Chapter 4: Shot through the heart (and you are to blame)

Curse or no curse, Jason wasn't mad about being married to that woman.

He never wanted to get married, or do the whole romance thing in general. Never saw the need to be with someone else, or subject someone to the mess of a person he was - he was self aware enough to know he wasn't exactly that good of a life partner.

This Jasmine chick seemed nice and overall badass, she didn't need someone like him in her life.

That being said, he wouldn't mind knowing her more.

Man! Whatever Danny did to him was doing wonders to his mind! He had stopped feeling the urge to agree to anything she said and stopped feeling like the world spun around her.

He still felt a bit of awe, an infatuation, as she geared up with a calm demeanor that told of years doing the same dance over and over again. Consider it some kind of kinship with his way of life - she wasn't a vigilante, but apparently a ghost hunter, and that was close enough.

It was like seeing someone with the same outfit, or the same haircut; a sense of solidarity in their lifestyle that inevitably made him feel closer than a civilian. He had never had a moment where he saw someone and thought, 'yeah, this person could get me', until now.

That's why he wanted to follow her. He wanted to see her in her own turf, see her fight once again, and get that rush he got at the mall earlier in the day. Also, they made a great team.

"Go." Right. Bruce was still there, watching him. Creepy old man. "I'll look for the other affected people, you follow the siblings."

"Are you trusting me to go alone?"

Batman actually smiled. "Apparently, the safest place for you right now is at her side."

Jason lifted an eyebrow. "Really?"

"She seems nice."

"You only say that because she called you out."

"What can I say? She impressed me." They looked at each other for a few moments. "Once the situation is dealt with please take them both to the Cave. We need to know more about these ghosts."

Red Hood groaned. Bruce was behaving but the paranoia was showing - not that he disagreed with him, since suddenly accepting that not only ghosts were a thing (as in, actual villains that did magic tricks) but that the mysterious meta that's been messing with the Bats was actually just a kid; well, that was too much in too little time.

Huh.

And that he may or may not be married to a stranger. That too.

The others couldn't know about this.

"Alright." He walked up to the window, grappling gun in hand. "I'll keep my comms open, yes." He added before Bruce could say the reminder.

The older man smiled, the facial expression a bit out of place in the cowl, but it was genuine. "Take care."

"Always do."

With that, he jumped out and grappled to a nearby rooftop, setting his path in the direction he felt the pull in his chest. It wasn't like the Pit, at least not the same sensation. It was akin in nature but not… prickly? Not aggressive, just a beacon of light that was impossible to miss.

The same with the Pit inside of him. It was quieter, gentler, a constant pressure in the back of his mind, but that wasn't trying to take over his every thought. He was starting to understand that he really, really had been very fucked up.

Everything was so clear now, so defined, and colorful. It was like coming up for air after being underwater for too long.

He owed Danny a big one.

Soon he heard the roaring engine of Jazz's bike and adjusted his course to follow it, finding her speeding into the night, her turns sharp and precise, with a clear destination. It wasn't hard to determine where she was going, actually, since sounds of the fight were getting louder as well.

There it was, the floating figure of the meta - or ghost, as he now stood corrected - flying around what Jason assumed was the ghost that was behind all the mess.

He landed about at the same time Jazz drifted into a stop and turned off the engine, quickly taking off the helmet, eyes fixed on the ghost fight going on.

"Oh, hello!" Danny flew past them, coming back into the fray. He dodged some rays that came out of nowhere and shot back another green blast of his own.

"What is he actually fighting?"

Jazz glanced at him and sighed. She took his hand and-

Oh. Oh.

What he initially thought was a green weird vortex was actually shaped like a person, and someone he actually recognized.

"Is that fucking Elvis Presley?"

Jazz laughed, letting go of his hand. Whatever she did made him able to properly see the ghost on his own, see how Elvis strung his guitar and somehow the notes became tangible and were very, very sharp.

He jumped out of the way of one of the notes.

"The fuck?"

"Welcome to my world," she said with a little smirk. "And that's not actually Elvis - apparently is an Elvis impersonator, the kind that marries people in Vegas."

Okay, that was making some sense. It didn't explain why the fuck a ghost could just… do that kind of stuff.

