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The Bat family was silent as they converged on the warehouse. After days of chasing after mysterious break-ins, stolen artifacts and ancient tomes, and dead ends, they had finally managed to track down their villain. Originally Nightwing had been on the case, but when the thefts kept happening and he wasn’t getting any closer he had called in Batman for backup.And then Jenny Windburg had been taken in the same manner as everything else. Disappeared with nothing but a flash of red and a ring of glyphs burned into the ground.The rest of the available family joined after that.And finally, they had their breakthrough. Oracle managed to figure out the strange energy readings left behind at the scenes and tracked it here: to the quiet, seldom used docks just on the edge of Gotham. They were going to put an end to all this… and hope they weren’t too late for Jenny.Batman signaled the group (minus Orphan, who had drawn the short straw and had remained to patrol the rest of Gotham) to hold as they all got into positions. He counted down silently: 3…2…1…Blinding red light burst out of the windows and every crack of the building, spilling into the night. The group burst into action, breaking into the warehouse battle ready. However, they weren’t prepared for what they found.The inside of the warehouse was covered in symbols. Every surface was scrawled with glyphs, arcane writing, and language spoken by no human mortal. The air vibrated like it was filled with static, and the temperature was cold as ice. And in the very center of the empty warehouse was the source of the waves of red light: a massive spell circle. Even the most mundane of the group could feel the power of it, and those such as Signal visibly recoiled.Red Hood, the once dead Jason Todd, was forced to his knees at the feeling of Death screaming from the circle. The Pit, normally so full of rage, trembled in fear and hid itself deep inside him. He had never felt anything like it before.“Ah, Batman and his group of sidekicks! I see you have finally decided to join us!” a voice cackled out.There, in front of the circle, stood their man. Dressed in dark robes that hid most of his face and a curved dagger in hand, he painted the very image of a crazed cultist. And beside him, gagged and bound to the ornate table in a flowing white dress, was Jenny Windburg.Crying in terror.“However,” he continued, “You are too late! The ritual has already begun! Soon the ruler of the Infinite Realms, the King of Ghosts will be here! And with this offering he will grant me power beyond belief!” He turned and in one movement plunged the knife deep into Jenny’s guts and she let out a wrenching scream around the gag in her mouth.“NO!” Nightwing roared and charged forward, the rest quick to join him; but just as he had taken a mere 2 steps they were all flung back as the red light morphed into a sickly green and blasted out in a wave. In the center of the circle a swirling green portal ripped open in the air, and from it dropped a figure.In a glowing swirl of green and white the creature caught itself on the ground before straightening and rising into the air, the portal closing behind it. As it lifted its head and looked around the space, Jason let out an involuntary gasp.It stood tall with glowing white hair that danced in an invisible breeze, and a blue tinted complexion to the tips of its somewhat pointed ears. While it appeared to be a male in his early twenties, there was an agelessness that made it impossible to truly tell. It was wrapped in a long white cloak that too seemed to defy the physics of gravity, drifting with a mind of its own and revealing a lining made of the very cosmos. Underneath the cloak glimpses could be seen of a black and white tight fitting hazmat suit and tall white boots that seemed to be on the verge shifting into wisps of smoke. Above its head floated a jagged crown that appeared to be made of ice, in contrast to the silvery green flames flaring around it.However, what had struck Jason speechless was its eyes. They glowed with the eerie green of the Lazarus Pits and held an ancient power beyond the ken of man. And he knew to the depths of his soul that this was not a creature to be messed with, under any circumstances.“Oh great lord of the Infinite Realm, master of death and king of the ghosts! I offer myself and my sacrifice onto your service and ask for the blessing of your power to spread your reign to these pitiful mortals!” the cultist cried out, causing the being’s eyes to snap to him… and the dying woman laying beside him.Suddenly the room grew impossibly colder.“...Did you do this?” the being growled. Its voice echoed in an unsettling way though the space, vibrating the air, and its cloak started to shift in agitation. Jason, as he was desperately trying to stand against the all encompassing pressure in the room and make a plan, had the realization in the back of his head that the creature seemed… angry.“Yes my liege! It was all my doing!” The cultist crowed, seemingly missing the growing anger now apparent on the being’s face.He did not miss, however, being slammed into the concrete floor by a glowing green force as the king of the ghosts released an unholy snarl that made Jason let slip a whimper. In an angry swirl of cloak it flew to the side of the now unmoving Jenny.Jason, pushing through his panic, noticed the thing’s expression shift from rage to… fear? But fear of what? As he continued to watch its hands fluttered around the hilt of the dagger, as though unsure. And Jason grew wide eyed as he made a realization: It wasn’t scared for itself… it was scared for her.The creature’s eyes grew resolute and in one smooth motion it pulled the dagger out and placed a hand on the now pouring wound. Jason watched as ice spread from its fingers and covered the wound, stemming the blood."̸̢͖́̾̏͑W̴̥̄͝û̴͉͑̀͠l̵͈̔f̸̟̱̣̑̎!̶̺̭̀"̶̡̜̪̏ It called out in a language that sounded like static being spoken in reverse. Yet Jason could somehow tell it had called a name.Not even a moment later something seemed to claw through the air as another swirling green portal appeared, and through it stepped a large bipedal wolf creature in a sweatshirt of all things.“Amiko, kio estas malbona?” It asked, and Jason noticed Tim, aka Red Robin (Replacement), flinch out of the corner of his eye. He must have understood that.“Prenu ŝin al Frostbite. Rapide,” the ghost king stressed, carefully lifting Jenny and handing her gently over to the wolf. Then it waved its hand and a shimmering green light encased her body. “Tio devus protekti ŝin.”The wolf nodded and jumped back through the portal it had ripped, which closed behind it as it passed through.“Wait, where are you taking her?!” Nightwing called as he forced himself forward a step. The original creature glanced their way and a flicker of surprise crossed its face. Apparently it hadn’t noticed them until then. Good going Dick, Jason thought.“To get help,” it answered brusquely. Then it turned back to the cultist who was finally peeling himself off the ground. Before he could get up though, the being was next to him in a flash and was lifting him effortlessly with one hand into the air by the collar. The cultist struggled, hands scrabbling on the hand that dangled him, legs kicking.“Wh- what is the meaning-” he started, only to be silenced as once again the temperature dropped further and frost started spreading from the summoned creature’s grasp onto his dark robes. It wrenched him in close and growled in his face.“Not only do you pull me from my home to this shithole, you dare to try and sacrifice someone in my name? In front of me? I don’t know what tome or scroll you were drawing from, but you picked the wrong fucking ghost to summon.”“Bu-but, lord Pariah, every tome I found-” the cultist stammered, starting to realize how bad of a situation he was in. The ghost interrupted with a dark laugh.“Pariah? You thought I was Pariah Dark? You are sorely mistaken I’m afraid.”“Wha-? The-then who-?”“Who am I?” the ghost finished. A smile curled its face, one so full of malicious glee that it would give the Joker a run for his money. “I am the protector of the realms of the living and the dead, savior of the Far Frozen, apprentice to Clockwork the Master of Time, and the one who ended Pariah Dark’s millenniums old reign. I am Phantom, the current King of the Infinite Realms… and ȳ̴̜̿ó̵̙͒̌͠ǘ̷̡͈͉͈̏r̵̥̞̼͊͠ ̷̟̿w̴̞̍o̵̺͚̘̍͊̇͝ŕ̷̮͕͓͐̕s̵̺͓̹̓͆̀̓t̶̥̟̤͊ ̵̮̬̌̐̈́ͅn̸͚̘̩̈́̕ͅi̷̮̥͉͊͒̑g̸͔̖̩̅̀́͜h̷͖́̌̊̋t̵̖̿ͅm̶̘̰̐͐́a̷̧̫̭̍r̷̫̺̤̎̿̄̽ě̴̡͗͜. You are going to regret hurting that which I protect.”And before the cultist could even whimper a bright green flash blinded them all. When Jason managed to blink the spots from his vision he saw Phantom floating menacingly above the cultist, who was now curled on the ground babbling in fear. His hood had fallen completely off, revealing a man far too young for the grey hair on his head. It was if he had faced the all the horrors of the universe in that one, singular moment and had not been left unscathed.“If you ever try something like this again, I won’t let let you off so easily,” Phantom hissed menacingly. Then, it leaned close.
