Red Hood

5. Home Sweet Home I Guess

We got to Danny's house after a quiet ride down a tree-lined lane, pulling up off of an old dirt road.

It was a simple ranch house and had a nice-sized front and back yard. The front of it was a soft baby blue, and I felt something stir in the back of my head, nagging at me.

"Dick loves blue, his eyes are actually similar to the shade as your house," I murmured softly, as Danny gently put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

Getting to the door, she unlocked it with a soft click, and we stepped inside.

My eyes roamed the possible exits and entrances, hiding places, and things to use for weapons in a fight.

Weapons? Fight?

Shaking away my train of thought, I moved on to study the look of the house, feeling the friendly warmth that Danny radiated also wove its way into her décor.

The room was an average-sized one, and while cluttered with many things, didn't seem to be overcrowded.

It seemed homey.

On the back wall was a big, long couch. It was a light grey piece of furniture and it seemed very well-loved, cluttered with pillows and blankets of every color.

She also had art on the wall, drawings, paintings, pictures, each one being signed by her. She made all of them.

Sweeping my gaze over, I became focused on one specific painting.

It was of a city, dark and gloomy, holding a dreary fog. An odd familiarity jumped out at me, but I ignored it. There weren't any stars dotting the sky, the pollution and clouds blocking them, but a slight din of noise made its way into my head.

I could just imagine it.

Sounds of people walking down the streets, and cars racing past, mixed with the patter of a dark rain. Police sirens were ringing out with false hope as the clatter of abandoned cats in alleyways mixed with crashing trash cans.

"-ason," Snapping back to reality, I turned back towards Danny, "thought I lost you for a minute."

Smiling back at her, her soft footfalls led me through the halls to a simple door.

Inside was a regular-sized bedroom, "This is the guest room, you can stay until you get your memory back, however long you need."

A bed was up against the warm navy wall, facing towards the door, while the rest of the walls were colored a lighter shade.

The soft grey bed creaked under me as I gazed at the wall in front, which held more artwork.

This time, a theme was there.

There were different views of the same lake. Some were in fall, others in winter, or in every other season. It had different angles, too, and showed the shore, the view from the other side, and even one under the surface.

"These are beautiful," I breathed, walking up to the frames, really seeing how much detail there was, "they should be in an art gallery."

The closer you got, the more there was to see.

"Thanks," Danny blushed again, "I don't usually share my artwork. I haven't worked up the courage to yet."

Feeling a new weight jump onto my shoulders, I froze, eyes wide as I let out a string of profanities.

Danny let out a loud laugh as I looked out of the corner of my vision.

I could make out the black lump that curled up on my shoulders and back, "What. The Heck."

I slipped my gaze from the Lump to the German Shepard now standing between me and Danny, "And who is this?"

Slipping her fingers around the beast on my shoulders, I felt its weight lift off of me, "This little monster is Loki, he's my cat."

I could get a good look at the beasty in her arms as she held it like a baby, "Cute..."

It was a sleek black cat with bright green eyes, similar to the color of Danny's. Nuzzling at her hand, she let out a giggle when his whiskers tickled her skin.

I looked down at the dog when she slid her fingers into his fur, "And this is my dog, General Sergeant. My dad used to be in the Army, and I named him when I was little, which is why he's named that."

She blushed heavily as I laughed, and she motioned her hand to "General Sergeant", "At ease."

He seemed to be giving me the stink eye, and if dogs could he would, but backed off anyway, "I don't think he likes me... at all."

She laughed again, telling me how Sarge was overprotective of her and extra wary of new people. Especially guys.

"On walks he would give the guys his Famous Death Glare. He's known for it."

In no less than a second, we were laughing together, and I was clutching my ribs, "Any other surprises I should be aware of?"

Tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, she started, "Actually..."

I groaned, hiding the twitch of a smile, "Not another surprise child."

"They kind of are my children," She scratched the back of her neck, "And he's a bird."

I gave her a stare before she whined like a child, "Only one more, I promise."

"Fiiiinch," I flinched back at her screech, chuckling at her mumbled apology.

We stood there for a moment, staring at the doorway, but nothing happened.

She huffed, rolling her beautiful eyes, and peeked out the door. Almost teetering off her feet, I grabbed her arm.

We both were now on one foot, suspended only by our grasped forearms.

Time seemed to freeze before we collapsed to the floor, and the spell broke once Danny started with uncontrollable giggles.

Soon enough we both gasped for breath when we couldn't stop, her animals coming over as if to say, "These humans are so weird."

But soon enough, a rustle of wings came from the linen closet, revealing a 13 in. long African Grey.

And the football-heavy bird landed on my head.

Delightful.

"Jason," Danny stroked the bird's beak, "this is Finch! Finch, can you say "hello Jason"?"

"Hello Jason," The bird mumbled, becoming more interested in his owner's hair, "pretty, pretty."

Looking closer, I could see how close the bird was to her, flitting his black-tipped grey feathers through her fingers. His sleek beak combed through her hair still, and she didn't seem to mind this at all, like it was a daily occurrence.

She didn't seem to care that we were still toppled onto the floor, but eh, I've been in weirder spots with my brothers... I think.

Tilting her head up from my chest, her eyes drooped lazily, "I'ma start making dinner, do you remember if you're allergic to anything?"

"No," I scratched my jaw, "whatcha making?"

That mischievous glint returned to her eyes, "Surprise," and she disappeared down the hall, her hair swinging behind her as it fell from its ponytail.
_______

Hello fellow demigods and dear mortals!

So, chapter 5 of "Red Hood" is up! The story is finally moving along and Jason now has a place to stay. He's still unsure of everything, hoping he and Danny will get along fine, but Jason and Sarge definitely seem like a whole 'nother story. 😉

Anyway, what did you think about Danny's pets? I actually always wanted an African Grey, German Shepard, and a black cat named Loki. haha Guess I kind of just slipped in my dream pets without realizing it. *shrugs* Oh well. But what about you guys, do you have any furry friends or dream pets?

Well, that's it for now, I guess!

-EthanVenlivrenVari, Cabin #3, Child of Poseidon 🌊🔱