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It had been in preparation for weeks, after Constantine had finally managed to pull up enough information for them to do it, They were going to get in contact with and assess the threat of the Ghost King. Constantine had read many tales about the Ghost king of the infinite realms or the “Ghost Zone” as some of the texts described it which just begged the question if it was another part of the Phantom zone and honestly Bruce really needs some coffee.
The summoning circle was complete and it took up almost the entire meeting room. God Bruce hopes this goes better than he thinks it will. Pariah Dark seems like an asshole.
Jason isn't entirely sure why he let himself be dragged here when he has a meeting with Danny in a week to check how he's doing but the Bats insisted so he's here anyway.
“What’s Red Hood doing here?” Clark demands, Bruce just sighs at his friend before Dick drapes himself over Jason’s shoulders and pronounces
“He’s here to make an announcement!” he even does it with little jazzhands holding onto Jason by pure defiance of physics and a little help from the brother in question, not that Jason would admit to that under torture. Bruce sighs even harder even as Tim nods viciously beside him. Jason kind of wants to hit something.
“That’s right!” Tim agrees, “It’s a very important announcement that he will be making himself, isn’t that right?” Jason sighs even as Tim worms his way under Jason’s arm and Jason hugs him into his side.
“And what is this announcement?” Clark finally cuts back in. Diana looks like she’s about to coo at the scene and Bruce looks like he would have downed a bottle of whiskey if he was a drinking man. As it is he just clutches his coffee like it’s his last line to sanity. Jason can’t blame him.
“They want to take Hood off the JL’s wanted list.” Bruce explains, like the god send that he is, “And as Hood has explained to them on multiple occasions he is against this and in this house we respect people's opinions. Don’t we?” He asks the last bit pointedly to Jason’s brothers but Dick just looks back like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth and replies,
“Unless they’re wrong.” Jason can see Bruce’s resolve crumble. He gives Jason one last to as if to go “well I tried” before taking a long pull from his mug, frowning at it and moving off to Constantine to start the ritual.
It’s a few more minutes before everything starts and still no one has told him who they’re trying to summon. Zatanna keeps looking at him oddly and it’s kind of getting on his nerves, DIck notices though and is now doing his level best to flirt Zatanna into submission which is not only a sight to see but also appears to be working. Soon enough the ritual starts with the Leaguers spread around the room and it only takes moments for Jason to clock who they’re trying to summon. This’ll be interesting. He wonders if he can persuade B to adopt him too.
The circle glows a toxic green and suddenly with a sound like fabric being torn a hole is wrenched in the air above the circle and out steps Danny in the form of the king.
"Ẃ̵̤̯̀̇̀̿͐̕̚̚͝h̶̨̟̯̖̙͇̓̈́̌̓̽̀͂̉͌̈́͠͝͠Ǫ̶̡̞̭̘͎͈̼̞̲̗̩̺̼̥̣̽̅̈́͌͑̔̂̍͆̓̄̍̕͝ ̵̡̡̡̡̟͈̮͔̗̯͕̰̝͕̳͖̮̹̑̽̋͝d̸̢̡͙̞͎̰̘̺̲͓͓͓̠͓͐Ä̸̡͉̪̺̙̙͈̱̯͖̭́́̚͝͝r̷̡̙̞̱͉̯̥̗̳̞̼̰͓͈͐̇̓͆́̏̿̇̔͘Ë̶̡̠͎̦͕̠̳͎͖̪̎̽͊̏̓͊s̷͖̮̘̹͕̘̐̐̓̏̾̇͋͐̆́͑̉̃͋̚͠ ̷̳̙͆̐͐̏͐̏̈́̀̂̒̀͘͠͠S̴̛̛͎̥͉̙̯̤̺̺̥̮̞̩̜͗̇͆́͋̽͠ͅų̴̡̩̭͇̱̠̫̹̘͇̪̞͉̩̮̞̻̔͐̅-̷̨̢̝̝̭̞͈̖̞̲͈͉̳͔̫̞̑̅͊̾̊̎̓̏̇͆̇̒͜" He starts, voice greeting on ears in an unholy cacophony to those that haven't died, before suddenly his entire form seems to fold in on itself and left in the place of the abomination is a small boy who happily waves to Jason "Oh, hey Gotham! Isn't the meeting next week? Oh, shit, sorry you go by Jason right now don't you?" he rubs the back of his head sheepishly as he floats in the circle. Jason thinks he looks really cute like this.