"̶̣͑͜B̴̘̓͛o̶̩͌ỏ̶̧̫͑.̷̫͈̈́͊"̴̳̇͘
The man screamed before his head lolled back and he stilled on the ground, unconscious. Phantom straightened up with a huff, then focused on the Bats still scattered around. Its glowing eyes skimmed over their faces before landing on Batman.“You! Tall, dark, and spooky! Can I leave him with you?” Phantom called out, its voice changing to an almost regular tone with only a hint of echo remaining. It was almost disorienting, how much it (he?) seemed like a regular person all of the sudden. Minus the floating and other less human traits.“...We came for him, so yes. But who are you? And where is Jenny Windburg?” Bruce responded. No one shifted from their battle ready stances. Phantom quirked an eyebrow at them.“Y’all can chill a bit, I don’t have any plans of attacking you or anything. I get the vibe you were here to stop this nutcase, in which case you are currently on my good side. However to answer your questions, as I said to Larry Mc’Cultist,” he gestured to said man with a nod, “my name is Phantom. I am the current ruler of the Infinite Realms, King of the Ghosts, etcetera. As for Jenny, I sent her to the best physician I know in any realm. She will be fine and returned to you when she has recovered.”“Is that the Frostbite you mentioned earlier?” Tim asked from where he stood near Jason. Phantom looked over in surprise.“Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton?”“Jes.”“That’s interesting. But yes, Frostbite is who I was referring to.”“How do we know you will keep your word?” Bruce cut back in. Phantom’s eyes whipped over to glare at him, burning brighter with anger. The echo coming back to his voice,“Because I protect the balance between the realms of the living and the dead, and I will not allow someone to enact such a perversion of that balance, especially in my name.”“So you’re like… the grim reaper?” Duke asked from further back.“No,” Phantom sighed, voice returning to normal, “I am not the grim reaper. I do not collect souls or decide their destination. I just make sure the realms stay separate and ensure nothing tries to wreck that. Most of the time I just help Clockwork maintain the time-stream and deal with the daily bureaucracies of managing an entire plane of existence. Which reminds me-”He turned toward the remaining bloody alter and the spell circle. With a snap of his hand Phantom summoned a ball of green flames, before baseball pitching it into the middle of the circle. Immediately it caught fire, spreading to the alter and all the tomes and materials around it and burning everything into unrecognizable ash. Oddly, the flames didn’t seem to spread beyond that or give off any smoke. After a moment, the blaze withered and disappeared.“Good, don’t want anyone else to try that,” Phantom commented with a satisfied nod.“What the fuck was that!?” Jason exclaimed, shock briefly making him forget the fear bleeding into him from the Pit. Phantom turned to him, mouth opening to respond, only to freeze and go wide eyed as he fully looked at Jason for the first time.“What the fuck are you?” he gasped. Jason stiffened and backed up warily. The rest of his family tensed and took a protective step forward. “No,” Phantom continued, eyes squinting in inspection, “a more accurate question would be what the fuck was done to you.”“Why? Do I bother you?” Jason snarled. The Pit was writhing in his chest, as though trying to flee.“Oh it definitely bothers me. Hmm… yeah, no I can’t let that go.”And in a single breath suddenly Phantom was right in front of him, floating in the air inches from his face. Jason heard the shouts of his family as they rushed in, only for green to spring up in his periphery and for their voices to grow muffled. He briefly flicked his eyes over to see them pounding on what appeared to be a green force field surrounding him and Phantom, but quickly looked back as he felt something grab his helmet.His helmet seemed to slip off his head as though it was an illusion, and he was left barefaced and wide eyed in front of the King of Ghosts. Phantom tossed the helmet aside and smoothly reached forward, gently grasping either side of Jason’s head.Jason knew he should be moving. Resisting. Fighting. Anything… but he felt paralyzed. Every emotion he was feeling; fear… confusion… even some bizarre subconscious sense of hope was filling him up and overflowing to the point of immobilization.The hands on the side of his face started to warm, and the rest of his family watched as Jason started to glow. He began radiating a green light that grew brighter and brighter, until Phantom and himself lit up the entire warehouse like the sun. And just as the light grew blinding Phantom surged forward and locked their mouths together.All at once Jason felt warmth fill him from the soles of his feet to the tips of his hair, and as that warmth filled him the writhing Pit inside grew more frenzied and terrified than he had ever felt it before.Then it shifted.It fled, up and up and up. Phantom was pulling away and the Pit went with him, passing out of Jason’s mouth as though pulled along with Phantom. It spilled into the air between them, filling the space with a thrashing, sickly green cloud that trailed after Phantom as he tilted his head back and sucked in. The cloud flowed rapidly into his open mouth until he snapped it shut with a final bite, swallowing it down. Phantom let out a small burp and a thin green wisp escaped, fading into nothing.Jason collapsed down to his knees and placed a hand to his chest. Absently he could tell he had stopped glowing, and his family was standing there unmoving. However he focused inward, toward deep inside where after his revival a toxic rage had lived and thrived, destroying him from the inside out. Not one day since he came back had it left him in peace.And it was nowhere to be seen.In its place was a bubbling warmth, like a gentle light was purring deep inside in comfort. He felt lighter; freer; more… himself, than he had in a very long time.He looked up at Phantom, eyes blown wide.“What did you- I- How did-” he sputtered.“I pulled out the corrupted ectoplasm in your body. Which, let me tell you, 0/10 would not recommend, tasted horrendous. I have no idea how you got infused with so much of the stuff but I have to give you props for not going completely insane,” Phantom explained, floating cross-legged down to Jason’s eyeline.“The ecto-what?”“Ectoplasm, the green glowing shit you seem to have taken a long bath in at some point.”“So- so it’s gone? Like completely?” Jason breathed in disbelief.“Well, kinda? Unfortunately it had become so ingrained in your body that you actually need it to survive. But I wasn’t about to leave all that toxic crap in you, so I had to… improvise a little.”“What do you mean?” he croaked.“I uh…” Phantom scratched at his cheek awkwardly, “I used my own.”“What?”“I replaced all the corrupted ectoplasm in you with my own ectoplasm, which is much cleaner and non-destructive. Plus mine is inherently better at cooperating with human DNA.”“Which means…?”“You’ll feel a lot better. Physically and probably mentally. Now that you have clean stuff in you it should self filter and absorb from your surroundings to feed itself without causing all the side effects. Corrupted ectoplasm can mess a ghost up pretty bad, I can only imagine what it does to a human.”“But it’s gone? Like, the really shitty version?” Jason asked desperately. Phantom gave him an odd look before it morphed into an understanding smile.“Yeah. It’s gone.”Tears started building in Jason’s eyes… and then he started laughing. At first it was a giggle, but it quickly grew to a full bodied laugh as the relief rushed through him. He buried his face in his hands as he sobbed out peals of laughter.He was free. He was actually fucking free. He looked up from his hands and gave Phantom the most honest smile to have graced his face in years.“Thank you,” he said genuinely.For a moment Phantom simply stared at him slightly wide eyed, and then the oddest blotching of green appeared on his cheeks and spread to his ears. He blinked hard; once, twice, before his neon eyes gave Jason an appraising look. After a second Phantom nodded, and a wide smile broke across his face.“I’ve decided. I like you.”“What?” Jason asked, his own smile dropping in confusion. But instead of giving a response, Phantom leaned in again and pressed a kiss against his forehead. Jason’s mind stuttered and he felt his cheeks warm slightly as Phantom pulled away again, leaving a weird cold spot where he kissed.“There, you are now under my protection. If any ghosts or magic assholes give you trouble just tell them King Phantom send his regards,” Phantom smirked. “And if you get into a really tight spot, it’ll let me know and I’ll try to help.“I- uh, thanks? Wait what’ll let you know?” Jason sputtered, brows furrowing with further confusion. This was far too much feeling and thinking for one day, Jason was not built for this.“Nothing to worry about! Now, your… teammates? Will probably attempt murder and or capture me the second I drop my shield, so I’mma get going. I was actually in the middle of something. See ya around skunk stripe,” Phantom winked. And then he was gone, the green shield disappearing with him.Immediately Jason felt himself get surrounded as his family crowded around him on all sides, a cacophony of yelling ringing his ears. His face pulled into a scowl, though it was somewhat offset by the wide, bewildered look in his eyes.“Are you alright?”“What the fuck was that?!”“What was he saying to you?”“What is your status, what happened?”“You good? You look like shit.”“Tch.”“What’s with the mark on your forehead?”And at that last one Jason whipped his head over to the one who said it, Duke, and raised a hand to the now warming cold spot Phantom had left.“Mirror. Now!” He growled, holding his other hand out. Stephanie pursed her lips, but pulled out a small compact mirror from her belt and handed it over. Quickly Jason flipped it open and inspected his reflection. There, on the center of his forehead, was a strange, glowing green symbol. It screamed magic, and Jason knew immediately that this was what Phantom had been referring to.Though a part of him was pissed, the new bubbly glow in his chest seemed to purr in smug satisfaction. He felt his cheeks get warm again, and as he inspected it longer he watched as it silently faded away… leaving no trace behind.“Well then. That’s not ominous,” Tim commented.“We will have to debrief when we return. In the meantime: Nightwing and Spoiler, grab our man and turn him over to the PD. Red Robin and Signal, see what you can note down and recover from here. Oracle, start research on this Phantom and update Orphan on what’s happened. Tell her to let us know if she needs any backup on patrol. Robin, Red Hood, you’re with me. Are you good to stand?”“I’m fucking fine, don’t order me around,” Jason grumbled as he stood up and wiped at his cheeks. The warm thrumming was still there. “What are we doing?” he asked as he grabbed his helmet off the ground.“We are heading back. You need to get checked out.”“WHAT?” Jason bristled. “I’m fine! You can’t just fucking bench me!”“Father you cannot be serious! Hood might be compromised, but I am still perfectly capable-” Damian exclaimed.“Watch it demon brat!”“Hood, you just had a massive altercation with a creature of untold abilities, and none of us could tell what was happening. You need to be checked. And Robin, tomorrow is a school day. You know the rules,” Bruce rebutted.“...Fine,” Damian grumbled.“I’m not! You can’t fucking make me come back with you!”“Hood, please just come back with us. I just want run a few tests to make sure.”“What? Wanna make sure he didn’t drive me insane? Make sure I won’t snap on you-”“I want to make sure you’re okay!” Bruce growled, concern and exasperation coloring his normally dry tone. Jason’s mouth snapped shut, stopping and looking at the superhero. Actually looking. He took in the tight posture and the tension in the jaw, and realized that Bruce was worried. And not about him but for him. Unsure of what to do with that, Jason gave in with a huff.And as he and Damian begrudgingly followed the bat out, he couldn’t help but wonder if that concern had always been there and he’d simply missed it, blinded by rage.He couldn’t help but wonder what else he might have missed.
