Chapter Text
Just as the words left Dick’s mouth, a familiar accented voice interrupted the quarreling duo and stopped them in their tracks.
“I believe that is quite enough.” Dick and Bruce simultaneously turned to look at the family butler, giving equally sheepish looks despite the adrenaline still running through them. “Both of you need to calm down, away from the young lad who is attempting to rest.” He raised a single brow, arms crossed and voice stern. “Or have you both forgotten about him in your haste?”
“Sorry, Alfred,” Dick mumbled as he shot Bruce a sneaky stink-eye. “How is he doing?”
Alfred sighed, turning his attention back to Danny who was now curled up on his side, seemingly more peacefully asleep than his fitful rest from before. “The lad seems to have no obvious broken limbs or anything more than a few scrapes and bruises. Much of what I expected if he'd been staying on the streets for a certain amount of time.”
Dick sighed in relief, knowing that Danny didn't have any serious injuries to take care of. “That's good, I'm glad that it's nothing extensive. I'll get him cleaned up right away so he feels even better!”
“Hmm, quite right Young Master Dick,” Alfred agreed easily. His lips pinched though, brows joining in worried thought. “Although, I am concerned about how small he is. Seems the young lad may be suffering from malnutrition, he is not the size or weight a child of his estimated age should be at.”
Dick nodded along eagerly, purposefully shoulder-checking Bruce for his own amusement as he hurried over to Danny’s bedside. “Is there a diet you think he needs to be on to gain weight back? It seemed like he hadn’t eaten in a while, so I thought I should have him on broth and crackers for a while to start…” Dick started mumbling to himself, trying to come up with a vague plan of what he needed to get at the store. He resolutely ignored Bruce’s attempts to join the conversation, acting like the man wasn’t even there.
“Quite right, best to ease his stomach into things right now. I suggest some bland soups and broths, nothing too flavorful or spice-addled as it could irritate his stomach and cause adverse effects.” Alfred moved to snatch a pad of paper off the counter. He began writing notes and Dick mentally groaned at the idea of reading the fancy British cursive. “I do suggest transitioning to solid foods after a week of him eating and keeping the food down consistently. Then you can start giving him fruits and vegetables high in carbohydrates while having him move around regularly.”
“Dick-”
“Sounds good, Alfred!” Dick spoke in an overly-cheerful manner, still ignoring his father-figure. “Do you think I’m okay to take him back to my Gotham apartment?”
“It might be best until the boy wakes up, lest he be frightened at an unfamiliar space upon waking. Though I do think your apartment, as shabby as it may be Master Richard, would be far more suitable than lugging him all the way to Bludhaven in this state.” Alfred gave him a sharp nod and moved to start rummaging in a nearby cupboard for something. A moment later he pulled out a pair of soft looking sweats, a little big for Danny but better he supposed than anything in his own locker. “These are Master Tim's, while the young master might be small for his age still, I suggest rolling the waist a few times for Sir Danny so he has something clean to wear.”
Dick gave his pseudo-grandfather a grateful smile, feeling the tension slip out of him bit by bit as he talked to the old man about Danny's condition. Making a plan was grounding, it helped him focus on not paying any mind to the hulking furry at his back. “Thanks for your help Alfie, a lifesaver as always.”
“Hmm, quite so Master Dick,” Alfred shot a glance between him and presumably Bruce. “Now, I suggest the both of you take some time apart to breathe and get cleaned up. Master Bruce, please do take a shower--you smell like a greasy burger joint’s sticky condiment table.”
Dick held in a snort at the remark, noticing the distinct smell of relish nearby now that he wasn't in fight or flight mode.
“...Condiment King showed up tonight after Nightwing's check in earlier.” Bruce responded defeatedly.
“Must- ard been a wonderful chance to ketchup with your good buddy, B.” Dick cheekily quipped at the sulking man, finally acknowledging Bruce just to torment him. His eyes narrowed at Bruce’s barely-concealed wince at the acrobat’s masterful puns. Was it mean to tease the man? Yes, yes it was and that's why he was not going to stop. “I know you relish your time with him.” Dick’s grin only grew wider at Bruce’s steadily slumping shoulders. “ May-o have a wonderful shower, Mr. Number Five Special.”
Dick snickered quietly to himself as Bruce hurried away to the Cave’s locker room and escaping any death-by-puns from Dick, instead turning his attention back to Danny and Alfred. “I’ve got it from here, Alfred. Thank you so much for your help again, really.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Master Dick. I’ll be back shortly with some refreshments.” With that, the older man patted Dick’s shoulder before starting towards the doorway.
