A Ghostly Reunion (or: Bruce Wayne Finally Notices)
Bruce Wayne had always felt it.
The strange cold spots in the Manor.
The way the air sometimes shifted near the piano.
The instinct to look up during patrol like someone was watching his back.
He told himself it was grief.
He told himself it was nothing.
Then a glowing teenage hero started showing up in Gotham.
At first Batman assumed Phantom was just another meta.
Until Alfred quietly said one night:
“Master Bruce… the young ghost speaks to the air. Frequently. And rather politely.”
That was concerning.
It became more concerning when Phantom started bringing snacks into abandoned buildings and setting them down like offerings.
“Mom, you need to eat too,” he’d say gently.
“I know you don’t technically need it but still.”
“Dad, stop hovering, I’m fine.”
Hovering.
Batman finally followed him.
He watched Phantom land in Crime Alley.
Watched the boy’s shoulders soften.
Watched him smile.
“Hey,” Phantom said softly. “I brought tea this time. The good kind.”
The air shimmered.
Two figures slowly appeared.
Bruce’s heart stopped.
Thomas Wayne.
Martha Wayne.
Unchanged from the night they died.
“You didn’t have to come so far, dear,” Martha said warmly.
“I wanted to,” Phantom replied. “Bruce had a rough week.”
Bruce stumbled.
The batarang slipped from his hand and clattered loudly against concrete.
All three ghosts turned.
Thomas stared.
Martha gasped.
Bruce couldn’t breathe.
“Mom?” he whispered.
The word cracked.
Martha crossed the space instantly, reaching out on instinct — and her hand passed through him.
“Oh,” she sobbed. “Oh my baby.”
Thomas looked wrecked.
“You can see us,” he said hoarsely.
Bruce nodded.
“I always felt you,” Bruce said. “I just thought I was going crazy.”
Phantom’s eyes went wide.
“WAIT YOU COULDN’T SEE THEM BEFORE???”
“No,” Bruce croaked.
Danny stared between them, horrified.
“I’VE BEEN TALKING TO YOUR DEAD PARENTS FOR LIKE A MONTH.”
There was a very long silence.
Thomas slowly put his hands on Phantom’s shoulders.
“Son,” he said gently, “you’re going to give him a heart attack.”
Martha sniffed and laughed through tears.
“But we do love you for keeping him company.”
Bruce wiped his face, trying to regain control.
“You’ve been… with them?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Danny said softly. “They help fix me when I get hurt. They worry about you constantly, by the way. Like. Constantly.”
Thomas folded his arms.
“You should sleep more.”
Martha added, “And eat real meals.”
Bruce broke.
Right there in Crime Alley.
Batman cried in front of a ghost teenager.
Danny immediately panicked.
“Oh no oh no I broke him I’m sorry—”
Martha hugged Danny instead.
“You gave us our son back,” she whispered.
“And you gave us another one,” Thomas added.
Bruce looked up sharply.
“Another?”
Danny smiled sheepishly.
“Hi. I’m Danny. I think I got accidentally adopted.”
Thomas nodded proudly.
“You did.”
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