Hours later, they were all (sans Damian, who was forced to go to bed) gathered in the Batcave; this time Cassandra included.“So how’s he looking B?” Tim asked as he strolled in with a cup of coffee.“I’m fine!” Jason scowled from where he was sitting on a table.“Physically he does in fact seem unharmed, and mentally he appears to be himself with no outside influences,” Bruce answered, ignoring Jason.“Told you.”“However his thermal readouts seem to have undergone some sort of change.”“How so?” Cass asked from where she was leaning on the wall. In response Bruce pulled up a thermal map on the massive monitor.“This is what we had recorded previously as a baseline. As you can see, Jason had a heat signature that fluctuated greatly in a sort of thin aura around him; swinging from hot to cold. This, on the other hand, is what it looks like now.” Bruce tapped a key and the erratic thermal map was replaced by a new one, only this time the colors maintained an even sunset of warmth around the base of Jason’s natural temperature.“...Correct me if I’m wrong but that seems like a good thing?” Tim offered.“I thought his glow had changed,” Duke commented. Jason, who had been staring at the images in something close to wonder, sharply looked over at him.“Excuse me, my what?” he asked with a glare.“You’ve always had this like, faint glow. I think I’m probably the only one who can see it,” Duke replied, hands up in appeasement.“You say it’s changed?” Bruce prodded.“Yeah, it was kind of a sickly green color and fluctuated in brightness a bunch. Now it’s more consistent and… softer? Hard to describe but it’s nicer to look at now. Warmer.”As though in response Jason felt that bubbling warmth flutter in his chest. He flushed a bit as he remembered what it was, and his face softened.“Now that’s a new expression,” Dick said, surprised. Jason’s scowl returned but the flush remained.“Shove it dick-wing,” he growled, but it lacked its usual bite.“So what exactly happened?” Stephanie broke in. They all looked at her.”What? We’ve established he doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, and I want to know what the fuck happened in there. All we could see was a bunch of kissing, crying, and talking, during which Jason was a light bulb and vomited green smoke. Seems important.”“Yeah, actually, what the fuck was all that?” Tim exclaimed. They all turned to look at Jason instead, who for his part had flushed completely red.“...He fixed my ectoplasm,” Jason mumbled.“...Come again?”“He fixed my ectoplasm,” he repeated, hunching his shoulders.“What is ectoplasm? You mean like Ghostbusters?” Tim scrunched his nose.“No! Well, maybe? But no. Phantom said it’s what was left in me from the… Pit.”A quiet fell as he mentioned the Pit, as it always did because it brought up memories of why he had been in the Lazarus Pits.“He… fixed it? What does that mean, did- did he get rid of it?” Dick tentatively asked.“...Kinda?”And the group erupted into unintelligible chaos. Everyone was shouting questions at him and nobody was waiting for an answer. Eventually, Bruce had enough.“Quiet!” he called out, and all his kids quieted down looking chastised. He fixed Jason with a focused stare. “Jason what, exactly, happened?”“Look,” Jason said, taking a deep breath. “I can’t tell you exactly what happened because to be honest? I don’t fucking know either. What I do know, is what Phantom said, and what I feel. Phantom said that that whole… thing, was him removing the corrupted ectoplasm left from the Pit and replacing it with clean ectoplasm that wouldn’t cause all the… side effects.”“He replaced it? Why? Why not just remove the crap that was there?” Steph asked, brow furrowing.“He said it was too fused with my body, and that I needed it to continue to be not dead.”“Well that sucks,” Duke commented.“No shit.”“Well that would explain your new heat signature, and why it’s so much less erratic,” Tim mused.“Do you… feel different?” Cass quietly asked. Jason was quiet for a moment, before letting his face relax into something far more open than he was usually accustomed to. The bubbles purred.“...I do. I really, truly do.”At that the mood in the cave seemed to shift, as hopeful smiles started to grow across the different faces scattered about the space.“Does this mean you’ll actually start coming to family game nights?” Dick grinned.“Baby steps, blue-bird, baby steps,” Jason replied with faux disgust.“That wasn’t a no!” Dick gasped.“Wow, I must be dreaming,” Stephanie joked, slinging an arm around Dick’s shoulder.“Don’t push it,” Jason threatened.“So what was that second kiss? The one on the forehead?” she smirked.“The what?” Cass gasped, face delighted. The delight only grew and was joined by Dick’s smirk as Jason flushed a bright red.“He was giving me that mark thing, the one that disappeared. That’s it,” he growled.“Uh huh, that’s why you look like a teenage girl that had her diary found,” Stephanie teased.“Brown I will murder you-”“Do you know what that was then? And why it disappeared?” Tim interrupted. Jason glanced over sullenly.“Not exactly, but he said something about being under his protection and that if any other ghosts or magical entities give me problems to send them his regards.”“...So he marked you as belonging to him? He gave you a kiss and said ‘you’re mine’?” Steph asked gleefully.“Brown I am warning you-”“You really pulled a king as a sugar daddy, I’m so impressed!”“That’s it!” Jason roared and leaped off the table, moving to tackle Stephanie. She twisted out of the way (shoving Dick aside in the process) and he was forced into a roll, before he maintained the momentum to pop back up and make a swinging punch. She nimbly dodged her head out of the way, but Jason’s fist continued forward before sharply bending to wrap around Steph’s neck and pull her into a headlock. Before it could escalate further they were interrupted.“Enough!” Bruce called, exasperated. “Jason, calm down. And Stephanie, stop messing with him.”The two separated, though not without one last smirk from Stephanie and a scowl from Jason.“Now Jason, as the one who interacted the most with Phantom, what can you tell us about him? Any observations?”“Knowing what you are actually asking, I think he’s a good guy. I’m not saying he’s not a threat, because clearly he could be, but I think it’s more in the way Superman is a threat. Someone ridiculously powerful who uses it for good.”“And why do you think that?”“Well besides the fact that he actually fucking fixed me, he didn’t really hurt anyone even though he was pissed and had the ability to easily turn us all into smears on the ground. Even that cult ass-wipe was spared. Yeah Phantom terrified the shit out of him, but the dude was attempting to murder someone and control Phantom with it. And Phantom still spared him and let us take him in to the authorities. Plus he possibly saved Jenny, though obviously we’ll have to see if he upholds his word on that.”“...But you think he will,” Bruce concluded.“I think he will,” Jason nodded.“Well, that’s good. But I dislike having so many unknowns. What is the Infinite Realms? What is Phantom?”“He’s a ghost,” Jason stated as though it was obvious. Bruce gave him a flat look. “What? He is. Or at least that’s what he called himself. He might not literally be a dead person but who fucking knows.”“We’ll have to just wait and see what Barb manages to dig up later,” Dick broke in. “I for one think it’s been a very long night, and now that we know lover-boy here is fine we should get some rest.”“Lover-!” Jason started, only to be shushed as the eldest sibling started to shoo everyone out.Bruce chuckled as his kids grumbled their way out, before turning pensive. His thoughts ran through everything that had happened that night.Phantom was an enigma… and Bruce would figure him out.
