A Little Overshadowing Never Hurt Anyone

No Shit Sherlock -Chapter 18

"So... Phantom, what exactly are you?" Jason leaned back in his chair and looked the kid up and down, he possessed Tim, so he could be a couple of things. A Demon, a Spirit, a computer virus that somehow got downloaded into Tim's veins...Tim is on that computer so much Jason would believe it.

Phantom speared another bunch of noodles on the end of his fork and narrowed his eyes at Jason for a split second. "I'm a ghost."

"A ghost, huh?" Jason nodded, it was one of the things he was expecting. He knew there was a ghost on the Justice League, some acrobat or something. He didn't really remember. But that meant... "That means you're dead?" Jason looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock," Phantom smirked like he was holding in a laugh. "You're dead too, aren't you? Or at least partly. You would know."

Jason stilled and stared at him for a moment. "Did Tim tell you that?" He knew his voice sounded a tad on the aggressive side, but it was shocking to hear that someone else knew he was dead.

Phantom surprisingly had no reaction to the aggression. He shrugged. "Nah, It's pretty obvious, honestly. But you don't have nearly enough ectoplasm to be a ghost. And you are clearly still alive. But you reek of death. No offense."

"Glad to know I reek."

Phantom put up his hands, placating. "Maybe reek is the wrong word. I don't mean it in a bad context here. It's more like I can tell it's all over you. Seeping from your being. More so when you are angry or emotional."

Jason rested his hand on his chin while Phantom took another bite of his noodles. Surprisingly he had started eating with more enthusiasm. Maybe this was the first time he had been able to eat real food in a while. Jason glanced up at the green aura that he had been seeing around him slightly. Something barely noticeable until you were looking for it.

The pit green.

What brought Jason back to life?

Was that the aura of death?

"So that green aura around you right now. That is death?" Jason ventured.

Phantom shrugged. "Basically. Glad to know you can see it, though. It's good to be able to tell when other people are overshadowed and stuff like that. I couldn't really see it well when I first died, got taken advantage of by another ghost."

Phantom turned his head as if listening to the air for a moment before he pointed his fork from side to side. "Ah, this one girl overshadowed this other girl that I liked at the time so that she could go out with me so that she could get back at her boyfriend who flirted with other women. I honestly still have no idea how they keep getting back together, they're a reck."

Jason laughed. "Glad to know there is ghost relationship drama and not just human drama."

Phantom laughed as well. "Honestly, I swear I'm stuck in the middle of it every time, too."

Jason slowly stopped laughing and watched the kid in front of him slowly. He said he was, what, almost sixteen? When did he die? Was he this age when he died and just didn't change? Or did he die not too long ago?

Jason put his hands down on the table, "Phantom... If you don't mind me asking." Phantom stopped, Jason could feel the change in his aura slightly. "How old were you when you died?"

Phantom's gaze surprisingly softened slightly. "I technically already told Tim accidentally, and I guess this is something we can bond over so, yeah. I died at fourteen." He put his finger to his chin.

Jason was relieved by his nonchalance. "Actually, same. I was fifteen"

"Awesome, death buddies!"

)-(