fics I decided to post on here after the ao3 attack of 2023. mostly dpxdc rn I post on ao3, wattpad, and ffnet (gunebug) all of my fics are on ao3 and fully finalized and edited compared to other sites. there will also be some parts of my current wips on here
Those were the last words that Dick said into his headpiece before he lost complete communication with Jason. He didn't get a response, of course, as there was no way to get one now. He cursed at the technology, tempted to grab it and toss it on the ground. Maybe crush it under his foot to make sure it was broken, just to show how useless it was.
That was only his frustration talking, and his increasing worry, so Dick pushed it down. He couldn't lose his cool in a situation like this, he had to be calm and collected. A clear minded person always got through situations like this, not some idiot who destroyed their main source of communication with everyone else. He was trained better than this, to even let his thoughts go down that path.
He took a deep breath, repeating the empty phrase that everything would turn out "okay", like it was some mantra that barely kept him going. This wasn't like that one time, he was on Earth right now, he could stop anything that happened.
That was what he was trying to convince himself with anyways. As of right now he might not even be able to find Jason to stop anything. The only information he was able to get before the signal connecting the two phased out was that his younger man was trapped somewhere. Jason had reported having a blindfold over his eyes, so he wasn't able to see his surroundings. He was in a vehicle though, one that was still moving, and could be anywhere at the moment.
Jason had gotten captured anywhere around thirty minutes to an hour ago, the man having woken up soon after being knocked unconscious. The clear concussion he had caused him to slur as he spoke, but Dick understood every word without problem anyways. Jason had told him he had been jumped out of nowhere, his own acquired sense of danger not even picking up on the unwanted guests. He had been in an alleyway when it happened, a one way alleyway for that matter, meaning it should have been near impossible for them to sneak up on him like they did.
Whoever kidnapped him was skilled, eliminating any low grade crime organizations or bold group of grunts. This was carefully planned, and it took a lot to successfully grab Jason as quick and clean as they did. It worried Dick even more, desperate to know exactly who the perpetrators were and just what they wanted. No doubt they'd learn about it soon, probably from the group who took Jason demanding some absurd payment in return for the man.
Dick wanted to find him before that, before they could have their way with anything. He wanted to strike down every single one of them. Maybe even be there to see the light fade from their eyes if they dared to hurt Jason in a way that wasn't recoverable. He would prefer for them to not hurt any of his family at all, but he may give them mercy if they showed Jason mercy.
He ran across the buildings, to the last place that Jason said he was at whenever the people kidnapped him. He was hoping for some sort of clue that could've been left there, though those hopes were low. The kidnappers, if he was right and they were as talented as they seemed, would've made sure to not leave anything behind. They'd make sure that the vigilantes would first frantically and wildly search for the people, and then reveal their evil plan in usual villainous smugness.
He tapped his comms, switching channels until he connected with Barbara.
"Reporting." Her voice entered his ear through the small speaker, immediately calming him.
"Red Hood has been kidnapped, and he's currently being transported in an unknown vehicle." He said quickly in between heavy breaths, grappling and sprinting as fast as his nimble body would let him.
There was a small commotion of noise, and Dick could tell that Barbara was taken back. He would've been amused, teasing the woman, if it weren't for their situation.
A second later she responded, "Where was his last location? I'll check the cameras there to see if they caught anything."
"He was behind an old gas station, called 'Redi Mart' on Copperfield Street. Said the alleyway was a one way, so they must have stopped on that side of the road to get him." Dick explained, somewhat comforted by the fast response of a keyboard, knowing that she was already on it.
He was closing in, already noticing the blinking sign with the red words 'Redi Mart' on it. He took one last swing, landing swiftly on the roof of the gas station, taking in his surroundings.
The whole lot was empty, except for several bags of trash sitting in front of the store and a single man leaning against the opposite side of the building smoking. With the store being in the more run down side of Gotham, it was a lot more empty, especially being the night. Most knew to keep inside during this time, whenever the crooks decided to crawl out of their holes to cause trouble.
He checked for any suspicious activity, finding nothing. He sighed, and heard one matching his own in the head piece.
"Have you found anything?" Dick asked, already walking over the side of the roof to do his own investigation.
"First off, I notified everyone else." She said and Dick realized he forgot to do so. He hoped that Bruce wouldn't be too upset or anything. He was extra sensitive when it came to these kinds of situations with Jason, especially after what happened years ago.
"Going back to the Jason situation, it seems that this part of the city had some recent damage to the cameras. There's already been some complaints and requests for it to be fixed, but it appears it keeps getting pushed back or straight out ignored." She said, her voice growing frustrated. Dick was frustrated too, but not surprised at this information. The government was known to be stingy, and if it felt like something wasn't worth it they'd prolong fixing it until much later. Now it's come to bite the bats, one of their own having been taken without any footage or evidence of who it could be.
Either this was deliberately done by the same people who took Jason or they really have bad luck that the cameras so happened to be broken. He rubbed his face, and grumbled a curse before thoroughly examining the roof.
Jason had said that he didn't know where they could have come from, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. The roof, being both lower to the ground than most and right next to the alley, would've been the perfect spot to jump down from. Turns out he was right, as he spotted some stirred up dirt on the roof, where somebody must have been.
Dick bent down, looking more closely. The shape was small and contained to one spot enough that there must have been only one person there. That didn't make sense though, as not one person could both take out Jason and then successfully drag the large man to their vehicle. The disturbance area also suggested that the person had a smaller frame, probably perfect for stealth, keeping Jason from noticing them there.
That meant there must have been more than one hiding spot, and that they had been waiting for Jason to go there. That raised the question on how they knew Jason would be there though, as they couldn't have just guessed the time and location. They didn't seem like the type of group to do things based on pure luck.
Just what was Jason up to?
"Alright, the other bats are on their way. Red Robin is closest, he'll be there in an estimated five minutes on foot." Babs told Jason, still typing away at speeds Dick's ears couldn't keep up with.
"Copy that." He responded, careful to not ruin any evidence as he hopped off the roof onto the ground. He rolled, easily avoiding any damage from the fall. Compared to several story high buildings he used to jump off of for fun the small gas station was nothing.
He began to look, noticing nothing out of ordinary about the alley at first. There was a dumpster, overflowing with piles of trash, most likely explaining the couple of bags in front of the store. There was graffiti covering most of the walls, most of the drawings vulgar, though some were quite impressive and others were vented feelings of the artist. He didn't bother looking at them anymore, none of them being new or still dripping, so he took on the rest of the alley way.
That's when he noticed a cardboard box beside the dumpster. That on its own wouldn't have been out of place if it weren't for the side of it. The package was labeled with a "fragile" stamp on the side, and as Dick took a closer look he noticed something that would never fit here. The package had come from a whole different country, meaning that whoever ordered it had to pay extra money for delivery. Something that he would guess nobody in the neighborhood, especially the barely running gas station, could afford. The other thing he saw was how the box wasn't damaged at all, no rain stains from the usual nightly rainfall or average scratches you'd expect to see.
That meant the box must have been new, not having sat there for no longer than a few hours. Piecing all that together he figured out that it may just be a clue. Anything seemed possible. He opened the slightly closed top, his blood going cold from the message inside.
"Look across the street, there's a surprise just for you for being such a smart cookie!"
He quickly looked across the street, seeing a flash in one of the windows of the tall building. He didn't have time to move whenever the bullet was shot. He felt somebody push him out of the way, a gasp escaping his throat.
Tim had come just in time, being able to save Dick from receiving a head shot. Instead Tim himself was shot in the thigh, hissing in pain.
Dick quickly picked up Tim and left the sight of the shooter, turning the alley corner. "Shit- shit- oh shit."
Dick gently placed the cursing boy down, hands pressing down on the wound. "It's alright, everybody else will be here soon."
"Fucking hell, what is a sniper doing here?" Tim rasped, his head rolling back in pain as he gritted his teeth.
"This must be bigger than I thought." Dick said, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he frantically looked for any sign of the others. They were backed into a dead end, and he knew exactly how bad that was.
"What happened?" Barbara asked, her voice still steady though Dick could hear the small hitch in it. She must have heard some of what just happened.
"Tim's shot, there's a sniper. Warn the others." Dick said hurriedly.
"On it." She responded, switching channels to talk to the others.
Dick was furious. Whoever was hurting his family, targeting them like this, would pay. He'd shoot both of their thighs for what they did for Tim, and he'd knock them in the head a few good times too, until they couldn't speak right.
Right now though, he had to be a good older brother and take care of Tim. He looked Tim in his eyes the best he could, and smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll kick their ass soon." Dick said, and Tim laughed, but it was more of a huff from the lack of air.
Whumptober Day Six: Recording | Made To Watch | "It should have been me."
I've Died But You Can Still Break Me
[AO3]
Danny Phantom, Danny-Centric, Shocks, Torture, Nonconsenual touching (not sexual), Separate Danny and Phantom, Hurt no Comfort, Words: 2152
Danny woke up in a start, fresh beads of sweat going down his forehead. With wide eyes he scanned his dim surroundings, realizing he was sitting upright. He glanced down, and fear bubbled up inside him as he took in the straps wrapped around him.
His brain clicked and he remembered everything that led him here. How he took a nasty hit by a newly created ecto-gun the GIW was using. It had been like every other fight with them before that. He would try to solve his actual problem while actively avoiding the white dressed idiots. They were usually no problem, only a mere annoyance to Danny.
They changed, it wasn't the usual agents that went after him. They were trained, and Danny had never seen them until he was falling out of the sky. The weapon they used was new as well, and he had a sinking suspicion who made it. It became obvious whenever he saw the huge V engraved in the side, and he swore he'd teach Vlad how much the weapons he made really hurt. That not everything was worth money or power.
He couldn't right now though, and he was in a much more dire situation. As to make matters worse for him the weapon hit him hard enough to cause him to go unconscious, and therefore detransform. He knew it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't stayed up the night before studying for his finals, but he also knew he couldn't fail those tests if he wanted to move up the grade alongside his friends.
Not like it mattered now, whenever he was kidnapped by the government and stuck in some secret location. Who knows what the GIW will do to him. With them now knowing his secret identity there was no doubt they'd use that to their advantage. He can already feel dread at the thought of them having revealed his identity to the whole world. If he did get out of here, which he will, he has to, how will he deal with damage control? It's not like he could magically make everyone forget like the time he had the Reality Gauntlet.
It was times like this he wished he didn't destroy the ancient artifact. He couldn't allow it to get into anybody else's evil hands though, having already learned from Freakshow, so he supposed he did the right thing at that moment.
The GIW didn't seem to realize that Danny was awake yet, as they didn't come storming in demanding answers and confessions of crimes he didn't commit. It was only a matter of time before they did, and Danny should use this time to his advantage while he could.
He observed his surroundings with much more purpose, no longer lost in his anxious thoughts, trying to find anything that could help him out. His lips pulled down in disappointment whenever he realized he could see nothing but a mostly barren room. There was a single hanging light above him, a soft yellow glow illuminating little of the room, leaving most of it in shadows. From what he could make out there was a single door to his right, along with a huge window beside it. It was most likely one-sided, like he would see in those crime shows Jazz was so interested in. There was also a screen a few feet away from him, facing directly towards him, feeling pretty out of place. He had a feeling that they wouldn't be allowing him to watch cartoons on the television, and he didn't want to know what they had planned.
With nothing else to go off of, he looked back down to himself. That's when he realized that the straps holding him were just that, normal straps. They didn't seem ecto-infused, no abnormal glow around them. He squirmed and felt that they didn't sting him in any way, except for the way the rough texture rubbed against his skin.
He smirked and remembered just who kidnapped him. They may have hired better hitmen to try and take him out, but they were mostly the same bumbling idiots as before. Of course this would be a piece of cake for him. He would say he was surprised that they didn't remember to use anti-ghost things on him, but it was the same agency he was thinking about.
It was almost too easy, but it didn't matter. As long as he could escape and fix everything before it became too late.
Turns out it was too easy, as Danny soon learned he couldn't go intangible. He tried again, to access his ghost powers, and slightly panicked whenever he didn't even feel the slightest tingle of it. He quickly glanced at his waist, wondering if he somehow missed the Specter Deflector. Only to freeze when he saw nothing, no weird shaped belt that the government could have bought from Vlad.
He tried to go intangible again, hoping for anything. He would even take a shock at this point, something indicating that he was using ghost powers and they were being blocked by something. He still felt nothing, and he tried other ghost powers, nothing working.
His breath was beginning to pick up, and that's when he realized that something felt wrong. Something was missing from him. He was used to his breaths coming out colder than a normal person's, but right now his rapidly increasing breathing was hot. Too hot.
The place in his chest usually full and composed of emotions felt abnormally empty, and oh, his core was gone. His core, the very thing that made him, was gone.
He was too warm, no ice core to cool him down. He was too heavy, no power freeing him of gravity. He was too clear headed, his mind no longer competing with his core. He was too alive, no longer dead.
It all felt wrong.
His head quickly snapped back to the blank television screen, squinting his eyes to combat the dark room. It was then that he could see his reflection. His eyes immediately traveled to the one thing sticking out, a gray streak in his otherwise raven hair.
A clear and visible sign that everything was wrong.
The dim light hanging over him suddenly turned bright, and his eyes burned from the sudden change. He couldn't close his eyes though, too taken with his appearance on the television screen. Until that was taken away too, the screen flashing on, a white screen replacing the black one he could see his reflection in.
"Looks like you finally realized what happened to you." Danny's head whipped around, staring wide eyed at a tall man who had entered the room without Danny realizing it. The man had a smug smile on his face, and Danny gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"What did you do to me?" Danny spit out, venom tracing his words.
"We didn't do anything to you. Though we did do something to that ghost you were keeping around." The agent spoke with his head held high, looking down on Danny.
"That ghost is me." Danny tried, and knew it was pointless whenever the agent rolled his eyes.
"Then how were we able to separate you two? Obviously you've been allowing this illegal beast to use your body as a puppet for it's nefarious deeds. Don't try to stick up for it now." The man fixed his dark tinted sunglasses, something Danny didn't understand wearing inside, and began to move closer to Danny.
Danny watched his every move, suspicion and fear in his eyes. "You were able to separate me because you took my ghost core, which is practically ghost me all balled up in a single thing. If you whole lot weren't so stupid and ignorant maybe you'd understand that." He wasn't in the mood for any witty banter, and without his ghost half he felt like he wasn't in the position to. There were moments where it was more necessary to be serious, and this was of them.
"It seems to me that you're just pulling this all out of your ass. I mean, you could have at least tried to lie a bit better. You have ghost hunters as parents, surely you've picked up a bit from them at least? I suppose if you did you wouldn't be in this situation right now, would you?" The man continued, moving behind Danny and setting his hands on the boy's shoulders.
Danny tensed, now extremely uncomfortable, which was surprising given how uneasy he was to begin with. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to throw off the heavy hands, which only pressed harder. "All of what you and they have to say is based on biased observations, and false information. It's laughable how uniformed you truly are."
The man squeezed his shoulders, enough where it hurt, and Danny struggled against the man's touch. The agent bent over, leaning closer to Danny. "We'll see about that, now won't we? We'll be learning a lot together in these next few weeks."
Danny shivered, the low voice so close to his ear. The blatant threat made him nervous, not looking forward to what would be coming next.
After that the man backed away, instead choosing to move to the television. He pulled out a remote from inside his white jacket, and began to mess with it. Danny's eyes refocused back onto the screen, and watched as the white soon faded into a more pixelated picture replacing it. It was footage from a camera recording and Danny's eyes widened with horror as he realized just what it was.
On the other side of the screen was his other half, his ghost side, Phantom, strapped to a standing table. Shackles held the unconscious ghost in place, and Danny could tell that his ghost half wasn't as lucky as he was, the things holding him down glowing slightly. He was blindfolded as well, a bag covering his head, but Danny didn't need to see his face to know it was him.
"What are you doing? Why are you showing me this?" His words came out more like shallow breaths, his lungs barely working at this point.
"Well, one of you has to talk. Since we can't torture you, being a human still, and a minor at that, we decided to go with the next best course of action. We'll take the illegal being you've been hiding and experiment on it. Since you seem attached to the mindless thing, and it seems the ghost is refusing to cooperate, we'll just allow you to do the talking. That's if you're willing to tell us the truth, and not whatever bullshit you make up." The agent answered, seeming way too proud of himself for something so clearly evil.
Danny wanted to scream, to make these idiots see reason, but his throat was too constricted to do so. Truth? How was he supposed to tell them that whenever he couldn't speak? Any "truth" they were searching for was whatever they believed to be true anyways, so it didn't matter what Danny said, they'd keep going until they got him to say what they wanted. This whole thing was pointless, with the only "truth" they were looking for being what they "know".
"If you don't have anything to say, then let's start." The agent said, and pressed a button on the remote.
Danny flinched as he watched Phantom, him, become ignited in a wave of electrical shocks. The screams of pain was enough for Danny to want to cover his ears, or claw at them, to never hear that terrible wail again. It sounded the same as his time in the portal, and he wondered how many volts were going through his ghost half at the moment. Was it more painful considering that's how he came to be?
Danny tried to look away, to look at any other spot in the empty room other than the terrifying display being shown on the screen. The agent was behind him again, and soon his hands were on the side of his head, forcefully twisting it to look at the screen.
"Don't worry, ghosts aren't sentient. This is nothing more than a temporary reaction of stimuli. All habits to pretend it could feel something, to keep up it's living facade." The agent said, as if he couldn't hear the genuine screams of unimaginable pain coming through the speakers. "Still, if your heart is really that big that it carries compassion even for the most detestable of things, then just go ahead and tell us what we want to know and we'll stop."
Danny continued to breathe heavily, eyes forced to look at the television that had been pushed closer to his face. His eyes blurred with tears as his ghost half writhed in pain, and he began to thrash with just as much force as Phantom, wanting out.
Iruma tried to keep going, to avoid the rocks crumbling down. He wasn't a demon though, he didn't have wings, he couldn't fly out of the pit he was in. He tried to anyway, climbing up the falling boulders. He was known to never give up, his ambition just as strong as he was.
He'd make it, he would return with the legendary leaf and win the harvest festival. He was already most of the way there, he just needed to escape and regroup with Lied and Nafra. Then they'd both split the points and continue with the festival.
Another shake coursed through the cavern, and he looked up with fear filled eyes. More rocks began to tumble downwards, and it was too late to move out of the way. He wanted to shout, to allow his horror to leave his chest so he could breathe again. He didn't have the time to do that either.
All the rocks came crashing down on him, and the world went dark as he fell backwards with the cracked earth. The last thing he felt was the crushing impact of the fallen boulders, and the breath he had tried to grasp getting knocked out of his lungs, pain soaring throughout his body. He wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with his lungs still not able to properly take in air. That's if he'd wake up, he might die here and now.
He couldn't die though… Not now and definitely not like this. He had so much he still needed to do. All the promises he made. He couldn't leave them unfulfilled, it would go against everything he believed in. All his hard work would go to waste as well, and he'd have never truly reached his potential, something so many told him they saw. He'd never become demon king, like his grandfather wanted. He'd never be able to make the underworld like Babyls, where demons could be peaceful and live together happily.
Azz and Clara would be upset, it hurt him to even imagine their tears as they discovered his untimely death. He's their soulmate, he couldn't abandon them. He wouldn't be able to read to Ameri anymore, and they'd never finish the manga together like she wanted. They were friends now as well, and he wanted to be there for whenever she accomplished her ambition alongside him. All of his classmates, they'd have to continue on without him. Would it be the same in the classroom, that vibrant and bright energy they displayed? The demons he looked forward to seeing every time he stepped onto Babyls, to learn and grow beside them.
He'd be disappointing so many people. That's why he couldn't go out like this. He wasn't the only person who'd be hurt from his absence. He's become close to so many, he couldn't lose them. He was finally becoming happy in his life.
Iruma's eyes flew open, his mouth gasping for a breath. His lungs burned, and he could tell there was something else wrong with them other than just the lack of air. He'd ignore it for now, as he needed to crawl from the debris that was pinning him down.
He blinked rapidly, and he tried to slow his quickening breaths. He couldn't panic, he needed a clear head to properly crawl out while not harming himself further. His eyes tried to get used to the dusty environment, the small amount of light that filtered through earlier having significantly dimmed. He wondered if Nafra was still around, or if they gave up in trying to find him and got out themselves.
Iruma doesn't believe they'd do that, and it was more likely that if they left they went to find help, but his mind was still foggy.
He groaned, his breaths raspy as he squinted his eyes. That's when he realized that it wasn't just the dust that was making it hard to see, there was what looked like oddly colored fog rolling about, dots twinkling in it. It's be pretty if Iruma didn't suddenly feel dread rise in him.
"Hello, Iruma! Seems you're stuck!" A shrill voice he knew too well and thought he never heard again echoed against the cavern. He froze where he laid, and titled his head, only to be proven that he wasn't going crazy. He wished that was it.
"Mom?" He called out, his brain reeling as he struggled more underneath the rock. He didn't want to "live" with them again, he needed to run before they asked him something and he couldn't escape. All reasoning he had before was forgotten now, adrenaline making him forget the pain in his body.
"You see, me and your mom would help you get out of there," Iruma knew they wouldn't, they never helped, and he didn't want to hear what was coming next, "But it appears we ran out of money. So how about you figure out a way from under the rock, unless you can make some money from there. You'll do that, won't you?"
He gritted his teeth, stopping himself from agreeing to the request. From the time he's been spending in the underworld he's been learning that it's okay to refuse some things, but old memories brought old habits, so he had to remember that he wasn't bound to them any more. He finally got his arms free, his sleeves ripped and his left wrist bleeding from a scratch he accidentally made. He put his hands on the rock, and tried to push, but his arms felt like noodles. He tried anyway, desperate to be free.
"Can you not get free, Iruma? Don't tell me you're that weak." He froze again, the new voice ringing in his ears not belonging to his parents. He twisted his torso, or what was free, not caring how it strained his chest. It was Azz and Clara, standing tall above him. He smiled, grateful they were there. They'd help him, he knew they would. Then he saw the scornful frown on Azz and the sharp smile on Clara, expressions that they never wore, especially towards him.
"What? Are you a baby or something? Surely you have some sort of demon powers that can get you out. Or is it that you're hiding something we don't know?" Clara bent down to him, her sharp teeth showing as she smugly spoke. He winced, his tongue heavy as he tried to say that it wasn't true. He couldn't lie though, and he also couldn't tell them that he didn't have any demon powers because he was a human.
"Of course he's hiding something. He doesn't trust us, his acclaimed soulmates. Why should we trust him?" Azz added on, only causing Iruma to flinch more, feeling terrible now.
This couldn't be Azz and Clara, they'd never be this mean to him. They know he trusts them, and they trust him too. They said they did, and they wouldn't lie to him. He knows his friends.
It didn't stop the guilt from worming it's way into his stomach, or the words blurring from his mouth. "Of course I trust y'all, I trust you two with my life."
Azz scoffed, and Clara blew a raspberry, both of them turning away from him. "What a liar. Who would ever want to be around somebody like him?"
Clara only giggled, "I guess it was fun while it lasted, but he's worthless now."
He watched in despair as they faded off into the distance, repeatedly calling their name only for them to neve give him another glance.
Tears began to gather at his eyes, and he laid back down on the ground. He was beginning to want to give up.
"Give up? I should've known you would at some point. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for you." He didn't look up at the new arrival, already knowing who it was. Ameri was here, and she was just as disappointed as the others at his failure. Could he really make her see differently whenever he believed the same?
He closed his eyes, willing for it to all go away. Ameri's usually bold and upbeat voice was cold and nagging as his consciousness faded again. He might not wake up this time, but he didn't see why he should. After all, he was only trying so hard for them, and if they didn't want him, why should he want to keep going?
