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1
The first sign of winter was when the clouds start to gather tightly, covering the blue sky with a color of washed out gray. The freshness of a cool breeze became an aggressive burst of wind that will make your face redden and freeze to the touch. The fallen leaves fade into all brown and decaying, grass losing its color and the world becoming monochrome. Where there once was activity in the streets of couples strolling in the autumn weather, children playing tag, or adults walking back from work was now replaced with more cars and buses on the road. There was a sudden silence in the transition of autumn to winter, the awkward phase of the world adjusting itself to the natural change that many are forced to adapt to.
Winter always brought about snow, warm bread, and a natural cheer for the holidays. Winter is the time of decorations and flashing lights and parents tripping over themselves to buy gifts and teenagers excited to make plans and joyful music echoing everywhere.
That is the ideal winter season, however, no one was thinking about their ideal holiday when they all scrabble to cover themselves for warmth.
Danny on the other hand was finding the silence very pleasant.
With small (soft and spotless) hands reaching out to the sky, Danny stared at the dark sky with a sort of nostalgic awe. It was so strange to see how the sky that was once bright blue turned into a mix of grays. He kept his hands raised above, making a grabby motion as if he could grab onto the clouds and unfold them to see clear blue.
Instead, he got a faceful of cold air for his troubles.
Although Danny was used to the cold, his core humming inside his chest as proof of that, his now de-aged body was not.
A huff left his lips and he was momentarily enraptured with the fog that left his lips before reaching around his collar and snuggling around the fluffy trimmed hood.
Soft fluff tickled at his face, smoothing out as he rubbed his cheeks against the fabric. It was fuzzy and bumpy yet ever so cuddly. It wasn’t perfectly smooth like other fabrics such as silk and cotton, yet the texture of the fluff was addicting to touch and find comfort in.
Danny can feel his lips moving into a smile at the simple joy of touching something that calmed his nerves and softened his face. He was about to aggressively rub his face against the fabric once more when he felt his name behind called.
Blue eyes looked behind him to see purple eyes. The young adult sighed in relief before making her way to the small boy. Once at a closer distance did she offer her hand to Danny.
The now small boy (once a boy with admission to leave his town to finally become human again) grabbed her hand with his own and walked with her toward the car parked a few yards away.
Today Danny had to say bye to Amity.
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Once Danny was a boy who dreamed of being one of those who reached the impossible and float with the stars.
Then he was a half dead corpse, a dead boy walking.
Once he was a hero who wished for a balance and peace for both of his kin.
Then he was a caged animal, trapped in green light and darkness all around him, a silence so deep he can still hear it now.
He was once a young adult, ready to walk into the world he wish to reconnect with so he may feel like a boy again.
Then he faced a fight that ripped him of his freedom, weeks of being held against his will, and the feeling of desperation clawing at his throat.
But he was saved! Saved by those he bonded with and those he knew as his kin, his family.
Yet that came with a price.
When the men all covered in white trapped him, he was a young man ready to join a college and become an adult of his own right.
When he was realized from his cell, he was a boy once more, younger from when he was made a hero and younger when he had died.
He was turned back to the boy who wished to float amongst the stars with the memories of a young man who knew that those dreams were not meant to be.
He was a puzzle, a broken vase, a wilted flower, and an old soul stuck in a body so young.
Of course, there was a plan, a mission, and a goal to bring back the man he once was. It was undoubtedly that his kin would do everything in their power to bring him back to the state he once was.
But the danger was still near, those in white were still lurking just behind the shadows.
So it was said that the boy with a soul too old was to leave with some of his kin in order to be safe from the monsters that want to hunt him.
His safety was far too important, and with a heavy heart, he agreed to the plan.
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2
It’s been a few days since Danny (and his two best friends) were forced to flee from Amity. Days of going through 24/7 gas stations, fast food, and the rare hotel night stay compared to sleeping inside their ride. Danny didn’t mind sleeping in the car since his small body can easily get comfortable by laying down the connected seats but Sam and Tucker were unfortunately submitted to back pains and neck cramps.
Danny was starting to get used to this new rhyme of life. Mornings in where he would eat hotel breakfast and have Sam holding his hand as they walk back to their room. Afternoons of creating weird and crazy drink combinations with Tucker from the gas station and watching as his two friends look through their phones to decide where they should go next. Nights in which he would look in awe at the town lights as they arrive at their destinations and go window shopping in which they would indulge themselves to stretch their legs and take in the sights.