“How is she?” Danny fretted as Frostbite walked out of the surgery bay. Frostbite smiled gently and Danny felt his shoulders relax somewhat.“She will make a full recovery, Great One.”“Oh thank the Ancients.” Danny slumped fully in relief; only to immediately tense as Frostbite started to say:“However…”“What?”“Due to her closeness to death when she was brought to us, she unfortunately absorbed some of the Realm’s energy. I’m afraid she may end up rather liminal.”“To what level?”“I would estimate around the same level as Lady Jasmine.”“Okay. When she awakes have one of the more human appearing ghosts give her the standard visitor welcome orientation, as well as provide her with Jazz’s Liminal 101 book. She’ll be thrilled for a new test audience.”“As you wish, my liege.”“Frostbite, we’ve talked about this,” Danny frowned.“Yes, you have expressed your discomfort with your address before. However I would be discomforted to address you with anything less than the respect your station requires.”“I’ve already given up on the whole ‘Great One’ thing, can you at least limit it to that? All the ‘my liege’ and ‘your highness’ stuff makes my skin crawl. I get that enough from everyone else, I’d at least like my closest friends and family to not do that.”“...As you wish Great One. I’m honored to be considered amongst your fraid.”“Of course you are.”They smiled warmly at each other for a moment before Danny remembered something he wanted to ask Frostbite.“By the way, while I was there I ran across an odd… I’m going to say liminal? He wasn’t a halfa as far as I could tell, but he had ectoplasm integrated into his body that was essentially keeping him alive. Do you know what that was about?”Frostbite blinked in surprise before his brow furrowed thoughtfully. “I’d have to examine the individual in question to be sure, but my best guess would be a revenant.”“Like a zombie?”“Yes and no. A zombie would simply be the body animated by outside means, usually by dark magics or being infused with ectoplasm. They are merely an empty husk with no soul. A revenant is something truly being brought back to life by forcibly reconnecting the soul to the body. The specifics are unfortunately not something I’m familiar with, but my best guess is the large amounts of ectoplasm you found were what was both keeping his body functioning and keeping his soul bound to his body.”“Wait, should I not have messed with it then?” Danny tensed, scenes of the pretty man destabilizing and melting away like his clones flashing though his mind.“Perhaps, may I ask what you did?”“His ectoplasm was like, super gross and corrupted and I knew that wasn’t good, so I got rid of it, but I could tell he needed it so I just kinda… replaced it with my own.”“You did what?” Frostbite startled.“Replaced it with my own? Was that bad? Should I not have done that? I just wanted to help him, I didn’t think it would be a problem!” Danny started panicking, drifting into the air.“Replacing the corrupted ectoplasm was indeed the right thing to do, but normally that would be done carefully with a neutral source of ectoplasm. Typically it is nigh impossible to use one’s own ectoplasm as it contains a strong imprint of the self and would fight integrating with another host. The fact that you managed it is extraordinary. And the other individual was fine?”“Yes! As far as I could tell, at least. He thanked me and seemed really relieved to not feel so shitty anymore. Is his body gonna start going into failure or something?”“You would have noticed any adverse effects immediately, so if he felt fine or even better afterwards it’s entirely likely that for some reason the integration went well. I wonder if it is due to the shared condition of you both being living and yet ectoplasmic beings,” he mused. “It’s truly quite fascinating. As always, you are full of surprises oh Great One.”“You’re sure he’ll be okay?” Danny asked, wringing his hands.“Having not seen him or his condition I could not tell you for certain, but I believe it likely.” He watched as Danny fidgeted nervously in the air, teeth worrying at his lip. He smiled gently and continued, “You could always go and check on him.”“I would but I don’t know how…WAIT!” he exclaimed shooting higher up. “I did that protection charm thing Dora taught me! I can find him that way!”“What? Great One, what charm exac-”“Gotta go Frostbite, I’ll talk to you later!”In a swirl of cloak Danny took off and disappeared from sight. Frostbite stared at the now empty space in confusion and growing trepidation. He had a feeling he knew exactly which charm Dora had taught him.
Jason froze as he walked down the street. It was a cloudy afternoon in Gotham, almost warm and pleasant. And yet chills ran down his back as he realized that once again he was being watched. . He had no proof, Barbara had seen nothing when he asked her to check cameras, and yet he knew with his very being that something had been following him for almost a week now. Damien called him paranoid and Dick had simply responded with an invitation to come to dinner and ‘relax with the family’. Useless all of them.No, he knew what he felt and he was gonna have to deal with it himself. But whatever it was better be ready, because he wasn’t going down without a figh-“Hi!”Jason startled and stumbled back, blinking at surprise at the face that popped up alarmingly close in front of him. His first thought was adoption bait, quickly followed by How the hell did he sneak up on me? And while the first was discarded by the man being just a smidge too old to need adoption (though the black hair and blue eyes were right on the money, so it couldn’t be ruled out entirely), Jason’s mind stuck on the second.There had been nothing. Jason hadn’t seen him walking down the street ahead of him, and there were no alleys or stores next to him that the man could have stepped out from. It was as if he had appeared of out thin air. And suddenly, the feeling of being watched was no longer behind him.Jason felt his metaphorical hackles rising. This could be dangerous. Very, very dangerous.“...So I saw you and thought, he looks like a local, surely he can help me!” The man continued, and Jason realized he had missed half the words spilling from his mouth.“Sorry, I don’t know if I can be of much-”“Oh please, I really need to find that book! You can just lead me, I promise I’ll only go where you want!”Book? The man was looking for a book? How had he known that Jason liked books? It was suspicious as all hell. However, if this really was who had been following him this whole time, he’d be a fool to waste this chance to figure out his plan and get proof. And was it even really vigilantism without reckless self-endangerment?“...Well, I suppose I know a few places you can try. I can show you but no funny business. If you try anything I’ll show you how prepared a Gotham local really is.”“Yes sir!” the man replied with a sloppy salute. Jason narrowed his eyes before turning down the street with a huff. The man hurried after him with a smile. It was a pleasant smile, but something about it rubbed Jason the wrong way. He continued to flick his eyes towards his unwanted companion as he cataloged his features and tried to figure out what was striking him as off. It wasn’t until the man let out a little exclamation and said, “I’m Danny by the way! Forgot to mention it. What’s your name?” that it clicked in Jason’s head.He had looked back to offer an incredulous look (he was decently well known throughout Gotham after all) and he finally took in Danny’s face as a whole. His eyes were just a little too bright, his smile just a little too wide, his teeth just a little too sharp… this man wasn’t entirely human. Oh sure, at a glance he seemed like any other guy in his 20s, if a bit too chipper for Gotham, but the more Jason looked the more he seemed just enough on the wrong side of the uncanny valley.“...Jason,” he finally offered, hoping this wasn’t fae rules. It wasn’t like it would be hard to figure out if he lied, what with being a known past ward of the Wayne estate.“Well it’s nice to meet you Jason!” Danny said with a wink. Jason felt a chill go down his spine as he realized with absolute certainty that Danny knew exactly who he was, and had long before this conversation. There went any doubts about whether or not this was his mystery stalker.Jason gave a grunt of acknowledgement and continued to lead Danny down so many alleys and side-streets that even the average Gothamite would get nervous, but that Danny took in stride; practically humming with how relaxed he seemed.Eventually they arrived at a quaint brick and mortar store carefully tucked into a little patio like area. Jason always loved this spot. It was like a quiet clearing in the urban forest made of skyscrapers and gothic structures that made up the city.Danny let out a whistle. “Wow, I certainly would never have found that. How do they get any business?”“Honestly I think it’s just their private collection that they disguise as a store for tax benefits. But you can generally cajole them into selling you something if you’re respectful to them and the books.”“Them?”“You’ll see,” Jason said with a smirk. There was a very strong reason Jason had picked this store above any of the others he frequented, and it wasn’t just that they were the most likely to have obscure books in the interest of otherworldly beings. He led Danny inside to the oddly discordant jingle of bells.The bookstore they entered greeted them with the sight of bookcases from floor to ceiling, creating a miniature labyrinth for the uninitiated. Every conceivable surface was covered, and even a few that would never have occurred to the average mind. The books themselves, at a glance, had no discernible organization system. And yet, despite the chaos in organization, the shop had the cozy, well lived in air one would associate with their grandmother’s house.