Hi, small AN up here. I posted a thingie asking about weather you guys wanted chapter 11 super duper long and later this week or short and rn. If you can't tell yet, this is the smaller chapter, chapter 12 (if all goes well) will be definitely 10,000+ words posted next Sunday while this one is 6,000+ so here ya go!

Dick had been in some terrifying places before, some not quite places, but events. Some were very personal, some were downright scary, others were just plain bad.

This was one of those 'I'm scared crapless right now' moments.

He hadn't been able to identify this emotion at the time, he was a little busy being scared crapless. Mostly because it wasn't for himself, he was worried about Danny. Sure, he'd been worried about others before, goodness, he was ROBIN for heaven's sake, he worried about tons of people all the time in all types of situations. This, however, was a whole new level.

Dick didn't know how to fight ghosts, much less two-ton ghost DOGS. He didn't know how to protect Danny, how to keep the giant jaw from snapping him up within the remaining two seconds until they got the immersive crash course in ghost dog digestive systems.

But that was all in the background of Dick's mind, at the forefront was this:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Through all of that, with the milliseconds counting down till the beasts open maw gobbled them, Dick felt in slow motion. His hand tightened over the arm he grabbed and yanked Danny up and backward. The child was easily lifted off his feet and was tossed over the bed.

The second Dick let go of the kid he curled to the ground, tucking and rolling with the boomerang in one hand.

That's when everything seemed to snap back into the right speed.

Danny yelped as he tumbled over the bed, landing on the floor with a thud that went unnoticed because the dog completely bulldozed the floor. The wood groaned and crackled under distress and destruction, splinters flying up in every direction. Dick landed in a crouch, arm hitching backward to throw the very convenient weapon he already had in his hand. The dog was a horrible mess of barks and growls as it tugged it's head free of the floor, snarling as it looked around at the separated boys, not yet deciding which one to go after.

"HEY!" Dick shouted, grabbing the ghost's attention when it sniffed in Danny's direction. Both ghosts jerked at his shout, the dog snapped its head to the acrobat while the little halfa stumbled back. Dick felt a little twinge in his gut at that, he probably really spooked Danny, but right now his main goal was to keep the ghost dog away from Danny. "Danny run!"

The dog lunged, jaw seemingly unhinged and eyes ablaze in an unholy fire. The vigilante chucked the boomerang into the air, aiming at the dog who definitely couldn't avoid a collision with his impromptu weapon. Dick moved to dodge, but it was deemed unnecessary as the dog jerked UP to catch the boomerang, only for the boomerang to fly through its jaw and twist around.

Instead of heading for Dick the boomerang sailed straight for Danny, the boy was frozen to the spot, eyes wide as they took in the object careening towards his face.

Miraculously, Alfred was there, grabbing the child's shoulder and pulling him out of harm's way. Poor Danny seemed to be in shock, he didn't react to Alfred's hold on him, or the fact he was being half-buried and shielded by the butler himself.

The dog landed solidly in a low crouch, growling dangerously as it's burning eyes followed the boomerang. Dick was equally enthralled, even though he was definitely too close to the ghost dog who could definitely eat him. His focus was on Danny, and apparently so was everyone else's.

Having missed its intended target (in which Dick came to the horrible realization was Danny) the boomerang just kept going. The dog leaped into action, solidifying the theory Dick concluded to. The dog wasn't after Danny or Dick, it was after the boomerang... which was after Danny.

The boomerang circled tightly above the butler and child, the dog bounding after it, eyes up and not even watching for the duo it was about to trample. The boomerang then went wide and low, the dog peeling after it like it was game.

Dick only had seconds now, he had a hand in his belt, trying to think of anything in his pouch of goodies that might hurt the ghost dog but also not hurt Danny. Actual bombs were a no go, Danny was too close, but they didn't need to start a fight, they just needed to get out. Dick slipped a few smoke pellets into his hands, a perfect distraction for a few seconds to get him Danny and Alfred out of danger.

Right as he was about to smash the pellets down, Dick hesitated. The boomerang is what the dog was after, and if the boomerang was honed in on Danny then running would be useless.

His hesitancy cost him.

