Chapter Text
All things considered, Danny Nightingale was having a good day for once!
His annual check-in with Frostbite had gone well that morning. They’d been worried about how Danny was adjusting to Gotham’s level of ambient ectoplasm. It wasn’t as potent as Amity used to be, but all things considered, Danny had a clean bill of health!
He'd gone to visit Sam and Tucker up in Chicago, where they were both studying, to tell them the good news- he was accepted into Gotham University on a full-ride scholarship! Courtesy of Dick and Babs for helping him through his essay and cover letter for said scholarship. And now, he was out celebrating with Dick and his family at the Martha Wayne Foundation's Annual Charity Gala!
With the fucking Waynes!
He was having fun, being shown off to practically every member of the Wayne family in attendance like a new puppy, (He knew Jazz was close with them, but never expected to be this welcomed, a bit weird to be honest.) and finally felt like his life was his again—like he could finally catch a break he desperately needed. After everything that had happened the year before, Danny felt like he was on cloud nine!
Standing there, glass of Champagne in hand, he laughed with Dick and Jason on either side of him at some joke Duke made at Tim's expense, a genuine smile on his face. As foreign as it felt, this was nice.
...till something wrapped around his core like a snake coiling around its prey and pulled taut.
The feeling made his core flare and thrum like he was getting ready to change forms, but it hurt so much. Whatever was coiling around his core was trying to force the change like tearing a steel door open from its hinges. Tears pricked on the corners of his eyes and his vision when green.
Danny had to fight this.
***
"You could always take Danny as your plus one." A distracted calmness rose from the redhead surrounded by psychology textbooks at a small dining table.
The city lights lit up the cozy living room just enough to see around the somewhat small space. Dark curtains lined both sides of the windows on either side of the wall the TV was mounted to. A natural wood TV stand sat beneath the TV, lined with books, a couple of retro and newer video game consoles, and quite a few movie DVDs. A large square rug outlined the threshold of the living room and little dining area they had. A plush three seat sofa sat behind a natural wood coffee table in front of the TV stand. Half of the two-seated dining table that sat against the wall in front of the kitchen was brimming with psychology textbooks, a few spiral notebooks, a Ghostbusters coffee mug, and the coffee maker keeping half a pot of coffee warm. A tiny kitchen space was tucked into the corner behind a half wall by the front door.
"I didn't think Danny liked parties," Dick Grayson said, straightening his tie in the circle mirror hanging by the front door.
"He doesn't. But he's home again and needs to socialize." She said casually, not looking up from typing on her laptop. She glanced at a notated textbook in her lap before typing again.
"Home again?" Dick repeated, a bit confused. "I thought he stayed with you long-term nowadays."
From what Dick remembers of the incident with the Fentons the year prior, Danny had fully moved in with Jazz and was finally free of all that haunted him back in Amity Park. Was he still going back? Were Maddie and Jack trying to contact them again? The half-frustrated sigh and the dejected look on Jazz's face gave him more questions than answers.
He knew that stare. She wore that stare the night Tim practically interrogated her as to what happened with Danny. She was choosing her next words, unsure what she could talk about. Fidgeting with the well worn hem of the oversized Superman hoodie (technically, it was Dick's, but he didn't care) that went down and covered her knees. That expression came up a lot these days whenever the conversation shifted to specifics involving Danny.
He ran a hand through his hair, took a breath, and walked up to the small table. He pushed aside the urge to overanalyze. Now's not the time to play detective.
"He does, but he's been busy with... a lot of things. I'll tell you later." She waved away the topic, tucking back a few flyaway hairs that fell out of the messy bun on top of her head and flipping a page in one of the textbooks on the table.
"Ya know, I can be fashionably late if you wanna talk about it," Dick suggested coolly, leaning against the back of the empty chair across from Jazz, arms folded across the top.
"The last time you were 'fashionably late,' Tim chewed you out for half an hour." Jazz shot back, the smallest smirk on her face.
Dick couldn't help but grin back at her. "We were 15 minutes late, sue me. Besides, this is completely different."