“Sounds good, Alfie,” Dick murmured as the old butler left the room to do as he said. He couldn't stop watching Danny, though, moving closer now and settling into a chair near the exam bed. He took a deep breath, body unwinding a bit for the first time since the moment Bruce entered the cave for the night.
Dick sat there for seconds or minutes, he wasn't sure, just watching as Danny breathed. His little chest pumping up and down slower than he thought was normal, but moving all the same as he slept. His cherub face slackened in sleep, little puffs of air escaping his mouth every other breath and inadvertently blowing the strands of his bangs up with a slight whoosh. It was adorable.
Thoughtlessly, Dick started running his hand gently through Danny’s tangled hair. His thoughts wandered away from him as he comforted the unconscious boy. He couldn’t have been older than six, so Dick would need to figure out some sort of pre-school situation for him. Or maybe daycare? Roy might know what to do, Lian’s almost three but surely he’s researched what type of care a child this age needs?
All else fails, he could probably contact Dr. Leslie about it and live with the lectures about proper child rearing he'd get. She probably has some sort of guide for people who happened to stumble upon random orphan children in alleyways, right? She has been taking care of Bruce practically his entire life after all…
His thoughts were cut off by a slight shuffling under his hand, snapping to attention as he watched tiny eyelids slowly flutter open. The small child let out a whine, pressing his head up into Dick’s hand as hazy eyes sleepily moved to settle on Dick himself. All at once, Danny stiffened like a board as he stared, wide-eyed and now fully conscious it seemed, at the vigilante sitting beside him.
“Hey, kiddo,” Dick murmured soothingly. He didn't remove his hand and Danny didn't protest it being where it was. “How’re you feeling?”
“Fine…” Danny muttered after a short pause. “Where are we, weirdo?”
Dick chuckled at the name calling, cautiously continuing to stroke Danny’s hair like one would pet a semi-feral raccoon. “We’re in the Batcave, specifically in the medical bay.” Tilting his head to the side, Dick questioned Danny. “Do you remember me bringing you here?”
The little boy barely nodded his head, like he was trying to not dislodge Dick’s gloved hand. “Yeah, you and Mr. Alfred were talkin’ about my health.”
“That’s right,” the vigilante agreed carefully. “You’re pretty malnourished, kid. When was the last time you ate a proper meal?”
“Dunno,” Danny said dismissively, giving the man a truly bombastic side-eye. “Why do you care?”
Dick hesitated for a split-second, worrying about approaching this the wrong way and sending Danny running to the hills. “Well,” he started cautiously, “I was wondering if you had anyone taking care of you. And, if you didn’t have someone, I was going to ask if you would be okay with me being your guardian.” At Danny’s panicked, wide-eyed look, Dick rushed to keep explaining before he bolted. “It doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be, either. If you want me to bring you to a safe place I can do that. I can work with the police to find a safe home-”
He was cut off by a tiny hand harshly slapping against his mouth, as if to physically shut him up. Dick looked cross-eyed down at the pudgy face grumpily glaring up at the young man with ferocity misplaced on a little face. “You talk too much,” Danny grumbled. “You’re a weirdo, but you’re not a perv. That’s like, ten times better than anything else I’ve met out there.” Fierce blue eyes pinned Dick in place, determined to put him in a place of Danny's choosing supposedly. He sat up a little bit straighter under the scrutinizing gaze of the little boy before him. “Just know that if you try anything, I can and will steal your kidney. Probably the right one, your left seems to be struggling.”
“I–um, okay?” Dick squeaked out, a bit too unnerved by a munchkin that barely reached the height of his knees. “That’s…great to hear?”
“You're welcome,” Danny nodded, like he was doing Dick some big favor by telling him his kidney was failing. Where did that even come from?
Dick coughed awkwardly, shuffling in his chair but somehow keeping his hand tangled in Danny's snarled waves. “So, am I to take that as a yes that you'll let me look out for you?”
Danny pursed his lips, eyes scanning his surroundings a Dick waited patiently. He finally settled on looking just past Dick's shoulder at something. He glanced behind him, expecting Alfred for God forbid Bruce again, but there was no one. Yet, looking back at Danny, he seemed to be having a silent conversation before his blue orbs were piercing into Dick’s very soul with their intensity.
“I'll trust you for now, but only because everyone says you're nice outside of your outbursts,” Danny shrugged. “But apparently those only happen around your Dad, so I think I'll be fine.”