The boomerang flew past him at impossible speeds, blowing at his hair and clothes. His widened eyes followed it's path right to Danny and Alfred, then the floor. Dick grunted as a heavy weight ran into his back and slammed him against the ground. The acrobat gasped for breath and looked up from where his face had met the wood floors. The dog bounded into his vision and his heart lept into his throat.

"Alfred!" Dick shouted as he scrambled to his feet, losing all rational thought as the ghost dog collided with the huddling duo.

The two were sent sprawling to the ground, the dog's giant paws on either side of them. Alfred recovered first, stumbling to his feet as he kept a firm grip on Danny's shoulder. But then the butler ducked again, shielding Danny with his body once more even though the dog didn't seem to be attacking them. Dick was only confused for a second because suddenly there was a barrage of green lasers firing across the room.

Dick twisted around, new anger coiling in his gut at the sight of not just two agents of the Guys In White, but four. Dick didn't recognize any of them as the two that originally came for Danny, they must have swapped out and gotten reinforcements when those two escaped.

All four of them hefted large menacingly looking guns on their shoulders, firing at the ghosts despite the butler in the line of fire.

The dog actually caught the brunt of the fire, its large body was an easy target and it still loomed over the hunkering duo. The dog's attention was easily caught by the attack, it's green fur singeing and smoking on contact with the lasers that assaulted the group. The beast snarled and spun around to the new attackers, crouching low before launching itself at the Guys In White.

Dick couldn't help but agree, taking out batarangs and following the dog's path to get rid of the white scum invading his home.

Dick sailed over the line of fire, landing feet first on top of one stupid bald head. Two of the agents were bowled over by the dog, and it was slightly disturbing that Dick had no issue if the dog disemboweled them. Batman's 'no-kill rule' did not apply to heartless monsters.

The Boy Wonder flipped off his target, eyes on the remaining agent left standing. In no way was the one he was on right now knocked down, but he'd rather cover all his bases to make sure no one was sneaking off to hurt Alfred and take Danny, not again.

But the last agent had stopped firing on the two, he was backing away with a scowl, fiddling with a new weapon pulled from somewhere. Dick lunged for him right as the weapon whirred to life, the man smirking as he pointed it right at the acrobat.

The gun was fired, but it was not a bullet or laser that came out, but a ring of power akin to Black Canary's cry. Dick's eyes widened a fraction with recognition before he was blasted backward through the air.

The world seemed to shake with the blast, a concussive sound ricocheting around the room. It was interesting enough to note that the sound oddly sounded like some guitar riff, which made no sense to Dick but notable nonetheless. The wood on the floor creaked and groaned under the stress, peeling up like sawdust at the pure amount of power assaulting it. Dick's back hit the wall, his head smacking back painfully and the air being driven from his lungs. His eyes widened when the giant dog came to join him, flying through the air and thudding against the wall with a whimper. The wall trembled with the sheer power being directed at it, the stress of both the weapon and the massive beast pinned to it.

Dick grit his teeth as he was forced to breathe shallowly, the force was still on him and it seemed to be growing heavier. He strained to move his limbs, but it was impossible, the best he could do was shake. Unable to move his head, his eyes snapped towards Alfred and Danny, quickly realizing that if he was pinned then Alfred and Danny were left (somewhat) defenseless.

Alfred was up and had been since the opportunity presented itself, abandoning the spot where the boomerang rested. He had the dazed, ragdoll Danny in one arm while he pulled out his phone in the other. He was moving as fast as he could, nearly out of the room, but that was when the GIW agents recovered enough to open fire again.

A green blast shot into Alfred's shoulder while he was mid-stride. To his credit the butler only faltered for a moment, clutching Danny closer as he continued to stagger away from the agents. Four more shots and the British man went down, Danny still in his arms.

Dick was seeing red, Alfred's name on the tip of his tongue, but his breathless body only wheezed. Dick hated, HATED, being trapped while someone else was getting hurt, ESPECIALLY when that person is Alfred.

The agents swarmed them, only three of them, they kicked Alfred aside and grabbed Danny, the boy seemingly coming to himself and his situation with a whimper.