Whumptober Day Four: Cattle Prod | Shock | "You in there?"
The Danger Written In Your Eyes
[AO3]
Danny Phantom, Danny-Centric, Slavery, Starvation, Dehydration, Murder, Hurt no Comfort, Shocks, Cannibalism, Unreliable Narrator, Blood and Injury, Words: 2997
Danny tiredly lifted the crate, his body begging him to rest. He couldn't though not being allowed to.
The agent watching them must have seen him as he struggled to move though, taking it as a sign to stab him with the cattle prod, or "ghost prod" as they called it.
"Stop being lazy, ghost." She sneered, spitting out the word "ghost" as if it were a disease, watching with disgust as his body shook in pain. He bit his tongue to stop himself from telling her that it wasn't "laziness" that was slowing him down, but him growing increasingly worn out from the constant work. They didn't believe him the last time he said it, the idiots thinking that it was impossible for ghosts to get tired, and there was no point in trying to make them see reason.
He hated those shocks. They reminded him of the electricity that ran through him during the incident in the portal, what killed him halfway. It was that day that eventually led him here, to be captured by the GIW and forced into slavery. He grit his teeth and continued moving, blinking away the tears wetting his eyes. He wouldn't cry here, he wouldn't give that satisfaction to these monsters.
He wished he wasn't here, and hoped that somebody would save him soon. That hope was dwindling, having already lost track of the days he was imprisoned here. It's been somewhere close to a month, maybe two, perhaps even longer, and he could feel himself beginning to break.
The white walls reflecting the bright florescent lights above burnt his eyes, causing him to have a constant headache. They never fed them or gave them water here, something seen as unnecessary for them, none of them living. Well mostly, he was the only one alive, or half alive. He needed those things, and he could feel his human half withering without them, causing his ghost side to become weak.
He wondered how much longer he could take before he was truly dead, or a walking corpse if his ghost half couldn't die again. He couldn't transform back into a human, the shackles on him prevented him from using any of his powers, but it also forced him to give it ectoplasm to stay charged. Whenever he tried to turn into a human, the rings slowly climbing his body, the cuffs would feel the lack of ectoplasm and shock him. Although his human side did produce ectoplasm, it wasn't nearly as much as his ghost side, and any decrease caused the cuffs to go crazy. It hurt worse than the hot sticks the agents loved to use, so he never tried to transform again.
Not like he really wanted to now. He didn't want to see how terrible his human half looked. How thin his frame would be, cheeks hollow, eyes sunken and empty. He could imagine how much pain he'd be in, only to be drowned out by his exhaustion. He'd probably pass out, if he didn’t fully die right then and there. The thought of it made him shiver. He could already taste death, and it wasn't sweet, he already danced with it before.
He huffed, placing down the crate of ectoplasm powered weapons on top of another crate. He grimaced looking at it, knowing exactly what they were for. He had overheard the guards speaking about how the GIW was finally getting some "well deserved" recognition. That with ghosts becoming more of a problem, they were getting a lot more funding to deal with it. They didn't know that it was because Danny was stuck here and couldn't stop the ghosts, and he didn't bother to tell them. It's not like they'd listen.
With this new amount of funding they were finally able to start up a manufacturing company to make anti-ghost weapons on a whole new scale. They were even discussing whether they should begin selling the weapons to the public. Something that Danny wanted to argue against.
If everybody had weapons against ghosts, the ghosts peacefully roaming wouldn't last very long. Eventually they'd also build up a sort of army, something that the Infinite Realms would take seriously, which could lead to war. A war that the Earth couldn't win. One that'd devastate even the winners, the Infinite Realms holding Earth may collapse from the damage. After that, they'd all cease to exist. It'd be a terrible chain of events, suffering on every side.
They didn't understand that. None of them did, no matter how many times he tried to explain. They'd always scoff and assume Danny was telling them this because he was trying to protect his own species, being a ghost. If only they knew he was trying to protect his own species, being a human.
He couldn't tell them that. He didn't have proof, not being able to change into a human, and they'd never dare to take the shackles keeping him there off. They wouldn't believe a word he said. Even if they did, it'd probably cause them to become more curious with him than to actually listen to his warning. They'd hide him, keeping him under secure government lockdown so they could experiment with him, ignoring the laws they're supposed to enforce.
His life really did suck at the moment, and as his limited time ticked down, he was beginning to become desperate. He couldn't stay here. Not if he wanted to keep what part of him was alive. Not if he wanted to keep the people he cared about safe. Not if he wanted to keep the realm he lived in.
It seemed like he had no other choice.
"Hey! I told you to quit being lazy, you damned gh-!"
Danny didn't allow the woman to finish her sentence, snatching the cattle prod from her hand, stopping her from using it. He didn't hesitate whenever he turned the cattle prod around, shocking her with it instead. He wrapped a hand around her mouth to keep her from screaming. He didn't flinch whenever the electricity ran through him too, already knowing it was coming, watching with blank eyes as the woman thrashed in his hold.
Moments later the woman quit moving entirely, and he didn't when he carelessly tossed her on the ground. The other ghosts around him stared with shocked expressions, and before they could break out of it Danny raised a single finger, silently telling them to be quiet. Few nodded in fear, others still too surprised to do anything but stare. Most ghosts hardly ever take lives, majority knowing from personal experience how it felt whenever life drained from them. He'd never wanted to take a life either, having experienced both death and being brought back, but he didn't have a choice. They didn't give him a choice.
He walked away, hearing how his shackles beep in warning as he strayed from the path designed just for ghosts. He ignored it until he was behind the crates, out of view from the others. He balled up the white sleeve of the jacket he was forced into, stuffing it in his mouth. He took a deep breath from his nose, trying to calm his nerves, before taking the cattle prod and sticking it to the cuff.
His screams were muffled by the sleeve, and his body lurched forward from pain. He kept on though, wanting the shackle off. He'd endure the pain, he had to, he had no other choice.
Electricity always felt worse for him than others. After all, reminding a ghost of their death was always painful, his physically so. Flashes of his time in the portal threatened to surface, but he pushed them back. He couldn't think of that now, couldn't allow himself to be distracted. If he did he'd let go of the stick, and then he'd have to do this all over again.
After what felt like forever, but was most likely less than a minute, the cuffs fell off. The electricity was too much for the cuffs. He immediately threw down the stick, breathing heavily, tears peeking out from the corner of his eyes. His whole body felt numb, and from where his sleeve was raised up a bit he could see how his scars glowed. He roughly pulled the sleeve back down, and leaned against the crates.
That's when he felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion pass through him, bringing panic with it. His body was trying to transform, his ghost half spent now, and he couldn't let that happen. He fought the rings that threatened to climb up his body, his face scrunched from the amount of concentration it took. With him being halfway fried he couldn't think of much, feeling numbed in a way he hoped wouldn't be permanent.
Eventually he won the battle, his ghost half no longer trying to fade. He knew that it wouldn't last long, that he would soon be forced to face his living half, or what remained of it. He groaned, pulling himself to stand. He didn't turn around back to the other ghosts still trapped, or the woman he mercilessly killed and dropped to the floor. This was his chance, so he had no other choice other than to finally leave the place. Something he should have done weeks ago, but was too afraid to do, with too many ghosts he didn't want to leave behind.
He wasn't afraid anymore, he proved that, the stiff corpse on the ground still there. He'd come back for the ghosts, and they'd all burn the place down, or…
They could just burn it now.
His face broke out into a grin, pain and exhaustion forgotten, as he turned back around.
If he truly wasn't afraid he'd take them down now, show the idiots who trapped him and everyone else here that they shouldn't have. They'd regret ever doing so, any peaceful negotiations be damned. He was tired of being the "hero", as much as he was tired of being titled the "villain". He could be both right now, and he'd show them how blurry that line really was.
In the back of his mind, the part of him still stuck in the past, before being captured, begged him to just leave. That one life was already too much, that he shouldn't claim any more. His present self drowned that quiet voice, knowing that he had no other choice. One life wasn't enough anymore.
After that it was much more blurry, stuffing his consciousness deep inside and allowing logical thinking and actions to drive him forward. He couldn't feel anything, his emotions other than anger all an afterthought. This left him as the brutal being that the GIW was forced to fight, a Danny they've never seen before. A more cunning version, no longer held back by fear of harming others. He easily tore through the agency with the help of the other ghosts he freed, even with the many who simply escaped, not wanting to either kill others or possibly be in Danny’s way of doing so, however some felt the same as he did. They knew there was no longer another choice.
The GIW was just as lackluster and stupid as before, and Danny couldn't help but wonder how he got caught in the first place. It must be from how he never truly tried to hurt them. Now that he wasn't holding back, they understood how severely they underestimated him. There was a reason he could keep all other ghosts from destroying the world, and it wasn't because he was weak.
He left the government facility, the warmth of the flames comforting on his cold damp skin. He was soaked in blood, most of it starting to dry, though his footprints remained bloody as he walked further from the building. The ghosts beside him slowly began to disperse, some thanking Danny for saving them, others leaving silently. He didn't talk to any of them, and he blamed the shocks he put himself through earlier for the way he still felt numb.
His mind was still blank as he used what little remaining power he had left to go invisible and lift his body into the air, leaving after all the other ghosts did, no longer feeling responsible for them. He returned home, or what should have been home, but after being gone for so long he felt distant. Perhaps it wasn't the town that didn't feel like home, but the feeling of him no longer belonging there. He did belong there though, so he ignored that possibility.
He tried to make it into his house, to find Jazz and tell her everything that happened so she could help him, but he didn't make it that far. He was flying, until he wasn't, crashing right in front of his house. He barely lifted himself from the ground, resting shakily on his elbows, as he stared at the house in front of him. He reached out with a hand, willing to crawl there if he had to, but his invisibility flickered as well.
He froze, knowing that if his parents saw him as a ghost they wouldn't hesitate to shoot him.
He felt sick thinking about that, or maybe it was the fact that his human half was bleeding through his ghost half. It didn't matter, as he knew that his parents were just as bad as the GIW, and he couldn't have that. He just escaped one prison, he couldn't stay in another.
With that thought he knew what he'd have to do. He stood up, no longer having to keep the rings from rising up his body, newfound determination driving him to continue. Ghosts were made of emotions, and if the only thing he felt at the moment was his need to accomplish what had to be done, then his core would respond.
He'd get rid of his parents, then he could truly be home. What other choice did he have? It was because of them that he didn't feel like he could live there.
He let himself fall back into the same mind state he was back at the agency, dragging his body into the house. With silent feet he found himself in his parents room, sleeping soundly. His eye twitched, not understanding how they could be so peaceful when their son was trapped in a government building. He was never allowed to sleep a wink, and yet they probably slept every night.
He'd sleep after this, in a bed of his own.
What happened next he didn't know, he came back to reality with blood dripping from his hands. His face was covered in his parents blood as well, and he didn't want to think about why his stomach no longer ached.
He left the room, staining the carpet beneath him as he walked to Jazz's room. He didn't knock on the door, entering it without the permission he'd usually ask for. His sister would forgive him, too elated by his surprise return.
What he didn't expect was to be shot squarely in the chest by a gun, his sister's eyes widening with shock. He fell back against the door, sliding down to the floor, covering the hole in his body. If he had enough energy his ghost half would have already healed it, but as he was he watched disinterested as it simply bled.
"Danny? Oh God– Danny is that you?" He looked back up to his sister hurriedly rushing to his side. She kneeled down, her hands hovering over his own that were holding the wound on his chest. She gasped, tears falling down her cheeks. "No– Danny I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you, I– I– you were gone for so long."
Danny didn't say anything as her eyes fully took him in, his own eyes void of emotion. "You in there, Danny, are you– are you okay? I know that's a stupid question, considering I just shot you. But you're covered in blood, and I heard screaming– I swear it sounded like Mom and Dad. What happened?"
"It's not my blood." Was all he said in response, moving to stand back up. He couldn't transform back now, he'd need a lot of ectoplasm to fully heal back. He'd visit the Ghost Zone and recover. If he doesn't, he'll turn back into a human and immediately die. His body finally seemed to understand his resistance to turn back, as it didn't bother trying to force him again.
Jazz gently put hands on his shoulders, not allowing him to get up, he didn’t fight against her caring touches. "Don't move too much, you'll strain your injury and only get yourself more hurt. Wait– what do you mean it's not your blood?"
"My blood is green." He answered, as if it should be obvious, raising his hand to show her the toxic green hole in his body. She winced looking at it, her head quickly turning elsewhere, swallowing the bile rising in her throat
She took a deep breath and looked back over, relieved that Danny had covered the wound again. She looked into her little brother's eyes, a shiver going down her spine from the lack of anything in his eyes. What exactly happened to him, to her silly and awkward teen brother, who would be defiant to any "mother henning' she'd do?
She gulped, noticing how around those blank eyes were drying blood, a shade of dark red. She felt dread bubble deep in her stomach. "Danny, who's blood is that?"
She tried to ask him calmly, but her voice cracked at the end, showing her desperation. Desperate to be told anything else than what she was thinking, for her thoughts to be proved wrong.
Danny blinked, and his unusual dull green eyes never looked away from hers. "I had no other choice."
Her blood ran cold, much like the blood on her little brother's body.
Whumptober Day Three: Journal | Solitary Confinement | "Make it stop."
The Moon Always Listened To My Pain
[AO3]
Bungo Stray Dogs, Atsushi-Centric, Child Neglect/Abuse, Locked In A Room, Starving/Dehydration, Nightmare, Degrading Thoughts, Thoughts of Self-Worthlessness, Words: 1685
It's been several days since he's been locked into this room.
His tears have long since dried up, though the words of the director still echoed in his head.
"You will stay here. You are worthless as you are. Remember that."
It was the only thing he could hear, the small drips of the leaking ceiling having been drowned out. It would drive him crazy anyways, to have to listen to the inconsistent way the droplets of water hit the ground. The only hint of the outside world in the dusty and dim room he was locked in.
He didn't know what he did to deserve this. The cellar was much nicer than this. There was no light other than what little escaped under the thin gap underneath the door. He longed to feel the sun on his skin, it's warmth becoming a distant memory, having gotten used to the cold of the room. He missed the moon as well, his body aching to be swamped in it's soft shine as he fell asleep. Unlike the cellar, this room has no window, ripping even the simplest of enjoyment he could find in this unforgiving world.
He hasn't eaten in days either, and what little water he could get from the dripping water was not enough. He felt weak and tired, at least the constant pain in his stomach no longer bothering him. It wasn't like he had gone days without anything before, but this was the longest he's gone so far.
Four days he has counted so far.
He had kept scratch marks in the floor for every time the light underneath the door faded, leaving him in complete darkness. It was another thing he loathed, how long his nails have grown. He tried to keep them short to keep from scratching anybody, but now they were beginning to become too long. He'd bite them, but his nose scrunched thinking about it, having not bathed in days either. At least they were good for making marks in the ground.
After the first two days of being locked in here, he began to draw in the ground to try to pass time. He would write about what happened that day, if he heard any sounds outside, as well as plans of what he will do first whenever he's released. He also wrote whatever came to mind, to thoughts he hoped nobody else would see, to random ideas that he'd read over a few days from now and no longer understand.
He didn't want to be here a few days from now, but he was losing hope to ever be let out. Maybe the orphanage finally had enough of him and decided to get rid of him forever. He would try to escape, and run away to somewhere else, but…
"You will stay here."
He couldn't leave. Nobody would take somebody like him in. He'd have nowhere else to go.
"You are worthless as you are."
He may as well die here. Is that what he deserved?
"Remember that."
His hand suddenly stopped moving, and he looked down, eyes no longer having to squint to see in the barely lit room. His eyes widened, realizing that he had scratched the director's words into the ground. His hand shakily raised from the ground, his fingernail having broken from how deep he carved the words.
Tears that he shouldn't be spilling, water that his body needed to keep, fell down his cheeks.
"Worthless."
He wrote that again, and again, and again. As many times as his hand could, not able to stop himself. He whispered it every time the word was completed, his dry throat and heavy tongue barely getting it out. It was carved into his mind as much as it was in the wood.
"Remember that."
How could he forget? He was reminded every day of his pathetic life.
"Stay here."
He'll stay here. As long as he needs to repent for whatever he's done. He'll become useful. He'll earn his way to live here. He won't be locked in here again.
"You are worthless."
He wanted to cover his ears, to no longer hear those words. He couldn't. Even if he stopped his own mouth from repeating it, his mind could not be shushed. He knew the truth. Everybody knew the truth. Did they know more than he did? They must if they knew he deserved this.
His voice cracked, his words becoming more like rasps as he continued to repeat the director's words. His written words became sloppy, his hands shaking too much to properly write them. The tears he tried to hold back still defiantly leaving his eyes, no matter how wasteful it was, how it led him closer to his death. They gathered at his chin, joining together before hitting the ground. His teardrops began to match the drops of the leak, yet he couldn't hear it over the director's words.
It sounded like the man was still at the opened door, whenever he first threw Atsushi in the room. His eyes as cold as his voice, uncaring and unwavering. He showed no remorse, no sign of sympathy or regret. He was sure that this is what Atsushi needed, the only thing he could do with the young boy. How could Atsushi believe he was wrong when he only showed assurance that what he was doing was right?
"You will stay here. You are worthless as you are. Remember that."
He couldn't handle it anymore. He couldn't stand him.
"Never hate yourself."
He screamed, his scratchy throat breaking as his voice tore it further. He wanted his mind to stop.
How could he not hate himself?
Make it stop.
------☆------☆------☆-----☆-----☆-----☆------
His eyes flew open. His breath heavy and his eyes still wet.
He blinked and was surprised that there was more light than before. Was the door open? Did the leak in the roof finally burst?
He blinked again and realized he was no longer in the room of the orphanage.
He scrambled backwards, falling off the thin futon he was laying on before. His eyes frantically searched the unknown room, worried that he passed out from his screams. His throat was aching, so he knew he must have been screaming quite a bit. The director must have heard him. Did he give him mercy? Is that why he was given the privilege of an actual bed to sleep on?
Then his brain clicked back into place, and the room became familiar again.
He wasn't at the orphanage, hasn't been for a while now. He was at the agency's dorms. There were no scratches on the floor counting how long he's been stuck only hearing traces of the world other than the constant drip of water. There was light, a window, another thing the room did not have.
There was also Kyouka, who was sitting right beside him now.
"You're awake." She said, her tone as flat as always, yet her eyebrows were furrowed, showing her concern.
He was sleeping. Of course it was a dream.
Atsushi realized that the screams in his nightmare must have carried into real life, and he panicked. "I'm sorry for waking you, Kyouka-Chan. I'm fine now, you can go back to sleep." He tried to put on a small smile, his hand reaching up to the back of his neck awkwardly. He was relieved to feel that his nails were short once more. Another reminder that he wasn't in that room.
"Will you sleep?" She asked, and settled down, no longer leaning forward to get a better look at Atsushi.
"Um," Atsushi didn't know whether to tell Kyouka that he would or not, as he didn't know himself. He didn't want to bother her though, but it felt bad to lie. "I'll try."
Kyouka nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. "Do you need me to stay until then?"
Atsushi blushed, sputtering. "I'm not a kid anymore, I'll be fine, don't worry yourself about me."
Kyouka hesitated, seeming to debate whether to not listen to his empty words and stay or leave him be. She searched his watery eyes, and pinched her lips. Finally she blinked, and lowered her head. "I understand. Do not be afraid to wake me if you change your mind."
Atsushi sighed in relief, having become nervous from the long staring contest. He cared for Kyouka, and was grateful for her, but he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping with her blank eyes watching him. His gaze traced her shadowed figure as she returned to her room connected to his, sliding the board back into place.
He wiped his eyes and stared out the window. The moon was comforting, and he was glad to see it. It may be the one to cause him so much pain to begin with, but it still calmed a part of him. He suspected it to be the tiger within him, having always belonged under the moon's gentle rays of light. He could enjoy it now too, no longer forced to transform from it's presence.
He breathed in deeply, the air in the room more fulfilling than in his dream.
"You will stay here."
He didn't. He was free now, or as free as he could be. He didn't regret leaving.
"You are worthless as you are now."
He didn't understand those words then, only focused on the ones that hurt. He understood now, that he was no longer worthless. He's earning his right to live.
"Remember that."
He could never forget, those days haunted him everyday, then continued as they chased him in his dreams.
"Never hate yourself."
He sighed, and allowed part of his transformation to happen. Under the moon it came easily, and he stretched out his now furry hands. He didn't hate himself. He didn't hate his tiger self.
He laid back down, his head resting on his soft paws. He closed his eyes, and found that the words no longer were the only thing he could hear. He would try to sleep, as he promised Kyouka.
Whumptober Day Two: Thermometer | Delirium | "They don't care about you."
I Can't Answer To A Name No Longer Mine
[AO3]
Danny Phantom, Danny-Centric, Nobody Knows AU, Corpse AU, Vomiting, Mild Body Horror, Hurt no Comfort, Words: 1803
Danny felt cold, freezing really. He thought he had a fever, but whenever he checked his body was the temperature it was supposed to be. It didn't make any sense, so even with the weather being warm for an October day, he bundled up in layers of clothing. Though it seemed not even the thick fabric could cut through his chills, his teeth chattering as he attempted to eat breakfast. It only made the awkward movement of eating worse, his whole body slightly shivering.
He didn't know what could be wrong with him, but something he did know was that if anybody became suspicious of, nothing good would come out of that. Nobody could know that he was different, that he wasn't their Danny. That his corpse was probably as cold as he was right now.
"Danny? Why are you dressed like that?" Jazz had walked into the kitchen, staring in confusion at her brother.
He winced, cursing his thoughts for bringing him bad luck. Of course the most analytical and already suspicious one of the family had noticed. He tried to stop his shivering, and use the lying tactics he had been picking up after months of getting used to it. The guilt of doing so no longer affecting him like it used to.
He couldn't believe he's been hiding for so long, still feeling like it was just yesterday whenever he dragged himself from the basement. The unnatural glow of his ghost illuminating his very much dead body as he hoisted it up the basement stairs. He remembered wincing from every heavy thump the body made, how he couldn't bring himself to look at the marred body. He had thrown up as soon as he smelled the stench of burnt skin melting together, how some steam still rose from it. When he buried it in a grave only deep enough to hide the body, he realized he could technically be a murderer. Was it suicide if he killed himself and yet still existed?
He had grimaced as he thought about that, and sometimes at night he'd still lay awake wondering. He was dead, and yet he was still there around everyone else. Was he pretending to be Danny as much as he was pretending to be alive?
"Danny? You look a little pale, are you okay?"
He was snapped out of his thoughts, the concerned voice of his sister causing him to spin around. He put on a too wide smile, too panicked to properly hide his slightly pointed teeth that were signs of being inhuman if you looked close enough. "Yep! I'm fine, just a little tired haha…" He awkwardly trailed off into a chuckle, and cursed inwardly at his bad acting skills. He was always a terrible liar, but he thought he was getting better at it lately.
Not that he wanted to, but it was necessary now.
Jazz frowned, unconvinced, knowing her younger brother too well to be fooled by the obvious cover up. She sighed and sat down in the chair beside him, "You know you can talk to me, right?" Her words were soft, her eyebrows lowered with worry.
Danny would usually wave her off, telling her he was just fine, but today with the unwavering chill he was suffering, his mind was a bit hazy. "I can't talk to you." Those words seemed to surprise Jazz, flinching slightly, her teal eyes widening.
It was true, he couldn't talk to anybody about being dead. He couldn't tell Jazz because she'd freak out and then tell their parents. He couldn't tell their parents himself because of their constant threats to dissect him, though at first it was because he didn't want to see them upset. How his reason changed caused him to feel sick, the nightmares of being strapped to a table more haunting than the dreams of his corpse escaping it's dirt prison. He couldn't tell his friends because they'd never see him the same again. Would they even call him Danny after realizing he was only mocking something now in the past?