“Ancients, I have got to bring Sam here,” Danny breathed. His eyes were wide in wonder and Jason couldn’t help the curl of satisfaction that leaked through his wariness. It was hard to fully keep up defenses against a guy who looked so genuinely enthralled at a place he was very fond of.“Who’s Sam?” Jason asked.“The friend I’m getting a book for actually. She wants this really old apothecary book and the… other bookkeeper I’m familiar with was unwilling to part with his. Actually chased me out for even suggesting the idea.”“Sounds like the sort of fellow I’d get along with,” a new voice broke in. Jason turned to look as Danny whipped around to find an older figure with greying dark hair pulled tastefully up and shoulders draped in shawls and beads standing there.“Shari!” Jason grinned.“Yes, hello Jason. May I ask why you have once again come to disturb me? And with company,” they responded with a crooked brow.“He literally stopped me in the street begging me to take him to the best place to find weird old books. So of course your place sprang to mind. His name’s Danny. Whatcha think?” He watched as Shari’s eyes sharpened and took a long look at Danny, and Jason bit back a grin. This was the main reason he had chosen Shari’s shop.While Batman had people such as the JLD, Jason had his own contacts to deal with dark and weird shit. Shari refused to explain what exactly they do, but Jason knew magic of some kind was involved. The store was just a little too big on the inside; just a little too warm. And he knows that it had never been robbed, which based on sheer probability was impossible in Gotham. They would protect their books at all costs. And so, if Danny was as dangerous as he seemed he’s sure they would have something to say about that.The two of them stared at each other unblinking. Danny had looked confused before returning the stare full force. Just as Jason was starting to wonder if he should be concerned, Shari blinked and straightened to their surprisingly tall full height.“Oh, well then. That’s unexpected. Fine, what are you looking for?” they sniffed, and Jason’s mouth dropped open in shock.“A gift for my friend, she’s been trying to get this really old apothecary book for ages now. It’s about poisonous plants from the 1600’s. I think the cover is stained some kind of purple?”“Ah, yes. I think I know the one. One moment.” They walked off into the stacks of books and Danny turned to Jason with a bemused expression on his face.“So uh… that was weird? Why did I just get pulled into a staring contest?”“Wait, you didn’t fucking know what was happening?” Jason sputtered.“Not a clue!”“Why the hell did you stare back then?!”“My rule in uncertain situations is to commit to the bit. I find things tend to work themselves out that way. Seriously though, what was happening?”Jason sighed through his nose. “Shari has a good eye for people. Though I’ve never seen them accept someone so quickly. You didn’t even fucking have to say please!”“I’ve been told I have impeccable vibes.”“Compared to what? A raccoon?”“I’ll have you know that raccoons have excellent vibes, so I take that as a compliment.”Jason was about to respond, but was interrupted as Shari returned with a purple leather bound book in hand. Danny gasped in pleased surprise and happily took the outstretched book, immediately flipping through it. While he was distracted Jason stepped up to Shari and silently gestured at Danny in a ‘what the fuck’ manner. Shari huffed a quiet laugh and patted his cheek condescendingly.“It’s nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. I won’t say he’s harmless but if he’s who I think he is then you’ll be fine. Honestly I’m somewhat honored, though he is much more adorable than I would have imagined.”“But who is he?” Jason pointedly didn’t whine. Shari’s eyes darted up to somewhere above his own before laying him with a perfectly arched single eyebrow. Wow, he was feeling very attacked right now.“Figure it out yourself,” they deadpanned before walking away once more into the stacks.“Hey, wait! How much do I owe you?” Danny called out as they walked by him.“I’ll just charge Jason for it, you can figure it out among yourselves. Now please leave my shop. I’m busy.”“But-” he started before Jason started dragging him back out the door.“It’s fine, I can cover it. It’s best not to argue with them,” Jason grumbled.“I can’t just let you pay for my friend’s birthday present!” Danny gasped as they entered back into the dreariness of Gotham’s streets.“Then pay me back, I really don’t care.”“I don’t even know how much it cost!”“Not my problem,” Jason smirked. Danny bit his lip, clearly not happy with the arrangement, before his expression cleared and he lit up again. Possibly literally, were his eyes glowing a bit?“I know, at least let me buy you lunch!”“What? No, you don’t need-”“I insist!” Danny chirped, grabbing his arm and this time being the one dragging.“Do you even know where you’re going?”“We passed a cute looking cafe on the way, I figured we could go there.”Jason knew the cafe. It had good coffee. He sighed, and let Danny drag him along. Now that he’s gotten Shari’s confirmation that the dude is probably not an evil demon about to eat him, Jason is honestly more confused than ever. He’s pretty sure Danny is the one who has been stalking him for like a week, but now he has no idea why. What was Danny’s goal? It can’t just have been the book because that would be stupid.Lost in thought, he almost stumbled as Danny came to a stop.“Tah dah!” Danny exclaimed, jazz hands included. It appears he put the book away somewhere while Jason wasn’t looking. He looked at where he was pointing and indeed saw the cafe he was expecting. It stood out amongst the city streets by sheer contrast with the amount of plants and various greenery arranged outside and in. He’s pretty sure Ivy is a regular. He felt himself being pulled again and the bell jingled above them as Danny lead him through the door and up to the counter.“Hello, welcome to Green Grounds, what can I get started for you?” the way too peppy barista asked.“Hi,”Danny said, matching her energy, “I’d like the dark chocolate mocha with four shots of espresso and a BLT toasted. And he would like...” he trailed off, looking at Jason expectantly. Jason took a quick glance at the menu.“I’ll take a regular iced caramel latte, with a turkey melt.”“You got it! For here or to go?”“For here,” Danny replied as he paid with a wad of bills he pulled from his pocket. Jason shot him a judgemental look that was resolutely ignored. Danny took their order number and they walked over to a table in the corner. Jason was pleased to note it was somewhat hidden by foliage while maintaining clear view of the exits.“So,” Danny started as they sat down, “didn’t take you as someone with a sweet tooth.”“You clearly don’t mister four shots of espresso.”“I usually would go for more, but I have discovered that’s about the limit before the barista starts asking questions.”“Lord, you sound as bad as Tim.”“Who?”“My brother. He only drinks from this one place because it’ll let him add like 10 shots to his order.”“A man after my own heart.”“He’ll certainly need a new one with that amount of caffeine.”Danny let out a laugh, and Jason couldn’t help but think it was nice. They continued chatting until their orders arrived, and then for well after that. It was only as the sun was beginning to set that Jason realized the time, and how relaxed he had gotten around Danny. All this time talking and he still had no idea why Danny had been following him around. At this point he really didn’t think Danny was malicious, even if he wasn’t quite sure what he was, but the fact remained that stalking was generally not a good sign.“We should probably get going, I promised I’d go home for dinner tonight,” Jason said, standing. Danny blinked in surprise, before looking outside and realizing the time himself. He wilted a little.“Ah, it is getting kinda late isn’t it?” His smile looked a little forced. “Thanks for indulging me and for the book.”“Don’t mention it. This ended up being... actually sort of nice.”Danny’s smile turned a little more genuine as they made it outside. “Well, I guess I’ll let you go then.”“Wait,” Jason said, biting his cheek. This might not be the smartest move, but something in him didn’t quite want to let Danny go. Plus he still wanted to know what the fuck his whole deal was. “Do you have a phone?”Danny brightened immediately, and Jason was certain this time that his eyes were in fact glowing a little. “I do! It’s a little wonky but does the job!” he exclaimed, digging out the clunkiest silver and green phone Jason had ever seen in his life. Regardless, he plucked it from Danny’s hand and typed in his number for his regular civilian phone.“Here. I guess...call me sometime? I’d prefer it to the stalking.”Danny froze, before a mortified expression filled his face. “You noticed?”Internally Jason did a fist pump, fuck yeah he was right. Externally though he raised an eyebrow. “I could feel you staring.”Danny let out an embarrassed keen and shoved his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, at first I was just checking on you. I wanted to say hi, but I was trying to find good timing.”“Well next time you can just call first.”“Yup, will do. Will stop being a creep. Got it. Excuse me as I go throw myself down a well.”“A well? In Gotham?”“Watch me.” Danny spun and fled about 3 steps before he stopped and ran back to Jason. “Oh I almost forgot!” He grabbed Jason’s face and dragged him down to place a kiss right over the exact same spot on his forehead Phantom had. “There! All renewed. Bye skunk stripe!” Jason stood stupefied as Danny danced back a few steps, gave a finger salute, and disappeared in a blink.Wait.Wait wait wait.Holy fuck.The bubbling warmth his his chest felt like it was laughing.“Did I just go on a date with the Ghost King?!”
