[Third Person's PoV]
Location: Fenton Laboratory
Date: February 14
Time: 10: 12 Am
Dick emerged from the shadows as Danny sat at his workstation, focused on a project.
"What are you doing?" Dick asked casually.
Danny jolted in surprise, scrambling to steady himself before shooting Dick an irritated glare.
"A little warning next time would be nice! I could've attacked you, thinking you were an intruder," Danny growled.
Dick simply shrugged, unfazed, and stepped closer. His eyes landed on the computer screen, where Danny was following a set of instructions. On the table in front of him lay several pairs of earbuds, each with a small extension tipped with a light gray stem and a neon green microphone.
Curious, Dick picked up a pair and examined them. "And these are…?"
Danny shifted uncomfortably, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "Fenton Phones," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed by the name.
Dick snorted. "Fenton Phones? Danny, we already have earbuds that are smaller and way more practical." He waved them in front of him before narrowing his eyes. "But knowing you, there's a specific reason you made them."
Danny nodded and clicked out of his current blueprint, revealing a long list of files labeled Ghost Hunting Equipment. His expression grew somber as he explained, "Since my parents were obsessed with ghosts, they designed all sorts of blueprints for hunting them down. They even worked on plans to navigate the Ghost Zone once they completed their portal." He gestured to the earbuds. "These were meant to be used for communication, even through the weird energy of the Ghost Zone. They're designed to block spectral noise—which means they could help counter Ember's hypnotic music, if she really does use it as a form of mind control."
Dick's amusement faded as he turned the earbuds over in his hand. "Huh. That would be useful… But couldn't you have refined the design while keeping its functionality? Or, I don't know, asked Batman for help?" he asked with a sigh.
Danny scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure Batman already has a copy of this list and has probably improved on some of these designs—y'know, just in case he ever needs to take me down." He let out a small laugh before shaking his head. "But I wanted to make something on my own. He's been teaching me how to build tech, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it without guidance. I figured I'd start with something small, so don't judge me too harshly for how they turned out."
Dick didn't say anything at first, just nodded before grabbing two pairs from the table. "Alright. I'll head out ahead of you, since you still have to meet up with your friends. I'll see you there." And with that, he disappeared back into the shadows.
Danny shook his head with a smirk. "Like father, like son, I suppose."
---
Later that evening, Danny and Tucker walked through the dark streets of Gotham, bundled up in jackets for their first concert together.
"Hey, have we ever actually been to Sam's place before?" Tucker asked, trying to recall.
Danny thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not that I remember. This is the first time we're seeing where she lives."
Tucker grinned. "You think her parents are as gothic as she is?"
Danny scoffed. "Nah. If anything, I bet she's goth to spite them."
Tucker laughed heartily. "Yeah, that sounds like Sam, alright."
A few minutes later, they came to a stop in front of a massive mansion. Tucker's jaw dropped.
"Are we in the right place!?" he asked in disbelief. "Is this really the address she gave us!? And why don't you seem surprised?!"
Danny, looking completely unfazed, simply shrugged. "She wasn't that impressed when she saw Wayne Manor, so I kinda had a feeling…" He walked up to the door and rang the bell.
Tucker's shoulders slumped as realization dawned on him. "So I'm the only one living in a regular house? Both my best friends are tycoons?" he muttered dramatically.
Danny rolled his eyes. "Just to be clear, I'm not rich. All I have is Bruce's support—a sponsorship, if you will."
Before Tucker could respond, a screen next to the door lit up, revealing a woman with short, curly red hair and a red dress.
"Hello~? How may I assist you?" she asked in a polite, almost sing-song tone.
Danny straightened. "This is the Mason residence, right? We're friends with Sam. We have plans to go out."
Ms. Mason nodded and called out, "Sammy, dear! Your friends are here to pick you up~"
Tucker barely managed to suppress a laugh. "Pfft—Sammy."
A minute later, Sam appeared in her usual all-black attire, her expression tinged with irritation.
"Have a good time, dear~!" Ms. Mason chimed as Sam shut the door behind her with an exaggerated eye roll.