Jazz saw how serious he was, how he wasn't hiding the increasing shudders he was attempting to push down before, and reached out to hug him. She felt like she was failing him, that as an older sister she wasn't doing enough. He's been distancing himself so much and she saw it happening but she kept letting him do so, hoping that he'd come to her whenever he was ready. Now she didn't know if she could even reach him, the gap between him and others was so wide.
Her fear was proven as Danny evaded her hug, abandoning his breakfast as he stood up.
Danny clenched his hand, digging his nails in his skin to try and stop the shivers running through him. He didn't want Jazz to hug him, in case the thermometer was wrong and he felt as cold on the outside as he did on the inside. How would he feel to her? Cold and stiff like his true body barely buried in the ground in the woods? She'd know then, and she couldn't know.
He may have craved the little bit of warmth he felt as he passed her open arms, feeling bad after seeing the look of hurt on her face. He knew he couldn't stay there, his foggy mind likely to spill all the secrets he so carefully kept locked up, so he left. He didn't finish his food, and the guilt of not only wasting food but Jazz now having to clean it wormed it's way in his stomach, but he tried to ignore it. He needed to keep in what little he ate, or he wouldn't have enough energy to fight whatever ghost showed up that day. That was what he couldn't understand about his whole deal. Wouldn't him being dead mean he no longer required food?
It was confusing matters like that which kept his hope up that maybe he wasn't dead. Then he'd go into his more ghostly form and remember once more that he wasn't alive, the dirt still clinging to his hazmat suit a stark reminder of that. He would never use that form if it weren't for all the ghosts he allowed into his hometown after dying in the portal, having to defend the innocents they tried to hurt because of his mistake.
When he finally focused on his surroundings again, he realized where he was. He didn't remember leading his feet here, and it seemed like his internal cold may be affecting his brain more than he thought it was. If him now standing next to his grave was a sign of that.
His feet became frozen to the ground, his already cool blood becoming cold. He stared with wide eyes down at the lump of dirt, knowing what lay underneath. His stomach swirled, the cereal he ate climbing up his throat. He barely was able to turn around before he vomited, trying to not get any of it on his already depressing grave.
His body felt weak, the vomit unsurprisingly cold as it left his throat, though it felt more scalding than regular throw up. He heaved again, but no more came up, and he crumpled to the ground, only able to miss the disgusting mix of acid and barely processed food on the ground. It caused him to lay on his grave, and he swore he could feel the corpse through the ground. The charred skin's freezing temperatures reaching him, even more cold than his own body.
Was this it, was he actually dying now? Was all those months just him on limited time? He knew that he wasn't supposed to be able to roam with the living, but this seemed cruel, giving him hope only to rip it away.
What would his family think? Jazz would believe he ran away because of her, and probably be the one to lead a search party for him. Only to find him dead on his own self made grave. He hoped they wouldn't find the body beneath him, then they'd learn everything. They'd know how much he lied, how much he kept from them. They'd know that the long dead being beneath him was his doing. Would they believe that he had been a fake this entire time? Would his parents take the body he now used and dissect it like they so often talked about? He didn't like the image of his dead self being cut open like some science experiment, something that Sam had so severely argued against when it came to frogs.
His friends… They'd be horrified to know that their best friend was dead, has been for months, and that they didn't even realize it. That he didn't just skip movie nights for fun, or run out of class to be rebellious. They wouldn't look at him with either worry or disappointment, two expressions he had grown to hate. Though, he couldn't help but hope they'd be upset, at least a little bit. As the time ticked by he could tell that his friends were growing away from him, no longer bothering with inviting him to most of their activities, knowing he most likely couldn't show up anyways. It felt like they didn't care about him anymore. Surely that couldn't be true, he hoped not. Without them there was less of a reason to continue his act of life.
It hurt him, but he couldn't tell him that. Like he couldn't tell them what had happened that night with the portal, especially after refusing to let them see it. He had been dumb, wanting to check out the lab to make sure it'd be safe enough for them to see it, only to die in the process. He should've stuck to what he told them, abiding by his parents rule and sign of warning hanging on the door.
Now here he was, laying on the damp ground, his outfit becoming layered with the very mud he used to cover his biggest secret. It was almost ironic as his eyes slowly closed, his consciousness drifting as the cold lifted. The ground stayed freezing, and he thought he felt the cold hands of his corpse pulling him closer to it as all the chill he felt disappeared. He knew that wasn't a good sign, that it was him most likely dying, but he couldn't move even if he wanted to.
There was nothing he could do to stop it. His life ended back in the portal anyways, so it was only a matter of time before he was truly plucked from the living realm.
That didn't stop the tears that slowly fell down his cheeks, only to freeze and build up whenever they touched the ground.
Chuuya slowly slid off his gloves, the thin layer of fabric holding back a power not meant for a human body. It was a good thing he wasn't human, or at least, wasn't created to be human. The tingling of the powers he has grown to both loath and appreciate spread through his arms and throughout his body. The dark red marks swirling as they grew, his humanity fading.
The eyes that warily watched the transformation hazed over, no longer focused on something as trivial as what he truly was. As he wasn't human, no man would ever be capable of holding something as dangerous as he did. Their bodies would break, the inhuman traits of a god not supposed to belong to some mortal.
That's why Chuuya couldn't be human. He wasn't born one. He was a barely conscious formation of chaos, poorly imitating what a human was. It was pitiful how well he tricked people, how many truly believed he was just like them.
If only.
Finally, after what was only seconds which felt like minutes to Chuuya as he desperately clinged onto his last strings of control, he was a god again. Somewhat anyways, he was more of a fragile container holding a god, one ready to burst at any moment. Arahabaki would cause him to crack, but the little of what was left of Chuuya held onto himself.
Every time his muscles threatened to snap, Arahabaki not knowing the limitation of them, Chuuya would hold them together by pure will alone. Every time a bone would break, Arahabaki would ignore it, having never felt pain. Chuuya would scream out in agony, only to be relieved whenever the god finally took some energy to heal it back in seconds, not wanting it to get in it's way anymore. Every time his chest would constrict, the blood welling inside him, Arahabaki not caring how much a simple human body could handle, Chuuya would force it down.
He wouldn't let the body break beyond any kind of repair, even if it wasn't him. No matter how far back Arahabaki pushed him, he'd push back, if only to stretch out the time his humanity could last. Until Dazai could touch him, bringing him back to the real world, where he was Chuuya again.
Right then, with no control of his own, he wasn't Chuuya. It was almost like being a puppet on strings, or having an out of body experience. He could feel how damaging Arahabaki was, how uncaring the literal incarnation of destruction was. Everything he saw was a blur at best, glimpses of what his eyes would be receiving, were they his own at the moment. The other senses, that were normally his, were all dulled to him. The best way he could think of to describe the feeling was what he felt while dreaming. Nothing seemed real at moments, his true consciousness floating in a dark void while a different being pretended to be him in a fabrication of own flesh.
He hated it. It reminded him of everything wrong with him.
This would go on for who knows how long. In this state he couldn't keep track of time, seconds prolonging to hours while hours could become seconds. It may be from how Arahabaki itself didn't have a concept of time, having always simply existed, not needing to care for time. It was another trait of those inhuman, as humans constructed time, something so important to them in every moment of their life. It started when they were born, counting the time till they died. Arahabaki was immortal, he found nothing valuable in keeping tabs on some fable such as "time".
Chuuya always tried to know what day it was, what month it was, what year it was, and so on. Sometimes he would sit back and watch a clock, not growing bored of how the seconds seemed to pass slower as he carefully observed them. It made him feel human, though others would look at him with concern or confusion, further digging into his consciousness of how no matter what he did, he wasn't human.
He suddenly felt his fist hit something hard, snapping him away from his drifting consciousness, keeping him from truly slipping. He should be trying harder, to fight back Arahabaki, but it was hard whenever he knew it was impossible.
Before he could delve back into that void, allowing time to pass unknowingly as he felt his body slowly fall apart, he was brought back.
Dazai. Dazai was there.
He knew he would be of course, after all, Dazai had planned everything, Chuuya knew he had to. If he believed he didn’t, he wouldn't have ever used corruption, though there was no way the egotistical self acclaimed genius wouldn't have. Especially if he was going all in on it.
He could breathe again, using his own lungs to take a greedy gulp of air, instead of the inconsistent drag that Arahabaki did in order to keep causing mayhem. The first thing he heard was Dazai's teasing voice, and the sight of him holding up a few of his fingers, asking for Chuuya to tell him how many he was holding up. He barked out an insult or two, Dazai's amused voice grating further on his nerves. Then he was brought into their situation, all of his senses overwhelmingly swamping him at once. Everything hurt and every fiber of his being was exhausted, so he didn't fight too much whenever Dazai kept him held down. It was embarrassing, but the excuse of the fog kept him from spouting every curse he knew to the one above him.
He also didn't want to fight Arahabaki, or his ability as most called it. He already dealt with the thing enough that night, so he allowed the hand on his head to stay there.
Moments later he and Dazai had moved to the wall, and although Chuuya didn't have to lay down in order for Dazai to keep a hold of him, he didn't have the strength to sit up. He would need at least a few more minutes in order to properly move his body to lean on the concrete behind him instead of Dazai, so he gave up on it until then.
Chuuya also didn't mind how Dazai's hand began to run through his hair, the small tugs from whenever the other ran into a tangle grounding him to reality. If his mind wasn't so foggy he may have tried to shuffle away, not wanting his head to be resting on the lap of his enemy. At that moment they felt like partners again, something he hasn't called Dazai in a long time.
Not that he'd want to, Dazai was usually insufferable. The Dazai right then was a rare sight, a look of calmness and melancholy he wasn't used to. He knew that it was actually Dazai deep in his own thoughts, as looking into his eyes showed a film of the other being distracted. He knew it was from the man thinking of every possibility, coming up with contingencies for all of them. Chuuya didn't know how Dazai's head didn't explode, or how he could act like an idiot most of the time despite his intelligence.
It made Dazai seem inhuman, something Chuuya took comfort in. If somebody who was born human could be so distanced and detached to everything thought of about humans, surely he could be a bit different as well and be seen as human. It may not change what he knows, how he feels, but he could continue to fool others. That was enough. To be treated as a human was enough.
That's why whenever Dazai left, leaving Chuuya with some dumb remark on the situation, he didn't bite back with a snide comment of his own. He rolled his eyes and slowly sat himself up against the wall. He'd feel sore for a while, but he had enough strength to no longer need Dazai, not that the man would stay after the fog cleared, as he thought himself as no longer needed there. It didn't matter to Chuuya, far too tired to do anything but stare up at the cleared sky.
It was only when he heard footsteps that he slipped his gloves back on, pulling a leg up to be ready to fight. He may be at a severe disadvantage but that didn't mean he'd give up without a fight. A second later he recognized the footsteps and relaxed by a small margin, glad that they belonged to a member of his own. Akutagawa had arrived, and Dazai must have told him where Chuuya was. It was a good thing, because as much as Chuuya hated to admit it, he would not be making it back to his place on his own.
Using the help of the younger man, he eventually made it to his living quarters. He was barely able to make it to his bed before he collapsed, the soft blankets and foam mattress a pleasant contrast to his stiff muscles. He more so passed out than fell asleep, the fading sensation of a hand going through his hair and reminding him that he was still there, that he was human and not some god playing as one, putting him to ease as he let his consciousness slip once more.
He was grateful for the lack of dreams that night.
̶Good Bad Habits Run In The Family: Chapter Eleven
DPxDC Crossover, Jason Adopts Danny AU
[AO3] [FF.net] [Wattpad]
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Jason woke up later on, the door to Danny’s room still firmly closed. The only relief was from the lack of almost silent sobs, instead replaced by soft snores. It didn’t make him any less concerned, but it was easier to think now. The man made himself a chicken taco, and left a bowl of chicken with a note on top that told Danny he could make his taco however he wanted. He made sure to also add on the note that Danny didn’t have to eat chicken tacos either, but that he did need to eat. As the kid’s unofficial guardian, it’s Jason’s job to make sure he’s healthy. It felt like he was the kid’s parent, and he was surprised when he found that he didn’t really mind.
After that he left, using the shadows to sneak into a broken down apartment building he used to hide his Red Hood costume. He knew that if anybody saw him enter and then see Red Hood leave, that they’d realize the two were one and the same, so he made sure that nobody stayed there. It didn’t stop a few homeless people who attempted to, having nowhere else to camp at, especially when nights would become too cold or the storms too strong. He didn’t kick them out, but whenever Jason Todd came around the next day he made sure to give them an actual shelter, a place where they can truly be safe.
He went straight from the shattered window to the largely empty bedroom, only a few piles of trash and mouse drops scattered about. He lifted up a board, relieved that his costume was still there. He knew he should find a better place, one that wasn't so accessible and the ceilings wouldn't leak, but didn’t bother with that right then and slipped into his costume instead. He left his civilian clothes behind, shifting the board back into place. Checking his grappling gun as well as his regular guns, he left the building, quickly scaling up the wall and onto the roof.
Up there the city felt much calmer, the sounds of gunshots and roaring vehicles far into the distance. The peacefulness of it only made him more restless, reminiscent of the calm before a storm. He hopped from roof to roof, checking each street and alley as he did so. It was only a matter of time before he was needed, Crime Alley was the worst of the crime ridden city that was Gotham.
In a few hours of doing this he stopped a few creeps from trying things on working girls and those alike, forced thugs from beating up the defenseless homeless people, and stopped a shoot out before it happened. Yet, he felt like the night was more relaxed than most, something he’d usually be grateful for. Now it only reminded him of the night he found Danny. The damp and dirty alley way that he swooped down in after hearing a loud thud sound, only to see a beaten up teen who would change so much without him realizing it…
It seemed like no matter how many criminals that Red Hood took down, his thoughts always traced back to the worrisome matter that was Danny, and it took a lot to continue his patrol instead of returning to his apartment to check on the teenager. He didn’t know whether he should give the boy space or comfort, he didn’t know what Danny needed, and he couldn’t just ask. He felt useless and out of his element, and he was beginning to think that somewhere somebody else would be better than him when it came to emotions. Danny needed help, but Jason may not be the help he needs.
Deep in anxious thoughts, Red Hood didn't notice whenever a figure walked up behind him. He only felt their presence whenever they tapped him on his shoulder, the anti-hero spun around, both guns out and pointed at whoever snuck up on him. The person held up both hands, and Red Hood already knew who was foolish enough to creep up on him while he was distracted, the carefree grin clear on the other's face.
"Nightwing, are you an idiot? You would look like swiss cheese right now if I didn't have more restraint. Honestly, I should have just put a few bullets in that thick skull of yours, might knock some common sense in you." Red Hood huffed, annoyed, as he let his hands lower. He was tempted to keep his guns out as Nightwing began chuckling while he slid them back in the holsters of his utility belt.
"I didn't know you were so out of it. Usually you're way more aware when you're on patrol." Nightwing teased, yet there was a hint of worry in his voice, one Red Hood knew all too well. The older vigilante sat down on the edge of the roof, patting the space beside him. Red Hood reluctantly sat next to the other man, slumped forward while resting his head on one of his hands, his legs dangling carelessly off the side.
They sat like that for a few moments, before Red Hood got tired of the silence, not wanting his thoughts to wander too much again. "What do you want, Nightwing? I'm sure you didn’t just come here to sit and ogle at the Gotham scenery.”
Nightwing turned to Red Hood, laughing lowly in a way he knew riled Red Hood, except for Red Hood didn’t really have the patience or energy to go along with the other. Nightwing seemed to notice this, his laughter dying down to a soft sigh. “I see you aren’t in the best of moods.”
“You’re right, so just spit out what you want to say before I leave.” The anti-hero was already shuffling, serious about his threat. If Nightwing was here to just waste his time then he would hurry and finish his patrol and return to his apartment, so he could at least check to see if the kid ate supper or not.
Nightwing raised his hands in a palaciting manner, his smile falling with nervousness. “I don’t wanna make you mad, little wing, I just wanted to ask about the new kid you have with you.” The blue themed vigilante said lightly, knowing that it was easy to tip off Red Hood, and that it was even easier whenever he was in a bad mood. Maybe right now wasn't the best time to swing over and talk. He was curious though, and right now was the best time to get answers before the dinner that day. Red Hood would become more closed off then, as all the other bats would immediately hound him with questions. Nightwing may have also been missing their usual patrols together whenever he visited.
Red Hood glared at Nightwing, which was somewhat muddled by the red helmet he wore, but Nightwing knew that look anyway. "You couldn't wait until tomorrow at the dinner? You can get to know him when he's there." That was if they went, Red Hood didn't know if Danny would want to go anymore after earlier, and he wouldn't force him to go. He could already tell that everybody at the dinner were all going to be excited with the prospect of a new guest, and after he tells them all that he was the new meta in Gotham that they'd be more excited. It would be overwhelming, especially if everyone was showing up. He didn't need to tell any of that to Nightwing though, he'd only bug Red Hood with more questions. Even if he wanted to tell Nightwing everything, which he didn't, some of it wasn't for him to tell.
Nightwing scratched the side of his face, his smile becoming more lopsided and smaller with each exchange. Red Hood felt slightly guilty for being so snappy, but he was too aggravated to try and fix any of it or his attitude. If Nightwing couldn't handle it then he was free to leave, or Red Hood would leave before he became too explosive. "I know, it would probably be better to hear about the teen from his own mouth, but that's not what I really want to know."
Red Hood furrowed his eyebrows, though it must have looked like he was glaring through the helmet as Nightwing tensed a bit. "What do you mean? You just said you wanted to know about him."
Nightwing nodded, "Yeah I want to hear about him, but nothing really personal. Like, how did you meet him?"
Red Hood relaxed a little, understanding washing over him. He would most likely have to answer all of this with some of the others, but if he told Nightwing some, then the blue clad vigilante could tell them and make it easier on him. "I found him in an alley, passed out, and took him to one of my smaller warehouses as he was pretty banged up."
"What happened to him?" Nightwing seemed hesitant, and Red Hood wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t bother as he knew it wouldn't be seen.
"I don't know, he hasn't told me." The other vigilante nodded again, yet he seemed concerned now. Red Hood was concerned too of course, but he couldn't have Nightwing assaulting Danny with questions as soon as they met. "Don't ask him either, he'll tell when he's ready."
"Don't worry Red, I'm not going to ask him anything too intrusive." Nightwing assured, easily reading Red Hood, and for some reason that irked something in him. "Okay, so, how did Danny end up staying with you?"
"Well, he couldn't stay on the streets." Red Hood crossed his arms over his chest, only causing Nightwing to roll his eyes. He wasn't going to go into any more details, about how he put Danny in a warehouse for weeks and then left him on the street for another week. Or how skinny and broken the poor teen looked when Red Hood finally gathered enough courage to take him in, because he felt guilty for allowing a kid to be on his own. He definitely couldn't explain how Danny was actually a meta as well, making it ten times more complicated, especially with the whole bat gang on his tail.
"Probably for the best, he almost seems sickly with how pale he is." Red Hood picked at his belt, hoping that Nightwing didn't dig any more into that right then. "Alright, um, what's your thoughts on him? You two seem to be pretty close already."
The question made Red Hood want to squirm, almost too personal for his liking. "He's a good kid, I like him." He answered plainly, and Nightwing gave him a look of exasperation.
"And?.." Nightwing made a go on motion with his hands, only causing Red Hood to raise an eyebrow. "Tell me what you like about him, or how he's been, I don't know! You can't have nothing to say about him."
How has he been? Then it hit Red Hood. Nightwing had more experience with comfort and children in general, perhaps he would know what to do. Though the thought of asking him made Red Hood’s tongue feel heavy, like he couldn't ask, or perhaps he didn't know how.
Red Hood cleared his throat after a few seconds, it sounding weird coming out of his highly modified voice, before deciding to just answer Nightwing so he'd leave him alone. "Danny… Well, he has a lot of guts, and I don't know if that makes him a complete idiot or brave. Probably an idiot, because although he can be pretty clever, I wouldn't put it past him to put his shoes on the wrong foot. Not only that, but he's super clumsy. Worst of all, he called Pride and Prejudice boring!" Red Hood shook his head, remembering that day. "He's uncultured and ignorant, but I guess he makes good points for some books, it just takes him forever to read." He paused for a second, then remembered something and started again. "He's got some talent for drawing, I've seen some of his doodles and it's better than anything I could do while taking my time, so that's probably where a lot of his smartness goes."
Red Hood realized that he had been talking for a few minutes without much of a break, not even giving a chance for Nightwing to comment. He quickly became embarrassed, knowing that he practically just gushed about Danny like some proud parent. He grumbled and wanted to remove his helmet so he could rub his warming face, hating how Nightwing stared at him with a goofy smile and twinkling eyes that showed even through the mask. He could hear the teasing already.
"Seems that you like this teen a lot more than just him being a 'good kid'. I could almost hear the affection through that thick helmet of yours." Nightwing nudged the side of the anti-hero, who smacked it away, yet he didn't feel as annoyed as earlier. He wouldn't tell Nightwing that, he'd probably assume that it was either because of talking about Danny or from the vigilante's presence alone. He definitely didn't need any sort of ego boost like that.
"Whatever, I answered your questions, now leave me alone and go bother somebody else." Red Hood was shuffling more, about to get up whenever he remembered how Danny was back at the apartment, the sound of long lasting sniffling bringing him back to reality. He got so sidetracked rattling off about Danny that he, in a way, forgot about him. How, he didn't know, but it caused him to settle back down and look at Nightwing.
The other seemed to notice this, still as perceptive as always, and gave Red Hood a teasing grin. "What, you have a question now?"
The crime lord hesitated, not knowing how to phrase his question, or how much he should let Nightwing know. He didn't want to overstep any untold boundary that Danny had set, but he also had a strong urge to help, and he couldn't ignore it. He also established earlier that he didn't know how to help, which he couldn't ignore either. He sighed heavily, feeling stuck.
Luckily, Nightwing seemed to understand, like he usually seemed to be able to with Red Hood. "You know I will answer anything you ask, if I can anyways. I won't judge you, little wing." He gave Red Hood an encouraging smile, and although Red Hood hated that nickname nowadays, he could admit that he felt a little reassured.
He huffed, swinging his legs as he lifted a hand to rest on his helmet. "It's just, I- don't know…" Asking for help seemed much harder than Red Hood thought it'd be. "How do I- What do I-"
"Take your time, Red." Nightwing said after the few pitiful attempts of the younger man trying to get a cohesive sentence strung together. Nightwing was curious, but he was more so worried, only having seen Red Hood this hesitant and nervous a few times before.
Red Hood sat there for a few minutes, gathering his thoughts before he tried to speak again. "I don't know if I can take care of him, help him in the way he needs anyways. I don't know if I can do it. I try, but what if I'm only making things worse?" He finally spit out, only noticing how desperate he sounded after he was done, and he couldn't stop the small amount of shame and embarrassment that washed over him.
Nightwing didn't answer immediately, trying to gather himself, taken back. He hasn't heard Red Hood be so honest or emotional like this in a while, a vulnerability that his tough front didn't usually allow. He couldn't help but wonder how much Danny really meant to him, or how the teen had made such a huge effect on him that his own family teammates weren't able to cause.
Red Hood was becoming much more nervous the longer that Nightwing stayed silent, but eventually the older man spoke up. "I may not know Danny, or what help he needs that you're talking about, but I do know that you aren't making things worse. I can tell that you care a lot for him, and the fact that you're so cautious with making him upset allows me to know that you're not so dense that you wouldn't be able to tell if you hurt him or not.
