Danny felt his stomach drop, as his eyes widened. Oh man, he knew! Of course the world's greatest detective would have figured it out! This was bad. What should he do?!
"W-what me? A ghost pfft! You sure your head is ok? You have been calling me different names all night." Danny slipping out of Jason's headlock, chuckling nervously.
Batman stare turned cold, making Danny flinch. The others were staring at him too. If they didn't think he was one before, they were suspecting it now. Way to go Fenton.
Danny jumped at the touch on his shoulder, just to ease into it, when he realized it was Jazz. He looked at her, pleading. He was weak and exhausted, he couldn't run, he couldn't think..
"Its ok, Danny." Jazz spoke softly and calmly. Her eyes watery, as she squeezed his shoulder. It was scary for her too, but glancing at the heroes.. she really did believe they could help Danny... that they wanted to help him. Ghost and all. They were willing to listen.
Danny's face twisted staring at her in shock and uncertainty. It broke Jazz's heart a bit. Faintly, It reminded her of when Danny was little, and their parents were stuck out in a storm. The lights had went out, and it was still dark even with the generator kicking on. Back when she was enough to ease Danny of his fears.
Now all she could do was nod in encouragement. "I trust them."
Danny skeptically glanced from them to her, then groaned. He rubbed his face, pulling his knees to his chest. He hadn't even told his parents yet... This was the worse vacation ever. "Ugh. You're... half right."
Batman raised a brow, not having expected that answer. Jason seemed relieved, though, he didn't know what Danny meant, but he did know that it means he wasn't completely dead.
The others passed skeptical glances, expressions of both shock and confusion.
"How can you be half?"
"Like heck if I know, but I am. At least that's what the other ghosts call me. Halfa." Danny leaned against his sister, who held him in a half embrace. "Half-ghost, half-human. A rare anomaly or something like that. "
"So you're dead and alive? At the same time?"
"No? Y-yeah? I don't know! " Danny pulled at his hair. "I just know I can't even die right! So here I am, an entity that defines existential crisis!"
"Danny." Jazz trying to keep her brother from ripping out his hair.
Danny buried his face into his knees as he tried to calm his breathing. A brief moment of silence filled the space.
"...You know, sounds like to me, you're just too good at living." Dick was crouched behind him and Jason, giving Danny a gentle nudge.
"Definition of doing the impossible." Cass smiled, standing next to Jazz.
"Death is for the weak." Damian crossing his arms.
"...Logic is.. actually sound on that." Tim scratching his head, though he suspects Damian was inspired from his own mantra of sleep being for the weak. He just tweaked it.
"Its not like you're the only undead chilling around here." Jason huffed, bumping shoulders with Danny.
Danny froze, feeling generally shocked. His eyes glancing at their faces. They.. didn't judge him for being a ghost. They didn't look at him any different. His eyes landing on Jason, furrowing his brows, as he took in what he said.
Not the only-? He could feel it faintly. It wasn't a ghost sense, but it still felt strangely familiar to. Death?
"What, never seen a zombie? I find that hard to believe, especially if your home town is infested with the stuff." Jason gesturing to the ectoplasm. Though it wasn't exactly the same as the Lazarus Pit, it was close enough. If not worse.
"Zombie?" Danny tilted his head, definitely not how he would have pictured one. But then again, the only time he saw a ghost look like a bed sheet.. was in the mirror when he dressed up as one for Halloween. "Huh, heheh."
Tears started to run down Danny's face, as he let out quiet breathy chuckles. He tried to wipe them away as quickly as they came, curling up into his legs. He couldn't stop them.
Jazz smiled in relief, as she glanced at the vigilantes. Sniffing back her own tears. Danny was finally relieving his pent up stress. She rubbed his arm, and rocked him gently.
"Sorry- I don't know why I-"
"Danny, I promise things won't be the same. What weight you carry, you won't have to do it alone." Batman reached out to ruffle Danny's hair gently, pulling back to cough into his hand. "You'll have us."
Danny crumbled hearing that, hiding his face completely. Ugly sounds of crying coming from his shaking frame.
Jazz looked Batman in the eye, mouthing out a relieved, 'Thank you.' Batman just giving a nod.
All the others were turning their heads, shaking them lightly. Damian stuck his tongue out, looking off to the side.
"Coming from the man who demanded he work alone 12 hours ago." Tim muttered, receiving a look from Batman. He just turned his head pretending to whistle despite no sound coming out. Dick and Cass snickered as they all were thinking the same thing.
After a moment, Dick awkwardly coughed into his hand to get everyone's attention. "Now that the uh.. ghost is out of the manor,"
Danny let out an ugly snort, as a chuckle tried to poke through his crying.
"Don't you mean in the manor?" Damian muttered under his breath, arms crossed.
Cass snickered silently behind her hands. Jason and Tim were smirking. Batman sending a unheated glare. Jazz just looking between them all, blinking in confusion.
"We probably should get these kiddos inside, and think about what to do next. Robin, carry the battery. Red Hood, how you feeling?"
