It's been a quiet night in Bludhaven. Nightwing stops a few muggings and a store robbery before deciding to call it an early night.
He is contorting himself through the window of his appartement for the fun of it, when he spots a shape sprawled out on the couch.
The vigilante hovers his hand over one of the escrima sticks on his hips and quietly tiptoes further into the living room. It's probably one of his siblings, but one can't be too careful. With his unoccupied hand he flicks on the lightswich.
"...Little wing?"
"Hey big bird." Jason waves halfheartedly in his direction, making no other move to sit up or put on a defensive stance. He is still in his Red Hood gear, minus the helmet and domino mask.
Dick hadn't realy expected his most turbulent brother. He is equally delighted to see him as he is worried why he's here. Jason doesn't approach the family. It's almost always Dick that seeks out Jason. The few times It's been the other way around his little brother had been shaking with pit madness, or just come out of an episode and didn't trust himself around anyone else.
Also good god when was the last time Jason called him big bird.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Dick asks tentatively, making no move to come closer just yet.
A long pause follows the question before Jason awnsers.
"Yeah. Yeah I think so? I feel great actually." He says it like he can't believe, or wrap his mind around the words themselves.
Dick wracks his mind to what could cause this sudden shift? Lethargy? in his brother.
"What about the outlaws, how'd your mission go?"
"They're fine. Mission went good enough." Jason waves off flippantly.
Okay Jasons friends are fine. And based off of the reponse there probably wasn't anything that set him off on the mission. So should Dick go for the direct approach and just ask? Sure why not, whats the worse that could happen right.
"Do you wanna talk about what happened?"
Jason gives him a look. Little brothers. Nightwing fights the urge to roll his eyes.
"C'mon Jay you don't just show up here for nothing."
"...Guess I don't." Jason mulls something over in his head. "Quick question, and I don't mean to freak you out but, what colour are my eyes right now?'
Dick inhales sharply. It never bodes well wen Jasons eyes change. Even when he seems eerily calm at the moment. Perhaps because of it. A good day could switch to being the calm before the storm with the snap of his fingers. He braces himself for the toxic green as he looks into his brothers eyes.
"Blue. They're blue little wing." They both sigh in relief.
"Cool, cool. Great even." Jay nods to himself.
"Sooooo," Dick obnoxiously drags out. "Story time?" Feeling relatively sure his little brother isn't going to try and attack him, he makes himself comfortable on the couches armrest. Depending on how the story goes he might shove Jason aside to squeeze in next to him later.
Jason pushes his fingers through his hair. "Shit, fine. So. I got stranded in the middle of bumfuck nowhere America.
_________________________________________________
After a successful mission on the west coast the outlaws said goodbye to eachother. Each going their own seperate ways once more.
The Red Hood, seeing as he drove here on his motorbike, realises he'll have to drive all the way back to Gotham as well. Even on his souped up bike the trip from the west to east coast is going to take several long days.
And Jason is tired, bruised and sore from the hits he's taken.
So instead he decides to find lodging somewhere and get some sleep. Perhaps even a well deserved hot shower.
~
Nothing. nada. Zilch. He has been driving for hours and has found absolutely nothing. No hotel, no Inn, not even a fucking camping. In fact he hasn't even driven through a village for at least an hour. All there is around is corn. Corn and wheat as far as the eye can see. If green wasn't already his least favorite colour, it would have been yellow by now. Jason is also pretty sure, despite the state of the art navigation, that he's driving too far south.
Just as he's contemplating breaking into someones barn and take a powernap in hay, he spots something in the distance. A canopy of trees, no more like the start of a forest. The thick foliage will be perfect for shelter so he can't be spotted from the road. Not the first time he's slept under the stars, won't be the last.
Red Hood makes quick work of hiding his bike in the bushes. He takes off his helmet but leaves his domino on, just in case. He curls up in the blanket he's brought with and prompty falls asleep.
~
Jason wakes up as the first rays of dawn shine through the leafs and is immediately on full alert. He feels something, a shift in the air. He's acutely aware there are eyes on him. In one fluid motion he stands and draws his pistol.
"I know you're there. Lets make this easy and show yourself."
"Beware the will-o-wisps traveler." A voice filled with amusement echoes around him, not allowing Red Hood to pinpoint the speakers location. "They target the foolish and the lost."
"That so? Lucky me I'm neither so I'll be just peachy."
"You should be," A young man materializes right in front of Jason. Hovering at least a foot above the ground, decked in some sort of faux spandex onesie. Jason does not jump or even so much as flinch. Okay he might have flinched but he expertly covers it up by shoving the barrel of his gun at the apparitions forhead. It just makes the guy grin like pointing a loaded gun at someones head is an inside joke.
There is nothing about this guys appearance that says danger yet something about him sets Jasons teeth on edge, it might be the most toxic shade of lazarus green eyes looking straight at, or more acurately through him. He feels weirdly exposed.
"Just stick to the roads and don't follow anything odd, you'll be fine. I'm Phantom by the way, nice to meet you."
"How'd you know to find me, Phantom? 'Cause from my perspective, you're the only oddity I've come across."
Phantom laughs, like Hood just said something funny, sharp fangs glistening in the low light. "These woods are just ouside my Haunt up the road." He points in a direction behind him. "I make rounds when I have time to pick up any lost tourists. The woods tend to dissapear people you know. So when I sensed you, I knew I had to check it out."
"You sensed me, how exactly?"
"You're like super liminal. Ghosts can sense-" Phantom trails off, his head cocking to the side like a curious puppy as his eye catches something shining red.
"Liminal, what's that? Phantom?"