"Why-"

"If you don't mind, Q&A can happen later." Her smile turned nervous as they heard Danny scream and be knocked to the ground.

Jason could only agree. That fall seemed to hurt. In any case, Danny stood up in less than a second, blasting more of those green rays.

Jazz jumped in this time, screaming at her brother and asking him what he needed. Too slippery, Danny explained. If he tried to get closer to get a proper punch Elvis would just sing a song and knock him back.

"I need a distraction."

"I can do that." Jasmine nodded. "Lead the way, Danny-o."

"I hate that so much."

The siblings rushed to where the ghost was floating, amused with the interaction, and watching - he was watching Jason. The fucking guy knew about him and Jazz and thought that the whole thing was amusing.

"Eat this!" Jazz screamed as she started shooting, making a nuisance of herself and impossible to ignore.

She ran up to where not-Elvis was waiting for her, her shots not meant to hit the ghost but the floating notes surrounding him, knocking them away from the defense barrier. Danny jumped in once he saw his chance, hand ready to grab the ghost-

Elvis laughed, took a breath and opened his mouth. "At last~!"

The blast pushed the Fenton siblings back, Danny just barely in time to catch Jazz before she hit the ground.

"-my love has come along~"

Was that…?

"My lonely days are over and life is like a song~"

Etta James? Was the Elvis ghost seriously singing that?

Jason looked at where Jazz was wincing and trying to cover her ears. Right, his mouthpiece went over the ears and muffled some of the sound, so he wasn't as affected. Danny was worse, barely able to stand up with the noise - Phantom had sensitive ears, they've come to learn in their investigation of what they thought was a metahuman.

He needed to help them.

Quickly, he ran to where Jazz was struggling to aim her gun with the horrible noise, and opened her left holster to steal one of her guns.

"Consider this payback!" he shouted at her, but she probably couldn't hear him or read his lips with the mask in the way.

"My heart was wrapped up in clover~" Jason aimed at the ghost's chest, not sure if it would actually work. "-the night I looked at-"

He took the shot. One, two, three times. The guns were different from what he was used to, but familiar enough to not skew his aim too much. It was more like a laser gun from a sci-fi TV series - but it did real damage.

Elvis screamed and grunted, knocked back a little by the shot. At least he stopped singing.

"Thanks," Jazz breathed in relief. "You can keep that, for now." She nodded at the weird ray gun in his hand.

He rolled his eyes at her words, not giving her the satisfaction at the call back to the mall fight, and nodded at her.

"Any pointers I need?"

"They heat up a little more than a normal gun, so space out the shots. No need to reload, or anything like that," she glanced nervously at Danny, who recovered quickly and started blasting the ghost. "We don't need to kill him, just tire him enough so he stays still for capture."

"Got it."

"And don't stay in the same place too long - even if your core is not fully developed, ecto blasts will probably hurt you."

That was something he wanted to follow up on later, but let it go for now. "Understood."

Jazz breathed in, breathed out. "And don't die."

This made him chuckle. "Never try to."

She rolled her eyes. "Could have fooled me."

Before he could continue the banter, Jazz tensed and jumped back. Right where she had been standing a stray green blast hit the ground.

"DANNY." She screamed in the general direction of the fight.

"Sorry~" The halfa singsonged as he flew by, dodging more of those music notes with ease. "It's not my fault that you lovebirds chose this moment to-"

"Shield!"

He didn't hesitate - Danny obeyed his sister and put up a green shield without looking, just in time to block incoming attacks that would have hit them all.

It was obvious that these two had fought together before. A team. There was an underlying trust between them, in the way that as soon as the attack stopped, Jazz jumped into action and slid from under the fading shield, guns at the ready.

Elvis didn't expect that, eating a few blasts in the face.

"Why!?" He screamed. "Why are you guys getting in the way of love~!"

This time they were ready when the sonic blast hit - Jason knew when his turn was due, standing up and shooting at the ghost in the chest, now a bit more familiar with what he had to do with the gun.

"Not bad, sweetheart." Jazz patted him in the arm and took a few shots of her own.

