Welcome to part two! The story structure is going to change a little bit from here on out. Basically, we're going to start changing perspectives as it suits the story.

Part Two

Chapter 13: From My Point of View

Jason leapt on his bike and took off the moment the garage door was open far enough. As the pit rage boiled in his chest, he didn't even realize he forgot a helmet. Rain beat down on him, soaking him and making it hard to see. Nevertheless, he drove like a maniac, dodging and weaving around cars, heading for the edge of town.

Trees flew past as he sped up the hidden road, the huge rock wall looming before him. Just as he was about to crash headlong into it, the hidden door rose up and let him through. Lights clicked on overhead, illuminating the rough stone walls, but Jason didn't pay any of it a thought. He knew this path so well he could drive it blindfolded. His mind was elsewhere, consumed with the thought of what Batman had done to the one person Jason had ever dared to truly give his heart to since his death. Nothing would save him from Jason's wrath.

He pulled up in the parking section of the cave and leapt off the bike, the motor still running. He heard the crash as it fell on it's side and the noise drew the attention of everyone in the cave. It looked like Jason had interrupted a meeting. Nightwing, Robin, and Batman stood near the computer still dressed in their suits from their patrol. Tim leaned on a pair of crutches nearby with Alfred lingering in the shadows.

They all turned as Jason stomped toward them, expressions confused, except for Batman. A frown crossed the man's face, like he was expecting this, but was still disappointed. That only fueled the rage in Jason's heart.

"What are you...?" Nightwing started to say as Jason drew his gun. Before anyone could react, he got off three shots into Batman's chest, sending the man back into the computer console, the armor of the suit stopped the bullets from penetrating his body. Jason could have aimed for his head, and the Lazarus rage in his gut wanted him to, but he also wanted Batman to suffer.

"Jason!" Tim yelled. Jason glanced at him, at the fear, hurt, and confusion in his brother's face. Then Nightwing hit him like a tank. The two men went down, and Jason fought like an animal, kicking, and biting. He got his teeth around something and bit down hard. Nightwing yelled and Jason was able to land a punch on his brother's nose. Jason got out of Nightwings hold and scrambled to his feet.

"Jason stop!" Robin demanded, standing between him and Batman, the man still catching his breath after taking three rounds to the chest.

"Out of my way brat," Jason growled. Jason saw the moment Robin realized what was going on. The boy wasn't wearing his mask, and Jason saw his eyes flick up to his face.

"You're eyes," Robin gasped. "The Lazarus rage." Jason stepped towards the kid, who held his ground. Jason didn't want to, but the rage within him drove him to attack. Damain didn't put up much of a fight. He danced out of the way of Jason's attacks, leaving the path free.

By the time Jason barreled into Batman, the man had recovered enough to defend himself. They grappled for a while, exchanging blows.

"You're an absolute bastard!" Jason yelled as his foot connected with Batman's knee. The leg crumpled and Jason wound back for a punch, when someone grabbed him from behind. Nigthwing had recovered, and had looped his arms under Jason's and pressed his palms to the back of Jason's head, making it impossible to move his arms. Jason kicked backwards instead, foot connecting with his brother's knee. The hold loosened, and Jason was able to get free. He lunged for Batman again, but the man was ready this time, and got ahold of Jason's left arm, the one that was still healing, and twisted it behind his back.

Jason, who hadn't felt any pain since the rage took hold of his body, screamed as the rain weakened cast crumpled and the bone re-broke.

"Stop it!" someone yelled, Jason couldn't tell if it was Damian or Tim. Batman let go, and Jason fell to his knees on the floor, cradling the mangled limb. He panted hard, all his energy spent. Some of the rage drained away as fear and despair took its place. Someone knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Jason flinched.

"Jason?" Nightwing asked gently. Jason looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "What's going on?" his brother asked. Jason took a deep breath to collect himself. He stood up, and Nightwing let him.

"Oracle, show them," Jason ordered, turning to the computer, but nothing happened. Realization dawned, and Jason whirled on Batman. "You locked her out!?" he demanded. Batman held his ground, but didn't deny it.

