies, but I think we’re more focused on partnering with Drake Industries, especially since their primary focus has been medical technology these last few decades.”
“I’m sorry, Eco-Tech?” Bruce asked. “Is that the new name for Dalv-Co?”
“Ecto-Tech,” Danny clarified. “But yes, the launch of our new name should be coming out relatively soon. We worry that Dalv-Co is too seeped into weapons manufacturing that it would be difficult for us to expand from that, especially when we are trying to move away from weapons.”
“I think that’s remarkable,” Bruce crooned. “Too many people are focused on harm these days, not enough are focused on fixing the issues of the world which is such a shame. You can’t use violence to fix everything.”
“I couldn’t agree more with you, Mr. Wayne,” Danny said with that saccharine smile that made Tim want to punch him in the face. He was so damn full of himself, so self assured and arrogant, as if he knew more than anyone else in the room. Tim hated it, wanted to wipe that smile off his face then and there.
“Oh please, Mr. Wayne is Timothy here, call me Brucie,” Bruce said with a wave of his hand. “So are you leaving the weapons business altogether? I remember seeing that your godfather had a small section of his company that focused on ghosts and ghost hunting equipment. Do you have any plans to continue with that course of action?”
A strange look swept over both Danny and Samantha’s faces for a brief moment before their smiles returned.
“Oh, not quite. While ghost hunting was a worthy interest for Vlad and Dalv-Co, we have found there are far more interesting avenues to study in terms of ecto-biology and the weapons created by both Vlad and my late parents are not something we are interested in pursing. Those who do not have a deep understanding of ecto-beings should not have access to such weapons,” Danny explained and Tim narrowed his eyes.
“Exto, like your new name, Ecto-Tech?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Yes,” Samantha said simply. “Danny’s parents and Vlad first met due to their shared interest in ectobiology. Ecto-Tech is a nod to that friendship that led to Danny becoming Vlad’s godson and now heir to his company. A good way to honor the past while looking towards the future.”
Tim looked the two over suspiciously. They were lying. He just couldn’t figure out why or what they were actually planning when it came to ecto-biology.
Hell, he had never even heard of ecto-biology until he had started his research on Danny who had gotten his PhD in Chemical Engineering where he wrote his thesis on ectoplasm and the chemical compounds of ectoplasmic beings. It had been a fascinating read, something that Tim had decided to ask his more supernaturally involved friends about at a later date to learn more.
Especially when there had been a rise in ghost problems in Gotham the last few years that had left all of them scratching their heads. Jason Blood had become incredibly busy in Gotham in terms of dealing with angry ghosts with vendettas and a desire for chaos.
It was interesting that Danny, who had an interest in ghosts, or as he called them, ectoplasmic beings, moved his entire company to Gotham just as the ghost problem was at an all time high.
Soon, they wrapped up the meeting with promises to meet once again after Ecto-Tech got their grand re-opening completed and were ready and prepared for their relaunch.
“I like them,” Tam said, leaning back in her seat once they were gone. “They made a lot of good points and that Sam girl knows her stuff when it comes to environmentalism. The idea to recruit Pamela Isley to help so that she has a solid way to push for saving the environment without causing harm is a genius idea.”
“I worry that it could cause her to regress in her treatment,” Tim admitted, tapping his pen on the table. “But it is a good idea, she hasn’t been able to find jobs to use her degrees in years. It’s a good opportunity and I’m mad we never thought of it.”
“I want to know more about the ecto weapons. It seems as if there is more there than they are letting on,” Bruce murmured. “I’ll be looking into it, though. Overall, I have no bad feelings, it seems their relocation to Gotham makes sense if they’re wanting to look at environmental factors and how it affects a person’s health. GIT is one of the best technology institutes in the country so it would be better for them to go close to a school that has students they’re needing.”
“They’re our students,” Tim argued. “We’ve had a partnership with Gotham Institute for half a decade now!
“We don’t have a monopoly on their students, Tim. I know you have your own personal feelings regarding Daniel, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Dr. Fenton seems to be a very pleasant young man with some very wonderful goals and desires. It’s admirable.”
“It really is,” Tam said and looked at Tim. “Maybe you just don’t like him because you think he’s cute.”
