Chapter 7: Forced First Impressions

When he came to and felt his the back of his head throbbing, Danny wasn't sure he wanted to open his eyes and see the situation he was in.

Other than his head, he couldn't feel any pain, so at least he hadn't been attacked harshly yet. He could, however, feel the zip ties that were currently digging into his wrists and ankles and keeping him secure to the metal chair he was seated in, which sent a chill over his arms at its cool metal touch.

Maybe it was the goosebumps, or maybe he had moved slightly when he woke up, but his captors knew he was back in the waking world. "You can stop playing possum now," a semi-amused voice called from behind him.

Danny sighed and blearily opened his eyes, blinking several times before everything came into focus. The room (though it wasn't really fair to call it a room, it was a fricken cave) wasn't as bright as he expected his confines to be. The majority of the light seemed to be coming from the giant screen in front of him, which had at its base a large chair that reminded him of one a cinematic supervillain might have. This one was just as dramatic, too, or at least the person seated on it was; they spun around slowly and quietly to face him.

Aw hell. He had been abducted by a 10 year old.

"I'm not drunk enough to deal with this," Danny deadpanned, leaning his head back with another sigh.

Someone snorted in agreement off to his right, but that wasn't enough incentive to get Danny to move. "Tell me about it." He tilted his head slightly to see that- most notably- the speaker had a white streak in the front of his dark hair.

That wasn't entirely true. The most notable thing was the red bat insignia that showed through the opening of his bomber jacket. Danny looked forward again, this time seeing with total clarity that the kid before him was none other than Robin. "Ah, the Bat-brats," he muttered, struggling against his probable concussion to remember what the Sirens had said about them. He was pretty sure there were four in town currently…

White-streak glared at his term (which Danny only then realized they all must've heard) but didn't respond. Instead, a fourth and final person chimed in. "Sounds like something straight from Poison Ivy's mouth."

Danny smiled, his tongue just barely showing between his teeth. "Someone's done his homework."

"We have." The bite-sized Robin was talking now. "Daniel Johnson, no middle name, no surviving relatives, graduated in the top 5% of your class, worked at 'World of Wishes' for the past three years. However, you've recently become involved with the criminal side of Gotham."

"Kid, the only illegal thing I've been involved in is this kidnapping. Where, I would like to point out, I am the victim."

The other two individuals entered his line of vision finally, one in a red and black suit with a black cowl and the other in a black suit with a blue… triangle… thing. "Look at this as more of a precautionary encounter; we need to make sure you aren't a threat to the people in our city."

Danny surveyed the shorter one with a bored expression. "'Your city?' Excuse me, I've lived here longer than you've been alive."

The taller one gave a suspicious cough; Danny was positive that he was hiding a laugh. "Red Robin is essentially correct, but we-"

"Wait, wait- your superhero name is a restaurant?"

Apparently he had hit a nerve. Red Robin went from being the calmest of the four to the tensest, gritting his teeth in annoyance. White-hair-streak outright chuckled at this point. "You're a terrible hostage."

Danny nodded his head in mock thanks; he wished he hadn't because now his brown hair was falling in his face slightly. "What can I say? It's my first time."

"Enough!" The mini-Robin hissed, leaning forward in his chair. "I would remind you that you are at our mercy! Nobody knows you're here, and nobody would miss you if your absence became permanent."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. Did he really think that bluff would work? "Kid, you realize the Sirens practically live at my place, right?" The silence that followed led him to believe that the four were not aware of this development.

"I fucking told you-"

"Damian! Does your father know you're using that type of language?" An amused voice echoed around the cave; after the course of their conversation, Danny didn't think the Bat-kids could tense any further. He was wrong. "And Dick! How come you didn't tell me you were back in town? I had to find out from Alfred!"

"Selina," the boys chorused, though nobody missed the quieter "Sorry, Mami" from the eldest.

The click of heels sounded as Selina walked into Danny's view. Huh. Somehow, this was the first time he had seen her in her 'Catwoman' outfit. He felt her nails/claws dig into his cheeks slightly as she bent down and tilted his head upwards. "Who gave him a black eye?" He had a black eye? No wonder his head hurt.

"It was Jason!" The other three pointed at White-streak (although Danny supposed he could now call him Jason). Jason scowled at them.

"Next time one of you needs me to cover your asses, do not expect help," he hissed.

Selina rolled her eyes. "Hold still," she murmured before slashing at the restraints on his wrists and ankles. Danny attempted to stand up, but ended up blindly reaching out for support as he tried to find his balance. "Steady, kitten." He muttered his thanks as she began to lead him towards the exit.

"You can't just take him!" Damian exclaimed, jumping from his seat, but one look from Dick and he stopped in his tracks.

Danny hung his head and let out a breathy laugh, causing him and Selina to pause mid-step. "I'd love to stay, but there's a bottle of vodka with my name on it waiting for me back at my apartment. Dick, Jason, restaurant, bite-size," he glanced at each of them in turn, taking pleasure out of the younger two's annoyance, "see you around town."

"How'd you know he was there, 'Lina?"

"Oh, Alfred texted me. He knew those boys were doing something stupid."

Danny exhaled loudly and shifted in his sleep, causing the women to lower their voices.

"Maybe we could just put a bitty tracker-"

"Harley, we're not surgically putting anything in him."

"Aw, you're such a party pooper, Red."

The three were silent for several moments. "Could always put somethin' in his watch?"

"...actually, that's not such a bad idea…"

"You guys know I'm awake, right?"

A/n: Okay y'all are the absolute best readers ever. 6 chapters and 5k+ views?! All your views and reviews (especially those) make me feel so happy. Thank you so much for all the kind words (and ideas!). This chapter hopefully answers a lot of questions about whether or not the Batfam is watching Danny. I know they're acting a bit over the top, but Danny's not your average joe anymore (and he's concussed) while the Batkids don't know who they're really dealing with yet. I really wanted to get you guys and gals one more chapter before I take a mini-break: 1 week until AP tests! I'll be back mid-May though, never fear! Again, thank you so much for all your support, it really keeps me going. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter :)