#Jason doesn’t remember what happened while he was a ghost

[rynan16]

It was a dreary day, as it often was in Gotham. Danny was just returning from the funeral of Jason Todd, his core heavy and head fuzzy. He enters his store, only to see that his time here is up. The 5 years are over, and it’s time to go. Danny falls to the floor, no longer holding back the tears. It feels like his core has cracked from the grief. How can he just leave now, of all times? Won’t he even be allowed time to grej e before they go? A little giggle snaps his mind back to reality. Is head snaps in the direction of the sound, comming from the corner nook that the store always set up for him… for Jason. His core was thrumming with painful hope, and then, his eyes found the source of those light giggles, and Danny’s core soared. There he was! It was little Jason, his Jason, in the corner, sitting in the corner, reading a new book, just like he used to do. Danny couldn’t help himself, he rushed over, grabbing the little Robin in a tight hug, startling the little ghostling.

It’s been a few weeks now, since the store packed up and took them to a new location. Danny was filled with so many mixed emotions the night he found Jason, the night they left. Now having processed his emotions a little more, he’s been thoroughly enjoying telling Jason stories of all the adventures he’s been on, and people he’s met. He’s even gotten to take Jason to his haunt, and show him the library. Seeing the way the little bird’s eye’s lit up at the sight, made Danny’s core thrum with delight. Yes, Jason may have died, but he was safe now. Danny would keep him safe.

The store has been hoping dimensions much more frequently than it used to, only staying in one place for a week or two at a time. Danny’s not sure why, but he’s been enjoying all the adventures he’s been able to go on with Jason, so it doesn’t bother him too much. It’s been a couple months now, and the holidays are comming up soon back home. Maybe he’ll be able to bring Jason with him, he knows that they would absolutely adore Jason. How could they not when he’s so precious, after all?

Something was wrong. Jason was starting to have glitches in his powers. Moments where he would loose his flight and fall back to the floor, or he would get stuck partway through a bookshelf because he became partially tangible. Danny can’t figure out what’s going on, h

no, no, nO, NO, NO…. He’s gone. The only thing remaining being a small shade of a little Robin, that still happily filters around the store. Danny gently holds the little bird in his hands, cradling it close to his core, as he sobs, having once again lost his Jason.

Time moves on. He still misses Jason terribly. Still mourns, still grieves, still looks in the corner, hoping, no expecting, Jason to be there. But time moves on, and eventually, a new normal is established. Danny takes some solace in the small little shade that still happily flits around the store. It’s not the same Jason that he wishes to come back, but… it’s a piece of him, and he takes comfort in that fact. Back when it first happened, he had rushed the little Robin off to Frostbite and explained the situation, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could help somehow. Frostbite had shaken his head sadly, saying that he had never seen a case like it before, and there was nothing he could do to help. The store moves around less now. Staying in most places for months at a time. Never as long as when they found Jason, but it went back to it’s usual routine. Sometimes Danny wondered if somehow, it had known. The store had stayed just long enough to take Jason with them, down to the exact day, and during his short stay with them, they had gone on more adventures in more places than he had before up to that point. It felt like the store had known, and that it wanted to give Jason as many adventures as it could before he would leave them again.

‘Why am I here again? Why have you brought me back to this dimension? I do not wish to relive these painful memories.’ Danny uncomfortably nuzzles the little Robin perched on his shoulder, an unconscious habit he had picked up when he was particularly missing Jason. He stared wistfully out the door, wishing to see his little ghostling come rushing through the door, but he knew that was impossible. Jason… his Jason, was gone. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the little bell on his door jingle as it opened, didn’t notice the familiar presence entering his store. Then the little Robin perked up, and flitted off his shoulder. Danny quickly reached out to grab it, frantic, not wanting to loose the last piece of Jason he has left, but he is unsuccessful. The little Robin lands on the new person’s shoulder, and gently nuzzles the crook of their neck, chirping happily. That when Danny notices. He looks at the figure, a red hood covers their face, but he can tell. He can feel. This is Jason Todd. Alive and in front of him. His breath hitches in his throat, and his eyes go all misty.

“Whoa, this place was gone when I came back… man, I’ve missed this place.”

He’s back, Jason was home. And this time, Danny was going to do everything within his power too keep it that way. His little ghostling would stay safe, even if the world was ending, nothing would dare lay a finger on his little ghostling anymore.

DCxDP fanfic idea:Vanishing Bookstore

Danny opens a bookstore. Initially, it was his private library, a place tp store all the books he gather from different parts of the glob and different Earths.

Mr. Lancer finally wore him down, causing Danny's love of reading to blossom at the end of his Freshman year. The teacher did so by having him come in person to speak about any kind of book as makeup work, as long as he learned how to dissect what he read and get proper reading comprehension.

Danny found that he could enjoy literature if he wasn't forced to write an essay afterward. But spending lunchtimes with his English teacher arguing about Narina's moral concepts was practically the same as the essay; it was just funnier.

It was the final push he needed to move to the next grade. By the skin of his teeth, but he did it. Mr. Lancer had been so proud of him.

That summer, Danny had been grounded for various weeks due to the ghosts attacks taking him away from his school and chores. Since he wasn't allowed to watch TV, or use the computer Danny had chosen to pick up books from Jazz's young adult fantasy shelves.

He never looked back.

Suddenly, it was like Danny could only go somewhere with something to read. He jumped genres but always fell back to fantasy, escaping into magical worlds between pages. Something about that reminded him of exploring the different worlds within the Infinate Realms, and Danny found himself addicted.

It became his entire identity. Sam was the goth girl, Tucker the tech geek, and Danny the book nerd. His friends and family quickly learned that any gift-giving event was going to lead to a long list of books Danny was waiting to get his grabby little hands on.

Even the classics Mr. Lancer once had to fight him to read were entertaining now that he understood their subtext and inferences that used to go over his head as a kid.

Jazz took him to get his library card which became Danny's most prized possession until high school graduation. Once Danny got his first part-time job- working for Sam's family company but hey if he had a rich friend who was willing to pay him to answer calls who was he to say no?- Danny started buying his own books.

He shopped at local second-hand bookstores, online websites, and chain bookstores and even ventured into the Ghost Zone to see what literature wonders they had to offer. He found that his human money had a far better exchange rate then he was expecting, making it possible to buy a lot more and at cheaper prices in the Zone.

He even found parallel words that sold the same books he was reading. Once, he saw a book he had waited two years to release at a marked-down price because that world had the book out for five years. Danny almost died of joy to find the special edition.

His room, which once had nothing by NASA, was now filled with bookshelve after bookshelve of his treasures. His parents allowed him to expand his little library in the attic once he ran out of room.

Danny had no idea what to do when his parents asked him what he planned to do once he ran out of room there. By that point, he had started to move the older ones into his Haunt in the Ghost zone, amazed that it had shifted into a Libary that rivaled the likes of Libary of Alexandria. He had so many different ones that he could organize by all ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System in his Haunt, making him wonder if he had consumed that much writing in the past four years. (He had. His parents were worried)

Ghosts had even started asking if they could visit his library, and before long, he had opened one of Ghost Zona's first Public libraries. His only charge was that if a new ghost wanted a library card, they had to donate at least three books. His collection grew and grew with each passing day.

Blob ghosts appointed themselves as Danny's librarians, carefully filing his newest additions to his growing delight. Danny now always had something new to read.

He consumed so much that a new title was bestowed onto him. Danny Phantom: Master of Knowledge.

Though that was a rather silly title if you asked Danny, he enjoyed a good read whenever he was awake. Just because he learned while reading didn't mean he was the master of it. However, he did gain a massive patchwork of knowledge that he could usually apply anywhere, making people assume he was all-knowing.

That did not solve the problem of getting too many books, and often, he found copies of the same ones added to his shelves again and again. His blob ghosts didn't think to reject copies because then ghosts couldn't visit his haunt and would be denied books.

Danny would never deny anyone books. He just had to figure out what to do with the copies and old books he was no longer interested in.

Jazz told him to try and have a yard sale of the ones he no longer wanted, and seeing as there were some series he could go without, Danny gave it a shot.

He made a surprising amount of money, but it was far from the amount he had spent to purchase them. Still, watching people get excited as they walk away with bags of books more than made up for it. After his third yard sale, Danny made up his mind.

He would attach a bookstore to his Haunt.

He wasn't sure how since his library had built itself. It seemed unwilling to add on to it that it was a slightly different business. His haunt only expanded to accommodate the library that he was building there. It took reading five rare books that Clockwork had gifted him to find what was once lost knowledge.

Haunt Manipulation.

It was risky, but Danny created the Infinite Realms Bookstore with enough concentration, some runes, a dash of overly powerful ectoplasm, and some of his core bits. He chose to run this one because the blobs seemed frightened of hackling with customers, and frankly, seeing people be happy was a different kind of rush.

Things were fine for a few years. He didn't need to work now that he had a steady cash flow—though sometimes he had to find someone willing to trade for US Earth 23-19 dollars. He was his own boss with his books to read, his body not needing sleep or food while in the zone, and his ability to lose himself in between pages whenever he wanted.

Then, his bookstore fell off his haunt. It was like an apple falling from a tree- it grew too heavy for the Haunt to handle- flinging Danny into a nearby Earth portal. Luckily, he could get back to the Zone with the spell he placed on his backdoor, and his haunt was in the same place as it always was.

It turns out that Haunt Manipulation is no longer an extended practice because it cannot anchor anywhere. It vanishes and reappears randomly, lingering for a few months. Danny finds that the last haunt like this is now named the House of Mysteries.

At first, Danny was really annoyed by this, until he realized that he could once again walk among humans and spread his library to different worlds. He especially loved it when he appeared in areas where he could teach people to read.

Something about introducing people to his obsession was almost as fulfilling as his obsession itself.

He became a strange but wise man in some worlds and a god of knowledge in others. Danny was having the time of his life, flinging between timelines, exploring dimensions, and still being able to port back to his regular Haunt that connected him to his home.

He saw his parents every Thanksgiving and Christmas. He was able to be the Best man at Jazz's wedding, saw Tucker become the head of his own tech company, and was one of the first to meet Sam's girlfriend between his exploring.

Infinite Realms Bookstore's newest location was on an intriguing Earth behind Danny's home world regarding technology. It was a crime-infested city with far too many problems for its own good. His bookstore also chooses to plant itself right smack in the middle of the worst part of town.

On the far back wall, in the elegant letter, it read "Five years," meaning Danny and the bookstore would be here for five years before it vanished. Strangely, it was the longest time that it had lingered in one place.

Danny suspected that Infinite Realms Bookstore was starting to develop a mind of its own. His books were organizing themselves overnight now, and he was sure he never saw any blob ghosts about.

That did not stop him from happily opening his doors to Crime Alley anyway. The morning of his first day in Gotham, while sipping some coffee- he forgot how good it tasted!- a young boy wandered in.

He was obviously looking for an escape, so Danny willed some chairs and tables to appear in the far back. A complimentary snack section appeared a few seconds later, and there was a "Feel free to read anything off the shelves" sign.

The kid's eyes widened when he spotted them before he hastily raced toward the classics and selected two large volumes. He planted himself at one of the tables surrounded by drinks and cookies and didn't move for hours.

Danny left him to it, choosing to close when the kid left. It was tweleve long hours but worth it to see the glee on the tiny litte face as he flipped through pages.

The next day, he came back, and the one after that. Before long, Danny had his first regular.

That regular is a young boy named Jason Todd.

Jason reminded Danny of himself when he first got into reading, which led to him making a deal with the young boy. He would let Jason bring books to trade, allowing the boy to take home whatever he wanted in exchange. This meant Danny could get books from this new dimension and Jason didn't have to worry about finaces.

There was a time where Danny was pretty sure Jason was just reselling him back his own books. But seeing as Jason looked more and more like he was having a hard time finding a good meal, Danny pretended not to notice.

This is similar to when his bookstore developed free showers for him to use only when he was about or private reading rooms with a warm bed. Jason early took advantage of these, unaware that they vanished from view to all other customers once he stepped inside.

Sometimes, he falls asleep and spends the night inside those private reading rooms when Danny "forgets" to walk through the store before closing.

Everyone else paid because they didn't make Danny's core sing like Jason. It was easy to tell when the boy became Robin, as he found the vigilante pulling Batman to his window and pointing out books. The moment that mask little face pressed against his glass, Danny knew who it was.

Just as he knew the next day when, Bruce Wayne opened his door to buy everything that Robin had wanted. Danny kept that to himself, though. He figured it would be funnier if they thought they were sneaky.

Maybe this place would be his finest location yet.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Isekai Reader, currently floating in mid-air: this is fine this is normal...

Isekai Reader: FUCKIN GET ME DOWN!!!*flapping their arms and just trying to get down*

Dick: just calm down maybe you might float down

Isekai Reader: I TRIED EARLIER!

Dick: you really need to be calm

Isekai Reader: FUCK YOU GRAYSON!

......

Duke: how did that happen?

Isekai Reader, stops struggling a while ago and just float mindlessly: my best bet is that after mama wayne possessed me*shivers remembering what happened the week before* is that I gained a but of ghostly powers look I can phase through the chandelier if I want to

Duke: would kryptonite work on you?

Isekai reader: I'm not kryptonian

Isekai reader: wanna find out?

Duke: sure lemme go grab it

Isekai reader: m'kay

....

Alfred: why thank you for cleaning the ceiling and the chandelier

Isekai Reader: no problemo does that mean I get the last snack you made *hopeful*

Alfred: go right ahead

Isekai reader: YAY!!

....

Bruce sipping coffee as he looks at the picture he took with his parents, reader cropped out(you know what I mean): mom.. dad.. *ignores his eldest son running away from reader*

Dick, runs away with the said snack reader wants: ITS JUST ONE SNACK! THE HELL

Isekai Reader, zooming through the air: I DID WHAT ALFRED TOLD ME TO AND THAT SHIT IS MY REWARD GET BACK HERE GRAYSON!

Isekai! Reader/ you: *floating* coming here was already weird enough, but having ghost powers is another thing.

Dick: what’s your hero name?

Isekai! Reader/ you: *smirks* Danny Phantom *waits for applause*

Duke:…is that another one of your references or?

Isekai! Reader/ you: *pouts as you being to phase through the ceiling into Jason’s room* boo, you’re both boring I’m going to hit on your hot brother.

Dick: DO NOT HIT ON JASON!

Duke: you’re even starting to sound like Bruce.

Dick; aww man. *pouts* but seriously who’s Danny phantom?

Duke: *shrugs*

…

Jason: I can feel you staring at me babe.

Isekai! Reader/you: no you can’t.

Jason; just because you’ve got powers doesn’t mean I can feel that stare that you always give me.

