DPxDC Al Ghul Twins: the Sun and the Moon

Polar opposites of each other, the Demon Twins. They like to pretend as each other from time to time, or, other times, they like acting perfectly in sync, like the creepy horror twins they are.

The titles first start when someone calls Danny the Shadow of the Moon. Never seen, never noticed, never given much thought until suddenly it's too late. Danny laughs and says that Damian is the Moon, then - his Moon, always orbiting around. Damian rolls his eyes.

Over time, the titles change and shift, gaining more meaning. More weight behind them.

When Talia introduces Bruce to the twins, she calls them her Sun and Moon. Bruce mentions it to the rest of the kids once, and they adopt it. It seems logical, really.

Danny, the Sun, smiling and laughing, eager for affection and never one to back down from hugs. Damian, the Moon, distant and reserved, keeping to himself and cold at times.

It's only months later, when they mention it in Jason's presence, that he laughs at them.

They have it all wrong, as it turns out. Not only because the titles have nothing to do with the twins' characters.

The Sun, fierce, bright and unrelenting, the heat that will wear you down to exhaustion, the fire and flames of rage, the star that everything centers around. The mirage in the desert, the power that bows to no one, never to be ignored.

The Moon, distant, cold, and unassuming, the pull of the tide, the only light in the darkness, causing shadows to seem so much darker, the harbinger of nightmares. The faint presence in the evening skies, the howl of a wolf, the influence you can easily ignore until suddenly you can't afford to.

Damian, the Sun, rash and quick to act on impulse, leaving a burning path in his wake. Danny, the Moon, silent and almost gentle, who you won't notice until it's too late.

Consider yourself lucky if you are left with only a scorch when you come too close to the Sun because he can, and he will burn you to ashes if he desires. But with the Moon, you are in luck if he kills you. Because when he doesn't, the shadows creep closer, crawling behind your back, and you keep looking around, knowing that the strike will come but not knowing when.

Danny laughs, quips, and plays pranks, but his eyes are cold like the lake frozen solid. Damian scolds, clicks his tongue, and brushes you off, but his eyes are full of fire that never dies out.

Talia's eyes are dark and full of secrets, like she herself is full of carefully wrapped lies and dark corners. The Demon Twins call her their Sky: vast and unknown, charming and stealing your breath away until there's no air in your lungs and the stars dim before your eyes.

A few years pass, and Tim catches Danny referring to Bats as their Stars. He thinks it's because there's so many of them that the twins just decided to summarize the titles, but much later, he learns that the meaning is a lot more poetic.

The light that guides you through the night, which, unlike the moon, never goes away.

DPxDC Changeling AU pt.2

This idea got me in a chokehold, so I'm here to add more.

I'm sticking with the 'Talia outplayed the fae in order to acquire 2for1 deal of babies' for this one and probably for any later continuations.

Damian knows his brother is not human. He knew it from the very beginning since no one bothered to hide the fact. Yet Danyal grows up just like any other human baby, acting like a child he is supposed to be. He trains by Damian's side, he eats just like everyone else, he likes the stories and lessons their Mother teaches them both.

But Damian knows. His brother is no human. He sees it in the way Danyal tilts his head like a curious bird, in his swift, flowing movements that remind him of snakes, in his eyes that reflect the moonlight in a way cat's eyes do. He knows it by how some of the assassins lose their names to his brother and how Danyal never lies but also never tells the truth.

More than that, he sees it in the way Danyal smiles. Others would call that smile a mischievous one, but Damian sees no mischief in there.

He sees amusement.

And it drives him up the wall.

So he trains. He works harder than ever to prove himself better. He is worth not just simple amusement, he is the Heir, the Son of the Bat, he demands respect, even from his brother. Danyal will never take his place - not that he even could, Grandfather would never allow an unpredictable being to become the next Demon Head.

And he learns, from his Mother and from the old books, and sometimes from Danyal himself. He learns of customs and rules, of names and wordings, of odds and debts, and of tricks and riddles.

Damian has his own pride, and he wants to show it to his brother. To see the amused smile fade from his face, to make Danyal understand he is not just a weak mortal who's been simply allowed to exist beside his brother.

He wants to defeat Danyal.

And one day, he does.

Danyal is on the floor, and there's no smile on his face. Instead, in his eyes he sees the calm tranquility of a lake, frozen to the bottom, as he looks at Damian. And Damian? Damian grins, victorious at last.

Yet it is only after Danyal stands up and leaves a soft, cold and barely noticeable kiss to his forehead before disappearing in the shadows, that Damian realises:

His brother never asked to have his name.

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