Tucker has also been taking pictures in his modified phone where he would send a record of their trip back to Jazz and his parents. Jazz is a way to show that the trio is still safe and having fun while giving his parents phones that only have Sam and Tucker in them.
While Jazz was someone who found out his secret, he didn’t know if he should have told his parents. He didn’t know how they would react and after the breakdown of unknowing how his parents would treat him after telling them both of his half-dead status and de-aged body Jazz decided that they would not tell them. Not until it's impossible to keep this secret of Danny’s younger body away from them any longer.
(He was glad no one said anything about telling his parents about being Phantom.)
Currently, it was the morning and Danny was with Sam in a nearby store from their hotel. The store had many mix-matched things from keychains to dolls to hats to foreign sweets. Danny’s child mind was glad for the variety of items to look at and explore, looking through the colorful arrangements all within the sight of Sam. Even with his mind slowly adjusting itself to that of seven year old, Danny was still a freshman college student who knew the dangers of being far from his protector.
Danny was currently looking through the winter clothing racket, eyes trailing around colorful ear warmers and puffy jackets when his eyes were drawn towards another article of clothing.
A scarf. Not just any scarf mind you, but a scarf that was different from the colorful dyed and sewn-in cartoon characters the others seem to have. This was a modest black and white scarf that faded from white to black in a cross-hatching pattern from both ends. The fabric was smooth, no lines were out of place and no fuzzy or use of yard was made. It was a flat piece of fabric made to be used for someone's neck yet Danny couldn’t help himself but touch the cloth.
Fingers glide down the fabric. Then up. Then down again, and then up and Danny was enraptured by the smooth texture of the scarf. But touching it with his fingers was enough and so he brought the scarf towards his cheeks and sighed in bliss at the texture rubbing against his skin.
And if he walked out of that store with a new scarf then Danny couldn’t have been any happier as he relaxed from the comforting winter clothing.
3
That night was a rare night because there were no clouds to block the sky. Stars slowly came into view as the sun started to set. If it was the north star, then it was the planets, and then the rest of the millions and thousands of suns that are light years away started to twinkle back at the people of the earth.
Star gazing was somewhat of a commonly used habit that one would hear and think nothing of it. Most people are impatient to watch the stars would hours on end and how many people also don’t see the excitement of watching the sky at night, if not for a glance before walking away. How can someone waste away their life staring at the same thing every night?
But Danny thought otherwise.
It was always the brightest star that capture his attention first. The one that can be seen even through the city lights before his eyes started to adjust to the low light of the sky. It became a game for him as he turned his head comically left and right, eager to find more stars as slowly reveal themselves to him.
They are so pretty, so beautiful, and untouchable. The twinkling of prism light, the bright single color glow of distant plants, and the forever standing star of the northern sky.
Watching the stars is like watching a dream slowly unfolding itself for him to see.
Danny was momentarily distracted when a hand reached for his own. Seeing who it was, Danny let himself be held as Tucker gently guide his hands to lay flat down, palms right up. With his job done, he reached for his pocket and pulled out a light green pair of mittens.
Danny blinked and huffed from the color scheme, a teasing remark at the tip of his tongue when he felt the yarn that made the hand warmers, and oh, OH!
They were soft with a hint of roughness to them, not so overly soft that he rubbed his face onto them but soft enough for his hands to gather comfort from without being overly stuffy. The roughness from the mittens felt more secure around his hand he found he didn’t mind the texture of the yarn on his hands.
A giggle escaped his lips, something he finds far easier to do nowadays, and hugged Tucker in appreciation.
He buried himself further into his best friend's chest when he felt two strong arms wrapping around him as well.
4
Sam and Tucker finally found a destination for their next city trip, and if luck was on their side, then perhaps a longer stay was available in the cards with the city's well known protectors guarding it.
The name Gotham tugged a memory from his mind, something he recognized from a passing conversation, but shook off that thought as he heard Sam unlocking their temporary hotel room.
With the energy of a youth on a sugar high, Danny bolted from the hallway, passed the door entrance, and into the room. His eyes darted all over the newly acquired space before bursting once again towards the two beds. With a hop, skip, and jump he launched himself onto the white sheets and felt the bed puff up from the added weight. He rubbed his face onto the sheets and relished the smell of flora wafting from the white cloth.