"The only thing I can tell you is to keep being there for him, and that he'll probably come to you when he feels comfortable enough. Just because you don't know what he needs doesn't mean you're not good enough, it just means he needs to tell you, and that you have to wait. Unless, of course, it's an emergency or he's hurting himself and you can't stop him, then you need to get some help outside of your own capacity." Nightwing finished with confidence, looking back at Red Hood to gauge his reaction.
Meanwhile, the younger man was trying to absorb all of what Nightwing had told him. It was good advice, and it put most of Red Hood’s worries at ease, the constant restlessness he'd been wrestling with melting a bit. It was a reminder to why he admired the other so much when he was younger, to why he still admired and looked up to him.
After a few quiet moments, Nightwing's comms came alive, taking him by surprise. He almost forgot that he was currently on patrol, getting so caught up in helping his little brother little wing any way he could. Oracle told him a location that was recently called in for suspicious activity, saying that he should probably check it out. He sighed, looking back over at Red Hood, and was glad to see that the younger vigilante wasn't as tense as earlier.
"This was a nice chat and everything, but I gotta go. Duty calls." Nightwing stood up, stretching with his arms above his head, relieved when he felt a few pops. Then after sending a quick salute to Red Hood, which caused the anti-hero to glare at him without any real bite, he dived off the roof with a grapple hook in hand. Red Hood watched with mild exasperation as Nightwing gracefully swung away, all the while waving wildly at Red Hood in-between swings.
Red Hood waited a few seconds, feeling much more tired and yet so much lighter than he did minutes ago. He looked up at the inky black sky, noticing how he could now see one single star, the Northstar. A smile slowly formed on his face when he thought about how Danny would probably be happy to finally see a star again after being in the polluted city for so long, even if it was only a single star.
Jason returned to his apartment, having hidden his costume back. The bowl of chicken tacos was gone, the small amount of dishes having been washed and laid to dry on a mat. Jason almost felt bad about Danny doing the dishes, but brushed it off whenever he knew that the boy most likely wanted to do them.
He stood up, more determined than before, taking his grappling hook and finishing his patrol. He'd wait for Danny to come to him, for him to feel comfortable enough to seek his help. Until then, he'd keep making sure Danny ate and got something to drink, offer hugs whenever he cried, and listen whenever the teen asked for his ear. He'd just keep doing what he was doing, and although it was difficult at times to know what he should do, he also knew that he must not be doing too much of a shabby job.
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He was the same way when he was younger and first moved in with Bruce, always insisting Alfred that he would help with the dishes, saying it was only polite of him. Alfred eventually caved, compromising that they would do the dishes together. The butler washing them or setting them in the dishwasher while Jason would either rinse them or dry them off and put them away. Since Jason was so short then, he would have one of the other three living there to help him put some of the dishes away.
Jason pushed those memories away, a stir in his gut already starting to pick up, and he couldn't tell if it was nostalgia or longing. A part of him was still afraid that it was something much more dangerous, something he always tried to convince was no longer there. He then saw his note that he left, it was turned on its other side, a new note written in sloppy cursive. The man quickly picked it up, dread and panic having replaced his sense of ease, and sighed with relief as he read the content. He wouldn't be going back out tonight at least, there was no upset teen to chase down and drag back into a safe environment.
He reread the note, much more calm than moments ago.
"Thanks for the food, and sorry for making you worry. I'm fine now, just needed to get that off my chest. See you in the morning and don't stay up too late! You can't be too tired for the dinner. :)
P.S. I did the dishes, but I couldn't put them away since I didn’t know where they went, you gotta tell me if I'm staying here longer"
Jason couldn't help but smile, the note settling the uneasiness that was lingering. He yawned, deciding to listen to Danny’s words and going to his bedroom. He changed into some shorts and a loose fitting shirt, slinking underneath his covers and relaxing into his soft bed. He was asleep almost instantly, head filled with dreams too hazy to remember in the morning.
He woke up a few hours later, still feeling as drowsy as he did the night before, but decided it was too late to go back to sleep. The whole Wayne Family and Co. had terrible sleep schedules, most of them being vigilantes or something else of the like, so they were used to the eye bags that all of them wore most of the time. Hopefully Danny wouldn't be added to that list, the teen needed the rest, and he didn't have any nighttime activities that Red Hood knew about. There could be only so many things keeping the teen awake if he did have dark circles under his eyes, and most of them weren't good.
Not bothering to change yet, Jason left his room and went straight to the kitchen, his throat feeling dry and desperate for water. In his half-asleep mind purely focused on getting a drink, he didn't realize there was another being in the room.
"Good morning, Old Man." Jason whipped around at a speed he didn't think possible so early in the morning, his groggy brain waking up in an instant, before relaxing whenever he remembered Danny. He was sitting at the counter, slumped forward with his head resting on his hands. The teen was smirking, seeming pleased with himself that he was able to spook Jason so easily. "I thought you were supposed to be a vigilante? Don't you need to be aware of your surroundings for that?"
Jason rolled his eyes, taking a few greedy gulps of water before daring to speak. "It's too fucking early for me to even try to think of a good comeback for that."
"Or is it that you have nothing? Hm, you old fart?" Danny continued to tease, a wolfish grin on his face that showcased his ever-growing fangs. Jason didn't know how he didn't constantly accidentally bite himself with them.
"Shut up you brat." The man pushed Danny's head back, getting a mumbled complaint in return. He scratched at his face, his rudely awakened brain trying to fog backup once more. He really wanted to take a nap and he just woke up a few minutes ago. He almost cursed whenever he remembered that he and Danny were meant to go to the dinner later that evening.
"So, what are we having for breakfast?" Danny asked, deciding to cross his arms on the counter and lay his head on them as he stared up at Jason. The man examined him closely, seeing how he seemed much better than the night before. He knew how quickly that could change though, and how it could be anything that made Danny spiral once more.
Jason realized that he hadn't answered Danny, and he began looking across the kitchen. He was too tired to make food at the moment, so he opened up a cabinet. "Cereal." He answered plainly as he took out a box of some generic brand of corn flakes, heading over to the fridge to grab some milk as well.
"Sounds good to me." Danny hopped off the chair, grabbing two bowls for them before pouring himself some of the cereal.
They both ate in silence, and although Jason thought it would have been awkward from what happened yesterday, it was surprisingly comfortable. He slowly woke up the rest of the way, allowing his thoughts to drift from one topic to another. Danny was unsurprisingly done eating first, Jason soon finishing his meal too, and they both flopped onto the couch.
Jason turned on the television, stopping at a boring news channel, only slightly curious as to what terrible mishap happened in Gotham recently. He couldn't help but imagine every morning being like this, both of them getting up and eating breakfast together, then relaxing in the living room for a bit as they watched the morning news. He found that he wouldn't mind if they did, feeling so calm that if it wasn't for his strong will he would have easily fallen back to sleep. The room was warm but not too hot, and there was a soft light that filtered through the blinds, making everything seem so serene.
It felt perfect, a normalcy neither of them was used to, and neither of them wanted it to be interrupted.
Of course it would have to be, as about a half hour later Jason's phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket, switching it on and grumbling whenever he saw that it was Dick. He stood up, leaving Danny on the couch as he walked down the hallway a bit, just far enough to have a bit of privacy.
He purposely waited a few more seconds before answering, knowing that it drove Dick crazy whenever he didn't immediately answer the phone. "What could you want so early, Dickie Bird?"
"Early? Jaybird, it's already eleven o'clock." Dick said, and Red Hood rolled his eyes, wishing that the older man could see it. "Anyways, I was just wanting to ask if you and Danny are still going to the dinner or not, Alfred needs to know."
Jason clicked his tongue, putting his hand to the phone after a quick "hold on". He walked down the hallway and peered around the corner. "Hey kid." Danny, who was staring distractedly at the television, turned his attention on Jason questioningly. "Do you still feel like going to the dinner or not?"
"Well duh, didn't you read my note last night? Don't tell me you are so unaware of everything that you didn't even notice it." Jason flipped Danny off, the teen sticking his tongue out in retaliation, before going back down the hallway.
"Yeah, tell Alfred we'll be showing up." Jason told Dick, who was slightly snickering, and Jason knew that he must have heard Danny. "On second thought, I don't think you'd be a good influence on Danny, he's already annoying enough as it is without you rubbing off on him."
"Awww, so I can't see my little brother's kid? How rude. Honestly I thought you were bett-" Jason didn't allow Dick to finish talking, hanging up as soon as he started his long-winded dramatics. He walked back into the living room, to see that Danny had switched the channel to some Sunday cartoon, seemingly having gotten bored of the monotonous news station.
He didn't flop back down on the couch, no matter how much he longed to and fall back to sleep. "I'm going to take a shower, so sit here and watch your cartoon like the good kid you are." The man teased, watching amused as Danny's face reddened from embarrassment.
"Cartoons aren't just for kids…" Jason heard the teen mumble as Jason left to take his shower.
A few hours later the two of them were ready and driving over to the mansion for the dinner. Both of them were anxious. Jason because of how much he was going to have to explain, and Danny because of the amount of people who will be there and the want to make a good impression on them. He knew that they were a rich family, and not only that but vigilantes as well. Danny felt almost insignificant compared to them, and the ghost side of him wanted their acceptance, even if he was still very much wary of rich people since Vlad. Yet, even he still wondered how the unhinged halfa was doing right now.
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Has he heard the news yet? Was he upset? Did he know that Danny was still alive? Would he blame him for what happened?
Before they knew it they had arrived at the Wayne mansion. Jason pulled his motorcycle besides the several other cars sitting in front of the huge house. He let Danny get off first before getting off himself, hanging the biker helmet he forced Danny to wear on the handle bar. The man saw how much Danny was fidgeting now, almost like he couldn't stay still.
"Are you sure you want to do this? We can always wait until next weekend or something." Jason laid a hand on Danny's small shoulder, who leaned into it a bit.
Danny took a deep breath, before turning his head to Jason with a nervous riddled smile. "Might as well go ahead and go in, we're already here, ain't we?"
Jason chuckled softly, releasing Danny's shoulder and gesturing towards the house. "After you then."
Danny visibly swallowed, but began walking towards the mansion anyways, mentally preparing himself. He hesitated at the large opposing doors, not knowing if he should knock or not. Jason laughed and stepped forward, swinging open the doors without a second thought, much like he did every time. He didn't care about something like knocking, no need to announce himself if he acted like he owned the place anyways.
A few seconds later, only being able to take a few steps, there was already one of the many bats in front of them, Steph.
"Hey Jason, glad you could make it. Oh, who’s the newbie?" The blonde girl stepped forward, causing Danny to take a step back, subconsciously hiding a bit behind the much larger man. Jason grabbed Steph's head and pushed her back, the girl letting out an offended squawk as he did so. "What? I'm just trying to say hi!"
"We all know how you are. I shouldn't allow you five feet near Danny. You might infect him with your bad behavior." Jason crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one leg, efficiently blocking Danny out of her view.
The teen girl whined, trying to look around Jason to see Danny. "A bit of chaos never hurt anybody, plus, he seems like the type to like that! I'd know for sure if you let me at least talk to him, I mean, I don't even know his name yet!" She pouted, still trying to get past the man, failing as he was practically built like a fridge.
"Chaos, you say?" Jason groaned, seeing the scheming glint in Danny's narrowed eyes, his grin becoming much like it was that morning.
"This is why I didn't want y’all to meet, now I have to deal with two brats." Jason muttered, but didn't stop Danny whenever he slipped past him and towards Steph.
"The name’s Danny, nice to meet your acquaintance." The raven haired teen stuck out his hand.
"You can call me Steph, excited to see what great things we'll be able to accomplish together." She lifted her hand to shake Danny's outstretched one, giving one firm shake before letting go.
"Alright, you nerds done with your weird little greeting? We should go to the dining room with everybody else." Jason said, already moving to the room. Danny and Steph followed behind, whispering quietly about what the man could only assume would cause him a massive headache later on. He was worried that Danny would be too nervous to talk to anybody, but now he's worried that the teen may get along too well with everyone. Specifically the ones that he can cause trouble with.
They all stepped into the dinning room, where most of the people were. Tim was the first to notice them, freezing as soon as his eyes landed on Danny, who wasn't paying him any mind as he stared amazed at the large room. Damian, who was in the middle of an argument with Tim, turned to see what caught the older boy's attention. He quickly straightened up whenever he saw Jason.
"Ah, Todd, I see you have brought a guest today." The tween spoke with well taught mannerism, wanting to appear as the mature kid he was, whenever he was suddenly taken back. He tensed as Jason moved, properly getting a look at who the man brought. Jason lifted up a brow, but Damian didn't notice as he stared at the other teenager who was still distracted by the bright and fancy room.
"Danny?" Damian called out hesitantly, his carefully created exterior slightly cracking as he stared surprised by the guest.
Danny immediately snapped out for his amazement, his light blue eyes locking on Damian’s emerald ones. He smiled sheepishly, his hand going to scratch the back of his neck with newfound nervousness, remembering that he had run in with a few of them already beforehand. "Oh, um, hi?.."
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"You're related to Red Robin?"
Jason kind of wished he could be re-buried at the moment, knowing he was going to have to explain a lot. He could only hope that Danny wouldn't freak out too much, or any of the other bats for that matter. He already knew Tim had linked him with Danny, and that he probably knew that Danny was the new meta, but the rest of them didn't know. Bruce would most likely be furious that Jason was hiding information about a pressing subject, or for that matter hiding an actual meta with him. Not like he cared what the older man thought.
Sighing deeply, his hands rubbing his face with new found stress, he looked at Danny. The teen's eyes were wide, holding both shock and a layer of fear, stirring the inside of Jason’s stomach. He didn't like the idea that Tim had done something to Danny to make him this on edge, right when he was finally starting to relax around Jason.
Deciding to stop dragging it out, and to put them both out of their misery, he leaned forward. "For one, you can't call him that in public, secret identity and all that."
Danny, after hearing Jason's voice, snapped back to reality, his eyes more focused and analytical towards Jason. The sharp eyes were tinted with a bit of green, like it was barely being restrained, unsettling Jason more the longer he looked. "That doesn't answer my question. I thought you two just worked together or something! Are you all related?" Danny's hands were moving frantically as he quickly spoke, showing how frazzled the situation has made him.
"Well, kinda, but not really?" Danny deadpanned at Jason, his answer not being really helpful. Jason grumbled a few curses, uncomfortable as he ran a hand through his hair, no doubt messing it up. "Most of us are adopted, so we're technically related, just not by blood."
Danny was staring at Jason with a critical expression, trying to process everything that the man just told him. Then it all seemed to suddenly click and Danny almost fell out of his chair from realization, jaw gaping with surprise, causing a few other customers turning towards him confused. "You're Jason Todd, aren't you? How did I not figure that out earlier?" Danny was leaning back in his chair, a hand over his mouth as he continued to think.
Jason was dumbfounded, as he already thought that Danny would've put two and two together. Surely he would recognize him from Bruce? Perhaps he was being too egotistical and not everybody immediately knew him like he thought. Years in the spotlight and constantly being headlines for news would do that to somebody. "Yeah? I honestly thought you already knew."
"No? Why would I? I don't keep up with all the Wayne drama, wait, does that mean Wes was right? There's no way that Bruce is-" Danny stopped himself before he finished his sentence, but both of his hands were in his hair and slightly tugging on them. "It makes so much more sense now."
Jason could tell he wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed, after all this is a lot of information to take in. That didn’t stop him from wanting to know Danny’s thoughts, surely him being acquainted with the Wayne's didn’t change anything, right? "First of all, who the hell is Wes and what does he know? Second of all, you need to shut the fuck up a little, we're in public. Third of all, what do you mean it all makes more sense?" Amy had come back with their food, placing them down in front of the two. She must have noticed the difference in atmosphere, not being nearly as laid-back as earlier, keeping quiet as she walked away, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was happening.
Danny seemed somewhat anxious to talk now that he was the one being questioned. His hands released their grip on his hair and began to fiddle with his shirt. "Well, um, Wes is just somebody from my school, or the one I used to go to. He comes up with all kinds of conspiracy theories like that, nobody ever takes him seriously, so don't worry about him." Jason couldn't help but think to Benard and how that all went, and he frowned, knowing that he probably should worry about this Wes guy. Though Danny was clearly uncomfortable having to speak of his past, so he wouldn't push it for now.
"Alright, what about the whole making 'more sense' thing?" Jason pressed, wondering if Danny already had a suspicion of his relationship with the others, or if this somehow made his view of Jason different. He hoped not, he hated being looked at with a difference only because he was known as the "son of Bruce Wayne who died and came back".
Danny's hand, which seemed to not quit moving, began to scratch the back of his neck. He was biting his lip, nervous as he debated on what he should tell Jason. Hopefully he doesn't find what he says rude or upsetting, like it would for many others. "Well, it makes sense why you have such a powerful aura of death around you. I thought it was because of the whole crime lord thing and killing others, but now I know why it felt so much different from the others."
"Death aura? What do you mean by that?" Jason questioned, but he knew what Danny was referring to, he just wanted to ignore it. The swirls of discomfort were him, not another force, he was far past that. He knew he was. His vision was clear, and he would keep it like that. There was no pit other problem.
"The stories were true, weren't they? You died before, haven't you?" Danny asked Jason, with an air so nonchalant that it made Jason both curious and uncomfortable.
Jason didn't want to answer that, to be forced to remember and face a reality he wanted to keep buried with the rest of his past whenever he dug himself out, so he ignored it. Danny already knew what his answer would be anyways. Jason had a feeling that Danny knew all too well, and it only made those green specks in his eyes be that more concerning. "Is that 'death aura' how you knew it was Tim earlier, since apparently everybody's is different?"
Danny let the fact that Jason danced around his question go, understanding the way he didn't want to go into more details. Danny didn't like his past being explored either, so it was only fair. The teen took a bite of his fry, surprised that the green seasoned food was actually decent, before speaking. "Yeah, sorta. Usually most people have little to no hint of death on them. Though you bunch seem to all be affected one way or another. Red- Tim's is quite powerful and a lot different than yours. It seems he's killed quite a few people, even more so than the crime lord himself."
Jason was beginning to get used to how relaxed Danny talked about these things, as if being revived from the dead or killing people were something that came to no surprise. Though the thought of Tim having killed more people than him did take him back a little. He knew that Tim was a bit unhinged at times, but surely the replacement followed Bruce's strict "no killing" rule.
"So, about that family dinner?" Danny asked after he ate a few more of his fries, not liking how awkward the silence was getting. They were getting along so well a few minutes ago, and now it felt like they were right back in the warehouse that night that Jason dragged him there. Then after a few of those tense seconds he continued. "And your adopted family?"
The man swallowed the bite of his burger, and then took a big gulp of his tea, his throat suddenly dry. He never really liked talking about the others, and them being referred to as "family" made him somewhat queasy, a rise of longing unnecessary emotions he wanted to block. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Though it might make it easier to explain everything to them if you do." Jason saw how Danny's lips pulled into a small frown, quickly glancing away from the other, and he suddenly felt like he was pressuring him too much. "Of course, you still don't have to. We can sit this one out and chill in my apartment, maybe fix up your room some more."
Danny looked at Jason, his frown now more thoughtful. "Can you tell me more about them?"
"Huh? You mean the people who will be at the dinner?" Jason asked, a part of him surprisingly pleased at there being a chance Danny will want to go. It was either because he wanted to resolve the unavoidable drama that was bound to happen or because he was craving some more of Alfred’s food, perhaps both. It wasn't that he was wanting to introduce them to Danny, or try to make Danny feel more comfortable with them.
"Yeah, maybe if I already sorta know what to expect I might be okay with going." Danny explained, already half way done with his burger and still working on his pile of fries. It made sense to Jason, as he knows how overwhelming new situations and a huge group of people can be. Especially with Danny having been homeless before, there was a possibility that the prospect of being around more than well off people could cause insecurity. Jason knew that personally, having been there once. Danny may need time to warm up to the idea.
"I'm going to be honest, they're mainly idiots." Jason said past his burger, waving his hand, Danny letting out a small chuckle. "Although they can be a lot at times, they usually mean well. Except for Damian, that little brat is evil and he lets you know, so I'd be careful around him until he warms up to you. Kind of like a feral chihuahua really."
That caused Danny's growing smile to become a full on grin. "Wait, if all of you are- well y’know, does that mean he's…" Danny asked without finishing his words, but Jason understood nonetheless. He nodded, a confused look on his face, wondering why Damian being Robin would matter. "Man, I already like him. He's such a good kid."
The anti-hero almost choked on his food hearing the earnest way Danny had just complimented the small demon. After composing himself once more, he looked at the furrowed eyebrows on the teen's pale face. "Are we talking about the same kid here? Damian is literally the most violent one of us, he'd stab you over a cookie if he wanted it."
Danny tilted his head, but a smile formed on his face anyways. "He still means well. I mean, he's a kid, I know they can be a little feisty sometimes."
"I'm sure the highly trained 'kid' would love to hear that. I would never expect a knife in your shoulder by the end of the night." Jason replied sarcastically, balling up his trash, finally having eaten his food. Danny was still eating the last few of his fries, having stolen half of Jason's as well as they were talking. Not that the man minded, wanting Danny to eat as much as he wanted in order to gain some more meat on his thinned figure. He didn't like how sickly Danny had gotten to look after his time stuck in the warehouse and then on the streets, it made a worm of guilt work its way into Jason, knowing he should've done more.
Danny, not knowing Jason's inner turmoil, laughed, showing a bit of those canines that seemed to have grown since last time. Jason didn't know if Danny could control that or not, so he chalked it up to the nonhuman part of the kid. "He likes me! Plus I can easily heal from any attacks, that is if I don't just plain out avoid them. Who knows, maybe we can rough house a little." Danny said with an easygoing smile, brushing off the threat without any doubts. Jason knew that the other had powers, but he felt like he may need to teach him about self preservation skills.
Then Jason remembered the best part about the dinners, and he knew that this would win the boy over. "Hey, you remember some of that food I fed you while you lived in the warehouse?"
Danny nodded, curious as to where this was going. "Yeah, it was pretty good. Definitely the best food I've had in a while."
Jason smirked, "Well, you'd get more of that food at the dinner. Alfred, the best cook in the world, always fixes everything. Now, imagine fresh food like that." Danny perked up at that, and Jason knew he had found the right bait. After all, it was what Alfred used to get him over there every weekend. It wasn't because he wanted to help cook, feeling like a kid again. "Sounds good, doesn't it? Who knows, maybe for being a guest he might give you an extra chocolate chip cookie. Trust me, they are to die for."
Danny smiled at the small joke, but his mind mainly focused on the promise of good food. Perhaps this dinner wouldn't be such a bad idea, plus, he would be able to see Robin again, or Damian in this case. He wonders if the short tween would act any differently out of the costume, or any of the others for that sake. He was nervous meeting Signal again, and the thought of Tim made him squirm, hating how the constant loom of being watched had felt days before. He could only hope that they wouldn't jump on him with too many questions as soon as he showed up.
After a few minutes of debating internally with himself, weighing the pros and cons, he came up with a decision. "I guess I'll go, but if anything happens I'm leaving."
Jason couldn't ask for any more, already surprised that Danny agreed at all. "Don't worry, I leave anytime they annoy me too much. They know not to fuck with me."
"You sure it's not just because you're a big baby and they don't want to upset you?" Danny asked, raising a teasing eyebrow as Jason's face erupted into red, stammering out some denial that sounded more like complaining.
"I am not a 'big baby', and I can easily pummel you and them. I can already imagine how well you're gonna get along with Dick, it's going to a fucking nightmare." Jason continued to grumble, glaring at Danny across from him, the teen laughing at his misery.
"I'm already starting to get excited for this dinner now. When are we going this weekend?" Danny finally asked after calming down from his giggle fit, which Jason had suffered through. He wanted to make the kid laugh more, to just let the other be a teen.