Jason waves the young King off ignoring the stares of the league,
"Don't sweat it kid, and yeah it is next week. Wasn't me that summoned you we both know I'd just head over to your keep or it'd be an official call for aid."
It's then that Danny finally looks around the room.
"Ohmygod, I'm so sorry! I didn't, like, out you are anything did I? Pandora would never let me live that down. You Ancients are the
worst
gossips."
Jason cackles as his distress over the situation,
"Then I guess you won't be invited to the next bitch'n'stich night. Sorry Phantom. Anyway these guys are the Justice League and you're in the Watchtower right now, yes I know its space don't freak out, I've already mentioned the Dark Knight and his crew and I'm sure you know the rest."
Danny has a moment of stars in his eyes as he looks around before zeroing back in on Jason.
“But I did just
totally
blow your mortal cover didn’t I?”
Jason huffs and steps into the circle the magical protections built in to keep powerful entities in or out sparks and fizzles before shattering to the sound of glass as it gets overloaded as Jason ruffles the young king’s hair.
“I said don’t worry about it,” He waves him off again “you're only, what, a hundred years old? A baby.”
“I’m a hundred and ten.” is the grumbled reply.
Jason laughs at him “That’s what I said, a baby. Tiny ickle baby ghosty boy. Barely breached his first century.”
Someone clears their throat in the background and Jason turns to the rest of the JL. He’s going to have to explain so much. Or he could just go back to his natural form…
Nah.
He likes these idiots too much and Bruce’ll die without him.
“Everyone, this is the High King of the Infinite Realms, Danny Phantom. Beloved ruler over the Realms between since his defeat of Pariah Dark in single combat in defense of his people and keeper of the balance of life and death. Also he’s baby your honor. To be honest with you none of us liked Pariah anyway, far too power hungry that man, I really wasn’t too sad to see him die in the first place kept fucking with my boarders which was a nightmare I’ll tell you, trying to keep my citizens safe when the lines kept changing was a giant headache.” Jason’s aware that he’s rambling at this point but, sue him, he’s nervous as all hell even with how he’s playing it off to Danny.
Bruce opens his mouth and Jason snaps his mouth shut.
“Jason?” Bruce’s voice wavers and suddenly it’s very difficult for Jason to speak around the lump in his throat. The other League members look stunned at Batman for a second, a few of them obviously recognising the name, but most just stunned that Mr. Secret ID himself would out someone else. Bruce swallows roughly before continuing, “Jason is that true? Are you… Are you Gotham?”
“Yeah.” Jason chokes back out, Danny is plastered to his side giving as much support as he can.
“Why?” It’s almost a whisper but in the silence of the meeting room it’s as loud as a yell.
It’s not fair as Jason almost cried even as his voice remained somewhat steady, “You were just so kind you helped so many people, there was a child broken and alone and you picked up and cared for him without a second thought. No one has managed to help as much as you Bruce, no one. The Dark Knight wasn’t a title bestowed by just anyone, it was bestowed by Gotham Bruce.”
Bruce looks close to crying as he gestures to the scar on Jason’s neck, “But I, But you…” And Jason is so grateful that Danny breaks in to talk then.
“Oh yeah, that one’s on Jason.” He explains immediately to the gals of the rest of Jason’s family at the shift of blame until he holds his hands up in surrender and explains further “Ghosts and others from the Realms communicate in violence and with Gotham being as violent as it is Jason forgot that you were human, wholly and purely. We’ve had a few talks about it.” Jason snorts at him
“More like you forced me to go see a human’s therapist.” he quips only for Danny to turn to him.
“How do you expect to figure out how they work huh?” is his rebuttal and Jason really can’t say anything to that so he redirects.
“Want to come see the Manor?” he asks as he leads Danny to the Zetas. Members of the League move to intercept but the Bat family quickly block off their approach as Jason and Danny move.
If a few weeks later there’s a new blue eyed black haired teen staying at the manor and it’s suddenly a lot more common to find a pitch black patch of shadow following behind the manor’s residents and chittering at them no one mentions it.
If Alfred is found playing chess with a woman with four arms then that’s no one’s business but his.