Isekai! Reader/ you: …you knew?

Jason: you don’t exactly make it subtly to be honest.

Isekai! Reader/you: …*phases through the floor*

…

Isekai! Reader/ you: *to dick and duke* HE FUCKING KNOWS!

Dick: you don’t exactly make it subtle.

Duke: I mean you stare at his back, thighs, biceps, chest and his face so intently I got concerned for your health.

Isekai!reader/ you:…he’s really pretty!

Dick: am I pretty *batts his eye lashes*

Isekai! Reader/ you: …I guess…

Dick: WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG TO AWNSER!?

…

Martha: do we think we did something wrong with possessing them?

Thomas: no, what makes you think that my love?

Martha: *points at Isekai! Reader/ you -now having learnt how to fly and go invisible- go after Dick, Tim, Jason and Stephanie for reasons unknown*

Dick: WHAT THE FUCK

Jason: WERE SORRY FOR SPOILING THE SHOW!

Tim: IT WAS ALL DICK’s IDEA!

Dick: WHAT THE FUCK TIM

Tim: IT’s TRUE!

Stephanie: MY PHONE ISNT WORKING! *it’s screen glitches as the words ‘you spoiled it for me’ are scrawled across it*

[corpsedogs]

Jason Todd X Reader

angst, reader fakes death (spoilers?)

✿ francis forever — jason mourns you, but then he sees a familiar figure in an alleyway

It's been six months since you left. Jason has been lost in your absence. He can’t eat knowing that the food in front of him isn’t made by you. He can’t sleep because there will be no one to comfort him when he wakes up from a terrible dream. He can’t smile because there is nothing to smile about anymore. He misses your touch— and he misses holding you. He had hoped you thought of him when you died.

They said an assassin killed you. Jason woke up one morning to an empty bed, sunlight creeping across cold sheets. On the kitchen table: an envelope, photos, a letter. Rage consumed him. He vowed to hunt down whoever took you from him. He chased every lead, tore through every clue, only to slam into dead ends over and over again.

Every day, Jason visited your empty grave. He brought your favorite flowers, whispered updates about his day, left little gifts you’d once loved. Sometimes, he just sat there, fingers tracing your name carved into stone, willing it all to be a nightmare.

He hoped you noticed the things he still did for you. Washing the dishes. Buying groceries. Watching over Gotham from rooftops. Picking up the books, sweets, and records you used to stare at.

But there was one thing he regretted more than anything: not saying "I love you" enough. Words had always been hard for him. He hoped you knew how much he loved and adored you, but he would never stop blaming himself for not saying it more.

Of course, his family was there to comfort him. But he doesn’t want their reassurance, he wants yours. Your validation, your gaze, your love is what matters. He cannot bear your absence, he cannot believe you left the earth.

Last summer, quiet streets and solitary walks.

He remembers walking on the streets with you, no matter how awful looking the Gotham view is. He would always lead you to the other places like the docs or a walk around Wayne manor. You always insisted on Gotham’s streets in daylight—said the sun made even Gotham feel safe, just for a little while.. and it wouldn’t hurt exploring the city.

On Tuesdays, he would go out walking on the streets. Hands in pockets, no goal in mind— just hoping your ghost would be walking there with him. He goes to the Gotham park and walks in the treeline street. If you were here, he’d scribble the spot on a sticky note and slap it on the fridge—your unofficial invitation to join him.

He looks at the horizon on the tree-lined street. He misses you so much.

Then, Jason comes back to the ugly streets of Gotham. He walks to an empty alleyway, graffiti painted all over the walls. He heard a commotion ahead—fists hitting flesh. Instinct took over. But when he rounded the corner, he froze.

The figure fighting off the thugs felt… familiar.

“Sweetheart?” he called out, barely a whisper. The figure stilled. “You should leave,” you said, and Jason’s heart stopped. He knew that voice.

He walks forward with steady and heavy steps, the sound of his boots echoing through the empty and dirty alleyway, “It’s you?” he asks.

You turn your head, and there you are. Still beautiful as the day he lost you. You were a bit different of course— shorter hair, different clothes, different look in your eyes.

The way you looked back at him hurts. Fear flickered in your eyes— guilt too, but mostly you just waited. Silent. Bracing for the words he hadn’t figured out how to say.

You huff, “I know what you’re going to say.” you started, wiping the blood in your knuckles. “How could I have done this? Faked my own death, wondering why I never came back to you.”

He walks closer to you as you back away an inch, “I don’t know, okay! I wanted to keep you safe, I don’t want the thing that could’ve been my fate happen to you.”

He doesn’t utter a single word and you start to get frustrated, “Oh, stop with that. Go on, say something. Shout, scream— say something!”

He placed a hand on your cheek and the world seemed to stand still.

How could he yell or scream at you? How could he when you were right there in front of him. He could see you, feel you, touch you. It felt so real. His thumb slowly stroked your cheek while his eyes searched your face.

“Jason—“ you utter his name, begging him to say something.

His mind couldn’t wrap around it. You were in front of him. Breathing. Real. His heart believed it, but his brain told him this had to be a dream.His fingers traced your eyebrows, your nose, your lips—memorizing every inch of your face.

Finally, he spoke. Soft. Fragile.

“Why?” he asked. His voice was tight, his blue eyes locked on yours like he was afraid you’d vanish. “Why did you leave me?”

His hand slipped behind your neck, the other settling at your waist. He pulled you close, burying his face against your shoulder. His grip tightened—like he’d never let go again.

Tears welled in his eyes. All he’d wanted—for six long months—was this. To hold you. To feel you. To have you.

His fingers curled in your shirt, his voice muffled in your neck. “Please, don’t leave me again.”

He clung to the warmth of you. Your breath. Your heartbeat. The feel of you in his arms. It all hurt—it hurt because it was real.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Now it was your turn to be speechless.

Despite the dark, grimy alleyway, Jason didn’t care. All that mattered was you. You closed your eyes. Pulled him close. “I’m sorry,” you whispered.

He didn’t answer right away. Just repeated your name softly, like he was trying to believe this was real.

When he finally pulled back, his face was streaked with tears. He looked at you, disbelief still painting his features.

Then the anger returned.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked, his tone harsh. “Leaving me like that? Letting me think you were dead for months?”

You didn’t answer. Guilt weighs heavy in your silence.

“Six months!” he barked. “Six months I thought you were gone! I went through hell trying to accept it. And now you just show up, like nothing happened?!”

His voice cracked, rising. “Did you think I wouldn’t care? That I’d just move on?”

His chest heaved as he stared at you. Anger. Pain. Desperation.

“I spent every night wondering. Wondering if you were alive, if you were in pain, if you were alone. I didn’t know why. I just knew you were gone.”

He broke again. Voice shaking. “Why… why did you leave me?”

You grabbed his arms. “I was afraid. If they found out I was alive, they’d come for you next.”

Jason’s brows furrowed. “Afraid?” he repeated. “That doesn’t give you the right to vanish like that!”He pulled away, stepping back as he tried to rein in his emotions.

He clenched his fists, remembering that awful morning. The cold sheets. The letter. The silence.

He tried to move on. Tried violence, rooftop patrols, long walks in the park—but nothing filled the space you left behind.

“I couldn’t sleep. I could barely eat. I was a mess—all because of you.”

You snapped.

“Then leave me if I hurt you so much! If I don’t deserve you—then just go!”

Jason froze, eyes wide at your words.

He stepped closer, gaze locked onto yours. “You think I can just walk away from you? Like you never mattered? You’re out of your mind if you think I could give up on you.”

You shook your head. “How could you still love me after everything I did?”

He exhaled slowly.

“Yes,” he said simply. “I’m still waiting for you to come back. Because I know I can’t move on from you. I won’t.”

His voice softened. “I know you’re worth the wait. But do you even understand how much it hurt? How hard it was just to breathe without you?”

Another step closer.

“I need you. I need you, sweetheart…”

You looked at him. Your voice barely above a whisper.

“What… what do you want me to do?”

“You really want me back?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” Jason said, like it was the simplest truth in the world. He lifted your face, thumbs brushing your cheek. “I don’t care about anything else.”

You stood still for a heartbeat—then broke, throwing your arms around him.

He kissed your forehead, breath hitching. “I love you,” he whispered.

i should be… studying……….

[v00do-d0ll]

Batman x The Ghost Whisperer AU

I don’t know how many of you know or remember this early 2000’s show called The Ghost Whisperer. It was essentially this woman (Melinda) who could see ghosts and whenever she comes across one, she’ll try to help them move on instead of being stuck roaming around on earth. so she would help them “relay messages to their loved ones” so they can go to the other side.

So hear me out on this, Jason has just died maybe 2 months prior, and Melinda is in Gotham for some reason and she finds Jason.

I also took some creative liberties with this. In this AU Jason isn’t mad at Bruce, and he doesn’t get resurrected later on. 

[ Angst w/ a bittersweet ending ~ 3,573 words ]

•

So Melinda is in Gotham for what ever reason and she just happens to walk past the gates of the manor. And as she’s passing them she see’s a kid that looks about 15 just standing in front of the gates.

“Hi, I think I’m a little lost. I’m looking for the train station.” She asks, the teen turns his head towards her with shock on his face. “You can see me?” he says with disbelief in his voice.

“Oh. You’re a ghost..” She says a little sad because he’s only a kid. “Yes, I can see you. I can see all ghosts.” She turns to look at the mansion the boy was looking at before. “Is this your house?” She asked and in the smallest voice the boy replied, “It was..”

She could see the sadness in the boys eyes as he said it. It was always sad seeing kids as ghosts, so she decided that she would help this soul move on.

“What’s your name?” She asks. “and without looking away from the manor he’s says “Jason.” Melinda nods. “It’s nice to meet you Jason, I’m Melinda. You’re actually the first ghost I’ve seen in this city, Which is odd. I was expecting to see a lot more, from what everyone told me about Gotham.” She says. “Yea, she told me that everyone that dies here just goes straight to some sort of after life. She said that since so much pain and suffering happens here, she doesn’t hold onto people’s souls. She lets them go.” Jason says

Confused, Melinda asks “who’s she?” “Gotham.” Jason says. “Ever since I died, she speaks to me. Tells me things so I’m not so lonely.” Melinda just stands there in shock so Jason continues, “Gothams an Eldritch City, she’s alive. Has been for hundreds of years. Apparently I was one of her favorite birds.” He says with a proud smile on his face. Melinda is not sure what to make of the information that Jason has told her, but not being to put off by it because she sees ghosts after all. “How does she talk to you?” Melinda asks. “She doesn’t take a form to speak to me directly. but it’s just little whispers in the wind, I can feel her presence in the air.” He answers. “Why did she hold onto you then?” Melinda asks. “She said that since I was her favorite bird, she didn’t want to let go of me yet.” Jason says as he shrugs.

There’s a short silence between them for a moment before she wonders why Jason’s just standing outside his home instead of going in. “Is there a reason you haven’t gone inside?, you know you can go see them right.” She says softly. Jason looks at her, taking his gaze away from his home. “I’m scared.. but, I miss my dad. I want to see him again and my grandfather too. I miss them but I’m scared to walk in. I’ve kind of just been watching them from afar.” Jason says.

“I could help you.. I could relay anything you want to say to them for you.” She says. Jason just looks at her so she squats down and softly says “I’ve helped other ghost like you before.” “What do you mean?” Jason questions, “I help ghost who have unfinished business, finish that business so they can move on and go to the other side.” Jason snorts looking away “Unfinished business huh.. that seems about right.”

Melinda noticed that there was a lot behind Jason’s eyes, like he was recalling something. “Jason, if you don’t mind me asking. How did you die?” Jason freezes with a haunted look in his eyes but doesn’t say anything for a long while. Eventually he looks at her again with the same haunting look on his face and whispers “I was murdered.”

Melinda gasps, not saying anything for a while. Just taking in that information. “Does.. does your family know where you are?” Jason nods and points past the manor. “They buried me in the back yard next to Bruces parents in the rose garden. It’s really pretty.” He whispers, a sad look on his face. They stay silent for a while.

“Would you like me to go with you and help you talk to them?” Melinda asks. “Yea.” he says softly. “I’ve been.. dead for about two months now. I’ve had time to deal with the fact that I’m-.” He pauses for a moment. “I’m.. I’m ready to go.” He whispers the last part. Turning to look at Melinda. “I just want to see them one more time.” She nods her head at him. She hesitantly reaches her hand out offering it to the boy for any sort of comfort she can give him. He takes it and she has a feeling that this boy has been through more than she could imagine but she wasn’t going to pry. Some things just weren’t for her to know.

They walk up to the manor together hand in hand and she knocks on the large door. It doesn’t take long for the door to open and to be greeted by an older man.

“May I help you?” The man asks, Jason squeezes her hand and says “That’s my grandfather, Alfred.” “Are you Alfred?” She asks. He looks at her assessing what she could want. “Yes I am, and you are?” He says. “My name is Melinda, I’m here on behalf of Jason..?” She says

Alfred stops. Eyes going wide, then he gives her a dark look. “I don’t know what you are trying to do. But I suggest that you do it elsewhere.” He says anger in his voice. “I know this sounds insane but please, I need to speak to both you and..” she turns to look at Jason because she doesn’t know the boys fathers name. “Bruce” Jason says. She turns back to Alfred, “Bruce. I need to speak to you and Bruce. It’s important.” She says quickly. Alfred looks at her for a long moment not saying anything. Just assessing her, trying to deduce if she’s trying to trick him.

After a while he lets her in. “Follow me.” He walks them down a corridor into a sitting room. “Please stay here while I go get Master Bruce.” Alfred says still eyeing her. Once he’s gone Melinda turns to Jason. “This is a beautiful home.” she says. “Yea, it’s huge right. My favorite room is the library. Me and B would sit in the little book nook that’s in there and read together.” Jason said with a small smile on his face. “What kinds of books do you like?” She asked him. “I really like Jane Austin books. Specifically ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Bruce would read that to me if I couldn’t sleep. I’d have a nightmare and crawl into his bed. He’d stay awake reading that book to me till I fell back asleep.”

As he recalls the memory you could see how much love he had for his father. “You sound like you love him a lot.” She said. “Yea, he’s done a lot for me. He adopted me from the streets. He’s emotionally constipated as fuck though.” He says with a laugh, “But I know he cares. He shows it in different ways.” He says looking out one of the many windows with a smile on his face as he says it.

Before she could ask anything else, she heard foot steps coming their way.

When she looks up she sees Alfred and what she assumes is Bruce, and he looks like he’s been through hell. He has dark under eyes like he hasn’t slept in weeks. His skin looks sickly pale. He’s running his hand through his hair to tame it. Over all he looks like a man that’s world has just been taken from him.