"Jason, what's going on?" Tim asked, his voice slightly hysterical. Jason glanced at him before placing his hands on the keyboard, prepared to undo whatever Batman had done to lock their 'guy in the chair' out of the Bat mainframe. The moment the fingers of his left hand touched the keys however, he winced in pain and yanked the brutalized arm back to his chest.

"Let me," Tim said, gently edging him out of the way. Jason stepped away as Tim retrieved the chair that had been shoved away in the fight, and sat down. His fingers flew over the keys as he found whatever the Bat had done and undid it.

"There," he declared. "Can you hear us Oracle?"

"Yes," her voice answered. "Jason, I'm pulling up the video now." The room stood in silence as the video played. Jason had only seen the very end of it before, so now he got to witness the true display of Batman's ruthless brutality. The first thing the Bat did was hit Phantom with an EMP blast, rendering his com and trackers useless.

"What the?" Phantom's lips formed the words in the audioless footage, before a blast of green light shot out of the weapon in Batman's hand and hit Phantom in the chest. The fight was brutal and quick. Despite how good Phantom was in a fight, he'd never been Bat trained, and thus couldn't hold his own in a true fight with one. He was unconscious in minutes. The footage cut again to the moment when Batman handed Phantom over to the GIW. When the screen went black again, everyone turned on Batman.

"Explain, now!" Nightwing demanded. Batman took a step toward the brothers. Jason hadn't been paying attention, but during the video, all three of his brothers had gathered around him, getting between him and the Bat. Something stirred in his chest at the realization that they were choosing him. In this moment, they were siding with him, over their mentor, their father.

"He's a criminal," Batman growled. "The Justice League was tasked by the government to recapture him. I took the responsibility into my own hands."

"Bullshit!" Jason swore, taking a step forward, but his brothers blocked his way, holding him back with hands on his shoulders. He didn't brush them off. "Phantom hasn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it!"

"They showed me footage of him attacking his hometown," Batman argued. "He's robbed, and hurt, and caused havoc. He's a dangerous criminal and needs to be locked up where he can't hurt anyone. They're taking him back to the metahuman prison he broke out of," Batman said, his voice too calm. Jason shook, glad for the steadying touch of his brothers to keep him upright.

"The GIW are the group that dissected him!" Jason yelled, and even his brothers flinched. They hadn't been told that little detail yet. Batman's expression changed to one of uncertainty. "They repeatedly dislocated his leg just to see what would happen and now Danny forever walks with a limp," Jason continued. "They tore up his throat to keep him from using his ghostly wail on them and now even talking is difficult for him. The scars on his arms aren't from self harm, they were to see how much damage he could heal. They tore the core of his power to shreds and he can barely access his powers now! You didn't lock up a dangerous criminal! You gave an abused kid back to the wolves that tore him to pieces!" Jason screamed. The whole room was tense, and even Batman looked shocked. After a few moments of tense silence, the Bat's expressions hardened.

"You have no proof," Batman started to say.

"Oh, shove it," Nightwing interrupted. "We all know Danny. He isn't what the GIW said he is."

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "I looked up the GIW. I can't even hack into their servers to see what is going on. They're hiding some big, something they don't want us finding. A government run meta prison would not need security that powerful."

"Now," Nigthwing said. "Are you going to help us get Danny back? Or are you going to stay out of our way?" Batman narrowed his eyes at them.

Jason muttered, "What good is his help anyway?" Batman glared at him, but Jason just turned his head away. As the tension rose, Alfred, who had kept out of the whole situation, stepped forward.

"I'm going to make some tea and sandwiches," he declared. "I suspect it's going to be a long night." He turned a disappointed look at Batman as he walked past. The tension broken, Batman turned his back on them.

"I'm going to shower," he muttered, and walked away. Once he was out of sight, the remaining tension left the air. Jason let out a breath and sank to the floor, his back pressed against the computer console.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nightwing asked, kneeling next to him. Jason looked at the faces of his brothers. They all looked tired, scared, and worried. He needed to be strong right now, for them, but he didn't know how.

