Phantom sighed loudly as he fell back into the couch cushions that he and Tim's body were bleeding out on not even a day prior. When Phantom first showed up he was, well very nervous around Jason, skittery, and untrusting towards the anti-hero, which was well, fair. But after all the death talk over their mac and cheese, Phantom had seemed much more comfortable, it was surprising how he got used to Jason so quickly, bantering back and forth with him easily. Maybe it helped that Phantom didn't think that Jason was going to try and hurt Tim anymore. You know maybe kidnapping them was a bad start.
Phantom looked up to the ceiling and ran his hand down his face with an exhausted grown. "We need a shower." Jason wasn't sure if Phantom was talking to him or to Tim, and honestly, that was beginning to be a reoccurring problem at this point.
Normally, Jason would just err on the side of caution and answer anyway, "You definitely do. You're filthy."
Phantom chuckled, "Thanks Jason, it's part of my charm. Though I'm gonna guess not so much of Tim's." He tugged at the shirt a little so Jason could see it stick to their body slightly. All Jason did was dress the wound and then put a new shirt on. He didn't really clean up much besides that.
Phantom seemed to be listening to an inward conversation with Tim. Jason could sort of tell when Phantom's eyes focused on a point: it was how it looked if you saw someone daydreaming. Jason butted in anyway, "You two can hop in the shower, I'll grab you some clean clothes, but Timbo here will still be swimming in them."
Phantom smiled back at him, "Thanks, that would be great," he said to Jason before turning his head. "And look, Tim, I promise I won't look, like really. But we're covered in blood, and we've been kidnapped three times each in the span of the last twenty-something hours." He held his hand out in a so-so motion. "Better take this chance while we can, 'cause I don't think we can go very far in Gotham like this otherwise."
Phantom stood up and laughed at something Tim said. Jason shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I'm sure Tim can tell you how to make sure you don't destroy all of the hard work I did on your torso." Jason pointed up and down Tim's body with a raised eyebrow. "I don't want to redo any stitches when you two get out of there, though we will have to put on some more bandages when you're done. Do you know how to do them up?"
Phantom shrugged. "Kinda? I have had to use them on myself quite a few times, But I was self-taught so I could have been doing it wrong this whole time. I'm sure Tim can explain." Phantom waved his hand away and started down the hallway. "We'll call if we need help or anything." The ghost paused and laughed again and something seemly Tim said. But Jason made no comment as they entered the bathroom.
He followed down the hall after the door closed and went through his room to rummage for some new clothes. He settled on a black t-shirt with a faded blue Superman logo on it and some gray sweatpants that had a drawstring so it could be pulled around their waist to keep them up. He shuffled through and found a few other things they might need and then walked back over to the bathroom.
He could hear a muffled conversation on the other side that was either banter or arguing. He couldn't tell, but it made him chuckle all the same. Man, this was a strange situation. He reached out and rapped his knuckles on the door a few times before opening it.
"What's the password," Phantom called out.
Jason rolled his eyes but smiled non the less. "Open sesame." He tried.
"Nope."
"The Monster Mash?"
"Good try, but no." He could feel the amusement in Phantom's tone.
"How about I have the clothes for you, and if you don't grab them, I'm going to leave them on the floor." Jason raised an eyebrow at the door.
The door slowly opened and an arm reached out and grabbed the clothing from Jason's hand. "Thanks, and by the way, the password was singing the Ghostbusters theme."
Jason chuckled, "Of course it was." He muttered.
He could hear Phantom laugh again, "What, Tim, am I not allowed to be cheesy? I feel like I can totally make those jokes if I'm the dead one in this situation." Jason just shook his head and walked away from the door back to the living room. He heard the water turn on shortly after.
Jason started going through the kitchen and picking up dishes, but that was when he heard it. There were steps coming up the fire escape. Though they were very quiet and well placed, that of someone trained, they obviously didn't know about this one bar that for some reason creaked super loud every time you stepped on it. Jason avoided it every time. He tossed the bowls in the sink with the saucepan and reached inside one of the kitchen drawers where he had a gun laying before narrowing his eyes at the window, sight trained on it.
There was a possible chance that it was not Jason's apartment they were after, but he was one of two used apartments using that escape and the other one was two floors below. All thoughts of it being the wrong apartment were dashed when the window was slowly pulled open and a man slowly stepped into the apartment.
But not just any man. It was his dumbass older brother Dick — the same Dick, who, for some reason, thought he could just break into his apartment through his window in Crime Alley and not get shot. And this wasn't the first time Dick broke into Jason's apartment, either. At least Jason didn't come home to find him bleeding out all over the floor this time.
Before Dick could even look up, Jason cocked his gun to make a noise and stepped closer, aiming it directly at the back of Dick's head while he was half crouched on the floor. He stilled instantly at the sound, not daring to move. "What do you want, Dickface?" Jason snapped, he better have a good reason for this.
Dick slowly raised his hands. "I come in peace?" He sounded unsure.
"Why the hell are you breaking into my apartment?"