Jason inhales sharply “Jesus B…” Melinda turns to look at the boy. “I never got close enough to tell how bad he was doing..” says Jason. Bruce walks up to her, a stern look on his face. “How do you know my son.” Bruce says, no room for pleasantries in his voice, startling her. “My name is Melinda, I have a gift that allows me to see ghosts. I was walking past your gates and I saw him.” She says. Bruce stills, anger forming on his face. “You expect me to just believe that. What, did you think I’d just take your word for it. What do you really want.” Bruces says his voice rising and he gets visibly angrier.

She turns her head towards Jason. “Tell him, ‘Robin gives me magic’. He’ll know what it means.” Melinda turns back towards Bruce and Alfred, and quotes the boy. Both men freeze. “What..” Bruce says. “Jason told me to tell you, ‘Robin gives me magic’. He’s here with us, he said you’d know what it means.” Bruce and Alfred just look at each other. “Ms. Melinda you have to understand that we can’t possibly believe this. Saying that Master Jason is here with us, how could we possibly believe you.” Alfred questions.

“Jason told me that his favorite room here is the library, and that’s where he and Bruce read together, in the little nook that’s in there.” She says. Both men look at her with confusion. “How could you possibly-.” Bruce starts but Melinda interrupts him. “He said that his favorite author is Jane Austin, and that when he has nightmares.” She stops and looks Bruce directly in the eyes. “He climbs into your bed and you read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ to him until he falls back asleep.” She says.

Both men don’t say a thing. They don’t know how to react.

“Melinda.” Jason says. She turns her head to him, Bruce notices she’s looking at something that’s not there. “The night Bruce met me. I was trying to steal the tires off his car, and I hit him over the head with a tire iron.” He laughed at the memory. “It was also the anniversary of his parent’s death that day.”

Melinda looks at Jason with a confused look but complied. “Jason said that the night he met you it was your parents anniversary of the day they died, and he was trying to steal the tires off your car, he said he hit you over the head with a tire iron.” Bruce looked completely shocked. Backing up a little bit to grab onto Alfred’s arm. “How- how could you possibly know that.” Bruce asked quietly.

“Jason told me. He’s here too. I promise I’m not lying to you.” She says. “I’m here to help him move onto the other side. Souls that are stuck here have unfinished business, and I help them. He told me he misses you and Alfred.” As she says this Bruce turns around in disbelief. “He’s just been a ghost this whole time.” He asks. “Yes, apparently the only one as well.” Both Bruce and Alfred are confused by that. “What do you mean, ‘the only one’.” Alfred asks

“Apparently Gotham can speak to Jason now that he’s a ghost, and as he explained it to me. Your city is an Eldritch one. It’s alive and has been for a really long time. But Jason said that it doesn’t hold on to peoples souls because there is so much suffering in this city. So she lets them go.” “She explains. “Then why didn’t she let Jason go? He’s just been wandering Gotham for two months alone?” He asks with such desperation in his voice. “Jason said it’s because she told him he’s her favorite bird.” She sees a dawning of understanding wash over Bruces features as he starts crying, still desperately holding onto Alfred.

“I’ve.. I’ve never seen him cry before..” Jason says tears in his eyes as well. “He’s the stoic type you know. Keeps everything on the inside. I was always a little scared he didn’t like me as much as his first kid. For a long time I thought he was gonna try something with me, cuz you know. Why would some rich guy just adopt me; a street rat.” He says still watching Bruce. “But the longer I was here, the more I realized he just wanted to help. My biological dad was abusive to me and my mom, and she was a drug addict. I came home one night and she had overdosed. My dad left a while before that. So I was living on the streets for a while before Bruce found me.” He says watching his father fall apart.

A breeze comes from somewhere, Jason turns his head like he heard something. He turns back to Melinda, tears in his eyes. “Can you tell him something for me.” He asks, she nods her head. “Will you tell him that Gotham says she’s sorry for not being able to protect me.” He looks down before continuing. “She can help those who she chooses, but because I was outside of Gotham when I was-.. when I died. She couldn’t help me. She’s been wanting to apologize for a while but can’t talk to Bruce like she can me.” He says with a shaky breath.

Melinda turns her head down to try and collect herself, and failing. “Bruce.” She says with tears in her eyes, and a catch in her voice. “Jason said that Gotham is sorry for not being able to protect him. She can apparently help those she chooses but since he wasn’t in Gotham when he passed.” She had to stop for a moment, watching as understanding dawns on Bruce and Alfred’s faces. “She couldn’t help him.” She whispers.

Bruce turns into Alfred, collapsing into his embrace. Sobbing into the man. Not being able to catch his breath. Melinda, tears streaming down her face turns away from them to give them a moment. Looking back at Jason shock still evident on his face. Watching the tangible proof of how much his father loved him. He walks over to Bruce and stands in front of them, Just watching.

“He’s in front of you Bruce.” Melinda whispers. Bruce turning his head to look, Still seeing nothing. Tears running down his face. Then Bruce speaks, “Jason. Jason I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to save you. I was trying. I was trying so hard to find you. I was right there when- when you. When it.” His breath catches in his throat. Jason looks at him like he just learned something new. Fresh tears roll down Jason’s face. “I was almost there. I almost had you. My son, I’m so sorry.” He says, sobbing into his hands.

Jason turns his head to Melinda. “Tell him it’s okay. That I forgive him, it’s just good to know he was looking. I didn’t know he was right there before-.” Jason stops. “Tell him that I love him, and that the past 3 years were the best of my life. That being his Robin was the magic my life was missing.” He smiled. “And tell Alfred that his hot chocolate could cure anything. And that I love him too. And I miss cooking with him, and making fun of Bruce for being a disaster in the kitchen.” He laughs as he wipes his eyes.

As she relays what Jason has said, she watches as the emotions that reside on their faces. “He also said that he misses making fun of Bruce for being terrible in the kitchen.” Both Alfred and Bruce laugh a little at that.

Another breeze comes in and Jason freezes this time. He looks shocked. “What is it Jason.” Melinda says. Bruce and Alfred turn to look at her with question.

“Gotham said-“ he stops for a moment. “Gotham said that she would make me tangible for a while before-.. before she lets me go.” He whispers. Melinda gasps. “What, what is it. Is something wrong?” Bruce asks with worry. Alfred putting a hand on Bruces shoulder.

“Jason said that Gotham told him she would turn him tangible for a moment before she lets him go to the other side.” She tells them. Both of them becoming more alert. “What?” Bruce asks. “I’ll be able to see him?” He says. “Yes.” She says in disbelief. “I’ve never seen that happen before. Usually I’m the only one that can see-.” She’s interrupted by both Bruce and Alfred gasping as they turn and see Jason standing in front of Bruce. Bruce is stunned as he moves his hand up to Jason’s cheek. When his hand touches his face, he inhales sharply, and pulls Jason into him to hold him close. Jason clings onto Bruce, both crying into each other. Alfred holding them both with a hand in Jason’s hair.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Jason. I love you so much.” Bruce says into Jason’s hair. Holding onto him tightly. “It’s okay Bruce. It’s okay.” He whispers. Jason turns his head towards the hand Alfred had in his hair. “My boy, are you alright?” Alfred asks, tears in his eyes. “I’m okay now Alfie.” Jason said softly. They stay like that for a long while, holding onto each other because they knew. This was not permanent. Jason couldn’t stay with them.

As they hold each other a bright light shines behind them. Bruce and Alfred look up at it. “What is that.” Bruce asks. “That’s the other side. It only shows up when.. when a soul is ready to move on.” Melinda says. Bruce and Alfred freeze. Not wanting to let him go. “It’s okay Bruce, I just wanted to see you guys again.” Jason says. He looks up into Bruces tearful eyes. Bruce put Jason’s face into his hands and kisses his forehead. “Are you sure Jaybird.” Bruce asks, resting his forehead on Jason’s.

“Yea, Bruce. It’s okay.” Jason whispers. He turns to look at Alfred, He lets go of Bruce to hug the man. Clinging to him, “Alfred. Take care of him. We both know that he won’t.” He said. “I will, and I shall miss you immensely Master Jason.” Alfred pulls away to look him in the eyes. “I love you my boy. Don’t ever forget that.” Alfred says with conviction. “I love you too Alfie.” Jason says and hugs him again.

When they pull apart, he hugs Bruce one last time. Bruce holding his son in his arms for the final time, not wanting to let go. But he knows he has to. It takes everything in him to let go. Tears still running down his face, and Jason wipes them away. Looking him in the eyes and whispers. “Love you, dad.” Bruce gasps, more tears falling. Not caring how he must look. Resting his forehead on Jason’s again looking him in the eyes. “You are my son. Don’t ever doubt that for a second okay. I love you so much Jay.”

They pull apart and Jason walks over to the light. He turns around to look at his family just one more time, and smiles. He looks over at Melinda. “Thank you, for helping me see them again.” He says. “It was my pleasure Jason.” She replies, eyes red rimmed from her crying.

And Jason finally walks through to the other side.

There’s a long silence before anyone speaks.

“Is. Is that it. Is he just.. gone?” Bruce asks in a whisper, Melinda nods her head. “Yes, his soul has laid to rest. Jason’s at peace.” She says wiping the tears from her eyes. Watching both Bruce and Alfred look at the spot Jason was just in. She could feel that this family was different somehow. A lot of the things that Jason said didn’t completely make sense to her.

But that doesn’t really matter does it. All she needs to know is that Jason was loved, and will be remembered and missed desperately.

Clearing his throat Alfred says. “Thank you Ms.Melinda, for giving us this opportunity to see our boy again. And I apologize for our earlier rudeness.” as he walks closer to her. “It’s not a problem. I’m just glad I could help him.” She says with a small smile. She looks over to Bruce who hasn’t moved since Jason walked to the other side.. “Will he be okay?” She asks still looking at Bruce. Alfred sighs looking at his son with sadness in his eye and responds “I’m not sure yet. But either way, I will be with him until he is.”

Melinda gives Alfred a small smile and takes that as her cue to leave. As Alfred is walking her out the front door he says to her, “Before you go, I would like to tell you even though Jason’s passing has taken it’s toll on Master Bruce and I, it was a gift to see, and hug Jason once more. What you do for people is a goodness that this city rarely gets to see. So I thank you again, Ms.Melinda.”

“It’s not a problem Alfred. Take care, and tell Bruce that Jason truly does understand how much he loves him. Even if he can’t show it normally.” She says

“Will do, have a good night Ms.Melinda. Thank you.” He says.

“You too Alfred.” As she walks away, She realizes she definitely missed her train. but was worth it to see a family reunite, even if only briefly.

The End

[yoonjae20]

Ric(hard) Fenton; Part 6 of 6

Read on ao3.

Masterpost. Previous

“Ellie didn’t visit while I was gone, right?” Dick questions as they walk into the second basement to free the Amity Park residents that were arrested by the GIW for not complying to a house search or the GIW’s lockdown rules and those who were “too liminal” by the GIW’s standards. The rest stayed behind to wipe the GIW’s database and keep a look on all the agents as well as scientists and guards. The ghosts that were captured had already been released by Sam and Tucker. 

Danny shakes his head.

“No, last we heard from her, she was still in Puerto Rico.”

“Who’s Ellie?” Jason questions, trying to think back to the photos in the Fenton home, but he doesn’t remember a 7th person in the group photo. 

“My sort-of twin, slash clone,” Danny says and at Jason’s unbelieving look he adds, “It’s complicated.” 

Suddenly a girl appears, floating next to them, who looks like Danny’s female version if he had white hair and green exes, startling them all.

“You called?” she says, cheekily.

“How even-“ Danny starts and gets interrupted before he can finish his sentence when the girl sticks a green sticky note with something scribbled on it on his forehead.

Danny takes it, staring at it before he groans.

“Of course,” he grumbles. 

“Did you already greet the rest?” Dick asks and Ellie nods before she settles down on the ground and rings travel over her body, turning her hair black and eyes blue. 

“Yeah Mom and Dad told me you are down here.” 

She turns to Jason with a grin.

“Apparently we also have a new brother.”

“Ellie,” Dick warns, but before he can make a step to stop her, she transforms back and tackles Jason. 

To Jason’s surprise his Pit Rage stays quiet and a grin forms on his own face as they ruffle with each other. He ducks under a green blast, actually having fun as he attacks himself. Jason gets lost in the spar and by the time they stop, both panting, Jason notices Danny and Dick are gone.

“Where are Dick and Danny?” Jason asks in between breaths, where he is sitting down on the floor.

“They went to finish breaking out the Amity Pearl residents like ten minutes into our fight.”

She holds out a hand for Jason to grab.

“Good fight.”

Jason grins as he accepts, still slightly surprised at her strong grip as she helps him up without any difficulty.

“You too,” he echoes and finds that he isn’t even lying. 

“You finally finished?” 

They turn to Dick who has his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as he takes in their ruffled hair and slightly with soot covered clothes and the new holes in the walls. 

Jason rolls his eyes as he straightens his clothes.

“It’s been barely 20 minutes,” he counters.

“It’s been an hour,” Dick corrects with a deadpan look, shaking his head. “We went by you to evacuate the residents and you didn’t even notice.” 

Jason gapes as the man turns to Ellie.

“Mr. Lancer says he prepared some homeschooling packets you can work on during the next trip,” Dick says. “I gave him your finished assignments.” 

“Thanks,” Ellie chirps. 

“How long are you planning on staying?” Dick asks as they walk back up, Jason slightly trailing behind them. 

Ellie hums as she raises her arms behind her neck.

“Haven’t decided yet,” she admits. “I do want to see the shit show that’ll happen when Mom and Jazz rip into the Justice League.” 

“Wait, what?” Jason questions, but he gets ignored. Jason blows the white lock hanging into his face away, annoyed.

Dick winces, slightly squeezing his eyes together.

“They remembered, didn’t they?”

“Yup,” Ellie says simply, popping the p. 

Jason slips between the two, before they can continue their conversation. 

“Hello, context please?”

Dick and Ellie exchange a gaze, before the former explains everything that happened with the Justice League and Danny, Sam and Tucker. Jason blinks at the information, once again left reeling, slowly starting to understand why Dick had acted so differently when he returned. 

“Danny slightly reversed the spell by showing B his memories,” Dick explains. “Apparently it had the effect that the memories of the people closest to the event will slowly trickle in. Thankfully the general public will still stay unaware of what happened.”

They turn the corner and Jason almost feels like in a fever dream as he takes in the situation. The Fentons — mainly Jazz and Maddie — are berating Bruce as the man is as still as a scolded puppy. It takes all of Jason’s concentration to not break out in laughter once again. 