Dick startled, but then remembered Danny's morbid words from earlier with Bruce on the roof. “Ah,” he nodded in vague understanding. “Your ghost friends are telling you stuff again?”
“I mean, I barely know them,” Danny gave him a flat, “are you stupid” expression. He wasn't even offended at this point. “But I'd think some kids saying you tried to save them from a fire a few years ago would know if you're okay or not.” He flashed a sharp grin… Were those fangs or just long incisors? Dick almost didn’t want to know and paled when Danny's words finally registered. “You know what they say, kids are the best judges of character after all!” Danny quipped with an all-too-cheery voice for the conversation topic.
“Ah, okay then,” Dick said hesitantly, unsure what the socially acceptable response for a child talking to ghosts is. “That’s…good to know?” He felt like he was asking a lot of questions and coming off as pretty stupid right now. Dick thought about it for half a second before mentally shrugging because he figured Danny didn’t have high standards for adults right now anyway.
“Mmhm, by the way? Can I have something to eat already?” Danny changed the subject so fast Dick had whiplash. He blinked at the kid, feeling off kilter while Danny just pouted as he impatiently waited for an answer.
“Uh, yeah, Alfred is bringing those snacks he mentioned earlier I think? Or is there something else you'd like?”
Danny grinned, almost half feral as he cackled and asked, “Could I have some Fruit Loops?”
****************
“Soooo,” Danny drawled out from where he was lying upside-down on Dick’s couch. “Is your name really Dick?”
He watched boredly as the vigilante's head swiveled around, hard enough for part of his neck to snap with a large pop that sounded painful, to stare at Danny casually lounging like a too-pleased stray cat on the ratty couch. Seriously, he thought these guys were rich, so why was his couch scratchy enough Danny was worried there would be fleas on him later?
“What?” Dick responded intelligently (read: sarcasm), his jaw trying to become one with the floor. He held in a snort–it would just make his head hurt at this angle.
Danny bore his eyes into the startled blues of the unmasked vigilante’s, trying to keep his expression a cool deadpan. “Your name, duh? Dick? By the way, who hated you enough to name you after a peni-”
“ Nope! ” The older man made an aborted motion towards Danny, starting to lung towards where he was sprawled on touch before tripping over his feet a bit. Danny would never admit he thought it was cool how Dick kept himself from falling on his face. “First off, don’t say that word. It's a naughty word, and we don't speak that language here.” Oh great, now he’s being lectured. “Second off, Dick is short for Richard. My parents didn’t really speak English that well, it was a second or third language, so they had no idea about the double meaning of the nickname.”
“Well, at least they didn’t hate you?” Danny half shrugged to keep himself from slipping off the couch, but also to show how little he really cared for the conversation topic. It didn't matter that he chose it in the first place.
“My parents loved me very much, thank you!” Dick now calmly walked closer to Danny, kneeling down next to the couch to be at eye level with him. “Did Alfred tell you my name before we left? I don’t think I ever actually introduced myself.”
“Uhhh…” Danny paused, thinking. “I don’t…know?” He spoke hesitantly, keeping an eye on the muscular man’s body language. He was crouched near Danny's head, but not too close to probably keep Danny from getting freaked out and his face held a concerned expression. But Danny saw something behind his eyes, not threatening but still calculating, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle he didn't have the rules to yet.
Danny figured he was the puzzle…he was hoping Dick would share the rules when he figured it out. For now, Danny was just going to live off of the luck of bullshit.
“Eh, you know what they say right?” Danny put a finger on his chin, tapping it lightly as he glanced away from Dick's probing gaze to check out the rug below his head. It was a nice rug, probably softer than the couch and yep. He was just gonna focus on that stupidly nice rug instead of the adult nearby.
“No, Danny, what do they say? I am so woefully behind on the youth's current jokes.” Dick dramatically flopped onto the side of the couch, still not touching Danny, but closer now that if he tried to run it would be useless.
“That the memory goes first in old age Dick, maybe you should look into that,” Danny shrugged again, feeling himself slip and he held a hand onto the rug for balance. He was right, that is soft! “I don't remember when it was, I definitely heard your name at some point--obviously. But I'm also a kid and I was half asleep most of the night. I think I have a pass right now, but you should really try to do better.”
He felt Dick’s hand slide around his ankle, keeping him on the couch with barely any effort on his part. Danny tilted his head up, chin squishing into his neck uncomfortably comfortable to see the quirk of the man's eyebrows. He eyed the hand keeping him somewhat upright nervously, but tried not to show it. Never let your enemy know your next move and all that stuff. Where did he hear that again?