Dick renewed his struggles, but it was fruitless as Danny was whisked away again right in front of him. The boy was dragged out through the door with barely a glance in Dick's direction, two of the agents holding too tightly to the boy's thin arms, another black-gloved hand gripping his albino hair like some feral dog.

Where was Bruce?! Usually he has great timing!

The fourth agent was still with them, the weapon used to keep them in place in his hands. He was obviously giving his fellow agents time to escape with their prize, but Dick didn't have time for that. Dick needed out, he needed to crunch that man's face with his fist and tackle the others until he had Danny back. He needed Batman to crash through the window and deck the agents with no mercy. He needed to—

A gunshot rang out.

If Dick hadn't already been forced to be still he would have stalled for a second, but his mind did screech to a stop. Before he could find the source of the gunshot the force holding Dick in place dropped. The acrobat and the dog were dropped to the floor with respective thuds, each taking a second to regain their bearings. Dick was catching his breath when he looked up, the need to find the shooter much more important. The agent was on the ground, a bullet wound in his leg and a snarl on his face.

Alfred stood from across the room, shotgun in hand and an absolutely livid look on his face. "You should be lucky to have your kneecaps when we're through with you." Alfred thundered in a way only Alfred can as he kept his gun leveled at the guy in white.

"Alfred!" Dick gasped, relief flooding his systems for a second before worry came back. "Are you alright!?" 

The British man stalked forward with barely a limp, looking to Dick for a second, "I am well enough to deal with this scum." His glower landed on the fallen GIW agent, as did the sights of the shotgun. "Master Danny is in need of your assistance much more than I am."

"You'll never get the chance!" The agent spat, his hand messing with some device on his wrist, and before Alfred or Dick could secure him the man's entire body went pale and fell through the floor.

Dick roared with rage, lunging at the place the agent had been in moments before, slamming his fist into the wood floor.

"Master Dick." Alfred reminded the boy. Dick knew all that anger, disappointment and rage that was jumbled in his voice was directed at the situation but Dick felt it settle deep within himself. The butler swept his weapon upright and glanced at the doorway. Then his gaze leveled at the giant dog, who still seemed to be getting its bearings. "We still have company."

Dick was seething, anger boiled in his gut unchecked, a desperate need to make everything right again RIGHT NOW burning away inside. Alfred's words directed his glare to the dog and a plan formulated in his mind. The GIW were always slipping away like the ghosts they claimed were scum. Dick grit his teeth, time to fight fire with fire.

The giant dog splayed its feet as it shook itself, a thunderous sound as its ears flapped around. When it stopped it blinked slowly a few times, obviously dizzy or fatigued from the device that had trapped them earlier.

Dick quickly got to his feet, his speed catching the dog's attention, then it grew even more interested when Dick picked up the abandoned boomerang. "You want this? This is what you've been going after this entire time?" The acrobat waved it in the air tauntingly, and predictably, the dog lowered its front, tail wagging as it borfed out in agreement. Dick twisted around towards the hallway and drew his arm back before chucking it as hard as he could. "Then FETCH Cujo!"

With a mighty bark the dog gave chase, smashing through the too-small door as it chased the boomerang to wherever Danny was. Dick was confident his theory was correct, boomerang leads to Danny, dog chases boomerang, follow the dog and boom you've found Danny.

Dick was about to follow when Alfred's hand landed on his shoulder. The boy looked up and the old Englishman nodded dutifully, "Batman is on his way."

"Good," Dick muttered and took off after the crazy mutt. He actually had a lot to say about Bruce's absence but that had to wait, he could vent about Bruce later when Danny was safe.

Following the dog was easy, if the sounds of Cujo destroying the manor weren't telling enough then the debris left behind definitely did the job. Robin picked his way through some of the more dangerous bits of broken wood, a worm of guilt sneaking its way in because he had let loose this destructive beast in his own home. Clean up was going to be so much fun, but he couldn't let Alfred do it all himself. Definitely not.

Dick caught sight of a green tail turning a corner in the east wing and he refocused. He was catching up, but he hadn't really thought too far ahead. There were many dead ends in the east wing and unless the GIW were planning on going through the floor again there shouldn't be a way for them to get out. He was hoping the GIW would attack the dog again, that would give Dick enough distraction to get Danny back. He hoped Danny was alright, but that almost bored and broken look, the same look while he'd been dragged off the first time in that net came to the front of Dick's mind.