"No," he admitted. "But I need to find Danny." Nightwing nodded.

"We will Jay, we'll find him," Nightwing said. "But first, let's look at your arm." Jason let his brothers haul him back to his feet, and take him to the medical room to set his arm. He was going to need both his arms working if he wanted to strangle Batman, but he was going to have to wait till after he had Danny back safe and sound.

…

…

Danny pressed himself as far into the corner of the cell as he could. His body shook with pain and fear. The GIW had put heavy metal bands full of ecto uranium around his wrists, ankles, and neck, keeping him in his ghost form while still blocking all of his powers. It hurt, and sent him into horrible flashbacks of the last time he'd been here. He'd barely survived that time, and he wasn't sure he would this time.

'Jason will come,' he thought to himself. 'Jason will find me. He knows all about the GIW. I told him enough about them that he should be able to find me.' He was sure Jason would look for him. He was always worried when Danny didn't come home on time. He would notice the moment he was late, and go looking. Jason would find out what happened, and then he and his brothers would find him. Batman could go suck a dick for all Danny cared.

A bang sounded from somewhere in the building, and Danny hunkered back down in his corner. He'd already been here a few days at least, and they'd already started to experiment on him. His arms dripped blood and ectoplasme from the numerous cuts, and his back ached from the lashes. They were mad about what he'd done to their last laboratory. Apparently some of the scientists had survived the collapse of the building, and we're happy to take their revenge on him, torturing him and calling it science. The only thing that was keeping Danny sane were his memories of Jason. He curled himself into a tight ball, and let memories fill his tired mind.

…

Danny stood on the roof across from The Red Hood. It was the first time he was meeting the vigilante, and he was kinda scary.

"So you're the ghost I've heard about?" Red Hood asked, casually, like he didn't really care what the answer was. Danny had to hold back a flinch as the man drew a gun from his holster.

"Phantom," Danny said, trying to keep his tone as casual as Red Hood was.

"Phantom?" Red Hood asked. "How original. What are you doing in Gotham Phantom? Don't you know this is Bat territory?" Ah, now there was the question. What the hell was Danny doing in Gotham. He'd been free from the GIW for nearly a year, and had been living on the streets of Gotham for most of that time. He'd come here because the city was big, and there were so many criminals and metas that anything he did that might attract the attention of the GIW was bound to be lost in the noise. But, after a year of laying low, of living off scraps, pick-pocketing the rich and begging on the street, Danny had seen enough. The crime in this city was horrible, even with the help of the Bats and Red Hood. There was just too much crime. Danny couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer when he knew he could help.

And so, he'd gotten together a crappy costume, and made his move. He chose the Narrows for several reasons. It was the worst of the crime for a start. And, he knew the Bat's were suspicious of new players. Red Hood was a wild card though. He worked alone, and held an iron grip over the crime of the Narrows and Crime Alley. But Danny had a plan, and now it was time to put it into action.

"The Narrows aren't the Bats," Danny said smugly. He couldn't see Red Hood's expression from under the helmet, but he saw the man's grip tighten on his gun.

"No, the Narrows aren't the Bat's, they're mine. And I assure you, I'm much worse," Red Hood growled. Now was Danny's moment. If he said the wrong thing here, it was over. He was dead, or run out of Gotham. He'd have to find somewhere else to live, maybe Bludhaven, or Star City.

"Look, I'm not trying to take over or undermine you," Danny said, putting his hands up in what he hoped was a placating gesture. "I just want to help. You know, take out the small fry. I'll leave the big jobs to you."

Red Hood tilted his head. "I don't need help," he said, harshly. Danny mentally cursed. That was strike one. He tried again.

"I believe you. But just cause you don't need it doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice right? Less time spent stopping muggings and drug deals, more time to spend taking down the king pins or catching up on sleep, or whatever," Danny said, smirking to try to show that he didn't really care either way.