“Oh? Are you calling me old again Danny?” Dick smiled benevolently, and Danny didn't trust it. “Well, I must be so old that not only my memory is going bad…” Dick’s words drifted right before Danny's world turned right side up again and he let out a whoosh of air as he tumbled gracelessly onto the super soft rug–mostly. His head landed with a little bounce on the hardwood. “My grip must be too! Oh gee, you alright down there, little whippersnapper?”
Danny could hear the smirk in Dick's voice. He just refused to acknowledge it. “Are you trying to give me a concussion? I feel like that’s child abuse.” With a great heave, Danny pushed himself to his feet to stand before Dick in all his three-foot-one glory.
Dick scoffed playfully, “You’re fine, I promise–your skull’s still all squishy.” He reached down and booped Danny’s nose. The younger of the duo slapped at Dick’s hand with a scowl, moving to climb back onto the couch.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You trying to turn my bones into soup or something?” Danny turned to where the dark-haired man sat with no small amount of suspicion.
Dick simply smiled widely, eyes crinkling at the corners as he leaned forward in a terrible impersonation of an old lady. He wiggled his fingers and whispered, “How did you know little one? Why, my bunica had the loveliest recipe for boiled children! The younger they are, the more tender the bones, which makes all the better stock for your meal!” Dick cackled menacingly in a fake way. Totally fake.
Danny inched away completely casually, he wasn't freaked out at all, nope. “Pft, yeah right, you're just messing with me, weirdo.”
“Are you sure about that Danny?” Dick was grinning, he could feel it but he didn't have to look. Danny was just going to focus on the rug again and not the slippered feet at the edge of it. “Did you know my family had a lot of superstitions, but a lot of the old stories were steeped in mystery. Were they true? Or were they just tall tales for old ladies to scare kids into peeling potatoes for dinner?”
Danny risked a glance upwards and squinted his eyes at the fraying fabric of the couch just behind Dick's ear. “...peeling the potatoes option?”
“Maybe,” Dick shrugged casually, tilting his head aside and whistling for a second before he lunged towards Danny. He tried to escape, heart pounding for a precious few seconds before he registered what was happening, uncontrollably he started giggling wildly as he was tickled. Danny wiggled as Dick's fingers attacked him from both sides and even under his armpits, the tickling unrelenting. “Or maybe I'll just have to steal your squishy little bones and we will have to see!”
Danny laughed, unable to stop the tears now running down his face. “No! My bones are normal, they aren't squishy enough for soup! Go boil your own Dick!”
“My bones aren’t nice and tender like yours are though!” Large hands grabbed under his armpits and Dick crowed as he stood up with Danny held securely in his grip. An evil grin overtook the vigilante’s face as he cackled menacingly once more, faking evilness tinting his voice as he playfully spoke. “Light, squishy, and perfect for some delicious soup!”
With a squeal of childish delight, Danny was launched into the air. He floated in the space by the ceiling for a split-second longer than normal before falling back into Dick’s waiting arms, hands outstretched for him. “No!” Danny tried to protest between his laughs. “Get your own bones, you Fruit Loop!”
“Nope,” Dick answered, his grin absolutely smug as he cuddled Danny close. “I want your bones and only yours will do!” And into the air Danny went again, laughter filling the apartment as the two continued to play. “Time to put tasty children into a pot! Hmm, I wonder what kind of veggies I’ll put in with you…how about some carrots?”
“Nooo!” Dany whined, pushing futilely at where he was cradled against Dick’s chest. “I’m not soup! You can’t soup me! This is illegal! And carrots are gross!”
With no small amount of balancing skill on Dick's part, Danny was carried into the apartment’s kitchen where he was plopped onto the counter like a bag of grapes. He side-eyed where Dick began rummaging around the cabinets. If that man dared to pull out a single vegetable in front of him, Danny was not afraid to bite.
“How do you like your waffles, kiddo?” Dick called out randomly after a minute of rummaging. He almost couldn't see the man from where the cupboards were seemingly trying to consume him.
“... Why?” Danny asked suspiciously as the last of his giggles finally faded. He half expected Dick to turn around and grab him again honestly, so he stayed a little tense. But hmm waffles sounded good .
Dick pulled his head out to give Danny a charming grin, eyes sparkling with playful mirth as he shook a box of pre-made waffle mix at the child. “To fatten you up, of course! I can’t eat skinny children, that’s just immoral!”