Danny raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sour look?"
Sam crossed her arms. "It's Valentine's Day, which means my parents are being extra lovey-dovey. I swear, I almost threw up watching them."
Tucker smirked. "So, when were you gonna tell us you were filthy rich?"
Sam scoffed. "I'm not rich. My parents are."
Tucker gave her a knowing look. "Yeah, and when it's all said and done, who's inheriting that fortune?"
Sam looked away, muttering, "I just didn't want people—especially you guys—treating me differently because of it. It's not like I was lying. I just… never brought it up."
Danny tilted his head. "So why now?"
Sam smirked and nudged him. "Because I'm not the only one with money anymore."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Like I told Tucker, I'm not rich. I just have a sponsor."
Sam burst into a small fit of laughter.
Danny sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small package and handing it to her.
Sam took it with a puzzled look. "What's this?" She unwrapped it, revealing a bar of chocolate. "Danny, you know I'm vegan, right?"
Danny sighed. "You have no idea how long it took me to find vegan chocolate."
Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "Danny…" Her voice softened as she stared at him, genuinely touched. "You shouldn't have."
Danny scratched his cheek, looking away. "I know. But I wanted to."
Tucker let out an impressed whistle. "Smooth, Danny. Real smooth. Hanging out with Bruce Wayne is really upping your game."
Both Danny and Sam blushed, while Tucker grinned mischievously.
Danny, still red-faced, reached into his pocket again. "I knew you'd say something dumb like that, so here." He tossed a few Hershey's Kisses at Tucker.
Tucker dramatically placed a hand over his chest. "Oh, Danny!~ You shouldn't have!~" He struck a theatrical pose before eagerly unwrapping the chocolates.
Sam rolled her eyes and started punching Tucker's arm. "Idiot."
"Ow! Ow! I'm sorry! Hahaha! I'm sorry! I bruise easily!" Tucker laughed, dodging her hits.
Sam huffed and ignored him, turning her attention back to the chocolate Danny had given her. As she unwrapped it, she sneaked a glance at Danny's side profile, her cheeks heating up. 'Was this just a friendly gift? Or…? But he gave some to Tucker too. Then again, he went out of his way to find vegan chocolate for me…'
As she got lost in thought, Tucker suddenly asked, "These aren't vegan, right?"
"Nope." Danny deadpanned.
They walked towards the subway, the dimly lit streets of Gotham lined with graffiti and scattered trash. The air was heavy with the usual tension that came with living in Gotham—people clutched their belongings tightly, eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
The trio sat on a bench, waiting for their train. Sam absentmindedly folded the wrapper of her chocolate into a small heart. Realizing what she was doing, her face burned, and she quickly crumpled it up before Danny could see.
But he did.
They locked eyes for a few seconds before Danny turned away, ears glowing red.
Sam wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She even considered throwing herself onto the train tracks just to escape the embarrassment.
Tucker, meanwhile, was sitting to the side, completely deadpan. 'Why do I feel like I'm intruding?'
Sam muttered under her breath, "It's not what you think—" but the approaching train drowned out the rest of her sentence.
Danny stood up, smirking. "I didn't say anything." Then he turned back to her with a teasing glint in his eyes. "But I'm glad you liked it."
As they boarded, Sam grumbled, "Bruce Wayne is a terrible influence on you."
The ride was calm and uneventful—until the next stop.
The train doors slid open, and a group of people in eerie clown masks stepped inside.
BANG!
A shotgun blast echoed through the car, making everyone jump. Passengers ducked, clutching their bags in fear.
A masked man with a shotgun stepped forward. "NOW THEN! I'LL SAY THIS ONCE, AND I WON'T REPEAT MYSELF! HAND OVER YOUR VALUABLES!"
Behind him, more masked figures brandished bats and crowbars, sacks in hand—already filled from previous heists.
Sam instinctively reached out and gripped Danny's hand, trembling.
Danny squeezed back reassuringly, his eyes narrowing.
'Welcome to Gotham, I suppose.'
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