Dick ran faster, determined to never let the boy have that look again, and definitely not while he was being taken away from safety by his abusers. Dick passed broken lamps and vases, running over claw marks that punctured through the wood floors. He caught the corner of the hallway and twisted around it, eyes widening at the new scene.

The GIW predictably hit a dead end, they were clustered by the giant stained glass window that ended that hallway. Danny was just standing with them, head down submissively while the agents had multiple hands on him to keep him there.

Dick felt his lip curl in a growl, how dare they lay a single hand on Danny! But then a real growl snapped him back to the actual situation. Sure the agents had stalled right now, but the boomerang was still flying and the giant ghost dog was still making its thunderous warpath down the hallway.

Cujo was not stopping.

Dick gave a shout of warning, but it did nothing against the shattering noises of the window and the various screams and shouts and yelps from the group. Then it was deceptively quiet, and there was a giant hole in the window.

Dick felt his heart leap in his chest, scrambling forwards through the broken glass to look two manor stories down.

Luckily, Danny was separated from the GIW agents, unluckily they didn't seem affected by the fall.

Danny though, the little halfa had never been more confused in his entire life.

His face was full of green fur, a foreign softness not even replicated by the guardians' blankets. Danny slowly scrunched up, kneeling on the odd surface and grabbing fistfuls of the fuzz. Then the surface was moving and Danny's eyes grew wide. He was on top of the dog.

The ghost dog.

Dick saw Danny's head snap up, scared and confused by everything going on. Dick nearly flung himself down there, but things were happening too fast. The dog was barking, jerking its body this way and that, attacking the GIW agents but was unable to land a solid hit. The agents skirted around the dog, shouting odd calls to each other that Dick realized were orders. Danny hunkered and tightened his grip as the ghost dog lunged again and nearly dislodged the child. The little halfa's eyes went wide when the agents pulled out two different types of weapons, weapons that clearly meant bad news.

Dick kept watching as he pulled at the grappling line, hooking it to his belt and launching the actual 'hook' part to the ceiling inside the manor. The agents began circling the dog, their weapons charging up with whines of electricity. They were some kind of whip, long and crackling with odd green energy that bathed everything in that same eerie light. The other type of weapon was a bit harder to identify. It was like a cattle prod of some sort, that was the first thing that popped into Dick's head. It was a long stick, two prods sticking out at the end like a glorified taser.

Definitely bad news.

Dick leaped out the broken window right as the GIW initiated their attack. They launched into a series of pokes and lashes, driving the dog away from the manor and making it writhe as the contact with the whip make a burn mark on its fur. Dick hit the ground in a roll, springing up to sprint towards the group with no real plan other than get the GIW fricking OUT.

Danny whimpered when one lash hit him, sending some type of jolt through the child that made him lose his grip. The boy flailed and clung to the animal's fur, just barely hanging onto the wild dog. Dick's stomach plummeted as a few whips lashed over the dog, somehow converging and turning into some sort of net. It was hardly big enough for the dog, the weapon barely stretched over its massive body, but one of the lines trapped Danny's leg.

Dick was getting close, his eyes settled on the closest GIW agent. Then the ground blew up from beneath him.

The acrobat was knocked off his feet, sent sprawling to the ground where he quickly regained his feet. He stared up, finding MORE GIW agents, in JETPACKS. They stalled in the air above him, leveling their ridiculously large guns at Dick. It was clear they were not going to let him intervene.

The Last Flying Grayson squared his shoulders and settled his stance with a growl. Dick was not going to let them win.

-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-

Danny hissed again at the ecto-rope sinched over his leg, the dog beneath him jumping more violently to throw off the painful ropes unsuccessfully. The jostling was not helping Danny, he couldn't get his balance for more than two seconds to do anything about the rope digging into his leg. With another awkward jolt, Danny was flipped over and his leg slid from the rope only for it to clamp over his ankle. Before he could do anything about it he was upside down, dangling off the side of the dog. The child cried out in agony, his entire body being held in place by his trapped ankle. Danny flailed and tried to get back up if only to relieve the pressure on his foot, clawing at the dog's fur until he was able to wiggle himself into a better position.