Danny scoffed, offended. “How is it immoral to just eat a skinny kid, and not I don't know, kids in general ??”
Dick laughed with whole body, shoulders shaking and the sound coming straight from his belly. Shaking his head, he climbed out of the closet to Narnia's cousin and meandered over to the counter across from Danny. He discreetly crossed his arms, making sure to tuck them around his sides and squeeze them tight around his armpits.
Dick's eyes crinkled when he noticed the action anyway, no matter how sneaky Danny was. He shook his head and hummed as he started snatching other ingredients from around the small kitchen. “Oh, no, small children are a staple in most countries! Haven't you ever heard of Hansel and Gretel?”
“You mean the fairy tale?” Danny asked with narrowed eyes. He shuffled around a bit, closer to the edge of the counter so he could idly swing his legs back and forth. If it gave him more time to make his escape? Well, that was just a pleasant coincidence.
Dick smirked, “Something I used to hear at your age a lot is that fairy tales are a lot like fables, there's always a hint of a truth or moral to them no matter how fantastic they seem.”
Danny gave a look that had Dick scoffing. “It's true! So I tell you, small children are a delicacy in some cultures, but anyone would consider giving an underfed ingredient to be rude. Wouldn't you think it would stink to have a skinny turkey at Thanksgiving?”
“No, if it were skinnier, then the turkey would be easier to fight off.” Danny didn't even hesitate before answering him. He wasn't quite sure why he felt like that was right, but the way his arms ached at the thought of turkey told him he probably didn't want to know.
He watched though as Dick froze, waffle mix splashing from the bowl onto his pajamas. “I'm sorry kiddo, but what ?!”
“So what kind of waffle are we making?” Danny decided it was best to just move on. Even if the vein in Dick's neck might think otherwise.
“Danny, please, did you fight a Thanksgiving turkey ?”
“Y’know, I really like blueberry waffles. A bunch of whipped cream, syrup…maybe some crushed Snickers too?” Danny said as he thoughtfully tapped his chin. Dick still hadn’t moved from where he held a whisk haphazardly above the mixing bowl, goopy batter dripping onto the counter a little. He watched, waiting for the hard reboot to finish, as another fat dollop dropped down with a funny-sounding plop noise that Danny enjoyed.
“ Kid. ” Dick's voice sounded like someone was tugging on his throat, barely able to get the one word out while staring at Danny in horror.
“What? Snickers on waffles are tasty! You should try it some time, old man.” He eyed the bowl and whisk as another drop of half-stirred goodness fell. Would Dick notice if he ate some of the mix out of the bowl? He didn't really think so, the man looked kind of out of it right now. “Do you need some help stirring or something?”
“What? I uh, no--” Dick stuttered before setting the bowl back down on the counter to instead rub his hands up and down his face as he loudly sighed. “Sure, kiddo, go crazy.”
“Sweet!” Danny reached over to grab the large mixing bowl, furiously moving the whisk around with a maniacal grin. He flicked his eyes up to Dick, sneaking a little taste while the older man had some kind of crisis in the kitchen and didn't notice him.
He kept an eye on Dick though anyway, who seemed to give up trying to make sense of his life (felt that) before grabbing a waffle iron out of another random cabinet. The man plugged it in before opening his fridge. “I don’t think I have any blueberries here, sorry kiddo, but I do have whipped cream and syrup for you.”
Danny scowled at the waffle mixture, giving it an extra hard stirring at the news. “So you just hate me, huh?”
“ What?! ” Dick once again, dropped his jaw in shock as Danny furiously beat the cheap waffle mix.
“You don’t have blueberries. So you hate me. I can’t believe this, the man who kidnapped me from a tasty meal in the dead of night hates me.” Danny heaved a great, dramatic sigh before turning his deadly puppy-dog eyes full of acute heartbreak to his caretaker. “This is why I should never trust strange men dressed up like crime fighting furries.”
“Danny, when I found you, that ‘tasty meal’ you mentioned? Wasn't that going to be hot melted garbage?” Dick quirked a single eyebrow at him, setting the cold ingredients near Danny's foot on the counter and crossing his arms. “Then I brought you to Alfred, who gave you actual food that you had scarfed down in seconds? So what should you actually say to the nice vigilante who helped you?”
Danny paused for a second to enjoy Dick's smugness before it would come crashing down.
“You suck–should have left me to the raccoons if you didn't have blueberries in your fridge.”
Dick gazed despondently into the void that was his kitchen sink. Danny glanced over to see if a portal to hell opened up or something, but nope it was just a sink. He heard Dick whisper though, horrified and probably to himself. “God, is this what Bruce felt like having to raise us?”