Bruce huffed in displeasure as the Batcomputer once again came back with a negative on results. He leaned back in the chair and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face in exhaustion. He had been looking into this ‘Phantom’ for several weeks now, and had nothing beyond general resources on ghosts and spirits as a whole and a backlog for the website of a defunct government agency called the GIW. He had thought that might have been a lead but it appears to have practically been wiped from existence. He’s not sure even Tim could find much of it. Which meant all his regular avenues were coming up dead ends.That meant he had to call in backup. He groaned and pulled out his league communicator, flipping his hood back on he dialed one John Constantine… only to have it go immediately to voicemail. With a click of his tongue Bruce left a message to get back to him as soon as possible, and then dialed a new number. This time, the call was picked up on the third ring.“Hello?”“Zatanna, it’s Batman. I need the Justice League Dark’s assistance. Do you know anything about a new Ghost King named Phantom?”There was a heavy silence on the other side that made the back of Bruce’s neck prickle. “…I’m sorry, did you say new Ghost King?” Zatanna strangled out. Immediately the prickles on his neck spread down his spine.“I take it you were unaware of a change in power.”“How did you even find out?! All Realms files are under so much lock and key that even I only can access about half of it on any given day!”“We had something of a cultist problem in Gotham about three weeks ago. Didn’t have time to call anyone in so we handled it ourselves. He tried to summon a being named Pariah Dark (Zatanna squeaked in fear on the other end, and Bruce took note to ask about that later), but instead summoned this other figure who gave us the name Phantom. He claimed to have defeated this Pariah Dark and become the new Ghost King.”“Holy shit,” Zatanna whispered, before continuing in a louder, more frantic voice. “I’m calling a Justice League Dark meeting immediately. We probably won’t get too many with such short notice but this is huge. We need to discuss this like…yesterday. How did none of us know about this?”“May I be present?”“Batman your presence is required. You are going to walk us though exactly what you know. Any surviving footage, data, or information you have: bring it. We need as much as we can get.”“So you have never heard of this Phantom?”“No, and most ghosts don’t get strong enough to take on Pariah Dark, and win for that matter, without making a name for themselves. The fact that I know nothing? Scary as hell.”“Do you think he could be a threat?”“Could be? Absolutely. Is he one? Not a fucking clue. I’d have to know more before making a judgment call on that. You gotta be careful with Realm ghosts, you really don’t want to antagonize them unless you absolutely have to, and maybe not even then.”“Why?”Another pause, and then with absolute certainty Zatanna replied, “Because even if they lose, the cost to do so is probably more than can be bared.”“...I see.“Be at the Watchtower in thirty.” She hung up with a click.Bruce sighed, then got to work.
Two days later Bruce found himself back at the warehouse at night, this time with Zatanna in tow. She was on the ground of the warehouse, carefully drawing a magic circle of her own.“And you are sure this is safe?”“It’s just an information gathering spell. It should pull and project what happened here so that we can learn more about Phantom. It’s unfortunate that John is still awol, this is admittedly more his wheelhouse.”“His inability to be contacted in emergencies is dangerous.”“Yes, well, he has a way of showing up when he needs to anyway. He’s certainly an enigma.” She stood up and brushed her hands free of chalk. “I left him a message explaining what was going on so he will probably show his face eventually. In the meantime, I think it’s good to go. Let’s get this show on the road!”She shooed Bruce and he took a few steps back, trying to give Zatanna her space to work. She took a deep breath and held her hands out over the circle.“Wohs ot su tahw deneppah ereh. Taeper eht yrotsih dna wohs su motnahP, gniK fo eht smlaeR!” she chanted. The circle lit in a emerald green growing brighter and brighter as she focused. Then she suddenly gasped, and the light turned a sickly, acid green. Bruce took a perturbed step forward as wind began to swirl around the magic circle, and Zatanna appeared to be struggling against something.Then from the center of the circle a dark shadow erupted into the air with an unholy screech, writhing as though in pain. The green light seemed to shatter and the creature tore off through the ceiling and into the dark night, Zatanna collapsing to the floor. Bruce rushed to her side and helped her sit up.“Zatanna, what happened? What was that creature?” He barked, worry turning into anger.“I- I don’t know! The spell felt like it was working correctly, but then it was like it latched onto something else and pulled out that thing!”They both jolted as the door burst open. Bruce lowered the batarang that he had been about to throw as he registered the ragged form of the one and only John Constantine. He was breathing heavy as he gripped the doorway for support, an outraged expression on his face.“WHAT. In the BLOODY HELL. DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?! he roared.“I was just trying to use an information gathering spell, I wasn’t trying to do whatever that was!” Zatanna exclaimed. John marched further into the room, baring down on the two of them with an angry swirl of his coat.“Yeah, well, your little ‘information gathering’ spell just pulled some poor corrupted soul from the Realms and who knows what it’ll do in that state!”“You think I haven’t realized that?! I don’t know what went wrong!”“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it was the putting a magic circle directly over the remnants of a very powerful summoning spell?!“But there’s no markings left, I made sure it was completely cleared!”“Just because the physical circle is gone, doesn’t mean the magic was fully leeched out of the building! The whole place is still humming with it!”“Well maybe if you had just picked up your phone for once in your damned life-!”“Enough!” Bruce interrupted, halting the growing screaming match. “We need to focus on what to do now. Constantine, what was that creature and what can we do about it?”John lit a cigarette and took a deep, calming smoke. “It was a spirit from the Infinite Realms, sort of. Because it was pulled through in a deeply flawed way it got corrupted and turned into that thing. It’s like if you pushed something through a cheese grater and tried to smash it back together after the fact. Poor sod is probably confused, in a lot of pain, and going to lash out at anything its path.”Zatanna winced guiltily at that description and Bruce tightened his hold before pulling her back onto her feet.“And what can we do about it?”John breathed out another puff of smoke and looked at Bruce grimly. “Chase it down, put it out of its misery, and hope no one dies.”
Jason landed on the rooftop, humming under his breath as he stopped to survey his territory. He’s been in a great mood lately and he can tell it’s been unnerving his men. Though admittedly he finds the reaction amusing, the whispers of possession or curses were getting a little too annoying. Was he really that bad before?He couldn’t help but have a spring in his step, however. Since that first what he belatedly realized was a date with Danny, they’d gone on several others in the following weeks. Danny was sweet, dorky, and snarky, as well as being an all powerful being that could probably toss him around like a piñata. It was a win-win. And apparently he was still kind of alive? Honestly that part was a little confusing since Danny danced around the specifics so much, but it meant he also had a regular life and could go around on regular ass dates with Jason.He thinks it might be the start of a really promising relationship.Suddenly, the warmth in his chest turned ice cold and alarm shot through his body. Immediately Jason tensed and whipped around, eyes searching. This gave his just enough time to leap and roll out of the way as a screaming back mass rocketed into the spot he just was; the sound of claws scraping along the roof. He bounced back up into a fighting position, rapidly trying to figure out what the fuck this thing was. It held no real defined shape, though it did appear to have clawed hands and jagged mouth of sharp teeth.It screeched again and lunged at him. He rolled out of the way again and used the momentum to start booking it over the rooftops. He heard scrabbling behind him and a quick glance showed the thing launching after him and flying through the air. Its movements were jerky but damn was it fast. He leapt from roof top to rooftop, grappling as needed and moving as fast as humanly possible.Unfortunately he was not being chased by a human, but by a large flying monstrosity from who knows where. He felt something grab at his ankle and he was yanked down by razor sharp teeth digging into the flesh in his calf. He let out a yell of pain before kicking the creature off. His foot seemed to sink into it before hitting enough resistance to force it back, and he had the awful realization that physical attacks wouldn’t be very effective.Once free from its grasp he forced himself up and back over the rooftops, trying to ignore the fiery pain in his leg and the blood he felt dripping. He continued running, leg growing more painful with every jump. The creature had recovered and he could hear it closing in again behind him. The desperate thought of Danny crossed his mind, and his promise to come if Jason was ever in over his head with the supernatural.He made for another leap to a far roof, but it was one leap too many for his leg and it spasmed beneath him, sending him over the edge and far to short to reach the other side. He yelped and tried to brace himself for impact with the concrete far below, closing his eyes tightly.Then there was an explosion of light behind his eyelids and the rushing wind stopped as he hit something cold but gentle. Cracking open his eyes he looked up to see the frazzled blue tint of Danny in his ghost form, whose expression cleared into a smile as Jason looked up at him.“Hi there, nice of you to drop by.”Jason groaned but his face betrayed his joy and relief at the save. Also he was definitely being carried like a princess, and his side that loved regency era romance swooned.The moment was shattered by unholy screeching as the black mass finally caught up. It flung itself at them and Danny swerved out of the way with a yelp and pulled up into the sky, leaving the creature to crash into the trashcans in the alley below.Danny looked with horror at the creature, and Jason swore he could practically feel the anger overlaying deep sadness radiating off of him.“Oh no, what happened to you?” Danny whispered. The creature managed to struggle its way out of the garbage and it took off into the sky after them. Danny flew with Jason still in his arms, looping and dodging as the creature hounded them.It felt like this went on forever before Jason finally yelled up at Danny, “Why are you just dodging? Aren’t you like super powerful?”