Dick took a deep sigh and sat back on his heels, hands still semi-raised. "Something happened at the cave. We need your help." Dick looked up at Jason, his eyes silently pleading with him to help, to listen, to hear Dick out. This was important.
"Who's we?" Jason snapped, ignoring the prang in his chest seeing his brother so… distraught. Jason slowly lowered the gun so it wasn't aiming directly at Dick anymore.
Dick quickly pulled the hood of his jacket off of his head and let it fall behind his neck. "Everyone back at the cave. Just… please."
Jason felt it was unlikely that everyone back at the cave wanted his help, he'd think a certain grumpy bat would have something to say about that. "What happened?"
Dick looked him straight in the eyes. Jason could feel a small fire behind them as Dick spoke. "Tim's been kidnapped."
A bunch more things just clicked in Jason's head. That also meant that both of the problems he currently has are involved in the same big problem, which is just great. Just as Jason was about to roll his eyes and comment something along the lines of, 'I already saved him, dumbass', or 'I know, I was there', or 'those goons are not gonna be kidnapping anyone anymore.'
"-He's been possessed and taken by a ghost." Dick continued before Jason could add-in.
Jason's brow knit together. Surely the Batfam weren't worried about Phantom, right? Jason thought he was talking about how he found good ol' Timtom being held for ransom, not the possession itself.
Dick must have seen the confusion or apprehension on Jason's face, 'cause he immediately continued, standing up now that the threat Jason posed a moment ago was gone, "I know it sounds crazy, but he got possessed by a ghost and now it" -Jason held back a grimace- "is walking around in Tim's body doing who knows what with him." He didn't know why he winced at the way Dick said 'it,' but it didn't feel right.
Jason narrowed his eyes and Dick looked him up and down. He was also feeling a little salty on Phantom's behalf: he seemed like an alright kid, and Dick was talking about him like he was the enemy. "So what do you want me to do? Track down your lost little bird and drag him back here to be exorcized or something?" He couldn't help the slight growl in the back of his voice or green tinge tinting the side of his vision. He wouldn't hurt Dick, but Jason still felt offended at the suggestion.
"Look Jason, please." Dick took a step closer, his hands held out in an attempt to placate him. He might have seen the light tinge in Jason's eyes. "I know you don't like Tim that much, but he's still just a kid. We need to find him before something bad happens. What if the ghost just leaves his body somewhere and moves on to the next one? We need your help looking, we saw it take Tim into Crime Alley, and you're our best chance."
Jason tried his best not to glance toward the bathroom door, where he could still hear the water running quietly in the background. It was unlikely that Dick even noticed it while so caught up in the moment.
Jason bit back the slight defensiveness he felt for Phantom, and set for staring into his brother's pleading eyes. His brother that had no idea that the two people he was begging Jason to help look for were only a mere two feet away squabbling in the shower.
"So this ghost… Why did he possess your little bird?" Jason started. He hoped Dick wouldn't notice the pronoun slip-up, but Jason couldn't bear to call Phantom an 'it' right now.
Dick jumped on the chance of Jason's help. "The ghost was trying to get past the hand print scanners."
"And why did he need to get past them? Was he breaking in?"
"No, um… we captured the ghost when it flew close to the manor. The containment device didn't hold, and it escaped and jumped into Tim's body the first chance it got."
Jason couldn't hold back the growl in his throat. "So let me get this straight. You kidnapped a ghost and then got surprised when it tried to escape and took your little birdie with him?" Jason threw his hand to the side. "Honestly, you should have been expecting it. I would do the same in that situation!"
He could feel the green licking at his eyes, Dick obviously sensed he was losing Jason and took a step forward with his hands out to try and placate him. "But you don't understand-"
Suddenly, a voice called out from down the hallway. "-Jason, could you grab us some more bandages?."
Both men in the room snapped their heads in the direction of the voice. Dick glanced over at Hood and then back towards the hallway. "Was that Tim's voice?" Dick's eyes widened as he stepped towards the hallway.
Jason's eyes flicked between Dick and the bathroom door as Dick moved another step closer. "Dick wait." Jason started.
Dick took a second to glance back at Jason, with a scrunched brow. "Jason, is Tim here?" His voice sounded tight. "Are you keeping him here?" Dick glanced back towards the hallway. Before stepping forward like he was about to take off in that direction. Jason didn't think, even though he probably should have, but when has that ever helped him before?
Jason pulled out his gun again and pistol-whipped Dick upside the head and the shorter man fell on the floor, unconscious. Well, that went well.
Authors notes
Special thanks to my beta readers!: 'Arvensia', 'oceanaslana', and 'TotallyMichealAuthor' You guys are amazing.
Lmao here we go! Things are getting interesting, now we have Dick, Jason, Tim, and Danny in the same place! Well, Dick isn't really awake for it that is, but still! Anyway, I am super excited for the next chapter and I would love to hear what you guys thought of the chapter and what you guys think will happen next! Love you all thank you so much for all of your amazing comments so far they help keep me updating!