"Wing," Jazz rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to hide another smirk.
"Alright, Gale, I'll drop it." Dick smiled, rounding the table to plant a kiss on Jazz's forehead.
"Danny! Dick's here!" Jazz leaned back in her chair to peer down the hallway to her right. She looked up at Dick, pulling him down to her by his tie to steal a quick kiss.
There was a moment of clattering in the other room before Danny slid down the hall in his socks, pajama bottoms, and one of Jazz's old Gotham University hoodies.
"Disco!" Danny cheered as he caught himself on the back of Jazz's chair. Dick practically stumbled into the hug Danny pulled him into.
"How ya doing, Spooks!" Dick chuckled, clapping Danny on the shoulder when he let go.
"Good! I got accepted to GU!" Danny beamed as he held onto Dick’s forearms briefly.
This was the first piece of genuinely good news since the restraining order on their parents and their name change had finally gone through.
He knew they needed some good news.
Especially Danny...
"Oh my god, Danny, that's amazing!" Dick gaped, looking at Jazz briefly as she shrugged with a cheeky smile.
"He said he's gonna frame his acceptance letter." Jazz teased as she started typing on her laptop again.
"Well, tonight's as perfect a time as any to celebrate! You still got that suit from graduation?" Dick asked brightly.
Danny's eyes lit up. "Gimme a minute!"
***
The roar from his motorcycle cut through the paparazzi chatter as the Lost Prince of Gotham pulled up to the Martha Wayne Foundation's Annual Charity Gala.
The red carpet was flanked on either side with various reporters, news outlets, paparazzi, and the like. It made the Pits growl in his chest.
The crowd cheered as he handed the keys and his helmet to the valet and started down the red carpet. He wore a simple suit, black suit jacket, burgundy dress shirt, black tie, slacks, and dress shoes to match. He casually ignored the questions that were hurled his way, waving to the crowd and occasionally posing for a camera or two as he subtly scanned for the other Bats. Normally, he'd avoid going to these kinds of things altogether, but this one was important.
The Pits stirred as he managed to pull off a polite smile for the press.
“Wow, someone’s eager to get this over with,” Tim said as he broke away from an impromptu interview with a reporter and stepped in stride with Jason.
“Hey! I wouldn't hear the end of it if I was late to my event, Timmy.” Jason replied coolly, waving to a cameraman he accidentally made eye contact with.
Tim shrugged beside him, straightening out his suit jacket. He wore a simple black suit with black dress shoes except for a yellow dress shirt underneath that stuck out like a sore thumb against all the black. Jason raised an eyebrow.
“Since when did you wear yellow?” Jason teased lightly.
“I lost a bet to Bernard. That's it. ” Tim groaned as a light blush started to surface on his cheeks.
“Oh, I'll get the details eventually, don't you worry.” A charming song of a voice called out from behind them. Jason glanced back and grinned.
Barbara sat in her wheelchair, her auburn hair neatly braided to the side and flowing down one shoulder. She was dressed in a simple black dress that slipped off one shoulder and had a slit up to her knee on one side. A pair of black heels peaked out from under the bottom hem.
“Timmy, sorry to say it,” Jason clapped Tim on the shoulder playfully, “but Barbie can sniff out blackmail like a bloodhound . You're toast.”
Jason and Barbara shared a laugh then. Tim rubbed his face with his hands and sighed, red as a tomato.
A chill went up Jason's spine. His blood ran cold, and the pits writhed like a worm on a hook. It made his breath catch in his throat. His grip on Tim's shoulder tightened slightly, and by the way Babs was looking at him, he’d gone pale, too. As quickly as it came on, it was gone, replaced with a light tug, just enough to get his attention.
His hand slid loosely off Tim's shoulder while he scanned the crowd in the direction of the tug. He made eye contact with someone stepping out of a car at the end of the red carpet.
Two men got out of a sleek black car. The first was dressed in a navy blue suit with a light blue tie, brown dress shoes, short dark hair parted down the middle like normal, a slight tan complexion, and that classic goodie two-shoes smile. About time Dick Grayson showed up. The shorter man behind Dick made the Pits shutter.