Jason smoothed out his disheveled hair with a few quick swipes of his hand, huffing a bit before he spoke. "This Saturday, so tomorrow."
Danny slightly freaked out, not expecting it to be so soon. Though he already told Jason he'd go, and he didn't want to back out now. The man may not show it, but he obviously wanted Danny to go with him. A small part of him also wanted to go, to have a chance to be normal again. "Alright, so what will we do for the rest of the day?"
Jason thought about it, and realized he didn't exactly have anything else planned. He shrugged, making the other boy roll his eyes. "What do you want to do?"
At first the raven haired boy seemed taken back, not expecting the question to be turned on him, as he had nothing in mind. He looked at Jason's relaxed posture, realizing that he meant it, that Danny could choose anything. He thought it over, coming to a simple conclusion, one he hoped the man wouldn't mind. "Can we just go back to the apartment? I kinda had enough for today…" It was true, Danny was ready for a nap after the meal and amount of things he did. He may have only spent a few weeks closed off from society, and then a week of being completely homeless, but it was enough for him to no longer feel comfortable in public. It wasn't because he felt like he didn't deserve this, this sense of normalcy in a life he ruined, or the many others he ruined as well.
"That's a good idea, I'll need a bit of rest before patrol later anyways." The anti-hero said, standing up and grabbing both of their trash to throw away, before walking to the door. Danny nodded while following along, being brought out of his thoughts, and he couldn't help but realize he sort of forgot that Jason was Red Hood. It wasn't because it was unbelievable, the two had the same build and attitude, but by how normal Jason was compared to Red Hood. Sure, Jason was the adopted son of a billionaire with a crazy back story, but other than that he was still another civilian. Adding in the whole vigilante stick made it that more surreal. Or too close to something more familiar to him.
Danny remembers whenever he used to do patrol, the insane amount of fights he'd get in, especially at night. He missed doing them sometimes, he really missed his friends. Danny realized that he had been silent for a few seconds longer than usual, Jason looking at him somewhat concerned. "I can always skip one, I know I could do with a bit of a vacation." He said, wanting to make sure that the younger boy would be fine on his own.
Danny quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine!" The man looked unconvinced, so the other tried to put on a small smile. "Really! I was just thinking about how bizarre my life kind of is right now." The partial lie worked, Jason letting out a small huff of amusement.
"I bet, compared to how most people would react, you've been taking it all pretty well." Jason lightly nudged at Danny, who in turn tried and failed to push the bulky man.
After an annoyed huff Danny straightened back up to walk better, knowing how clumsy he could be. It was what started this all in the first place. "I kinda take things in stride, go with flow y’know." He did a wave with his hand, before thinking about how silly he probably looked and shoving his hand back in his pocket.
"I like that attitude, don't let life drag you down. You know people who have your back no matter what, why worry all the time?" Jason meant for it to be light hearted, maybe even encouraging to a degree, but Danny’s smile quickly faded from it. Before Jason could ask what was wrong, Danny looked away, his expression now carefully crafted to be blank. The older man felt terrible, not knowing what he said wrong. He knew he shouldn’t ever give advice, as he hasn't lived the best life, or try and take care of a teen for that matter.
Danny on the other hand was trying his hardest to not let his thoughts wander to those who he should've been there for, or the fact that he shouldn’t allow people close to him, to let them want to help him. The guilt he's been repressing came back full force, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his rising tears at bay, cursing how emotional he could be from some simple good natured words. Though he couldn't help but feel as if he shouldn’t have 'gone with the flow'. If he thought things through, not have been so impulsive and selfish, then the others would still be here. He would be with his friends, his family, the town he loved but was forced to leave behind because of his mistakes.
It didn't even seem that he learned his lesson, doing everything he regretted all over again. He told himself that he wouldn't be so selfish ever again, and then he goes and decides to pull more innocent people into the mess that is his afterlife life. How could he be so laid-back, so careless, after everything that's happened?
"-kid? Hey, can you hear me?" Danny's haze was broken from the wave of Jason’s hand in front of him and voice.
"Huh? Sorry, kinda spaced out for a second. What is it?" Danny asked, nervously scratching at the back of his neck, keeping his head turned slightly away as he blinked back tears.
"We made it back and you tried to keep on walking, so I called your name and you didn't answer." Yeah, Danny was so not getting out of this. "Are you okay?" The teen opened his mouth to make up another lie, hoping his luck would work a second time. Before he could get a word out, Jason raised a hand stopping him. "Actually, I know you're not, so don't say you are. I know you don't wanna talk about it, but know that I am here and I'm not leaving, no matter how stubborn you are to not realize that. You can't get rid of me kid, after all I always come back."
The tears began running down midway through Jason's small rant, and he was wiping at them furiously, though he finally turned back to Jason. He was clearly out of his element, not used to comforting, but it made Danny feel a bit better anyways. To hear the words made it somewhat easier to swallow, to put into reality as he forced his other thoughts back down. He wished he wouldn't cry as much, hating how it felt like he was only being a burden to the other.
Jason hesitated to take Danny's arm and lead him into the apartment so that he could cry more openly, not wanting to make the crying teen run away by the sudden touch. He did anyway, seeing how some people passing by were giving them weird looks, and he glared at a few before gently grabbing Danny's arm. He didn't expect for the other to latch onto him in turn, turning his head to sob into the outer part of his arm as he walked slowly to the door of the apartment.
As soon as they entered, Jason wrapped his arms around Danny. Danny didn't hug back, only slightly burying his face into the man's chest as he tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to cry now, ruining the good mood that they had built back up. He pushed himself away from Jason, yet some of him yearned to be hugged right now, to be told that it was going to be okay. He knew it would never be, and that he deserved that.
Danny sucked in a desperate gulp of air, sounding more like a hiccup than anything as he held his hands above his face, trying to hide it. "I'm- I'm just going to go take a nap." He barely stuttered out, not waiting for an answer as he quickly went to his room and shut the door. This left Jason there, his hand outreached to try and stop the upset teen, but not knowing if he should. This was something that he didn't know how to handle. When it came to comforting, he only knew the basics, such as reassurance and hugs. Complex emotions like this he couldn't handle, and it made him feel guilty that he couldn't actually help Danny through whatever he was going through, even though he promised he would.
The man sighed, slipping off his leather jacket as he wondered if he may have bit more than he could chew this time. He wouldn't ever give up on Danny, but he may not be what the teen needed at the moment. If only Alfred was here, he'd know what to do.
He wasn't though, leaving it all up to Jason, who couldn't do anything. He ran a hand through his hair, not caring if it got messed up as he walked over to his barely standing couch. He laid down on it, enjoying how his body sunk into the well worn cushions, pulling one of the small pillows he had to lay his head on. He wanted to help Danny, but he was somewhat overwhelmed himself, and he had a feeling that giving some space may be better anyways. He wasn't lying earlier either whenever he said he would like a nap, still planning to go out that night. Danny most likely wouldn't leave him room for the rest of the day, so Jason would just leave him a plate of food before he left to go on his patrol.
He'd make it a quick one tonight. His people wouldn't mind if he canceled one meeting and instead checked up on them, as there was no way he would be able to focus for too long anyways. Most of his thoughts would circle around Danny, like they have been for the last few weeks. His worry had eased after wrangling Danny into his apartment, but now it was worse with how sullen the boy looked earlier. He still didn't understand what he said or did to cause such a reaction, but he guessed that it could be anything, though it had to be related to whatever trauma Danny had gone through and that was enough. He wanted to apologize, but that could cause Danny to feel guilty for making Jason feel like he did something wrong.
He was beginning to get a headache from thinking so deeply about something he had little intelligence in, so he shut his eyes. He didn't bother to take off his shirt with the small wet spot in it, the coldness of it a stark reminder to how he failed Danny was. It didn't really matter though, as no matter what he couldn't block out the quiet sniffles and sobs coming from the other room, or the countless thoughts running through his own head.
They might not make it to dinner tomorrow after all.
SPOILERS FOR MY FIC GOOD BAD HABITS RUN IN THE FAMILY!!
Heres the link for the fic, as this is just part of what I have written so far for the new chapter :)
"The stories were true, weren't they? You died before, haven't you?" Danny asked Jason, with an air so nonchalant that it made Jason both curious and uncomfortable.
Jason didn't want to answer that, to be forced to remember and face a reality he wanted to keep buried with the rest of his past whenever he dug himself out, so he ignored it. Danny already knew what his answer would be anyways. Jason had a feeling that Danny knew all too well, and it only made those green specks in his eyes be that more concerning. "Is that 'death aura' how you knew it was Tim earlier, since apparently everybody's is different?"
Danny let the fact that Jason danced around his question go, understanding the way he didn't want to go into more details. Danny didn't like his past being explored either, so it was only fair. The teen took a bite of his fry, surprised that the green seasoned food was actually decent, before speaking. "Yeah, sorta. Usually most people have little to no hint of death on them. Though you bunch seem to all be affected one way or another. Red- Tim's is quite powerful and a lot different than yours. It seems he's killed quite a few people, even more so than the crime lord himself."
Jason was beginning to get used to how relaxed Danny talked about these things, as if being revived from the dead or killing people were something that came to no surprise. Though the thought of Tim having killed more people than him did take him back a little. He knew that Tim was a bit unhinged at times, but surely the replacement followed Bruce's strict "no killing" rule.
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Danny stuttered a look of shock on his face, staring at Jason with his mouth agape for several seconds before abruptly blurting, “What the hell? You can’t just do that! Holy shit, oh my goodness, you just-” He cut himself off, rubbing his face with both of his hands.
Jason knew that Danny would most likely be shocked by the news, but he was surprised by how strongly the teen reacted. It almost made him waver, to want to reverse revealing himself, which was very personal for him. He knew he couldn’t do that though, and he probably wouldn’t if he could, he wanted Danny to know who he was. Who he really was.
“What? Didn’t expect such a handsome face?” Jason easily teased, putting the domino mask on the counter beside his helmet before leaning an arm on it, trying to appear casual while his head fought with itself. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him that he had made a grave mistake, reminding him of what B had always said about their double lives. Another voice, one that grew much louder as time passed from the part of his life he spent with Bruce, telling him that he was allowed to make exceptions when he felt it necessary. Right now, he found it important that Danny knew who he was, as he wanted the kid to trust him. It would make the helping process a lot easier. Jason really wished he knew how to actually help Danny other than the necessities, but he decided he could figure that out.
Danny sighed, slouching back into the chair he almost felt out of when Jason revealed himself. “I’m sorry,” He said, looking down at the ground, sounding genuinely apologetic. “It’s just that, I can’t believe you trust somebody like me enough to put yourself in such a risk by outing yourself. It’s not something you can do lightly.”
Jason thought how much it sounded like Danny was chidding him, much like one of his family members would. He kept that to himself as his lips pulled down into a frown. “What do you mean by ‘somebody like you’?” Jason asked, and without his helmet, Danny could hear the slight confusion and concern lacing the man’s voice. It was odd how much he could now gather without the voice modulation getting in the way, perhaps it was the main reason the man had it in the first place.
Danny looked Jason in the eye, his own eyes shifting a bit to look at each one of Jason’s. Then he seemed to find what he wanted and looked away again biting his lip. “I’m not entirely normal.”
Jason snorted, and Danny’s gaze snapped up at the man to glare at him. Jason ignored it as he spoke, amusement tracing his words. “Yeah, no shit. I didn’t think you were trying to hide it with the glowing eyes and fangs you had going on.”
“I don’t do that on purpose.” Danny huffed, crossing over his arms, going back to scowling at the counter as red reached his cheeks. Danny was embarrassed to not to have only gotten caught by not one, not two, not even three, but four bats in the month he’s been in Gotham.
“Can you not control it?” Jason asked, his earlier humor not as present as he became more serious. After all, if Danny couldn’t control his powers, it could possibly create a problem. He didn’t believe that the teen would ever do any harm on purpose, but that didn’t mean the teen couldn’t have accidents or make mistakes. It could very well be a factor that Jason would have to account for and possibly form a plan to help with, because Danny couldn’t go around with an unknown power set that he didn’t even know how to use.
Danny thought for a second, before nodding. “Yeah, if I thought about it hard enough. Though, sometimes a few inhuman things leak either due to my emotional state or other factors I can’t actually control.” Jason still felt a little apprehensive, as he didn’t know the extent to what Danny’s powers would do if they could act up according to his emotion. Danny looked at Jason for a second before somehow understanding what the man felt without having to say anything. “Don’t worry, all of that usually only affects my appearance, like the glowing eyes. Though the sharp teeth, which I really do dislike, is a byproduct of my nonhuman part.”
Jason nodded, taking in all of that information with stride, already immune to this kind of bullshit in his daily life. What he did think about was what Danny said at the end. “You said that the longer canines are part of the ‘nonhuman part’ of you. Does that mean you’re also part human?”
Danny winced somewhat, an internal battle waging inside him as he struggled on how to answer that or how much he should let Jason know. Sure, the older boy just showed him something incredibly personal that could let Danny seriously hurt him if he wanted, but that didn’t mean that Danny had to do the same, as he didn’t know how much he should trust Jason. He wanted to trust Jason, but he didn’t know him, he only knew Red Hood. Maybe he could get to know Jason now too.
Realizing that he was taking a bit to answer, Danny suddenly cleared his throat, but instead of speaking simply nodded his head. Jason was glad to be confirmed, as now he knew what he was dealing with. He felt like there was more to it, but he didn’t want to push Danny more than he already has. He felt like it was a miracle that the teen didn’t already run, maybe showing his identity was the right decision after all. “Anything else you’d like me to know?”
Danny frowned, but this time it was thoughtful, and he studied the wall as he racked his brain as to what to say. “Um, I don’t know. You already know what I am, my name, and that I’m not from here. I don’t really think I feel comfortable saying more.”
“That’s alright kid, you don’t have to tell me anything else unless you wanna.” Jason hoped that Danny would become comfortable enough with him that he would tell him more, but right now he couldn’t ask for much. He had a lot he wasn’t going to tell either, so it would be hypocritical of him. “Now, are you gonna take me up on my offer?”
Danny looked back at Jason’s carefree smile, and felt himself relax a bit, he was somewhat surprised to see some hope in the man’s eyes. Now that he could see the man’s eyes he could tell that Jason was actually quite expressive, much more than the helmet or domino allowed. “I don’t think you truly understand what you’re asking.”
“I’m asking you if you want to stay with me in this crummy apartment. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I will find something for you, as you cannot stay on those streets.” Jason sternly said, daring Danny to argue, who couldn’t help but sigh.
“It’s not that, it’s that, I-” Danny’s voice wavered and he took a deep breath to try and open up his throat that was quickly closing. He didn’t know how to explain this without revealing too much, but he wanted to make sure Jason actually wanted to allow him in his life. That Jason wouldn’t regret it. That he himself wouldn’t regret it. “I come with a lot, and it’s not good. I don’t want to put you in any danger.”
Jason snorted, and once again Danny scowled at him. “You mean more danger than I put myself in when I put on a helmet and go out each night kicking ass? I’m used to danger, kid. Don’t worry, I can handle myself.” Danny wanted to argue, say how this was a lot different. This was with an actual government branch funded by taxes and shit. He wanted to warn Jason, to make him see his way, but he didn’t want to tell everything. It was selfish, wasn’t it? He was going to have another person killed because he was arrogant, secretive, scared.
He guesses he will have to tell the man something though. “I’m not worth it, okay? It’s a lot of extra trouble that I can’t put you through. You don’t have to do this, really. I won’t be upset if you can’t take on more baggage.”
Jason was silent for a few seconds, and Danny was too nervous to look back up in fear that what he would see was something he never wanted to see. He didn’t want to see the pity, or the underlying disgusted look he would receive. He had already seen it too much, again would be too much, he couldn’t handle it right now, he didn’t want to.
“Listen to me Danny,” Jason said slowly, his serious but soft tone filling the otherwise silent room. “I’m not doing this because I feel like I have to, I want to. I really do care about you Danny, even if you’re a bit stubborn to realize that sometimes.” Jason teased a little, trying and succeeding in making Danny smile a bit, however small. The man may not be the best at feelings or talking in general, but he understood where Danny was coming from. Afterall, he’s felt it all before.
Danny finally looked at Jason once more, and he was taken back from what he saw. Jason’s eyes looked so genuine, and the smile seemed so kind, it reminded Danny of Jazz somebody he used to know. His eyes watered, and he lifted his hands to wipe at them furiously, he didn’t want to cry right now. Especially in front of Jason, he already had his meltdown of the day earlier. All of his inner thoughts and restraints didn’t help him though, as he broke as soon as Jason pulled him into a hug.
When was the last time he had been hugged, or touched in general without somebody meaning harm? It felt like forever ago, though a lot of his memories were buried so deep they began to feel like they never happened. This touch was warm, and it had a feeling of safety wrapping around him. His brain forced a memory of the last time his father hugged him. His long bulky arms and large stature easily held Danny too, making him feel safe and cared for. He felt an ache in his chest, and he sobbed, hugging Jason back, all of the longing he so desperately pushed down and pretended wasn’t there resurged with a newfound vengeance.
He wanted his a family. He wanted to go back to living in his a home. He wanted to be safe.
Danny knew he must have been filthy, as he’s been on the nasty streets for a week without a shower, and that his tears and snot must be covering the shoulder he buried his face into, but Jason held him regardless. Danny kept crying, and Jason never let go, allowing the poor boy to get it out of his system. He didn’t know what the younger boy went through, but he had a feeling that it was something nobody should ever have to go through, let alone a child. It hurt to see the boy sob uncontrollably, so broken and tired in his arms. He would take care of Danny, to hopefully help put back the pieces that were what made Danny. He knew that even if he did manage to help Danny, he would never be the same, as there would always be a few missing pieces that would have to be remade with something new. He would have to make sure that those new pieces were good.
Danny slowly quit crying, his loud unrestrained sobs dulling to a quiet sniffle as the man released his hold on the boy. Danny seemed so much smaller and tired now, more like a kid than Jason has ever seen him, and he frowned deeply at the sight.
“Can I get a shower?” Danny asked eventually, still swiping at his nose that refused to quit running. “I feel pretty gross right now.”
Jason chuckled a little, standing up and popping his back. “Yeah, you can get a shower. I think I might have some clothes that’ll fit you. Let me grab them for you and you can get a shower.”
Danny nodded, grimacing a bit when he looked at the wet spot on Jason’s shoulder. Jason noticed what he was looking at and peered down himself, turning his head back up to Danny with a shrug. “Don’t worry about it kid, I don’t care.”
Jason left after that, digging through several piles of old clothes he had made to donate to some charities, glad he hadn’t got rid of them yet. He pulled out a pair that he deemed reasonable enough that may or may not fit the teen and walked back to the counter where Danny was now awkwardly standing next to.
Jason threw the clothes, Danny clumsily catching them, clearly caught off guard by the lack of warning. “Here you go, hope they fit you well enough. Though I bet they’ll still be pretty big on a stick like you. I should probably get you some actual clothes and shit tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Danny echoed with surprise, not expecting for Jason to make plans so quickly like that. He hadn’t even said he was staying or not, which at this point, he already knew that answer for himself.
“Yep, unless you somehow have plans for tomorrow.” Jason said, shifting his weight on one leg as he crossed his arms. “Which I know you don’t so you better not argue with me, because I am getting you some damn clothing.”
Without knowing how to reply, part of him confused and the other part of him still disoriented from his earlier crying session, Danny only nodded his head. Jason, pleased with the answer, grinned. “Alright, glad that was so easily settled. The bathroom is just down that hall, the last door on the left. The towels and rags are in the closet, and you can use my soap and shit until we can get your own tomorrow.”
Again, Danny numbly nodded, already becoming more exhausted by the second to properly try to argue with Jason that all of this was unnecessary. That he didn’t need all these things for himself. That he was still planning to leave as soon as he could, or as soon as danger presented itself. After a few more seconds, Danny turned on his heels, slowly as to not unbalance and trip over his own feet, and walked to the bathroom.
He flipped on the lightswitch, placing the bundle of clothes on the sink counter. He shut the door and glanced up, taken back by his own appearance in the mirror that sat on the wall in front of him. His eyes seemed sunken in and dark, his cheeks more hollow then he remembered, his skin paler then when he last cared enough to look at. He looked worse for wear, actually, probably worse than that.
Reaching out a shaky hand he softly touched the mirror, as if he could feel the mere imposter of himself through the cold glass. He jerked his hand back and brought it to his actual face, tracing the light freckles that had become more prominent on his fading skin. His face felt sticky and his hands greasy, but he couldn’t stop himself from peeling back his lip and looking at his teeth. He noticed how the sharp points he loathed had grown, becoming that much more of an annoyance. He feared what they implied.
Resting his hand back to his side and facing away from the mirror he went to the closet and grabbed a very fluffy red towel from inside, with a matching red rag to match. There weren't many options to choose from, as all of them were red. Well, it did make sense, as the Red Hood did own them. Danny couldn’t help but smile a bit from thought, knowing he would probably use this to make fun of the man later.
Putting the towel on the sink next to the clothes, he breathed out heavily, refusing to look at his reflection again. He took the grime covered clothes off, putting them messily in a pile in a corner of the small bathroom. Sliding open the glass door, he slipped into the shower, shutting the door right back. He slowly turned on the faucet handle, though was immediately blasted with cold water anyways, causing him to flinch backwards before ducking under the freezing stream of water and closer to the wall with the handle. He adjusted the water until it was warm enough that he could stand under it without his breath being forced into his lungs but cool enough that his own internal body temperature wasn’t changed too much.
It turned out that being part ghost meant that he was more sensitive to drastic temperature changes. Although, it was odd that he appeared to be more resistant to heat than the cold, which did make more sense when he learned that his new normal body temperature was below that of a normal human. Being a halfa really did have its fair amount of mystery and struggle.
After sitting under the water for a few minutes, savoring the feeling of the constant water dripping soothingly onto his skin, he began to actually wash his body and his hair. As refreshing as it was to clean off all the collected dirt and grime off of him, he stepped out as soon as he felt like he had gotten it all off. He didn’t want to stay in the shower and use the water more than he had to, feeling like he would be wasting it at that point.
Using the towel to dry himself and his hair, he ran his hand through his hair, satisfied at how it felt fluffy once again, even with the dampness of it. Putting on the borrowed clothes, he did take notice of how they were about two sizes too big, causing him to have to tie the strings on the sweatpants as tight as they would go. The shirt, which was a deep blue, almost seemed to swallow him, reaching his knees. Maybe he would need clothes after all.
He wished he could have packed before he left.
It didn’t matter for right now though, as he hugged his small frame and snuggled into himself, smiling from how the air remained warm in the bathroom. He took a large inhale, his lungs becoming filled with the air as he had a wave of calmness pass over him. The smell of soap and lavender wafted into the hall as he eventually gathered himself to leave the comforts of the small bathroom. Walking back down the hall, he noticed that Jason was in one of the rooms to the right at the end of the short hallway.
Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he peaked in from the crack of the door, finding that Jason was currently setting blankets on a blown up air mattress. The same one he used when he stayed at the warehouse.
“You going to come in or stare creepily from the crack of the door?” Jason asked, glancing back for only a second before standing up back on his feet from where he was fixing the makeshift bed. Danny opened the door more, stepping slightly into the room, barely passing the threshold. “I know this isn’t really a bed, but I think it should be fine for now, until I can get you an actual mattress anyways. Sound good?”
“It’s more than enough. Thank you.” Danny said quietly, mumbling the last part as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He was never good at knowing what to do or say when others did something nice for him. It was almost overwhelming at times, and with him so tired right now it wasn’t helping.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just get some sleep. You look like you’ll fall over dead any second.” Jason joked, and Danny grinned from the small inside joke that the man didn’t know he just made. It was something that Sam and Tucker joked about all the time.
