" Oh, thank god," Jason says, exiting the portal and entering the Batcave, " solid ground."
I exit after him, rolling my eyes, "Stop whining. It's not that bad."
" Maybe to you, Casper, but I prefer my feet on the ground," Jason says, taking off his jacket and putting them away while I change back into human form.
" I thought you liked to fly? You never said otherwise."
Jason snorts, "You've got the wrong bat, Dickybird's the flyer."
" But just the other day, you were telling me that your friends have to lug you around like a sack of potatoes, flying away from one thing or another. Why'd you let them if you hate it so much?"
" The good of the mission," Jason explains, sighing. " If it helps us get away or save one more person, I'll put up with whatever methods are necessary."
" I get that," I say, heading to the elevator, " and I'll keep your aversion to flying in mind. You going up?"
" I guess," Jason says, raking his fingers through his hair, which, to me, was an odd movement. Jason, to my observations, isn't usually so fidgety. But here he is, standing next to me, shifting his weight from one foot to another, sucking on the inside of his cheek.
" You okay?" I can't help but ask.
" Yeah, why?"
" Nothing, nothing," I say, inching closer to the elevator buttons, " you just seem off."
" Off how?" Jason asks, just as the elevator goes to a screeching stop.
" Your lack of observation, for one. You didn't even notice me pushing the emergency stop. What's going on with you? You've been acting off since we left the Farfrozen."
" Nothin's wrong. Stop making somethin out of nothin," Jason chastises, reaching over to restart the elevator, but I grab him, turning him intangible. He doesn't notice until his arm goes through the panel, "let go."
" No. Not until you fess up. Something's bothering you. I don't know if it's from your prognosis or what, but I know once you get up there, you're gonna run," I say steadily. I can't judge. After all, I would do the same thing. " I don't know where you plan to go, but you can't leave like this. You're going to get someone hurt, probably yourself, maybe others. Talk to me. What can I do to help?"
" You could let me go!" Jason exclaims, trying to pry my hands off of him. It doesn't work. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
" I don't? Then why don't you inform me," I say. Jason glares at me. Having given up on being released, he gives me the silent treatment. Eventually, Jason wins out as I sigh, " Just promise me you'll be at the manor tonight. You aren't in the headspace to be going anywhere."
" If I promise, will ya' leave me alone?" Jason asks.
" If you promise," I agree.
"Then I promise," Jason says, " I won't go anywhere."
I let him go and say, " I'll hold you to that," then restart the elevator, and in no time, we are stepping into the manor.
" Huh," Jason remarks, " surprised the old man had it in him."
" What?" I ask, confused. What on earth is he on about?
"Never mind," Jason huffs. We wander the halls until we come across Dad. He's relaxing comfortably in one of the sitting rooms, surrounded by various files. Both super and civilian.
" I take it you're done? Ready to rejoin the living," Dad jokes, monotone, eyes never leaving the file. Jay and I side-eye one another, which goes unnoticed. " You were expected back hours ago. You've missed Alfreds' wonderfully cooked dinner, and it's almost time for patrol," he sets down his papers and stares us down," What do you have to say for yourselves?"
" The trip was informative," Jason says nonchalantly and puts his hands in his pockets. " Did ya know, shorty over here has chronic pain and nerve damage? Might be something to bring up to Leslie."
Feeling betrayed, I add, " Frostbite diagnosed Jason with an ectoplasmic regulatory disorder. Thought ya might wanna know." I watch as Dad's eyebrows go higher with each reveal.
" Dude," Jason exclaims, " You're violating HIPPA!"
" That only applies to medical professionals, dipshit, and you did it first," I argue back.
" Boys!" Dad exclaims, quieting us. " Sit down and explain." Hesitantly, we did and retold our doctor's visit. " So, to put it in human terms, Jason just needs to take this 'Ecto-skíra,' and the Pit Madness will go away?"
" It will cleanse his system of the contamination," I correct, " 'Pit Madness' isn't really an accurate term. There is more than one way to get it."
" How long does he need to take it?" Dad asks me.
" The doc. said forever," Jason replies, his face pinched. " Said I'll need it, or I'll just get infected again."
" Jason didn't have enough clean ecto when he came back, making his system weak. Think of it as a pill form of dialysis, cleaning up any ecto that enters his system," I explain.
