Insignificantly evil (DP and Batman crossover)

Choking Realization

Inhale

Exhale

Something so primary, yet unachievable. The pressure on his throat brought him from the sleep abyss, right into the cruel world. On instinct, his hands flew up to his squeezed neck, finding two muscular palms, pressing hard.

From the lack of oxygen, the world seemed unable to form full shapes, leaving the boy with blurred images. A huge light green form hovered above him...

The pain brought Zephyr back from his haze, finally giving him the space to figure out how to survive. He had to relieve the pressure, but how would he get a giant with an iron grip off of him? Before he could get anywhere, a relaxed feeling washed over him.

Just give in...

The pain will stop...

Let go...

NO!

Despite his brain shutting down, Zephyr forced himself to think. "Everyone has a weakness, you just have to find it." Grandpa's voice spoke from everywhere. The man was right, everyone had a weakness, he just had to find Phantom's.

He is h...

There wasn't time to finish the thought, the boy's brain shut off. His previously desperate hands fell limp by his side and his trashing stopped. The one with the upper hand sighed in relief, unintentionally relieving some pressure on the victim's throat. He wasn't done yet though, the boy was still alive.

A short and ragged breath was drawn, giving his blood enough oxygen to power up the brain for a while again. Zephyr was confused, but everything came back to him in an instance.

He was being choked

Not to alarm the ghost, he stayed in his limp form, preserving the few seconds worth of oxygen for his brain. So back on track. Find a weakness...

He is hurt!

For that, he would have to focus the energy into his hand to form a blast, that was too complicated. Another option was intangibility. Only a second intangible would return him his freedom and the sweet air.

The pain stopped

His airway was free again

All he had to do now was to get into safety, away from the evil ghost. Zephyr turned back tangible as soon as he was far enough. He held his hands around his throat in a protective manner, breathing deeply to oxygenate his blood once more. With wide eyes, he looked at the person in front of him. Phantom knelt in the same spot, his arms still outstretched as if he hasn't realized that his victim had escaped.

Why is he like that?

•••••••

Why am I like this?

He was supposed to be a ruthless and cold hearted killer, so why couldn't he bring himself to end the life of one child? The boy got him caught, he brought him excruciating pain and was annoying. The boxes for 'should-I-kill-him' checklist were all checked.

Why couldn't he bring himself to do it then?

Was it the fact that Zephyr was just like him? Appearance and public image... Or was it the fact that he was the only one who treated him like a person instead of a thing? Of a weapon?

All that highly unlikely

So why did he chose strangulation? There were millions of other ways to end someone's life. If he wanted to somehow repay him for his help, he could have just snapped his neck. Quick and painless. Or bash his head against the ground in his sleep. Quick and painless, maybe a bit messy.

Did he choose strangulation because he wanted the boy to suffer? Unlikely. Or was it because there was a slight chance he would escape, just like he did right now? He would get scared, escape and never see Phantom again.

Despite the fact he attempted to kill the boy, as he was looking at him, he didn't want him to go. The feeling of loneliness could catch up even with the worst people. This lead to the last option. Was the great Dan too weak to hold his own emotions in check? Did the loss of Danny leave an empty void that demanded to be filled?

Did he find Danny in Zephyr?

Right now, he couldn't answer that. He was too emotional. He let his hands fall by his side, refusing to look anywhere but the ground. In his peripheral vision, Dan noticed that his bandage was soaked. He would have to change it soon, maybe even right now. There was nothing else to do.

The worst part was that the medical supplies he needed were right next to Zephyr. After what he had done, he couldn't face him.

•••••••

Phantom slowly stood up, his eyes averted and ears pulled back. This wasn't anger, it was fear. Zephyr watched the ghost take a small step forward and then another. Was he going to finish the job? He pulled away a little, but he was cornered. The tall stacks of packed mattresses circled him.

"No." The boy yelped when the ghost bent over. He closed his eyes. Phantom's hand brushed against the mattress, grabbed something and was gone. Zephyr opened his eyes slowly, but the ghost wasn't there anymore. He was in his original spot with his back facing him. Without looking away from the man in front of him, Zephyr reached beside him to figure out what the ghost had taken.

"Oh" he mumbled quietly when he realized the medical supplies laid beside him.

"Fuck this!" The ghost cursed when the antiseptic liquid washed over his stitched wound. It hurt like hell. He had to admit, the kid did a pretty good job with the sewing. The stitches held his skin together tightly, allowing it to heal more quickly. After the few hours of sleep he got, the green ectoranium webs were slowly starting to disappear. Unfortunately because of the foreign object in his body, his powers didn't work. It seemed Zephyr's powers were fine though, he used them moments ago.

It was hard to admit for Dan, but he was the weaker one at the moment. In a battle, his loss would be inevitable. Zephyr would kill him if his life was at stake. For now, he had to stay on the boy's good side until his powers return. That is if he doesn't leave. Which wouldn't be surprising after all he had done to him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hello my amazing readers. I'm so thankful for my most devoted fans who wait for every single update of this book.
I'm really sorry to say this, but after the next chapter, I'll have take some time off, don't know yet how much, days maybe few weeks, to figure out where this story is going. I've been creating the story the same time as writing it and I'm not sure what I want to achieve in here.
I'm gonna work my brain off for you, but if there is any brain juice in your fridge, I'll gladly take it.

Stay home guys

Bajiiiiii