Ellie gestures to the interaction as if to say, “See what I mean?”

Dick shakes his head fondly, before he joins where Danny is standing next to his father chatting with his friends along with Ellie. Jason stays rooted in his place until Jack waves him over with a smile. The man ruffles his hair as soon as he gets close enough.

Yeah, Jason could get used to this. 

Danny is snacking on popcorn when Dick joins him after using the zeta tube to get here, both leaning at the wall as they watch their mother and sister annihilate the Justice League with words alone, making them bend to their will to get rid of the GIW and the Ecto Acts as fast as humanly possible. 

The Justice League Dark are right behind them, supporting the two women as they glare at the Justice League. Turns out hunting Danny and essentially his fraid for sport could have been seen as a declaration of war on the Infinite Realms considering Danny's status as the savior of the Realms and unofficial prince. 

Dick doesn’t think he has seen Clark, Diana and the rest look so chastised before. Whenever one of the Flashes wants to pipe in a new green sticky note appears out of thin air and Jazz reads out Clockwork’s complaints about them messing with time. By now they have shut their mouth, considering the about 20 odd sticky notes gathered on the meeting table.

“You do know that my… other family won’t leave you all alone after this, right?” Dick says as Danny throws popcorn into his mouth. He doesn’t try to stare as he phases his hand back into his chest for another handful. This might be the one thing Dick will never get used to despite being liminal enough himself to develop some of the standard ghost powers. 

“Oh yeah,” Danny says easily. “They already don't.”

Dick lets out a sigh — yeah okay, he should have expected it.

“What did they do?” he asks, wearily. He knows he left them alone for a bit to make sure everything in Blüdhaven is still running smoothly before the meeting, but he couldn’t have been gone longer than a few hours. Although by now he should know this is plenty — both for the Bats and Birds and his family. 

Danny hums, slightly amused before he starts listing everything.

“Well, firstly Damian challegened Ellie to a duel,” Danny says. “It ended up in a draw and now he practically sticks to her shadow after she told him about all the places she visited and the exotic animals she saw. I’m also still 50/50 about the chances that Ellie will convince the boy to go travel with her around the world.”

Dick shakes his head with a smile. Leave it to Ellie to break through Damian’s serious demeanor so quickly. It will do him good if they stay friends. Maybe her being a free spirit will make it so Damian allows himself to act a little bit more like his age. 

“Then Tucker thought it would be funny to try hacking into Batcomputer and now he, Barbara and Tim are challenging each other to see who will be caught first in like their edition of a puzzle game,” Danny adds. “They are sending each other ciphers to crack and what not.”

Dick had always had the feeling that Tucker and Tim as well as Barbara would get along. All of them are a bit of a tech geek. And very competitive. He’ll need to keep a watch on them so they don’t take this too seriously. 

“Sam is painting Cass’ and Stephanie’s nails at the moment after they went shopping and Dad is playing video games with Duke. Jason and Alfred are busy in the kitchen,” Danny ends. 

Dick huffs out a laugh, not even surprised at the turn of events. 

“If someone told me roughly a year ago that this would be my current reality, I don't think I would have believed them.”

Danny grins, soft and relieved and for the first time Dick can see the boy Danny had been before the accident — without the constant responsibility of having to save his home city on his shoulders, of the possibility of dying if he makes a wrong step. 

“I know what you mean,” Danny murmurs and for a moment the boy seems far away as he gets lost in his thoughts. 

Dick leans against the boy, tucking him into his side to distract him from the memories. Danny practically melts into his touch and a wave of familial affection surges through Dick. He smiles at Danny’s genuine feelings that register to him. Safe, protected, loved.

“Thanks for letting me be your brother,” Dick says genuinely, having to blink back tears. 

Danny lets out a wet chuckle, pressing even closer to Dick. 

“No take backs anymore, Ric,” Danny teases.

Dick ruffles the boy’s hair with a smile.

“Of course not,” he denies, “I’m not Richard Grayson-Fenton for nothing, after all.”

Dick releases Danny after a few minutes of them soaking in each other’s warmth (or cold in Danny’s case) and steps away from the wall with a grin.

“Ready to save them from Jazz’s and Mom’s wrath?”

Danny chuckles but joins him nevertheless. It’s a feat to see that the boy doesn’t seem afraid of the Justice League anymore. 

“I don’t think they will let us.”

“Well at least we can say we tried,” Dick proposes and both of them laugh, walking over to the meeting with bright eyes. 

Things may be a lot different than Dick expected more than a year ago, but he can’t say he’s mad about it as Jazz and Maddie pull both of them into a side hug, not stopping in their tirade while they do so. Not at all.

[ghost-bxrd]

Ghost, you are a fountain of incredible aus. I am impressed (and a little jealous). Do you have anything more on eldritch Jason or the Calvin Rose road trip au?

Awe thank you! I’m happy you’re enjoying all the crack content on here hehehe 💚💚

and boi do I have more ✨

Edlritch Jason 👁️

Jason has trouble keeping his true form in check when he’s excited! The happier/upset he gets, the more his outline and shape start to ooze

He has several maws with teeth that range from blunt to sharp needle points. In one of those maws hides a black hole

Jason is scared of space, funnily enough. Too empty and vast for him as he gets lonely pretty easily. He likes the crowded spaces teeming with life.

Jason loves learning new human things

Jason has no reaction to fear or joker toxin. Or any kind of substance that would impair a regular human’s health. Bruce finds out about that after he nearly loses his mind with worry following a widespread toxin attack in which Jason “forgets” his rebreather.

Pictures of Jason always end up looking a little displaced. There’s always some kind of glitch/blur/shadow in it that no amount of tech improvement can get rid of

Even though he’s eldritch at core, Jason’s human body can still be hurt, and he experiences pain just like any other human would

Calvin Rose road trip 🌹

Calvin finds Jason soaking wet and still in his funeral clothes and injuries sitting by the curb and is disturbed enough by the kid’s appearance to usher him back to his hideout.

For the longest time Calvin thinks Jason is called Bruce because that’s the only thing he will say

Taking Jason with him is a spur of the moment decision. Jason reminds him too much of himself, beaten and broken and locked away in a dog cage to die, and he looks so… lost. Calvin can’t bear to drive away from that without knowing what happens to the kid

As much as Calvin grumbles about it sometimes he’s exceptionally good and patient with Jason. He talks a lot and points out inane things even though he rarely (if ever) gets a reaction. (Calvin was lonely, not that he’s gonna admit that)

For some time Calvin thinks Jason used to be trained as a Talon when a few people try to mug them and Jason goes all Robin-training on them. He’s sure their little experiments went to far and the Court meant to dispose of him now that he’s “broken”

The first words Jason speaks that isn’t any iteration of Bruce’s name is “burger” (because he wants a burger). Calvin buys him ten because that’s literally the first time Jay has ever expressed an opinion on food.

Jason’s second word is “Dick”, and Calvin nearly chokes to death on his beer.

From there on it’s a steady improvement of Jay’s mental state, but that also means he starts getting night terrors as he remembers his death and the Joker. Once Calvin pieces together the broad picture he’s down to devising plans to dispose of the clown. He’s not making compromises where people who hurt children are concerned. Especially not if they’re family

Jason never tells Calvin about Batman or being Robin, he’s… kind of happy to be away from all of it. Especially after seeing Brucie Wayne and his new protege and Dick Grayson, a happy and smiling family, on the news together. And sightings of Robin making the front page of most magazines

Calvin knows Jason is hiding something from him, but hey, so is Calvin. All he knows is that his kid brother road trip buddy really doesn’t seem to like Gotham’s vigilantes. Something he can totally respect. And thankfully, Calvin is skilled enough to keep him safe even if the glorified furry and his acolytes were to come after Jay for whatever reason.

Jason’s favorite song to listen to while driving is “I know the end” by Phoebe Bridgers. Calvin starts out hating the song but is to endeared by how happy Jason gets (even in his early catatonic state) that he doesn’t say anything. It ends up being both their favorite song

[minty364]

Minty's Master Post

So, I've been asked a couple times for a master post

DPXDC Prompt #43

Danny had kept many secrets from his family over the years. He kept his history as an ex-assassin secret, the fact that he had a twin a secret, the fact that he had died (well half died), and he kept that he was technically king of all ghosts a secret too. He was gearing up to tell his parents about everything he was and this trip to Gotham that they were planning.

There was a science convention that his parents were invited too. Little did they know a group of cultists were planning on kidnapping his family as a sacrifice to the ghost king, they needed 5 and they figured the Fentons would be good, a family of ghost hunters getting sacrificed to the king? They needed a 5th so they also kidnapped a Damian Wayne.

now all 5 of them are in a room, Danny doesn’t even know what’ll happen when the summoning doesn’t work and he knows it won’t seeing as you can’t summon the king into a room he’s already in.

DPXDC Prompt #58

Gotham is a city with a lot of ambient ectoplasm, enough that the Fentons move here instead of Amity Park. Danny being a pretty smart kid being the son of 2 scientists gets a scholarship to Gotham academy where he makes friends with Tim and Damian. Well the 2 were only doing it at first because they wanted to keep an eye on them scientists rarely didn’t become rouges in Batman’s gallery so can you really blame them for being cautious?

Danny is telling them about the portal that they were trying to build and how it wasn’t working and how Danny felt guilty about it. The 3 venture down there when the parents are gone and Danny wearing his hazmat goes into the portal while the other 2 watch on. Danny trips and no one’s having a good time.

They decided to take Danny to Wayne manor until they can figure out what exactly happened to him, unfortunately Danny’s new powers act up and he winds up phasing through the floor into the basement… or more accurately the Bat cave.

this one has been changed a bit from the prompt but I think those changes are more natural

DPXDC Prompt #61

In one universe Damian was sent to live with his father at age 10, in another he winds up escaping Nanda Parbat to America after faking his death. He changed his name to Danny and moves in with a family called the Fentons. Danny dies and is revived by the portal and even becomes king of the infinite realms.

Danny falls through a portal into Gotham but not his universes Gotham but one where he becomes Robin instead. He and Robin meet and of course this version of him assumes Danny’s a clone. Everyone else is just confused and Danny just wants to go home to his universe or does he since the GIW doesn’t exist in this universe…

DPXDC Prompt #108

When you meet your soulmate you both feel it, you know down to your bones that this person was meant to be with you for life, if you’re unable to find them before you pass on, your ghosts will be unable to locate each other in the afterlife. The Fentons tried to make a way to locate your soulmate using ectoplasm, unfortunately for Danny he’s the only one in the family yet to find his. Jazz actually found hers when she started school in Gotham, some guy named Jason, if Danny remembered correctly. They try some experiments with Danny and something works just not as intended as with every piece of Fenton tech. Danny wakes up in an unfamiliar room and in an unfamiliar body. Looking around, it appears his soulmate is rich, he’s got to call his soulmate and explain the situation. He’s not looking forward to explaining his powers to them but if they’re going to be in his body best to let them know what to expect from Danny’s weird biology.

Damian woke up to an unfamiliar ringtone in an unfamiliar room. Assessing the situation he noticed the number from the phone was actually his own. Might as well answer it to see if he could get some answers.

DPXDC Prompt #128

No one was quite sure what happened, They had gone after Joker and while Batman was hesitant to allow Hood along he had gotten better about his anger and everyone else was busy with other rouges. one second Red Hood had a gun in Jokers face the next, there was a shift in Hood like he wasn’t himself anymore. Unfortunately it finally happened for Hood, his soulmate had reached 20 years of age and the two switched places. The person controlling his body now though was Danny Fenton who happens not to like clowns.

Danny was panicking and not realizing he was holding a gun pulls the trigger causing the Joker the go flying and Danny’s panic to increase 10 fold. He whips his head to get a look at his surroundings and that’s when he panics further and slowly places the gun on the ground and slowly raise his hands into the air. There in front of him was Batman and he knew he was in trouble. Still panicking he squeaked at the dark knight’s approach, “I’m sorry!! I- I guess I’m this guy’s soulmate. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone”

Jason meanwhile wasn’t fairing any better. He was pissed the clown was right in front of him and he was so close! He was in this scrawny body, his soulmate happened to be in Gotham but by the looks of it, he was in rough shape, a small fever was forming and it seemed like he had bandages wrapped around his torso. Jason doesn’t know what happened to him but he’s taking him to Alfred, he wasn’t going to let his soulmate bleed out in an alley even if he did have the worst timing.

DPXDC Prompt #136

Danny falls through a natural portal and gets turned into a dog. I’m thinking he gets turned into something husky adjacent like a pomsky or something. He gets found by Jon who wants to give him to his friend and possible crush Damian. Danny wants to get back he was in the middle of some ghost politics but this young kid seemed like he needed a friend. Danny could see through Damian’s cold exterior and what Danny saw was a little kid who went through a lot of trauma in his childhood and Danny wanted to protect him.

DPXDC Prompt #142

It was considered a pretty big deal when a new ancient gets born. Danny didn’t and wouldn’t know this when he gets into an accident. A signal went out to all magic users that the ancient of space was born as soon as he stepped out of the portal and then things changed. If you could make a deal with an ancient it increased your power way more than that of a demon. Soon Danny gets chased by all sorts of folk trying to make a deal with him. He then gets caught by John Constantine who takes him back to the safety of the watchtower. What is the safest place to put the space ancient? In space!

DPXDC Prompt #148

Danny didn’t want to go to the gala but since all of his friends were busy with their own soulmates there wasn’t much he could argue. Vlad invited his family and him to a gala out in Gotham and his parents jumped at the opportunity to show their madness with some of the elite. Danny couldn’t wait to get home, yes he knew he had a soulmate but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue them or not.

They could feel each other’s emotions and his soulmate was an angry person. Danny’s whole life his soulmate acted mad and strangely prideful. But those didn’t compare to his fear, they seemed to have gotten themselves in trouble in the past and maybe even had a few close encounters with death. They also seemed to bottle feelings up from what he could tell his soulmate might not have had the best childhood but Danny couldn’t really say much on that.

Damian knew his soulmate was kind of soft. They seemed to get annoyed at his family typical for a teen. Of all the things he noted about him his dislike of Christmas was a little odd but not everyone has to like the holidays he supposed. His mother Talia imparted on him that he should protect his soulmate with his life when he finds him so he was very determined to find them. Of course galas we’re the best place to look so he desperately asked every time his father hosted one.

When this finally get's posted I've been trying for hours now, LMAO

[flwrkid14]

I think we should fully embrace the idea that when Jason crawled his way out of his grave, he didn’t just come back with scars. He lost part of his voice.