"I don't work with people I don't know," Red Hood said. And Danny knew that was strike two. If he messed up a third time, this was all over.

"Then what if I worked for you instead of with you?" Danny tried. His heart soared when he saw Red Hood tip his head, as if considering the idea.

"You'd do what I say and work by my rules?" Red Hood asked. Danny wanted to whoop, he'd done it. Now to seal the deal.

"Sure, whatever you want. I just want to help. I live here too ya know?" He threw that last bit in in an attempt to appeal to Red Hood's clear loyalty to his city. Even though he'd disappeared for a year, Danny had heard the stories. Red Hood had still come back. He clearly loved this place, and Danny hoped that by showing he had a reason to care, it would push the man toward letting Danny help.

"Alright," Red Hood said slowly. "You can work for me. But, if I hear that you've been hurting instead of helping..." Red Hood pointed his gun at him and Danny had to resist the urge to flinch, "I'll put a bullet in your head no questions asked," he said, his voice low, and dangerous. Despite the threat, Danny was thrilled. He'd done it! He'd gotten Red Hood's permission to keep taking down criminals in his territory. It was exactly what he wanted. Danny grinned.

"Meet me back here tomorrow at 10:00 PM, and we'll go over the terms of your employment," Red Hood said, holstering his gun. Danny took that as his cue to leave.

"Sweet! See you then," Danny declared, and ran for the edge of the building. He leapt off and used what little control he still had over his flight to float down to the ground. He couldn't fly properly anymore, but he could still use his power this way, and to give himself a bit of a boost when he jumped. Danny looked back up at the roof and saw Red Hood looking down at him. He had a fun idea, and so, with a salute, he turned intangible and sunk through the street. He was sure the feat looked impressive, but as his nose was assaulted with the stench of the sewers, he immediately regretted it.

…

Danny was pulled from the memory when the door to his cell opened. He pressed himself further into the corner as a man in a white lab coat stepped inside. He was holding a tray of food, and Danny felt his stomach growl. They'd barely fed him, and he was ravenous.

"Are you going to be a good little bastard and let me draw some blood?" the man asked in a sticky sweet voice. Danny shook his head. Jason would want him to fight back against these monsters, whatever the cost. The smile on the man's face fell. He dropped the tray and the bowl of thin soup spilled all over the floor. Faster than Danny was expecting, the man was on top of him, his knees on Danny's legs, a hand on the side of his head, pressing the side of his face into the wall.

Danny gasped as the man slammed his head into the wall, over and over until he saw stars. Dazed, Danny sat there as the man inserted a huge needle into the already shredded skin of his arm. He drew so much blood that Danny felt light headed, on top of the dizziness he felt from the beating his skull had taken. Once the man had gotten what he came for, he left. Danny curled into a ball on the floor, waiting till his mind cleared. For the first time since he'd been recaptured, Danny let himself cry. He sought comfort once again in his memories of Jason.

…

The next time Danny saw Red Hood, the man tossed him a phone with a casual, "Here."

"A phone?" Danny asked, looking at the dinosaur age thing. He hadn't had a phone for three years, not since before his parents, well…

"Yeah," Red Hood confirmed. "In case we need to contact each other. If you're going to be working for me, I want to be able to find you." Danny felt this might be a trap, so he flipped the phone open and scrolled through the contacts. Only one was listed under the name, Red Hood. He called it. A phone in Red Hood's pocket started to ring.

"Really?" Red Hood asked, irritation clear in his tone.

"I just wanted to make sure it works," Danny shrugged. He was satisfied however, and hung up the phone. He was going to have to check it for bugs before he went back to his crappy hide out though. He didn't want Red Hood tracking him.

"Well it works. Just keep it charged. I'm serious about wanting to be able to contact you. If something comes up and I need your help, I have to be able to talk to you," Red Hood said, his tone serious.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Danny said, in a tone that he hoped would annoy the vigilante. He didn't want to piss the man off enough to make him want to shoot him, but Danny couldn't help the desire to banter with the guy. He was desperate for a friend.