He was a head shorter and had a sleek frame like a dancer. He seemed to fill out the simple black suit he wore nicely. His fluffy black bangs draped across his forehead and dangled above his brow bone. The rest of his hair was slightly shaggy and faded out to a stark white at the base of his neck. He had a silver star earring in his left ear and a planet earring in his right that caught the camera flashes as it swayed on a small silver chain from his earlobe. The man’s icy blue eyes almost had a cat eye sheen to them. Jason saw the shorter man shiver, eyes going wide, brows furrowing for a moment before softening slightly when he finally made eye contact with Jason.
Time slowed for a moment. The pits were eerily quiet in Jason's chest making him even more unsettled than he already was. The crowd had parted slightly, showing a clear and narrow path down the length of the red carpet. Jason thought he heard something in the wind.
Was that... purring?
The controlled chaos of the red carpet rushed back to his senses as Dick moved in front of the smaller man again, turning back to him as if to say something to him.
"Jason, you okay?" It was Babs at his side, tugging at his sleeve. She looked up at him from her wheelchair, her face full of concern.
Jason let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, Barbie. I'm fine. Dick just got here."
"Is Jazz with him?" She tried to mask the lingering concern in her voice with a bit of excitement, but he knew she didn't fully believe him.
"No..." Jason frowned as he tried to get another look at the smaller man behind Dick as they moved through the crowd towards them. Either the crowd was too thick or the man was shorter than he thought. "He's got a guy with him."
Barbra and Tim shared a confused look.
"Do you recognize him?" Barbra asked.
Tim sighed after scanning the crowd. "So that's where my old suit went."
Jason paused.
Something about the way those blue eyes shined seemed... eerily familiar.
"Can't say I do, Barbie." Jason settled on finally.
Tim huffed. "Should've known." Under his breath.
Jason folded his arms over his chest as the two men walked up to the three of them. A playful smirk surfaced as Dick looked over at him finally.
"What happened to Jazzercise?" Jason questioned, matching Dick's smirk.
"Caught a case of Thesis paper blues. But," Dick drawled with a grin, wrapping an arm around the shorter man's shoulders. "We've got Spooks instead. Tim, Barbara, Jason, meet Danny Nightingale."
Danny's gaze flickered between the three of them nervously. He gave a small wave as a light blush rose to his cheeks.
Jason barely caught the purring again.
Tim sighed and held out his hand to Danny for a handshake, which Danny almost didn't catch. "Good to see you again, Danny," Tim clipped. "Keep the suit."
Again? Jason blinked.
"Good to see you too..? W-wait- this is yours?? " Danny stammered, a little embarrassed.
Cute. Jason smiled softly.
Tim frowned and waved away the thought. "Think of it as a graduation present." Danny just nodded.
"You're not Jazz, but it's good to see you, Danny! See, didn't even know it was gone." Babs smiled kindly, holding her arms out for a hug, which Danny happily leaned into.
“Babs! You look great tonight! I'm more fun than Jazz anyway.” Danny joked casually with a chuckle.
Tim stared at Barbara, eyes wide and brimming with a mix of anger and betrayal.
"When did you-?" Tim sucked in a breath. "Shelving that for later." He breathed softly.
A rogue laugh bubbled out of Jason's throat. “Like you were losing sleep without it.”
Jason locked eyes with Danny again; that cat-like sheen seemed more like a glow now that he was closer. Danny swallowed nervously under Jason's gaze. Some distant bell rang in the back of Jason's mind every time he looked at Danny, yet he couldn't put his finger on it.
Danny stuck out his hand to Jason, that nervous smile of his on full display. "You must be Jason, right? I've heard a lot about you, but I don't think we've met.”
Jason raised an eyebrow, shaking Danny's hand. He opened his mouth to say something when a chill ran up his spine again more intensely than before. It was like taking in a cold breath of fresh air into panicked lungs. Danny jolted like he'd been shocked, flicking his gaze down at their hands, then back up to Jason. Jason pushed past the feeling, finding his words.