The child panted, face hot with exertion and warm tears pricking at his eyes. He fisted the dog's hair as he pulled back his other foot, taking a deep breath before slamming it into the rope in attempts to get it off. He heard other fighting, a furtive glance told him the younger guardian was fighting more agents, and honestly, he didn't understand why.

Danny froze and his train of thought was derailed when the dog yelped as it listed heavily to one side, to DANNY'S side. The boy doubled his kicking speed even though it burned the soft pad of his barefoot terribly. Danny didn't want to be squished!

But what was he supposed to be doing? Did the GIW want him to be squished? Did his guardians want him to be squished? Was this some type of test? The guardians hated the GIW, that much Danny was sure of, and that they liked touching him to make things 'good' and 'okay'.

The small halfa didn't know what to feel, but right now his ankle was starting to come free as the ground grew ever closer. Danny braced for impact right as he was able to pull his foot free, flashing out a hand to the oncoming ground like he could catch himself even with the two-ton dog on top of him.

Danny's eyes closed and let whatever happened happen, knowing that if he rag-dolled there would be less pain. And yes, whatever just happened was painful, his head hit something, his ankle felt like it was on fire, and then there was pressure everywhere. He felt breathless for a moment, a slight panic digging into him at his chest felt tight and constricted. Then there was movement again, hands grabbing, rough gloved GIW hands. Then heat, an explosion? Ringing ears. Ringing ears. Weightlessness, more buzzing in his ears, and a flash of white across his closed eyes. Then darkness and heavy. Thud. Another collision with the ground. Ow. Pain. White.

When all the movement stopped for more than five seconds Danny cracked open his eyes.

The sky.

He blinked.

The sky.

He blinked again but the blue expanse above him did not disappear. His aching hand clenched down around grass and dirt. He was outside.

His train of thought was again snatched away when rough gloved hands snaked around his bruised arms. His eyes closed when he caught a flash of white clothing and some weird form of relief sank into his bones. As much as he liked the guardians and the no-hitting rules, at least around the GIW he knew how to act and what to expect.

Danny let himself be dragged a little, staring at the ground where the black shoes stomped against the grass. He was lifted higher, an invitation to walk, and Danny's feet fumbled for footing as his head continued to buzz. The grass and dirt bit at his bare feet but he found he didn't mind. This brown was so unlike the dried blood brown and this grass was such a different color of green than what Danny was used to. He was kind of excited to explore these colors in his cell, if they didn't dunk him in some water first to wash him off...

The ringing in his ears finally started to fade, opening up the rest of the world to the halfa. He didn't dare look up at all the noises, he heard Dick fighting and the agents angry English. He heard the pained yowls of the ghost dog and the whine of the charging up etco-tasers. He heard weird noises like gas or something, oh, the jetpacks. He flinched as the flashes of icy blue lighting of the ecto-tasers seemed too close, but he resigned long ago to whatever the GIW wanted to do with him. The GIW agents were shouting at each other, communicating to contain the ghost dog. Danny didn't understand what they were saying and he never really felt the need to when it came to other ghosts. Not that he saw any of those much...

Danny was suddenly shoved to the side unceremoniously, something hitting the side of his head again and making him stumble. Danny almost went limp at the hit but he knew the agents just wanted his cooperation, they wanted him to stumble for something. The shouting was too loud now, the fighting was too close. He tried to regain his balance, but unlike Batman and Robin holding his hands up the stairs, the hand tight around his upper arm was of little help.

That's when Danny became aware of a familiar burning in his chest and torso, right where his core would be. Something inside of him riled up, the familiar rush of power flooding through his veins just as much as sudden terror did. Danny held his breath and screwed his eyes shut tighter as if if he ignored it enough it would go away. His mind was a complicated cacophony of 'nonononononono' as the power built anyway until it broke out in a familiar blast.