"Anyway, I want you to keep an eye on the main streets tonight. I've got something near the docks I want to check out. Just take care of muggings and robberies. Leave drug deals alone unless they're selling to kids. Then show no mercy. And keep an eye out for the working girls. I'll let them know that you're working for me now and they'll spread the word around. They're the best source of news and secrets in this city, so be nice to them, ya hear," Red Hood said, like he really was Danny's boss.

"Sure," Danny said, trying to sound like he'd understood all of that.

"Alright, off with you," Red Hood said. "Call me if anything major comes up. I'd hate to find you got yourself killed on the first night."

"On it. This isn't my first rodeo," Danny said smugly. He turned and leapt off the building, using his powers to give him a boots across the gap, trying to impress the guy. He hoped it worked.

…

The first thing Danny did once he was sure Red Hood wasn't following him, was open the phone and look for bugs. There was a small chip and wire connected to the battery that Danny was sure didn't belong. He was glad the bug was so easy to find, he'd never actually had to find one before. He ripped the little thing out and stomped it underboot. After that, the night went smoothly.

...

After their patrol was over, and they'd talked a little bit about Danny's powers, Red Hood gave him a huge wad of cash, more money than Danny had ever seen in his life. With this kinda money he could get an actual apartment. He could get off the street and have a shower that wasn't cold water in a homeless shelter. As soon as he was sure Red Hood wasn't following him, Danny turned back to his human form and headed to the library.

He used the public computers to look for apartments in the Narrows. He wanted to be close to the slums so he wouldn't have to travel far to go on patrol. Luck was with him because he found the perfect place. It was a little pricey for the Narrows, which was probably why it was still available, but he could afford it assuming Red Hood actually paid him the same amount every week, but Danny was going to hope. He called the landlord and set up a time to look at the apartment.

…

The place wasn't much, but it was more than Danny had had in a long time. He wasn't able to move in right away, there was some paperwork to fill out, so he had to spend two more nights on the street. He patrolled with Red Hood both nights. The second night, he met Red Robin and Robin, who clearly knew Red Hood and were protective of him. Robin, who was scary for a kid, challenged Danny to a sparring match. Danny had never spared before, but he did his best. Robin still beat him every time but he'd held his own decently well. For someone without real training, he was proud to have done so well against a Bat trained kid.

Finally, Danny got the keys to the apartment. He still had a decent amount of cash left, so he hit the stores looking for some furniture. He didn't need much, a couch, a dresser, maybe a table. Once he had made the place look at least somewhat lived in, he went out for a meal.

When he arrived back at his apartment, Danny realized he'd forgotten his keys in the apartment. He cursed himself. If his core was undamaged, he could just turn intangible and walk through the door, but that wasn't an option any more. He'd have to transform fully into Phantom, and that was risky. It was tiring for one thing, changing back and forth, and this place wasn't safe. He'd have to go back outside, and find an abandoned building somewhere to transform. He was pulled from his thoughts when someone behind him asked, "Hey, you good?"

Danny turned around and got his first look at Jason. He was standing there, with an amused look on his face, a red hoodie thrown over a superman t-shirt. His jeans were worn, and his boots scuffed. His eyes were a strange blue green, like someone had put a small amount of ectoplasme in each eye. He had a white streak of hair in his bangs, and Danny instantly had a crush on him.

"I uh, locked my keys in my apartment," Danny explained, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Oh, that sucks," Jason said.

"I just moved in," Danny explained. "You must live above me. I'm Danny." Danny stuck his hand out. Jason shook it, and Danny noticed the roughness of the man's hand.

"I'm Jason. Is your window unlocked?" Jason asked.

...

Danny smiled at the memory, before his small joy faded with the sound of his cell door unlocking.

…

Danny listened to the scientists talk as they injected him with painful serums and watched the monitors to see what happened. They were talking about how easy it had been to convince Batman to capture him for them. Danny's blood boiled at the thought, and he remembered the first time he'd met the Bat.