Tim scoffed. “I do not think he’s cute! He’s an arrogant asshole who acts like he knows everything!”
“Are you feeling inadequate because he has a PhD and you don’t even have your GED?” Tam teased. “And don’t lie, Tim, I saw you checking him out.”
“I was not!” Tim spluttered. “And I don’t care about his acronyms!”
“You were staring at him rather intently,” Bruce agreed. “I was worried you were going to suddenly gain heat vision and burn him up.”
“I can’t believe this,” Tim said, shoving out of his seat. “I do not find Danny pretty, I don’t feel inferior. In fact, I find him infuriating.”
“If you say so, son. Now, I need to get home, Hal should be back from his mission today and I would like to get some work done before he gets home,” Bruce said before clasping Tim on his shoulder. Tim rolled his eyes at the mention of his father’s soulmate and Bruce not believing his statements on Danny.
“Whatever, I need to get some work done as well. We’ll talk more about Ecto-Tech later,” Tim said with a sigh.
“I think you should re-evaluate your feelings on Dr. Fenton,” Tam sang as she followed Bruce out the door. Tim huffed and followed them out and headed straight to his office. There were no feelings for Danny, other than feelings of contempt. He certainly didn’t find the man attractive.
Even with that stupid lopsided smile. Or his stupid man-bun. Certainly not his piercings.
He did not think Danny was cute.
“I cannot believe you poached my intern!” Tim hissed as he walked beside Danny, the two leaving the employment fair at Gotham Institute of Technology.
“I didn’t poach him, hell, I didn’t even know he was interning at WE. He showed me his resume and I found it interesting. He approached Ecto-Tech, not the other way around, Mr. Drake,” Danny said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
It had been four months since their first meeting at Wayne Enterprises. Since then, Tim saw Danny everywhere. At college employment fairs, at coffee shops, at business symposiums, hell, he had even run into him in Batburger a few times. Hell, Red Robin had even run into him a few times in the night during ghost attacks where Danny got in the way and Tim was forced to save him. Each and every time, Tim was reminded just how utterly infuriating Danny Fenton was.
“It said on his resume that he’s been interning at Wayne Enterprises,” Tim griped.
Danny gave him an amused smile as they stopped in front of the elevator. He was just mere centimeters away from the CEO.
“Do you really think that I looked at that? I was more interested in his thesis and the research he has been conducting. Not everything I do is about you, Tim,” he said looking down at Tim with deep blue eyes. Tim held back a shudder.
He hated that Danny loomed over him, standing at a good six foot three compared to Tim’s own five foot eleven.
How the hell did he even respond to that?
“I never thought you did,” he finally found himself saying.
“Hm, but you think about me often enough to think I would do something like that to you. Right?” Danny asked, that stupid lopsided smile on his face, blue eyes racking up and down Tim’s body before landing on his face. Staring him right in the eye with an intensity that almost made Tim’s toes curl.
“I don’t,” Tim blurted. “Think about you.”
Danny’s smile stretched into a grin. “I think you’re lying to me and yourself, Tim Drake.”
Tim opened his mouth to respond, ready to rebuttal and argue that no. He didn’t think about Danny. Not like that.
Did he think about how annoying and arrogant Danny was? Yes. All the time. But that was it. He didn’t think about how Tam suggested that he found Danny to be pretty. He didn’t think about Danny’s stupid smile, or how blue his eyes were. He definitely didn’t think about how Danny Fenton had a frustrating way of always keeping Tim on his toes.
Before he could, though, a scream sounded throughout the hall and the building shook forcefully.
“Shit,” Danny said, looking around. “Villain attack?”
Ghosts suddenly swarmed through the room, manical laughter filling the space as they shot off bright green beams of heat, burning through walls and floors.
“Ghosts,” Tim said, scanning the area.
Signal was their best defense against the ghosts, something about his powers that they didn’t like. But typically they couldn’t do much against the angry beings that seemed intent on causing absolute chaos.
Heat suddenly sent Tim staggering straight into Danny’s arms as he let out a pained scream.