Danny lunged again, closing the distance with the ghost, arms ready to grab him and make him stand still. Elvis growled, strumming his acoustic guitar once again; but instead of notes, what appeared were staves, the five lines where usually the notes were placed in a music sheet.

The lines approached Danny faster than he could dodge them all, grabbing him by the arms and legs.

"Oh, no, I'm definitely not into that shit!"

He transformed his legs into a tail and managed to get it free, but the arms stayed tangled in the magical ghostly lines.

"Distract him." Jazz gave Jason her gun and withdrew one of the knives she had on her vest, making a run for her brother.

Alright. He can be a nuisance.

Jason quickly grappled away into a more advantageous position where he had a clear sight of the ghost from behind. He aimed and shot, ready for the glare and the strumming of the guitar, for the sharp music notes and the strings of staves coming after him.

He jumped away, flipping and missing the attacks by inches, not having time to stop between the onslaughts. Ghosts didn't tire of get out of breath, it seemed, because pretty quickly he had to make a jump and seek solace behind some brick structure on the rooftop only so he could take a breather.

"What the-"

One of the guns was making a beeping sound, the green light (leds?) on the side blinking slowly. It didn't look good. He had to go back and ask Jazz what was wrong with it.

He took a peek and the ghost Elvis' attention was back on the siblings, Danny now free and flying circles around the enemy, looking for a chance to strike that wasn't reflected by a magical music note or parried with the guitar.

Jason carefully grappled back to the ground, seamlessly landing next to where Jazz was running behind the flying ghosts down the road.

"Hey, wanna switch?"

She glanced at him, doing a double take once she saw the beeping gun. "Throw that!"

He didn't need to be told twice - without breaking his stride he hurled the thing as far as he could, in the direction of the fight, and watched as she threw her knife at it.

The explosion was bright, and loud, and now her wide eyes and panicked tone made sense. It also made sense why she carried so many guns.

"What-"

"Q&A later!"

Right. The fight.

Jason stopped just for a moment to pick up her knife, which got stuck on the concrete road, and followed her and the sounds of that horrible singing.

Soon it was obvious that the ghost wouldn't stop and he was only playing with them, tiring them. Running around and shooting or throwing stuff at him didn't get them anywhere, and Danny was being tossed to walls more easily, and recuperating a bit slower.

Jazz seemed to get to the same conclusion. She helped her brother up from the small crater he created when he landed after the latest sonic blast, telling him something via facial and hand gestures that Jason couldn't follow.

Danny frowned but nodded, and was up in the air again.

"Hey." She said once she turned to look at him, grabbing his hand and tugging on it. "Can you get me to that rooftop?"

He looked at where she was pointing and nodded. No sweat. He had done higher than that.

"Hop on, princess."

She huffed but walked into his awaiting arms, looping her arms around his neck, and didn't comment on the pet name or how his grip on her waist was a bit firmer than was necessary.

Even with the added weight his grapple gun could make the trip up to where she asked him to, and soon they were running to the other side of the roof and towards where Danny had cornered the ghost in a nearby alley.

"It's over, dude. Surrender."

Elvis stopped, carefully strumming some chords in his guitar, considering. If he knew they were watching from the roof, he didn't show it.

"You can't stop me, you can't stop my work."

"Dude, you are marrying complete strangers without their consent. That's not cool at all."

Jason watched as Jasmine quietly unlooped the giant rifle she still had on her back, kneeling so she could start preparing it. Was she going to use it? Part of him was excited, he was curious to see what kind of damage it could do, and why she had called it "Moral Support" - the name was badass as hell.

"They are not strangers, they have potential!" Elvis did a riff on his guitar, making a point. "They will have enough time to get to know each other! That's what love is for!"

Jason winced. That was not how love worked, not that he had a lot of experience, but he had been painfully aware of every one of his brother's and Bruce's failed relationships.

(And his parents'.)

Just as quietly as she was assembling the gun, Jazz scoffed. She apparently shared his opinion.

Good.

Not that it was important, since they would not be married anymore after they caught the ghost.

(What a shame. This was fun. She was fun.)

"It doesn't matter if you don't agree, young King," Jazz jumped and looked up from her work, eyes wild, "because what I started cannot be stopped. I cannot be stopped! I am cupid, the love god, and is my duty to-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Get in the thermos."