There was a loud thud that told the boy the agent had fallen, the boy himself standing still and untouched. His heart sunk and he braced for impact. And the impact did come, loud angry yelling of rushed English pelting his ears as two hands grabbed him and roughly buckled his legs and slammed him into the ground. There was a hand around his small neck, an odd sensation on his bare skin, he'd almost say it was pleasant if it weren't trying to strangle him. A small choked squeak emanated from his parted mouth, gaping open in hopes that air would return to his lungs. As much as he wanted to open his eyes to look for an escape he kept them closed, opening them now would just make the punishment worse.

How much trouble was he in for going outside? For accidentally using his powers again? He didn't want to add onto that sentence just because some not-GIW agents made a rule about looking that didn't involve punishments.

"DANNY FIGHT BACK!"

Danny's body jerked at the sound (NOT because he was running out of air.)(Okay he was scared.)(He was running out of air!), the voice of the younger guardian sounding far away.

The GIW's angry English overwhelmed Danny's ears, drowning out the older boy's words. The ghost child's heart rose into his throat uncomfortably, beating against his ribs like it was about to rip out of his chest. He needed air! It burned his chest from the inside out, seeing spots dance across his vision even if his eyes were closed. Everything felt far away and tingly, the familiar sensation of unconsciousness steadily creeping up.

"FIGHT BACK!"

Fight back? His flailing limbs were heavy and useless, not to mention felt disconnected to his body as everything else did. Even the ground felt far away. Besides, what could he possibly do? Th-the agents... his powers...

His powers. He didn't have the collar on. He HAD his powers. He could USE them!

...a-and get in a lot of trouble...

Was this a test? Was it THE test? The test to see which side he would obey? Obey the black guardians and their weird backwards nice-ness or the white GIW agents and their pain?

A new war waged in his head, his thoughts spinning as much as everything else that was in pain. Listen to the guardians. Listen to the GIW agents. One of them had to be the right choice!? Too many possibilities! He was going to get hurt if he went with the GIW, he was getting hurt right now! But if he obeyed the guardians the GIW only come every now and then to give pain, guardians never did the pain themselves. They kept on promising safety and no hitting, but that meant he needed the GIW to do the danger and hitting the guardians wouldn't do. Why was this so hard?! Danny didn't want any of this! It just needed to go away! Just everything go away! It was too dangerous to choose!

"FIGHT BACK DANNY! YOU CAN BEAT THEM!"

There was tugging on his heavy limbs, the ghost of a touch yet it was the only thing he could feel. His neck being released ever so slightly as hands grabbed all along his body. Air flooded his chest, pumping up and down as he reclaimed life-giving oxygen. But then everything came back like a slap to the face. So many grabbing hands. Hands around his arms, legs, his neck again. Too tight. Danny wanted them all to just stop and go away. Too many hands, too much grabbing, no, no, no touching. Stop touching. Stop touching!

The small halfa yanked at his limbs, trying to pull away from the unwanted touch, whining as their grips became harder. He would bruise, their fingers might as well be digging into his bones. It hurt. From inside he felt cold, felt that flurry of power that skimmed across his skin to the rest of his body. He pushed it out. Instead of fearing it's escape he pushed it out.

The power left him in a wave-like pulse, leaving his exhausted body to sag before it repeated. The feeling came over his body again like crashing tidal wave that exploded outwards. Danny breathed heavily, the hands were gone and he tucked his limbs close.

He wasn't on the ground anymore, but now he couldn't stop. Out. Out. It all wanted out and it wasn't stopping!

Danny's breath was sucked out of his throat at the familiar sound of electricity, it was the only warning given before his entire body lit up in screams.

Pain, pain, pain. Sizzling, burnt, sharp and not stopping. His throat, screaming, tearing, pain pain pain. His limbs heavy and useless, burning and jerking and bad and pain.

Cold. Then it was cold around his neck, familiar and tight.

The zapping stopped and Danny could finally breathe. And that's all he did.

His powers were gone now, the collar was back. He couldn't fight back, and now he was in pain. Stupid, stupid, stupid ghost scum, why did he think that would work? Now it would all just be pain. Choosing was useless, the GIW were both. The guardians were nice but he was still going to get hit and hurt from the GIW, the guardians couldn't stop them.