“Okay, Mister ‘I stay up all night fighting crime with a red bucket’.” Danny teased back, going to the blow up mattress and flopping unceremoniously on it. He lazily lifted one hand and waved dismissively. “Make sure you turn off the light when you leave.”
“Seems like somebody is becoming comfortable already.” Jason playfully jabbed, walking to the door before turning around, placing a hand on the light switch. He hesitated for a second, making Danny somewhat worried about what he may say, before the man made up his mind and spoke. “Goodnight brat, get some fucking sleep so you’ll be ready for the shopping trip tomorrow.”
Oh yeah, Jason was dragging him shopping the next day, Danny was a little anxious about that. He tried not to show it as he titled his head to look at Jason. “Goodnight old man.”
There was a small offended scoff before the light was off. “I am not old.” Jason gruffly huffed, and before Danny could come up with a smart retort to that the man shut the door. A small laugh, which was more of a huff of air than anything escaped Danny and he pulled the covers over him the rest of the way. He curled into the bundle of blankets and wrapped his arms around himself, soon becoming comfortable.
He had missed sleeping on something other than whatever random abandoned spot he could find, usually being the dirty floor of some collapsing building. He was warm and safe and for the moment everything really did feel like it would be okay. He wanted to stay like this forever, but he knew he couldn’t, so he may as well enjoy it now.
Danny slept the best he had in weeks that night, without the fear of somebody finding him for once. Jason let him sleep for however long the poor teen wanted, as he knew how exhausted the other must have been. Life on the streets was not easy, even for somebody with superpowers. He wished he could have done something sooner, took the teen with him instead of letting him go into the dark streets of Gotham. Maybe he should have, but he couldn’t go back and change it, so he would only have to help Danny however he can now. Starting with getting the boy some clothing that fits and other essentials. It was all he knew what to do at that moment, as he’s never taken care of another person before, let alone a teenager. He didn’t even know if he was responsible and old enough to take care of a kid, as he still had plenty of problems himself.
This would be a learning process indeed, hopefully Danny was willing to learn along with him.
Jason was sitting in the living room at the moment, trying to read a book, but was struggling as thoughts plagued his mind. He put the book down when he heard the door creak open, watching Danny slowly creep into the living room rubbing his eyes. Jason never thought about Danny’s eyes too much, but a quick fleeting thought about how he was taking after the old man and his habit of adopting children with black hair and blue eyes. He mentally chased that thought away, not wanting to be compared to Bruce in any way.
“Good morning walking zombie, what do you want for breakfast?” Jason asked, noticing how Danny stopped midway of a yawn and lazily looked at Jason.
“Obviously brains if I’m a zombie.” Danny responded, watching Jason as he headed towards the kitchen.
“Har har, very funny brat.” He said, playfully nudging the teen’s shoulder as he passed. “So, do eggs and toast sound good?”
“Do I have to eat toast?” Danny asked, somewhat quietly, becoming shy once more.
“Nah I’m just going to shove it down your throat.” Jason answered sarcastically, before softening his features. “Of course you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to. I’m not going to force you to do anything. How about an egg and a bowl oatmeal? That sound better?”
Danny hummed with a nod of his head, and Jason began getting the oats out along with a pan. It took around half an hour but soon breakfast was done and they were both sitting back down at the counter eating. Danny mumbled another appreciative word before eating his own food, shoving it into his mouth much slower than he did the night before.
As they sat there in comfortable silence, Jason believed that he could probably get used to this. It wasn’t bad, having somebody else in his apartment. He realized he liked having Danny around, that he truly got attached to the kid those weeks ago, which he had already figured out way earlier.
After breakfast Jason got dressed into his usual civilian clothes, consisting of a t-shirt with a leather jacket thrown over top, jeans, and combat boots. Danny couldn’t change and instead went out like he was, not minding the oversized clothes as he had been wearing them for most of the time he was on the streets, having kept the man’s clothes then. He only hoped that nobody he had talked to during that time would recognize him, as they would probably question why he was tailing behind Jason. Which he doubted anybody would, as he hardly talked at all during his time on the streets alone.
Jason ended up dragging Danny through a multitude of stores, allowing Danny to pick out whatever he liked. When the man realized that the teen was having trouble even looking at the clothing, Jason had begun picking some out and telling Danny to not worry about the price and just how much he liked it. When Danny tried to argue, Jason quickly brought up how he was well off, being a crime lord and all. That seemed to work as the teen had started picking out clothing after that, trying out a lot of it and showing it off to Jason who put his own input.
It soon spiraled into more of a dress-up game where Jason would make an outfit for Danny to wear. Then the teen would walk out like in the pageants and both of them would rate the outfit out of ten. It resulted in quite a few laughs from the more ridiculous outfits and some new clothes for Danny to wear. Which was a win-win in Jason’s book.
After gathering several bags of clothes they grabbed the rest of what Danny would need for the time he was going to stay with Jason. Danny once again tried to argue, to tell the man that he wasn’t planning on being around for long, but Jason was quick to silence all of the boy’s worries. In the end they got Danny his own soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb for his wild hair, and other things he needed. They took it back and sorted the items out, putting the clothes in Danny’s closet in his new room. When Danny heard that he was going to have his own room, he almost cried again, but stopped himself before he could, holding back his emotions tears.
Done dealing with all of that, it was close to lunchtime, Jason deciding that he would take Danny to a diner for lunch instead of staying home. He ended up bringing him to one of his favorite diners, a small old style restaurant with the red booths and round tables. He didn’t expect Danny to stand at the door and look around with a glaze of something unidentifiable in his eyes, which seemed to be quickly turning into tears.
Jason immediately tried to ask what was wrong but then Danny shook his head and gave the man a watery smile, reassuring that he would be fine. The man didn’t know what could have caused the reaction, but he didn’t press any further and instead guided the teen to a table for the two.
Being a regular at the diner, the waitress walked up with a friendly smile, asking how Jason was doing before realizing he didn’t come alone.
“Aw! Who’s this cute kiddy?” The girl, Amy, asked, grinning and cooed a bit when Danny bashfully tried to cover his reddening face.
Jason laughed and Danny had glared at the man through his hands, causing more laughter. “Meet Danny, he’s staying with me.” He explained, taking the single menu the girl had grabbed, laying it in front of Danny as he already knew what he wanted. “Don’t be fooled by his shy act, he’s actually pretty snarky when you get to know him.”
“This kid? Snarky? He looks too adorable to be mean.” Amy continued to tease, before straightening up, holding out her notepad and pen. “So, what would you two gentlemen like to drink?”
“I’ll just take a sweet tea, without the lemon.” Jason easily ordered, the girl nodding as she wrote it down.
Amy turned her attention back to Danny, smiling more gently. “And what about you kiddo?”
Danny finally mustered up the courage to look the waitress in the eye. “I’d also like a sweet tea, though I would like a lemon with. Please.” Danny added the last part hurriedly, going back to glaring at the menu on the table with rising embarrassment.
Amy giggled a bit, before waving at Jason and leaving to go get their drinks. When she came back Jason and Danny ordered their food. Both of them enjoyed the greasy food with laughs and easy conversation. Jason was pleased to see how much Danny was beginning to open up and be himself around him, even if he was still wary around others. It was a step forward.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door jingle, which wasn’t anything unusual as people walked in and out quite regularly from the diner, but Danny had stopped mid sentence and perked up. He twisted his head with a surprising amount of speed to the door, which was a few tables behind him, and Jason followed his movement. Jason was surprised to see Dick and Tim there, the older of the two looking around while the younger one scrolled aimlessly on his phone.
Jason groaned and slid in his seat, a hand over his face. Why were they here? Actually, the more important question. Why the hell did Danny act like that? He didn’t do that for everybody else who entered and left, but as soon as Dick and Tim did he turned around like he knew they were coming. The teen could apparently sense others from Duke’s report, so maybe he had recognized one of their auras or some shit? Dick hadn’t been in Gotham for a while though, so that must mean he had already met Tim, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t when the teen was in his civilian clothes.
Great, now he had to try and explain to the bats that the superhuman teen they were tracking knows their identities and also try to make sure Danny doesn’t run away simultaneously.
Dick spotted Jason and called out the man, making said man slink further into his seat while rubbing his face. Just as soon as he thought his outing with Danny was going so well too. The teen looked like he was about to bounce any second, watching Tim with rapt attention, like the teen was going to pounce at him at any moment. Jason wondered if Tim already did, because if so, he was going to kick his ass.
“Jaybird, I knew you would be here-” He cut himself off as he finally saw the other boy sitting with him, who was on the edge of his seat still watching Tim. Tim was now also staring at Danny with wide eyes, seeming to already recognize the teen. Jason narrowed his eyes at Tim, becoming suspicious of how much he already knew. Did he somehow slip up and didn’t catch Tim following him around again? He was for sure going to kick the teen’s ass, no matter how much Dick would try to hold him back.
“Oh, who’s this?” Dick said, slipping a charming smile directed to Danny. Danny didn’t respond though, still in an intense staring match with Tim. The air grew awkward as the two others sat there like outsiders to whatever was happening between the two teens.
Jason cleared his throat, Dick’s attention going to him. “This is Danny.” His eyes flickered to Tim, watching as Tim tried not to flinch. “He’s going to be staying with me.”
Dick, not oblivious to the tension hanging between the three others, nodded before stepping back. “Well, we’ll get out of your hair now. Just wanted to let you know that Alfred is expecting you this weekend for supper, and he said that he already made preparations for another person, I guess this is him?”
“Yeah, I don’t know if he’ll want to come though.” Jason answered even though he knew he never told Alfred about Danny, still glaring at Tim who was shuffling uncomfortably from the two pairs of eyes on him.
Dick only nodded, not wanting to address what was going on in fear it would cause a fight of some sort. “I’ll make sure to tell Alfred that.” With that Dick left, dragging Tim with him, who scurried right behind not wanting to be in the diner any longer.
As soon as they left Danny’s head whipped around to Jason, a disbelieving look on his face. “You’re related to Red Robin?” He said harshly in a whispered tone, and Jason groaned again, knowing he had a lot to explain now. On both parties. This should be fun.
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Danny was starting to feel the effect of being mostly by himself for a week. His hair was starting to feel greasy and matted, making him cringe every time he went to run his fingers through the mess. He was hungry, and the bare amount of food he was finding wasn’t making him feel better, but he was lucky it wasn’t hurting worse than it did with his ghost side helping. He was exhausted and tired of venturing the city, when it was obviously bent on keeping him trapped. He had a feeling it was much more than him just simply being lost, there was no way he was just that hopeless.
Being alone also allowed his thoughts to grow whenever he wasn’t moving or distracting himself some other way. He wanted to turn his mind off, for it to stop replaying scenes that should have never happened. He didn’t want to forget Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and everybody else who was gone, but he also had left Amity behind for a reason, he didn’t want to remember how they became gone. It was conflicting and it hurt so damn bad that his eyes would begin to burn and he would furiously wipe at them to keep the water works at bay.
A few times he couldn’t stop the sobs that tore through his throat, or the tears that would fall down his face. Sometimes he would fly high up in the air and scream and curse out the world, the pain building up in his chest overflowing into his very being. The sky never judged him for it, and from up there the city looked distant, like he wasn’t stuck there. He tried leaving from high up in those endless skies, but he would either become distracted by the beautiful stars that he could see from above the smog, or simply become trapped once again in the city.
Danny knew something else was happening, and he had a feeling it was most likely supernatural. He knew he had felt the ectoplasm the city was baked in, but he never truly gave it more thought. Now he was wondering if he should’ve, as there was something keeping him here, and he was sure it had something to do with the ever present ectoplasm. It was almost like the city was alive, and not in the sense from the very active people residing in it.
Even if something supernatural was forcing him to stay, he didn’t know why. Why would something want him here? He could feel a tug in his core that subconsciously dragged him back to the very city he no longer wanted to be in. Did the thing want him to hurt? Did it want him to constantly worry and be stuck in his thoughts? Did it want him to be in this much pain caused by his own brain? The longer he was here, the more he had to stress about the GIW finding him or the city’s own vigilantes finally figuring him out and his past. He knew they were smart people, with capabilities to access a lot of his information, including the things that happened in his hometown.
His hometown…
Danny could never go back there. Fenton was no more there. Phantom was a problem there. He had no home town. Nowhere to go. No person to return to.
He was brought out of those thoughts by a drop on his hand that was clutching his shirt with so much pressure that it looked like he was trying to rip it off. It was then that he noticed he was crying, tears slowly streaming down his face as he stared down at his ragged figure. He was dirty and shaking, his stomach rumbling lowly, demanding for something.
Damn, he really was a mess, wasn’t he?
That was all it took for him to break down once again. He trembled and slumped over, sobs racking his whole body as he cried as quietly as he could get himself to at the moment. His calloused and filthy hands clenched his pants as he tugged his knees closer, trying to block out the world with his body alone.
How he wished he could turn back the time and to that day that everything that went wrong. He never should have indulged into his selfish wants and caused all of this mess. He should’ve saved his friends, his family, everybody he hurt. If he could go back in time maybe he should go back more to that fateful day that he acquired his powers and the curse that came with it. Then none of this could’ve happened in the first place. He wouldn’t have turned into the monster he never wanted to be.
Another loud heart wrenching sob escaped his wobbling lips, which tasted of grime and blood from him biting it to try and keep his cries in. He sucked in a breath that he wished didn’t belong to him, trying to fill his lungs that were beginning to ache.
He wished he had died with them, or the other day in the alley when Red Hood found him. Actually, dying completely in that portal is what should’ve happened in the first place. Instead he couldn’t even die right, and now he was stuck in the precarious teeter that was life and death, balancing on the thin rope like the freak he was. He didn’t want to be a halfa, or a ghost at all. He hated himself, for who he was, for the things he was capable of, for what he has done.
If his parents caught him or actually got rid of him with their ghost weapons, everybody would’ve been better off. They were right, ghosts really are heartless creatures, he was proof of that. Maybe he should turn himself into the GIW, afterall, he has truly committed something worthy of whatever punishment they deemed fit.
It wasn’t fair that he got to live, even if it was only half way, it wasn’t right. What was the point of anything anymore? What was driving him to continue his pitiful half life? To continue faking that he belonged in this world, that he wasn’t an imposter to what it truly meant to be human.
. . .
He didn’t mean that, he knew it, but he felt like he did as another cry threatened to come out of his mouth as he struggled to keep it down by worrying his lip and causing blood to drip down from his small fangs. Another thing that he hated of himself, another thing that reminded him of who he was.
After several minutes of continuous sobbing and similar thoughts running in his brain, the teen took a deep breath in. He held his breath for a few seconds before releasing it in a big huff. He did that repeatedly for a few minutes, his breathing slowly evening, only breaking from a few leftover sobs and trembles.
It took a bit, much more than he would’ve liked, but he eventually got himself to calm down. He has been dealing with these breakdowns for the entire week. They would start at random moments, or any time he thought of something that sparked a memory or a different dark thought he carefully tried to keep locked up tight in his head. He would always have to get himself to breathe, a tactic he learned, and focus on that solely. He was tired of these thoughts in his head that caused him to feel so bad that he wanted to bury himself and never come out to the world again.
Every time he got himself to stop with the useless crying, he felt so exhausted that he would go find somewhere to safely sleep it off. He found himself sleeping more and more, and now it felt like no matter how much he slept he could never get enough, always leaving him tired and hazily getting through the day. He felt like he didn’t have a purpose anymore, other than to cumbersomely drag his feet and delve into all of his heavy thoughts.
He didn’t want to live like this, to be forever stuck in this life of drifting from place to place, scavenging for whatever food he could find. He missed having a home, a place he felt somewhat safe at, somewhere he would never have to leave.
Not wanting to cry again after just getting himself to stop, he stood up on wobbly feet, his whole body and mind telling him to lay back down and never get up. He ignored it, pushing it all away as he began walking in a random direction to stop himself from thinking. He allowed his eyes to carelessly wander the streets, taking everything he saw in, but it was nothing he hadn’t really seen before. He was becoming familiar with Gotham, the city becoming less like a jumbled up maze, and more so a maze that had no exits. He had been moving from place to place for days now, never staying in one spot too long in fear that somebody would try to bother him.
Not like that worked, as he already had multiple people try to mug or harm him, which he usually dealt with by running or fighting back if he had to. Not to mention the fact that he had come in contact with a variety of vigilantes, some of them more worrisome than others. He didn’t know how to feel about half of them from what he knew at the moment about them.
The pressure he felt from Signal made him cautious, as he knew there was something off with the other, if he couldn’t already tell from the way he almost appeared to be a ghost. Red Robin was laced with almost as much death as Red Hood, but it was much less prominent than the older man. He was wary of Red Robin like he was of Signal, but it was for a different reason, mainly the whole closely following and documenting him. He felt the death radiating off of the teen for several days, at random times of the day, and every time he ran. Well, that was until the last time in which he finally confronted the other. After that he hasn’t felt the same feeling again, allowing him to breathe easier.
Robin on the other hand, was a vigilante he quite liked. Not only was the kid absolutely adorably defiant and feisty, but he was much easier to be around. His presence felt much more closer to Red Hood’s, giving a more comforting effect, as he was used to Red Hood. Thinking about Red Hood, Danny didn’t know what to do.
He felt awful for straight leaving the man with little to no explanation, only a terribly vague note. Their encounter the other day didn’t help either. The bittersweet farewell was something that he wasn’t expecting when he got close to the man, but it made his core and heart ache either way.
Not feeling any better, he stopped and finally allowed his eyes to process his surroundings. He hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking, letting the city his feet go wherever they led him. Now that he was trying to decipher where he was at, he saw that he seemed to be in a more run down neighborhood. The buildings all seemed old, several crumbling in on themselves, and there was trash laying about, littering the road and alleys. Nobody but the homeless could be seen, even though the sun was still up in the sky somewhere. Danny has long lost his sense of time or direction, and he couldn’t track the sun anymore when the polluted air and constant clouds blocked every part of the sky.
Not wanting to stay standing there looking up at the sky like an idiot, Danny continued to walk. He really should be finding somewhere to rest, but a part of him insisted on walking, so he kept going. What was the harm in it at this point?
It wasn’t until he finally felt like stopping that he realized where he was. Right in front of him was the very warehouse he had left around a week ago. It felt like forever ago now, those days seeming more like distant memories from the gray colored world he stumbled through. He couldn’t help but remember the last thing that Red Hood told him.
“Fine then Danny, just know that you can always come to me if anything happens.”
The man’s words echoed in Danny’s mind, and his eyes teared up a bit once more. He thought about the past week since he’s been on his own. How much he craved for a shower, good food, and somebody to talk to. He had all that and more from Red Hood, who had offered it so carelessly. The man never asked for anything back, and let the teen leave just like that, without any grievances or problems. He even offered to take him back in again, to help him again, even though he knew nothing of Danny.
Danny wanted to take that offer right about now. He’s been feeling so hopeless without anybody there to guide him. How stupid was that? He couldn’t even take care of himself. He had all this power, yet he couldn’t do anything to help himself. He really was a mess.
He stared longingly at the warehouse, wanting to return to a few weeks ago, when it was just him and Red Hood. It was much easier then, when he wasn’t fighting to keep half of himself alive or all of his bottled up tears from spilling into the open air. He had liked reading for the first time in his life. He had liked the food that the anti-hero brought him, a lot of it seeming home made with so much effort that Danny sometimes felt guilty eating it as quickly as he did. He had liked having somebody to talk to, somebody who didn’t press for answers that he didn’t feel comfortable saying.
He liked staying with Red Hood.
He shouldn’t go back though, it would be selfish of him. To go back on his words and force the baggage that he came with onto another person. He couldn’t take advantage of another person he cared about again, continuously taking whatever they offered, never giving anything back.
Sighing with heavy lungs, he turned around to leave, his feet moving slowly. His chest became more and more compressed with every step he took. He wanted to turn back around and enter the warehouse, to look and see if he could find the man, tell him that he wanted to stay with him again. Though he wouldn’t let himself, already set on leaving the other alone, and, well, he was known for being stubborn.
“Danny?” He froze when he heard his name come out of a terrifyingly familiar modified voice. “What are you doing here? I thought you would’ve been gone by now.”
Danny slowly turned around to face Red Hood who was walking towards him, coming out of a building he had just passed. “I, well, I…” He began, his hands moving as he tried to explain himself. He couldn’t tell Red Hood that he was somehow stuck in the city, that no matter where he went he couldn’t leave. He also didn’t want to admit to the man that he wanted to return to his place with him. “I don’t know.” He gave up with a defeated sigh, slumping over and looking at the ground. He willed himself not to tear up again, already feeling his eyes starting to warm up.
“When’s the last time you ate, it’s only been a week and you already look more like a twig.” Red Hood commented, his accidental worried tone being covered by the modifier, which he was grateful for. Danny winced at the words, subconsciously wrapping his arms over his stomach as he twisted his body a bit in an attempt to hide his pitiful state. Red Hood immediately noticed and became worried, and a bit pissed, mainly at himself for both asking such an insensitive thing and not realizing that the teen probably hasn’t eaten much since he left. “Alright, we’re having dinner. I have food at my place, come on.”
He said turning and walking back to his apartment. He knew he probably shouldn’t allow anybody in his own personal apartment, but it was the only place that he kept a good amount of food he was certain wasn’t spoiled. He also didn’t want to overwhelm Danny by taking him somewhere with a group of people, which really limited it down to his apartment. It didn’t matter to him, he trusted that Danny wouldn’t try anything.
Danny, on the other hand, was completely surprised and it took a few seconds to realize what Red Hood had said and to catch up as the man walked. His mouth watered at the thought of food, and it was then he realized how dry his mouth felt as well. His lips were no longer bleeding, but they were cracked and dry from the frequent biting and lack of water. Hopefully he would be given some water too, as he doesn’t know if he could swallow much food with how closed and dry his throat felt. It was like a desert formed right inside his mouth.
Following Red Hood back to wherever he was taking him, Danny thought about how much he must trust the other to blindly follow him. He was extremely hungry and parched, maybe that was why he was so willing. Or he could be actually trusting Red Hood after everythings he’s done for him.
They got to Red Hood’s apartment, which was on the top floor of a renovated complex that he had fixed up. Danny walked inside, looking around the space he was now in, noticing how comfortable he immediately felt. It wasn’t too filled, or too empty, with just enough personality that somebody could tell that a person lived here. It didn’t look like what he had imagined the anti-hero’s place to be, he never thought it would be this homey. He liked it though.
They first walked into the small living room, which had a large opening to a small kitchen, and a hallway leading to a couple of rooms. Red Hood went straight to the kitchen, and Danny didn’t waste any time to enter right after him, as the teen didn’t know if he was allowed to be alone in the other’s living space. He felt like he was intruding, that he shouldn't be here.
“Welcome to my place. I know it isn’t much, but it’s home.” The man said as he rummaged through his cabinets and fridge, looking for something for the two of them to eat while Danny awkwardly stood to the side near the doorway. Then Hood froze, and tilted his head. It was like that for a minute, and he kept tossing his head back and forth, like he was arguing with himself, then quit and walked to the bar. He unbuckled his helmet and started taking it off, making Danny’s eyes widen with surprise, then he put the red item on the counter top. “I don’t really feel like eating with that on, plus, it was about time you saw my handsome face.”
Red Hood looked up, and Danny stared at his face, his eyes still wide. Red Hood, the well known crime lord, had just taken off his helmet in front of Danny, showing his face. He weirdly had a domino underneath, but still! It was something that Danny couldn’t believe the man trusted him with, on top of allowing him in his apartment.
“I know, I’m beautiful.” He said from Danny staring quietly for so long, before spinning around and going back to preparing what looked like was going to be a grilled cheese sandwich from the bread, cheese, and butter out. “You can sit down at the bar if you want, instead of quietly standing in the corner like a vampire.”