" So you're going to be okay?" Dad asks, hope shining through his tone."
" Yeah, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon, old man," Jason says and is quickly brought into a hug.
Dad cradles Jason to his chest, kisses the top of his head, and whispers, "Thank goodness. I love you, Jaylad; I've been so worried. All of us have. To know you're going to be okay.." he trails off and releases Jason from the hug and quickly reclaims his composure and says to me, " Jason was right. Your nerve issues should be checked out on this side, too."
" Not yet; it's not safe if they see–"
" Let me worry about that," Bab says, cutting me off. " You would be in good hands with Leslie. She's the family doctor. She can at least write up a referral, and I can work on getting you to a league-approved doctor. They wouldn't tell; you'd be in good hands."
" Can I at least think this over?" I ask, knowing arguing would get me nowhere. Baba has the same look in his eye Dami gets when he wants you to do something. Resistance is futile.
" We can talk over who you'll go to after we gain your referral, but you're not getting out of going to see Leslie," he says.
" Well, that's better than I thought I'd get," I mutter and ask Bab, "Can I go to bed now?"
" Of course," Baba agrees, checking his watch, " You should go to bed too, Jay. You've had a long day. Gotham can handle a night without you."
" Okay," Jason says, sounding a little confused. " I guess I'll see you in the morning."
—-------- Jason —---------
A chill comes over the room. The same chill that's come over it every thirty minutes, ' damn you, demon baby,' I think, pretending to be asleep. Sure, I said I'd stay in tonight, but I didn't realize I would really be held to that. I tap on my phone '11:58,' Two more minutes. ' I only said I wouldn't go out tonight. I didn't say anything about tomorrow.' After all, what's the point of staying in? Being left alone with unwanted thoughts. No thanks. I wait out the remaining time, then get up.
I move silently through the halls and make my way to the cave. Once I get down there, I find it empty. Good. With nobody to bother me, I get ready in record time. I decide to forgo the helmet and just apply the mask, taking no trackers or coms. I get on my bike and hit the open road.
—-------- Danny —---------
I turn over groggily and rub nocturns, still forming crusts from my eyes. I go to use the bathroom, and when I get back, I notice it's still dark out. Instead of going back to bed, I stray from my path, walk invisibly through the wall, and peek into Jasons' room. The bed's unmade. No one is in there. " This Bitch," I groan under my breath. I loosen my grasp on gravity and fall through the floor until I reach the cave. All of the vehicles are gone.
—-------- Time skip —---------
" Good Morning, Baba," I say, entering the kitchen.
" Afternoon," Gramps corrects, setting sandwiches on the table, "It's nearly noon."
I grab one, " Almost being the keyword here, Gramps. Where's everyone else?"
" Besides Mastors Tim and yourself, away from the manor," Gramps informs, going to fill up some glasses with ice.
" Huh," I hum, eating. After swallowing, I say, " I had forgotten to ask before leaving yesterday, how much of the league is supposed to go for the meeting? Are you sending a delegation? Or everybody? Frostbite was curious."
Dad takes a sip of his coffee, " A delegation. Made up of Superman, Wonder Woman, Constantine, a lantern or two, and myself. At this stage, the others would only be a hindrance."
I nod in agreement. Too many voices are just as bad as too few, " That's–"
I get cut off by the doorbell. We all look at each other as if asking, 'Is that for you?' Gramps gives us our drinks and heads for the door.
We sit quietly until a feminine voice draws near, saying, " Oh, I'm glad. I was afraid that I'd arrive at the wrong time."
Their light footsteps get closer. Gramps says, "Of course not, madam, and at any rate, the halls of Wayne Manor are always open to those we call friends." Before anything else can be said, he re-enters the room with Diana Prince following closely behind.
" Good day, Bruce," she greets, " and how wonderful it is to see you again, nephew."
Dad nods at her and says, "Come join us. We've only just started."
" Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Diana says, but we brush off her concerns.
" It's no trouble," Dad says.
" There's plenty," I agree.
She lingers for a moment before smiling, " If you're sure, I would be happy to join you."
" Do you have a preferred drink, Ms. Prince?"
" A glass of water would be great if you don't mind," Diana says.
" It'll be out in a moment," Gramps says, leaving the room.
" While wonderful to see you," Dad says to her, " is there a reason for your visit?"