“Shit,” Danny said again and distantly Tim heard the ding of the elevator and suddenly he was being pulled in to the small space by Danny. The doors shut behind them just as another shot came through the doors and Tim all but collapsed onto the floor, Danny barely keeping him up.
“I need to take a look at the wound,” Danny said looking him over. “You’re bleeding.”
Tim groaned as Danny carefully lowered him down and pressed him against the wall. The lights in the elevator flickered before shutting. off, the power going out.
“Need to text my family,” Tim groaned, reaching for his phone only to wince in pain at the movement.
Danny suddenly slipped his hand in Tim’s pocket and fished out his phone, handing it to Tim.
“Text them, then we need to look you over,” Danny told him impatiently as he pulled his own phone out and turned on the flashlight, tilting his phone so that the light was shining on them.
Tim sent a quick code green with his location and letting them know he had been attacked before setting his phone down.
“Alright,” Tim said through gritted teeth. “What do you need?”
“We need to get your shirt off so we can get a better idea of how hurt you are,” Danny said, already ripping Tim’s button down open, buttons spraying across the elevator.
“Shit,” Danny hissed, pressing a cool hand to Tim’s inflamed chest. “It’s a pretty gnarly burn, and you’re definitely bleeding but it’s not too terrible. It didn’t go all the way through which is good.”
“That can happen?” Tim demanded, alarmed.
Danny gave him a grim smile. “An ectoblast is comparable to Superman’s heat vision, sometimes even worse. You got incredibly lucky it was just a brief second,” he said as he pulled off his t-shirt.
“What are you doing?” Tim asked.
“Your shirt’s covered in blood and ectoplasm but we need to stop the bleeding. This’ll help,” Danny explained, pressing the shirt to Tim’s chest. Tim grimaced as he looked Danny over —definitely not checking him out in a time like this— and stopped when his gaze landed on the man’s soulmark on his chest.
Right on his right pectoral sat the same mark that lived on Tim’s forearm. A red robin with a yellow stomach the shape of the Red Robin logo with green stars and lines surrounding it. The libra constellation on the robin’s back stared back at Tim like a taunt.
“Alright, we should be fine in here until emergency services get here,” Danny told him.
“How do you know ghosts won’t get in here?” Tim asked and Danny gave him a sly smile as he pulled a small disc from his pocket and pressed a button. A green dome suddenly surrounded them.
“Just because Ecto-Tech doesn’t focus on ghost weapons anymore, doesn’t mean I don’t. It’s a family hobby at this point,” Danny said as he sat back, pressing his back against the wall caddy corner of Tim.
“What is it?”
“It’s a portable ghost shield. No ghosts can get in or out of this shield while it’s erected. One of the reasons we came to Gotham was because we learned about how bad the ghost problem was here. I was hoping to get in contact with Batman or one of his partners but they’re elusive. The closest I got was to Red Robin a few months ago,” Danny said, his eyes suddenly sparkling and if Tim dared say, he sounded enchanted.
Tim knew what Danny was talking about. Danny had been out in the streets during a ghost attack and Red Robin had scooped him out of the way while Duke fought the ghost in the streets. It had been brief and Tim had snapped out him that he should have known better than to get in the way of an attack.
“You a Red Robin fan?” Tim asked, feeling sweat bead off of him as he tried his best to not focus on the burning pain in his chest. He had never actually been hit by the ectobeams before and it had to be one of the worst pains of his life.
“You could say that,” Danny said, rubbing his soulmark and Tim was suddenly reminded it had his logo on it. Had Danny realized that Red Robin was his soulmate? “But I’ve been hoping to get in contact with them to offer some of my tech. Something to help them fight the ghosts since they don’t particularly seem to like me getting involved. But I’m probably the biggest ghost expert in the world and I’d like to be able to help them.”
“Help the bats or the ghosts?” Tim asked.
“Both,” Danny said with a shrug. “The ghosts attacking Gotham are only doing it because they’re confused. They were all killed by a rogue and are now stuck in a state of adrenaline that makes them violent and angry. They just need to be sent to the ghost zone but there’s something stopping ghosts in Gotham from getting there.”