The guardians were weak, they hated the GIW, wanted no hitting and yes safety and nice touching. The GIW was opposite, but GIW was stronger than guardians. Danny had to keep reminding himself guardians were not part of the GIW, they weren't working together, they hated eachother. Were guardians like him? Not ghosts obviously, but maybe they had collars and pain too. How did they still have yellow and happy? How were they not in white and chains?

The guardians made no sense, Danny was stupid to hope the GIW would leave him alone if he was with guardians. Stupid to think he could stay with guardians and all the nice no-hurting rules. Stupid to think anything, he was just a ghost, he was just post human consciousness ectoplasmic scum.

He belonged to the GIW. He was supposed to be in chains and have white. He was supposed to have pain for everything.

Danny remained limp on the ground, exhausted and scared, but content with his lot in life. At least with the GIW he knew what was coming. The guardians were scary because they were new, GIW was not new, pain was not new, so Danny liked that.

The hands were back, dragging him, tight, not good— not kind.

Danny may like not new, but he did not like pain and hurt.

"Danny!"

Bruce. Or was he Batman? What were the rules for outside?

Danny didn't know why he cared, Bruce Batman would be irrelevant soon, the only thing that should concern him would be GIW.

But Bruce Batman sounded scared, that was a bad thing like Dick Robin being scared. That was a wrong. No one else was supposed to be scared, only ghosts, humans don't be scared.

The hands disappeared, ripped away, there was thudding and hitting but never on Danny. Danny just laid on the ground, sapped and dull. The small halfa didn't care anymore, he just existed and let everything happen without interest. All this tug of waring over his body was tiring. He was tired. So he stayed limp.

"Danny," Bruce Batman's voice again, this time much closer. A shadow, a heat much closer. "Danny it's alright, the GIW is gone now. I'm going to take the collar off."

Hands again, grabbing but not like the digging pain, more like holding. Kind. They helped Danny sit up, holding him gently to keep him still and in place. Danny wouldn't move though, if Bruce Batman wanted him still Danny would sit still. There was heat coming from Bruce Batman, he sat (crouched?) next to him, speaking low and gentle. "Remember? No collars. You're alright, you're safe now. Can you look at me please?"

There was a gentle nudge to his chin and Danny jerked back, his heart thudding too strongly in his chest. Touching, Bruce Batman and Dick Robin liked touching, touching made things 'okay' and 'alright'. (No, no no no.) (Touching was danger.) Bruce Batman had the no-punishment rule with looking, it... it would be safe. Bruce Batman hadn't hurt him anytime he looked, there was no bad associated with looking at Bruce Batman.

Danny's eyes refused to open for a second, a strike of fear dashing through the child as it was obvious he didn't obey instantly. He wanted to rub his eyes, it felt wet there, but he was still being held still by Bruce Batman's (gentle) holding. He was supposed to be moving anything but whatever Bruce Batman said, this test must be a mobility test.

That made Danny want to whine, mobility tests were usually before battles with the scary robots. Danny did not want to battle robots. Danny wanted to not be in pain. And maybe sleep. He wanted to be left alone because agents and guardians meant he was supposed to be doing something and it was always dangerous.

He finally wrenched his eyes open, eyelids feeling sticky and heavy. He let himself relax some, even if guardians haven't hit yet it was best to be safe and be limp so it didn't hurt as much. His eyes fluttered around low, taking in the dark boots and the deep cape. Batman. He was Batman outside then. The grass was crushed under his big boots, the grass was crushed a lot of places, they were wilting and torn up with dirt. Danny felt like that.

"No more collar. You are safe now." Batman said, then the grabby hands left his arms and traveled up to his neck. Danny fought off the urge to flinch or back away defensively. Logically he knew Batman was taking the collar off, he said so twice, he also knew he wasn't going to get hit, he said that as well. Illogically he knew anytime hands came near his neck it meant pain and hurting for a long time.

He hated Batman's hands near his neck, or anyone's hands except his own. Only his own hands would ever protect his neck, all other hands hurt and did bad things. He didn't like Batman so close, touching his neck, it was dangerous and uncomfortably warm.

He didn't flinch, but his hands fisted the grass while he waited for the heated hands to leave. It was always a waiting game. Waiting until the pain was gone. That game was never over.