“Yeah, okay.” Danny awkwardly responded, quickly shuffling over to the bar seats and carefully sitting himself in one of them. Red Hood turned on the stove, plopping two slices of buttered bread on the pan and watched it. Danny didn’t want to sit in silence, stuck only with his thoughts and the sizzle of the pan, so he opened his mouth to talk. “Why are you so nice to me?”
“Hmm, well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be.” Red Hood said casually, shrugging his broad shoulders as he flipped over one of the sandwiches to toast the other side. “You seem like a good kid, I don’t want you to die on the streets.”
Only if Danny could die that way. “How are you so sure that I’m a good kid? For all you know I could be selling drugs and beating up others for money.”
“Oh yeah, like a twig like you could do anything like that. You’re not even from Gotham.” Red Hood replied with a flat tone, glad that his voice was no longer being modified anymore so he could speak properly. He knew that Danny could possibly do something if he wanted, but it’s been several weeks and the brat hasn’t tried anything, so he felt like he wouldn’t at this point. He had a gut feeling the teen never would.
Danny hummed noncommittally, thinking about how he could easily harm others if he wanted. He’s done it before. “So you making grilled cheeses?”
“No, I’m making pancakes, what does it fucking look like?” Red Hood said sarcastically as he flipped over the sandwiches again. “They’re about done by the way.”
“Good, because I’m hungry for some of your food.” Danny said honestly while laying his head on his arms on the bar top, his stomach growling at the perfect moment, driving his point home.
“I bet you are. What the hell were you thinking staying on the streets with nowhere to go? I already told you Gotham isn’t a good place to be, especially without a home.” The man scolded, taking the chance to try and talk some sense into the teen, and get some answers at the same time.
“I was trying to leave, but let’s just say that it seems that I need to stay here for a bit.” Danny said, his face turning red from embarrassment at his lack of good reasoning.
“And you decided that the best way to do that was to just wander around alone on the streets? You could’ve been kidnapped, or mugged, or hell, even killed!” Red Hood continued to reprimand the poor boy, pointing his spatula at the teen.
The not so funny thing was the fact that Danny had to deal with all of those things the entire last week he has been on the streets. “I know! But I just didn’t know what to do!”
“Well, you can’t stay on the streets. Especially if you’re not eating, can’t have you any more of a twig than you already are shortstack.” Red Hood said with finality, narrowing his eyes before going back to the food, which he was preparing to put on a couple of plates.
Danny chewed nervously on his lip again, sliding down his chair a bit as he looked away. Red Hood was right. No matter how much Danny wanted to deny it. He couldn’t stay on the streets if he was going to stay in Gotham. Could he stay with Red Hood then? He did already offer for him to stay with him, or was that offer off the table now? Did the man even want him to stay?
A delicious smell attacked Danny’s nose as a plate was set in front of him, his mouth watering even more as his eyes became glued to the food. “Here you go brat, enjoy.” Red Hood said before, also sitting down a glass of water and his own food and drink before sitting right next to Danny.
Danny didn’t hesitate to take a big gulp of water before picking up the sandwich and taking a massive bite out of it. He barely chewed before swallowing, his hunger spiking from the taste of food in his mouth as he craved for more. He quickly filled that craving by eating the rest of the sandwich and drinking the rest of the water. He sat back, pretty much fulfilled and more satisfied than he felt in a week. A plate was pushed towards him, and he noticed that it was Red Hood’s untouched sandwich.
“Eat it, I’m sure you’re still hungry. Plus I’m not that hungry at the moment since I ate lunch pretty late.” Red Hood said after watching the kid tear apart the grilled cheese much like he did when he first found him with that spaghetti. It was true that he ate lunch late with his commanders, as he’s been in meetings with them all day planning on how to forward his plan on fixing up Crime Alley. It was actually the reason he was able to catch Danny at the time he did.
“No, no, I’m good. Please, go ahead and eat it. I promise I’m not hungry!” Danny quickly denied, pushing back the plate. He didn’t want to take Red Hood’s food after already eating his own that the man made. That would just be rude and not very good guest courtesy.
“Brat, if you do not eat this right now, I will fight you.” When Danny looked like he was about to argue some more, Red continued. “I swear, I’m not hungry right now. Eat it.”
Danny tried his hardest to argue, to tell Red Hood that he didn’t want it, but he eventually gave in. He did still feel like eating more, and the first grilled cheese tasted so good. He took a bite out of the sandwich, more slowly this time, getting a better taste of the flavor instead of devouring it in mere seconds.
Red Hood had refilled the teen’s cup, who gratefully drank it again after finishing the second sandwich. It was then that Red Hood decided he couldn’t let Danny go back to the streets, to starve and dehydrate like he had been doing. He saw a bit of himself with Danny, a street kid with nowhere to go, and just like he would’ve wanted all that time ago, he wanted to give Danny a place to be at and be safe. “Stay with me.” He blurted out, not giving it any more thought.
Danny almost choked the third cup of water he was drinking, swallowing thickly before putting the cup down and looking up at Red Hood with wide eyes. “What?”
“Stay in this apartment with me. I have an extra room and plenty of food. You won’t have to be on the streets and I won’t have to go gray early.” Jason quickly added, trying his hardest not to scare Danny away again. He put on a teasing grin. “I promise I won't bite, unlike somebody.”
“Are you sure? What about your secret identity and everything else?” Danny asked, his eyes gleaming with barely restrained hope and happiness.
Jason, seeing that barely noticeable hope, becomes very sure. He took off his domino mask and looked Danny straight into his icy blue eyes that somehow grew wider. He put on another smile, and spoke with confidence. “The name’s Jason.”
First Chapter || << Last Chapter || Next Chapter >>
Robin was out patrolling, without his father or anybody else attached to his side for once. He may have snuck out to do so, but he felt that he should have a bit more freedom. Even with the new superhuman around, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. After all, he was trained by both assassins and Gotham’s own dark knight. He may be young, but he was not weak. He would prove that.
As the young boy traveled above the restless streets of Gotham, taking the rooftops as a more mobile way to get around, he saw how quiet it was that night. Not sound wise, no, the city was quite loud, but crime wise, there was hardly anybody out. It was odd, but Damian was not upset over this, knowing that this could be proof of the city improving. Although, he was hoping for a chance to prove that he was able to defend for himself.
Scoffing at his own foolish thoughts, Damian continued at a more leisurely pace, taking in the city for all it had to offer. The moon held itself high in the inky sky, fighting against the heavy blanket of smog so it could shine through and provide some light to the city. No stars could be seen, and Damian couldn’t help but feel a part of him pity the stars, as their brilliant display would not be seen by the people. It was a sad truth, but there was a small wishing thought in the boy’s brain that one day the sky would change. That he would be the one to make that change, slowly but surely, opening up the beauty being held back once more. It was almost as wistful thinking as trying to get rid of all crime in the city.
Robin stared down at the streets once more, taking in how the darkness seemed to stretch, holding the city in its grasps. His thoughts began to wander back to the supposed superhuman, and if there was a chance that he was hiding in the darkness. Damian puffed up at the thought, his pride insisting that he would know if there was a mysterious teen with glowing eyes nearby. Afterall, three of the other members in the bat brood have already met, perhaps even more.
Although only Duke had reported seeing the superhuman, he knew that Todd and Drake had seen him as well. He saw how cautious Todd had appeared at the meeting, his body language tightly structured to try and look casual, failing miserably. Then he saw how Drake was openly glaring at his predecessor, as if he was trying to peel apart the other and have all his suspicions answered. It turned out that his siblings teammates were terrible at keeping secrets, or perhaps it was his far superior observing skills that they lacked.
Except for Cassandra, she appeared to have noticed something was off as well, joining the meeting only to observe the blatant mess of lies and secrets that were unfolding. He knew that Father must have noticed as well, because there was no way the man hadn’t. It was probably another reason he seemed wary, since his children allies were already involved without him knowing.
Robin would not be as incompetent as them, he wouldn’t seek out the superhuman but keep a careful watch for him, as Father ordered. Though he was curious, and hated the others having an upper hand on knowing things he didn’t. Still, if the superhuman was truly as harmless as Duke believed, then he would have to treat them like every other citizen in Gotham. He was not opposed to the idea of a superhuman in Gotham, albeit it made him more cautious as the supposed teen was an unknown at the moment. His true intention was possibly hiding underneath a scared front, tricking others that they were harmless in order to hurt them later, people have done so before. Damian felt the need to see them himself so he could decide whether or not to believe their words. Of course that would not solve all his suspicions, but it would have to satiate them as he did not have the power to force a completely innocent person for answers.
He was a vigilante, sworn to protect the innocents, which included those of other races or different species of the like.
Damian began walking once more, looking proudly at Gotham, at his city. He was one of the many who protected this place with their lives, and he would give his life for it, there was no doubt in his mind.
There was a shout, and Damian’s head snapped over to where it originated from, his mind easily focusing on it as he ran across the buildings. Tonight wasn’t as peaceful as he thought, but he supposes it was only a matter of time, he was almost surprised that nothing happened sooner.
Racing over the buildings with little effort, it didn’t take but a half a minute to locate where the sounds were originating from. He could hear scuffling and was prepared to either scale down the building via the fire escape stairs or simply jump down depending on how bad the situation was. He peered down and saw three guys with stereotypical black masks cornering a shorter person, who appeared to be a teenage boy with raven colored hair.
A spark of anger blazed in his chest as he saw the three way older men start threatening the defenseless teen. He readied himself to jump, his eyes narrowing sharply as he bunched his legs.
The vigilante froze in shock as a man got closer to the teen only for them to punch them square in the jaw and the mugger to fall backwards, knocked out cold and not getting back. Damian watched as the other men shouted, one staggering backwards while the other standing thug readied a crowbar he had in his hand. Robin, no longer wanting to watch, creeped down into the alley but stayed back just in case he needed to intervene. Normally he would jump in anyways, as people fought back all the time, but it was still dangerous for them if there was more than one criminal.
Yet, as he stayed back and peered silently from the shadows, he watched as the teenager roughly kicked the mugger with the crowbar in the knee, causing them to fall down and catch themselves with their hands, yelping loudly. The boy then proceeded by straight up karate chopping the person on the back, them falling all the way onto their stomach with another shout in pain.
The fighting style the boy had wasn’t one that came from training, as he could tell from the random moves and odd stance. This person obviously learned how to fight out of need alone, probably to survive the streets if he were a native, and used their surprising amount of strength to back the blows he landed. It was almost impressive in a way, and was a reason Damian kept watching instead of messing with something he apparently wasn’t needed in. Which wasn’t something he would ever repeat to anybody, ever.
The last remaining man backed up more, seeing that they were all alone with somebody who was much too unpredictable, and turned around to flee. It seemed like the teenager wasn’t done with them though, as he lunged forward and hopped on the man’s back, wrapping his arms on their neck and legs on the waist to keep hold as the mugger flailed around.
Robin didn’t show it outwardly, learning long ago how to school his expressions, but he found it amusing. A small snort almost left him as he watched the shorter boy strangle the struggling man, who was trying desperately to fling the teen off, failing terribly. The teen leaped off the thief, after the man’s movements slowed and the choking sound became louder, and kicked them in the back. The man fell down with a loud thump, and stayed there, not getting up. Damian didn’t know if all three of them had passed out or not, but if they did, that would definitely shock him.
Now that the fight was over and the teen was standing there, not even looking out of breath, Robin started thinking. How in the world did this random street teen just beat three grown men with weapons like it was nothing?
Robin didn’t know if he should approach at the moment or not, though his hand was already beginning to move to his pocket with zip ties in it, knowing that the thieves would need to be tied up. The first problem he saw all night and it was fixed before he could even do anything. He wanted to scoff, but didn’t, still hesitant to let the other know he was there.
His mind went back to its questioning, and his brain went back to what he was thinking about earlier. His eyes widened with a connection he made. The obvious show of strength and the absence of fear when dealing with the bigger men, it was signs of something else going on with the boy. Was there a possibility that they were the superhuman mentioned before?
Now, Damian didn’t often make such huge assumptions, as this teen looked nothing like the description that Duke had offered them. Though, he couldn’t help but theorize it in his brain, studying the boy more closely. They were somewhat short, and their build didn’t show how it was capable of such hard hits, his arm practically noodles.
Everything was confirmed when the mysterious teen looked up and straight into the shadows where Robin stood, with bright green eyes. The same eyes that Signal had told them about. Seeing them with his own eyes now, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the swirling pits of green from where he was raised, the toxic green bringing up memories he hadn’t thought about in awhile. They had an unnatural glow to them, but they were only bright enough to make his face become visible from the darkness. Damian realized how young and mature the teen’s features looked at the same time, a young face accompanying quite a sharp jawline.
When the teen continued to stare at him with those unsettling green eyes, Robin became unnerved, staring right back with a cautious glare. He didn’t know if, or how, the teen could see him, though he had a feeling it had to do with his powers. He was a superhuman, who knows what he could all do. Teleportation and super strength was already a powerful combo, though super hearing and sight would only make him more over powered.
No longer wanting to stand there with growing unease, also never one to be bested, Damian stepped out of the darkness and into the light the street lamp provided. He could see the superteen slowly shift, looking ready to fight once again. With an unseen roll of his eyes, Robin stopped a few feet away from the teen, scoffing slightly.
“I am not here to cause harm, simply to tie these bandits up for the police.” Robin said with his head raised, not fully lying since he was planning to do that.
The teen relaxed a bit, wordlessly nodded and moved out of the way, though he didn’t leave like Damian suspected he would. Not commenting on that, he moved to the thieves, watching as the one that was kicked in the back began moving, and he stepped on his back. “Do not move.” He growled out, and he watched with satisfaction as the man tensed underneath him.
After tying them all together, ignoring the pleas and useless words of the only awake man. He put a piece of tape on them to shut the thief up.
“Now that this is dealt with,” Robin began, turning back around to Danny who hasn’t left yet. He knew he hadn’t, even though the superhuman could teleport, because the air around them felt different. He couldn’t describe it, except that everything had a sense of being “off” to him, but he felt like he would be able to physically tell if he left. “I would like to know if you are hurt or not.”
The teen seemed stumped by the question, and Robin saw how his hand moved down to his black jeans and began to fiddle with it. The green eyes dimmed down until they stopped glowing completely, being replaced with striking blue eyes. Damian couldn’t help but be surprised as he stared at his eyes, not expecting the sudden change. “I’m fine.” The teen mumbled after a few minutes.
“Very well then, I am genuinely dumbfounded by how you thought fighting three people on your own was a good idea. Though, if you are unharmed, I suppose I cannot reprimand you. I will advise that you not do this again, as the outcome may not be in your favor.” Robin said, standing up straight with his arms crossed. He wanted to ask who the superhuman was, maybe learn something about the mystery that laid in front of him. He didn’t want to step over any boundaries though, and he’s already heard how scared the other could become from questions.
“I wasn’t going around trying to pick a fight or anything, those guys just tried to steal my shit and I didn’t have anything to give, so they decided to take out their frustration on me. I wasn’t about to let them beat the crap outta me.” He said, his foot scuffing the bottom of the ground as he grumbled.
“I understand that, but it was still moderately dangerous, even with how you dealt with this tonight.” Damian was trying to decide whether or not he should let the teen know he knew he wasn’t a normal human, or if they already knew that information.
Danny was beginning to become uncomfortable, Robin being the fourth bat he’s met up with in a week. He was starting to think that this place was actually a cave instead of an annoying city he couldn’t find his way out of. Seriously, everytime he tried to do something he felt like he was redirected to a completely different way, leading him in circles. It was like the city was trying to purposely trap him within its limits. Shifting on his feet again, he looked at Robin. “Where’s the rest of your comrades? You look a little young to be on your own.”
Robin bristled with immediate indignation, and Danny smiled a bit when the small boy resembled an angry cat or bird. “I am not a child.” He spat out, his hands balling into fists at his side with his face turning into a scowl. “I will have you know that I am completely able to go out and patrol on my own. I do not need any of the others.”
“Honestly, I think you might be one of my favorites with how cute you are.” Danny said, trying to purposely annoy Robin, enjoying how the younger one became somewhat red while continuing to glare daggers at him.
“I can and will stab you. Trust me, I am not afraid.” Damian said while already pulling out his sword, twirling it into his hand to point at the teen, completely forgetting how they could easily escape before he could do anything. The other surprisingly didn’t even become slightly more nervous or afraid, anything like was expecting when he heard how terrified they were of Duke. It only made him more angry, thinking it was because the boy thought of him as weak.
Danny raised his hands in mock defense, a grin still on his face. “Alright shortstack, I see the stabby weapon.”
“Shortstack? You look like you could be my age with how small you are!” Robin shot back, ruffling up even more as he jabbed his sword forward a bit.
“Still taller than you.” Danny singsonged, sticking out his tongue as he easily dodged to the side from a quick slash in the air. He knew that Robin wouldn’t actually hurt him, as he would’ve already tried and his movements weren’t entirely vicious. Danny shouldn’t be playing around with a vigilante who had ties to all the others he was trying hard to avoid, but he couldn’t help but talk to Robin. It’s been about two days since he confronted Red Robin about his obvious stalking, and almost a week since he last talked to Red Hood, and he hasn’t talked with anybody else since, too afraid to talk to the city’s inhabitants.
“Shut it you aggravating pest, I will easily grow taller than you while you probably have already quit!” Damian hated how worked up he was, as Father would most likely be disappointed by the childish act in custome, but he couldn’t stop himself when the teen was being so infuriating.
“I’m actually praying for a growth spurt soon, I need to be able to reach the shelves, y’know?” Danny said casually, and Damian was confused on how the other was acting. If they were truly as skittish as Duke had reported, he would have thought that the teen would’ve left at the first opportunity possible. Yet, here he was, trying his hardest to get under Robin’s skin and succeeding.
Sighing heavily, Robin lowered his sword and began to rub the bridge of his nose in between his eyes. “I cannot understand how conflicting you act.”
“I have different moods like every other human. Right now, I feel like being a little shit.”
“Well, you are being exactly that, so congratulations.” Robin deadpanned, putting back his sword while still glaring at the teen. His brain on the other hand thought about what the teen said, about being human. It was new information, and meant that he may not be another species, but possibly something partly human or even completely human. Such as a metahuman.
“Thanks.” Danny replied, then he felt another presence nearby, his lungs stopping for a second while his whole body changed temperatures. Damian could feel the slight change as well from Danny, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he tried to distinguish what was different to cause such change. Danny knew what, or more exactly who, it was. “Welp, I gotta bounce kid, hope you have fun with the night patrol.”
Realizing that he hadn’t received much information or reported to Batman he had come into contact with the possible meta, Robin froze. “Wait! Tell me who you are at least.”
Danny put on another grin, already turning away. “Noneya.”
“Noneya?” Robin repeated, the name feeling weird on his tongue.
The grin becoming wider, Damian had a feeling he had said something he would regret. “None ya business!” With a chuckle from Danny and an angry straggle of words from Damian, the mysterious teen was off, running into the street and around the corner. Robin tried to chase after him and demand for something else, his annoyance taking over, before seeing how the other promptly disappeared.
Robin sighed and stomped the ground, mad that he let the superhuman get away just like that. Not only did he disobey Father completely by engaging with the other, but he only had an update on the change of looks and the possibility of the other being human, which wouldn’t lessen any punishment he would receive if he told his father. Sighing he walked away, deciding that he would keep this interaction with himself unless it was needed, he finished the rest of his patrol in a worse mood than before.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to gather any more information, unless he somehow ran into them again, and he felt uneasy. With the new tidbits that he learned from the small interaction, he couldn’t stop the thoughts and questions arising in his brain. Would Duke be excited to know there was a chance that there was a new meta in the city? One that appeared to not have any ill intent, as the boy could definitely have already caused chaos if he simply wanted to. Though from what Damian had seen tonight, the teen was not one to start fights, and didn’t seem to enjoy them at that, doing so only out of self defense.
Robin had gotten what he wanted, now believing with his own information that the other was not in the city to cause trouble. He would have to make sure that others didn’t cause him trouble as well, as he was now completely an innocent civilian in Damian’s eyes. No matter how annoying the other also proved to be.
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Jason left as soon as he could, not wanting to be in the batcave any longer after hearing what Duke said. He knew it was Danny as soon as he heard that B had called a meeting about a new superhuman, possibly metahuman or alien, in Gotham. Afterall, Danny had just left his warehouse yesterday, and it didn’t take a genius to connect the dots.
The only thing that had made him doubt was that the first description that Duke had given them, as the Danny he knew didn’t have white hair or a black and white jumpsuit. Actually, Jason was pretty sure that the teen was probably still wearing the clothes he had given him right before he left, a plain red shirt and some black jeans. The thing that made Jason so sure that the unknown super was Danny, was that Duke also said they had glowing green eyes, sharp teeth, and were short. He knew that the kid going around like that was just asking for somebody to notice him, he should have talked to him before, made him more aware that he wasn’t the norm around here.
Perhaps the white hair and odd clothing was what he actually looked like or something, afterall, he sure wasn’t completely human. Now that the whole flock of bats was looking for the teen though, including the man himself, it was even more dangerous for him to be on the streets of Gotham. Duke said that he looked terrified, and although Danny was rather skittish, he also wasn’t afraid to fight. For him to flee like that, or vanish in Duke’s words, meant that he could already be in danger.
Jason hopped on his motorcycle, it humming back loudly to life for a second before he took off. He was going to find Danny before any other bat could. He should have already got to him before Duke, instead of retreating as soon as daylight rolled into the city. It didn’t matter if he was a nighttime vigilante, he didn’t care if others saw him during the day. Nobody except the other bats would question him, but he would risk that to hurry up and find Danny before them. He can cover his ass easily, but Danny on the other hand? Well, he was just a teen, a scared one at that. He didn’t need all the bats cornering him and asking him a whole bunch of questions.
He was heading towards Shelton Street, hoping that he would find some sort of trail that would point him to where Danny could have gone. He drove quickly down the streets, ignoring some of the traffic laws as he passed through the overcrowded city. How in the world did so many people want to live here? He could understand the ones that didn’t have nowhere else to go, but the ones that chose to be here? Absolutely insane people if you asked him.
When he got to Shelton Street, it was disappointingly normal. Everybody was minding their own business, a few of them noticing Red Hood and taking pictures of him or whispering among themselves. It bothered him, a reason he much rather do things during the night, but he could ignore his discomfort in turn for finding Danny. He searched around, and found a tenement that seemed like it should have been demolished ages ago, and guessed that it was probably the one that Duke had mentioned Danny being on.
He went into the alley, scarring off a couple of cats as he walked, and took out his grapple hook, launching into the air as soon as it gripped on top of the roof. Climbing on top of the building, he looked around, seeing nothing out of place. There was a billboard sign, but nothing else out of the ordinary. It was still pretty high up though, and Red Hood used it to have a better look around the place.
There was no sign of Danny, none, absolutely zip. Though he had to have been here at least an hour ago, so he shouldn’t have gone too far. Though, if the boy really could teleport, then that would make it a lot harder to track him down. What if he already found his way out of Gotham? Jason would be looking for nobody.
Not one to make assumptions or give up quickly, Red Hood went back to the alley where his motorcycle still was sitting. He already didn’t have much patience, especially when he was this worried worked up. He felt the need to find Danny, and it was much stronger than last night when the kid first dipped.
Cursing at himself and his weird emotional bullshit, he got back on his motorcycle and began searching rapidly around the area, trying not to miss anything. Every time he saw black hair, he would take a second look, disappointed each time that they weren’t Danny. One time he even saw a person with white hair who wasn’t old, but instead of being some out of the world version of Danny, it was just some girl in her twenties who probably dyed her hair that way.