Not like he had much practice talking while he was buried under six feet of dirt, right? And then, they toss him into the Lazarus Pit, and sure, his body’s alive again, but his mind? It’s a mess. Revenge. Anger. Confusion. There’s no room left for casual conversation when all he can think about is what happened to him. He only speaks when he has to, because trying to form words feels like trying to sift through the fog that’s settled in his brain.

But Jason? He still loves to read. Vocabulary isn’t the problem, it’s the act of speaking itself. Sometimes, when he opens his mouth, he swears he can taste the dirt. He can feel the dryness in his throat, like it’s still raw from all the screaming, and suddenly, talking becomes this… unbearable thing. So he stops, because silence is better than remembering.

And even when he does talk? It doesn’t sound like him. It’s not the voice of the boy who used to crack jokes with Bruce or make snarky remarks. There are no voice cracks anymore. There’s nothing familiar. He doesn’t sound like himself. It’s like some stranger stole his voice, and it makes him feel… like a ghost in his own skin.

So yeah, maybe he’ll eventually start talking more often. Maybe he’ll even pretend he’s fine. But I think, deep down, Jason never really got his voice back after the grave.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Here is an idea. What if Jason Tod and Danny were half brothers. Same biological father but different mothers. Danny was given up as a baby and adopted by the Fentons.

And what if the Jason is a half’s but because the pit water’s corruption is so bad that I’m suppressing the pit madness he is also suppressing any ghost powers.

Now for the plot, they first met when the Fentons go to a ghost hunter convention in Gotham and Danny has to step away because another vendor had an invention that was picking up on his ghost half. But given his typical luck ands up accidentally running into red hood while he is out flying in ghost form.

He sees that hood has very badly corrupted ectoplasm and try’s to to help. Remembering a device the Fentons made to purify ectoplasm and he retro fits it to work almost like dialysis. Somehow hood accepts and now that his pit madness is clearing up and he doesn’t have to put effort into suppressing it he starts developing ghost powers.

Danny visits at an agreed time to check on the progress of cleaning out the corrupted pit ectoplasm and adds teaching Jason to control the ghost powers onto the todo list. Then in a sad twist while Danny is away to give Red hood a lesson on ghost powers something happens to destroy amity park leaving no survivors. (Jazz maybe at college in another city so she survives?)

Not sure how it is found out they are half brothers, but that is all I got. I hope to see what you think and can add on to it.

I can imagine Jason doesn't agree to anything and Danny just kinda forces it and gets a broken nose in the process. Danny flees and Jason realizes he does actually feel a lot better.

The blood from the broken nose is analyzed and beyond the worrying amounts of altered Lazarus water theres human blood that is a familial match to Jason, showing them as half brothers

[haleswallows]

for the dragon wip meme - talon or fire :D

Talon: share a snippet that tugs at your heartstrings- can be sad or happy!

ahahahaha you mean everything I write? From the Jason/GNC!Siren prequel.

Because the story of Danny Fenton is written in his skin with scars. And in the way he shies from rooms that are too bright, or that Danny doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to see someone in white without flinching again. Because this body? This is where he was hurt. This is where he died. Danny can’t get distance from what happened to him. It doesn’t matter where they move or how many houses Sam buys or how often Tucker updates their home security. Because… because it happened here, this body, this vessel - this thing that’s supposed to be Danny. Whatever it is, Danny isn’t Danny anymore. He doesn’t feel connected to this thing he drags around and has to wash and feed.

Fire: share a snippet with some dialogue you’d like to show off.

Glad to do this one again. From the unnamed fake dating au

"Um, the bird left. Can I convince you to give me a traumatic brain injury? Because, and I am so sorry for this, but I think I know who you and all the Bats are now? I don't want to know who all the Bats are, I am so sorry. We had a rule and," he flails a gloved hand. "I fucked that up, I'm sorry, Ancients. I fucked up big." Tim wonders what all has been going through Phantom's mind while he was finishing up. A part of him wants to laugh, and maybe he would if circumstances were different. The whole thing is absurd. But Phantom is so upset — he's a bit upset too, but he recognizes the honest mistake. He goes to Phantom. When he steps into Phantom's line of sight, the ghost squeezes his eyes shut and turns away again. "No!" With a snort, Tim pivots with him. Phantom claps hands over his face, repeating, "No!" "Quit it," Tim scolds. Phantom huffs from behind his hands. "I accept your apology." Right then, Tim remembers Phantom's undead, not living. He goes impossibly still, not even his chest moving. "We can pretend it never happened," Phantom offers in a small voice.

[rubydubydoo122]

Jason gets de-aged because I've seen fics of Tim or Dick being de-aged, and Bruce losing his memory, but no one has realized the potential for angst if you de-age Jason.

Jason’s whole body ached. His skull felt like it was squishing his brain and his skin felt tight to a point where it was suffocating him. He couldn’t breathe. 

No. Don’t panic. He doesn’t know what type of danger he could be in. Jason sat up, cautiously scanning his surroundings. 

He was in an alley. The only thing near him was a giant blue community dumpster. He scooted so that his back was against one of the building’s walls, and pulled off what appeared to be a red helmet.

Ok, Breathe, Jason. What happened? How’d you get here? Are you hurt?

For one, everything hurts, but is anything fatal? 

He wasn’t bleeding, but what in the hell was he wearing? The boots on his feet were at least four sizes too big, same with his clothes. The leather jacket basically dwarfed him, and the shirt underneath had a big red bird on it. Weird, because Bruce never lets them wear anything that could potentially compromise their secret identity. And Jason was certain that if he stood up, his pants would fall right off. 

Was that a gun? There was no way Bruce would let that slide.

Ok, what happened?

Only problem was, he couldn’t remember. The last thing he could remember was reading a book in the library with Bruce and then falling asleep.

In 2 3 4, hold 2 3 4, out 2 3 4…

He buried his eyes in the palms of his hands and felt the domino mask dig into his face. 

That meant he was a patrol. And if Jason couldn’t remember anything…

I must’ve hit my head pretty hard.

He didn’t notice his ears were ringing until it stopped. 

“Hood? Red Hood, come in. Hood, what happened?” It sounded like… Barbra, but who’s Red Hood ? 

“Goddammit, Jason, come in–”

“Code-codenames,” Jason's voice cracked, so he cleared his throat, “You know how huffy B gets, Batgirl.” 

A beat, “...what?”

Jason moved to stand up, with a hand on the waistband of his pants so they wouldn’t slide, “I- uh, I think I hit my head? I don’t- I don’t remember–”

“Batgirl’s almost at your location.”

“Honestly Hood, I thought that big ugly helmet of yours stopped you from getting concussions.” It was a new voice. A girl. Maybe his age? Maybe older. Probably older.

Jason looked at the red helmet at his feet. Was he Hood? How much did he forget? “Wait… who are you?”

“I’m Batgirl.” It was said in the same gruff Batman voice that Bruce uses.

“Um…No you’re not?” because Jason was pretty sure Barbra Gordon was Batgirl.

“Yes I– oh shit.”  Jason suppressed a jump because the voice was close. “He’s ten.”

“I’m fifteen!” Not-Batgirl was wearing Barbra’s suit, but she obviously wasn’t her because the imposter’s hair was blonde, not red, “Who are you?”.

Not-Batgirl took a step forward, “Hood, can you tell me the last thing you remember?”

“Sure, and I’ll give you my social security number while I’m at it.” He deadpanned “And why do you keep calling me that?”

She looked around like she was debating something but reached up to take off her cowl, “I’m Stephanie, but everyone calls me Steph.” 

That answered Jason’s question. He could tell he was being victim talked . The way Stephanie was talking and acting was more or less the same way he’d seen Babs act if she came across a kid on the streets. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Why are you wearing Batgirl’s suit?”

“Uh… Oracle?”

“Who’s–”

“Jason, it’s me, Babs.” She took in a shaky breath that could be heard through the coms, “I don’t know if you— I can’t be Batgirl anymore because of… health issues so I let Steph take over. Are you ok with her taking you back to the cave or do you want me to send Nightwing?”

“No, it’s fine. If you and Batman trust her, I do.” Health issues?

He shot her . The Joker. 

What hurts more? A or B? Forehand or backhand?  

It sent a jolt through Jason. A feeling of unease. A wave of fear . There was a purple hand waved in front of Jason’s face, “Earth to Jason…. Lets go. Or I’m leaving you here.”

[the-orange-tabby-cat]

GIF by @pedgito

Wings Of The Dawn | Chapter 7

Joel miller x fem!reader

Summary: You are Jackson's librarian, a doll with a good heart, that has your life changed when a handsome man decides to take his kid and start again in your small town after completing their cross country journey. Having a hard time ignoring Joel's dark brown eyes, you find yourself wishing to have him close as you both navigate through love triangles, teenage drama, city gossip, and ghosts from both of your pasts. This is a comfort fic filled with slow burn and small town dynamics. Chapter summary: Joel mumbles Tess name and makes you insane.

read on AO3 | fic masterlist | masterlist | playlist | next chapter

Rating: 18+ (allusions to smut in this chapter)

Warnings/Tags: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Age Difference, Small Town Dynamics, No use of y/n

Chapter Word count: 6,2k

｡˚🐾₊˚

CHAPTER 7

Long fingers slowly caressed his scalp, curling the hair at the end between the fingertips. A song hummed near Joel’s ear in the early hours, waking him up gently. He always let her get what she wanted in those bitterly sweet moments, to savor whatever he couldn’t put into words when fully conscious.

Tess showed her affection by touching him in private. Her hand always found a way: brushing his fingers with hers when they were cleaning up the ammo, staying longer in his face when checking up bruises, resting above his stomach when cuddling. One touch per time in a small reminder that she was there another day, still alive for him, perhaps because of him.

She never demanded Joel to put into words whatever they were, she knew that he would do anything for her and it was enough. That morning, while her fingers petted his hair so sweetly, Joel felt like floating on cloud 9, somewhere where he wasn’t a hurt man.

Turning in her embrace, he lazily opened his eyes and saw her smile up close. Different from the tough woman he would follow anywhere, she was herself in their bed. Her eyes were looking everywhere on his face, paying attention to all the details as she hummed her song.

The sun entered their room, illuminating her blonde hair and shining on her green eyes. Something burst in his stomach, a feeling he would constantly avoid, one he knew could demise him if said out loud.

Opting out, he kissed her wrist as she kept caressing his curls. He felt safe in her arms like they were constantly open for him to crawl and find peace there, on her body. Her eyes twinkled with an impulse, as he leaned on her touch.

“I love you,” she said enouncing all the words softly. A second pass and he couldn’t get himself to say it back.

Her touch became errant, his body got cold even if the sunlight was all around their bed.

His only response was to kiss her wrist once more before resting his head between her neck and shoulder, holding her body tight to his and finding console on sleep again.

“Tess,” a sleepy Joel murmured on your neck, making you shiver.

It was the first time you slept in his house, and by accident. Yes, things were getting serious, but the relationship (could you call it that?) was so brand new that you kept self-conscious of every little milestone while doing your best to be the chill girl. Guys like the chill girl, right?

You couldn’t fully remember the details of the so said being the chill girl since the outbreak happened before you were old enough to watch whatever you wanted, but you grew up listening to Jason's comments on the girls at school and how he always kept them an arm's length of distance.

The chill girl doesn’t get clingy, this you were sure, but how could you not when Joel made sure to see you whenever he got time? It made you melt that he wasn’t happy not getting around so much after he started to patrol and your schedule didn’t match anymore, so he created space for you.

If he wasn’t on patrol or helping Tommy with the renovations around town, he would grab lunch for two and eat at the back house of the library just like when you first connected. Often he would sit and eat together at the mess hall, hand in hand above the table so everyone could see that you were his. He went as far as to get himself a DVD machine so you could watch movies cuddling.

One movie led to another, some making out on his sofa (thank God Ellie was always hanging around at Cat’s), the night went by and it became a little too late for you to walk home by yourself. In his sleeping clothes, you went to rest with him all around you just to wake up with him naming another woman.

Who was Tess? You hadn’t heard that name around town. He was softly snoring on you, at peace as you couldn’t get back to sleep. Your mind created new theories as you stared at the dark ceiling.

What if Tess was a sister? One who couldn’t find a way to Jackson, letting him and Tommy alone? Joel hadn’t given you that many details on his life before coming to town.

Could Tess be his mom, maybe? Or a high school sweetheart? Was he dreaming of a memory? You knew glimpses of what Joel was before the outbreak, no more than that.

Esther sounds awfully like Tess.

Nath could spot from a mile away that you were angrier than usual on your little walk of shame. Your eyes were glued to the pavement, round shoulders pointed down, not the darling who walks around looking straight ahead and greeting everyone.

“Good morning, Dolly,” Seth said a little unsure and you nodded at what seemed to be his direction instead of saying back. Damn, Nath would need a fuckton of wine to solve whatever Joel did.

Getting closer to the counter, Nath and Seth exchanged stares as you sat in silence. Noticing, you opened your mouth.

“What?” Furrowing your brows, you tried to maintain your posture, but it was too late.

“You know that I have a gun somewhere on behind this counter. Do I need to take it out and bounty hunt a cowboy?” The blonde was giving you a death stare, Seth whistled in the back as he found something to do.

“It’s fine. He didn’t do anything.” You were biting your lip, not focusing on her. At the weight of the death stare, you finally surrendered. “Can we just cut out the cowboy references and relax a little?”

Nath liked to believe that she was optimistic. Quick to anger, the type of girl who will punch someone just because they crossed the line with someone she loves. And yet, so good hearted when in private as she would be the one to kiss every bruise of their loved ones until cured. Not much in this world made her go insane, except for Maria.

“I’m not trying to get you madder at them, just quit it. Let it be.” You sighed as her eyes never left yours.

Oh Maria, that fucker. Of course, she would have something to do with your despair. Why wouldn’t she?

“C’mon, rip it,” she urged and you scratched the nape of your neck in preparation. It was a silent accord in your friendship: don’t hold to yourself, no matter how bad, just rip it like a band-aid.

“Have you ever heard someone using Tess to call Esther?”

Esther hadn’t shown up to Jackson that much before you, a year top. Getting surprised with the sudden question, Nath roamed her memories trying to think of any instance where it might have happened… No, she couldn’t remember.

“Nope, but why are you asking? Don’t get me wrong, an odd question to make after leaving Joel’s house.” She scanned you up and down, who inhaled a lot of air before replying.

“He mumbled Tess while sleeping. And I’m not going to even try to understand how you knew that I slept at Joel’s.” That made Nath giggle a little.

She knew because she spent a large time of the last days monitoring Esther up close. Nath was a strategist and knew that observing her enemy was the first step to winning at whatever you would name her beef with Maria.