“I mean, yeah but...” Danny trailed off, glancing down at him with worry. Jason squinted at him, before it clicked in his head and he was filled with indignant rage.“I’m not made of fucking glass! You don’t need to stay glued to my damned side! Just put me fucking down already!”“But-”“No! I can take care of myself just fine, I’m not some damsel in distress! Put me down and fucking focus on taking care of the problem!” Jason took an angry breath, but continued firmly, “It needs your help too, right?”Danny stared at him for a moment in wonder before his face hardened in determination. He dived back down to the roofs below and gently placed Jason on his feet. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Thank you.”“Go get ‘em ghost boy.”Danny gave a firm nod, then flew back into the sky. He seemed to grow as his cloak billowed into the sky, blending into the starry landscape above. He looked up at the creature hurtling down from above sadly, and whispered, “I’m so sorry.” Then he reached up, hand outstretched, and ice shot from his fingertips. It crackled up and spread like lightning, growing into a crystalline tree that sparkled with the light of the stars. Trapped in its boughs was the creature, thrashing and screaming in fear and pain.With the other hand he reached into the void of his cloak and withdrew what appeared to be a soup thermos. The lid popped off and floated next to him, and in a flash of light Jason had to guard his eyes against the creature was sucked into the device, and Danny closed the lid with a gentle click; the ice melting away like a morning mist. Danny tapped the thermos to his forehead. “I promise I’ll find a way to help you.” And then the thermos was gently placed back into the folds of his cloak.He floated back down to Jason and Jason gently pulled him into a hug. “Good job. Thanks for the save.” Danny shuddered and hugged back, burying his face into Jason’s shoulder.“...They were in so much pain. I don’t know how to help them.”“Do you know anyone else that might?”“...Maybe Frostbite?”“He’s the Yeti doctor yeah? The one that helped Jenny?”“Yeah.”“I think that’s a good place to start.” He pulled back and cooed at Danny’s dejected face. “Hey, it’s okay. You did the best you could, and I know you won’t rest until you find someone or something that can help.”Danny gave him a small smile. “Thanks.” He shook himself out a bit and stepped away from Jason’s hold. “Now! Lemme look at that leg. You’re staring to pool blood on the ground and that can’t be good.”“I’m sure it’s fine.”“Nah-ah, none of that. Lemme look.” Danny knelt down and inspected the wound, frowning for a bit before green liquid pooled in his palm and he slapped it over the puncture spots.“Ow! What the fuck!”“Slapped some ectoplasm on it. With your body make up it should heal you pretty quickly.”“Did you have to be so rough about it?”“Oh please, you big baby. I didn’t want to spill any. And I’m guessing it’s already feeling better.”Jason shifted his weight onto the leg and let out a little hum when it in fact no longer hurt. “Well thanks for that I suppose. Would have been annoying to heal the old fashion way.”“I mean with your ectoplasm no longer being rank you should heal faster than a normal human anyway. Did I ever give you Jazz’s Liminal 101 book?”“No, you’ve mentioned it like four times and said you’ll get me a copy but have yet to deliver.”“Dang, maybe I should just mail it.”“Honestly might be faster at this point.”Danny opened his mouth to respond, but then his easy smile dropped from his face and he scrunched his nose like he smelled something rotten.“What, what’s wrong?” Jason asked, immediately on alert.“Someone’s coming.”“Someone bad?”“I don’t know yet but we’re about to find out.” Danny turned to the open portion of the roof and subtly starting to float off the ground; the air chilled around him. Jason stood back with his hand on his gun, ready to draw at a moments notice. The space in front of them shifted.Like someone drawing with a sparkler, a glowing circle cut through the air and formed a portal. From the other side three figures stepped out, and Jason groaned and relaxed his stance as he made out a very familiar dark costume.“I’m telling you, this is where the tracking spell stops! It’s like it just fucking disappeared!” exclaimed John Constantine, focusing on an odd compass in his hand. Zatanna and Bruce were stopped in their tracks, eyes fixated on the glowing form of Danny scowling down at them, ice creeping up the bottom edge of his cloak. At the lack of response Constantine finally looked up and froze as well. “Bollocks.”“I’m going to ignore the disgusting state of your soul for now. Tell me, what exactly were you tracking?” Danny inquired, tone as freezing and sharp as the spreading ice.“You know, I feel like it might have already been taken care of so it doesn’t really matter anymore-” A flash of ice froze Constantine’s feet to the ground. His mouth snapped shut and Jason could see sweat forming along his brow.“I asked, what were you tracking?”“It was my fault!” Zatanna cried out, diverting attention to herself. Danny gave her a hard look, silently commanding her to continue. “I-I was just trying to find information. But something went wrong. It... it turned into an incomplete summoning somehow. We were just trying to find what I accidentally summoned.”Danny stilled, and the air felt like the oxygen had been sucked away. “It was you?” he whispered. Then the air shattered and wind kicked up around them, circling as Danny floated higher into the sky, eyes burning bright. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! You took a poor soul and tortured it, made it attack someone under my protection, on accident?! Because you couldn’t mind your own business, you just had to stick your head where it didn’t belong, didn’t you?”“Phantom-” Bruce began and Jason only barely stopped himself from slapping his hand to his helmeted forehead. Of course the good ol’ bat had to get involved. Danny whirled on him instead.“And you, Batman! Don’t think I don’t know this all started with you! You are just like I’ve heard, you really can’t just leave well enough alone! Have you ever thought —maybe, just maybe— you don’t need to know?” Danny took a deep breath, trying to recollect his form that had been starting to become a little too eldritch in his ranting. He composed himself and glared down at them all. “The only reason I’m not wrecking you all where you stand is because A. I can practically taste the guilt and self-recrimination coming off of that one,” he waved a hand toward Zatanna, “and B. I’m hopeful I can get them the help they need to recover. But let it be known,” he leaned down, “you owe me.”Zatanna gulped but nodded fearfully. Danny straightened and looked over at Constantine. “Not you though. I don’t want to touch your whole mess with a thirty foot pole. Seriously, get some help.”Constantine sputtered, and looked unsure as to whether he should be grateful or offended. Jason couldn’t help but let out a snort and suddenly everyone seemed to realize/remember he existed.Danny dropped back down to the roof, blushing pale green and scratching at his cheek; Zatanna and Constantine both looked at him like he had grown two heads; and through the dark cowl Jason recognized the signs of Bruce being caught off guard.“Hood. What are doing here?”“Getting attacked by a giant corrupted spirit. Phantom here showed up to lend a hand, which he said he’d do. Guess he keeps his word, huh?”Bruce grunted in response, and Jason could tell it was the ‘I’m embarrassed to be wrong and I don’t want to admit it’ grunt. Constantine twisted as much as he could with his feet still frozen to the ground to look at Bruce incredulously.“Wait, Bat, was this whole thing because you were just being an overprotective, paranoid wanker? Again?”Jason burst out laughing as Bruce scowled at Constantine. The tense air on the roof started to clear and Danny’s presence dropped from a crushing pressure to the cool buzz Jason normally associates with his ghost form. Zatanna for her part looked like she’d gone through seven emotional whiplashes and was starting to clock out.“A member of my team had contact with a powerful entity and I wanted to make sure that there was no danger being posed to him and that there were no lasting consequences to those actions. I was simply doing what I thought was best.”“B, for the last fucking time Phantom isn’t a threat to me!” Jason growled, more annoyed than anything. Honestly he’s not surprised, getting Bruce to not dig deeper than he should was like trying to teach a fish karate: a huge waste of time and you’ll just end up disappointed.“Even if that is true, there could be those out there who try to take advantage of you or him through your…connection. I wanted to be prepared for all possibilities.”Constantine snorted dryly, crossing his arms. “Mate, no one’s gonna go after the Ghost King’s fiance. That’s just asking for a fucking death sentence.”A moment, where one could hear a pin drop. And then,“HIS WHAT?!”“MY WHAT?!”Two voices cried in unison. The other three looked over to find Danny with his mouth open in shock. Subconciously, a small part of Jason was very glad his mask was covering his face, because he’s certain his expression looks the same. The majority of him though was currently just repeating one giant WTF on loop. He was at least glad to know that Danny had been just as in the dark as him. Constantine looked unsurely between the two of them.“...I can see how Red Hood might’a not known but if I may ask your majesty… How the fuck did you not know? You’re the one who put the mark on him.”“That’s what it is?! Dora just said it’s a mark of protection! No one told me anything about it being some kind of engagement thing!” Danny sputtered. Constantine squinted at him.“...Bloody hell, you’re just a fucking kid, aren’t you? How long have you been dead?”“John!” Zatanna snapped, scandalized.“Back off!” Jason snarled, something in him recoiling at the question.“I am not a child!” Danny growled, eyes flashing. Constantine leaned back and put his hands up apologetically.“Sorry, didn’t mean that literally. I just meant you don’t seem to have been a ghost for long. Which makes how strong you are already terrifying mind you.”Danny pursed his lips. “…I died eight years ago. Became King after one. Excuse me for having to deal with a very steep learning curve.”“Holy hells, you defeated Pariah Dark as a brand new fucking ghost?” Constantine gasped.”I don’t want to talk about it. How binding is this mark, exactly? I wasn’t intending to force him into being my bride or something.”“Not a fucking clue, I can only recognize the thing. You’d have to ask someone in the Realms.”“You’re useless. Fine. Let’s go, my surprise fiance.”And without warning Danny turned to the side, ripped a hole into reality, grabbed Jason’s hand and yanked them through to the yells of the three being left behind: Bruce yelling for Red Hood, Zatanna simply an exclamation of surprise, and lastly John Constantine, yelling “Wait, unfreeze my fucking feet!”The portal closed.