He kept looking, spreading all over the area, double checking some places to make sure Danny didn’t show up after he left. He knew he probably looked a little crazy, and he felt a little crazy too, searching like mad for a teenager he only knew for about three weeks. Even though he may not know Danny too well, and less than he thought he did it seemed, that didn’t mean he didn’t care about the brat. Jason knew that he could be in danger, and he would be damned if he let the kid be hurt because of some crazed dumbass out there.
It was becoming dark and Jason knew that the dragging feeling in his eyes was him becoming tired, as he hasn’t slept in the last day from everything that has been happening. He was tempted to take off his helmet so he could rub at his face, maybe calm down some of his nerves, when he felt the temperature drop and the air turn stale, almost like he entered some haunted mansion that’s been around for far too long. Though, he knew this feeling, and hope sparked in his chest.
He turned, looking around the alley he was in to see if he could spot Danny. The feeling was still there, so that meant that Danny was still here. He didn’t want to scare him off again, especially after spending the entire day searching every small space to try and find him. “Brat?” He called, glancing around again to see if he could spot the boy. The chill intensified and then warmed back up, and Jason was afraid that he did scare him off.
“Red Hood?” Jason froze, spinning around on his hills to see Danny a few feet behind him, and he couldn’t help but question how the fuck the kid snuck up on him like that. Probably another power thing going on, he really needed to know more about that. Other than that, the kid’s hair was still black, and his eyes weren’t glowing at all, an icy blue like they had been for the majority of his time in the warehouse after he had settled in. “Am I back in Crime Alley or something? I knew I was going around in circles, I’m so fucking stupid.”
“No we’re not in Crime Alley,” Red Hood corrected the younger teen, who seemed more tired than usual, probably not having slept yet either. “I was actually looking for your dumbass.” Danny stiffened, and Jason could visibly see the panic rising in him.
“I- well- I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly- I” Danny tried to get out, his hands going up to his head to thread through it as he avoided looking at Red Hood.
“That’s not why I tracked you down. I’m here because apparently some idiot got caught by Signal.” Red Hood said, crossing his arms, although he tried not to sound too harsh, which was hard with the modified voice in his helmet.
Danny’s eyes somehow got bigger, and bit his lip and looked away again. He couldn’t help but think how Red Hood actually was connected to the other bats like he thought they were, which was given with the bat symbol. Did Red Hood tell them stuff about him? He may not know much, but he did know his name and how he really looked. Shit, Signal saw his other form. Red Hood probably knew now. Who he truly was.
Red Hood saw how the nervous boy was starting to become afraid too, and that was the opposite of what he wanted. If Danny felt threatened in any way, he would bounce and vanish once more. Jason wasn’t trying to scare him, he didn’t want to. “Look kid, I’m not going to do anything, okay? I simply looked for you to tell you that you’re a dumbass for letting them see you and that you need to be more safe or some shit.”
Danny relaxed a bit, letting a worried breath escape his mouth. While he was human he did need to breathe, so he sucked another breath right back in before he spoke. “I know I’m a dumbass, I just sorta forgot about Signal, alright? I’ll be careful from now on, I promise. I mean, I haven’t been caught again all day.”
“What about right now?” Red Hood shot back, lifting an unimpressed eyebrow.
Danny stuttered, flailing his arms for a second before composing himself so he could properly defend himself. “If I didn’t want you to know I was here, you wouldn’t have seen me. The only reason I came out is because I knew it was you from that dumb voice modifier in your helmet that makes you sound like a boy band member who uses monotone instead of autotune.”
“That was one of the lamest comebacks I’ve ever heard in my goddamn life.” Red Hood said, but couldn’t hold but a short laugh and a wide smile that Danny couldn’t see. “Y’know squirt, for somebody being so tiny you sure are feisty. Reminds me of a chihuahua.”
“Those little bastards are feral demons, don’t let the smallness fool you.” That sure got an actual chuckle out of Red Hood, making Danny join in a bit in turn.
Then Danny sobered, his smile turning bittersweet, and Jason hated that look. Last time he saw it was in the warehouse, during his last visit before Danny left for good. He didn’t think much of it at the time, but he knew it meant nothing good now.
“Thank you Red Hood, really. I know I’ve said that a lot in the past couple of weeks, but I really do mean it. Who knows, I might have died that night you found me.” Actually Danny was supposed to die the night that Red Hood found him, but the man didn’t need to know that, and he felt like keeping it to himself anyways. “Though right now, I really want to be alone. I promise I’ll be more careful until I can find a good way out of here without messing more shit up. No more vigilantes for me.” He tried to end with a happy note, but there was still a sadness in his voice that he couldn’t quite place, and neither could Red Hood.
Red Hood wanted to argue with the kid and drag him back to his apartment or tell him how to leave the city, but he couldn’t. There was a certain look in the younger boy’s eyes, and Jason knew that he wouldn’t be able to convince him that whatever was going on could be fixed. It wasn’t his place either. He could see plain as day that although Danny may relax a bit in his presence, but that he didn’t trust him. He couldn’t tell Danny that him being a teen all alone on the streets without a home was something he couldn’t let happen, no matter how much he wanted to, because then Danny would just run away again. He couldn’t tell Danny that he didn’t have to leave, when he saw how convinced the other was that he needed to. He couldn’t tell Danny that he cared for him. That would only freak him out.
Danny’s eyes somehow got bigger, and bit his lip and looked away again. He couldn’t help but think how Red Hood actually was connected to the other bats like he thought they were, which was given with the bat symbol. Did Red Hood tell them stuff about him? He may not know much, but he did know his name and how he really looked. Shit, Signal saw his other form. Red Hood probably knew now. Who he truly was.
Red Hood saw how the nervous boy was starting to become afraid too, and that was the opposite of what he wanted. If Danny felt threatened in any way, he would bounce and vanish once more. Jason wasn’t trying to scare him, he didn’t want to. “Look kid, I’m not going to do anything, okay? I simply looked for you to tell you that you’re a dumbass for letting them see you and that you need to be more safe or some shit.”
Danny relaxed a bit, letting a worried breath escape his mouth. While he was human he did need to breathe, so he sucked another breath right back in before he spoke. “I know I’m a dumbass, I just sorta forgot about Signal, alright? I’ll be careful from now on, I promise. I mean, I haven’t been caught again all day.”
“What about right now?” Red Hood shot back, lifting an unimpressed eyebrow.
Danny stuttered, flailing his arms for a second before composing himself so he could properly defend himself. “If I didn’t want you to know I was here, you wouldn’t have seen me. The only reason I came out is because I knew it was you from that dumb voice modifier in your helmet that makes you sound like a boy band member who uses monotone instead of autotune.”
“That was one of the lamest comebacks I’ve ever heard in my goddamn life.” Red Hood said, but couldn’t hold but a short laugh and a wide smile that Danny couldn’t see. “Y’know squirt, for somebody being so tiny you sure are feisty. Reminds me of a chihuahua.”
“Those little bastards are feral demons, don’t let the smallness fool you.” That sure got an actual chuckle out of Red Hood, making Danny join in a bit in turn.
Then Danny sobered, his smile turning bittersweet, and Jason hated that look. Last time he saw it was in the warehouse, during his last visit before Danny left for good. He didn’t think much of it at the time, but he knew it meant nothing good now.
“Thank you Red Hood, really. I know I’ve said that a lot in the past couple of weeks, but I really do mean it. Who knows, I might have died that night you found me.” Actually Danny was supposed to die the night that Red Hood found him, but the man didn’t need to know that, and he felt like keeping it to himself anyways. “Though right now, I really want to be alone. I promise I’ll be more careful until I can find a good way out of here without messing more shit up. No more vigilantes for me.” He tried to end with a happy note, but there was still a sadness in his voice that he couldn’t quite place, and neither could Red Hood.
Red Hood wanted to argue with the kid and drag him back to his apartment or tell him how to leave the city, but he couldn’t. There was a certain look in the younger boy’s eyes, and Jason knew that he wouldn’t be able to convince him that whatever was going on could be fixed. It wasn’t his place either. He could see plain as day that although Danny may relax a bit in his presence, but that he didn’t trust him. He couldn’t tell Danny that him being a teen all alone on the streets without a home was something he couldn’t let happen, no matter how much he wanted to, because then Danny would just run away again. He couldn’t tell Danny that he didn’t have to leave, when he saw how convinced the other was that he needed to. He couldn’t tell Danny that he cared for him. That would only freak him out.
He couldn’t do anything to stop Danny, say anything to let him stop himself, so he sighed and decided that there were some things he couldn’t do. “Fine then Danny, just know that you can always come to me if anything happens. I’ll probably be somewhere in Crime Alley, but if I’m not, go to one of my people and they’ll help you until I can get back. I’ll make sure to tell them to keep an eye out for you, but I won’t tell them much, does that sound good?”
Danny was surprised once more, but nodded his head silently, not trusting his voice at the moment. He could tell he was on the verge of another breakdown like he had several times that day, probably because of how stressed he’s been since that morning and how tired he felt. Red Hood was offering him help, but he knew it was selfish to take it, as he’s already taken so much and put the other in way too much danger. Taking in a deep breath to try and temporarily calm his nerves, he gave Red the most of a smile he could give him, which wasn’t much with how much his lip wanted to crumble into a trembling mess. “Thanks.”
Then he turned around and went right back into the shadows, turning himself invisible and disappearing into the now new night, flying slowly as he willed himself to not turn around again. Tears welled up in his eyes, and it wasn’t just because of Red Hood, but being reminded from all the times that his family and friends had offered him help. He had selfishly taken theirs too, and it led them to their death. He wasn’t going to do the same to Red Hood.
Red Hood watched him vanish right back into the shadows he appeared from, standing there for a moment, keeping his ear strained in case anything happens to Danny while he was still near. After a few minutes of nothing but the usual sounds of the city at night, he turned around and headed back to his motorcycle, a newfound feeling of disconnectedness in him as his thoughts failed to form beyond basic things. He didn’t know what he was exactly feeling, but he found that he really hated it, but couldn’t bring himself to try and push it away as it became all consuming.
Revving up his motorcycle, he drove off and back towards Crime Alley. Maybe a night patrol around the area before speaking to his commanders about the new rule with Danny would make him stop feeling like this. It usually worked when Red Hood was having a bad day, so why not right now?
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Tim watched as Red Hood zipped around on his motorcycle, during broad daylight, and searched. He knew what he was looking for too, or who to be more exact. After Tim had the realization from the camera footage he had removed his Red Robin costume to his civilian clothes, because unlike Red Hood, he wasn’t an idiot. He followed him around, well, the best he could anyways. It was a good thing that Red Hood actually kept his tracker on this time, because it made it a lot easier to know where he was going. The other must have been really distracted if he forgot about that and didn’t pay attention to if anybody was tailing him.
He had been following Jason all day, going all throughout the city near Shelton Street and double checking areas sometimes more than once. He was beginning to think that he would never find the superhuman, and he was becoming more doubtful as the sun began sinking. Then Red Hood stopped in an alleyway, and Tim rushed to get over there. When he was finally near the man’s location, he made his way on top of a building close to the alley, so he could spy listen from up above on the rooftop without being noticed.
Cautiously peering down, seeing two people in the alley, and he assumed that the other was the person that Jason was looking for as he was talking to them. Not able to hear what they were saying, he threw down a bug with a microphone and put an earbud in his ear so he could listen in. He almost felt bad for doing so, after hearing how private and emotional the conversation went, but it was important information nonetheless.
From what he could gather, the raven haired kid was in fact the same white haired teen that Duke reported earlier, meaning that he had two forms. This one was most likely to blend in easier with the other people, which was honestly pretty smart on his end. Though it made Tim wonder why he didn’t use it earlier when Signal saw him? Maybe he thought nobody was there and wanted to relax for a second.
Another thing was that the teen trusted Jason enough to give him his name, which was Danny. Whether that was his actual name or not was up for an internal debate later, but Tim stored it away and continued to eavesdrop. After hearing Red Hood make an offer that was incredibly out of character for the man, and the small and somber thanks he got in return, he watched them both make their separate ways.
Everything really was coming together, making a bigger picture for Tim to understand and look at, slowly but surely. Though he needed more information to really know what was happening, before anything terrible happened. It sounded like Danny was afraid of something, not Red Hood, but something else. Was it Gotham? Was that why he wanted to leave? Was it having to do with him being somewhat or entirely inhuman?
Tim didn’t know, but he desperately wanted to. If this Danny was that important to Red Hood, then there must be a reason, and a good one at that. Whatever was harming Danny or making him so afraid that he couldn’t allow Jason to help him, Tim would get to the bottom of it too. He swore that he would keep everybody in Gotham safe, and it included Danny too now as long as he wasn’t the one harming others.
Getting the bug from the alleyway and beginning the long trek back to the Wayne mansion, Tim had a feeling that something much bigger than just some lost superteen being scared was going on, and he didn’t like it. He would patrol for a bit longer tonight, just to make sure everything was fine. He wasn’t going to try and check on Danny.
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Tim may have been spending a lot of his extra time looking after Danny. A lot more than he was willing to admit. A few days that have passed since he eavesdropped overheard the conversation between Danny and Red Hood in the alley way, and over the course of those days Tim has found himself seeing Danny more than he meant to. Sometimes he would intentionally seek the superhuman out, and other times he would accidentally come upon him. Every time though, nothing strange happened, at least nothing that signaled that Danny was anything other than human.
The first time that Tim had found Danny again was the night of the deep talk between the teen and Jason, and he had been looking out for him while he patrolled. He saw him walking down a street, obviously looking for a place to safely stay the night, if checking buildings and little nooks in alleys was enough to tell that. It concerned Tim that Danny didn’t have a place to live, but he already figured that when he thought about how he had lived with Red Hood for a couple of weeks. Tim may have stayed out longer that night than he usually did, keeping an eye on the teen while he kept another eye on the city, watching both in case something happened.
Luckily, Danny did eventually find a place that he seemed to deem good enough for the night, which was one of the newer abandoned buildings, which didn’t have too many cracks in it yet. It still made Tim worry, and he had to push the urge to go up to the teen and straight up drag them to an actual bed where he would be much safer. Didn’t Danny listen to Jason at all? What happened to the promise of being more careful?
Tim decided to not confront Danny, aware he would scare him much like the others seemed to. Plus, Danny probably had enough of the vigilantes in Gotham to want any more interrogating talking to him. Retiring for that night with a racing mind, Tim wasn’t able to get sleep, instead hiding out in the batcave in front of a computer trying to figure out who Danny truly was. There had to be some information on him, about some superhuman who had two different looks. Yet, Tim found nothing, there was zero data of any kind about a super powered teenager named Danny. It made Tim feel a bit more confused, and wary, but he thought about how Danny was. How secretive and elusive the teen could be when he really wanted to be.
The next time Tim saw Danny, it was completely by accident, with Tim in his civilian identity. He was going down the block for the coffee store that allowed him to put in as many espresso shots as he liked, and he really needed the energy at the moment, when he saw the black messy hair that belonged to Danny. He didn’t think about it at first, his brain supplying him that there were many males in the city with black hair, as he had only seen the hair, but when Danny moved away from the walking crowd and allowed Tim to see more. He knew it was Danny then, the lanky body of the teen unmistakable.
Tim had glanced back at the coffee shop he was nearing, debating for only half a second, before giving in and running after Danny. He didn’t really follow Danny, being more curious than worried, and only watched him for a few minutes. Again, nothing abnormal happened, Danny continued to walk down Gotham’s busy streets like he has always been there. The only reason Tim knew he wasn’t was from how the teen would flinch at sudden loud sounds such as the wails of a siren flying by or shying away from looking up at the tall buildings. He felt like Danny may have come from a smaller city, or maybe even a small town, but it was all speculation, and Tim had coffee to drink.
When Tim went out again as Red Robin that very night, he was searching for Danny. This time to see if the other finally found their way out of the city. It wasn’t that confusing, was it? Surely the teen could find his way after spending so long here. There were plenty of highways and streets that led the way out of Gotham, and if anything, Danny could have just walked in a straight path and found a way out that way. What if Danny didn’t actually want to leave? Did he lie to Jason or Duke? Or is there something else pressuring him to leave? Tim once again thought about Bruce and his actions towards the nonhuman population of Gotham.
Bruce did allow anybody to live in the city, but he was a bit sensitive when it came to those who weren’t entirely human, or human at all for that matter. He had grown a lot from that whenever he adopted Jarro and Duke, but anybody could tell that the man still held some suspicions towards them, no matter how harmless they seemed. If they were unknown, he treated them as if they were a threat. Maybe it was just the over cautious and paranoid side of B talking that drove him towards that. Hopefully it wasn’t because he didn’t like other races than humans and Jarro. Afterall, he had sworn to protect everybody in Gotham as well, which included those who weren’t human.
The third time that Tim saw Danny was also when he was Red Robin, but this time he was in the middle of a fight with a group of petty muggers. He was taking them down rather easily, as they seemed untrained when it came to fighting. It didn’t matter if they outnumbered Red Robin, he had more skill than all of the bozos put together.
It was while he was kicking another mugger in the knee when he felt a small uneasy feeling rise inside him. He didn’t know what it was, but it distracted him for only a second, just enough for one of the men to punch Tim in the jaw. He had felt the air grow colder as he spat out blood, but his body ran hotter from a spike of anger as he swiftly and mercilessly knocked the guy unconscious. He knew that he had hit them with a bit of extra force than necessary, especially since he knocked them clean out, but he couldn’t find it in him to care.
It was while he was tying up all the men that the cold atmosphere warmed up a bit more, although the feeling he felt didn’t go away. It was similar to whenever he felt like he was being followed, but different all the same, as it was the same uneasy feeling somebody would feel when entering a graveyard. He hadn’t known it was Danny, but when he exited the alley and saw a small snippet of a boy with black hair running into an alley across the street and the feeling he had immediately lifting, he knew who it was. Was Danny watching him too?
Other than that and the odd vibe, Danny seemed painstakingly average. He never saw his eyes glow, the sharp teeth that Duke talked about, or the white hair that flowed with magic. Danny seemed human, and Tim was almost starting to doubt that he was anything but in the first place. It didn’t make any sense to Tim. How did somebody who before seemed to have a hard time hiding what they truly were, begin doing it so well that it tricked even the most perceptive of people? He didn’t know how to feel about that.
The last time that Tim saw Danny was early the next night. He was trying his hardest to track down Danny once again, hoping that somehow his questions would be answered. He was surprised he was able to go this long without truly being caught, if that time Danny watched him fight was not him getting caught that is. Didn’t Danny have some sort of power that allowed him to sense others when they got near him? Shouldn’t it be working on Tim?
He was standing in an alley, by himself, looking at particularly nothing. This was the first time that the vigilante has seen the other teen doing something that most would call unordinary behavior, and it interested him. He watched, being completely silent and staying what he thought was out of sight. He waited, anticipating for something to happen that would somehow solve this entire mystery.
Nothing did happen, Danny just stood there, and in all honesty it was starting to freak out the self acclaimed detective. Then, as soon as Tim blinked, Danny was gone. Nowhere in the alley below. This caused Tim to freak out, having to swallow down a surprised yelp as he flinched, not expecting that. Did this just prove everything that Duke said? Could Danny actually teleport?
Then the cold air he was starting to grow used to the past few days around Danny increased, causing an involuntary shiver go through Tim. The pressure of the area felt heavier, and it made Tim tense, not moving a muscle afterwards. After a few seconds of realizing how quiet everything became, even the city acting like it was waiting for something to unravel.
Finally letting out a small breath, Tim peeked behind him, seeing that there was in fact a figure there. Seeing this, his heart picked up and he spun around and faced the stranger with two batarangs flying out of his hands. He watched with wide eyes as both of the sharp objects flew right through the other like they were made out of fog, not even scraping them. Then there was a flash of green lights and Tim realized that it was coming from the person’s eyes.
Danny. It was Danny who somehow appeared right behind him without him realizing it. Did the superhuman teleport behind him? Was it just luck that he did that as soon as Tim blinked, or was it another power?
Tim stood there, frozen in a fighting position as he stared at Danny with heavy pants. He hasn’t been that spooked in a while. Now though, he had a good look at the teen. He really did have glowing green eyes, looking similar to neon lights in a mini golf course with how bright they were. They dimmed a bit, allowing Tim to have a better look as he tried to assess his situation, as so far Danny hasn’t tried to harm him.
“It’s not fun being watched is it?” The teen finally said after several minutes had passed by.
“Wha-?” Tim’s confused noise was the only thing his sleep deprived brain could offer for the moment, his thoughts scattering fifty different ways. Danny snorted, his hand immediately going to his mouth as he did so, the green eyes completely fading away as he tried to hold back a giggle. Blue eyes, the teen had light blue eyes and black hair. Tim wonders if B would adopt him if he saw him like that.
“Damn it- I- I was trying to be serious for once. Stop making this so hard, I’m supposed to scare you.” Danny said, still choking down giggles with his bright blue eyes glistening with amusement. They also appeared to be glowing with how the moonlight reflected on them, and Tim squinted his eyes and titled his head to make sure they weren’t. This only made Danny laugh more. “What- what the actual fuck- why are you looking at me like that? You look like a cat- holy shit- I can’t.”
Tim gave the giggling mess of a teen a blank stare as he stood up and straightened out of his fighting pose. “Okay, ‘mister glowy eyes’, you look like one of those stereotypical halloween cats.”
Danny stopped laughing, his eyes blinking with surprise. “My eyes were glowing?”
Well that just threw Tim through a loop. Did he really not know his eyes glowed? Why was everything about this kid so complicated? “How the fuck do you not know?”
“Oh shit, are they doing it right now? I can usually control it, shit, how long has this been going on?” Danny’s amusement earlier was completely gone now, replaced with nervousness.
“No, they’re blue right now.” Tim answered, wanting to lean closer and get a better look at his eyes, but refrained, remembering that Duke said that Danny fled after he tried to get closer.
“Oh, um, that’s cool.” Danny awkwardly replied, his hand going back and scratching the back of his neck. “So, I came up here to try and scare you, but it seems that kinda failed.”
Tim wasn’t about to say that he basically jumped out of his own skin when he saw Danny’s shadowy figure behind him. “How did you pop up behind me like that? I only looked away for half a second at that.” Might as well try and get some answers while Danny seemed like talking.
“None of your business weirdo.” Danny said, arms over his chest. “I should be the one asking you about why you’ve been following me around so much these last couple of days.”
So, Danny did know that Tim has been watching him. “How’d you know that?”
“You’re not that good at being sneaky.” Danny flatly said while giving Tim a face that read “are you serious”.
“Are you sure it just isn’t your powers?” Tim shot back, ruffled from the insult of his skills that he carefully crafted and mastered from years of practice. Totally not from the days he used to stalk Robin and Batman.
Danny went rigid once more, and he didn’t respond for a few seconds before his face turned into a scowl. “Stop stalking me.” He practically growled out, and although Tim saw a small twitch of Danny’s eyes and a hint of green coating them, they didn’t start glowing again. Danny must be trying to suppress it, but it was too late for that in Tim’s opinion.
Tim scoffed and allowed his cape to cover the front of his body as he shifted to lean on his left foot. He didn’t say anything though, and Danny glared at him for a few more seconds before he turned away and went to the ladder that went down the building, taking it down. Tim watched him leave, making no movement as he saw Danny go down the ladder. He wondered why the other didn’t just teleport away like he usually did, but he guessed it was because he was making more of an effort to hide it. It was about time to learn that, albeit a bit too late.
Tim was going to keep an eye out for Danny no matter what the boy said, but he kept that to himself. Though he may not use the same methods, as it seemed to be disturbing Danny. Which he isn’t dumb, he knew he was going a bit overboard. Perhaps approaching this situation differently was a better option, instead of following the poor boy around Gotham.
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