"Saved the best for last, I'm guessing? It's nice to finally meet the menace of a brother Jazzercise won't shut up about." Jason teases, letting go of Danny's hand.
"Now that I can believe." Danny chuckled easily, his shoulders still tense. That purring? No, it was more of a low hum, which was almost lost under the rest of the noise around them.
"Pretty soon, she won't have much to complain about, though." Danny fidgeted with one of the buttons on his suit jacket as he spoke.
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"
Everyone but Dick, who sported a half concealed smile, looked a bit confused. Babs's face lit up, her hands gripping the arms of her wheelchair as she leaned forward towards Danny.
"You got the scholarship-"
"I got the scholarship to Gotham University!!" Babs and Danny spoke in unison, both beaming.
"Yes!! I knew you'd get in! Way to go, Danny!" Babs and Danny did a double high-five.
"I got my acceptance letter on Wednesday after I saw you at the library!" Danny stepped back, still smiling like an idiot.
"What can I say? I'm a good luck charm." Babs joked with a grin.
Danny and Dick chuckled, Tim shook his head, and Jason couldn't help but snicker.
"I'm going on in. Proud of you, Danny." Tim nodded, slipping past Jason to link arms with a familiar blonde man with a Red Robin Pin on his lapel.
"Have you figured out what you're gonna study? Wait, lemme guess. Astronomy?" Babs continued as she led the way through the crowd, Danny following in step beside her.
"Close, Astro Engineering with a minor in Astronomy," Danny added with a grin of his own. The tension in his shoulders melted away. Jason hung back with Dick behind the two nerds.
"Who was going to tell me Jazzercise had a brother?" Jason questioned, looking pointedly at his older brother beside him.
"A cute brother to boot. What? I can't help it the handful of times he's been to the manor, you weren't there." Dick held his hands up defensively.
"Sure. We'll go with that." Jason scoffed with no real heat behind it.
"But seriously, I want Danny to have a good time tonight. 'And he has to come home in one piece, and preferably not black out drunk.' Her words, not mine." Dick quoted playfully. Jason blew out a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, Big Bird." Jason glanced at Danny, still chatting Babs's ear off just ahead of them. That low hum was still faintly audible. Danny smiled genuinely at Babs while they talked. The pits stirred in his chest like a dog waking from its nap.
As the Gala kicked off with an opening speech from Bruce and a word from Jason, the night was mostly uneventful. Jason made his rounds to the normal attendees, occasionally slipping into a conversation involving Danny and some other Bats in attendance.
Jason had slipped away to grab another drink when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, the smell of ozone, like lightning about to strike. A glass shattered onto the marble tile floor of the room. Jason turned around sharply, his focus locking onto Danny's distant gaze in the crowd. Dick was at his side, hand on Danny's shoulder trying to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. Danny's eyes were a solid Lazarus Green and glowing . Black chains reached from a small circle underneath Danny and disappeared into his back. Jason carefully waded his way through the crowd towards them, swallowing the beginnings of a panic attack in his throat.
"What's going on? What happened ?" Jason growled lowly. He hadn't meant it to be a growl, but it happened anyway.
"I- I don't know, he was fine-" Dick stopped in his tracks as the green circle brightened and widened under Danny's feet. Black runes burned into the edge of the circle. Dick, Jason, and the crowd jumped back to the edge of the circle around Danny. The pits snarled, seeing Danny’s pained and teary face.
Danny levitated about 5 feet off the ground as more black chains erupted from the circle underneath him and latched tightly onto both wrists, arms, ankles, and legs. Immediately, a bright white light encompassed Jason's vision briefly. After the light subsided, Danny was still floating and bound by the black chains, but he was completely different.
Danny’s entire appearance was inverted. Black hair is fading to white hair now completely white. It defied gravity, swishing each time he thrashed against the chains, as if he was floating in water and not in the air. His skin was paler and had a slight green undertone. A tiny galaxy of nebulae, planets, and asteroids formed a crown that floated off the top of Danny’s head, his white hair grazing the bottom ring of small nebula clouds. A long and flowing mantle made of the night sky itself cascaded from Danny’s shoulders. Tufts of nebulae clouds made up the collar, and the bottom hem faded away into stardust. Replacing the simple suit was a simple black reagal shirt that glittered every so often like stars trying to shine through clouds at night. His pants were plain black, and the boots seemed to be hand crafted and an ashy moon rock grey.
