Danny and the Bats

2

Ta-da!

***

I have a place to sleep even if it is an alley, I patched up my wounds with the supplies Red Robin gave me last night and I get water from rain, now I just need food. I could easily steal anything I want as Phantom, but my core aches just thinking about stealing from innocent civilians. I spent the day wandering, hoping to find something, but no, nothing. I'm back in my alley now, stomach aching with hunger.

"Kid?" I startle slightly, looking up to see Red Robin with a small relieved smile. "You're still here, I brought you some stuff."

He places a big bag I somehow didn't notice he was holding down in front of me, quickly backing off once it hits the floor. I send him a suspicious glare, before slowly, carefully reaching forward to open the bag. The first thing I find is a blanket, which I poke a few times from as far away as I can to check for traps before I pull it out. I don't really need it with my ice core, but it's still nice.

"Can you tell me your name?" Red asks. "I can't keep calling you kid."

What's the harm? I open my mouth only to choke on it, no sound escaping me. It snaps shut. Red looks concerned.

"You can't talk?"

I give a slow nod. Why could I talk in ghost form but not now? He reaches to his belt and pulls out a little notebook and a pen. What is that belt, magic?

"Can you write it?"

I nod, reaching for them, clicking the pen on once I have them.

'Danny' I scribble down across the page, before turning it to show him.

"Danny, huh?" I nod, holding out the notebook and pen for him to take. "No, I have plenty. You can keep them."

I blink before shrugging internally, it will make talking in this form easier.

'Thank you' I write, because manners.

But when I look up to show him he's gone. I shrug, looking back down to the bag and pulling out a muesli bar.

&&&

I can't sleep and I'm bored.

I need less sleep thanks to being half ghost, which was helpful before with the near constant ghost attacks, but now is just leaving me awake and bored. Someone screams a couple alleys over making my obsession to protect grow. I shouldn't. My core pulses. I sigh and I transform. I make my bag intangible and hide it in the ground, because I'm a genius, and fly towards the scream to see... Red Hood beating a guy up next to a crying child. Well. The man's being taken care of but the kid still looks scared.

"Hello," I greet softly, able to talk in this form, but not too loud. The girl looks up at me startled. I give her a smile.

"Are-are you a meta?" she whispers, successfully distracted from the fight next to us, which seems to be over? Red Hood is now standing to the side, watching. Whatever. This form has always given me more confidence.

"Nope! I'm a ghost," I answer. Her eyes widen.

"You're dead?!" she gasps.

"Mhm!"

"How?"

Pain.

Green.

Screams.

Pain.

Pain.

I hide a wince, Instead sighing wistfully.

"I didn't eat enough vegetables," I admit.

"Really?"

"Yup." I turn to her. "Will you eat your vegetables?"

"I'll eat all the vegetables ma gives me!" she declares.

"Great! Is your mum nearby?"

"We were walking home! I... I wandered off," she admits, looking down guiltily.

"You wanna know what the best thing about mistakes is?" I ask, making her look up at me curiously. "We can learn from them and make sure to do better next time." She smiles at that. "Do you-"

"Mia! Mia, where are you!?" a voice calls from a little down the street.

"That's ma!" she exclaims. I give her a big smile.

"You better get back to her then!" she nods, thanking me before running off. I smile after her.

"Hey."

Shit. I forgot he was here.

"Yes?" I squeak, floating around to face him.

"Kids shouldn't be-"

"That's no fair!" I interrupt. "I'm dead! I'm gonna be kid forever!" I lie, you know, like a liar.

"So you're going to go and play hero?"

"Yeah? Kinda have to," I truth, you know, like a truther. (Author- sorry, it just happened.)

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"Well, ghosts- or at least my type of ghost- has something called an obsession. Something that drives them, that hurts not to do. Mine's protection!"

"You can't- that's not-" He sighs, which sounds very weird through his helmet. "Can you even fight?" I float up higher, creating a green shield in one hand and an ecto blast in the other before going invisible, reappearing, then going down until I'm halfway in the ground. He throws his arms up in defeat. "Fine! I won't stop you-if!" He shouts before I can cheer. "You work with me."

"Work with you?"

"Yeah, I'm not just going to let you go do whatever you want in my territory kid. Take this." He chucks me a burner phone which I catch. "You'll stick with me until I know if you can actually fight. After that, we'll see."

"Yes, Mr.Hood!" I salute.

"Just Hood."

"Of course, Mr.Hood."

He groans.

&&&

I watch Drake leave the cave, a large bag on the back of his bike. I narrow my eyes. He has been acting off all day. I will have to look into this.

&&&

I've looked for the white haired boy with the glowing green eyes (probably a meta) since I first found him face down in that alley two days ago. Should I bring the others in on this?

***

Thoughts? What do you want to happen next?