#holypixieboots

-aggressively stalks-

[Text; Big Bird] Uh so. Any advice on dealing with a seriously pissed off 10 year old?

[Text; Big Bird] Like "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP TODD" pissed off.

Jason was scraping the razor across the stubble on his cheek when the words appeared. Bloody Mary in a fingerprint fog, like a child had drawn on the glass in the after steam from a shower.  

Jason's eyes narrowed as he read the words aloud.  "Bloody Mary?"

The world went black.

~~~

Jason yawned and stretched as he entered the kitchen, the smell of omelettes and bacon having roused him from his slumber.  He'd had a strange dream.  A dream that he'd lived in some shitty apartment, that Bruce was dead, and he hadn't been on speaking terms with Dick.  

A nightmare was what it was, really.  He'd been glad to wake up, and had even run his fingers across the family photo he kept next to his bed to ground himself in reality.

He pushed his raven hair back from his face as he collapsed into the dining table chair that was claimed as his own, kicking his feet up on the one across from him that would belong to Dick's rear, once the man got his butt down here.  It was required in the Wayne household that no one eat until everyone was seated at the table, and Jason was frickin' hungry.

Bruce peered at him over his newspaper, but Jason only grinned.  "Feet off the furniture, Jason," the man said as he went back to his articles.  Jason huffed but removed his feet from Dick's chair.

"Dickiebird! Hurry up, we're starving down here!"

~~~

With Jason's mind fully engrossed in the mirror, It slipped into his uninhabited body.  Yes, this was good.  This body was strong, skilled, smart.  It could use this to Its advantage.

Wiping the shaving cream from Jason's face, It headed out into the hallway, looking both ways before determining the path to the exit.  It had much work to do, but first It needed to get close to the one called Richard.

Richard held the keys to an unstoppable arsenal of weapons.  If It could get Its hands on those, It would surely face no problem when putting Its master plan into action. 

"Jason Peter Todd of Earth, you bear much Rage in your heart. You now belong to the Red Lantern Core."

Jason stared dumbly at the glowing red ring floating before him. "The fu-" he started, but was cut short as the ring slipped onto his finger. In the same moment his eyes shot wide, his body shook and then went rigid as a board. Power.  He felt so much power. Pure, unbridled, unlimited. His body lifted into the air, the red glow of the lantern’s ring encompassing his being.

His limbs went limp but his body remained floating inches above the ground. Red hot fire surged through his veins and in the next moment Jason was on the ground, retching up blood as red as the ring on his finger.  Pain prickled every nerve in his body, his mind reeled with it, his body screamed.

And then it stopped.

It all just stopped.

Jason stood slowly, wiping the blood from his jaw with the back of his hand.  He understood now.  He got it.  Anger, anger was his weapon.  It had always been his weapon.  His fingers traced the red lantern symbol that had replaced the bat previously on his chest.  The ring pulsed like a heart against his finger.

Ice cold eyes turned up to the sky, and Jason's teeth grit angrily.

This time.  This time, the Bat would die.