DP x DC AU — The Week Danny Fenton Realized He Wasn’t Staying Where He Wasn’t Wanted (Part 2: Consequences)
Wayne Manor is quiet after Dick leaves.
Not the usual quiet.
Not calm.
Not peaceful.
Wrong.
Bruce stands in the entryway long after the door shuts.
Thinking.
Replaying.
Behind him—
Jason speaks first.
“…Well. That was a disaster.”
No one argues.
Tim is already pulling up security footage.
Rewinding.
Watching.
Again.
And again.
Because now that he’s looking—
He sees it.
The pauses in conversation.
The way Danny was talked over.
The looks.
The comments.
Tim’s stomach drops.
“…We were awful.”
Cass nods from her spot on the stairs.
“Unkind.”
A beat.
“Hurting.”
Damian is still.
Rigid.
“It was not—” he starts.
Jason cuts him off immediately.
“Don’t.”
Damian’s jaw tightens.
“I spoke the truth.”
Jason stands.
Slow.
Dangerous.
“And the truth was what, exactly?”
Silence.
“That he wasn’t good enough?” Jason continues. “That he didn’t measure up to our standards?”
A scoff.
“Congrats. You made a kid cry.”
Damian flinches.
Just slightly.
“I did not intend—”
“No,” Jason snaps. “You just didn’t care.”
That lands.
Bruce steps in.
“Enough.”
Jason turns on him next.
“Oh, we’re done already? That’s convenient.”
Bruce’s voice hardens.
“This isn’t helping.”
Jason laughs.
Sharp.
“No, what isn’t helping is the fact that Dick walked out because we treated someone he cares about like garbage.”
Silence again.
Heavy.
Alfred speaks quietly.
“Master Bruce… I believe an apology is in order.”
Bruce exhales.
Slow.
Measured.
“Yes,” he says.
“But not yet.”
Tim looks up.
“…What?”
Bruce’s gaze shifts to the door.
“He made his position clear. He needs space.”
A pause.
“We will respect that.”
Jason rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, and in the meantime? We just sit here knowing we screwed up?”
Cass tilts her head.
“Learn.”
That—
That stops him.
Meanwhile—
In a hotel room across the city—
Danny is asleep.
Finally.
Dick isn’t.
He’s watching.
Making sure.
Because now that he knows—
He can’t unsee it.
The way Danny flinched at certain tones.
The way he stayed quiet instead of defending himself.
The way he apologized for things that weren’t his fault.
Dick’s chest aches.
“…I’m sorry,” he whispers, even though Danny can’t hear him.
Danny shifts slightly.
Presses closer.
Dick wraps an arm around him.
Careful.
Protective.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.
Back at the Manor—
Days pass.
No messages.
No calls.
It’s… unsettling.
Tim finally breaks.
“I’m texting him.”
Jason snorts.
“Oh yeah, because ‘hey sorry we emotionally destroyed your boyfriend’ is gonna go over great.”
Tim ignores him.
Types anyway.
Deletes it.
Types again.
Deletes it again.
“…I don’t know what to say.”
Cass speaks softly.
“Be honest.”
Tim stares at the screen.
Then types.
I’m sorry.
We were wrong.
You didn’t deserve that.
He hesitates.
Then hits send.
Across the city—
Danny’s phone buzzes.
He stares at it for a long time.
Dick notices.
“…You don’t have to answer.”
Danny nods.
“…I know.”
Another pause.
Then—
He types back.
thank you
That’s it.
Back in the cave—
Tim exhales.
Relief and guilt mixing together.
Jason leans back.
“…Okay. That’s a start.”
Bruce watches silently.
Because he knows—
This isn’t fixed.
Not even close.
But it can be.
If they do better.
If they choose to do better.
And somewhere in Gotham—
Danny Fenton is learning something new.
Not everyone who hurts you—
Means to.
And some people—
Will try to make it right.
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