It was beautiful..
Except for the part where Danny was actively in danger.
Danny kept thrashing against the chains, eyes completely green and tears still streaming down his cheeks. Jason moved to the edge of the circle, stepping in the charred runes as he did. It was hot like walking on sunbathed concrete. A piercing, shrill scream erupted from Danny, stopping Jason just as he was about to move again. Danny threw his head back and screamed .
It sounded like more than just Danny screaming.
A haunting chorus of screams encompassed the room, reaching every nook and cranny. The screams ranged from Angry to terrified, some were Vengeful by the sounds of it. The only way Jason knew it was coming from Danny was because everyone else around them hadn't moved .
Frozen in place, Jason included, unable to comprehend what in the hell was happening in front of them.
The Pits snarled, itching to be let loose on whoever was behind this. Fear and panic clung to every fiber of his being. Jason shook his head to steel himself. He had to FOCUS!
The chains quickly lowered Danny down into the bright green circle. It was now or never if Jason was going to do something about this. Jason shifted his weight, leaning forward so his arm could wrap around Danny's waist once he got lower- a hand gripped his other arm to steady him, and Jason scooped his arm up-
Jason's arm swiped through Danny's waist.
Before Jason could readjust to try again, Danny disappeared into the green void. The circle shrinks up in the blink of an eye, as if it wasn’t there in the first place.
White tile and broken glass came back into focus as green seeped into the edges of Jason’s vision. A broken champagne flute was the only reminder of whatever the fuck just happened. A voice overhead bellowed something, but Jason didn’t catch it. The world was swimming. Jason felt like he was drowning in Lazarus water all over again.
Danny was right there- screaming, thrashing, fighting for his life right in front of him, and Jason failed him. Another person Jason failed to save. He wasn't any better than everyone who failed him when he died in that fucking warehouse! More blood was spilled because of him. Danny could be dying right now. Because of him. Jason had to fix this, find Danny, No one was getting away with this-
Jason blinked tears from his vision as the green cleared just a bit.
When had he started crying?
Someone was talking to him. His heart thrummed in his ears. His body was trembling with panic- he couldn't get a breath in to save his life. Someone stood in front of the broken champagne flute on the ground.
Brown dress shoes.
“Jaybird, I need you to breathe.”
Jason blinked more tears away. He forced himself to take in a shaky breath, hold it, and slowly let it out like Dick muddily instructed.
“There ya go, Jaybird. Just breathe with me, yeah?”
But Danny wasn’t doing great. He was probably still screaming- Jason knew for a fact Danny was still screaming. Fear and panic rattled through him still. More faint now that Dick was helping to ground him in the moment, but still there.
“You’re doing great, Jay. Can I touch you?” Jason blinked away more tears as he subtly nodded to his brother.
A hand was rubbing his shoulder. Jason looked up at his brother, then gradually looked around the room.
The crowd was long gone, the only ones in the room besides Dick and Jason, was Bruce.
He was walking up to them when Jason turned and spotted him.
“Take it easy, Jason. There’s no rush.” Bruce reassured calmly.
But there was a rush. Danny slipped through Jason’s fingers, and he could be dead right now.
Jason shook his head at the cataclysmic thoughts threatening to pull him under just like Danny-
“I’m fine…” Jason switched on the communicator Dick handed him the three of them strode towards the doors. “What’s the situation?” Jason stated dryly, giving Dick a small smile as a silent thanks. Dick smiled back.
“You want good news or bad news, Hood?” It was Babs on the other line.
“Rip off the bandaid, Oracle.” Jason breathed, running a hand through his hair. The last bit of green washed from his vision with the night air as it blew across his skin, cooling him down.
