Danny is flying closely over the buildings, admiering the gothic arcitecture marring the citys rooftops, hovering to take pictures every now and then. He lets the faint wispers on the wind guide him closer and closer to the older and more dilapitated parts of the city.
"Hey Phantom!" A call from just below startles the ghost out of a partial trance.
"I hope you're not stalking me. Guy might get the wrong idea, showing up on my turf uninvited."
Sure enough now the ghost concentrates he can feel he's entered into a Haunt noticably different from the city spirits. Woeps. Luckily he's already familiar and surprisingly on good terms with this particular dead guy.
"Hood!" Danny grins, sharp teeth on full dispay, somehow it looks nothing but friendly.
The ghost flies down and lands next to the crime lord. He hadn't noticed before since he was hovering the entire time last they spoke but with his feet firmly on the ground he's a few inches shorter than Red Hood. With how broad the vigilantes shoulders are, and those muscles... "I promise i'm not stalking you. Though i gotta be honest, i was kinda hoping i'd run into you again."
"Oh yea? What for?" Jason is pretty delighted himself to see the ghost again. The guy realy helped him out, and he hadn't had a chance to thank him properly yet. yeah thats it, not just because he's cute or anything.
The halfa stutters. "Uh err-" His cheeks turn a charming shade of teal.
But it sure doesn't hurt that the ghost is an adorable twink.
'That's totally a blush. i wonder if-' Hood flexes his muscles, crossing his arms in a way he knows makes his shoulders broader and makes him look bigger.
Phantom swallows and not so subtly checks him out. Looks like ghosty has a little crush. Jason feels pretty satisfied with a cute guy checking him out.
"Anyway-" The ghost pointedly looks anywhere but him. He can't help the grin spreading beneath his helmet.
"I'm here because Lady Gotham asked for an audience. I'm kinda wondering if the achients are plotting something though." Phantom huffs with fond bemusement.
"Who is lady Gotham?"
"..Wait you're serious? You don't know? But your one of her Knights!" Danny exclaims.
Red Hood sighs exapreratedly, the helmet making it crackle.
"Yknow Phantom. It feels like every time we chat you leave me with a lot more questions than awnsers." Hood casually twirls a knife between his fingers to have something to occupy his hands with. And maybe to show off some cool tricks.
"You get used to it." Phantom shrugs, "I havn't even gotten to the really weird stuff yet.
SO lady Gotham is this cities spirit. When people say the soul of a place or town, spirits like her is what they're reffering to. She is Gotham, the streets, buildings and the shadows they cast are her body and she refers to the people in her Haunt, both living and dead, as her children. She protects what's hers, kinda like you guys. It's why she likes you, the Bats protect her, so you have her blessing in turn. Lady Gotham is realy nice, as old as the first settlers on these lands, and very powerful."
"Gotham's soul huh...Could I meet her?" He's not gonna lie, he's curious. Does Gotham approve of him? His methods of keeping Crime ally clean? The very soul of the city he was born in, grew up in, cares so much about that when he died he still came back for. What does this city think of him? Jason didn't dare even think about these questions before. But now he has a real chance to get some awnsers? He'll take it.
"Sure!" Phantom agrees readily and scoops Red Hood up bridal style, like picking up 200 pounds of muscle plus armor is nothing. It's Hoods turn to blush. Damn this twink is stronger than he looks, and damn if Jason doesn't have a type.
~
Phantom flies them into a nondescript murder ally. Hoods not exagerating, he's pretty sure he had been investigating a murder here just last month. The shadows are dark and the stench of rotting garbage strong.
"Helluva place to pick up a lady."
The halfa snickers as he sets Red Hood back on his feet. "Trust me, the ambiance is very much to her liking."
The shadows grow somehow larger, darker. An entity slowly takes shape and Jason is half convinced he's hallucinating on scarecrow's fear gas.
A black veil barely covers a skeletal face, eyes piercing blood red. Dress dripping tar on the dirty ally ground. Her form such oneness with the shadows you can't tell where her body ends, if she even does. Her form bend over with the spine crooked unnaturally, showing off large leathery wings on her back. She looks like the nightmarish grotesks and gargoyles adorning many rooftops come to life. Perhaps they were molded after her as a form of worship, or a plea for mercy. When she opens her mouth to speak, smog bellows out of a gaping maw with needle sharp teeth. Her voice is raspy, as she speaks it echoes in his mind, the meaning of the words lost to him if it wern't for his ghostly friend translating the achient speach.