As she left Ellie at the alley scared for whatever was to come, Nath spent the rest of the day in a perpetual state of anger. How haven’t she noticed that something was happening right under her nose? Mad at how she left her guard down for the damn girl, she went home that night practicing how she would scowl Ellie for her scheme.

Turns out she is soft. Because the moment the girl sat in her backyard with big doe eyes and gulping in shame, she swallowed her fury to be shown later.

“From the start. And don’t trick me, I know everything already.” She bluffed, Nath only knew what you had told her and to be fair, it was just a little. The rest she got from pressuring one of her usual clients who hadn’t been a regular in a while.

“Huh, okay,” Ellie started while toying with the drawstring, trying to gain some time, “Jesse got one of your wines a while back. Don’t ask me how, I think he robbed someone. He traced the origin back to you, being the bar owner and so.”

Nath knew exactly who had it slip into Jesse's hands, she connected the dots to when Edwin asked for another bottle without making a new deal. And fuck no, she wouldn’t give her alcohol like that. Getting annoyed, she made a motion for Ellie to continue.

“He’s friends with Cat, well, more like they knew each other already. We became friends, he tracked me down one day doing a delivery and I told him because he had seen everything. I know, I know, I was stupid! But I thought he was harmless…?”

“Yeah, and your harmless friend got a scheme out of my scheme.” Nath frowned making Ellie shiver.

“Look, he offered to help me make deliveries so I wouldn’t get in trouble with Maria. It was a good offer! Two can do faster than one, you know?” She tried and Nath huffed, impatiently. “Fine, whatever. I was stupid, I get it! But you do stupid shit too. I’m fifteen and you’re ancient, who’s the real trouble here, huh?”

Nath knew that deep down, Ellie was right. She was the one who blackmailed the girl into her scheme and covered her shit. If anyone got to be a part of it, she was the one who would have a hard time explaining to the town folks about it.

“What was his function in this little deal of yours? I don’t care about the boy meets girl story.” Ellie took a deep breath and got up, walking side to side.

“We started to use your place to make our beverage. Not from the start, of course, we would steal part of your batch whenever you and Seth weren’t around.”

That made more sense, Nath argued with Seth accusing him of making less of their usual batch. How dumb of she, huh? Her first impulse was to believe that the man was getting senile, not that teenagers were sneaking around.

“Jesse would find us the clientele, mostly the rookie patrols. They gave us shit they found when patrolling, we gave them the beverage they’re too young to drink. We have a waitlist, that’s why you found the pink paper.”

“You have a wait list of eleven people? In a town of three hundred? How?” Either Ellie was bad at math or they had a hell of selling speech.

The teen smiled proudly stopping in her tracks.

“Jesse is good. Like, real good. He convinced me!” She said in a smuggling way, making Nath look up and give some credit to the girl: she had a hard time convincing Ellie to accept the blackmail.

“Fine, take me to him.” Getting up and putting her beaten suede jacket on, Nath was ready to leave the backyard, but Ellie was confused. “I didn’t invite you to just hang out, let’s go. You’re on my blacklist right now, it’s the bare minimum to introduce me to your partner in crime.”

An hour later Nath was inspecting the kid: Asian, not tall nor short, athletic body and good-looking face. He looked like the goofy guy of a chick flick that was there to be funny and contra point the jock, but you ended up thinking he was too cute to be unpopular. Jess could hold the hell of her death stare in his direction. Ellie was still smiling, she saw from a mile away that Nath had liked the boy.

“So, you want to share our goods?” Jesse asked in a dull tone, not blinking once. His dark hair was reaching his shoulders, like a petulant teenager before the outbreak.

“You mean my goods? The beverage is mine, jackass.” Nath pouted, ready to start a fight with the kid. Ellie kept staring at them as if she was waiting for a truce.

Jesse grinned and looked at the girl, sharing some secret between stares that Nath couldn’t decipher. She used to be the cool kid before they showed up and now she was a 30-something lost soul, cool, that was nice to know.

“It might be yours but our scheme it’s better. Plus my associates give me the same amount of info as their parents for less the price.”

That made her think, Jesse could be right. Kids are more impressionable, what if she…

“No, that ends here. I won’t be dealing my shit with kids. And to be clear, you both depend on me to have access to the merchandising. You rely on me for your scheme, not the other way around.” Her chest was puffed, she wouldn’t forgive herself if some poor kid made bad choices because they were too intoxicated.

Vice was the family business, that’s true, but her Pawpaw taught her better than being greedy.

Jesse's face fell a little and Nath smirked, she was back on track. Ellie shoot her eyebrows up not expecting the woman’s reaction.

“Oh, you both thought I would just accept as it is? Nah. The girl already works for me, my word is what it goes.” She added looking at Ellie, who audibly swallowed. “Now, Seth indeed needs some help around the kitchen, get it? Don’t test me. Say no and I’ll tell your parents everything. I’m on the council, remember?”

“Seth is kinda cool,” Ellie said trying to lighten up the mood. Jesse was chewing his cheek, trying to look tough, but at the end of the day, he was just a kid to Nath. He nodded angrily in response.

“Cool. You’ll start tomorrow after school, tell your mom that you’re volunteering to help the patrols, I don’t care. Now you,” she turned her body to Ellie who gave big eyes in return, “I have something different for you. No more deliveries for a while, I need your attention somewhere more urgent.”

Ellie worked in the garden with Chad who, in all fairness, was sweet and tried his best to make her time there valuable. Gardening was growing on her, it was nice being around plants a few hours a week and ignoring the weight of the world around them. Who else was spending a few hours a week inside the communal garden with her sheep? Esther.

Nath knew her routine inside the city walls and how close the woman was to Chad, she needed someone to keep an eye on her. For good or bad, Ellie was inside the Miller realm and could eavesdrop on anything that could be said there, after all, Esther was living under Maria’s roof for as long as she would be in the council. She needed trained eyes and a trustworthy person to watch Esther closely.

And this is what Ellie did over the last days, instead of making deliveries and plotting world domination with Jess, she kept her eyes and ears open. Nath had a daily register of what was happening in Maria’s street via Ellie, who stopped by and said that you had slept at Joel’s. Esther saw when you went inside the house and looked to the ground before entering Maria’s.

“I know everything that happens around this town, Dolly. Even more at the Miller’s street.” Nath said before motioning to Jesse to get closer. “Check with Seth if the sandwiches are ready, the patrols will be here soon.”

What else Nath knew?

You had no time to absorb how ominous that phrase was because the boy smiled politely at you, who tried to smile back, but it came out as a grimace. Damn your bad mood. You were ready to leave the bar when a big warm hand sneaked into your lower back, turning around to check it you saw Joel giving your cheek a little kiss.

“Ma’am, hope I’m not interrupting your chat,” he said in all southern politeness to a Nath who greeted him with a nod.

“Not really, the lady is all yours, but if you came for the sandwiches SOMEONE is a little slower in that,” Nath sighed and went to the kitchen screaming at Seth and Jesse.

Joel chuckled, at least he was happy. His hand on you was enough to get your head spinning, whenever he was close it was easy to forget why you were mad. This morning he seemed oblivious to what had happened late at night, like it was something you imagined.

He looked at you winking and you nestled yourself on his chest a little, searching for comfort. God, why were you like this?

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” He asked petting your hair as you leaned on him. You nodded quickly and he chuckled again. “I’ll be back soon, promise.”

“I know. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.” Smiling, you leaned back on your stool as Joel pinched tenderly your cheek before getting his sandwich from the counter.

“Hope my snoring didn’t keep you awake. See ya later, ‘k?” He said walking towards the door, leaving you alone once more.

Your mind was still wondering about who was the mysterious woman in his mind. No matter what you did at the library, how you made yourself feel useful around the place, the name kept coming back. Tess. He was nice in public and in private, so considerate, even if he didn’t show passion.

Since the night in your house, many days ago, he has been going slowly with you. A little too slow for your taste. Not even your heavy make out on his couch was enough to make him take you on his bed, even if you felt him going hard. It was like you were made of porcelain. “Old men have penises problems”, Nath had told you but you desperately wanted him to take you.

To use you, to break you, to take you as he wanted. His big hand on your neck, his fingers on your mouth as you clenched around him. Whispers of sweet nothings late at night, maybe telling in your ear the dirtiest things as he held your jaw aggressively. You didn’t know what you wanted first, to go slow and deep or to have it hard and rough?

You crave it. He was giving you all the signals he wanted you with the same intensity, but no more than sweet touches on your body. Maybe you should make a big move and take all of your clothes in front of him, would that help? Would he stop everything and mark your body everywhere he wanted to?

Cat came to the library as you daydreamed of amazing sex, making you get out of your head for instance. Instantly you noticed that something was off with her.

“Bad day too, huh?” She asked casting down her hazel eyes, her voice was low. Damn, even the bummed-out girl could see that you were off.

“Something like that. And you?”

She just sighed in return, not bothering to roam around the shelves. Going behind the counter, she got closer to you hesitantly. Looking up, she searched for words almost as if she was getting ready to tell you a secret.

“How do you move on from someone?” Her hands were fidgeting in her lap, her eyes avoiding yours. At that moment you remembered that Cat didn’t have a mother to ask these questions, another woman to guide her through puberty.

Even if Susan wasn’t mother of the year material, she did her best once the outbreak happened. Her belief system, her identity, everything disappeared in one faithful night and she became a new woman as time went by. Towards the end, you could see on her face that she didn’t love Albert anymore, it was obvious.

Strange as it was, the more she grew apart from him, the closer she would get to you. Not to Jason or your siblings, but to you who made a bigger effort to understand why she was still following a madman that once she called her husband. Not that you understood, but you imagined that love could make a person act recklessly.

Perhaps you and Cat were on a similar path. The idea of being alone and not understanding human relations so easily wasn’t lost on you. Sometimes it seemed that no matter what, your skin was constantly on fire from your feelings.

“I don’t know. Do you really want to move on?” You asked in a low voice, giving a thought about it.

“I need to.” She replied watching the ground, deep in her head.

The library bell rang, Ellie came inside for the first time since Joel banned her. A big grin was adorning her face as she recognized Cat, who scoffed instantly. Oh. Oh.

“I was looking for you! You left school in a hurry and we couldn’t talk,” Ellie spoke fast, as if she couldn’t sense that Cat was avoiding her, the same Cat who was not looking into her eyes.

Getting amused, you watched them like a romcom on a Saturday night. What was happening in your library?

“Yeah, because I don’t want to talk with you.” Cat spat out bitterly cutting the rest of Ellie’s phrase, just to gain a pained expression from her. You were still, hoping they would forget that you existed at that moment.

“Wait, what?” Ellie’s puppy eyes got into action, you narrowed your eyes remembering how Joel made the same trick when she fought with him at the library. Have you been played by him?

“You only remember me when he isn’t near, just go!” Cat growled as she walked to the back house, leaving you and Ellie alone.

You sucked your cheek and looked apprehensive at Ellie, who was stuck in the middle of the library still in shock. Gaining her conscience back, her eyes found yours and you could read a big “I fucked up, haven’t I?” there.

Of course, she fucked up. It wasn’t clear to her as how, but she tried to force her memory to when it was the last time she got alone with Cat and oh god, it seemed so long ago… Even at school, she wouldn’t get too close.

You were still looking at her confused, she gasped and quickly said goodbye. She needed to head back to the garden, at least there she could think properly about what just happened.

Shit, why was she so bad at this? Awkward as fuck, of course, Cat would get mad with her because she couldn’t properly behave. Her steps were shy on the pavement like she was a baby learning how to walk, in this case learning how to deal with a pretty girl.

She couldn’t blame herself so much, though. At least she was better than Joel at it.

For someone with a stoic way, Joel could make a big fool of himself at the smallest things. A day before getting cornered in an alley by a psychotic blonde, Ellie was having “family” dinner with Millers and Maria’s girl toy (Joel said she shouldn’t call Esther that, but fuck him).

Preparing herself for a boring evening, she helped the invasor to prepare the table as Tommy and Maria spoke in the kitchen. Joel was nowhere to be seen and she desperately needed a familiar face to survive the night.

“So, are you happy to be in Jackson?” Esther tried to break the ice, forcing Ellie to remember she was still in debt with Maria and couldn’t just ignore the woman. At least she had pretty blue eyes.

“Yeah, it isn’t that bad.” She mumbled looking nervously at the door, where the fuck was Joel?

“When I got here the first time my feet were almost pure blood after walking so many days. It felt like breathing for the first time being able to rest, you know. That and getting hot food, I was starving!” She smiled fondly as she sat at the table.

Ellie forcedly smiled back trying not to engage further. Like magic, Joel appeared by the door and she breathed in relief, at least someone she didn’t have beef with.

Except he was weird, she smelled something strong on him when he scrunched next to greet her with a ruffle on the head. He was a little more playful than usual, whatever he had done it was acting on him. Nobody seemed to notice, Tommy and Maria didn’t even glare at him when everybody sat down at the table.

Maria was looking between Esther and Joel, smiling to herself as she served dinner to everyone like a goddamn housewife. Ellie wanted to roll her eyes but was afraid that they wouldn’t return to the place if she did. Old people were boring as fuck.

“It looks delicious! You’re a lucky man, Tommy!” The invasor joked and Joel smirked in a good mood. Joel didn’t smile at most things, why was he smiling at that?

As Ellie ate (it was indeed fucking delicious), she noticed the conversation around her. Tonight she and Tommy were a little misplaced at the table, observing the others as they were chit-chatting. She noticed how Joel wasn’t frowning deeply, but relaxed, even if Maria was studying his expressions from her seat. He was interacting without the classic asshole voice he used around everyone. Well, not everyone, whenever you were around he was soft.

Yeah, fucking Dolly, man. She saw how you held hands walking down the street, how Joel got stressed on Sundays when you weren’t around. If you came around their table at the mess hall, Joel would stop everything and look at you with twinkling eyes. He was down bad for you, it was a little cute see him so lovey-dovey – not that she would ever say that to him.

And yet, here was she watching him with blushed cheeks laughing Esther jokes.

Joel made a mistake, taking liquid courage in alcohol wasn’t the best move before dinner with Tommy and Maria, but he needed a fix before facing everyone at the table. Thank God he wasn’t making a fool of himself, people were reacting okay at his sudden eloquence.

Joel found Esther easy to talk to. She seemed at peace next to him, more than her natural way of being. They were having some parallels through dinner, getting looks from Ellie mostly. Tommy had stared too, but a little unbothered by it.

"You should visit me sometime at the sheep farm, I would love to hear more about your travel with Ellie," Esther softly spoke to him. Her blue eyes shone with a big smile. Something about her made him believe she wanted more than his friendship.

"It would be my pleasure, ma'am," Joel answered not knowing why he did in the first place.