…

Meeting Batman for the first time had been utterly terrifying. Danny remembered how he and Red Hood had been running along the rooftops, on patrol, when Red Hood suddenly stopped and threw his arm up.

"Hold up," Red Hood said, tilting his head, like he was listening.

"What is it?" Danny asked, fear settling in his gut. He sensed it too, someone was watching them. Red Hood turned in a circle, but made an effort to keep Danny behind him. Danny followed his motion and let the more experienced vigilante guard him. He watched as Red Hood scanned the rooftops before settling on something. Danny saw it too, a darker patch of shadow.

"Stay behind me," Red Hood warned, as Batman landed in front of them. Danny repressed a shiver. He'd been keeping up with Batman's movements since he was a kid. The hero had been almost a role model for Danny, something to strive for. But being in his presence now, he was scared. This was not the hero he was expecting, the feeling was all wrong. Batman was a dangerous, feral animal that would bite if given the slightest reason.

"What do you want Bats?" Red Hood demanded. He stayed in front of Danny, and crossed his arms. Danny knew what he was doing, keeping Batman from getting a good look at him, but making the motion look casual.

Danny looked over Jason's shoulder, and saw Batman examining them. He felt exposed despite being barely visible to the man.

"I want to talk to you Hood," Batman said with that gravelly growl.

…

Danny watched the drama unfold before him, and stayed out of it. He couldn't stay quiet any longer though when Batman said, "I wish I hadn't raised a man who thinks it's okay to kill people and let criminals go! I wish I didn't have to know that one day I'm going to have to put you down when you go too far again!"

"You're a horrible father," Danny said, doing his best to make the statement sound like a fact. Danny grabbed Red Hood's arm, and led him away, not looking back at the horrible display of cruelty he'd just witnessed. He couldn't understand how he'd ever thought Batman was a good person.

…

The pain lanced through Danny's chest. He screamed, but no one cared. Hand's rooted around inside him, prodding his already fractured core. He felt ice building in his chest, wanting to escape, but the ecto uranium prevented any release. He screamed until his throat was sore, and still he screamed.

When it was finally over, and he was alone in his cell again, he thought about how he'd slowly fallen in love with Jason, and all the little things that he loved about him.

...

Danny hadn't realized that Jason and Red Hood were the same person, not at first. It wasn't until Jason picked his lock that he started to suspect it. Most people didn't just have a lock pick set in their apartment. And when Danny saw Red Hood pull out the same kit on one of their patrols, his suspicion only grew stronger.

Meeting his brothers was another clue. When he first met Tim after overextending his powers using ice, he was surprised how similar he was built compared to Red Robin. He was even working on a laptop when Jason invited him into his apartment. Red Robin was well known to be a computer hacker. However, it was after his second encounter with Batman that Danny really started to suspect Red Hood was Jason. The stories he'd gotten from both just lined up. A father that didn't accept him, brothers he was slowly starting to build a relationship with, a year away from Gotham, it all matched.

Danny started dropping hints that he was Phantom, hoping Jason would realize and call him out on it. He wasn't one hundred percent sure Jason was Red Hood, and he didn't want to look like a fool. But, he was starting to fall for Jason. The guy could cook, and he was a really good listener. Danny had known he was bi for years. He'd never really talked about it with anyone other than Sam and Tucker. They both took it in stride, Sam even going so far as to point out hot guys to him. He'd never really explored his sexuality much though, as he was dating Sam when he realized he was bi. But now, he was falling for Jason, so he dropped his hints. He mentioned how he loved the stars to both Jason and Red Hood.

Meeting Damian shortly after that only solidified Danny's resolve that Jason was Red Hood. The kid spoke in the same strange way that Robin did, like he was a serious grammar stickler. But Danny still didn't confront Jason. He didn't want to be wrong, and some small part of him didn't want to be right. He liked Jason and liked this one normal thing in his life. He didn't want to ruin it.

…

The next time they experimented on him, Danny shut down. His mind dove deep within itself, much like it had long ago with Jason. Danny only vaguely remembered that day. He did recall hunting down the body snatcher, and finding his dissection layer, but much of the time after that was a blank.