"Not dead, so fine." Jason pulling himself back up with a grunt.
Another snort from Danny could be heard.
"Great. Then me and Red Robin will carry B to the plane, while you and Orphan help Danny and Jazz." Dick already moving towards Batman, who was giving a deep frown.
Batman was reluctant, but couldn't deny the help. Tim and Dick on each side of him, already sending slight teases his way.
"Got it, big bird." Jason waving them off as he stretched. His joints popping. They still had another mission ahead of them. He was really hoping there wasn't any more eldritch horrors in their near future.
He looked down at the pair of siblings. Danny was starting to calm down. Jason gritted his teeth. He hated seeing kids suffer. Just knowing Danny been through hell and back, quite literally, made him boil under the skin.
He had to let it go. Anger wasn't going to help, especially if he lost it now. There was no one to be mad at. Well, there was one person in mind. Whoever this Plasmius was, going to take the brunt of it.
Jazz looked like a mess too. Her hair was in knots, with mud and ectoplasm stuck to it. Her face looked worn, and her body was trembling. Cass was undoing Jazz's hair, while Jazz was embracing her little brother.
"Thanks. I'm starting to think my hair isn't going to survive tonight. Er.. Morning." Jazz sighed looking at the pieces of hair she could see.
Cass just nodded, examining the caked on dirt in her hair.
"I guess I should cut it. Long hair isn't... really practical.. is it?" Jazz half smiled, though she seemed hesitant on the idea.
"Y-you? Cutting your hair?" Danny lifted his head, resting his chin on his crossed arms. He had stains on his cheeks and circles over his eyes.
"Yeah, it would help me look more professional too. I think."
"Thought you didn't want to cut it because you were afraid to be mistaken for Mom."
"...Well, yeaaaaahh.. But, I'm starting to accept that I have more qualities in common with Mom and Dad than I previously had liked to admit. Self-reflection. So in a way-"
"You're afraid that Mom and Dad would try to help brush the matts out?"
Jazz nodded with pressed lips. "More like I rather not have my hair sucked into a vacuum again."
Jason squinted his eyes at that phrase.
"We have a brush on the plane, would you like me to try?" Cass offered.
Jazz looked at her with light of hope in her eyes, but stopped herself shortly, "Really? I be so-uh o-only if it doesn't take up too much time. M-mom and Dad still are in trouble."
"Not if we start heading back to the plane." Jason offered his hand to help Jazz up. "Besides, if this Plasmius is as annoying as that ghost was, I like to be a bit more prepared."
"Ugh, he's the worse. I rather deal with Boxy, every hour for a week." Danny stood up on his own, shakily.
"Boxy?"
"The Box Ghost, ghost of all things rectangular and square. He isn't a threat, but he's pretty annoying."
"Reason I stopped using anything box ssshhhhaaa-iiiiii-" Danny was trying to walk when his legs gave out.
Jason had caught him by the back of his shirt, pulling Danny to his side. Danny curled into his stomach leaning on Jason. His core reminding him, that it was starved. In pain.
"Danny, are you ok?"
"Is... he destabilizing?"
"F-fine.. M'fine." Danny panted, though his vision was crossing.
"Bullshit."
"Fine as in.. I won't turn into that.. I think." Danny gestured to the goo under them still. He swallowed down the sickly feeling in his throat. "Its fine. I can keep going-"
"Like Hell you are. I thought the old man was stubborn shit." Jason huffed, crouching down. "Now, get on, or I'm carrying you like a sack."
Danny blinked, trying to see if he was serious or not. He was embarrassed to be this weak, but then again he did just break down crying, snot and all, in front of them. Danny sighed, climbing on.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Jason stood back up, almost too quickly. He suppressed a frown. Danny was a whole lot lighter than he expected. Maybe it was a ghost thing? Even so he could feel how scrawny Danny's limbs were.
He could also feel something pull towards Danny. It was a lighter version from the ghost. Was it because he was weak?
"I think... that thing sapped what ectoplasm I had left." Danny said, tiredly, closing his eyes.
"Oh, oh! We can use the battery."
"Why not the ectoplasm here?"
Danny's face turned green, scrunching in disgust as he peaked an eye out, "...I.. I rather not..."
Jason couldn't blame him for being picky on that. If he could feel pain and hunger of the ghost, there was no way Danny didn't. He must have felt it all.
"Let's just get these kids back. I don't want Disco Wing and Coffee Nut having all the fun."
"I'm a legal adult, thank you." Jazz huffed, hands on her hips.
"Ah, my apologies. Lets get the kid and the adult that's still too young to drink, back to the plane." Jason smirked.
(owo)
Batman huffed, his side was burning. He had no doubt, reopened the wound. Dick stood by his injured side, while Tim took the other.
"Soooooo~ When are you going to tell them you're Bruce?"
"That won't be necessary."
"Unless their parents are already dead, right?" Tim stated.
Batman glared in front of him. Silence had filled the air for a moment. "...What do you think of them?"
