Insignificantly evil (DP and Batman crossover)

The Curse of Humanity

"It's always about Zephyr, it was always about Danny. Why am I always in the shadow of those weaklings?!"

Jason didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say, really.

He couldn't lie. He couldn't deny the truth when he was one of many people who caused this. It was hard to admit, but that was the truth. To him, Danny naturally came first. For starters, he was human, he was a hero, and he was seeking help. Who in their right mind would abandon him and choose an evil, murderous, otherworldly being?

And now?

He again chose someone else over Dan. A young boy he hardly knew. How was that fair? In Dan's case, it was always about power and strength. The continuous losing streak couldn't have done anything good to him.

"I am sorry." Jason apologized after his realization. It was all he could do. "If you would let me, can I put you first now?"

The dry laugh that followed was painful for both. For Dan's bruised body and for Jason's heart. "You think you can get me to do your work because you poured you heart into an empty apology? And they said you belong to the smart ones."

"I don't care what you say, Dan. I'm choosing the stay here and help you." Jason approached the ghost with his hands raised, a sign that he came in peace. Despite the obvious intentions, Dan still wasn't convinced. Aside from that, he wasn't really ready to take any help from others. It was just so deeply woven into him that he was always alone, making this situation feel foreign. 

"Didn't you want to go and save Zephyr?" The ghost inquired, grasping for any last straws that could get him out of this situation.

"I believe he can wait a moment."

"And what if he can't?!" Dan panicked.

"Then don't go against me and the treatment won't last long." Jason deadpanned, already taking out his first aid kit. Looking at Phantom, there wasn't much he could do. His skin was torn and burned, the probable after-effect of Zephyr's flaming fists.

He soaked a bandage in water to clean the excess blood. As the cloth neared Phantom's face, the ghost swatted Jason's hand away.

"Don't." He growled lowly. As a response to Dan's defiance, the vigilante grabbed the ghost's wrists and held them in place. In his weakened state, he couldn't resist.

In that awkward straddling position, Dan's injured face was finally getting the treatment it needed. There were no painkillers for ghosts, so the procedure was filled with many pained hisses and growls.

Once Jason patched up the biggest gashes, Dan finally started looking like himself again. Not the bloodies monster at the brink of death.

"Use this, it will help with the burnt skin." The vigilante handed the ghost a small tube, labeled burn-cream. This action drew no response from the ghost. He just stared at the container with glazed eyes, as if he wasn't even there.

"I am going to look for Zephyr now." Jason announced as he stretched his cramped muscles. "Please don't do anything rash, if you wait here, I'll be back." He added before disappearing through the ceiling window. Dan just stared after the man, incapable of forming a reply. The confusion he felt completely suppressed his usually aggressive behavior.

The ghost hummed in relief when the burn ointment he applied to his face started taking effect. The heat he felt went down significantly, leaving him only with a mild itch and stiffness.

"People finally decided to look your way and you're just gonna brush them off? You really are a selfish bastard." Danny spoke, though it wasn't really him. It was just a voice Dan gave his humane thoughts. They were usually immediately discarded, but this one just didn't seem to go away.

"It's your own fault for being this miserable, and you know it. Sometimes forgetting your pride could do the trick." Dan faltered. Was all of his misery really his fault? Did he intentionally turn away all the help to support his illusion of being strong?

"And what if he can't?!" Jason's wolds echoed in his mind, triggering something deep within. It was a feeling the ghost hasn't felt in a long while, but there was no mistaking it. The weighing feeling of guilt was unforgettable.

Even just admitting it was a hard pill to swallow. With the new emotion at large, all his past actions seemed to take on a new light. He wasn't the center of his own attention anymore. His vision expanded a little beyond that. Enough to show him the people that tried to get closer to him. The same ones he ignored and pushed away.

Only now did he realize what his negligence had caused. For fuck's sake! He lost Danny to his selfishness, and he never thought he himself was a part of the cause. It was just easier to blame others.

Then Zephyr came along, the innocent little child. After Danny had passed, the small ghost was the first person who actually acknowledged him, who looked past the whole monster thing. Even after chasing him away, he never really left. The boy always returned.

Or that was until now.

It all came together. The reason why he let the boy be around, the reason why he couldn't kill him. Dan wanted him around, he needed him around. It was the curse of humanity.

But Dan wasn't angry for once. After the ages of solitude, he finally felt the warmth of being worried about and in return worrying about someone else.

This thought sparked something deep inside the ghost. A little flicker of hope suddenly grew into a raging fire. He needed to see Zephyr again and maybe even Danny if he was lucky.

This newfound determination seemed to steer up something else too. Cold feeling spread through his body, numbing his many injuries. It was a feeling he knew all too well. His healing powers were back. In a matter of mere seconds, Dan was strong enough to stand on his own. Even his torn face was healing nicely. To test out if his all of his powers were back, he tried to light his fist on fire.

Only small sparks appeared, but as he held his concentration longer, they grew into a decent fire ball.

Dan let out a chuckle, finding it amusing how he himself was the cause of his problems again.  His powers would probably never return if he hadn't torn down the walls that he had built around himself. Mental state was a fickle thing.

Now that a part of his original strength was back, it was finally time to go and repay the boy. He would find him and get him away from the evil that disguised itself as the boy's grandfather. It was also a nice opportunity to get back at the man for ruining his life before, so there wasn't a reason to not go.

Dan didn't know where the boy was being kept, but with his powers and his knowledge of the league's bases, it shouldn't be that hard.