He remembered Jason though. He remembered his voice, soothing him. He remembered the gentle touches, and the strong arms holding him close. Danny clung to those memories as his mind shut down, blocking out the real world. He clung to those feelings, pretending that Jason was here now, and it was all just a bad dream.

…

Laying on the hard floor of his cell, Danny remembered another time he lay on the hard ground with Jason, that night they went camping and watched the stars, after Jason had had that nightmare.

...

Danny had woken to Jason thrashing and crying in his sleep. Realizing his boyfriend was having a nightmare, he grabbed his shoulder to shake him awake. That had been a mistake. Jason flew up and at him, pinning him to the ground. Hands clasped around Danny's throat. He was being choked! He couldn't breath. He clawed at the hands around his neck, Jason was on top of him, his normally blue green eyes lost in a sea of green. Danny tried to say his name, but he had no air. After a moment, Jason's eyes turned back to normal, and it was clear he saw what he was doing. Jason threw himself away from Danny and he gasped for air.

"Jay," Danny tried to say, wanting to let his boyfriend know it was okay, that he didn't blame him. But Jason threw himself out of the tent before he could catch his breath enough to say it. Danny reached for him as he fled, but he was too slow. Danny waited a moment, letting himself catch his breath. Once he could breathe easy again, he grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself, and stepped outside the tent. He slipped his shoes on and went to Jason.

Jason was punching a tree. Danny flinched with each impact, and hurried over. He hesitantly touched the back of Jason's shoulder. The man flinched and whirled around to look at him. Danny saw the fear and self hate in his boyfriend's eyes, and his heart broke.

"Jason," he pleaded, wanting to explain that he didn't blame him, that he understood it was an accident, but Jason fled from him again. Danny watched Jason stare into the fire pit for a moment before hunting around the camp. Danny could tell he still needed a moment, so he went and sat down by the fire pit. He watched his boyfriend throw logs into the pit, and cover them with lighter fluid. Danny scooted his chair back from the fire pit as Jason threw a match in. A huge column of flame erupted and Danny hopped Jason hadn't burned himself.

Finally, Jason seemed to have worn himself out and sat down, his head in his hands. Danny moved over to him. He knew he had to break the silence, so he tried a different tactic.

"I'm okay you know," Danny said, surprising himself with how rough his voice sounded. Jason flinched so Danny continued. "You were having a nightmare and I tried to wake you." Jason muttered something that Danny couldn't hear.

"Huh?" Danny asked.

"I'm sorry," Jason said, not looking at Danny. "I'm sorry I'm so messed up. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I keep finding your triggers," Danny flinched, and then cursed himself for it. He knew Jason didn't mean it when he set him off, it wasn't Jason's fault Danny was so fucked up. Jason continued talking. "And I'm sorry I suck at being your boyfriend."

"You don't suck at being my boyfriend," Danny assured him. He didn't know how to prove this though. Right now, Jason clearly hated himself and what he'd done. But it had been an accident, and Danny needed to show Jason he was okay. He gently touched his boyfriend's shoulder, when he noticed the blood on his hands. He gently touched Jason's knuckles, and the man flinched.

"You're bleeding," Danny told him. Jason finally lifted his head from his hands and examined them. Danny knew it had to be from punching the tree. He was going to have to avoid it in the morning lest he see the blood on the bark. Not that blood bothered him, but something about the idea sent him shivering.

"Will you let me fix you up?" Danny asked gently. When Jason nodded, Danny went and found the first aid kit. He brought it back and gently washed and bandaged Jason's hands. Danny loved his boyfriends hands. They were big, and rough, but they could be so gentle. They were scared, but that just showed how much life Jason had lived. Once he was done, Danny held the larger hands in his.

"There," Danny said, happy.

"Thanks," Jason muttered. Danny didn't know what to say next, and Jason clearly didn't. They sat in silence for a long while as Danny tried to figure out what to do. Jason didn't look happy, he was still avoiding his eyes. Finally, Danny had an idea.