"Jazz and Danny, right? Honestly, they seem like good kids. Just.. overwhelmed." Dick thinking back to when Danny broke down. They must have a lot on their plates. He didn't look like the type that was easy to break, despite physically appearing frail.
"Fenton boy has good aim." Damian was in front of them, carrying the battery. "Girl is questionable. Both are reckless."
"I'm still holding onto the theory he's a vigilante. Pieces fit too well."
Batman nodded, "I agree. I believe Danny's been fighting ghosts on his own for some time now."
"But, his parents are ghost hunters?"
"Wait-Do they not-?"
Batman shook his head, "Jazz disguised Danny's status as being highly contaminated with ectoplasm. She clarified that their parents do not know about his condition and telling them is... complicated."
"And you're going to be fine with leaving Danny in a house with ghost hunters?"
The look on Batman's face told them that he wasn't. There wasn't much he could do though, except extend his hand. "They appear to have a bias against ghosts as well. Presumably negative."
"Yikes. Good thing you crashed into them when you did, huh?"
"No wonder, Danny looked horrified facing that ghost though. Equivalent of facing Death, again." Tim spoke, thinking more about how Danny is a half-ghost.
"He said he doesn't know if he died though. It must have been quick."
"We'll ask more later. Right now we have to locate Plasmius and try to update our devices." Batman sighed, as he hobbled into the plane. There was so much to do, so many variables, and so much unknown.
Dick and Tim sat Batman down in a seat. They all worked to get him patched up, Damian pulling out the food Alfred had packed after setting down the battery into empty chair.
(owo)
Danny had fallen asleep on Jason's back. His weight didn't change, and he barely breathed. When he did, the air was cold like a chill breeze in winter.
Jason didn't like it. It didn't feel like he was carrying something/someone that was alive. Which, in some way he wasn't. Only comforting feeling was the pulling sensation in his gut towards the half-ghost. It was the only instinct that recognized Danny as living.
So he was glad when they reached the plane. They weren't too far behind the others. Batman was still being re-bandaged by Tim and Dick. They turned their heads, as they saw them walk in. Giving shared looks of concern. Dick was jumping up to help, but Jason shook his head.
"He's just asleep, because someone outed him out while he was still recovering from ghost attack. Couldn't have waited til we got into the plane?" Jason sighed.
Batman gave a grunt, in acknowledgment. It probably could have waited.
Cass had pulled Jazz over to some emergency supplies, pulling out something Danny could lay on. She and Jazz set it up.
"He's fine. Just low on ectoplasm." Jazz stated, giving them all a bit of relief. They assumed after what they witness, if something was wrong with Danny, she be the first to rush into action.
"He'll need to use the battery to help recover. Usually he can create ectoplasm on his own by eating regular food. But when he's been active a lot, or in cases like this, he needs direct ectoplasm to speed up his recovery." She explained, as she tested how soft the make shift palette was.
"This... happens often?"
Jazz gave a weak smile and nodded. She knew Danny will both be too tired and too use to keeping his life a secret to explain. She really hope, she wasn't wrong in trusting them. She wouldn't know til after the fact. "Too Often."
Jason knelled down by the palette. Dick helped scoop Danny off of Jason, laying him gently down.
"You weren't kidding when you said he was cold. Poor kid." Dick sighed.
Jason rolled his shoulders more out of habit. "He's light too."
"How long should we let him sleep?"
"Just ten minutes, Danny even like this don't need as much sleep to function. Funny enough, he still doesn't get enough of it. If I didn't ban coffee and energy drinks from the house, he would never sleep."
"That just seems cruel. No coffee?"
"Caffeine's bad for a growing youth."
Dick laughed patting Tim on the back.
"That's a myth!"
"Ah yes, sweet revenge when my diet proves to be superior."
"Says the little gremlin. How much have you've grown in past year? Not an inch-eek"
Damian tossed the anti-ghost roasting stick at Tim. Tim dodged it, as the stick stuck into the floor.
Batman sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jazz chuckled, she could feel the tired dad vibes coming from him. No wonder, he handled Danny so well. He had practice. She sat beside Danny, letting Cass try and fix her hair. She was so grateful she wouldn't have to chop it off yet.
"Not to burst the mood, but I really like to get a punch in on the ghost that fucking caused all this." Jason huffed. "And we still got people to save."
Dick nodded, moving forward. "Me and Robin will go search for clues to see where-"
"I know where they are."
"What?!"
Jazz giving a sheepish smile, as she brushed her fingers through her brother's hair. "I followed their tracks while Danny worked on getting communication. Kind of why my hairs covered in mud."
"The Lake?" Batman asked, as he recalled when she returned to camp.
Jazz nodded. "Yep. I didn't tell you or Danny, because... well Danny would have left to save them on his own. Not cause he thinks he could, just.. that's how he is."
She made a gesture with her hand, as a silent, as you had seen. What they saw of Danny, was how he was.
"Explain what you found, in detail."
"I could show you. Finding a way in, will be the hard part."