Ellie kept staring at them, he knew what she meant: "What about Dolly? Does she know how fond you are with Esther?"

He had no interest in the woman, of course. She was pretty, but that’s it, she lacked something he found in you. In the haze of the recent happenings, the night at your house was replaying in his head. He wanted so badly to take you in that blue dress, but something was holding him back.

The moment you looked at him with tender eyes confessing that you wanted to touch his hair his stupid mind went back to Tess in his bed. He had no clue why, you were two different people, but something about how you acted so lovingly toward him was flooding with memories of a life not so long ago.

As he left the library, he searched for his cabinet for something strong so he could bury this thought and never come back to it. He might have exaggerated a little since he was being talkative at a dinner when he was the “yeah, hum” guy.

Esther didn’t mind, mending one topic on another. He wanted to stop, but he was hazy and couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Ellie got something on him because she was looking at him angrier and angrier…

As the night ended, Esther took them to the door and tried to hug him, but thank God Ellie was quicker and pulled his arm down the street. Smart kid, he raised her well. Well, he didn’t raise her exactly, maybe that’s why she was so smart.

He was in the dark, in the middle of the kitchen ready to take a big gulp of water in the hope of a normal morning and not a hangover that would last for days when he noticed Ellie staring at him.

“I’ll say this once: get your shit together, Joel. She doesn’t deserve that.” Ellie said holding the back door open, ready to leave for her room.

He knew what she meant, how could he not?

In the days after the dinner, in a sober state, he did his best to ensure that he was present in your life. Holding tight to you, he hoped that it would be enough to get him out of whatever was happening inside his head. He wouldn’t lose you to his bullshit. He couldn’t.

From his window, Tommy watched you leave Joel’s house in the morning. This was a first, that he could remember at least. Joel was giving you a bear hug, laughing to your ear with a big smile on his face. That was also new.

He hadn’t seen his brother so happy in such a long time, it felt like another life. You, however, he had seen happier.

The moment Joel closed the door, the smile disappeared from your face, like magic. Tommy wasn’t close to you but he knew that something was off by the way you chewed your lip as you strolled down the street.

Maria called the shots around the house and the city, Joel was too busy trying to find sense in a new life and he was there, in the middle of both. His wife made clear over and over how worried she was that Joel was getting too close to you, that Ellie behaved like a wild kid always getting in trouble, walking with the wrong company.

Tommy always preferred to confront, to scream instead of silence. After leaving the Fireflies he became a calmer man, more focused on his surroundings than acting on impulse. He was at peace with not being the hero for someone. It was a stupid vanity, if Maria wanted to be the boss he wouldn’t argue with her.

He just really wished that Joel had proved her wrong like the man he used to be 21 years ago. Life wasn’t as simple, the domestic love bubble he had with his wife was about to burst with Joel getting a drinking problem, his surrogate niece, and worst of all, his crippling fear of becoming a horrible father.

He just want peace for a while, before the baby was born, he wanted to trust Joel to solve his shit so he could make Maria happy for a fucking second. They were constantly in a weird mood, ready to fight, but not putting into words whatever was happening between them. He felt weak, she called the shots and he just followed along. Could his big brother take a hint and stay in his lane?

Finishing his tea, Tommy took another look in the mirror taking courage for what he was about to do. Meeting Joel on his sidewalk, they started walking to the stables.

“So… Dolly, huh?” He started, checking the response.

“Yeah,” Joel limited to say avoiding his eyes. Up for a bad start.

“That’s all you have to say about it?” He tried again, this time Joel sighed.

“No, why don’t you ask me the right question then?” Joel frowned getting impatient, he knew what was coming.

Tommy pondered a little about it, how to ask “Hey stupid, you are losing it and I need you to take your shit together a second before causing drama in my marriage, what about that?” without sounding so harsh. Not that Joel couldn’t take a hit, tough guy, but taking one from your baby brother who used to give you hell?

“What’s going on? ‘Cause I saw how you were close to Esther the other night and now I see Jackson’s doll leaving your house.” It was more direct than he wanted, Joel sighed again chewing on mouth corners.

His brother’s eyes were looking ahead, like something was pulling him under. Joel had no words like he was ashamed of whatever was inside his head.

“When you closed your door, her smile fell the same second. What’s going on, Joel?” Tommy insisted and gained a panicked stare from Joel.

“What do you mean her smile fell?”

“I mean that she started walking looking as if she saw someone die. She is a fucking ray of sunshine, man. Whatever you have done…” They stopped by the stable entrance, far from the gossip eye.

Joel has both hands on his hip, a knee popped as his tongue peaked on his lower lip. For a few seconds, he was anywhere else but Jackson. Tommy patiently waited for his response.

“I dreamt of Tess today.” Joel’s eyes were glossy, his frown got deeper. “I’ve been thinking of her for a while now. I swear I haven’t acted on Dolly, I’m just so goddamn inside my head. Whenever she gets close, real close, I’m stuck on memory, and my body shuts. We only slept tonight, no funny business ‘cause I can’t start it. Something is holding me back.”

“And Esther?” Tommy asked trying to process everything Joel had just said.

It made sense, his brother's anxiety, how he needed things to be black and white and not gray to feel at peace. He was delicate with you, on touches, on how he talked about you when you weren’t around. Tommy saw the spark when Joel first laid eyes on you that day at the Bison, but he never imagined that Joel would pursue you.

“Ellie already had that talk with me. The liquor is so far in the cabinet that I have no idea of where I put it. I swear, okay? It was just that, I would never hurt Dolly doing that.”

Joel's stare was harsh like he could read inside Tommy’s mind and see all the judgment. They were men of little words, whenever feelings were on the way they had a heart to heart but no more than that. Tommy knew that his brother could see everything on the weight of his stare back at him.

“Well, why don’t you do something good for your doll and go to the Bison to get our lunch? She must be there thinking about whatever happened this morning.”

Joel didn’t need to hear twice before strolling down the street.

At dusk, your house was quiet. You were still wrapping around who Tess could be. A whole day distracted by a woman you never saw or met, even worse if she was Esther. Why were you like this? Why hadn’t you asked Joel in the morning when he was so sweet?

Putting your head on your hands, you groaned in anger but got distracted by someone tapping on your front door. Thinking it could be Nath coming to check on you or with the big answer to your question, you opened in the blink of an eye just to see Joel tapping his feet on the doormat.

His hands were on the pockets of his jeans, biting nervously on his lip. You frowned at how agitated he appeared to be. His pupils were somewhat dilated, he looked like your Joel, but so different still.

“Hi. I saw the other night on your CD stash that you have Halican Drops. Huh, came by to check if I can borrow it.” He rushed the words, looking all over the place.

“Yeah, of course. Are you sure you want to listen by yourself? Why don’t we play it together? I can make you some tea.” You offered pulling him inside the house, touching his skin to make sure he was there. As he got closer, you could smell the liquor on him.

With silent motions, he nodded and sat on your sofa. Awkwardly, you came back to the living room with two cups. He accepted mumbling his “thank you” under his breath, as you put the album to play.

Sitting next to him, when the opening song started your heart dropped seeing the tears at the corners of Joel’s eyes. Confused with everything, you offered your lap for him to rest. He accepted without resistance, with both arms around your torso. You held him tightly, caressing slowly his hair as a wet patch formed on your outfit with every tear from his crying eyes.

prev | next

[kizzer55555]

It turns out to be an accidental side effect of time travel from the Flash family. They accidentally rewrote a timeline and erased Jason and Danny meeting. This has happened before, where they accidentally alter relationships to make some appear and others disappear, but normally it happens to people they don’t know so the effect isn’t obvious. But unfortunately, the time travelers don’t know every relationship between every hero. However, unlike most couples, ghosts are different. Their cores are tied to the infinite realms, a place connected to time itself. So while Danny and Jason may not remember meeting eachother, their cores and their souls do. This manifests in the dreams, where their cores are crying out for each other and will connect even over long distances. The knowledge they gain is knowledge imprinted into their very beings. Jason knows how the cores work and knows Danny taught him about them. It’s just knoledge he doesn’t think about, just a fact. But things that require thought like names or dates, these are harder and when they try to think of them, when they actively try to find out what was in the alternate timeline, time ‘corrects’ itself and breaks their connection. It’s like how you can name your sibling’s hair color or fear but if you try to say their graduation date, computer password, or even their birthday date, it takes a second to remember. That second is all the universe needs.

When Jason finds out that he actually had a boyfriend and the flashes accidentally erased the guy from Jason’s life, he is going to be pissed.

Dream Lover (dp x dc)

The alarm on his cellphone rang and Danny groaned as a fumbled blindly to close it again.

“Wha’ izzit?” Came a sleepy voice at his back.

Danny rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Then, he turned towards the other man entangled in the sheets.

“Nothing, go back to sleep,” Danny said before dropping a kiss on the man’s forehead, displacing his white streak. The man muttered some unintelligible words as he wriggled around a bit before settling back down.

Danny gave him a fond look before a yawn forced his eyes closed. He slipped off the bed and padded down to the kitchen. With bleary eyes he put the coffee machine on and got the milk out of the fridge as he waited for the beans be ground.

The machine was way fancier than anything Danny had ever owned but his boyfriend liked good coffee and Danny liked making him happy. The breaker-hammer noise stopped indicating the coffee was done and the halfa sipped at it as he tried to figure out what that niggling feeling in the back of his mind was.

Before he could delve into it very far, he heard his boyfriend coming into their little kitchen.

“Did the noise wake you up?” Danny asked as the man wrapped his arms around the smaller man’s waist and buried his head in his back.

“Was already ‘wake,” the octopus masquerading as a human mumbled.

“Want some coffee?”

“Please.” His boyfriend pressed a kiss to his nape before staggering towards the kitchen chair and sagging into it.

”Good night?” Danny asked as he started the machine again.

“The usual,” the man said as he rubbed the sleep out of his face.

“Why are you up early?”

“Gotta fix up the bike.” The man yawned which made Danny yawn too. “It kept backfiring last night.”

Danny hummed as that niggling feeling came back at the mention of the motorcycle. There was something there…

“What about you?” The man said as he held his face in his palm.

“Nothing much,” Danny said as he refocused on the conversation. “I don’t have to go in today, so I’ll probably just study.”

“I made butternut pasta when I came back. There’s some left for lunch,” his boyfriend said as he grabbed a banana from their fruit bowl.

“You’ll be here for lunch?” Danny asked as the flow of coffee stopped and he took the cup away from the little shelf.

“Thanks,” the man said as he accepted the cup. “Probably.”

Danny nodded and he leaned on the counter as he looked into the distance. His eyes caught on a clock and again, that annoying sensation he was forgetting something tickled him.

Clock meant hours which meant seconds which meant sand trickling in an hourglass which meant time passing and Time meant-

“Everything ok?” Came the low tenor of his boyfriend.

Danny shook away the thought and smiled at him. “Just zoning out.”

Then the smaller man finished his cup before he put it in the sink. “Gonna go brush my teeth,” he said as he walked out of the kitchen

“You didn’t even eat!” Came the voice Corning from the other room.

“Not hungry,” sing-songed Danny as he grabbed his toothbrush.

As he put the paste on the brush his mind wandered a bit. He started brushing, in the back and made his way forward. He was up to his canine and he started on his fangs which had him frown. Fangs? Wait a minute.

And then it all came rushing back. Phantom. Ghosts. This was a dream which meant-

“Nocturn,” Danny said. Sure it had been a while since he dated anyone but this was a whole new level of single if Nocturn had resorted to creating the ideal boyfriend to trap him in a dream.

Danny walked back to the kitchen and stood in the door entrance and stared at his imaginary dream boyfriend. Said boyfriend turned his head around and lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

“You really are perfect,” Danny said.

“You say the sweetest things,” the dream-construct said and the corner of his eyes creased beautifully as he smiled.

Danny sighed wistfully before bending to kiss his cheek. “Until then, dream lover.”

With a snap the dream collapsed and the halfa opened his eyes to the green of the Infinite Realms with the ghost sensation on his lips.

Simultaneously, in one of his safe houses in Gotham, Jason’s eyes snapped open as his hand flew to his cheek.

[jrosa82fanfics]

Part 8 of Discovering Safety

At first Jason doesn’t know what to do. Up until now his fear hadn’t seemed founded, there was never anyone at his home watching him through windows. Before he has a chance to decide what he wants to do Dick comes into his room wearing sweat drenched clothes.

He freezes when he spots Jason, but quickly makes his way over to him, a concerned expression maring his handsome features. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” he asks as he approaches and Jason struggles to answer.

Claiming to have seen someone in the woods wasn’t something he felt should be kept secret especially since they seemed to have been stalking him for a while now, but he didn’t know how to explain without seeming paranoid.

Omegas were already seen as fragile and in need of protection, if he started sharing his fears he worried he’d be treated like a child or worse have Dick not believe him. With fear welling up inside him he hoped he was making the right decision.

“I saw something in the woods. I’ve felt like someones watching me for months now but it’s never happened here, at home.” The alpha leans toward him as though to embrace him but pauses as though remembering he had come for a shower.

“I’m going to take a quick shower but if you want to wait for me in my nest I’ll be right back.” At Jason’s nod he rushes to execute his plan while the omega returns to the nest.

A short while later Dick emerges from the en-suite bathroom clad in only a towel that he had wrapped around his waist. Water droplets coursed down his well defined abs, and Jason’s gaze follows their path.

Just as soon as he arrives Dick leaves, grabbing a pair of sleep pants before closing the door to the bathroom once more while he changes. He returns soon after and joins Jason in the nest.

Although he tries to keep his mind out of the gutter and focus on the conversation they have about telling Bruce the next day, Jason can’t quite manage to concentrate with Dick’s bare chest under his head as the alpha cuddles him close.

They are face to face with their legs entwined and Jason is desperately trying not to blush tomato red. Eventually though he is lulled to sleep by the comforting scent of his alpha surrounding him and the man’s steady breathing.

[ghost-bxrd]

Hello. In the final end notes of ‘What You’re Longing For (you claim to abhor)’ you mention the goons picking up the wrong clues from the Entire Mess of the final chapter. Is there any chance you’d be willing to expand more on that?

Additionally, I find myself curious: in the time after the fic, would Talia ever kidnap Jason for a bit of family bonding time(probably murdering dudes in the middle of nowhere or something, but still.)

Thank you for your time,

Desire

Hi! I’m not sure if this is a follow up request you’d like to feature in Ghost Stories so I’ll just list some of my thoughts here 💚

So Dave, Jones and McKenzie are a very very tight knit little group that established itself after being hired by the Red Hood. Despite working as goons, they each have their own moral compass that perfectly aligns with Hood’s rules. Consequently, they ended up being Jason’s most loyal and trusted underlings.