Him, Dick and Bruce piled into a sleek black car, headed for the manor. Specifically, the Batcave.
“Not a lot of good news.” It was Jazz this time. “I managed to help Oracle get a program running that can search for ecto signatures all across Gotham.”
“Bad news, it's going to take a minute to refine the search just by Ecto signatures alone.” Babs again. “Gotham is a hot spot for ghosts and ecto entities.”
Jason looked at Dick beside him in the backseat who was just as lost as he was.
“Wait, back up. Why are we ghost-hunting?” Dick chimed in.
“Because-” Jazz paused. “Because Danny's a ghost- well, half ghost.” Jazz explained, a bit anxiously.
“What?” Dick breathed, caught off guard more than anything.
“Yeah, get with the program, Nightwing!” Stephanie lightly teased, trying to ease the tension.
“When did this happen??” Dick continued.
“We don't have enough time to get into the finer details- and it's not my story to tell! But Danny died when he was fourteen and came back due to being exposed to an incredibly high amount of ectoplasm.” Jazz explained, the calmness returning to her voice again.
Jason saw the jigsaw puzzle clicking together in Dick's head. His mouth opened slightly.
“There's more to it than that! Danny isn't just a half ghost; he's the Ghost King, ” Jazz continued. “Which means people try to summon him from time to time, thinking that he's Pariah the Dark, the last Ghost King. Judging from the spotty security footage and everyone's statements, it sounds a lot like a summoning.”
Jason's mind was reeling, trying to process every bit of information that was just thrown at him. It was a bit far-fetched, but not super outta left field. Hell- Jason was dead for six months before being resurrected in the Lazarus Pits. Danny, being half dead, paled in comparison. To Jason, at least.
“Do all summonings come with chains and the screams of the damned? ” Jason questioned as they took a tight turn down the main drag.
“I'm not sure.. What do you mean, ‘Screams of the damned?’” Jazz inquired.
“Is this the right line of communication for Danny Nightingale's friends in Gotham?” A lower and a bit more gruff toned voice interjected, frustration clear as day.
“This is an encrypted line. Who are you?” Bruce snapped as he pulled through the manor's front gates.
“I understand it's been a full year since I spoke with all of you last, but you couldn't have forgotten about me that quickly.” There was a forced chuckle from the new, gruff voice.
“Everyone calm down,” Babs chimed in, more directed at Bruce than anyone else. “It's Dr. Frost, the specialist that aided Dr Thompkins last spring.”
“Yes, fret not, I'm here in regards to Danny's well being.” Dr. Frost added with a restrained calmness.
How in the hell did he know Danny was in trouble?
Dick beat Jason to the punch. “What do you mean, Doc?”
Jazz sighed. “Frost, the cat's outta the bag; we've brought everyone mostly up to speed.”
Silence fell over the coms. That was never a good sign.
“It's hard to ignore The Great One's cries for help
when it shakes the entirety of the infinite realms ,” Frost spoke slowly and coldly. Biting back a bit of his anger.
“You guys didn't mention that!” Jazz snapped.
“Guess that explains the screams of the damned,” Jason added as he stepped out of the car, falling in step with Bruce and Dick, already pulling out his tie and shucking off his suit jacket.
“I'll arrive at the manor shortly. Unless you require assistance in rescuing The Great One.” There was an edge to Frost's words that resonated with Jason at that moment. Say the word, and he'd raise hell to save Danny.
Jason almost didn't catch the “Oh no...” that escaped from Babs's end.
“What is it, Oracle?” Bruce stopped in the middle of the main area in the Batcave. Dick and Jason weren’t too far behind him.
“ The League has Danny,” Babs's voice shook.
“Danny's at the Lazarus Pits.”
Everyone was quiet. Jason's blood ran cold, and his breath caught in his chest.
“This changes things...” Tim barely broke the silence, standing at the Batcomputer, arms crossed, pouring over the information already gathered on the screens in front of him.
“Not by much,” Tim added, “But it still changes how we approach this.”
Jason bit back his anger as the Pits snarled again. “Yeah. We go in, save Danny, and kick some ass. All hands on deck.”