Tim stared at him in confusion. His brain was too muddled to fully understand what Danny was telling him. Ghosts were rogue victims? A Ghost Zone? Gotham was stopping them? His head was swimming as he tried to ignore the pain that was burning throughout his body unlike anything he had ever experienced before and he could barely focus on the man in front of him.
Danny gave him a small smile. “The ecto is starting to take affect, I see,” he said gently as he pressed his hand to Tim’s chest, feeling somehow colder even through the t-shirt.
“What?” Tim asked, staring now at three Danny’s in front of him.
“When ecto gets into the blood stream of a human it can cause hallucinatory affects. Considering you were hit with an ecto beam, you’re feeling a mix of pain with the ectoplasm. It’s interesting but there’s actually uses in ectoplasm where it has healing properties but it depends on the intent with how the ecto is used. If it’s used as a weapon, it’s going to become a weapon. If it’s used with the intent to heal, it heals. It’s a very fluid chemical that changes based on the user’s intent.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tim slurred, his eyes starting to get blurry, eyelids growing impossibly heavy as he stared at Danny. “You’re pretty, when you smile. You know that?” he asked, head lolling to the side.
Danny let out a chuckle that scratched at Tim’s ears in a soothing way. “You should close your eyes. We’ll be out of here soon,” Danny soothed, moving around until Tim was resting his head on Danny’s shoulder. “Just give it some time and we’ll be out of here and a doctor can check you out and clean out your wound. Once the ecto is cleaned out, you’ll feel so much better.”
“I feel like ‘m flyin’,” Tim told him, eyes closed as his stomach roiled inside of him. He felt floaty and off kilter. But Danny was right there, a soothing arm wrapped around him, grounding him.
Red Robin watched as Danny stood nervously in front of the conference room.
After the ghost attack, Tim had decided that it would be a good idea for the man to meet with the Justice League if he really did have technology that would help fight against the ghosts that were wreaking havoc, not only in Gotham but all over the world.
He couldn’t remember much of what had happened once he saw Danny’s soulmark on his chest. Things had started blurring together and eventually he had fainted in the elevator much to his chagrin. But he remembered that Danny had talked about creating ghost tech in his spare time and that he had been trying to get in contact with the bats about it to help combat the ghost issue going around.
So, once he had completely recuperated from the ghost attack he told Bruce about what Danny had told him and insisted that it would be good for them to meet with the man.
Was he partially doing it to get a better idea of what Danny thought of Red Robin? Absolutely. When he had been harmed, it was like Danny flipped a switch. Gone was the swaggering asshole who got under Tim’s skin, instead he had been replaced by someone kind and caring and it had Tim confused.
This man was supposed to be his soulmate, the person fate itself thought he was meant to be with and he couldn’t understand why. Danny irritated him to no end, he drove him insane. But he had a nice smile, he obviously cared about others a lot considering DALV-CO was making good money in the weapons manufacturing world before he made a shift with turning it into Ecto-Tech.
But Tim needed to know more before he decided whether or not he was going to tell Danny that they were soulmates. He needed to figure out if Danny was even the kind of person he would even want as his soulmate.
Sure, not all soulmates were romantic, Barbara and Cass were platonic soulmates, as were Dick and Wally. But Tim wasn’t even sure if he could handle Danny being his platonic soulmate if he saw Danny as nothing more than infuriating. Maybe Danny would change how he acted if he knew that Tim was his soulmate. But Tim didn’t know how he felt about that, either. The entire thing with Danny was just…complicated.
So the meeting was multifaceted. Danny had useful weapons and tech to deal with the ghosts, and Tim could use it as a way to see another side of Danny.
“Thank you for having me,” Danny said once everyone was seated. The majority of the Bats were there along with Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, John Constantine, and Flash. They would disseminate the information and weapons tech to the rest of the Justice League at a later time. “I know that there has been a widespread issue of ghost attacks all over the country, but primarily in Gotham,” he said, nodding towards Batman who looked largely disinterested.
“My name is Dr. Daniel Fenton, I’m a chemical engineer but have been researching ectoplasm and ecto chemistry since I was a teenager due to both of my parents being ectobiologists,” he explained as a slide popped up behind him, showing a picture of his credentials along with published research from both of his parents and himself. “You could almost say this is a family business,” he said with a smirk.
