Chapter Text
For as long as she could remember, Jazz Fenton had always taken on the role of caring for her little brother. When their parents were too busy, too distracted, or simply too far in over their heads, Jazz had always been there. When Danny was getting bullied, when he was struggling with school, when he needed someone to talk to, she was there. When she found out he was half ghost, she was there.
Through everything.
it was supposed to be her and him against the world, everyone else be damned.
So why was Danny trying to send her away?
Her hands trembled on her sides as she started at Danny and the letter in his hands, like he’d just stabbed her with that piece of paper.
”What did you do?” Her voice was sharp.
Danny however wasn’t really feeling the same as Jazz, and was practically vibrating with excitement. Jazz wouldn’t be surprised if he accidentally went ghost in the middle of the room on accident.
“You got in! You got into Gotham-U!”
”No I didn’t. Because I didn’t apply to Gotham University. I applied to-“
”I applied for you!” Danny cut her off grinning, “you get to go to your dream university! Am o the best little brother or what!”
”Danny.”
”you have to start packing! It’s even a full scholarship-“
“Danny.”
“It says they have a dorm system, so that should be easy to settle in! You’re—”
“Daniel.”
Danny finally stopped.
“Jazz?”
“You applied for me.” Jazz stared at him, almost as if she was waiting for him to realize what he had done. “You had no right to do that.”
“You weren’t doing it. Someone had to.”
“I already decided where I’m going.”
“Jazz—”
“And I will be rejecting Gotham-U.”
“Jasmine.”
Danny’s voice was sharp enough to make her pause.
“No.”
Jazz’s eyes narrowed. “No? Last I checked, you can’t tell me what to do. This is my decision.”
“Gotham-U has been your dream since you were, like, seven!”
“Dreams change.”
“You’re doing this because of me!” Danny snapped. “I won’t let you miss out on something amazing because you think you have to take care of me all the time!”
“That is not what I’m doing!”
“It is!” Danny threw his hands up. “Are you really going to turn down your dream university when they’re practically begging you to come, just because you don’t want me to be alone with Mom and Dad?”
“Danny, it’s more complicated than that, and you know it too.”
“All I know,” Danny said, dropping his hands to his sides, “is that you’re my sister. You’re my family. And I won’t let you miss out on something amazing because of me.”
“This isn’t because of you!” Jazz’s voice rose. “Not everything is! There are other things to consider. So many things, Danny, you don’t—”
“Jazz.”
Danny looked at her, his expression suddenly much softer.
“Do you want to go to Gotham University?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yes or no.”
“Danny—”
“Yes or no?”
Jazz looked away.
“Danny…”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes!” she finally snapped. “Yes. I want to go. Of course I want to go.”
Danny smiled.
“But I’m not leaving you behind.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I’m never leaving you behind.”
Before she could say anything else, Danny pulled her into a tight hug.
“Danny?”
“I won’t be alone,” he whispered against her shoulder. “I’ll have Sam and Tuck. And the other ghosts. And besides, we’ll only be one phone call away.”
Jazz went quiet.
She wanted to believe him.
She wanted to believe that she could leave Danny behind and that everything would be fine. That he would be safe. That Mom and Dad wouldn’t—
“Jazz.”
She felt Danny squeeze her tighter.
“Please don’t sacrifice your life for me.”
Something inside her cracked.
“You and I have a very different meaning for sacrifice,” she whispered.
Then she hugged him tighter.
Which brought them to now.
Jazz settled into her desk, at Arkham Asylum arranging her things. She had just finished straightening a stack of files when the door suddenly swung open.
“You’re the new one.” The woman standing in the doorway looked exhausted.
“How many more are they going to hire before they realise it’s pointless?” the woman muttered, to herself.
Jazz smiled politely.
“Hello. I’m Jaz—”
“Let’s see if you last long enough for me to remember your name, Red.”
“Oh, I will.” Jazz’s smile didn’t falter, and her eyes sparkled, “I most definitely will.”
The woman rolled her eyes and jerked her head toward the door.
“Come on, newbie.”
“You’d better stop smiling that much, girly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jazz smiled again, her eyes swiftly looking over each and every single inch of the place as quickly as she could.
Her brother was somewhere in this building. Somewhere locked up, restrained and branded a monster.
Danny was somewhere in Arkham.
She smiled a little wider.
It was almost as if they were asking for a fight.
Well.
Who was she to refuse?
After all, all was fair in love and war.
And Arkham had just started a losing war the moment they touched her little brother.