"Lady Gotham. You wanted to see me?" Phantom asks politely.
"Of course child, your grandfather has told me about the many great accomplishments his newest charge achieved. Witnessing you in person, you are truely special, i can sense it.. i feel honored to call you my King."
"Thank you lady Gotham. if it isnt too forward, i'd love an official allyship with you."
"As you have helped me and mine, i accept young king."
Lady gotham addresses Red hood next. Having the full attention of such an achient power should make him feel scared, apprehensive at least. But Jason feels calm under her gaze, eerily so. "My child. Born and born again within my soil. How i've delighted witnessing your growth."
Unwittingly and broken, only one strangled sound escapes his mouth "Mom."
Jason wants to sink into the ground from embarresment as the entity laughs. The sound is raspy, more like she's swallowed glass shards rather than smokes a pack a day.
"Yes my child."
Questions. He has things he wanted to ask. Jason can almost hear B nagging at him in the back of his mind to gather information on the unknown entity.
Yet the mission doesn't seem all that important. Craddled safely in her shadows, he feels warm, accepted by this entity he's know all his life yet only just met.
Phantom walks out of the ally with a new alliance. Jason with a new meaning of exestential crisis.
~
"How long you staying in town?"
"Prolly gotta go back before dawn. Don't wanna attract unwanted attention with my presence here."
"oh, makes sence." Hood feels dissapointed. He barely hides it in his voice.
"We still have a few hours though. Want to show me around?"
Jason gladly takes the excuse. He starts sprinting over the rooftops with Phantom on his heels, eager to show off the best places Crime ally has to offer.
~
"Cool Haunt. Pretty big for someone that's not a full ghost."
"What?"
"Your Haunt. The terretory you've claimed as yours?"
"You mean Crime Ally. You can sence that?"
"yeah man. Any dead and undead can sence it, its pretty dang strong. What? What's with that face your making."
"I just. Have i been ghostly pissing all over the allys this entire time."
Danny burst out laughing "hahahahaha thats one way to put it. bwahahaha!"
"So the dead can sence my turf. Any other things i should keep in mind? Do I get bonusses?"
"Having a Haunt is a sign of strenght. The ghosts existing here keep to your rules, and no small fry will try to challenge you. Also with practice you can sence when a ghost enters your Haunt, or even living people! It's easier to sence people you're close with, I use it as a wellness check on my Fraid sometimes."
"Can you teach me?" it would be so good if he can sence his annoying siblings crossing into his turf.
"Sure!"
~
"So king huh. Should i refer to you as your majesty?" Hood teases.
"ungh please don't. I'm only thechnically king. The realms gouvern themselves just fine, they have for centuries now."
"Hm, for a figurehead you do seem pretty eager to form alliances."
"Well yeah. i do have a bunch of enemies that want the crown, and most are powerhungry fruitloops. i need all the allies i can get."
"That's concerning. What about an Alliance with me?" It may be a good idea to keep an eye on the situation. And a way for him to spend more time with the ghost. A win win realy.
Phantom sputters. "uh wha..?"
"What am i not good enough, or do i not count? i am an undead."
"No no no, thats not-. You're perfect! i mean!" Phantom blushes up to the tips of his ears. it takes him an embarresing long moment to collect himself.
"Just. What do you want in exchange?"
"You already helped me more than i feel i can ever pay back, with the pit madness and with awnsering a ton of questions i've been struggling with for years now."
"Well i guess, but that's.. A good king looks after his people." Danny shrugs. "I didn't do it for any kind of reward. And we already made and fufilled our deal, so you don't owe me anything."
Jason takes a moment to think. Should he..? Fuck it, when is he getting another chance to live out his fantasy romance novel dreams.
"How about a date then?"
Phantom falls out of the sky where he'd been hovering, landing hard on the roof. "d-d-d. hnngg." He nods mutely, flustered beyond words.
~
Some of this stuff Jason is definitely not sharing with his family. They would tease him endlessly for the flirting. And he will absolutely be able to use the Haunt thing to mess with his siblings.
His family will probably figure out he's officially dating the ghost soon enough. But for now, just for a little bit he wants Danny for himself.