“Hell if I know.” Danny openly stuck a finger into the bowl, happily licking at the tasty batter once more since he was sure Dick was off in La La Land. “My ultimate goal is to give as many gray hairs to as many people in my vicinity as humanly possible.”
“...So this is what Bruce felt like.” Dick glanced up at Danny, narrowing his eyes at Danny's batter coated fingers as he came back to his senses. Finally, Danny was getting bored watching him dissolve into a mindless weirdo. “Also, language Danny--hey, stop eating the batter straight from the bowl, you'll get sick!” Danny screamed a bit as Dick lunged at him, managing to grab the plastic bowl full of tasty goodness away from him.
“Give that back, you blueberryless furry!” Danny protested as he scrambled to try and get the bowl back as Dick avoided him. “That's my food!”
Dick danced out of the way, laughing lightly as Danny slipped off the counter and face planted onto the floor in his mindless flailing. He groaned as he attempted to snatch the older man's ankles. “It’s not even cooked! It’s not food yet!”
“Says who?! The food police?!” The little boy leapt up at Dick, jumping to try and reach the bowl once more. Dick–the unfairly tall person that he was–just held the bowl up and out of Danny’s way, balanced on his fingertips. The more he tried to jump towards it, the more frustrated Danny got. If only he was a couple of inches taller! Danny ignored the reasonable part of his brain (it was small anyway) that told him even a couple of inches weren't enough when he was so short .
With a small growl, Danny pushed his entire might into one final leap at the plastic prison that housed his tasty treat. His eyes never left it even as his hands met the cool material and with a shout of triumph, he spun around to gloat at the fun police with an unfortunate name.
“Ha, it's mine…now…” Danny's voice trailed off from victorious to confused as he realized he had to look down at Dick. Small hands gripped the edges of the bowl, whisk hanging precariously off the edge as Danny wondered how he suddenly grew taller. Did he have a sudden growth spurt? He didn't think so, one that big would have hurt and ripped his clothes he figured. Danny thought about it as he watched Dick run around the kitchen island, eyes locked onto Danny above him.
“Danny?! Are you alright, you aren't hurt or anything are you?” Dick screeched, hands splayed on the counter as he took one breath in and two out. Danny counted it.
Hmm, Danny wondered for half a second before it hit him. He must have unlocked some reality altering superpower that must have made Dick really small or gave Danny super height! That was so cool!
He grinned toothily as he called out to Dick. “Hey hey! Guess what? I think I have some kind of superpower, Dick!”
He gave Danny a smile that didn't reach his eyes like the others, it looked more like the one he gave Alfred last night when he was getting a lecture about something. Why was he not more excited? Danny had reality-altering superpowers! He could get Dick some blueberries and he would never have to suffer through blueberryless waffles ever again!
“That's uh, yeah I can tell you've got powers, kiddo,” Dick looked stressed as he nodded back. He climbed on the counter and Danny cocked his head as he watched. The counter didn't seem to shrink, so Dick didn't seem to either…which left him with the fact Danny got bigger! Yes, he was going to be taller than Dick now!
“Danny, just stay still alright? I'm coming for you now,” Dick wobbled a little on the counter. He may be a vigilante, but when your foot slips into the sink it'll knock anyone off balance. Danny nodded sagely at his own thoughts, sympathizing with the man as he yelped in surprise.
He paused though, when he realized Dick's words didn't make sense. “Wait, what do you mean ‘coming’ for me?” Danny leaned forward to watch Dick get his foot unstuck, and the whisk finally slipped away. He watched as it tumbled around in circles, waffle mix flying everywhere for a precious few seconds before it went splat on the floor below him. Wait, below him?
“Huh?” Danny made a little noise, carefully lifting the bowl above his head with both hands to peek beneath his feet. He saw that there was no floor right under his feet for one, and for another he was still the same short size as before. There went that idea of reality powers , Danny thought bitterly. But then he realized something new, lowering the bowl to sit in his lap and he moved his legs applesauce style and slowly reached a hand to touch the popcorn ceiling grazing the top of his head.
He was floating. In the air, all on his own! Danny giggled, his whole body shivering in new excitement. Calling out to Dick, little fingers still rubbing the bumpy ceiling he told him, “Oh man, Dick I'm floating–this is so cool! Do you see this?!”
Dick sighed under him, sounding utterly exhausted and muttering to himself. “Welp, that's another thing to add to the discussion list after breakfast.”