"Didn't you hear? I am the love god!"

"And I'm Danny Phantom, now get in the thermos!"

Jazz rolled her eyes, the weapon in her hands now properly assembled once she pushed a button. It made a noise like it was charging up and she placed down on the floor, getting down in position. Jason couldn't stop noticing how comfortable she looked, prone on the rooftop, with what he could guess was some kind of sniper rifle in her hands, waiting for her shot.

She had done this before. And she looked gorgeous.

A scream brought him out from his musings and he looked away from the sniping goddess to find the retreating figure of the Elvis ghost flying away faster than how he had flown as they fought him. Danny quickly followed, trying to slow him down.

He looked at Jazz again, how she tensed and relaxed, how she controlled her breathing and put her finger on the trigger.

"Stop breathing."

It took a second to realize she was talking to him. He obeyed, holding his breath, waiting to see if she could make the shot. They were getting away, and fast, and whatever that big ass gun did couldn't be good if she hit her brother by accident. It showed the amount of trust between them-

Jazz whistled, the piercing sound loud on his ears, and Danny moved away just in time to avoid the brightest laser Jason had ever seen. It was big, it made a noise like a firework as it soared through the sky, hitting the ghost right in his chest before he could make a shield or use his guitar to stop it.

Elvis trembled in the air as if shocked by a taser for a few seconds, his form flickering, unstable, before plummeting to the ground.

Jazz breathed in relief and stood back up.

"Good shot," he couldn't help but say. That was impressive. "That shit must have a recoil like crazy."

"It really does," she rolled her shoulder, "and it can only take one shot before having to recharge for a day. But it's worth it."

Just one shot, huh.

"What does it do?"

She made a face, quickly picking up the rifle and undoing her previous work. "It destabilized a ghost's core. Momentarily."

That didn't sound good. It sounded dangerous, and by her somber expression, it was painful and cruel.

But it was the only thing that stopped that ghost.

"You did well."

She looked at him funny, like she didn't expect supporting words. "I know. Let's go."

Jazz looped the strap of the gun around her neck again and jumped into his arms without prompting. It felt good, natural, to have her close. Her touch was cold even through the layers of the suit, but it wasn't uncomfortable; and the way her body perfectly fit with his, like it was meant to be there, was… nice.

Maybe it was the curse speaking, but that didn't mean he didn't like it.

In any case, he had to shelve those thoughts until he could unpack that underlying attraction, and maybe check if she was okay with it?

He quickly grappled them to where he saw the ghost fall, gently letting her down, and smiling when she said a quiet "thank you", even if she couldn't see it.

They found Danny smugly standing next to a green dome with the Elvis ghost sitting in it, defeated. His arms crossed over his chest and his lips in a pout, and his guitar broken at his side. However, his face lit up when he saw them land together.

"Oh, yes, my greatest match!"

Jazz didn't find it funny. She immediately pointed a gun at the ghost.

"Undo it."

He laughed. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?" She placed her finger on the trigger. Jason appreciated the enthusiasm, but he wasn't sure if the shot would bounce on the green shield.

Elvis chuckled, and stood - flew? Floated? - to an upwards position.

"Honey, a royal bond cannot be broken that easily."

She froze. "A what?"

The ghost sighed, clasping his hands together with a wistful expression. "What was my surprise when I saw you two together at the mall. My greatest work! The Princess and a Knight, a match made in heaven."

Jason saw the moment Jazz's mind disconnected. He wasn't following what was going on that well, but by Danny's sudden ashen expression and how he tried to sneakily step away from his sister's field of vision, he assumed something was up.

"You guys even did the rope ceremony on your own! It was destiny, I tell you. Destiny." He turned to look at Jason now, his red eyes piercing. "The moment I saw you fight together I knew this would be my magnum opus."

"Danny? What is he talking about?" She lowered her gun, but Danny froze like she was pointing it at him. "Princess? Royal bond?"

"Uh… I may have- I mean, I was gonna tell you when I visited, I promise, but stuff came up and then-"

"Danny."

"I may have, uh, I am the Ghost King now?" He smiled nervously.

Jazz wasn't smiling back.