Then Danny felt a new feeling, his neck was freed from the cold tightness, from the soul-sucking grip of powerlessness. The feeling was accompanied by a clanking click, then the collar was discarded on the grass in front of the child.

Danny stared at it for a moment, thinking. The guardians hated the GIW, the collar was part of the GIW, maybe... maybe if he— Well maybe he should actually do what he was told, he'd be less likely get in trouble that way. Danny was supposed to be perfect at following orders, even if they hurt or didn't make sense.

His toxic green eyes flicked up slowly, deciding to make his way up just in case it was a trick just to make him do something wrong. Danny was shaking, he realized, his hands were clenched too tightly in the grass it was starting to hurt his fists but everything else couldn't stop shaking. But when his eyes settled on the man's core he completely froze.

Batman's black core, it-it wasn't black, it was red. Red, red, RED.

Danny... He-- He couldn't breathe. Everything was so tight, so close, warm and touching.

The small halfa pushed himself away, digging his hurting heels into the broken grass and dirt. His hands finally unclenched from the ground and wrapped around his neck, head ducking to avoid whatever assault would be given to him next. No no no, stop touching. Stop.

"Danny it's alright, you're safe now." Batman's voice filtered through the mess of one-worded pleas repeating over and over again in Danny's head.

The child looked up through his arms, staring at the man like he was the bad Agent A. He was going to hurt Danny and he wasn't ever going to stop until his core turned yellow. It would be forever. The game never ends. His core was so red, so bloody red, angry angry angry. Batman was reaching forwards even though he wasn't close, he was reaching, he was going to touch. To hurt. No. No no no.

Danny scrambled back once more, struggling to get to his feet before the corner of his eye caught the manor. He took one glance off the Batman and instantly raw terror seized his body. They always grabbed him when he wasn't looking, even when he did look they always grabbed him. Grabbing to hurt. Batman was already moving forward, very slowly with his arms stretched out to trap and grip. He was moving to touch and Danny felt his heart throb painfully in his chest along with his pumping lungs. No. No!

"Danny it's okay—"

Danny turned and bolted.

He headed straight for the manor, running on adrenaline because he knew he should be a lot more tired from everything. And he was, he was so tired, so tired and everything hurt but he couldn't stop. It would never stop. His feet, his feet. Ow, his feet. His neck hurt, it itched and burned and ow. His body hurt, it ached and felt loopy, like his joints were all disconnected and then reconnected all wrong.

The house loomed closer but Danny ignored the dread piling up in his stomach, he just ran. (He was running away from keepers again. What experiment would be done to him this time for punishment?) He ran and ran right until he ran into the very solid dark oak and weird brick wall. Ran right through more like.

The white haired child paused on the other side, shaking and wide-eyed.

H-he didn't recognize anything, everything looked the same, all dark mahogany's and fancy rugs and golden framed paintings. His chest heaved with his efforts and with stress, the air seemed too thin but he was determined to get to safety. He had to be quick, had to be faster than Batman and Robin and the nice Agent A.

He ran forward again, this time he felt himself drift upwards and his legs disappeared altogether. Danny zoomed through the hallways, not daring to pause or stop until safety was found, he just had to find it, he had to. Faster faster faster.

Finally, when he passed through a (thankfully) familiar mighty hallway he screeched to a stop. The kitchen, or at least the table room without straps with the chairs that had no electricity. Danny was going to cry, there was too much going on that Danny didn't understand, that Danny didn't WANT to understand. Because if he did then he'd get in trouble and he didn't want more pain, please just no more pain. Please end the game. Please end!

He dove under the table, finding a good chair leg to cuddle and pulled himself into the tightest ball of Danny he possibly could.

Please! End the game!

So yeah, sorta cliff hanger but kinda not really? Good news is chapter 12 is mostly done and on its way as well as being much much larger.

Btw collage is annoying as cRaP and I need to vent but y'all aren't here for that so I'll just pour it into Danny and hope that sits well with y'all.

Anywho, this chapter is 7,158 words, lol it wracked up another thousand via editing, lol you guys would hate the raw stuff.

Anyway, see you all soon!