“That's probably what they're expecting us to do-” Dick started, but Tim held up a finger.
“That's only true.” Tim turned around to face the three other men in the room, already suited up in his Red Robin suit. “If they know that Danny is the Ghost King. Think about it. Jazz said it herself: people summon the Ghost King because they think Danny is someone else. And the Lazarus Pits are ancient. The League of Assassins probably want Danny to power up the Lazarus Pits.” Tim explained, a proud smile on his face.
“That's still pretty bad, Timmy.” Jason glared at him with his arms crossed.
“Yeah, but it means that this is a much simpler operation, in a way.” Tim turned back around to the monitors on the Batcomputer.
“We’ll have to get eyes on the inside to see what all we’re working with,” Bruce added, walking over to get his suit and go change.
“If you need eyes, then I believe I can be of assistance.” Frost’s voice was clearer and still had that edge to it as he rounded the corner of the tunnel and walked into the room.
Dr. Frost was an imposing figure to stand in a room with. He was roughly 6’7” or 6’8”. Duke and Tim supposedly measured him one time while he took a nap on the library couch while he stayed with them last year. He was moderately muscular from what he could gleam from the loose and wrinkled navy blue long sleeve shirt he wore. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, showing off his intricate and mechanical prosthetic left arm. Along with that was a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of brown loafers. His stark white hair was pulled into a low ponytail, with a few stray hairs falling to frame his face. Bright purple eyes stared back at them behind a simple pair of thin-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He carried a metal briefcase in his left hand and held onto the leather strap of his messenger bag that was slung across his torso with his right. Bruce, batman suit draped over his arm, walked over to Dr. Frost. Greeting him with a kind smile and a handshake.
“Dr. Frost, I apologize-” Bruce began, yet Frost cut him off.
“Think nothing of it, This is a tense situation we all have found ourselves in. We must take it all in stride if we are to save The Great One. Go, do what you must.” Dr. Frost interjected with a hearty chuckle, eyes crinkling with the gesture. Sleek metal fingers wrapped around Bruce’s hand firmly as Dr. Frost set down the metal briefcase and accepted the handshake. Bruce's arm flinched slightly.
“Thank you, Dr. Frost.” Bruce nodded and let go, falling back in step as he made his way to the changing rooms.
Dr. Frost caught Jason’s stare as Bruce walked away and smiled cheerfully. Jason could feel the caged anger radiation from Frost from his gaze alone. Who was this guy?
“Ah, I see you’re doing well these days, young one.” Frost began. Jason tilted his head a bit in response. “I could oversee part of your recovery while The Great One was being treated here in the cave. Pleased to meet you while you’re conscious. I am Dr. Archimedes Frost, royal physician to his majesty, the Ghost King, at your service.” Frost just nodded as a pseudo bow, still keeping that cheerful smile which was mostly teeth. His canines were slightly pointed.
“Wow. That’s one hell of a, ‘Last time I saw you, you were smaller’ introduction. Jason Todd.” Jason stuck out his hand for a handshake out of reflex. “Also known as Red Hood, I guess.” Jason reluctantly added. He might as well be up to speed if they’re gonna work together on this. Jason knew why Bruce flinched so badly. The chill from Frost’s metal hand seeped into Jason’s hand and ran up his arm like a dry sponge soaking up water. It made the Pits, which had been simmering and snapping in his chest since all this started, settle down to a low growl—still seething, just less loud.
Before the two could continue their sidebar, Tim was at his side, shooing him away towards where they kept everyone’s spare suits. Frost put his hands on his hips with an eyebrow raised, looking at Tim.
“Go suit up, we’ve gotta hit the ground running if we’re gonna pull this off.” Tim started cooly, arms crossed over his chest now. Jason rolled his eyes and ran to grab his suit.
Once everyone was suited up and Tim went over the plan with everyone, Jason was the first one to hit the road, following the coordinates Babs had sent to everyone.
The Pits eased back into the simmering angry mess it had settled into once the panic subsided.
“He’ll be back home in one piece. Don’t you worry.”