Chapter 9: At Least It Wasn't a Bird

Lex Luthor had been a surprise to not only Danny but the entire hospital as well. It was strange: there had always been stares with the other guests he had escorted to these meet and greets, but it was on another level with Luthor. He was almost on a godlike tier, and part of that he found out later was because he regularly donated huge amounts of money to the Metropolis Children's Hospital. Luthor was different from many of the heroes (or villains), though in the sense that many regular people never had an opportunity to interact with him or see him in person. In contrast, Superman was waving down at the town's citizens every other day. Lex Luthor was far more detached from the general populous than those with the superhuman abilities.

For Ian, a little boy who had lived in fear of his own father for years, this respected figure was somehow able to do more for him in a few minutes than someone like Superman could ever do.

Truthfully, Danny thought the visit affected Luthor more than Ian. The man had been incredibly tense in the presence of the other adults there on Ian's behalf, and yet interacting with the boy seemed to be like second nature to him. The two played with a miniature Lexcorp drone, sending it flying down the hallways and into other rooms to the delight of other children. Danny did notice that he flinched whenever he glanced at the pink scar on the boy's cheek, which had been a parting gift from his father.

Perhaps that's why he wasn't too surprised by Luthor's murmured parting words to Ian, even as they brought a hopeful glimmer into the boy's blue eyes: "If I made it out okay, you will too."

It was also part of the reason he wasn't too surprised on hearing that Ian's father was the latest victim of the lynchings that often occurred at the State Prison due to lax enforcement. While he wasn't one to celebrate a person's death, Danny didn't try to stop the ghost of a smile from flitting across his face as he read the news on his phone.

His satisfaction quickly turned into exasperation as his screen showed an incoming phone call from Selina. The Sirens did not seem to be handling this long-distance thing well: Harley had spammed him with pictures of pets in cute outfits and Ivy had created and sent him a new Pinterest board about small house plants (since he needed more "green" in his apartment). Danny sighed as the phone rang for the third time and he finally picked up.

"What is it, kitty?" He asked in a slightly weary tone.

The voice on the other side of the phone, while amused, was decidedly not Selina. "No, but she was the one who let me contact you. I'm Batgirl."

"Oh, come on," Danny groaned, sliding down on the couch so his head and feet rested on opposite arms. "How many of you are there again?"

"Depends on the day," Batgirl replied with a chuckle. "Just wanted to give you a heads up, though. Supes is on your six; have a fun chat!" The connection clicked off as she hung up.

Danny took the phone away from his ear and glared at it. Of course Superman was going to interrupt him during his downtime. How come the supposedly evil villains had better manners than the heroes? Life wasn't fair.

He figured that he might as well properly greet the Man of Steel. Did Superman even drink hotel mini bar beers? Danny shrugged. He'd find out soon enough.

The hotel room didn't have much of a balcony (there was barely enough room to walk out onto it), but Danny opened the sliding door out of politeness. There was no point in letting the man potentially break the glass when trying to enter. He leaned against the doorframe, mindlessly sipping from one of the drinks as he awaited the hero.

Danny didn't know much about Superman outside of the normal events that merited press releases (so, all of them). He didn't see a need to care too much about what the hero was up to on a weekly basis. He cared even less recently, but that was due to worrying more about whatever the hell the criminals he was around were up to. The world's a big place, and Danny was only one guy.

Besides, his run in with the Batbrats had soured his feelings towards anyone associated with the Justice League. Although now, he supposed Batgirl was an exception to this along with Jason, since he has left Danny a bottle of vodka outside of his flat. It made the kidnapping experience a bit more tolerable.

Sadly, his mini-bar mini beer didn't seem like it was going to make this encounter any more tolerable. He looked up with tired resignation at the red-caped man hovering a few feet above him.

"Superman," he said flatly, tipping back the last of his drink.

The hero raised an eyebrow in what seemed to be a mix of confusion and amusement. "Mr. Johnson. Do you mind…?" He didn't bother to finish his question, as Danny moved back from the doorway and gestured for him to enter the hotel room. "It seems like you were expecting me."

"I'm psychic," Danny said sarcastically, staring at his guest calculatingly. "Let me guess: this is about Lex Luthor?"

Superman gave him a tight smile. "You might be onto something with that 'psychic' power of yours." All signs of humor vanished from his expression. "However, you don't know the things that Luthor - or any of those other villains- have done. They've hurt and killed-"

Danny abruptly raised a hand as he was speaking. "Let me stop you right there. What they do outside of the few hours they visit a kid in a hospital is not my business. Mr. Luthor was a perfect gentleman yesterday and that child he visited smiled for the first time in months." He glared at the man. "He is that child's hero, and I don't appreciate you coming to my hotel room uninvited and unannounced to lecture me like you're my mother."

Superman's eyes narrowed cautiously. "I don't think you understand what you're getting into."

Danny huffed in derision. "I'm aware of the risks, and in this case, I'm aware that the child's father was the real villain and not your nemesis."

"These people are dangerous-"

"Excuse me, but so far I've been stalked and kidnapped by you superheroes, not villains!"

Obviously Superman had been left out of the loop. "What?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Go ask some Robins named Red and Bite-sized."

The look on his face let Danny know Batman would be in for some questioning when Superman returned to their headquarters.

Thanks for all the well-wishes for my final, and here's a start of summer present for y'all! If there's anyone you want to see in here, feel free to shoot me a PM. And, as always, thank you so much for all your favorites and reviews! You guys are the best :)