slightly different route:
Jasonβs 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 heβd been shoved in a too-tight sleeping bag, and now heβs in an ice hotel. He didnβt even know the ice hotels were open right now, and thatβs something his family keeps track of, so heβs extra confused.
βOhβ youβre awake!β
Jason has never seen his newest little brother look like this, and he hopes to never see Danny like this again. The kidβs a mess. Heβs wringing his hands, and this is when Jason realizes that Danny isnβt wearing a coat. In fact, heβs wearing a t-shirt, and that is not enough. Jason looks down at all the heavy furs and back at his babbling brother. Heβs apologizing for something involving kidnapping. Jason grabs Danny by the arm and drags him under all the furs. βKid, youβre freezing. Canβt this wait?β
Danny was quiet. ββ¦I guess. I justβ¦ I knew they were ghost hunters, but I justβ Iβm really sorry, Jason, I didnβt realize they were collecting dead people! They didnβt hurt you, did they?β
Jasonβs head starts spinning extra furiously, like a CD, or a bad laptopβs fans. Danny thought the Waynes had hurt him. Danny thought the Waynes, ghost hunters, had hurt Jason and that they were collecting the dead. βDanny, how did you know I died? We didnβt tell you that.β
Danny froze, and it was almost like holding ice. Jason didnβt move. Instead, he moved on. βYβknow what? Doesnβt matter how you know. Danny, Bruce didnβt hurt me.β
He looks skeptical. βTheyβre ghost hunters,β 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. Thatβs why ghost hunting was the coverβ Danny always ran off during ghost fights, so it seemed like a good choice to make him feel safe. Jasonβs reassessing that notion. For now though, they need to straighten out this communication screw up, and Bruce can go suck one, because Jason isnβt gonna try and cover for him. βDanny, we told you that because we thought youβd feel safer. Weβre not ghost hunters.β The kid relaxes, but is staring at Jason with blatant confusion. βWeβre vigilantes. Bruce is Batman.β
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.
βAh! 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,β The fucking Yeti admits, βbut it is certainly more human, and the Great One wasnβt very sure if you were aware that you are no longer human.β
Jason chokes. βIβm no longer what?β
Bertha the Yeti frowns and turns to Danny. βI apologize, Great One, I thought you had had this conversation already. I will explain.β She turns back to Jason. βYes, no longer human. You are still partially dead, Jason Todd. Deathβs claim cannot be overridden by something as silly as one of those nasty pits that Ghul man usesββ Fucking hell, is she talking about the Lazarus pits?! ββand, therefore, you are still dead!β She grins. βWelcome 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!β