slightly different route:
Jason’s head was fucking spinning. Last thing he remembered, he was putting his dishes in the sink, and then there was this light, and he felt like he’d been shoved in a too-tight sleeping bag, and now he’s in an ice hotel. He didn’t even know the ice hotels were open right now, and that’s something his family keeps track of, so he’s extra confused.
Jason has never seen his newest little brother look like this, and he hopes to never see Danny like this again. The kid’s a mess. He’s wringing his hands, and this is when Jason realizes that Danny isn’t wearing a coat. In fact, he’s wearing a t-shirt, and that is not enough. Jason looks down at all the heavy furs and back at his babbling brother. He’s apologizing for something involving kidnapping. Jason grabs Danny by the arm and drags him under all the furs. “Kid, you’re freezing. Can’t this wait?”
Danny was quiet. “…I guess. I just… I knew they were ghost hunters, but I just— I’m really sorry, Jason, I didn’t realize they were collecting dead people! They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
Jason’s head starts spinning extra furiously, like a CD, or a bad laptop’s fans. Danny thought the Waynes had hurt him. Danny thought the Waynes, ghost hunters, had hurt Jason and that they were collecting the dead. “Danny, how did you know I died? We didn’t tell you that.”
Danny froze, and it was almost like holding ice. Jason didn’t move. Instead, he moved on. “Y’know what? Doesn’t matter how you know. Danny, Bruce didn’t hurt me.”
He looks skeptical. “They’re ghost hunters,” He says slowly, like that explains everything. It does not. In fact, it causes more questions, actually, because Danny loved his parents, for all their flaws, and they were ghost hunters. That’s why ghost hunting was the cover— Danny always ran off during ghost fights, so it seemed like a good choice to make him feel safe. Jason’s reassessing that notion. For now though, they need to straighten out this communication screw up, and Bruce can go suck one, because Jason isn’t gonna try and cover for him. “Danny, we told you that because we thought you’d feel safer. We’re not ghost hunters.” The kid relaxes, but is staring at Jason with blatant confusion. “We’re vigilantes. Bruce is Batman.”
This is, somehow, the wrong thing to say.
Danny shoots out of the bed and presses himself against one of the walls, and Jason is about to ask what was wrong when a Yeti walked in.
“Ah! You are awake! Jason Todd, yes? I am your on-call physician at the moment. You may call me Bertha. That is not my actual name,” The fucking Yeti admits, “but it is certainly more human, and the Great One wasn’t very sure if you were aware that you are no longer human.”
Jason chokes. “I’m no longer what?”
Bertha the Yeti frowns and turns to Danny. “I apologize, Great One, I thought you had had this conversation already. I will explain.” She turns back to Jason. “Yes, no longer human. You are still partially dead, Jason Todd. Death’s claim cannot be overridden by something as silly as one of those nasty pits that Ghul man uses—” Fucking hell, is she talking about the Lazarus pits?! “—and, therefore, you are still dead!” She grins. “Welcome to the Infinite Realms, the home of Ghosts! I am your doctor this evening, Bear Thumb! You can continue calling me Bertha, if you wish!”