“So, do you have reason for why ghosts are coming through?” Wonder Woman asked, looking Danny over with a scrutinizing glare.
“If you’ve noticed,” Danny started as a slide changed to show a graph and Goddamn, was Tim going to lose his mind. Not only had Danny created a slideshow presentation, but it had graphs. If for no other reason, Tim could see why fate thought that this was his soulmate. “There has been a higher rate of murders and deaths in the last decade along with a rise of Rogue attacks. Because of this, there has been an increase in souls who are unable to move on, the longer they stay within this plane of existence, the longer they go without ectoplasm which eventually causes them to go mad, turning them essentially into poltergeists who are focused on destruction. I’ve been documenting and tracking this trajectory for the last five years and moved to Gotham for further study as Gotham has had the highest rate of ghost attacks, especially recently.”
“And what do you suggest we do?” Superman asked him. “We are all working overtime to get crime rates down within our cities.”
“We need to start helping them move on,” Danny said as if it were that simple. “Not only that, but you all need a way to catch and send ghosts to the Ghost Zone. Once they are back in the Zone and are no longer starving they’ll be stabilized and won’t come back earth side.”
“How?” Batman finally asked.
Danny grinned at him as he clicked to the next slide. “Portals and thermos’. Along with a few weapons to help you catch the ghosts.”
Tim rested his chin on his hand and listened, absolutely captivated as Danny explained the weapons he had laid out in front of them and how they would work. He had even gone as far as to share blueprints on how to make their own portals or if they didn’t feel comfortable, how they could deliver the trapped ghosts to him and he would take care of them.
“Do you have your own portal?” Flash asked him. “Because I worry about the amount of ghost portals we would be making and what that would to do the veil between—”
“I don’t have my own portal,” Danny interrupted with a smile. “I have my own way of returning the ghosts back to the Ghost Zone.”
“I know you,” Constantine said, speaking up for the first time. “I recognize your face.”
Danny’s smile turned into a full on grin. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for quite a few years now, John. I’d be surprised if you didn’t recognize me in my human form.”
He turned to look at the rest of the heroes. “When I was a teenager, I was in a lab accident that gave me ghost powers. I have the ability to turn into a ghost and create my own portals to the Ghost Zone. it’s what has helped me better understand ghosts and what’s currently going on with them. I know better than any human what’s going on and how the ghosts are feeling. If I didn’t have my own powers to let me get a constant access to ectoplasm I would be just like them. The only difference being that I have enough strength to create my own portals.”
“Are you implying that these ghosts are weak?” Tim suddenly asked, remembering the ghost attack at the school.
Danny’s cheeks suddenly turned red as he looked at Red Robin. “Yes. Compared to ghosts who are in their right mind and have access to ectoplasm? These ghosts are incredibly weak. It’s what makes them so violent, they’re starving.”
“So, Mr. Expert, where do we start?” Tim asked, smiling to himself as Danny’s blush deepened.
“Ri-right, we need to talk about that,” he stammered before he clicked the next slide.
Tim smiled and leaned back in his seat as Danny continued speaking. Danny so had a thing for Red Robin. He could do something with this.
“So, we’re going to just go to Danny instead of our own portal, right?” Tim asked as he and Bruce sat in his office in Wayne Enterprises.
“Hm, haven’t decided,” Bruce grunted. “There are the added risk that Danny mentioned about ghosts escaping through the portal.”
“Danny also offered to partner with us. He said he has training as a hero,” Tim pointed out.
“I thought you hated Danny,” Bruce said, looking over at him. Tim let out a hum.
“I don’t hate him, I just dislike him. He gets under my skin and irritates me with his cocky attitude and arrogance but there’s more there,” Tim said thoughtfully, tapping his pen against his desk. “He also may or may not be my soulmate and so I’m trying to assess whether it could work between us or not.”
“I see,” Bruce said, suddenly flipping like a switch as he grinned at Tim. “You want to get closer to him.”
Tim’s cheeks heated up at that. “Perhaps.”
Bruce let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. “We can partner with Danny. I’ll reach out to him soon.”
“Alright,” Tim said with a small smile.