I shoot him a glare that was rude, but before I can interrupt, Diana says, "I was hoping to spend some time with young Danyal. Sorry, Danny. It's not every day one gains a nephew. Well, if he's okay with that, of course."
Expected looks shoot my way, " I'm free till this evening," I say.
" Fabulous!" Diana exclaims, "You don't mind If I borrow him for a while," She looks at Bruce, " right?"
Dad lightly purses his lips, "As long as he comes back in one piece."
She playfully shoves him, " of course. It's not like I'm Oliver."
He huffs and smiles, " True, though not many can do worse than Queen," he shifts his case to me, " best to get ready."
I stand just as Gramps arrives with her drink, " I shouldn't be long. Will our outing have any attire requirements?"
" Nope! Anything is good as long as you're comfortable," she says, and I rush off to get dressed. I come back in a fresh, green t-shirt and jeans just as she is finishing her food. Diana and Baba finish their conversation and say their goodbyes, and then we are out the door. We climb into her car, which was parked out front, and drive away into the city.
" So," I ask, interrupting the silence, " what do you do for work? Civilian work, I mean."
" I'm a curator. I look after artifacts and try to identify them," She says. " I don't know if you can tell, but the Greek ones are my favorite." I can't help but chuckle at that. " What about you? What do you want to do once you're out of school?"
" I'll be taking up a more prominent role in the Infinite Realms," I say, rubbing the back of my neck," but on this side of the divide, if I've got the time, I'd love to work on mixing the realms technology. See what can happen if you mix the two. Hopefully, do some good in the world."
" That's a great goal," she praises, and we return to silence.
I fidget in my seat, trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, I came up with, " You have a favorite color?"
Diana hums in thought, " I've always been partial to blue."
" Nice, nice.." I trail off.
" What about you?" She asks.
" I don't know," I say, " to me, each color comes with its own connotations. So depending on the circumstance–"
" Your answer would change," Diana finishes, understanding.
At this point, we're in the city proper, " So, are we going anywhere in particular? You never said."
" Oh, did I not? I thought I had," she says and gains an apprehensive look. " I had intended to take you to Gothams' planetarium. I had mentioned my intentions to have a day with you around Clark, and he mentioned that you may like it. That you like star gazing. If you want to do something else, that's totally fine–"
" No, that's fine. I would love to go to the planetarium. In Nanda Pabart and in the Midwest, there wasn't as much light pollution. You could see hundreds of stars, but here? It's just straight smog!" I exclaim, exasperated.
Diana laughs, " I can see how that would be disheartening. On Themyscira, the sky's clear, yet to be touched by men. It's one of the best parts about visiting home."
We talk about the wonders that are the stars until the show starts. That afternoon, we saw two presentations. The first was on constellations. Each time they told of their origins, we whispered corrections to one another. The other one was on unusual phenomenon. Touching upon aurora borealis, black holes, magnetars, gamma-ray bursts, and more. Ah. So many ways the galaxy could end. So much fun. By the time we got out, it was almost sundown. " That was nice. Thanks for taking me," I say as we climb back to the car.
" It was my pleasure," Diana says, " It's a bit later than I thought it would be, but I should be able to get you back in time for your other commitments."
" Don't worry about it. There should be plenty of time," I say.
" Do you mind if I ask what it is you're doing?" Diana asks.
I tap my fingers on my thigh, " I have a council meeting. I've passed on word that you've all agreed to help. To help things go better when you all visit, we're going to outline our key points and decide on how to proceed for any resolutions."
" Smart," she says. " Best to be on the same page."
" Exactly. I don't need to have any infighting when you all come," I say. We ride in silence until I say, "If you don't mind me asking, are you doing anything tonight?"
" ...No, I don't believe so, why?" Diana asks, sounding confused.
" Dad doesn't like me going into the realms by myself. Last time, I was forced into bringing Jason with me, and I was thinking, If you're free, maybe you'd be interested. Pandora is supposed to be there tonight. I thought you might want to meet."
" Would I be welcomed? I wouldn't want to be where I'm unwanted," she says.
" Don't worry about it, Aunty. If anything, you'd be a boon. My explanations aren't always the best, and I could have accidentally misunderstood something. Would be better to be corrected now than later," I say.
" If you're sure, I'd be happy to accompany you," Aunty Diana says.
" Great! You won't regret it!"