There was a fond sigh and a huff of laughter before two pairs of footsteps stepped in and a click of the door being closed followed after. Danny didn’t bother to raise his head and was rewarded a head pat that messed up his naturally spiky hair into a bedhead look. Danny knew that they weren’t going out again but he still swiped at Tucker for messing with his hair. He earned himself a chuckle for his troubles.
With that, the trio shifted into the motion of getting ready for bed. Sam was the first to go into the bathroom to change while Tucker and Danny changed into their sleepwear as well. They would gather their toothbrushes and nightly appliances for Sam before the door to the bathroom would open. The three would then all take turns brushing their teeth and washing their faces in front of the mirror. Danny, who would always finish first, would rush back to his bags and rather up his wool blanket and tuck himself in bed, waiting to see who would sleep with him that night.
After a couple of minutes of waiting Sam would come out first and lay next to Danny, flicking her bedside lamp off. Seconds after Tucker would come and do the same to his own bed, plunging the room into darkness.
Danny twisted himself into a more comfortable position before a hand would come and tucked him in closer. Sam readjusted the wool blanket around him before relaxing.
Danny smiled, rubbing his cheeks on the soft fluffiness of his blanket, and closing his eyes in contentment.
5
Danny never felt so childish before but Sam was reassuring him that there was nothing wrong with wanting a stuffed plush bird.
But that wasn’t the problem, the problem was that it was a Robin-dressed bird plush when they are currently in Gotham!
After a few weeks on the road, the trio finally managed to arrive at Gotham. It was a really big change for the three from sleeping in hotel after hotel to finally settling down. Well… settling down for a month at best. Sam and Tucker both agreed that it was best to stay for a while but that the housing arrangement also wasn't permanent. It was only to finally set themselves up again and take a breather from running for so long.
Sam said that they should only unpack the bare minimum of things and mostly items that they would easily replace if they had to make a hasty escape. Tucker did not argue but neither said anything when Danny took out a bag worth of soft clothing and buried himself in his pile of clothes in contentment.
(They also don’t know of Danny’s daily visitor. When Sam would go off to do odd jobs and the rare shopping trips that Tucker would sometimes do for the three, Danny would be all alone with the spirit of a woman. Sometimes she is a warrior, blood splattering across her face and animal fur covering her body. Sometimes she is wearing a rich and deeply detailed victorian dress with laces and pearls. Other times she would dress like the Bat and his clan, laughing in joy with a smile so impossibly wide. But his favorites were when she would visit him in modest everyday clothing. He finds comfort in sitting on her lap and wrapping himself in her coat as he listens to the stories she would tell him.
Gotham was a stern woman, Danny would realize as she would tell him the dangers of her streets. But she was far from cruel, as this woman was very kind and warm. It was her children who hurt her more than she has to them.)
Gotham was a very paranoid city and that worked in their favor when on the run, what didn’t work in Danny’s favor was the Robin-dressed bird plush in his hands.
It wasn’t because he was going to drag it outside, he wasn’t that dumb when you have villains like Joker out there. No, what he was dreading was the reaction of his nightly visitor when he shows her the store bought plush of one of her heroes.
Danny wanted to fight more, wanted to push back the plush onto the shelves but one look into Sam’s worried eyes and he gave up right then and there.
Danny made a show of huff and puffing, refusing to look into Sam’s knowing eyes as he unbagged the plush in their apartment or how Tucker smiled at the chair that Danny pulled up for his sewn up friend nor did he react to Gotham’s teasing as he rubbed his cheeks on the bird's soft body.
At the end of the day, Danny made a new friend in the shape of a store bought plush with the incredibly softest fur he had ever felt.
Whoever had the idea to make a Robin-dressed bird plush was alright in Danny’s book.
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Gotham watched her new visitor, a guest that she personally graced her presence with, and placed a hand over her lips to muffle her laughter.
Her little visitor knew of the man he just met, that the mask that her Bat was wearing was that of Bruce Wayne and not Batman, the protector of Gotham. She knew what the little ghost boy was doing when he gave her Child his pushed doll, a commercially made thing that can easily be made again, as a gift to make the man feel better after finding him in an ally way.
She knew what a gift from a dead spirit meant and she knew with an exaggerated fondness of protectiveness her Child was emitting as he watched the little ghost boy climb back to his apartment.
Whether or not her guest would become a Bat or not, she knew that her Child would make sure that her guest was safe for the rest of his stay.