The ghost gasps, his eyes seem to shine even brighter and tuquise colours his cheeks in what can only be described as a blush. "Holy shit you're the Red Hood!" Heedless of the gun still pointing at him he takes Jasons unoccupied hand in both his white gloved ones to shake vigurously. "I'm a huge fan! So many ghosts love your work man!"
Just as quickly as Phantoms enthousiasm began he stills as an array of expressions cross his face. He still hasn't let go of Hood's hand.
"Uh. Always nice to meet a fan but I kinda need my hand back now." Jason waves with his gun, wondering if it would even do anything to a supossed ghost. Based on the guys nonchalance, he's going with probably not.
"Dude your ectoplasm is corrupted as hell."
"My what is what now?" Phantom is flying slow circles around Red Hood, looking intently at something. At least the guy let go of his hand.
"It's rancid, feels almost paracitic actually."
"You're gonna have to explain from the start because I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. What's ectoplasm?"
"This." Phantom lets his hand fill with green goo.
Jason pales at the familiar substance. "Lazarus water."
"Whatever you wanna call it."
"Where the fuck did you get Lazarus pit water." Red Hood is back to pointing the gun at Phantoms head.
"Oh boy okay. You might wanna sit down, 'couse this is gonna take a while."
One explenation on the properties of ectoplasm, how ghosts are made and a veer off to other undead entities later. The sun is fully up well into mid morning and Jason is back to being sprawled out on the damp forest floor.
"-and thats why I think you're a Revenant, not a zombie. No hate against zombies, they are cool too."
"You're a pit demon." He says instead of unpacking any of the other stuff. Jason vaguely remembers hearing stories from other assassins about otherworldly beings escaping the pits.
"Rude. I'm not a demon and I don't want anywhere near that much corrupted ecto my dude."
"You said you can filter it. That mean you can cure it? The pit madness."
"Sure can!" Phantom says enthousiastically.
"What will it cost me?"
"Nothing? I just like to help."
Red Hood gives Phantom an incredulous look.
"Hmm..Oh I know! How about a picture? My friends are gonna freak I met you!"
"You're offering to change my life and you- You know what, fuck it sure. But I'm putting my helmet on for the picture. Deal?"
"Yes! it's a deal!" The two undead shake on it. Jason is pretty sure uncle Connie is sobbing somewhere after all the warnings he's given them about not making deals with unknown entities.
"So hows this gonna work?"
"I'm gonna put my hand through you chest- intangebly don't worry-"Phantom demonstrates what he means by phasing his arm through a tree and not leaving behind as much as a scratch. "and take out the parasite. Then I'm filtering as much corruption as I can. Sound good?"
"Sure."Hood shrugs, figuring he has little left to lose at this point.
"Okay It's going to feel cold and static-y, like a limb falling asleep."
With Red Hoods nod, Phantom plunges his hand into his chest.
Jason gasps at the sensation. The pit screetches in rage and fear and he can feel it trashing around when the ghost gets a hold of it. Then Phantom pulls. The pit struggles increase as its desperately trying to stay and Jason thinks fuck no get OUT.
Red Hood can hear the pit, for the first time with his ears instead of screetching rage inside his head. he sees it, squeezed tightly in the ghosts gloved fist, what he can only describe as a baby Lovecraftian horror. Withering with too many faces fading in and out, all screeming in agony and hatred. Projecting so many emotions, all negative, in a dizzying dark green sludge.
Phantom grins wickedly, sharp teeth on full display, and for a second Jason thinks desperately 'he's going to eat it please don't I already feel like puking!'
Instead, 'thank fucking Jesus.' Phantom engulves his hand in green flames. They watch the thing burn untill there's nothing left.
~
Jason feels better. He feels so much lighter immediately. The filtering Phantom insist on doing feels more like formality at this point.
Just like that.
Little more than a chance encounter.
The pit is gone.
The pit is gone.
________________________________________
"It's realy gone, for good?" Dick asks, squeezed up against his little brother. Jason doesn't seem to mind. He hasn't punched him yet so.
"'S far as I can tell yeah. I still have the "pure" shit, no getting rid of that, but there's no longer other peoples emotions in me."
"Holy shit Jaybird. In exchange for a selfie." Dick is already sitting, but he feels like he should be sitting but extra.
Jason nods mutely, clutching the mug of tea his brother made him sometime in the story.
"Phantom invited me to visit his Haunt sometime, but warned it could be dangerous. Dunno if I'll take him up on it. He left soon after pointing me back to the road, wich was the opposite side I thought it was. Fucking supernatural bullshit."
"This is a lot to process."
Jason humms in agreement.
"Little wing, how are you doing with all this?"
"Feels surreal. Like it's too good to be true. Didn't wanna be alone just in case it turned out to be the case yaknow. Figured you were my best bet."
"You can Always come to me Jason. Always. No matter what happens next I will be there for you, I promise." Dick means every word. Let it be known Nightwing learns from his mistakes. He's never leaving his siblings alone again when they need him. Least of all his first little brother.
Dick pulls Jason into a hug and for the first time in years Jason can lean in instead of worrying he'll strangle his big brother.
~
"So, how do you want to tell the rest of the family?"
Jason groans heartfelt as Dicks grin grows wider.
"Also this Phantom guy, is he cute?"
Yeah okay he earned that punch to the gut.
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Bonus:
"Hey dad!" Red Hood comes barreling over the rooftops towards him at breakneck speed. Batman braces himself for inpact instinctively.
Without stopping his son calls out gleefully; "A ghost cured my pit madness!"
And keeps going, dissapearing back into the night.
Bruce sighs long and tiredly. Children.
He'll ask Alfred to cook Jasons favorites to celebrate. He can interrogate his son another time.