“He’s a good man,” Bruce said mildly. “I did research on him after you told me about your interaction with him at the gala and before our meeting with Ecto-Tech. He is arrogant, but he does a lot. His parents died when he was seventeen due to an experiment of theirs that went wrong, he moved in with Mr. Masters, his sister is an attorney in Michigan. When he moved in with Vlad he started homeschooling and took accelerated courses. He was a hero in Amity Park his entire teenage years known as Phantom. He’s a good guy.”
“Then why does he irritate me so much?” Tim groaned, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling.
Bruce hummed. “Hal irritates me every single day of our lives. He teases me constantly, plays pranks on me, calls me stupid names like Batsy. He gets under my skin and there are days where I want to ring his neck. But he makes me laugh, and he keeps me on my toes. I love going home to him every day and he has made me a better person. Despite how much he irritates me at times.”
Tim gave him a small smile. “Everyone was surprised when we found out Hal is your soulmate,” he said quietly.
“No one was more surprised than I was. I was in denial for a very, very long time. Don’t be like me, Tim. You know he’s your soulmate. Do something about it.”
"I will,” Tim said, his mind already whirring with ideas on how he could talk to Danny. “Let me give him the offer to partner with us.”
“Go for it, Kiddo,” Bruce said with a laugh. Tim snorted and kicked his dad in the shin before the man left him alone in his office.
Now he’d just need to figure out what he was going to do about Danny.
Tim leaned back in his seat and smiled as Danny walked into his office.
“This is surprising,” Danny said, arching an eyebrow. “Can I ask what you’re doing in my office, Mr. Drake? And who let you in?”
“Sam let me in,” he said simply as he picked up a pencil and started twisting it in his fingers. “You irritate the hell out of me, Danny Fenton.”
Danny sat opposite of him, atop his desk, his legs bracketing Tim in place and smiled. “Good, it’s fun irritating you. You get this little dent right here,” he said before leaning forward and pressed a finger to the spot between Tim’s eyebrows. “It’s funny.”
Tim scowled and slapped his hand away. “Stop it.”
“So, what are you doing in my office, Mr. Drake?” Danny asked, tilting his head to the side. “Drake Wayne? Wayne? You use all of them and I never know for sure what you prefer.”
“Hm, I like sir,” Tim said with a small smile as he leaned forward. “Or Tim. Tim is fine too.”
Danny grinned. “Sir suits you. Now quit deflecting and tell me why you’re in my office, Tim.”
“Do you know who your soulmate is?” Tim asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I have an inkling,” Danny said with a hum. “But it’s complicated.”
“Because he’s a vigilante?” Tim asked and Danny pulled away, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
“How do you know?”
Tim grinned. “I saw your soulmark when you were helping me in the elevator. It’s got Red Robin’s insignia on it right? And it’s a literal red robin.”
“It is, but why—” Danny stopped as Tim rolled his sleeve up to show his matching mark. Danny’s eyes met his. “So you’re saying…”
Tim nodded. “I am.”
“So you know-”
“I know,” Tim said with a soft laugh. “Batman asked that I offer you a partnership with our team. But I figured I needed to tell you that first. Especially since you have a crush on Red Robin and all.”
“Oh, you’re going to be irritating about this, aren’t you?” Danny asked with a scoff.
Tim smirked. “With how much you irritate me, absolutely.”
“What now?” Danny asked, leaning back, resting his hands on the desk and swinging his legs on either side of Tim.
Tim hummed. “Well, I was thinking we can get dinner, see how this is going to work between us, show you the Batcave, you can teach me more about ghosts and your ghost powers, and we can figure out why kind of soulmates we are.”
That lopsided smile appeared on Danny’s face as he looked down at him. “I would like that, Sir.”
Tim snickered and smacked his thigh. “I hate you, Danny Fenton.”
Danny hummed as he used his legs to pull Tim closer to him. “I don’t think that’s true whatsoever. You called me pretty once, you know.”
“I don’t believe you, not one bit. But maybe you can convince me you’re pretty when you take me out for dinner. Tonight? Seven PM?” He asked, resting his hands on Danny’s hips.
“Sounds like a plan,” Danny purred. Tim grinned up at the man, maybe this could work out between them after all.