Danny’s head was spinning. This was very much not how he was expecting his day to go. He had been planning on having a nice chill at home day; do some grad school homework, watch a space documentary… maybe even get around to finally doing the dishes. Then he had felt the pull of Jason being in danger and now he was barreling through the Ghost Zone with apparently his fiance and a very hurt ghost that he didn’t know how to help in a soup can and he couldn’t sense Clockwork’s tower which meant he wasn’t going to be helping and-Something yanked hard on his arm, throwing him to a stop.“Danny! Calm down!” Jason yelled. Danny looked back and realized that it was Jason who had pulled on his arm, and his tone of voice suggested he had been calling for a while. “It’s alright, it’s not the end of the world. We can figure this out without breaking the sound barrier.”Danny took several deep breaths, trying to calm his sparking nerves. “Sorry, you’re right. You’re right. I just… I’m so sorry.”“Hey, I told you it’s alright,” Jason soothed, putting his hands on Danny’s shoulders. Danny leaned forward a little into the touch. “You didn’t know, right? And I certainly appreciated it when you came and saved my ass, so it has its good points too.”“So you admit you needed saving?” Danny joked weakly.“To you? Yes. If you tell anyone else though I will deny it to my second grave,” Jason chuckled. “Now, action plan. We need to talk to someone who know about the mark, and we need to get our murderous friend to your Yeti doctor. Would he be able to help with the former too?”“Actually… yes, yes he probably could!” Danny wanted to smack himself for not thinking of it sooner. “Okay, hold on tight. The Far Frozen is called that for a reason and I want to get there as soon as possible.”“How do you want me to do that- WHOAH!” Jason exclaimed as Danny swooped him once more into a princess carry and took off like a rocket toward the icy depths where Frostbite lived.Soon enough Danny pulled up beside the entrance to Frostbite’s castle, and hadn’t even set Jason down before the door opened to reveal the chief himself blinking at them in surprise.“Great One! We are honored by the surprise visit.” He glanced at Jason. “…Ah. I see I was correct in my worries that Queen Dorathea did not explain thoroughly enough.”“You knew?!”“When you mentioned placing a mark she taught you on the young revenant you were worried about, I had my suspicions I admit. But you left in rather a hurry so I could not offer my concerns. Apologies, Great One.”Danny winced in embarrassment. “It’s fine. Does that mean you know how to get rid of it?”“...I think this conversation is better held inside and not in the doorway. Come, come.”“Can you let me down now?” groaned Jason. “If we are no longer flying at mach twelve I can walk for myself.”“Oh, whoops. Sorry.” Danny set him down and Jason straightened out his leather jacket. He made an ‘after you’ gesture and Danny huffed a laugh before following after Frostbite. They ended up in one of the private rooms in the medical wing, often used for consultations. Frostbite graciously gestured at two seats before taking a larger one behind a desk made of ice.“Wait, before we discuss the whole, engagement mark thing, I have something more pressing that needs your help,” Danny said, pulling out the thermos. He explained the situation to a grave Frostbite, who took the thermos with the gentleness of holding a newborn baby.“It is not common, for a spirit who goes through such a terrible thing to make their way back to us. We will do our absolute best for them,” he said. He summoned another Yeti in ornate robes, and passed off the thermos with clear instructions on which healing wing it was to be sent to. Danny relaxed a bit as he knew it was now in good hands, and settled into the seat as Frostbite returned.“Now, to return to the matter of the mark, may I be allowed to get a closer look?” He directed towards Jason, gesturing at the helmet.“Oh. Uh. Yeah.” Jason clicked a specific sequence on the helmet and pulled it off, leaving him bare faced besides a domino mask over his eyes. Frostbite leaned in and inspected his forehead, and Danny was grew concerned as Frostbite only frowned harder the longer he looked.“What? What’s wrong?” he fretted. Frostbite pulled back with a sigh, and looked at him with chagrin.“I’m afraid it is no longer something that is easily reversed.”“What? Why?”“Queen Dorathea was correct in that it’s a protection mark of sorts. Simply placing the mark isn’t binding in itself, it’s more like a proposal. The giver is offering protection and themselves to the receiver. At that point it is fairly simple to undo the proposal, either from the originator not renewing it, or from a clear rejection by the receiver. However if the mark is kept renewed until the receiver accepts the proposal, then at that point the seal is made and the two become irrevocably linked.”Danny felt his stomach drop to his ankles. He… had very much kept it renewed. He literally did so every time they met up. But—“How exactly do you accept it? Because as far as I know I didn’t agree to anything,” Jason broke in, gripping the chair arms tightly.“You would have had to have willingly used the mark to call for the aid of the bestower. You ‘accept’ their protection.”“...Oh.”“So, there’s no way to undo it?” Danny asked a little desperately.“Well, there is. But I do not think that is a route you wish to take.”“Why?”“Because it involves one half of the bond to be utterly destroyed. With ghosts it would essentially be a second death, one there is no coming back from.”Danny looked at Frostbite in horror, then glanced over to find Jason grimacing. Jason glanced over and met his eyes, and they just sat there and stared at each other.Frostbite awkwardly stood up and started making his way to the door. “I will go and attend to the spirit you have brought for our aid. You are free to use this room for the discussions I’m sure you need to have.” The door clicked behind him, and Danny started letting out a distressed keening sound before he shot up to standing, wringing his hands.“I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have listened better to Dora. Now you’re stuck with some creepy half ghost forever and-”A hand covered his mouth, stopping his apologetic rambling.“Danny, it’s okay, breathe. I know you said you technically don’t need to in this form but do it anyway,” Jason gently commanded. Danny forced himself to take large breaths through his nose, and the repetitive action did slowly calm him down. Eventually Jason removed his hand and reached down to hold both of Danny’s wrists, and pressed their foreheads together. Danny felt his face grow warm.“Now, I would appreciate if you stopped beating up my adorable fiance.”“Your-?!”“Yes, my dumb, adorable fiance who needs to ease up on the self-deprecation. I have not met your psychologist sister but I will find her number for forced therapy. And also to finally get her damn book because it’s the only way I’m getting my hands on it, apparently.”Danny snorted a weak laugh. “They have copies here, I can just ask Frostbite for one.”Jason grinned. “Nah, I take it as a challenge now. Who will succeed first? You handing me a copy or me finding your sister’s number?”Danny leaned his head back and laughed, the stress finally releasing as tears started pooling in his eyes. After they trailed off and left him breathless Jason pulled him into a loose hug, tucking Danny’s head into his shoulder. For several moments they just stood and absorbed the other’s presence.“...Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Danny asked quietly.“I mean it is admittedly not the most conventional way to start a relationship, but we were basically dating already anyway. We just…skipped ahead a few steps is all.”“I think an eternally binding engagement is more than a ‘few steps’.”“Ehhh, who’s counting. Besides, I could certainly do worse than a handsome, powerful king of the afterlife. Plus! Can you imagine the look on Batman’s face? It’ll be the funniest shit ever.”“Well my friends and family are going to make fun of us forever, so laugh it up while you can.”Jason shifted and Danny felt him staring down. He lifted his head in confusion, but before he could even formulate a question warm lips pressed against his own and he froze on the spot. Jason pulled back and took in Danny’s stunned expression before his face broke into a large, cocky grin.“I think it will be worth it.”Danny flushed green to the tips of his ears and yanked a laughing Jason back down into another kiss. He couldn’t help but grin into it himself.Yeah, he thinks it will be worth it too.