"Let's go for a hike," Danny said enthused.

"What?" Jason asked, finally meeting Danny's eyes. That only encouraged him more.

"Hiking," Danny said, getting to his feet and dragging Jason with him. "Let's grab our flashlights and walk the trail." He noticed Jason wasn't wearing shoes. "And put your boots on," he added.

Danny grabbed the flashlights and watched Jason put his socks and boots on, then he led him through the campsite, past other quiet tents. Once they were alone on the trail, Danny asked the question that had started to burn in his mind.

"What was your nightmare about?" Danny asked, gently.

"I don't remember," Jason said flatly.

"It must have been bad," Danny said, trying to give Jason an excuse for his reaction. If it had been a truly horrible nightmare, then surely Jason couldn't blame himself for it leaking into the waking world. Jason stopped walking. Danny took another step forward before he realized, and turned so he was facing Jason, but didn't dare let go of his hand.

"What?" Danny asked, worry creeping into his gut.

"Will you stop pretending that I didn't just almost kill you?" Jason said, his voice a little hysterical.

"Jay," Danny tried, but Jason bowled him over and kept talking.

"Look at your neck Danny! How are you going to hide that? How can you just ignore what I did?" Jason's voice was cracking.

"Jason," Danny tried again, desperately trying to stop the tirade of self hate he knew was coming.

"I'm dangerous, and I hurt you," Jason said, tears streaming down his face as he fell to his knees. Danny's heart clenched, and his tight grip on Jason dragged him to the ground too.

"Why are you just okay with this?" Jason sobbed. Danny pulled Jason to his chest, his heart breaking. He held Jason close as he cried.

"It's not your fault love," Danny said. "Next time I'll throw a pillow at you or something, okay?" Danny didn't like to see Jason like this, but at least he wasn't bottling up his emotions any more. Danny knew he would feel better when he let them out.

…

Danny touched his face and found the tears there. He was crying at the memory, it was too painful. Instead, he thought about the night his secret had come out.

...

Danny had felt the bullets hit him in that abandoned office building, but hadn't thought the wounds were that bad. Normally, his ghostly healing would have taken care of it. But he'd overextended his powers making a shield, and then using so much ice, that the healing hadn't taken effect. And when he turned back to human at his apartment, the blood wouldn't stop flowing. In his panic, he'd called Jason instead of 911. He was still careful, in case Jason wasn't Red Hood. He'd used codes, but he'd been right, and Jason had come.

Danny didn't really remember Jason coming, only that he had, and that he'd been there when he woke up. After that, things were different. Danny had been worried he'd lose the one piece of normal he had when he found out Jason was The Red Hood, but that hadn't happened. Instead, he'd just gotten closer to his boyfriend. Everything was wonderful. Even after Harley had blown up their apartments, things were great. Danny was the happiest he'd been in years. He had a family again, a strange, crazy, somewhat broken family, but it was still a family. And it was all his. But of course, Danny couldn't have that for ever.

…

Danny lay on the harsh metal table, his limbs strapped down, and a tube shoved down his throat. His head was strapped down as they cut into this throat. He knew what they were doing. They were trying to finish what they'd started last time when they tried to disable his ghostly wail. Danny knew they wouldn't make the same mistake again.

…

He lay on the floor of his cell, trying to eat the meager food they brought him, but every swallow hurt. He tried to hum, to speak, to make any noise, but he couldn't. They'd completely destroyed his ability to make any noise. Danny sobbed, but the action only further strained his damaged throat, so he tried to make himself stop. He curled into a ball, pushing the food away, and tried to sleep.

…

Danny woke to the sound of his cell door opening, and scrambled back. 'No more,' he thought. 'I can't take it anymore!' He closed his eyes and wished Jason would find him soon. He couldn't take much more of this. He could feel himself losing strength and hope every day. He didn't know how much longer he had before he started to look for another way out.

Sorry, not sorry, I couldn't help myself. If there are any other scenes you want to see from Danny's perspective, let me know, I'll try to work it into a latter flashback scene.