Jason didn’t intend to get attached to the three but he did and as a result let slip some personal info form time to time. Jones, Dave and McKenzie all made a game out of collecting clues to Hood’s real identity and background to the point where they’d sit down after work and pool their information. They’ve got a pinboard and everything lol.

Sadly Jason’s life was depressing af for the most part so the things he accidentally mentioned didn’t paint a very pretty picture. And when he used typical teenage slang one too many times Dave correctly inferred that their boss is much younger than any of them originally thought.

So in the end they had hundreds of little clues that all added up to the following (in their mind):

1. Red Hood is actually anywhere from 20-28 years old (+/- a couple years) and not a fourty-something rogue with plans of grandeur

2. Hood was abused as a kid

3. Hood hates Batman

4. Hood hates Robin and Nightwing but not as much as Batman

5. Hood hates Robin but still mother hens him like crazy and seems reluctant to let him go back to the Bat every time

6. Hood is a young guy with better training and tactical thinking than a trained navy seals soldier

7. Hood is intimately aware of how the Bats operate,l fight, and think

Conclusion: Batman used to train Hood and was also the one who abused him—> he’s concerned the same thing is now happening to Robin.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the train of thought they’re having right now. So while Dave, Jones and McKenzie definitely won’t shoot Robin (or Nightwing), they’ll definitely try to gun down Batman.

At least until Jason remembers to retract the order lol. (After which they reluctantly stop shooting at Batman but still not-so-subtly drop hints that they’d absolutely have Hood’s back if he ever needs help with the asshole. Jason doesn’t know what all the fuss is about all of a sudden.)

As for the “would Talia ever kidnap Jason for family time” question:

Yes. Absolutely. And if Talia was busy Ra’s would show up and do it instead.

The al Ghuls adopted Jason into the family. No takebacksies. And while they think Bruce’s overprotectiveness of Jason is amusing (and totally warranted given Jason’s penchant for getting himself into trouble) they draw the line at being barred from seeing their precious sons/grandsons.

So yeah, Bruce and Dick have to deal with Damian and Jason disappearing for a couple days every two months at least.

The first time it happened Bruce, Dick and Tim all lost their minds with panic and when Jason and Dami returned it was to a frantic batfam and the entire JLA in Gotham, on the hunt for Hood and his assassin baby brother ksksks

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

Sorry, I did one jajaja on his reaction to oreos and it happened:

Manhunter: Batman, I think Phantom and Red Hood were talking about expanding influence on people. And this time, I’m pretty sure I got it 65 percent right. There were candy eyeballs, cookies, and a damn oreo. Maybe it would affect kids in Gotham. Are you sure your son doesn’t make a living selling drugs? Batman: *tired sigh of a man who’s hearing Martien Manhunter’s crazy theories 15 times a day*.

~~~~~~ ~What Danny and Jason were really talking about: Jason: So about the last book I read, protagonists did not fit into the timeframe at all and so the topic raised by the author was revealed on.. Danny: Hey, Jason, have you ever thought about youtube channel or smth? Jason: Well, B’s gonna be furious if I start show my face online. I’m not officially resurrected yet and people can connect the dots. I’ve always been a bookworm. Danny: Hah. "Guys, the continuation of this cycle of books sucks so much that I crawled out of the grave to tell you how this author screwed up". Jason: Lol, that’s right. I swear, if Talia hadn’t found me first, I would have been found scratching the library door that morning. Danny: You know what, do it like Red Hood. Get into the minds of young readers, make them love literature. The kids in the alley love you, so they’re gonna like to know your hobbies outside of work. Just add more books to the reviews from the school curriculum and it will definitely improve their performance in the classroom. Jason: I don’t know, we don’t spend much time together, and a new hobby just will cut of more… Danny: Babe, the last thing that protected you from the bullet was pages of Franz Kafka. 'cause you forgot to wear the damn armor but you remembered to shove the book under your leather jacket. You sure as hell love literature. If you were a ghost, I’d say it’s your obsession. Jason: ...Bastards paid dearly for ruining that copy. But it was a really hard cover. Danny: So, if talking about books with people who at least understand what you’re saying makes you happy, go ahead! I can just lie around and be eye candy while you’re busy. There’s always more paperwork I need to deal with.

~~~~~~

Kids quickly discovered they really enjoy watching book reviews from the coolest crime lord in Gotham. But even more they like watching live streams.

When Hood gets really excited, he starts talking so funny! At first only the blue-eyed twink lying in the background during steams understood Red but gradually children made up their dictionary: Jason: You see this moment? It’s such a fudge! But if we... look, just read next ten chapters, and oh! Pure as dark chocolate! Danny: Come on, it’s more like a lollipop. Jason: How dare you say such things! You! Who only with my help wrote an essay about it. Lie back and look at the stars with your mouth shut, you’re only here as decoration. What a shame! Danny: Okay, okay, I’m just gummy worm with you. Comments: User1684: I’m telling you, they’re definitely cherry candy. User$532: Ohhh rainbow cake. I love their interaction.

User1114: People, wake up, the guy is probably afraid for his life. Why youtube doesn’t block it? This criminal makes him participate! User3714: Lol, let’s dedicate this moment to thank Red Robin for this channel. In Gotham we have the best hackers. RedRobinsFake:Thanks for your support! User1114: Boy, blink twice if you’re a hostage. Red Hood's Voice: I’m fucking trying, but you can’t see it through the helmet. Danny: *Looks the forty minutes into a camera without a blink and makes hiss*. Red Robin's Voice: On behalf of Batman and his birds and bats, we declare that.. khm.. the civilian on video is a voluntary participant. Danny, stop looking like you’re trying to steal the viewers' souls, 'cause they were worried about you, and now they’re writing about #FreeRedHood. Red Hood: All right, guys, stop. I knew what I was doing when I signed that contract about selling my soul. Oops, I mean the wedding contract. It’s so easy to confuse them. ~Black Screen~ Danny: Oh…I'm soo sorry, Sugarboo, I didn't notice that i did that. Red Hood: Don't be silly, I love when you goes more eldritch as a little treat. Danny: It wasn’t Eldritch, it was just weird. I’ll show you what the Eldritch form means tonig- Red Robin: Stupid lovebirds, why do you always forget to turn the sound off?! D&J: 'Cause you are doing it? Red Robin: Yeah, because you keep forgetting. Just finish the broadcast, is that too much to ask? Danny: Sorry, we have one living braincell for two. Red Hood: Yeah, too much information.

~~~~~

Bruce *watches the video at midnight then breaks into Jason’s room*. Danny with a body of a constellation that contains strange star patterns *turnes black holes eyes while hanging over Jason’s book and working like a lamp*. Jason *throws a packet of popcorn at the head of his dad*: Back off, pervert! Bruce: I was just worried about your safety. Kids these days…*leaves and closes the door behind him*. Danny and Jason: *high five*.

~Video Questions from followers~ Danny: Hey, I’m here for about 30 minutes while Hood's cooking for us. Question from Loyal Henchman: Hello, you as a concubine are handsome, but what about the silver-haired and green-eyed guy? Did they break up? Danny: Heh, damn it, what’s an old-fashioned name? I’ll take a screenshot of this and hang it on the wall. No, we’re in a triad. Child of the Darkness: So you won’t be upset if I praise another guy’s suit? Black looks so hot! (Hood, sir, don’t kill me) Bird Fan: Hey, Danny, right? Why aren’t you cooking? Red Hood likes to cook or he just doesn’t trust lovers with food (like you can poison it or smth). Danny: Of course he likes to cook but it’s not just that. Phantom and I, well, we just eat. If Phantom cooks, the food will be poison. Like, he will not poison the dishes, but they themselves will become deadly in any case. And if I do the cooking, I’ll end up blowing up the kitchen even worse than the explosion that killed the second Robin. The sound of a plate falling and swearing from the kitchen. Danny: Oops, it seems your humble servant has no dessert for dinner. Red Hood *Enters the room with plates and sits next to Danny*. Red Hood: Hey, honey, you’re not gonna be jealous that at Harley and Evie’s anniversary is gonna be only Phantom's performance, right? Danny: Performance, which performance? Jason: Oh, you know that girls are so excited about his "Lip Sync Battle - Tom Holland" act. Danny: ...And when did he say yes? Red Hood: Oh, it’s like his brain is filled with cotton candy, he's always talking about whatever he wants. Danny: Oh. Yeah, yeah, well, he definitely promised it as an apology to you. Right. Red Hood: I’m glad you remember. Have a cookie, sweetie.

Danny: Red, you forgot to bring the tea. Hood: Oh. I’ll be right back. Love you! Danny: Love you too! ….. Danny: Okay Siri, find tickets to the nearest portal to ghost zone.

Red Hood: The nearest portal is you, idiot! Danny: *Sounds of suffering*.

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Superman *wants to make sure that the civilian’s not being coerced into dating Red Hood and Phantom*: So, are you okay with this? One of them is dead, you know? Danny* portrays horror*: What? Just one? What will I tell my parents? Superman: W-What? Danny: It’s not gay if he’s dead, so we say in Amity Park! Jason lied about his funeral? I’m such a lemon caramel about it! Baby *runs up and kicks Superman in the knee*: Get out! No Meta or alien in Gotham! The other child: Yeah, get away from the boss’s love, they’re so cherry coke and all, you know, adult stuff. Baby: Fly to your shitty Metropolis or I will spit on you my "Love is" gum! Danny: aww~

DPXDC prompt: Dead on main. No trick only treat.

~~Сhildhood friends and deals~~

The Justice League has to summon a ghost from another dimension to address the threat. They don’t know what price the Ghost King will take but there’s little time to bargain. Another spirit threatening them has already seized all the computers on their base. John doesn’t know what else to offer. A summoned ghost starts to look bored. Gold, jewelry? A favor from a member of the League? Like the Ruler of All Dead needs it. No one dares to make another offer, and the King is in no hurry to set out his demands. Maybe try to pull off a soul sale scam?

Suddenly, Red Hood breaks into the hall, walks up to Phantom and shakes his shoulder vigorously. Red Hood: You, get Technus out of here right now. I need access to the files and fast. Phantom: That’s rude, dude. Where did you grow up? in the cave? No "hello, no how are you, Danny", really? Red Hood: I’ll pay the usual price. Phantom: Deal.

What is the price? John sees Batman and gets in his way. The usual price, his guy said. Means Jay was already out of the deal alive and well. This hyperprotective bat would only piss off the ruler if he interfered.

The King quickly deals with his subordinate using a thermos and remains to watch working Hood. Red Hood: What do you want? I’m busy. Danny: You and I have a contract~ Red Hood: All right, all right. Jay throws M&Ms right in the face of the ghost. But king doesn’t look angry. He opens the package and starts sorting the candies by color. Phantom quickly eats up all the green ones and passes the red ones to Hood. Jason takes them without any questions.

Strange. John has never seen a summoned creature share its reward with a human. And the son of a bat looks too comfortable with it. Wait, since when do super-powered beings think that candy is a decent wage?John makes one of the most likely deductions using his experience. Constantine: Batsy, how long has your son been sleeping with the King of Ghosts? Batman: He…what?!

~~~~~~~

Dick *knocking at the door*: Little Wing, you hate ectoplasm and everything what is neon green, so why? He’s dangerous! Jason who turned on the music to not listen to his crazy family: ~He’s poison but tasty~

Dick: NoOOoo

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Jason: And now everyone thinks that I sold my virginity to you for a bargain or something, because interdimensional creatures like you aren’t supposed to help for nothing. Like you’re playing favorites. I’m gonna fucking kill John. Danny: Well, I wouldn’t say no to that. Jason: What? Danny: I mean, to k-kill John, yeah. How dare he.. Jason: Omg, you’re still so terrible liar, Fenton.

Danny: Sorry :(

Jason: No. Say it again.

~~~~Twelve years ago~~~~ Maddie wasn’t thrilled to learn that Danny was trying to make friends with Todd’s son. Their neighbor was terrible. And his son was definitely a street rat and probably a juvenile delinquent. Maddie: Danny, honey, there’s got to be a reason this boy is talking to you. Even kids from the crime alley are always looking for a bargain they can make or a fool they can fool. Danny: But Jason is so cool! He knows so much about books and alleys and.. Maddie: But you don’t want to be a fool, do you? Danny: Okay, Mom, I get it.

So, if Danny wants a cool friend, he’s got to offer a bargain.

He didn’t have a lot of pocket money for every month but Jason needed it more anyway. And his lunch that Jack was picking for him was big enough for two and only bitten on Tuesdays. Nice. Jason: Do I understand correctly? You will pay me and give me food, and I, what? Protect you from bullies? Danny: No! I’m not weak, I don’t need to be protected. Just..maybe we could sit together at lunch and walk each other home sometimes? Jason: Nay Danny: But why? You want something else? Jason: Money’s fine but your homemade food is…strange. Danny: I can bring sweets if you want. Jason: Deal. 3 pop tarts for a joint lunch, a party size bag of M&Ms if you waste my time out of school.

~~~~

Sometimes they share sweets when they hang out but more often Jayson takes them home to save in case his parents have money problems. Sweets have a long shelf life stored and he may not be afraid to poison himself. Over time, candy becomes their currency and a secret language for all occasions. Need help without unnecessary questions? M&Ms. Problems with learning? Skittles. The question is about family? Snickers. There will be a serious conversation? Pop Tarts.

Jason: One snickers and a pack of gum. Danny: Yeah, Jason? What do you want? Jason: My mom wants to meet my friend. Come to lunch on Sunday. Danny: Okay, you managed to pay for my expensive services. Jason:…and you just lost the gum from the deal.

~~~~~~

Jason threw a package at Danny: Three pop tarts. We need to talk. Danny: All right? Jason: Why are you avoiding me all week?! Danny: Well, it’s just..you’re Wayne now. Jason. Still Todd. And what about that? Danny: You can hang out with the cooler guys now, I didn’t want to embarrass you. Jason: Bullshit! I’m still the street rat, and you’re trying to avoid our contract. me. And I don’t even need money from you anymore. What the hell? I thought you are my friend. Danny: And I am!

~~~~~~

Robin: What’s a schoolboy doing in an alley at night? Danny: Um, I…nothing? Don’t tell my parents, Mr. Robin sir. Robin: It will cost you so many Chunky Bars, you have no idea. Danny:...Jason? Jason: N-no. Danny: Damn yes. What are you doing in green shorts on the street at night?! Jason: Cosplay. Danny: Oh yeah? Then I’m just your hallucination. Don’t hesitate to ghost me. I’m going home, Disgrace In Pixie Boots, bye. Jason: fu%&c$#u